The Fall of the White Dragon
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle! The sound of escaping air.
The air trapped within the buildings and across the island was squeezed out, replaced by surging blue seawater. It was a spectacular sight. Watching the massive waves of nature batter and shatter the structures, it seemed impossible for any winged creature to survive.
However...
Oh?
Splash!
The moment the giant turtle submerged and the surroundings were flooded with seawater, I realized something. Hoping they would simply get swept away by the current and drown was perhaps too naive a wish to harbor against the White Dragon Lord.
"Grandfather! Are you alright?"
"Cough, wheeze... I am fine, My Lord. It is just that my bloodline of the Heavenly Dragon is so thick, making me more vulnerable to seawater."
A terrifying spiral vortex swirled around the young Lord, shielding them from the crushing depths like a protective barrier.
Right. They were the White Dragon Lord and a master of the Samgeuk realm. Expecting them to drown in seawater was indeed wishful thinking. Still, they wouldn't escape completely unscathed.
I waved my hand, feeling the oppressive weight of the water crushing my body.
This isn't ordinary water.
Indeed, just getting close to the clouds earlier had wounded my body, which was normally tough enough to shrug off bullets. Since this world's sky wasn't normal, its sea wouldn't be normal either. If Hayeon-nuna tried to summon her flames in Earth's deep sea, she would probably boil all the surrounding water. But in the deep sea of this world? Not a chance. She would barely be able to wrap her body in fire to keep the water out.
The dense, heavy pressure of the water filling my lungs made it abundantly clear that this was the true power of the ocean. Because of that, they wouldn't escape unscathed.
"G-Grandfather..."
"My Lord. You must use the vortex to escape to the surface immediately."
"But the Dragon Dream Scroll, the greatest treasure of White Dragon Island... You said it was our most precious treasure..."
The old man clenched his jaw. Standing protectively in front of the boy with his sturdy arms, he spat out, "It is not more precious than your life! Now, go!"
"...Yes!"
Oh, no you don't. Swimming closer, Hayun immediately fired the Red Agate Bow.
Originally, arrows were meant to catch winged, feathered creatures.
"How dare you!"
Though they had wings, they were descendants of the great dragons. Furthermore, Hayun couldn't unleash the full power of the Red Agate Bow due to the bizarre pressure and force of this sea.
Thud! The attack was blocked by a shield-like Dharma treasure the old man pulled out.
Do I have to go in for close combat?
But swimming up to swing my club at guys who weren't even drowning... One of them had manifested two dragon traits, and the other was a Samgeuk master who had perfected all three aspects: Essence, Qi, and Spirit, making him stronger than me. Their treasures wouldn't be lacking compared to mine either.
"Stay back!"
Whoosh! Feathers sprouted from the boy's back, turning into sharp wedges that shot toward me.
To dismiss them as mere feathers would be a mistake; they were fierce enough that I had to activate my Golden Command Robe. A golden radiance deflected the feathers. However, a few managed to pierce my flesh, blooming red paint into the blue seawater.
Damn it.
Gurgle.
How the hell were those feathers? That crazy old man could probably go toe-to-toe with Kang Baek-jin, if not beat him. They didn't call them dragons for nothing. Those wings alone seemed to have the durability and power of a Dharma treasure... It made sense, considering they were inherited from a dragon.
I had to admit it. Blocking both of them on my own was impossible.
Rumble!
"I see the sunlight, Grandfather!"
"Just a little more..."
Well, then it was only fair that I brought in an ally of my own, wasn't it?
How long are you going to just watch?
"Hehe. It would be a headache for me if they escaped, so I suppose I have no choice."
A voice tickled my ear. Appearing with a gentle sway of her azure dragon tail, the Blue Dragon fragment of Ryeo-ah smiled faintly and formed a hand seal.
"Sink to the depths."
"What are you... A Blue Dragon?"
At Ryeo-ah's gesture, the surrounding ocean currents surged violently. The two forces clashed, spinning in opposite directions to the spiral vortex. The struggle between the storm and the torrential current immediately tipped in favor of the current. A storm generated in the deep sea was nothing more than a sudden gust of wind.
"Just a little further... Damn it."
The surface, which had seemed so close, now felt impossibly high. No, it wasn't just a feeling. The sea level was rising along with them.
"You must die today, fallen descendants of the dragon."
It was all because of the woman drifting in the middle of the blue sea, her hair fluttering in the water. A bizarre light shone from her horns, and her swaying dragon tail acted like a conductor's baton, orchestrating the currents and waves.
"Do you think I will let you!"
Flutter! The old man's sleeve billowed, and a golden harpoon appeared in his hand. It was a masterpiece of a weapon, its tip harboring a small sphere that burned like the sun.
Sizzle— The heat was so intense that it scorched the old man's flesh, proving that even a peak Samgeuk master struggled to handle its power.
Ryeo-ah squinted at it, measuring its threat, then glanced back at me.
"Block it."
"How the hell am I supposed to block that? I don't have a defensive Dharma treasure for that."
"If you cannot even do that, I cannot treat you as an equal partner."
Oh, really?
"I can't."
"....What?"
"Let's be clear. It's not that I won't, it's that I physically can't."
"Are you playing games with me right now... Oh, dear."
Thwack! The spear, imbued with solar fire, pierced through the ocean. Its target, naturally, was the most threatening presence: the Blue Dragon, Ryeo-ah.
"...."
She shot me a cold look, then pulled out a myriad of treasures from the pouch at her waist and threw them. It was a massive hoard, enough to instantly deflate her bulging pouch. At the same time, Ryeo-ah spat out incantation runes, forcing them into the treasures. What followed was an explosion massive enough to blow away everything in the vicinity.
———!
I opened my eyes after a massive flash and a ringing in my ears. Through my blurry vision, still stained by the white flash, I could faintly make out... wings?
"Damn it, they're getting away!"
"Stop them."
I wanted to ask why she wasn't helping, but Ryeo-ah didn't look so good. Despite detonating so many treasures, it hadn't been enough. A harpoon was lodged in her shoulder, digging deep into her flesh and leaving a severe wound.
"Ugh."
Seeing her face contort in pain made my heart ache. So, I decided to make my tender heart ache a little more today.
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Ten arrows flew from my rapidly drawn Red Agate Bow. Their trajectory, of course, was aimed straight at the injured Ryeo-ah.
"....."
Ryeo-ah didn't show anger, nor did she express regret over the betrayal. Instead, she simply tore off her entire left shoulder, which was pinned by the harpoon and rendering her immobile. The severed shoulder sparkled, dissolved into the water, and converted into a massive surge of power—a fitting price for her left arm.
"Are you just going to let them escape?"
"Did you forget our agreement? Up there..."
Up there was the full might of the Kang Family, along with four Samgeuk masters sent by Ryeo-ah. With eight Samgeuk masters and an endless barrage of formations and Dharma treasures, they wouldn't escape in one piece. Especially since they had prepared a custom Dharma treasure specifically designed to prevent the White Dragon Lord from flying above a certain altitude.
"Foolish. You should have realized what it meant when I proposed an operation with just the two of us."
Ryeo-ah waved her hand. Her right hand, transformed into a massive dragon claw covered in sturdy scales, swept away all ten arrows.
"The Blue Dragon is the incarnation of the ocean, born of the sea. Did you think a mere injury would suffice to stop me?"
Ocean currents swirled around her hand, as if the wondrous will of the sea rose to aid her. Soon, the torrent of power rushed toward Ryeo-ah gently, but battered me with extreme violence.
Ah, right. Honestly, I didn't think I could win alone. It was you, Ryeo-ah, after all. It was still too early for the disciple to surpass the master.
So I called for backup too, to take down this woman who was acting all high and mighty as if she owned the ocean.
The massive dragon palm had caught all the arrows of the Red Agate Bow. Between her fingers, the shattered fragments of the arrows wriggled, then shot toward Ryeo-ah, carrying a dark, ominous crimson haze.
"You... Ah!"
*Splat!* A horrific color covered Ryeo-ah as if she had been drenched in ink. It was a corrupting sight, watching a beautiful being stained by filthy sludge. Meanwhile, I...
"Die!"
"Holy shit, that's huge."
I was fighting the dragon arm that had grown from Ryeo-ah's hand. It wasn't just that she swung her right arm; the arm had literally detached and shot toward me. A rocket-punch style separation that you'd only see in retro robot anime.
"Roaaar!"
Its skeletal structure twisted, growing eyes and legs until it transformed into a sea dragon and lunged at me. Perhaps she decided she didn't need a physical body since this battle of wills would be fought in the mind.
"You underestimate me too much."
Clang! My Dokkaebi club, forged from three types of bizarre stone, swung forward. I smashed it directly into the beast's maw.
Crack! Shattered fangs.
"Growl."
"It regenerates, of course."
Not a clean hit. But in a contest of raw strength, I would win.
Clutching her head, the Blue Dragon Ryeo-ah began her struggle for dominance. Dissatisfied, she sliced off both her legs and absorbed them into the sea dragon. Its skeleton grew closer to a true dragon, and its scales became harder and glossier. However, during the transformation, it was clearly vulnerable.
Great Mountain Demonic Wisdom Art: Colossal Crushing Power.
The massive club slammed down. The power imbued in the pillar of three bizarre stones was destruction, pressure, and severing—a colossal force that made the surrounding sea vibrate. That violent weapon slammed directly onto its head, unleashing a force so immense that any living creature would find it utterly brutal.
Crunch! The skull caved in. At the same time, the sea dragon's front claw lashed out in agony. Block it? Dodge it? Or... take the hit and counterattack?
This was a highly disadvantageous battlefield, deep underwater. But if I killed it quickly, the rewards would be immense. After a brief hesitation, Hayun made his gamble.
"Let's see who dies first."
I shrugged off the attacks with my Golden Command Robe and slammed the club down once more onto the caved-in skull.
Crunch! Its skull shattered.
Slash! Claws that bypassed the Golden Command Robe tore a deep gash in my thigh.
Crunch! The impact of the blow popped one of its eyeballs out.
Rip! Writhing in agony, its fangs sank deep into my flank.
Crunch! Beyond the scales and flesh, its skull completely collapsed. The squishy resistance of the brain matter resisting the club vibrated up to my fingertips.
Snap! In a final desperate struggle, its jaws clamped down, crushing my ribs. The locked jaw tore through thick muscle and flesh, leaving a small scratch on my heart.
"Ha."
Marveling at the jaw strength of this dragon sub-species, I raised my Dokkaebi club high above my head. Obsidian thorns sprouted viciously, perfect for piercing soft brain tissue.
"...."
The half-burst dragon eye, with only one side remaining, glared at me. Then, an ominous thought crossed my mind.
Wait... do Eastern dragons breathe fire too?
If it suddenly shot a laser beam from its mouth, I'd be in serious trouble. You're not even a real dragon, just a sub-species knockoff. You can't do that, right?
Fortunately, the dying dragon's final action was not a terrifying breath attack, but a sorrowful, final whimper.
"......Grrrrrr."
"Phew. You scared me, kid."
That was a fun fight.
Crunch!
While Hayun was fighting the sub-dragon, the battle between Ryeo-ah and her fragment was progressing rather peacefully. Floating like corpses in the ocean, they looked serene, but the civil war raging within was dark and cunning.
Ryeo-ah sneered as she looked at her fragment, which had taken the form of a Blue Dragon.
A clash of possessions was a game of wits. Like a game of Go, they played a match within the massive board of the body. However, depending on the techniques used, one could smash the opponent's stones, or use Dharma treasures to take two turns in a row.
The one who held the upper hand was the Blue Dragon fragment, who had set up the board to her advantage.
Having completely regained control of the head and one hand, the Blue Dragon fragment twisted her lips into a smirk. A blatant provocation. In other words, she believed she had secured victory.
But the crimson-black Ryeo-ah merely smiled back with a mocking sneer.
A rather cheap and absurd word. The Blue Dragon fragment's eyes widened, shocked that a part of her own soul would use such vulgar language.
"Hanging around with a creature like that has ruined your elegance... Oh, damn it."
In the distance, Hayun was swimming toward them, raising his massive club, ready to hunt the Blue Dragon.