Published at 25th of February 2026 7:49 am

Chapter 400

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

"...... This is impossible......"

Seo Seon, who had collapsed, spoke to me.

His eyes were already bloodshot.

"What kind of sorcery did you use...!"

He yelled, veins bulging in his neck. The sight was quite fierce.

But.

"Sorcery?"

That level of ferocity was nothing that could shake me.

"This guy's way of talking is something else. Sorcery?"

Rather, it was enough to give me justification.

"Can you take responsibility for those words?"

"What?"

"You called it sorcery. You just said I used sorcery on you. Can you take responsibility for that?"

The corners of my lips curled up. It was such an ideal situation that I couldn't help myself.

Seo Seon tried to say something in response, but—

"Saying I used sorcery is no different from insulting my master."

"......!"

Seo Seon's pupils shook as I mentioned the Sword Saint.

"My sword came from him, and your knees hitting the ground is proof of that. Sorcery? Don't you know who you're spouting nonsense to?"

Sword Saint's successor.

The hero of Sichuan.

The savior of Henan.

Even now, I had countless titles like those. And yet, here he was accusing me of using sorcery?

"Can you take responsibility?"

Could he withstand the pressure that would follow those words? That's what I was implying.

"...... Don't make me laugh."

Seo Seon's expression twisted.

"Are you saying you're stronger than me?"

"If I had to choose, I'd say yes."

"That's absurd-!"

Sleung-!

Seo Seon rose again. The knee that had already been forced down lifted lightly, the tip of the sword trembling minutely.

'Two threads.'

There were two sword paths. Of the faint and dense ones, I had grasped the faint.

The dense was a feint.

Swiik-!!

I dodged as he aimed for my throat. Taking a step back, Seo Seon lunged forward.

This was as far as his calculations went.

"You bastard!"

At the shortened distance, his sword soared into the air. The descending blade was like the night.

Night Moon, was it?

My eyes narrowed at the softly-falling technique.

'For the night, it's pretty weak.'

The night that Yu Chun-gil had tried to evoke with the moon was nothing as shallow as this.

Kkigik-!

My sword blocked Night Moon. I brushed off the night just as if I was sweeping it away.

Kkang-!!

With a clear, ringing sound, Seo Seon's sword rebounded.

"...... Heh!"

Having his sword deflected, Seo Seon's eyes widened. There was no time to savor his own reaction.

This time, my sword rose to the sky.

"That's not how you use that."

Night should—

"Watch closely."

—be much deeper.

"This is the real thing—"

Whoooooosh-!!!

"......!!!"

Night Moon containing my sword aura swept toward Seo Seon's head. Rushing in as if to split him in two.

Thunk-!!!

The sword stopped right before his forehead.

Fwooooshhh—!!!!

As the attack stopped, wind swirled all around.

"...... Uh... Uhh..."

Thud.

The knee that had buckled before—now both knees hit the ground.

Seo Seon's pupils trembled wildly.

"This... this is..."

Leaving him dazed, I sheathed my sword at my waist.

Tsk.

After properly sheathing my blade, I glanced to the side. The disciple serving as referee stared at me in shock.

"Want to keep going?"

The match was already over. I asked if we should continue.

"...... Ah...! Th-the match... Bang Sung-Yun wins."

The referee hurriedly declared the result.

Even at his words—

"......"

The audience remained silent. It was a victory with no one making a sound.

* * *

Moon Hero had won. And against the number one member of the Small Moon Division, at that.

Everyone was shocked that Seo Seon, long considered the successor to the Small Moon Division leader, had lost to the youngest, Bang Sung-Yun.

"...... No matter... no matter how strong Moon Hero is, this just doesn't make sense, does it?"

"He's barely come of age. What kind of talent is that?"

"Even if he's the Sword Saint's successor..."

Most found it hard to believe even after witnessing it with their own eyes.

"They only crossed swords a few times."

"...... Perhaps it really was sorcery..."

Did Seo Seon's claim have some credibility now? When one disciple muttered about sorcery—

"Did you not hear what was just said?"

A delicate yet sharp voice cut in.

"Pardon? Wh-wha..."

The disciple suddenly stopped when he saw the speaker. It was none other than Chun Hye-In.

"When he asked if you could take responsibility for calling it sorcery. Did you not hear what he said?"

".... Ah... That... well..."

"If you can't take responsibility, don't say things like that. It's not a good look."

She smiled sweetly as she spoke, but the air instantly turned cold. The disciple gulped and nodded.

"S-sorry."

"For what? It's not me you should be apologizing to."

With those words, Chun Hye-In moved forward.

Watching her, the disciples whispered amongst themselves.

"...... Was Lady Chun always like this?"

"She seems much colder than before."

They spoke, rubbing their arms. The Chun Hye-In they knew had always seemed gentle and kind.

But just now, Chun Hye-In was icy and resolute.

"She must just be tense."

"...... Lady Chun, tense? Doesn't quite fit, but indeed..."

Tension.

Their prediction—or perhaps misconception—had its own reason.

Chun Hye-In made her way to the competition platform.

She was up next.

"......"

Chun Hye-In climbed onto the stage, suppressing a sigh.

'... Strange person.'

Bizarre, perhaps.

Odd, perhaps.

Eccentric—someone hard to describe.

When she first met him, he was merely the Sword Saint's successor.

She saw him as just a boy her younger sibling was unreasonably obsessed with.

'Why is it...'

The impression kept changing every time they met.

The young man, once just eye-catching, left her with the impression that they were similar after a conversation.

And after coincidentally accompanying him, he changed again.

'He's a person with many secrets.'

She realized that the resemblance wasn't even real—he was just keeping even that side of himself hidden.

'He doesn't belong.'

Like herself, he didn't belong in the Blue Moon Sect.

A place packed with peculiar seeds who lived and died by the sword and the moon.

Chun Hye-In didn't love the Blue Moon Sect—it was only the place she'd chosen because her father was the sect leader and she had talent.

And—

'He must feel the same.'

Bang Sung-Yun. She believed he was no different from her.

A man who always looked languid, who seemed not to care about others.

And yet, sometimes, when their eyes met, there was a sharpness that made her feel as if her chest would be pierced, as if he was seeing everything around him.

Yes, just like—

'Father, or...'

A fleeting presence of an old man in her memory.

'Just like the Sword Saint.'

The Sword Saint.

He had the same eyes as when he looked at her.

'It's ridiculous.'

That a younger man could have eyes like that—it was absurd.

Sometimes, it made her feel smothered.

Bang Sung-Yun was that kind of existence to her.

Chun Hye-In did not like Bang Sung-Yun.

'Though, his face is my type.'

They call it a miraculous transformation—she found it galling that he'd even managed such an impossible thing.

'... Why?'

He kept changing.

Young lady seeing him for a while, and he'd practically become a new person.

'Is his talent in the martial path really so exceptional?'

She didn't think so.

Usually, if Chun Hye-In judged something, she was right.

She was a good judge of people.

Using such people was her specialty.

But—

'I don't know.'

She couldn't figure out Bang Sung-Yun. Couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he was looking at.

Not knowing anything actually pushed them further apart.

'Annoying.'

Just thinking about it put her on edge.

He got on her nerves—irritated her.

That's what Bang Sung-Yun was to Chun Hye-In.

'Why did he have to say something unnecessary?'

Her warning to be careful of Seo Seon had been completely upstaged.

Bang Sung-Yun had achieved an even higher position than she realized.

Had this change happened while she wasn't watching? Or—

'Was he hiding his strength?'

Had he been hiding it even from her?

She didn't know.

"Whew."

Chun Hye-In let out a sigh. This always happened when she thought of him.

She didn't particularly want to think about him, but he always came to mind.

'Enough.'

Now was not the time to think about him. She forced the thought aside.

'There's a lot to consider.'

There were problems with Bigu, and with Martial Uncle.

Even aside from that—

'What's in front of me right now.'

For now, her immediate concern was the opponent right in front of her on the stage.

"It's been a while."

She greeted with a soft voice; the opponent looked at her with emotionless eyes.

"...... Yes."

The young man nodded slightly.

Do Hyung showed courtesy to her. Her opponent was Do Hyung.

Since Do Hyung was further down in the Small Moon Division lineup, this was possible.

"It feels like it's been years since we last crossed swords. Am I remembering right?"

It seemed to her it had been several years.

"That's right."

Back then, Do Hyung had yet to awaken Moon Eye.

Chun Hye-In had awakened hers.

Unsurprisingly, Chun Hye-In had won.

Srrrng.

She slowly drew her sword.

"Do you think the result will be different this time?"

Would this time be different?

Back then, he was decent enough, but ultimately, she'd found him a bit disappointing.

Had Do Hyung changed after all these years?

'He's changed, surely.'

She'd seen for herself.

Do Hyung was projecting a slightly different presence than before.

Srrrng.

Do Hyung also drew his sword.

"I don't know."

Drawing his sword and taking a stance, Do Hyung answered her question.

"I just—"

His eyes changed.

"—do my best, always."

"Hmm..."

Hearing the answer, Chun Hye-In's expression softened for a moment.

'I keep feeling it, but he's really not my type.'

Upright.

An upright and heavy person.

No loose ends, and thus, no real gaps.

It meant he was a type that Chun Hye-In disliked second most.

The first, naturally, was Bang Sung-Yun.

"Alright. I'll look forward to it."

After speaking, she glanced around.

One face stood out.

Bang Sung-Yun. He was watching her direction alongside her younger brother.

To be precise, he was watching Do Hyung.

Chun Uijin looked tense, while Bang Sung-Yun gazed at Do Hyung with an unreadable expression.

'What's this?'

Even that was strange. He seemed to be looking at Do Hyung, but something...

'Where is he looking?'

Was he looking around Do Hyung? His gaze was peculiar.

'Tsk.'

Chun Hye-In turned her head away. She found herself paying attention to Bang Sung-Yun without realizing it.

'Focus.'

Bang Sung-Yun wasn't the issue.

Her real concern was closer at hand.

'... Virtuous Moon Sword.'

The squinty-eyed man, watching her from a place apart from Bang Sung-Yun.

He was the one she needed to watch.

"Haaa."

Let's finish this quickly.

With that thought, Chun Hye-In poured strength into her sword.

"The match..."

The referee, seeing they were ready, spoke.

"Begin."

With those words—

Shweeeeik-!!!

Chun Hye-In swiftly closed the distance.

Rushing right in front of Do Hyung, she unleashed a flash of sword light.

A graceful dance.

Her sword, feigning weakness and aiming for a gap, moved in on Do Hyung.

Sshhk—

"......!"

Startled, Chun Hye-In halted her slash and leapt back.

Quickly widening the gap, she carefully brushed her cheek.

There was blood.

"Oh my."

Her eyes grew wide at the sight of her own blood.

"...... Well."

She finished wiping away the blood with the back of her hand and looked at Do Hyung.

Do Hyung stood exactly where he had been.

"It seems I made a mistake."

Looking at him, Chun Hye-In admitted fault.

"You've changed a lot, haven't you?"

"......"

He didn't answer.

Even so, Chun Hye-In took a steadying breath.

He was not the same as years ago.

Bang Sung-Yun wasn't the only one who had become suddenly stronger.

Do Hyung's eyes glowed with a blue fire that seemed almost hot.

He radiated battle intent to the point even Chun Hye-In found herself tensing up.

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