Shattered Bone Fragments
The fragments of the jiangshi rained down like meteors.
Bbakbbaki gritted his teeth and forced his ultimate defensive stance into action once more.
He had already failed once.
That reckless defensive stance had been executed in the middle of an unforeseen disaster.
Not to mention the sheer destructive power packed into every fragment that was hurtling toward him.
His internal organs were being twisted and his internal injuries were severe.
But he had no choice. He had to swing again.
Only then could he save his subordinates.
Only then would he have the face to face his lord again.
Bbakbbaki poured every last drop of internal energy into the strike.
“The Dark Dragon Divine Slash!”
He swung the massive greatsword with desperate, frenzied force.
Huuuung! Hooong! Hooong! Hooong!
Dark-glowing qi left afterimages in the air, forming a single unbreakable barrier.
In that instant, the fragments struck the shield like thrown daggers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The power contained in each fragment was monstrous.
The shockwaves traveling through the blade shook his entire body.
Grind— I won’t stop!
Bbakbbaki clenched his teeth and poured every ounce of energy into holding the shield.
Suddenly, two jiangshi materialized on either side of him.
Kwaaaang!
The barrier exploded on contact.
“No!”
Even with Bbakbbaki’s desperate cry, the fragments continued flying straight toward the exposed bandits.
The bandits gritted their teeth and poured internal energy into their weapons, trying desperately to knock the fragments out of the air.
They refused to become a burden to the lord no matter what.
Just as they braced themselves and swung their blades,
a voice thundered through the air.
“These filthy bastards are finally dying!”
At the same moment, someone dropped from the sky.
Kwaang!
A heavy impact shook the ground.
The earth exploded right in front of Bbakbbaki and the bandits, sending dirt and debris flying everywhere.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even small stones, clods of dirt, and fluttering weeds froze solid with the residual qi.
The explosive wave swept through the falling fragments and the remaining jiangshi that had been standing to the side.
Kuuuung!
The narrow path was instantly transformed into a vast open clearing.
And in the center stood Jin Chen.
“Lord!”
The bandits shouted with relief as Jin Chen kicked off the ground.
“H-how is this possible!”
The voice that shook the clearing was frantic.
The bandit commander tried to cover his mouth with his hand.
But the realization that it was already too late hit him and he began to cast a teleportation spell.
Before he could finish, a voice so cold it chilled the blood rang out from behind.
“You filthy worms are not going to die easily. I will turn every single bone in your bodies into dust.”
“You are not….”
Jin Chen’s fist connected with the commander’s face.
Paaaaang!
A sickening crack accompanied the sound as the commander’s body floated upward and slammed into the ground beneath a tree.
Puuuk!
The commander collapsed unconscious.
Tap.
Jin Chen landed back on the ground and looked at his subordinates.
“These bastards are embarrassing themselves by getting pushed around by such trash. Tsk.”
The bandits let out a short laugh and lowered their heads in shame.
“We greet our lord!”
Their voices were filled with absolute trust.
“Lord, please forgive us. We were only a little slow because we were carrying your burden.”
“Tsk tsk. I trained you so hard to reach the Transcendent realm, and yet you’re still trembling in front of this trash. You should be the one ashamed, kid.”
“…If I had been alone….”
“Alone fighting bandits? What the hell kind of thing is that to say, you bastard!”
Jin Chen’s voice rose and Bbakbbaki quickly shut his mouth, glancing sideways.
“I’ve known since the day you started goofing off and eating up rations. Tsk.”
“I never goofed off or ate up rations!”
The bandits swallowed the words that rose to their throats, knowing all too well what would happen if they spoke out of turn.
“From today onward, you are in hell training.”
“H-heck! Hell training?!”
“P-please, anything but that!”
“Just one more chance…!”
“I’ll really kill you all if we fight again!”
Jin Chen narrowed his eyes at the bandits’ pleas.
“You think I’m saying this because I’m just looking at a few of these trash?”
The bandits hurriedly closed their mouths, reading the situation perfectly.
“You’ve heard I fought a dragon, right?”
Gannon and Barkan, who had been teleported to the mountain by Sybel, were already spreading the story as soon as they arrived.
They had proudly shown off Sybel’s fangs and claws that Jin Chen had given them before the teleportation.
Of course they hadn’t known the full details, but it didn’t matter.
The important part was that Jin Chen had defeated a dragon.
The fangs and claws were proof enough.
The bandits wore expressions full of pride.
The lord I serve is the strongest in this world!
That thought was clearly visible on their faces when Jin Chen turned to Bbakbbaki and spoke.
“Ten minutes at most. You only get ten seconds.”
The bandits looked bewildered when Jin Chen continued.
“Bbakbbaki, the time you survived fighting the dragon.”
The bandits hardened their expressions, as if making a promise.
Jin Chen never lied.
That meant the dragon was truly terrifying.
Even Bbakbbaki, who was the second strongest inside the fortress, had only lasted ten minutes.
How powerful must it have been?
The bandits all thought the same when Bbakbbaki suddenly spat a strange heat from his eyes.
“Just ten minutes?”
“With your current realm….”
“The Transcendent realm can only last ten minutes? What an interesting place this is.”
Kwaaang!
Bbakbbaki gripped the hilt of his greatsword tightly.
Jin Chen watched Bbakbbaki burning with battle lust and chuckled inwardly.
That’s the spirit.
He continued without showing any expression.
“A world where such monsters exist. Yet you still can’t fight properly because you’re scared of these corpses?”
Jin Chen gestured toward the fallen jiangshi.
Holes riddled their bodies, black liquid dripping endlessly from them.
These were wounds that should have killed them instantly if they had been alive.
Yet the bastards were trying to rise with all their might.
Jin Chen narrowed his eyes and approached the remaining jiangshi.
If he hadn’t come… what would have happened?
All of them except Bbakbbaki would have been killed or badly wounded.
Just the thought made him angry.
He raised his leg and stomped on the jiangshi heads.
Boom! Squish! Boom! Squish!
By now only one remained.
Jin Chen was about to stomp it when,
“Air Bomb!”
Suddenly the air behind Jin Chen exploded.
Kwaaaang!
Jin Chen was blasted away and vanished between the dense trees.
At the same time, a black-robed figure appeared in front of the last remaining jiangshi.
That’s him! The bastard who attacked the lord!
Instinctively recognizing the enemy, Bbakbbaki and the bandits ground their teeth and slammed their feet into the ground.
“You dare threaten the lord!”
“Die!”
The bandits rushed forward, weapons swinging.
For a moment a calm voice flowed from the black robe.
“Ice Wall.”
Sssrrrrr!
A massive ice wall rose in front of the figure, blocking the bandits.
Kwaaaang!
Bbakbbaki swung his greatsword in the lead and shattered the ice wall.
The figure continued.
“Frozen Feet.”
The bandits’ feet froze solid the moment they stepped forward.
“This bastard!”
“Damn it! What is this?!”
The bandits gnashed their teeth and poured internal energy into their legs to shatter the ice.
They then launched themselves at the figure once more.
The figure’s eyes glowed as he spoke.
“Wind Storm.”
A massive tornado formed around the bandits.
Huuuung! Huuuung! Huuuung! Huuuung!
The hurricane wrapped itself around Bbakbbaki and the bandits.
Even the nearby trees shook as the gale grew intense.
“Grrrk….”
“Kuooh….”
The bandits’ bodies, supported by internal energy, began to float upward.
At that moment, the powerful tornado was pierced by Bbakbbaki as he burst through it and swung his greatsword at the figure.
Huuuung!
The dark-glowing qi-filled blade was about to cleave the figure when
“Great Shield!”
Sssshhhhuung!
A transparent wall appeared, blocking Bbakbbaki’s attack.
At the same time the figure continued.
“Hellfire!”
Huuruurk!
A massive fireball erupted between them.
Bbakbbaki poured every ounce of internal energy into his greatsword.
Crack!
The immense heat radiating from the fireball was endured by Bbakbbaki, who swung the blade down with all his strength.
Uuuuung!
Dark-glowing qi collided with the hellfire.
Gooooong!
The dark-glowing qi and hellfire froze in mid-air, pushing against each other.
Sssshiiing!
The fierce sound continued until the hellfire began to shatter at an alarming speed.
And then…
Kwaaaang!
Huuruurk!
The two pieces of hellfire grazed past Bbakbbaki and the bandits.
The flames instantly turned the surrounding area into a sea of fire.
Huff… huff…
Bbakbbaki panted coldly, glaring at his opponent.
The opponent spoke again.
“Destruction Wind.”
Sssshhhhuuuung!
The surrounding wind gained a sinister chill.
Bbakbbaki clenched his teeth against the sudden goosebumps and shivers racing across his body.
Only one way.
No matter what it was, kill the bastard before it finished.
Bbakbbaki slammed his foot into the ground when suddenly the eerie wind wrapped around him and the bandits.
No, the moment it was about to envelop them,
Paaaaang!
With a cracking sound, the figure collapsed forward.
“This bastard didn’t know when to quit.”