Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Assembly
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Estor Orsia.
A name I knew. The grandson of the Sword Emperor, who stood at the opposite pole from the Heavenly Demon among the Peerless Lords. A genius who had reached the 5th Tier at the age of 21.
Sword Dragon Estor Orsia.
The fact that a late-stage talent's moniker included "Dragon" meant their talent and skill were extraordinary. Among current late-stage talents in their twenties and beyond, only three had dragons in their titles: the Sword Dragon of the Orsia Family, the Tyrant Dragon of the Hwangbo Clan, and the True Dragon of the Single Heaven Path Sect.
Among them, the Sword Dragon was undoubtedly the foremost. Having ascended to the 5th Tier at 21 last year, he was hailed as the masterpiece of the Orsia Family—the continent's greatest martial house—and seen as a prospect who would one day surpass the Sword Emperor.
His family, and even his name, shone brilliantly. You couldn't help but hear the rumors without even trying.
Naturally, this was the first time seeing him in person.
‘Why the hell is that guy here?’
There was no thrill of spotting a celebrity.
I hadn't specifically looked into what the Sword Dragon usually did or where he was now. I wasn't completely uninterested.
A genius called the masterpiece of the Orsia Family.
Though I couldn't rate the Sword Emperor or the Orsia Family itself highly, that was from the ‘game.’ I'd heard the warning not to equate the game with reality hammered into my ears.
If the praise showered on the real Sword Emperor and Orsia Family was genuine, just how talented was the Sword Dragon? Yuri had once thought about comparing that acclaimed genius talent to his own.
But not today.
In this situation, the Sword Dragon's presence and rampage were nothing but variables. Yuri's infiltration of the assembly wasn't based on some thorough, grand plan, but even so, the Sword Dragon suddenly going berserk was wrecking everything.
“How dare you, how dare you!”
It wasn't hard to understand the Sword Dragon's rage. As he said, this was the ‘outer district of Panteleon.’ Even if the Orsia Family, which ruled Panteleon, and the Selvis Magic Tower didn't consider the outer district part of their territory and didn't even issue citizen IDs.
To the Orsia Family, the outer district folk were headaches who arbitrarily occupied land outside the city, borrowed the city's name, enforced their own rules, and didn't even pay taxes.
It wasn't that they couldn't suppress them by force. The Sword Emperor didn't need to step in. The family could clean it up just by sending knights.
Letting them be despite being able to act was mercy in itself.
But in that mercy, heresy had taken root, holding this assembly. From the perspective of the Sword Dragon, a young master of the Orsia Family, exploding in fury was natural.
The problem was that the Sword Dragon was alone. No Sword Emperor, of course, and not even accompanied by Orsia Family knights. Right now, he was rampaging solo, his long sword spewing golden sword auras nonstop.
Just the momentum of the sword auras showed the Sword Dragon was strong. Fierce, sharp, and majestic in a way unbelievable for someone turning 22 this year.
“Orsia...!”
“Why the Orsia Family?!”
The heresy cultists gathered for the assembly couldn't approach the Sword Dragon and kept retreating. Partly because his sword auras were powerful, but mostly oppressed by the weight of the ‘Orsia’ name. Some quick ones had already fled the underground.
“Don’t run!”
The Sword Dragon bellowed. He leaped high to block the exit, swinging his sword mid-air. Kwa-kwa-kwa! The sword aura along his trajectory spread out, raining down slashing blasts.
“Drop your weapons and remove your masks! Kneel in place and renounce the evil god! Anyone who doesn’t will die!”
He’d blocked the nearest exit, but places like this had multiple ones. The Sword Dragon glared at the escaping cultists, roaring.
“Running is pointless! I’ll return with the family’s knight order!”
That bastard. Yuri’s face twisted under his mask. Those words proved the Sword Dragon was truly alone. In other words, if he didn’t go back, the knights wouldn’t come.
“Drop your weapons! Remove your masks! Kneel and renounce the evil god! Then I’ll hear you out!”
As the Sword Dragon’s furious shouts continued, the cultists’ attitudes shifted.
If they just fled now, the Sword Dragon bringing the Orsia knights was a foregone conclusion.
Akhyang could stand as a lawless zone under the rule of the strong thanks to Panteleon’s neglect.
If the Orsia knights stormed in, Akhyang would crumble like a sandcastle, innocents unrelated to the heresy slaughtered first, forcing even hidden cultists to be dragged out desperately.
There was only one way to delay that even a little.
“Fight!”
They had to capture the Sword Dragon. Holding Akhyang’s cultists captive for a few days until they could escape was the best option now.
“Don’t kill him! Capture him!”
Killing him would make the Orsia Family’s wrath unmanageable. Nor was this a hostage play.
“Come at me!”
The Sword Dragon roared. The underground was packed with dozens of blue bracelets signifying 5th Tier and red ones for possessors, yet he showed no fear, oblivious or not.
‘He’d be the same even if he knew.’
Charging in solo against hundreds showed that was just his personality.
[Cat Panties, what do we do?]
Ha-ryeong whispered after scanning around.
[We’re hiding our identities, right? The cultists are one thing, but getting tangled with the Sword Dragon—the Orsia Family—will complicate things.]
The Orsia Family belonged to Pride, the group denoting supreme status and history even within the Western Clan Alliance Cartel. In raw power alone, they’d claim a top seat in Pride.
[Sticking around risks getting lumped in with the cultists, making it hard to wriggle out.]
If that happened—there were ways. Contact Elena and grovel for Heavenly Thunder Orca Derusia’s guarantee, or if that grated, ask the Tang Family for help.
Of course, neither was what Yuri or Ha-ryeong wanted.
[Let’s run.]
So Ha-ryeong suggested fleeing.
[C-Cat Panties, what now?]
The one messaging via magic was Directive Chant. He fidgeted, glancing at the Sword Dragon while sending more spells.
[I think joining the other cultists to subdue the Sword Dragon is best.]
[That guy’s pretty damn strong?]
Honest assessment. Three blue-braceleted cultists—no, four including the supporting mage from behind. Plus two red-braceleted possessors flanking for openings, yet the Sword Dragon didn’t yield. He was the one pressuring with bursts of sword aura.
Same tier didn’t mean equal skill. Lower tiers maybe, but higher ones saw massive gaps even among peers.
The masterpiece of the continent’s top prestigious martial house, Orsia Family. The Sword Dragon was like a thoroughbred refined to the limit. His body grew to overwhelm mortals without training. Skeleton, muscles, organs, meridians—all optimized for martial arts from birth.
That miraculous body wasn’t without effort either. Backed by the family’s unlimited support.
The gap was inevitable. Overwhelming, not marginal. Dan tian inner energy quality and quantity differed. Meridian sturdiness and width varied. Muscle power from inner energy, skeletal durability, innate senses—all superior.
His vantage was too high too. At equal eye level, he’d struggle against numbers, but from above, multiples weren’t a big hassle.
Sharpened senses. Lifelong near-combat training. Innate instinct swung the sword intuitively; accumulated experience did so subconsciously.
“Gaaah!”
A 5th Tier cultist blocking head-on was bisected. The Sword Dragon’s sword aura was ferociously intense for the same tier. A few frontal clashes shattered theirs, draining their inner energy.
‘Even wheel tactics would struggle against him.’
Yuri fell back, gauging the Sword Dragon’s prowess. Deep inner energy, superb control and cohesion. Shattering foes’ auras on contact while his stayed unshaken—the selfish prick.
Yuri was similar, meaning both had supreme arts. But the Sword Dragon’s depth was superior. Even with mana talent accelerating Yuri’s cultivation, talent aside, the Sword Dragon had mana affinity too. Plus, he’d gorged on elixirs most wouldn’t taste in lifetimes.
‘Can I win?’
A ticklish fighting spirit stirred in his chest. But acting on it now would be true madness.
[The Sword Dragon’s strong, but Cat Panties, with your help, we can take him.]
[Hmm...]
[Fleeing’s meaningless! For the other cultists, we must hold him here.]
[I wanna run...]
[If you run! I-I’ll report you as a traitor to the church! If I get taken by the Sword Dragon here, I’ll tell him about you too...]
Obviously. Yuri nodded.
[Fine then, no choice. Directive Chant, attack him from afar. I’ll jump in on the opening.]
[Got it.]
Directive Chant raised a finger. A red line shot toward the Sword Dragon. He’d just sliced a spear-wielding possessor when he whipped his head around. Shaaak! A golden flash exploded, bisecting the blast.
“Crude tricks.”
No sign of fatigue, the Sword Dragon glared ferociously. Directive Chant flinched under the murderous gaze, tapping Yuri’s shoulder.
[Q-Quickly...!]
Yuri gathered inner energy.
[Going.]
He raised both hands. Directive Chant still pointed at the Sword Dragon, nodding frantically.
Ppak!
Eyes fixed on the Sword Dragon, fist shot sideways. The casual no-look punch pulverized Directive Chant’s jaw.
“Keurk!”
Directive Chant staggered. Yuri swung again to silence any screams or spasms. Gang qi-covered hand filled his vision.
That was it.
“...?”
The Sword Dragon glaring this way went wide-eyed. Ha-ryeong beside him blinked her own wide eyes. Under their stares, Yuri slowly removed his mask.
“To think someone would rampage before me.”
Reverse Transformation still active. Too many eyes around. Yuri glanced around before continuing.
“Sword Dragon Estor Orsia. Impressive skill, but arrogant without countermeasures.”
“Who... are you?”
“Someone with the same goal as you.”
Yuri turned to the cultists with thick disgust.
“I infiltrated to kill these bastards, but Sword Dragon, you’ve complicated things.”
“What?”
“Tch, I planned to strike when they were deep in stripping and rutting.”
Yuri said, glancing at Ha-ryeong blinking beside him.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Yes. If they’d been drunk on booze and drugs, shaking their asses, it would’ve been far easier to proceed, but the Sword Dragon’s outburst made it tough.”
Without prior explanation, Ha-ryeong matched seamlessly.
“I’d even figured who to kill first to ease the fight.”
“As expected of sis.”
Yuri chimed in, then eyed the Sword Dragon again. He looked confused, suspecting deception.
“Fight your fight, Sword Dragon.”
Yuri didn’t bother convincing with more words. Swish! Leaping lightly, he closed on a nearby shocked cultist. The fool swung wildly in panic, but mere sword qi couldn’t block Yuri’s foot.
Kwa-jik! Shattering the qi, the leg plunged in, punting the cultist’s head with a pop. Yuri stepped on the collapsing corpse, leaping at another.
Ha-ryeong gripped daggers in both hands, not idle. Mindful of the Sword Dragon’s eyes, she held back on full hidden weapon arts, but dealing with cultists needed no throws.
The true strong—5th Tiers and possessors—had all gone to the Sword Dragon.
“Hah.”
The sudden duo. Cultists dropping one by one. Same goal, and not a ruse apparently.
‘Strong.’
Swinging golden sword aura, the Sword Dragon eyed Yuri and Ha-ryeong. Adept gang qi use meant both 5th Tier or higher. The woman still masked. Wielding short daggers yet handling blades like a skilled swordsman. Her vanishing-reappearing steps and serpentine strikes especially notable.
‘Not orthodox arts. Black path... assassin’s techniques.’
Her skill drew the eye. Normally, he’d watch closely in admiration. But not now.
His gaze lingered far more on the man. Deliberately not using arms. Obvious at a glance. Yet his kicks weren’t crude. Inner energy precisely measured, movements efficient. Battle-hardened.
No rumors of leg-specialist warriors. Hard to judge at face value—but he didn’t look old.
‘Who is he?’
He’d heard rumors of cultists, infiltrated Akhyang solo without telling the family.
Reckless, he knew.
Initially planned to scout scale and return with knights—but couldn’t hold back. No need to, he thought. Numbers high, but no real threats.
Yet that man made the Sword Dragon tense. If he were truly a cultist...
‘Who?’
The Sword Dragon wondered again.