– Auguste Rodin –

The ball hall had become a chaotic mess.

Newton and Louise quietly pondered as they watched the Little Heavenly Demon leave leisurely with his partner.

“…Wow.”

“Huh, really…”

Although no one was fatally wounded, the sight of martial artists and nobles with torn clothes being dragged away by the Special Maid Corps or collapsing under punishment was truly like a scene from hell.

Newton swallowed a laugh, feeling regretful that other Knights of the Turntable were not present here.

“…That Little Heavenly Demon, he only learned the bad things from his master.”

“Yeah… that’s true…”

In their minds, the chaotic scene before them overlapped with memories of a past event they had witnessed.

It was decades ago when the Heavenly Demon, Phileas Fogg, came to Buckingham Palace without any particular reason and challenged the Sword Queen to a duel.

The Heavenly Demon deliberately violated all the etiquette of Buckingham Palace.

But he stopped his rudeness just before accumulating enough penalty points to be permanently expelled from the palace.

‘Someday, just once, I think I’ll come here because of my disciple.’

The Heavenly Demon, who confused the masters of the Forbidden Palace with his incomprehensible behavior, finished his duel against Her Majesty Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and left the palace leisurely.

Queen Victoria, persuaded by the Heavenly Demon’s eloquence that he possessed the secret techniques of the Lionheart King, wagered the secret techniques of the Westminster Ancient Tomb Sect as the stakes of the duel.

During the process, many elite royal guards, Baron Stockmar who assisted the queen’s reign, and several Knights of the Turntable were struck by the Heavenly Demon’s fists and fainted.

The reason the Heavenly Demon was not expelled from the Forbidden Palace despite breaking every rule until his penalty points nearly maxed out was simple.

The sole reason the Special Maid Corps and other Forbidden Palace forces could not stop the Heavenly Demon’s rampage was one.

It was because the strength of Heavenly Demon, Phileas Fogg, far surpassed the common sense held by those living in London Murim.

He had barged into the palace without an invitation and fought ‘gracefully’ for three days and nights without damaging any furniture or the palace itself, and his departing figure showed no sign of fatigue.

Though he continuously violated palace etiquette and was exposed to attacks, the Heavenly Demon perfectly understood the loopholes in the rules.

“Punishment? Isn’t it said that It’s void as long as you don’t get hit? I’ve heard that if you counter or deflect twice, they can’t punish you further.”

As he said, the Forbidden Palace’s rules were infinitely lenient toward the strong.

The Special Maid Corps and masters entrusted with punishment rights tried to expel the Heavenly Demon for rule violations, but each time Phileas Fogg used the mysterious art of Moving Flowers onto Trees to reflect all attacks back to his opponents.

Though attempts to evade punishment counted as offenses, if one blocked up to the second punishment, an exception clause respected their strength and halted further discipline; he knew this and acted accordingly.

This clause, usually omitted when handling Buckingham’s rules and known only to royal family members and longtime palace servants, was established by Lord Albert and nicknamed the Reverence Law.

The Forbidden Palace’s rules are generally applied especially strictly to those born and raised in mainland Great Britain.

However, the Reverence Law, created to respect the strong, was applied equally to them.

Originally, this clause was designed for masters from overseas territories unfamiliar with the martial world’s etiquette in Great Britain or those poor who had no chance to learn proper manners.

It was a regulation prepared to give an opportunity to prove one’s skill so as not to be ignored in the Forbidden Palace due to ignorance of British etiquette.

It could be considered a kind of consideration for masters who achieved a high level through relentless training, inspiring the reverence of many gentlemen and ladies.

Originally, unless one belonged to powers located in frontier areas like the African Pyramid or the Alter Clan including Atlas Kunlun Clan and Marseille Wu-Tang Clan, one would not have been a beneficiary.

The Heavenly Demon cleverly exploited the Reverence Law to swagger around the Forbidden Palace as if it were his own backyard, committing sacrilege.

“Louise, do you still remember? The way the dodos and poison needles shot by the palace maids flew and then returned at dozens of times the speed exactly along their paths.”

“The very person who made the rule that punishment can be nullified if blocked twice was baffled. That fellow is like a force of nature. It’s folly to even think of mounting a response.”

For some reason, the Heavenly Demon knew the loopholes of the rules of the Forbidden Palace, which he had never entered before, exploited them to stay in the palace, and ultimately dragged the queen and her husband into a wagered duel and won.

Newton, who had once crossed swords with the Heavenly Demon and experienced his overwhelming strength, could not help but welcome the Heavenly Demon’s victory since the queen and her husband’s defeat saved him some face.

However, expressing such honest feelings aloud would be a grave sacrilege for someone who, even after the coming-of-age ceremony, became a Knight of the Turntable and pledged loyalty to the queen.

Newton could never reveal the feelings he had that day.

“…Though he is far from reaching the same level as his master, both the Heavenly Demon and Little Heavenly Demon have similar personalities. Dragging in people who have nothing to do with the matter, honestly, it’s just too much.”

Meanwhile, Louise kept complaining as she looked around the chaotic ballroom.

But Newton sensed an undeniable curiosity in her voice.

“Don’t say that when you’re enjoying it in your own way.”

“D-Does it show that much?”

When Newton nodded, Louise lowered her head shyly.

“…I’ll keep it a secret from the others.”

“Pathetic Newton…”

Honestly, having experienced the Heavenly Demon’s character, one could not vaguely feel affection for both master and disciple.

However, for the two who had long hidden at the bottom of the martial world, only watching juniors busily moving near the surface, this kind of entertainment was delightful.

Every time the Heavenly Demon stepped into the martial world, he caused a big ripple.

His predecessor, the Little Heavenly Demon Sherlock Holmes, though still only a peak martial artist, also made all his moves an enjoyable spectacle.

Moreover, just now, Newton witnessed the Little Heavenly Demon’s exquisite eye technique.

“As soon as he opened his minor meridians, he gathered moisture from the air to form a lens. What an abnormal adaptation speed.”

Newton recalled a story once told by the Heavenly Demon, Phileas Fogg.

The claim that a martial artist’s sword cannot surpass his own eyes.

In the past, Newton had deeply agreed with this.

The process of cultivating Kung-Fu is long and tedious, and its essence lies in the hands catching up with what the eyes see.

The core of training is to continuously sharpen the senses and narrow the gap so that the hands can directly reach the new level captured through the eyes.

In that sense, the Little Heavenly Demon, Sherlock Holmes, reached a stage where he could see something with his own eyes that his master at twenty-eight could not.

It is undeniable that the twenty-eight-year-old Heavenly Demon was stronger than the current Little Heavenly Demon.

But the eye technique the Little Heavenly Demon just displayed contained a more excellent subtlety than his master’s.

The noble method of manipulating the environment with essence to elevate his eye technique’s potential impressed even Newton, who had devoted 270 years to Kung-Fu, with its aesthetics.

The idea of forcibly changing an unfavorable environment by human power was something martial world people obsessed with personal strength found hard to conceive.

The Heavenly Demon used reflected light from the enemy’s pupils and surrounding objects to gather information.

And Newton bent light to read the movements of enemies ambushing from blind spots.

The Little Heavenly Demon’s eye technique was more efficient than both and rooted in a free concept not bound by traditional Kung-Fu principles.

“He has already achieved so much. What will come next?”

Sherlock Holmes’s sword might not be stronger than the twenty-eight-year-old Heavenly Demon.

But his eyes perceived the martial world from a completely different perspective than his master.

If the Heavenly Demon’s claim that one can grow stronger as much as one can see is correct, then it is reasonable to say the Little Heavenly Demon has already shown potential surpassing his master.

“Actually, I think Her Majesty should be grateful to the Little Heavenly Demon. Only by stirring things up this much can the true gems be separated from the chaff.”

Having finished his evaluation of the Little Heavenly Demon, Newton shifted the topic and cast his gaze afar.

“Those unworthy who cannot overcome such trials should not be allowed to drink the precious elixir tea.”

His gaze was directed at the few strong ones calmly seeing through the situation amidst the chaos caused by Sherlock Holmes’s stratagem.

There were two types of martial artists calmly holding their positions.

First, masters who had early identified the nature of the strange trick that struck them.

They confirmed that it was not the cold iron powder itself that was defended by strong energy, but that it was controlled by internal energy.

Without hastily deploying their protective enhanced energy, they pushed away the air surrounding their bodies to a certain distance, unaffected, and calmly held their ground.

Like Newton and Louise.

“…They manipulate the air with essence to create a passage allowing only the minimum oxygen needed for breathing and conversation. It’s quite advanced.”

The first to catch Newton’s eye were three inner disciples from the Alps, home to the Wu-Tang Clan’s main temple and counted among the Five Sacred Mountains.

A blonde woman sat in a wheelchair with three wheels.

Behind her stood a short-haired woman and a sturdy-built man.

Their martial uniforms were formal yet modest, fitting for monks of the Alps Wu-Tang Clan who demand frugality from their disciples.

Their flawless Qi frequency revealed the level their cultivation had reached.

Their lung capacity and physical abilities, trained by chanting Tai-Qi Yodel in high altitudes, were so strong that despite completely blocking air, the three martial artists looked utterly calm.

“Meanwhile, that man remains unchanged.”

Meanwhile, Louise was observing a man who was blocking blades made of cold iron powder without manipulating the air.

The man opposite the main disciples of the Wu-Tang Clan was calmly observing the strong figures gathered around.

As Newton said, he seemed to welcome this situation as an opportunity to separate the chaff from the corn.

“He grew his Middle Essence Field with elixir and achieved Diamond Indestructibility. No matter how many times I see it, it’s a crude method.”

As Louise said, the cold iron controlled by internal energy caused no wounds to the man’s body.

The man, whose eyes revealed burning pride and faith in his strength, was named Alfred Nobel.

He was the founder of a clan who created an unprecedented Kung-Fu that accumulated internal energy in the Middle Essence Field.

“I heard he’s a serious duel addict, but he won’t cause trouble here, right?”

“…That, I cannot say.”

Though the ball was already a mess, unlike Newton, Louise hoped no more problems would arise.

She was already satisfied seeing the Lily Swordmasters expelled and did not want to see Her Majesty angry.

But contrary to her wishes, Alfred Nobel’s slowly moving gaze followed the path taken by the Little Heavenly Demon, Sherlock Holmes, and his partner.

“It’s really unsettling…”

To Louise, that look resembled a fierce snow mountain beast spotting new prey.

If entangled with Alfred Nobel, it may be possible that the Little Heavenly Demon be expelled from the Forbidden Palace before his round of duel chess with the queen.

A small anxiety stirred a splash in Louise’s heart.