Although there was a commotion in the Tower about Heaven Wing and Arthias return, the One-horned tribes village was just as calm as ever, as if they were completely in a different world. There was just only one change: the villagers were mesmerized by the sight of Yeon-woos face without the mask.

Huh? Hes good-looking without his mask!

Did you forget what I said? Hes Heaven Wings twin brother, so of course hes good-looking.

Dammit! I thought he was wearing the mask to hide his ugly face. He was deceiving us! That conman was fooling us this whole time!

Seems like hes gotten stronger.

He might even be the kings match. I want to have a go with him. Cant I?

Hey, hey! Get in line, you morons! Im first!

What are you talking about, I called dibs.

Ahhh! Its so loud!

Just because the One-horned tribe didnt have many exchanges with the outside world, it didnt mean they were completely disinterested in the things that happened there. They had a general idea of the Towers situation, and they obviously also heard things about Yeon-woo.

Also, Edora had already told the tribe members that Yeon-woo wasnt the real Heaven Wing but his twin brother. No one was confused by the situation, and instead, they felt a stronger urge to fight. It didnt matter whether or not Yeon-woo was the real Heaven Wing; what mattered was that hed been placed on the same level as their king.

It didnt mean that they believed Yeon-woo was really the Martial Kings equal, but surely, he had some skills. As the tribe members were crazy about fighting, honor, and pride, they were tempted to fight Yeon-woo again.

Yeon-woo didnt say anything, but the tribe members were already putting a queue of names together of people to spar with him. Those on the bottom of the list were making bets on how many victories Yeon-woo would win and how powerful his true abilities were. If Yeon-woo rejected their offer to spar, they were ready to charge at him.

Get in line, idiots! Amid the mayhem, the Head Elder welcomed Yeon-woo heartily. Long time no see.

Its been a while, sir.

I heard you took your mask off. Youre handsomer than I expected.

Thank you.

So He trailed off, and looked Yeon-woo over as he pushed his glasses up. His eyes glinted with a deep competitiveness. Yeon-woo was so powerful now that even though he was relatively calm and reasonable for a One-horned tribe member, he couldnt contain his excitement either. Just what experiences had Yeon-woo gone through, what battlefields had he fought in, and how many times had he been on the brink of death to become this strong?

The Head Elder saw in Yeon-woos eyes a look that only belonged to those who had overcome the threat of death many times. It was the gaze of someone who had such profound experiences that others found it hard to approach them. Only the Head Elder and a few others in the One-horned tribethe generation that experienced the Great Warhad this look.

He wanted to ask Yeon-woo what he had been through, and he was willing to wait until a later time if Yeon-woo couldnt do it now.

Hey! The Head Elder is trying to cut in line!

Get in line, sir!

Boo! People in power should scram, boo!

You fools. He glared at the noisy tribe members and sighed, opening a path for Yeon-woo. It seemed like hed have to wait for a long time if he wanted to spar with Yeon-woo. The other option was to push them all away with his strength. Ah, right. Seshas doing well, by the way. She misses you.

Yeon-woo was about to walk past the Head Elder when he paused. The pocket watch was trembling in his breast pocket. Urrrrng. He had reacted as soon as he heard his daughters name. Actually, this was the reason why Yeon-woo hadnt gone straight to the One-horned tribe after his business in Tartarus was finished. He didnt have the face to see Sesha and Ananta.

However, he couldnt avoid it forever, so he returned. Still, he felt heavy. Brahm squeezed Yeon-woos shoulder, as if saying it was all right. Yeon-woo looked at him for a while and nodded solemnly. He turned to the center of the village.

Before taking Phante away, he needed to greet his teacher first. ButHow dare you! Never, over my dead body! The Martial King rolled around on the ground in front of the tribe chiefs residence with a towel wrapped around his head. Edora looked to the side in embarrassment, pretending not to notice her father.

What are you doing, sir? Yeon-woo looked at the Martial King with an appalled expression.

The Martial King continued to roll on the floor like a child throwing a tantrum and shouted, My daughter is off limits! How dare you try to take my precious daughter away from me? Youd better get through me first!

Ive come for Phante.

Eh? You didnt come for her? The Martial King jumped up.

Yeon-woo sighed. Yes. You got it wrong, sir.

Shucks. I always wanted to act like a dad stopping his future son-in-law from taking his daughter. The Martial King frowned and turned to Edora. What have you been doing all this time? You couldnt even tie him down.

Father! Edora screamed, her face red.

The Martial King plugged his ears with his fingers and shook his head. Then, he looked at Yeon-woo anxiously, as if hed suddenly got a bad feeling. Disciple, is it possible that youre not interested in Edora but youre interested in P!

What kind of nonsense are you speaking, Father!

Is it? Whew! Thats a relief. Sexual orientation is a personal matter, but I was hoping my child and disciple would be hetero

Please, shut up, please! Edoras blushing face had turned into a flaming red color.

The Martial King continued to plug his ears shamelessly. OK, you damned child. Sheesh, who do you take after to have such a loudhm? Hahaha! Honey, of course not. Do you think Id say that about you? The Martial King excused himself in a panic. Hed clearly received a message from the Psychic Medium, who was watching them.

With the Summer Queen gone, the Martial King was considered to be the most powerful entity in the Tower aside from Allforone, but he was nothing but a weakling to his family. Oops. Yes, of course, maam. Yes maam, yes. Ill deliver the message, maam. Hm? Am I being sarcastic? Never. No way. Yes, maam. Ill go see you later. The Martial King quickly made excuses and sighed. Then, he shook his head with an exhausted expression and swiftly returned to his mischievous self again. Soyou guys already did the dippity-doo-dah?

Did Mother say that?

Yes. And I heard an earful to not mess with my daughters love life. I see. So thats the situation. Hahaha! You shouldve said something. No need to be shy. Hahaha!

Ahh, Mom

Hahahaha! Bahahaha!

Stop laughing!

Bahahahaha!

This was why she didnt want her father to find out. Edora rubbed her temples. She expected her mother would know since she watched over everything, but she didnt think her mother would tell her sneaky father.

My daughters wish finally came tr!

Kashing! Edora pulled Divine Evil halfway out. If he continued any further, she was going to fight him.

Ahem! OK, OK. Ill stop. Pft. The Martial Kings beaming face didnt show any sign of turning to normal. Then, he raised his eyebrows at the two. Right. Edora, stop by the Spirit Pond before you leave.

Why? What was her damned father up to this time? Edora glared at him suspiciously.

The Martial Kings smile widened. Do I look like a mean person who always plays pranks on you?

You should stop pretending otherwise.

Hehe. Fine. Thats true. But its your mothers request that you stop by the Spirit Pond.

Why?

She says its time to open the Yang Sword and start the Spirit Connection.

Edoras face stiffened. The Spirit Connectionalready?

It seems like your mother saw something. The timing seems to be right, too.

Edora looked at Yeon-woo for a moment like she realized something.

What is it?

Its fine.

There was nothing about the Spirit Connection in the diary, so Yeon-woo couldnt think of asking anything else. Edora smiled in an ironic manner and shook her head. Then, she turned back to the Martial King. She seemed to have steeled herself for something. OK. I can head over now, right?

The Martial King nodded.

Edora sighed and said to Yeon-woo, Ill be back soon, so you should find Phante first.

I will. I dont know what it is, but I hope it goes well. Yeon-woo didnt ask where the Spirit Pond was or find out more about the Spirit Connection. It seemed to be related to Edoras mother, the Psychic Medium and not something he ought to be involved in. Edoras determined expression told him that it wasnt going to be an easy task, and all he could do was encourage her.

Edora smiled, looking more at ease, and turned away. When only Yeon-woo and the Martial King were left, the Martial King smiled and looked Yeon-woo over. You look more human now. His canines appeared between his slightly parted lips. The atmosphere around him changed instantly as well. He looked like a beast that wanted to play with an amusing prey. Time to take a look.

I have something to do. Ill receive your teachings later. Yeon-woo tried to get out of it, suddenly feeling anxious.

Hehe. Are you saying you have dignity now that youre a leader? Thats good. The Martial Kings eyes flashed. But it wont be easy.

Yeon-woo immediately pulled out the Magic Bayonet and Carshinas Dagger. Explosions soon followed. Boom!

* * *

Argh! That effing chief cut in line again!

Sheesh! That personality...!

The chief and Cain are going at it!

Damn it! Everyone, just watch!

The explosions from Yeon-woo and the Martial Kings clashes instantly spread beyond his residence to the rest of the village. The red flames that followed were so fierce that they threatened to burn the entire village up, but the tribe members werent concerned, as though they were only looking at a campfire. It wasnt something that would affect them, and they believed that the barriers around the village would prevent any damage. Even if a few houses did collapse, this happened so frequently that no one was bothered about it. However, they were indeed angry about something: even though the order of combatants versus Yeon-woo had already been decided, the Martial King had jumped the queue. Boom. Grr! Rumble!

However, Yeon-woo had no time to be concerned about such things. Amid the red flames, he couldnt predict where the Martial Kings punches and kicks would come from even though he had activated both his Fiery Golden Eyes and Philosophers Eyes.

[Vimalacitra watches in amusement.]

[Cernunnos observes you and your teacher.]

Im disappointed if this is your all, dear disciple. Easily ripping through the storm of flames of Wave of Fire, the Martial Kings coldly smiling visage appeared. His eyes were dark despite his smile. If this was the best Yeon-woo could do despite being considered one of the Nine King, the Martial King wouldnt leave him alone, especially since that meant Yeon-woo had jumped into his revenge too hastily.

The Martial King hadnt been surprised by Yeon-woos face, which meant that hed either already guessed his identity or seen through it. His gut feeling was probably almost close to precognition.

Yeon-woo was grateful that the Martial King was treating him the same. However, he remembered how the Martial King had flatly rejected his brothers request, so he felt a bit of resentment. It suddenly occurred to him how satisfying it would be to land a single slap on his teachers face.

[Sky Wings]

Yeon-woo opened both the wing of death and wing of fight without any hesitation. The countdown began, and multiple powers focused on him. The power of the Throne of Death began to awake.

Yes. Now itll feel great to punch you! I was frustrated because I couldnt do this in front of my daughter! The Martial King grinned with his teeth bared as if he were finally content and swung his fists.

In an instant, a powerful storm churned around them. It was the power that had destroyed Kuram with a single punch. Crash!

Whew! The disciple wants to punch his teachers face and the teacher wants to beat his disciple uphow can the two of you be so alike? As expected of King Tempers teacher. Then that should make him Emperor Temper, or maybe even God Temper! Shanons voice rang out, full of enjoyment. Its a showdown between God Temper and King Temper! Its a party! A big party!