As Little Sword Star slowly opened her eyes, the sounds of commotion surrounded her.
"Quickly... move!" "...There’s no time!"
Urgent voices echoed around her, prompting her to sit up abruptly.
"...Haa... haa..."
She struggled to catch her breath, her breathing coming out in heavy, ragged gasps.
"Have you awakened?"
The voice beside her drew her attention. She turned toward the source, her gaze landing on the speaker.
Their eyes met, and the man instinctively shuddered, unsettled by the chill in her stare.
Aware of her own expression, Little Sword Star quickly composed herself. It helped that the man was someone she recognized.
"...Beggar King?"
The man before her was known as the Beggar King, the eyes and ears of the orthodox faction, ruling over the beggars in Zhongyuan.
At her words, he cleared his throat, shifting slightly before speaking.
"It seems something grave has happened... judging by that look on your face."
"..."
Little Sword Star offered no response, and the Beggar King, as if expecting her silence, didn't press further.
She glanced outside at the bustling crowd and posed a different question.
"...What's happening?"
"Well... it’s nothing serious, just…."
"Beggar King."
Her voice, now laced with a chill, cut through his hesitation.
"What is going on?"
It was clear she wanted a proper explanation. The Beggar King sighed, reluctant but resigned.
"Really... it’s nothing serious."
He was unwilling to inform her. "It's something that can be handled without your intervention, Little Sword Star. It would be best if you stayed out of it for now."
Despite the troubling circumstances, he couldn’t justify pushing her, who had barely recovered, into action.
Even so, the higher-ups were in an uproar, demanding immediate contact with Little Sword Star.
"Bastards."
The hypocrisy of the orthodox faction stung. They were so willing to burden one woman with all their responsibilities—what honor or unity did they pretend to uphold?
He knew well enough how rotten they had become, but facing it now, his disdain only grew.
Perhaps it would be better to burn it all down and rebuild anew.
Or maybe…
"Letting Cheonma win might not be the worst outcome."
Such blasphemous thoughts crept into his mind. But knowing that he couldn’t let that happen only made him feel more helpless.
The problem here was…
"Beggar King."
Regardless of his turmoil, Little Sword Star had no intention of standing by.
"Where is the Heavenly Lord?"
"..."
"Answer me."
The Beggar King averted his gaze, then sighed heavily.
"The Heavenly Lord is currently away... He’s likely headed to Sichuan."
"..."
Little Sword Star pressed her lips together. She had suspected as much before losing consciousness.
Drrk-!
Without hesitation, she rose to leave, only for the Beggar King to step in her way.
"Where are you going in that condition?"
"...Move aside."
"I’m telling you again; this situation doesn’t require your intervention. There's no need for you to risk yourself…."
"I have to go."
Despite his insistence, her gaze was resolute, prompting him to frown.
"The Heavenly Lord, of all people, is certain to return safely. I even just contacted the Grand Master…."
"What do you mean, the Grand Master?"
"...!"
The Beggar King realized his slip, biting his lip.
"Did you contact the Grand Master?"
"...Well…."
"So, it isn’t nothing after all, is it?"
As expected, Little Sword Star caught on to the gravity of his slip immediately.
The Grand Master, who would otherwise be off slaying demons in a distant region, had been called here. This carried serious implications.
"What exactly is going on…?"
As her tone grew intense, as if she were about to demand answers,
Thud-!
"...!!"
Suddenly, Little Sword Star dropped to one knee, clutching her chest.
"Little Sword Star!"
The Beggar King reached out to support her, but she raised a hand, warding him off.
"Haa… haa…."
A shallow gasp escaped her lips as a deep resonance pulsed from her dantian up to her heart.
Her veins throbbed, her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and she felt so drained she was on the verge of collapsing once more. But she bit her tongue, forcing herself to stay conscious.
‘So… that’s it….’
This overwhelming sensation explained the tense atmosphere around her.
And why the Beggar King had tried to avoid telling her.
There was only one reason for such resonance.
"Cheonma…."
"...!"
"Has she arrived?"
The Beggar King's distorted expression confirmed her suspicion.
With newfound determination, Little Sword Star rose to her feet.
Whoosh!
She began drawing energy, gathering power into her body.
"Little Sword Star...! Wait…!"
The Beggar King tried to stop her, but her transformation had already begun.
Her hair, once a brilliant golden hue, started to turn white from the tips. It wasn’t merely a color change; its radiance grew even stronger.
The concentrated light gathered behind her, forming multiple pristine sword blades.
The array of swords spreading out behind her looked almost like pure white wings.
"Wait... I said, wait!"
The Beggar King shouted, but
Paaaaaaahhh-!
Little Sword Star ignored him, soaring into the air with all her strength.
Her destination was the place where the resonance was strongest.
**************
As Little Sword Star arrived at her destination, she felt a pang of unease as she looked down at the figure staring up at her.
Clad in a black robe, with dark hair and piercing violet eyes, the presence was enough to make cold sweat break out on her forehead.
And, as if to add to her unease…
Thump, thump!
The resonance continued, reverberating within her, an irritating sensation that she struggled to ignore as she took in her surroundings. It didn’t take long for her to notice what lay before her.
“…Ah.”
On the ground lay the severed head of the Heavenly Lord, and next to it, a young man, eyes wide with shock, staring back at her.
Little Sword Star had to swallow her surprise as she recognized him.
‘Why…?’
His very presence had changed since she had last seen him. What could have happened?
She clenched her fist tightly.
“…Cheonma.”
Suppressing her rage, she quietly uttered that name.
Whoosh!
“…!”
Little Sword Star felt a force pulling her down from the air, unable to resist as she was dragged toward the ground.
Crash!
Barely managing to keep her balance, she landed in a crouch and immediately drew on her energy to prepare for whatever was coming.
"If you've come this far, shouldn't you at least greet me instead of just staring?"
The voice was close, causing her to look up sharply. Standing before her was a face all too familiar, like looking into a reflection cast upon water.
"Still as unattractive as ever," Cheonma remarked, her words causing Little Sword Star to frown deeply.
“…What are you doing here, Cheonma?”
Cheonma's expression shifted slightly as she replied.
"What a strange question."
There was a faint arrogance in her gaze.
"There is nowhere in this world that I cannot go. Such a trivial question."
"…"
"And besides…"
Crunch!
“…!”
Little Sword Star felt herself being drawn toward Cheonma, her feet sliding forward involuntarily. She summoned all her strength, increasing her resistance, but it wasn’t enough.
"If anyone should be asking questions, it’s me. Why are you acting as if our roles are reversed?"
Cheonma’s face remained calm, though her energy grew stronger, a slight smile forming on her lips.
"Sichuan is now mine, so the Heavenly Three should have kept their distance."
With a casual movement, Cheonma nudged something on the ground with her foot.
"I believe I made myself clear."
It was the severed head of the Heavenly Lord.
"Seeing such pests crawling about, I guess my words didn’t make much of an impression."
Her words and laughter mixed, creating a strange, unsettling feeling.
Rumble!
Darkness seeped from Cheonma’s feet, spreading and swallowing the area around them.
"Disgusting creatures."
Little Sword Star understood all too well that Cheonma’s smile was merely a mask for her wrath.
With a swift motion, she adjusted the swords floating around her, their tips aiming directly at Cheonma.
"Despite my generosity and mercy, you still don’t know your place," Cheonma sneered, seemingly unbothered by Little Sword Star's actions, as her own energy continued to rise.
"And yet…"
Dark energy gathered at Cheonma's fingertips.
"Because of that, you’ve dared to touch things you should have left alone."
From her hand, a darkness as deep as night spread outward.
It began pouring down.
Crackling and roiling.
Darkness surged like waves, engulfing everything in its path. Little Sword Star swiftly moved, thrusting a sword imbued with purging energy into the darkness.
Clash!
Where her blade struck, the darkness sizzled and dissolved, but—
Boom!
It wasn’t nearly enough to block Cheonma’s energy.
In this brief exchange, Little Sword Star clearly felt it.
‘Even now…!’
The difference in power between her and Cheonma.
The gap was immense.
No matter how much life force she burned to fuel her strength, she couldn’t reach Cheonma’s level.
How could this be? How much further would she have to go just to stand on even ground?
"You haven’t changed."
“...Ghk!”
The force of Cheonma’s energy sent Little Sword Star stumbling backward.
"Still as dull as ever."
And yet, despite the clash, Cheonma hadn’t moved a single step from her original position.
Perhaps due to her fatigue, or the disparity in power, no matter what she tried, it felt hopeless.
Countless people had placed their faith in the power of purging energy within Little Sword Star, yet here, faced with this overwhelming darkness, even that faith seemed futile.
While others pinned their hopes on her…
Little Sword Star could only feel despair each time she confronted Cheonma.
And yet, she had to keep wielding her sword, even if it meant facing that despair.
As she slashed through the darkness, a heavier, more oppressive wave followed in its wake.
There was no end to it.
"I despise you."
Cheonma’s voice echoed amidst the darkness.
"If you were going to struggle, you should’ve been more earnest about it. Instead, here you are, still searching for a place to die."
At these detached words, Little Sword Star’s expression twisted in anger.
"What would you know…!"
Just as she lashed out, the darkness surged, piercing her shoulder. She immediately moved three swords in defense, layering them to block the attack.
Crash!
But the defensive aura around her shattered, her swords splintering from the impact, sending her staggering backward.
"Do you think I don’t know?"
Cheonma’s voice remained steady.
"There is no one in this world who knows you better than I do."
"Stop spouting nonsense…"
"Don’t flinch away. If you’re just the leftover scraps, then act like it."
Rumble!
With a gesture from Cheonma, the ground beneath Little Sword Star cracked, and she was lifted into the air.
"You need to learn your place."
Boom!
The fractured earth clumped together, surrounding her in a suffocating sphere, pressing in tightly from all sides.
It looked as if she should have already been crushed to death.
Slash!
But then, a flash of light burst from within, slicing the sphere in half as Little Sword Star emerged.
With swift motions, she launched countless sword attacks in Cheonma's direction, sending shining blades toward her like a shower of radiant rain.
Cheonma simply waved a hand through the air.
That was all it took.
Darkness rose from the ground, forming a shield that blocked the onslaught, rendering the attacks useless.
The difference in their skill was stark.
Even in full health, there was no chance of victory here, and in her current state, hope was nonexistent.
This fact was plain for anyone to see.
And no one understood it better than Little Sword Star herself.
Yet she did not stop.
The light had not yet faded.
She would wield her sword until every last drop of her inner light was gone.
Even if she were to die here and now.
And watching her determined struggle, Cheonma’s expression changed.
“I’m bored.”
It soon turned to one of utter indifference.
Seeing this, Little Sword Star dashed forward.
She was fast.
So fast that it was impossible to follow her movements with the naked eye.
Swish!
Her dual swords sliced through the air, heading straight for Cheonma’s neck. It looked as though they would sever it completely.
Yet, without a hint of hesitation, Little Sword Star swung her blades.
Ting!
What should have been a deadly strike failed effortlessly.
“…!”
Little Sword Star looked on in shock.
One of her blades had snapped cleanly in two, while the other had been caught and held in Cheonma’s hand.
Faced with such a devastating outcome, she couldn’t hide her despair.