Hate, when it surpasses anger, paralyzes a person's reason.

Without a doubt, Rohwa seemed capable of severing the neck of the woman before her right then and there.

Crash!

"...Princess."

Rohwa, holding a sword, glared at Doa, who was standing in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing in my chambers?"

Surveying the chamber filled with the dense scent of sleeping incense, Rohwa's red eyes flashed fiercely.

It felt like her soaked body, as if fallen into a pond, was sinking. The only sound in the room was the dripping of moisture.

"...It was the king's order."

Unlike Rohwa, Doa showed no emotion.

She was merely tidying up the broken container of sleeping incense. Smoke continued to rise from it.

Whoosh-

At Doa's words, Rohwa, regaining her senses, created a wind with her dark energy. The smoke that had filled the room vanished instantly. The sleeping incense was so potent it was dizzying. But for Rohwa, the headache was not the issue.

"How long have you been burning the incense?"

"...You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you?"

"I asked how long you've been burning it."

Rohwa refocused the conversation on the question Doa had evaded.

Doa's gaze fell on the sword Rohwa was holding. In the dark scabbard, the soul of a demon flickered, the same sword used by Gion to kill the king.

"One hour. The incense needs to permeate the chamber-"

"Doa!"

With Rohwa's roar, the wind blew more fiercely. The dark energy Rohwa had sealed the room with started to crack, making a grinding noise.

"No matter how loyal you are to the Demon King, you should not have tampered with this. Not this..."

Rohwa had stored the tranquil scents of peaceful times in her dark energy and brought them to her room.

The blossoms that bloomed most beautifully when she walked the White Flower Path, the sand of the training ground where the warriors practiced, the shadow of the tree she rested under when tired from walking, the wildflowers in the backyard full of memories...

All those scents were overshadowed and erased by the sleeping incense.

"Now, it's all meaningless, isn't it? Falling out of favor with the Demon King would do you no good, Princess."

In Doa's words, the emotions that had flown to the past returned to reality.

Rohwa looked around the room covered in dark energy.

The emotions that had surged up quickly cooled down.

"...After all, what's the point?"

For a moment, Rohwa was alive with rage, but soon her eyes dulled.

"Right... It's all futile, as you said."

Splat.

Rohwa stepped over the scattered remnants of her past as she walked toward her bedchamber.

"Just throw it all away. My mind is restless."

As Rohwa buried herself in the bedding, Doa kneeled beside her.

"The Demon King said he'll probably have trouble sleeping tonight, so you should stay by his side until he falls asleep."

At Doa's words, Rohwa let out a snort of laughter and muttered.

"Speaking as if you care."

Rohwa knew well how someone with genuine concern would act.

The incense Doa burned weakens the power of dark energy. It's called Black Knotweed.

It's called sleeping incense, but it's closer to knocking someone unconscious.

It's not a concern; it's a warning.

A warning from the Demon King not to falter, knowing that Gion is alive.

The Demon King's warnings always took away something precious.

"Leave."

Doa stood up and gazed at Rohwa.

"...Princess."

Rohwa, having been immersed in the pond for a long time, had a pale complexion.

Her white hair that reached down to her waist was tangled in disarray, and the bedding was soaked.

"You should also know how to let go of the past."

"..."

"Water that stays stagnant in one place for too long will eventually become rotten."

Rohwa closed her eyes and turned away from Doa.

"I told you to leave."

"...Rest."

Quietly, Doa stood up and left.

Thud.

As soon as the door closed, Rohwa slightly opened her eyes.

It was time to act now that the Demon King had begun to make his move.

Rohwa sat up and brought her hands together.

A black bud formed, and its petals started to unfold.

A pistil with a blue aura appeared, and the black flower bloomed fully.

Whoosh-

The black petals flew out the window.

Rohwa, still wet, buried herself in the bedding and watched the petals disappear into the distance.

That day, Rohwa had a hard time falling asleep.

***

The stone path in front of the castle gate, which glittered under the sunlight, was now covered in blood.

Thud.

Gion was the only one standing upright on the ground.

All the numerous demons were scattered around, gradually vanishing.

Seventh Chime, his body ripped and torn in various places, bones broken, looked at Gion and sneered.

Whoosh-

A strong wind blew, and in an instant, the Seventh Chime stood in front of Gion, who was perched on a tree.

"Shall we play now?"

Thud!

"......"

The Seventh Chime's expression hardened while he was still smiling.

"Oldtimer, what are you doing?"

It was a swift attack, but Gion, having survived the Snow Valley, should have been able to dodge it without any doubt.

Gion, the only human who emerged unscathed from the treacherous Snow Valley.

That is Gion, isn't it? The very same.

And yet, the hook-like blade of the Seventh Chime had precisely lodged itself in Gion's shoulder.

The blood that flowed down carried a hot sensation, dripping into the Seventh Chime's hand.

However, Gion, standing on a bright white line, remained still.

At that moment.

Crack!

Without a change in expression, Gion immediately grabbed the Seventh Chime's hair and swung his sword.

"Aagh!"

The Seventh Chime screamed, but Gion did not retract his blade.

The Seventh Chime was a master of the wind.

Creating any distance would put Gion at a disadvantage, and he was not adept at using the White Qi yet.

But the situation changes when the Seventh Chime is held by Gion.

Swoosh!

Gion swung his sword again immediately. Barely dodging the blade aimed at his heart, the Seventh Chime received a long gash on his arm.

"This crazy bastard...!"

Thud thud thud!

The Seventh Chime repeatedly slammed his hook into Gion's body, but Gion just held on to the Seventh Chime's hair even more firmly.

"Die! Just die! Let go of this! Aaah!"

Amid the ear-splitting screams, a calm voice was heard.

"Seems like you've forgotten how I fought in the Snow Valley."

Without any change in expression or even a small moan,

Gion took all of the Seventh Chime's wildly swinging attacks and kept stabbing him. While the Seventh Chime, struggling to at least avoid the vital spots, was being attacked by Gion's relentless sword.

The air was thick with the sounds of continuous slicing, stabbing, and piercing until...

Crack!

The Seventh Chime threw his hook-shaped blade and grabbed Gion's sword with both hands.

Clang!

The sword flew off in an instant.

Bloodied and half-blinded, Gion appeared in the gleam of the sharp blade.

The Seventh Chime, bleeding profusely, managed a smile.

"Now you don't have a sword, what will you-"

That instant.

Crunch.

"Aaaaah!"

Who said a life-and-death fight only involves swords?

Gion fiercely bit into the Seventh Chime's neck.

As the bones in his neck crunched under the pressure, the Seventh Chime screamed, but that only caused the flesh to tear more as he struggled.

Rip!

Around the time blood gushed from the Seventh Chime's neck, Gion tossed him aside.

"You seem not to understand what a real fight to the death is."

"Cough... Cough..."

The Seventh Chime, clutching his throat, lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.

Gion spat out the blood in his mouth and approached the Seventh Chime.

"I'll ask you just one thing."

Whoosh-

The sound of the wind was accompanied by a cool sensation, and a streak of blood ran down Gion's cheek.

Breathless yet defiant, the Seventh Chime fixed a steely gaze on Gion.

"Ah, what a shame. That eye of yours was always an eyesore to me."

Silence lingered, heavy and unbroken.

"Do you presume that I will answer if you just ask?"

In front of the Seventh Chime, Gion dropped to one knee.

Crunch.

"Aaaaah!"

Gion grabbed the bleeding waist of the Seventh Chime.

The Seventh Chime, his whole body wrapped in pain, wrapped his arms around his stomach and bent over.

"It seems you've never been hurt this badly before."

If the wound on the side is deep, you shouldn't clutch your stomach but rather turn your body and straighten your waist to avoid putting pressure on the injured internals. That way, the pain is less, and the chances of survival are higher. But if you don't even know this...

It must be something you never expected to experience.

Overwhelmed by the fear of a first encounter with death,

Seventh Chime just gasped and trembled.

"There are far worse pains than this. Choose whether you want to die in agony or die comfortably."

Gion stood up and looked down at Seventh Chime.

"I have someone I need to meet."

"... Huh, Huh..."

As the Seventh Chime gasped for air, Gion, wiping the splattered blood on his shoes, asked.

"Tell me where I could find that person."

***

When the White Dragon descended upon the White Flower Kingdom, there were five guardian deities who set foot on the land along with it, protecting the dragon:

The White Tiger, the Phoenix, the Black Tortoise, the Black Snake, and the Green Dragon.

These five guardians aided the White Dragon, bringing glory to the White Flower Kingdom.

As history progressed, the descendants of the White Dragon, the kings, were protected by the tribes of these five guardians.

Among them, the tribe of the White Tiger was the closest guardian to the White Dragon.

The chief of the White Tiger's tribe, Hoyeong, was in the Northern Mountains.

"How long must we live like this?"

Hoyeong turned his head toward the tribe member who muttered this listlessly.

The tribe member was sitting on a stump, murmuring.

His words carried fatigue, devoid of anger or resentment.

"......"

Just a little longer.

He couldn't say these words.

It had already been a hundred years.

The other four guardian tribes had long since disappeared, and the White Tiger tribe had lost many of its members.

Hoyeong looked at his tribespeople.

Once, they were proud members of the White Tiger tribe, but now they looked like living corpses.

Hoyeong was no different. Despite his large stature and height, there was no part of him without scars. His golden eyes had long since lost their light, and his silver hair was unkempt and disheveled. For a hundred years, he had faced demons, protecting the capital. Enough time for a soul to wear thin.

What was there to gain from all this?

What was the glory of the White Flower Kingdom, and what was the mission of the guardian tribe that they had to go to such lengths?

No answer came to the old question.

Yet, Hoyeong was the only one among the five guardian tribes still protecting the White Flower Kingdom.

Even Hoyeong himself didn't know why he was doing this.

At that moment.

"Lord Hoyeong...!"

A tribe member hurriedly came up the steep mountain path.

Hoyeong, sighing, familiarly drew his sword.

"What kind of demon is it this time?"

"No...! It's not a demon... It's a person... A person is coming!"

"A person?"

That's impossible.

After the White Flower Kingdom became a stronghold of demons, no common folk had ever climbed this mountain.

That moment.

"......"

A shadow fell over the mountain.

Ssshh.

Hoyeong immediately drew his sword from its sheath.

"Everyone, form up..."

"... Lord Hoyeong?"

The tribe members looked at Hoyeong, who hadn't finished his sentence and was staring blankly at the shadow.

As the shadow approached, Hoyeong's expression grew increasingly stern.

"Lord Hoyeong. What's the matter?"

"......"

Hoyeong didn't answer their calls. He just kept watching the slowly approaching figure.

A man, drenched in blood, dragged his legs, walking toward them.

The leaves on the ground were speckled with blood from his deep wounds.

The moonlight shone on the long sword, highlighting the bloodstains that were too stubborn to be wiped away, making them starkly red.

"Hoyeong."

How would they face each other in such a situation?

Gion thought a laugh wouldn't escape him in these circumstances, but as he faced Hoyeong, memories from a hundred years ago flickered by, and a faint smile involuntarily emerged.

Thud.

Hoyeong slowly approached Gion.

"What in the world happened? How are you still alive?"

"I don't know either. When I opened my eyes, here I was."

"......"

"More importantly, there's something I want to tell you."

"In this situation, what-"

Whirring-

"A White Qi resides in me."

A bright light flickered in the darkness of the mountain.

Hoyeong's expression was indescribable at the sight.

He just shook his eyes vigorously before bowing his head.

"So, back then..."

Hoyeong murmured quietly before sealing his lips.

Gion examined Hoyeong slowly. The numerous scars, the parched face...

He didn't know what had happened over the past hundred years, but he could roughly guess what kind of time Hoyeong had been through.

"I won't ask what happened."

"......"

"I will restore everything."

Hoyeong lifted his head. In an ordinary person, consciousness would have already faded, succumbing to faintness. But Gion, despite his appearance, did not stutter a single word.

"As a guardian who protected the king, will you teach me how to use the White Qi?"

Gion continued, looking squarely at Hoyeong.

"That's all I need."