Celestial Blade Master

Noah went inside the Hero Association with his clones, each one spreading out to observe floor after floor, room after room.

From the outside, everything looked normal. The heroes trained and carried out their duties. They smiled, laughed, and argued like always.

But nothing could hide from Noah—not anymore.

With his perception enhanced by Primal Mana, the world around him was transparent. Every flicker of mana, every shift in emotion—he could see it all.

And what he saw chilled him to the core.

A dark, ominous flame was bound to the soul of every hero he passed. It clung like a parasite, feeding slowly—silently devouring their essence.

This wasn't ordinary.

It was far more dangerous than Layla's Corruption.

Corruption… could be treated if caught in time.

But this? This couldn't be undone—not unless the source was found and destroyed.

Olivia was right.

Something big was going to happen.

And Noah was now sure: the harp woman was here.

He had to find her.

And if possible kill her as soon as possible.

Then Olivia will be fine.

Noah moved quickly, clones scouring the compound. Within minutes, one of them signaled—a dimly lit office chamber, tucked deep underground.

Inside, five robed figures sat on chairs, silver masks glinting in the mana-lit gloom.

At the head of the table sat a lone figure, shrouded in shadow. He couldn't see her clearly, but her voice rang out clear as crystal.

"My lady, we have conquered the Hero Association. Now what should we do?"

"Yes, my lady. We have no direction in life anymore… so we will all follow you."

"We didn't kill anyone, just like you told us. And we've still achieved our goal…but now it feels empty. Like life itself has no meaning anymore."

The figure didn't move for a long moment.

Then came her reply—calm, cold, and soft.

A voice detached from the world. A voice from someone who had already given up everything.

"I know the emptiness. I'm not different… we're all forsaken."

"People may think of us as villains—but you know why we did what we did."

"Revenge can't give us what we lost. Killing them won't change anything."

"There will always be more forsaken."

"That's why I chose this method. To make the heroes behave like heroes."

"But you still have a duty to follow—as long as you want to. I will never force."

"Are you all willing?"

The five masked figures stood and bowed in unison.

"Yes, my lady. Please give us your order."

"Then I have decided," she said softly. "We, the forsaken, will open a Rescue Squad—'Hope.'"

"Heroes always go after monsters during crises. From their point of view, that's the right decision. But in doing so, innocent lives are lost due to delayed rescue."

"Hope will be the ones who save them. Its only goal will be to rescue—not to fight."

"Every life is precious, whether it's a kid or an old man."

"Merits will be awarded accordingly. Everyone starts from the same rank—the more people you rescue, the higher you rise."

"It will be a new division under the Hero Association. It will be launched three days from now."

"We can't bring our families back. But we can save others' families."

"Yes, my lady."

"You may leave now."

The five figures bowed once more—then disappeared.

Noah stood frozen.

Huh? Aren't these guys evil?

He couldn't understand. Weren't they supposed to be the enemy?

He had planned to come here and kill the harp woman… but now? He didn't know anymore.

She isn't sound bad at all.

"Tsk, another mystery,"

There was something bigger at play.

And he was still in the dark.

One thing was certain: the figure at the head of the table was definitely the harp woman.

Just as he tried to decide what to do next—

"Come out."

Noah froze.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run—but something told him it was already too late.

She could've killed him already if she wanted to.

"No need to be tense," she said gently. "Your skill is working fine. You just have a special presence in you."

Noah stepped into the room.

And for the first time, he saw her in real life—not just in visions.

Her dark hair looked like it had been bathed in night itself. Her eyes… were completely void. They didn't reflect light—they devoured it.

She was barefoot, wearing a long black dress that flowed like a living shadow.

He deactivated his stealth skill and appeared before her.

A flicker of surprise passed across her face—like she already knew him.

"How did you detect me?" Noah asked.

"A flame always burns brighter in the dark," she replied.

"What does that mean?"

"I felt a reaction in my flame. So I looked—and saw a bright Azure Flame just outside."

Noah tensed.

'Could others see his flame too?'

"Don't worry," she said calmly. "No one else can see that. Only me… because I possess a flame as well."

"But your flame feels like it's yours. Mine… is borrowed."

"You're talking about the Dark Flame?" Noah asked.

"So you can see it?" she responded, surprised.

"Yeah. I can see it if I focus. Umm., it's late—but I want to ask. What's your name? And what exactly is your goal?"

"I'm Nemesis. As for my goal… I just want to die with peace in my heart." She replied honestly and calmly.

Noah was stunned.

In the vision… she killed Olivia.

Now she was saying she just wanted to die in peace?

Has did women gone senile?

"What is peace to you?" Noah asked.

"Peace… is when no hero betrays another. When no mother loses her child to demons.

When no wife becomes a widow when her husband couldn't come back due to being abondoned.

When no child is orphaned because their village is destroyed.

When no civilian feels helpless… hopeless… broken."

"That… is peace to me."

"Now it's your turn. Who are you? and why are you here?"

"I'm Noah. I came here because I saw a vision… where heroes and silver-masked people killed civilians."

"I also saw you kill the current True Saintess of the Church of Light."

"You expect me to believe that?" she replied.

"Let me explain. I saw you playing a harp in the dream. Every tune caused destruction. Then… you transformed the harp into a bow—and used it to kill the Saintess."

"You didn't show me the harp or the bow. But if you have them for real, then my dream is real."

Nemesis's eyes narrowed.

"Only a few people have seen the harp. No one knows it can transform…"

"Then how did you know?" she asked. "Who told you?"

"Fine. One more thing. Do you know a black-robed man—his face hidden, his presence devouring light itself? He appeared beside you… but the vision ended before I saw what happened."

She stiffened.

"So… you saw him too."

"And I was killing the very people I swore to protect. Haha."

"Fate is playing another joke on me?"

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"You shed a single tear after killing the Saintess. But your face… had no emotion. Your eyes were hollow. Like you weren't even alive."

"Looks like in the rage of vengeance… I got betrayed again," she whispered.

She held out her palm. A black flame danced quietly.

"This flame lets me control the heroes. But it was never mine. It was his."

"If I try to kill myself, he'll know. He can do the same to me… as I did to them."

"Maybe your vision is inevitable. Maybe there's no peace for me."

"Hope… will never be born."

"In the end… we will become what they call us—villains."

"I don't think so," Noah said.

She looked up, caught off guard.

"There must be a way," he continued. "Now that we know who the real villain is… maybe if we kill him, you'll be free."

"Killing him is a dream. I can't even move if he wills it. I've only seen him a few times. But I know… he can control me."

"He can control you. But not me," Noah said, confident. "If I mark him once—I can track him no matter where he hides."

"Unless he can erase reality itself."

Nemesis thought for a moment.

"But how are you going to kill him? When you don't even know where he is? Who knows if he is currently listening to us?" Nemesis replied.

"He might come in the next few days," Noah added. "He'll give you an order. You'll refuse. Then he'll try to force your hand."

"You might be right. He's done it before. He asked me to hold sacrifices… to gain more power. But I refused. I wasn't a killer."

"If he shows up, can you inform me?" Noah asked. "Once I mark him—it's over."

She nodded and handed him a small mana stone.

It pulsed faintly with dark carvings.

"If it glows black… it means he's here."

"Understood. I'll come right away."

Noah turned to leave.

"Stop."

He turned around.

"Will you hear my story… before leaving?"

"Huh?"

She looked at him with quiet hope.

"No one's ever asked before."

"No one stayed… long enough to ask why I became Nemesis."

To be continued…