The World's Greatest is Dead

Something was wrong.

I could feel it as I looked at my soul.

What was this?

Why.

Why was energy leaking out even though the tether was in place?

It was strange.

What was this?

This shouldn’t be happening.

My soul was vicious and greedy.

There was something about it that made ghosts feel that way.

If Grandmother’s hand had not been there when I was a child, evil ghosts and gods would have clung to me long ago, and I would have had more than enough time to fall.

Only after I barely managed to make use of my soul and my talent had I felt the smallest sense of release.

I hated that.

So in this life, I had locked it myself.

The loss was rather large, but what could I do?

I had to lock it by force if I wanted to live peacefully.

And yet—

It’s leaking.

Even though I had clearly fastened the chains again, energy was leaking out.

This was not supposed to happen.

Just thinking about the evil ghosts that would come running after catching this scent made chills crawl over me already.

What was wrong?

I had to stop the energy somehow.

Otherwise—

I’m fucked.

It might not end with evil ghosts.

It could call in the things above them, too.

I was thinking I had to lock this back down again.

......Wait.

Something else was strange.

The energy is definitely leaking.

But that energy was not leaving my body.

That was the strange part.

It’s circulating inside my body.

It was similar to inner qi.

Inner qi that moved through the body and began seeping into the flesh.

It was slowly turning along my meridians, and—

My soul’s energy is mixed into it.

What was going on?

My body felt oddly light.

Should I say that the energy leaking from my soul was also wrapping around my skin?

What was this?

No way.

A memory brushed past me.

What Yoo Cheongil had said about giving me something.

Was this it?

Is it possible for the soul and energy to mix?

I did not know.

But right now, this was the only thing that came to mind.

“......What difference does it make?”

If this was all there was to it, nothing would change.

Rather, I could only hope this energy would not affect ghosts.

If it did, there would be more loss than gain.

“I still don’t know.”

The energy was not leaking outside my body, so the odds were half and half.

Thinking that, I turned around.

“Let’s go down for now.”

I had fastened what needed to be fastened.

With that thought, I chose to return to the Bang Family estate.

*****

I had to stay careful the whole way down.

I moved while checking the reactions of the ghosts around me, but fortunately, they did not react when they saw me.

If anyone reacted at all—

[Something has changed.]

It was the Heavenly Demon.

Tied at my waist, he asked me in a quiet voice.

Can you feel it?

[Faintly.]

So the Heavenly Demon, who was close to me, could feel something.

Do you know what state this is?

[What do you mean?]

My soul’s energy is circulating through my flesh like inner qi.

[And what is the problem with that?]

......What?

What was the problem?

Isn’t that strange?

[What is strange about it? That, too, is merely energy.]

Soul energy and inner qi are different in several ways. You can’t say they’re the same.

How could he call them the same?

A spirit’s energy could not be used like inner qi.

I said it as if it were common sense.

[Why?]

Instead, the Heavenly Demon spoke as if he found me questionable.

What?

What do you mean, why......

[Since when did you think spiritual energy could not be used like inner qi?]

What does that mean?

My eyes widened at the Heavenly Demon’s words.

What was he saying?

According to him—

Are you saying spiritual energy can be used like inner qi?

[That is why I said they are not greatly different. In the end, that too is merely energy.]

......How is that......

[If anything, that is the strange part.]

The Heavenly Demon continued as though I was the one he could not understand.

[The fact that you have blocked spiritual energy so thoroughly means you have been doing nothing but letting your own talent rot.]

What do you mean?

My talent?

[Energy must flow without obstruction. If you are blocking it, even artificially, then in the end, you are forcing one part of yourself shut.]

WOOOONG.

The Divine Sword trembled softly.

[You were only blocking your own path.]

“......”

I was?

My eyes narrowed.

By blocking spiritual energy, I had blocked some part of my own possibility?

“What was I blocking?”

I could not know.

Only, if the Heavenly Demon was right......

Something really has changed.

And that meant it was right to think Yoo Cheongil had intended this.

Spiritual energy can be used like inner qi.

I had to focus on that part as well.

Because I had not known that.

But there’s something I don’t understand.

[What is it?]

I asked the Heavenly Demon.

Even so, if I leave all my spiritual energy flowing, other ghosts will bother me. Is it really fine to walk around without blocking that?

[What is the problem with that?]

What?

The Heavenly Demon still seemed unable to understand my words, and then he said—

[Is there any need to fear being bothered by mere evil ghosts?]

As he said it, laughter mixed into his voice.

[If they bother you, you need only swallow them all.]

......

Ah, right.

Only then did I realize I had chosen the wrong person to ask.

I had briefly forgotten that the being I was talking to was not some ordinary human.

......Swallow them all, he says.

It did not sound like he meant guiding them to rest.

I did not particularly want to ask.

Anyway—

This meant something had changed because of the shift in this energy.

As for what changed.

I would have to go see.

“Oh, Young Master.”

When I returned to the estate, the Head Steward greeted me.

He happened to be sweeping.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back. Did you finish your important business?”

“More or less.”

I smiled faintly and went inside.

The moment I stepped in—

WOOONG.

“......”

What was this?

I narrowed my eyes.

I felt something strange.

Something......

I can feel something.

It felt like my sensitivity to energy had developed more than usual.

I smelled a strange floral scent.

This was......

No way.

With a thought, I went farther inside.

The location was the only lounge in the Bang Family estate.

I went there and opened the door.

Rattle.

The old, broken door opened a little roughly.

A peculiar musty smell wafted from within, and the room came into view.

“......”

There was someone inside.

So this floral scent really was coming from here.

I looked at the other person as I recognized the familiar fragrance.

“......I didn’t know you were here, Lady Mo Yong.”

“I told you I was coming.”

Mo Yong Yeongsun.

She was sitting in the lounge.

The problem was—

“What are you doing here?”

The one sitting in front of her was Yu Yeon.

Yu Yeon sat across from Mo Yong Yeongsun with her usual calm expression.

What kind of combination was this?

It was truly a combination I was not used to seeing.

Why.

Why were these two together?

Alone, at that.

It was a sight I could not understand.

“We were just talking a little. We’re rather close, you know.”

“You two are close?”

What was she talking about?

Since when?

Even when we were children, I remembered that they had not talked much.

“What you know is not everything, Young Master Bang.”

Mo Yong Yeongsun spoke without looking at me.

The thorn hidden in her words was faint, but deep.

It meant she was sulking.

“......Ah, I see.”

That could happen.

Then I looked at Yu Yeon and asked.

“Are you close?”

“......”

Mo Yong Yeongsun was the kind of person who could say she was close to someone even when she was not, but Yu Yeon was not.

So I asked that side instead.

At my words, Yu Yeon stared straight at me.

What kind of gaze was that?

I could not read it well.

Then she gave a small nod.

It was an affirmation.

......If Yu Yeon says that, then fine.

It must be true.

I decided to think of it that way.

“Good, then. Keep talking, you two.”

“......You’re leaving?”

“Yes. I should. Weren’t you two having a conversation?”

“......That’s......”

Mo Yong Yeongsun started to speak, then stopped and bit her lip.

Since she had said what she had said herself, it seemed there was nothing more she could do.

“Hoo......”

Then she sighed.

“......Still, I have business with you, so stay for a moment.”

“Business?”

What business?

Just as I wondered whether there was something else left between us, she took something out of her robe and handed it to me.

It was a letter.

A letter was a letter, but—

......This is.

The problem was the seal stamped on it.

The crest of the Mo Yong Family.

Among them, it was the crest only the Family Head could use.

“The Family Head told me to deliver this letter to you.”

“......White King did?”

This, I had to take.

I accepted the letter from Mo Yong Yeongsun’s hand.

“Yes. He said you should open it when you are alone, if possible.”

“Please tell him I received it.”

“......”

Mo Yong Yeongsun’s lips moved.

It seemed she still had something else to say.

“The night is late. Please return safely.”

I cut off Mo Yong Yeongsun’s words.

“If you wish to continue speaking with Yu Yeon, you may stay longer. Stay as long as you like.”

“......Young Master Bang.”

“Yes.”

“......”

Say it if you have something to say.

When I looked at her with those eyes, Mo Yong Yeongsun let out a quiet sigh.

“No. Return safely.”

“I will.”

I turned around.

After closing the door, I lightly rubbed my brow bone with my fingers.

This isn’t easy.

It really was not easy.

Everything, in one way or another.

I was about to go outside.

My mood was unsettled, yes, but I also intended to figure out the changes in my body.

Then—

“Hm? Did you just get back?”

As I was passing by, I ran into Silver Moon Sword.

It looked as if he had been outside and was just coming in.

“Did you go somewhere?”

“I walked around the county town a little. There was a lot to see.”

As if to prove it, Silver Moon Sword had all kinds of things in his hands.

What had he bought so much of?

“Why? Should I give you some too, junior?”

“No. I’m not very hungry. Ah.”

As I refused, I suddenly remembered something I could ask him for.

“Senior.”

“Hm?”

“It’s nothing much, but I have a favor.”

“Even if it is something much, say it. If it sounds fun, I’ll do—”

“Would you spar with me?”

“Should we do it now?”

Rustle, thud, thud.

Silver Moon Sword dropped all the snacks he had been holding.

What the hell?

Why would he throw those away?

“Let’s do it now. This sounds fun.”

“......”

His expression made it look as if he had never cared about the food in the first place.

As expected, this man was absolutely not normal either.

Still—

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

That actually made him easier to deal with.

*****

We stood side by side with swords in hand.

It was the time when the moon had risen over a flat patch of ground on the hill behind the estate.

“It’s been a while. The last time we fought was months ago.”

“......”

Back when we held the contest for Young Sect Leader in the Azure Moon Sect.

Had it been since then?

If so, quite a bit of time had passed.

“What brought this on? You never sparred with me no matter how much I begged.”

“......I think I gained something close to an enlightenment recently.”

“Oh? Did you?”

Silver Moon Sword smiled and raised his sword.

The tip of his blade aimed toward me, and his expression changed.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“......”

Without answering, I aimed the Divine Sword.

There were no words about who would attack first.

In the quiet flow of time—

Chirp.

A grass insect broke the silence and cried.

At that moment, we both moved.

Different moonlights burst from our swords.

And a short while later—

“......Ha.”

Silver Moon Sword let out a hollow laugh.

“......Just how much enlightenment did you gain?”

“......”

With my sword pointed at his neck, I, too, had to widen my eyes.

What is this?

Too many things had changed.