The world blurred as Mu-Jin and Jin Tae-Hyun clashed.
Every strike sent shockwaves through the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath their feet, and the very air vibrated with the force of their attacks.
Jin was fast. Too fast.
Mu-Jin had fought countless opponents, but none like this.
None who knew his every move before he even made it.
It was like fighting a shadow of himself—one that had already walked this path and knew how it ended.
But Mu-Jin refused to accept that.
He wasn't just going to be another pawn in a predetermined story.
He would burn the script to the ground.
---
Years Ago.
The first time Mu-Jin had realized the truth, he had been standing before the Council, his hands drenched in blood.
"You are a mistake," the Grand Elder had said. "Something that was never meant to exist."
The words had haunted him.
What did they mean?
Why did the world act as if his very existence was an error?
They had let him live, but it wasn't mercy.
It was an experiment.
To see if someone like him could ever change fate.
And for years, he had tried.
He had fought. He had killed.
He had climbed the ladder of power, thinking he was breaking free—only to realize that every step he took had already been written.
That realization had shattered him.
That was when he had disappeared.
Vanished into the depths of the world, seeking the forbidden knowledge that would allow him to erase his chains.
And now, standing before Jin Tae-Hyun, he was about to find out if he had succeeded.
---
Present Day.
Jin twisted in mid-air, his blade slicing toward Mu-Jin's throat.
Mu-Jin's instincts screamed at him—Dodge!
But he didn't move.
Instead, he caught the blade with his bare hand.
Jin's eyes narrowed. "You're willing to take the hit?"
Mu-Jin grinned, blood dripping from his palm. "If it means breaking this twisted cycle… then yes."
For the first time, Jin hesitated.
And that was all Mu-Jin needed.
He twisted his body, launching a devastating counterattack.
Jin barely managed to evade, but Mu-Jin pushed forward.
Blow after blow, strike after strike—this time, Jin was the one on the defensive.
Mu-Jin was winning.
But why?
Why was Jin faltering?
Then it hit him.
Jin knew the story.
But this wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Jin had expected to dominate. To crush Mu-Jin under the weight of his knowledge.
But Mu-Jin had done the impossible.
He had changed the script.
And now, for the first time, Jin Tae-Hyun was lost.
Mu-Jin chuckled. "You look surprised."
Jin's grip on his sword tightened.
Mu-Jin's voice dropped to a whisper.
"What happens next, Jin Tae-Hyun?"
The answer was silence.
And in that silence, Mu-Jin saw something he never thought he'd see.
Doubt.
Jin didn't know.
And that meant Mu-Jin had already won.
The air tensed.
The final strike was coming.
The battle would end in the next heartbeat.
And only one of them would walk away.