Chapter 15 - 14: Shadows Beneath the Flame
The wind blew low, brushing the blood-soaked leaves with a faint rustle as Jinmu landed without a sound behind the black-robed Peak Master. His mask glinted red in the moonlight, the material identical to his blade—quiet, yet unmistakable. He didn’t announce his arrival. He didn’t need to. His blade did it for him.
"...Hmph," the Peak Master muttered, his stance freezing as if something ancient had just crept onto his spine. "You’ve got no aura. But that pressure... who the hell are you?"
Jinmu didn’t answer. Not with words. Not with pleasantries.
FLAME PETAL DRAW.
A searing arc of crimson light carved through the cold night, but the man was fast. His blade clashed against Jinmu’s, and both were pushed back—neither retreating, neither gaining.
The silence after that first clash was heavy.
"Blossom... ki?" the Peak Master narrowed his eyes, but shook his head. "No. Too sharp. Too unrefined. You’re not from Yeonhwa Lotus Palace."
Jinmu remained silent, his blade humming softly as ki flowed into it. Flames danced faintly along the edge, licking the metal like a predator starving for blood.
He matched me. The same level. No... perhaps a little more refined. But not faster.
The Peak Master chuckled, adjusting his stance. "You’ve got the air of someone used to killing. The stillness in your feet. And that last strike... you’ve seen real death, haven’t you?"
"You talk too much," Jinmu finally muttered, tilting his blade slightly. "Draw again. Or run."
That amused the Peak Master more than it should’ve. "So you’re the one. The boy who killed the beast during the recent incident. That wasn’t a rumor, was it?"