Chapter 632: Flaming Sphere Holy Spear
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 632: Flaming Sphere Holy Spear
As I listened to Mang’s simmering rage, he spoke to me one last time.
“So, I’ll ask you again. For the final time.”
“What?”
“Will you join me?”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry, hollow laugh.
Trying to win me over even now? It was beyond absurd. I used to think he was just ridiculously persistent, but seeing him like this, I finally understood.
It just means he needs me that badly.
Or more precisely, he needed my power. The power to consume and block the Dragon’s Authority. The power to swallow it whole and steal it for myself. That was exactly what he lacked.
“This is your last chance. I have no intention of showing you any more mercy.”
“Hmm.”
I stroked my chin, pretending to weigh my options, before looking him in the eye.
“I have one more thing to ask.”
I pointed a finger at him.
“You said you’d let him go if you got your body back. After you release him, will he still be alive and well?”
“Hmm?”
Mang tilted his head at the question.
“You said you need that ‘piece’ or whatever. Once you rip it out of him, can he actually survive?”
“Aha.”
After my brief explanation, Mang nodded as if the realization had finally dawned on him.
“A blessing will follow him.”
“A blessing?”
“Yes. The blessing of ending his life by serving as my vessel.”
In other words, it was just a flowery, bullshit way of saying the man would die.
“There is no greater blessing than this…”
Mang, who was about to continue his delusion, paused mid-sentence.
“I see.”
His voice flattened, the realization setting in.
“You’re going to refuse this time, too.”
Having spent enough time talking to me, he had finally grasped the situation. The bastard was quick on the uptake, I’ll give him that.
“...”
“...”
Silence fell between us.
That was the signal.
Thump.
Fwoosh—!
Mang and I closed the distance in a heartbeat.
Vwiiing—!
My Mind’s Eye snapped open. I could see the threads of Qi weaving out from his body. Tracking their trajectory, I jerked my head to the side.
Swoosh—!
The blade grazed my hair. Crack! The severed strands froze solid before they even hit the ground.
His next strike followed without a breath of delay. I spun my body rapidly, deflecting the sword and using the momentum of the rotation to drive a kick toward his waist.
Kwang—!
A heavy explosion rang out, but the impact felt wrong. The attack hadn't landed. My leg had struck a sheet of ice that materialized in mid-air, absorbing the force of the blow.
The blocked momentum threw me off balance. Mang, determined not to let the opening slip, swung his sword downward in a killing arc. If I didn't move, I’d be split in two.
I flicked my middle finger. An ember shot from my fingertip, hurtling toward the descending blade.
Ting—!
“...!”
It was a small, trivial spark, but it was enough to warp the sword's trajectory.
Thwack—!
The blade bit into the floor instead of my skull. I immediately regained my footing and threw a punch with everything I had.
Fwoooosh—!
‘Heaven Destruction Art.’
Second Form.
Fighting Judgment Heavenly Will Fist.
A sharp, violent gale surged toward Mang.
Boom—!
Another barrier formed in mid-air to intercept it. Crack! But this time, my attack shattered the ice and tore straight through.
“...!!”
Mang’s eyes widened as his defense crumbled. It was an unorthodox movement; the power of the Heaven Destruction Art relied on perfect form, and because I had fired it off-balance, its raw power should have been diminished.
But that doesn't mean it's weak.
My fist, wreathed in a howling gale, slammed into Mang’s abdomen.
The problem was…
Thump—!
“Keuk!”
…a simultaneous shockwave hammered into my own stomach.
KWAAAAANG—!!!
A massive vibration erupted, sending both of us hurtling backward.
Crash—! Crumble—!
My body slammed into the stone wall, and I tumbled down amidst a shower of debris. It wasn't a crippling impact, so I managed to brush myself off and stand back up.
But still.
He managed to kick me even in that state?
While taking a direct hit from the Heaven Destruction Art, he had found the composure to counter-attack. As I watched him, finding the situation hard to believe…
“Cough. Ptui.”
Mang let out a dry cough, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ice, and scowled. He clutched his midsection, clearly in significant pain.
Woooong.
However, I could see his torso gradually knitting itself back together. Seeing that, a grim thought crossed my mind.
It seems he can use that power, too.
If he had access to that level of regeneration, he likely had other tricks up his sleeve. Yet, he wasn't using them. He was being wary of my ability to steal his power.
This was tricky. Even without his full arsenal…
Taking him down won't be easy.
His power was hard to pin down, and while my speed was superior, it was only by a razor-thin margin. We seemed evenly matched on the surface, but there was a growing problem.
My body is slowing down.
My movements were becoming sluggish. I wasn't particularly tired, and while my Qi had diminished, I wasn't anywhere near empty. So what was happening?
As I tried to diagnose the anomaly…
“...This is ridiculous,” he muttered. “To think I cannot even kill a single human properly. In my original state, I would have swallowed you whole in one bite.”
I casually rolled my shoulders, masking the stiffness.
“Then why don’t you just tuck your tail and run?”
“I cannot. How could I flee when the outcome of this fight is already decided?”
A smile returned to his face—a truly detestable, arrogant smirk.
“You must be feeling it by now, no? That your body is gradually disobeying you.”
“...”
I clicked my tongue internally. As I suspected, this strange lethargy was his doing. But how?
It’s not poison.
With my Ten Thousand Poison Immunity, there was no way a toxin could invade my system. If it wasn't poison, then what was it?
As I stared at Mang with a questioning look, he provided the answer.
“Dragons, you see, do not usually leave their nests. Do you know why?”
“Why? Because you get a power boost here?”
“No.”
He gestured vaguely at the frozen ground.
“It is not that I grow stronger by being here, but that others grow weaker.”
“...Oh.”
I was actually a little impressed. That was a new piece of lore.
“This place may be a pathetic shadow of the past, but it is still my nest. In just a little while, you will be moving as slow as a snail. There is no way for you to defeat me here.”
“Hmm.”
My increasingly heavy limbs were already starting to grate on my nerves. This was a serious problem. I hadn't accounted for a geographical disadvantage of this magnitude.
What’s more…
His constant regeneration is a massive pain.
If this dragged on, the fight would only move further in his favor. It was good that he was holding back his other powers out of caution, but…
That also means my power to steal them is useless right now.
Stealing his authority had specific, troublesome conditions. It wasn't something I could pull off in the heat of this exchange.
That left only one option.
End this as quickly as possible.
But how? I pondered for a fleeting second.
“Why? Have you decided to take my offer now—?”
“Ah.”
Fortunately, I remembered that I wasn't entirely out of options. I didn't know if it would work, but there was one thing left to try.
Should I?
It was the one thing the Dishonored Venerable had warned me never to use. He had told me that unless I was within the mental realm of the mind, I should never, ever attempt it in the physical world.
The first time I had tried it, my organs and my entire vascular system had nearly burst, bringing me to the brink of death. Since then, I had only ever practiced it in my head.
That technique.
Now seemed like the perfect time to see if I could actually pull it off.
After a heartbeat of deliberation, I made my move.
Ssk.
I extended my right hand into the air.
Fwoosh—!!
A Flaming Sphere condensed above my palm.
“Hmm?”
Confusion flickered across Mang’s face, quickly followed by a sneer. He must have expected a trump card, only to see me manifest the same technique I’d been using all along.
True, I had used the Flaming Sphere countless times. And since he had swatted it away with a single sword strike earlier, it must have looked like a desperate, repetitive move.
However.
“Still planning to struggle? Even if you… hmm?”
His taunt died in his throat. Mang’s eyes widened in genuine shock.
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!
The completed Flaming Sphere began to rotate. It was spinning much, much faster than before. I focused every shred of my concentration into my palm.
FWOOOOOOOOSH—!!!!
The rotation reached a violent velocity. It was spinning so fast that it created a vacuum.
Whoooosh—!
The surrounding frigid Qi was being sucked into the heart of the Flaming Sphere.
Fwoooooosh.
The cold Qi drawn into the vortex ignited, transforming into raw heat that seeped back into the sphere.
Rotation and compression.
The Flaming Sphere, now hyper-saturated with heat, began to burn with a terrifying, concentrated intensity.
“...You bastard! What are you doing!”
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Mang hastily swung his sword from a distance.
Shwiiik—!!
Unsure of what I was preparing, he unleashed a wave of sword Qi to cut me down before I could finish. His judgment was perfect.
But it was also a mistake.
Splaaash—!!
Blood sprayed into the air. The sword Qi struck me square in the chest, the impact far more devastating than the previous graze.
Crack-crack-crack—!
Ice immediately began to crawl over the deep gash. It was a fatal wound by any standard.
But I didn't let go. I didn't release the Flaming Sphere.
Because of that…
It’s done.
…the technique didn't fail.
Only then did I take the completed, hyper-compressed Flaming Sphere and…
Grip—!
…clench my fist around it without hesitation.
In that instant.
KABOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!
The condensed flames erupted, and a wave of absolute heat swallowed the entire chamber.
“Kugh—!”
Mang swung his sword frantically to block the sudden blast of heat. The heat wasn't aggressive or directed; it didn't feel like a focused attack.
It was just… hot.
Unbearably, impossibly hot.
The extreme heat clashing with the sub-zero air produced a massive, blinding cloud of steam. Within the white-out, Mang’s face contorted. The initial blast had passed, but the ambient temperature of the "nest" had risen dramatically.
What in the world did he do?
As Mang stood on guard, staring into the mist…
Whoosh—! Fwaaah—!
A sudden gust of wind swept the steam away. When the air cleared, Mang’s face was a mask of pure astonishment.
“...!”
There stood Gu Yangcheon. Ice crystals were still trying to form over the jagged sword wound in his chest, but they were melting as quickly as they appeared.
“Not as bad as I thought,” I muttered.
In my hand, I held something that blazed with brilliant blue flames.
Judging by the shape alone…
A spear…?
I stood there, gripping a long, vibrating spear forged of pure, concentrated fire.