Chapter 127: The Prelude to War
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: The Prelude to War
Five days until Argentavis was fully healed.
The time I had was also five days.
Training.
And nothing but more training.
My Gomodo training had begun.
*
Day 1 of Training.
“Geeeeeeek!”
I cried out in alarm and stopped circulating my qi.
I had almost witnessed something truly terrible.
Just thinking about that horrifying scene felt like it would drain my mental fortitude.
“Kwehk…”
As expected, it was a formidable foe.
But I had already drawn my sword.
Whether I was consumed by my Heart Demon or attained enlightenment…
I had to cut something down.
Again!
*
Day 2 of Training.
Kraaaaaak!
I saw it.
I saw that huge, red dragon, dressed in an exquisite mix of black and white, winking at me as it approached.
Almighty T-Rex, protect me with your eternal light.
Almighty T-Rex, protect me with your eternal light.
Almighty T-Rex, protect me with your eternal li—
Gasp…
Pant…
“Ge-ek…”
I barely managed to pull myself together.
I wanted to run.
I never wanted to witness that sight again.
But I couldn't.
Again.
*
Day 3 of Training.
I decided to ignore it.
A Heart Demon is a demon within one’s heart.
If I paid it no mind, it would have no reason to appear.
Of course, I could tell this one was quite different from a typical Heart Demon.
If I had only seen my own, I might have just accepted it as is, but I had seen the Snake Queen’s Heart Demon.
It seemed to be biding its time, looking for a chance to consume my mind, but there was no way I would lose.
I calmed my mind.
A clear mirror and still water.
It signifies an unshakable mind.
Why was I training?
To attain enlightenment.
I had to remember what the Snake Queen’s master said.
I am the leader.
At least, within my own mindscape.
I let out a sharp cry.
Gegegek!
Time to focus.
*
Day 4 of Training.
To be honest, I still didn't get it.
How could I understand something even the Snake Queen couldn't?
So, I changed my way of thinking.
The reason I could use martial arts was because my master, Baek Yeon-yeong, had taught me. A human with more power than any being I had ever seen.
I recalled her teachings.
She had said that the verses and secret manuals circulating in the world were illusions.
No, they probably did serve their purpose.
Just as Baek Woon had used the Thirty-Six Swords of the World, calling them illusions was nonsense.
Besides, Baek Yeon-yeong herself had been searching for the verses left by the Heavenly Demon.
Then why had she said that?
Baek Yeon-yeong had never read the Nine Yin Manual.
And yet, she had shown me what the Nine Yin White Bone Claw was.
Could the meaning of her words be that it's not about what you see, but how you interpret it?
Yes.
What the Snake Queen’s master said, and why they said it, wasn't important.
Even if it was, I couldn't understand it right now.
In that case, only one thing remained.
To interpret those words in my own way.
To forge my own path, just as Baek Yeon-yeong did.
*
Day 5 of Training.
Attaining enlightenment was, as expected, difficult.
If one could gain enlightenment in less than a week, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be walking around calling themselves a spirit beast.
But it wasn't a complete failure.
[The level of 「Reverse Scale LV1」 has increased.]
[The level of 「Reverse Scale LV2」 has increased.]
[The level of 「Reverse Scale LV3」 has increased.]
[The level of 「Reverse Scale LV4」 has increased.]
「Reverse Scale LV5」
I had raised the level of Reverse Scale to 5.
This was the result of circulating my internal energy and struggling to attain enlightenment.
I was someone who used Reverse Scale in almost every battle to begin with.
Meaning my proficiency was more than enough.
The reason it hadn't leveled up despite that must have been due to something else.
In the process of contorting myself to gain enlightenment, it was as if a blocked meridian had been cleared, and the level of Reverse Scale shot up.
The level of my main skill, Reverse Scale, increasing was a very good sign.
Until now, even when I copied skills using Reverse Scale, they would come over as LV1.
Now, with the increased level, the level of the copied skills had also gone up.
This meant the efficiency of Reverse Scale had greatly improved.
For martial arts without a level display, like Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World or the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, there might not be much of a change.
But the Gaegaek Death Beam was definitely a skill with a level.
And that was my main offensive skill.
With this, I should be able to land a fatal blow on the King of Birds.
Of course, I didn't achieve my initial goal.
I raised the level of Reverse Scale, but I still couldn't figure out what that phenomenon during the battle with the Dilophosaurus was.
Trying to figure that out too when time was so short would be greedy.
This much was still a decent result.
You can't expect to be full from the first spoonful, after all.
And so, my training ended.
*
“Are you ready?”
The Snake Queen woke me.
I opened my eyes and answered.
“Gek.”
The time had come.
Just because I was training didn't mean I spent all day circulating my qi.
When the Snake Queen was at the temple, I spent time with her.
Not just idling around, but through combat-like sparring.
In her absence, I sought enlightenment through qi circulation.
There was a huge difference between the Gomodo-Lania of five days ago and the Gomodo-Lania of today.
Should I say it was like the difference between the Mosasaurus from the movies and the real-life Mosasaurus?
The shock I felt when I learned that the creature that looked like it could swallow a Spinosaurus in one bite was actually only about 15 meters long was immense.
It was on par with the shock of finding out a Velociraptor was only 50cm tall.
…Anyway, the point is, there had been that many changes.
It was a short period, but I had been sparring continuously with none other than the Snake Queen.
I went outside the temple with her.
As if for a military parade, countless statues were lined up.
The Snake Queen and I had moved them one by one last night.
Time for training was precious, so why had we moved these?
The answer to that question could be found by looking ahead.
“So everyone has gathered.”
Ten Sword Dragons, boasting their sharp tails.
Dozens of giant snakes, including anacondas.
In addition, smaller but venomous snakes had also gathered.
This was the Snake Queen’s currently available force.
Of course, this wasn't all.
“Hoh, quite the grand preparation.”
A giant bird was admiring the statues.
It was the former King of Birds, Argentavis.
Having recovered all his strength with the unicorn's horn, he was exuding even more power than the last time I saw him.
He hadn't come alone either.
Numerous pterosaurs, including Pteranodons, were resting with their wings folded.
The ground forces mobilized by the Snake Queen.
The air forces mobilized by Argentavis.
A Basilisk and an Argentavis, both strong enough to be called Divine Beasts.
And one Gomodo-Lania.
It was a scale truly befitting the word "war."
What were the battles I'd fought until now?
One-on-one.
Or a few against many.
That was the pattern.
But now, a battle of many versus many was about to unfold.
Barring anything special, this would be the final war of my lizard life.
What kind of riches and glory was I seeking to get involved in such a large-scale battle?
I'd probably be living my life gek-geking while searching for elixirs and inner cores, hanging out with the spiders and observing when I might turn human.
This battle didn't suit my disposition.
But I had become too deeply entangled in this jungle.
At first, it was because of Baek Yeon-yeong's words.
To find the elixir hidden in the jungle.
Then, the King of Birds attacked me.
I met Swish-Swish.
I obtained an inner core and an elixir, and met the Snake Queen again.
We were relationships that should have had no connection, but we became too tightly bound.
I am the Snake Queen's companion and Little Dragon's son-in-law.
And I could also be called Swish-Swish's Divine Beast.
Their enemy is my enemy.
It's time to put an end to this.
A mist enveloped the Snake Queen's entire body.
The Snake Queen returned from her human form to her original form.
A giant Basilisk looked to the sky and roared.
“Shaaaaaak!”
At her roar, the noisy jungle fell silent in an instant.
“Listen.”
She was in her snake form, but human words came out.
Not all the beasts here would be able to understand human language.
But they would be able to understand her will.
“You all know what my purpose is.”
“Kwawok!”
The Sword Dragons responded to her words.
Seeing as they were stationed around the temple acting as gatekeepers, they seemed to have a fairly friendly relationship with the Snake Queen. In fact, some of them even followed the Snake Queen faith.
“The King of Birds, Quetzalcoatl. It is to kill him.”
“Krrreuk!”
“Grrrawr!”
It wasn't just the forces of the Snake Queen and Argentavis that had gathered.
Numerous beasts who had sensed the unusual atmosphere had gathered in this place.
“The fact that you stay within my territory means you know his vile side. Yes. He is an exceedingly cruel being. Not just me, but most of you here have memories of losing something precious to him.”
“Kuaaar!”
“Kieeehk…”
The statues moved overnight.
The numerous troops.
The Snake Queen, Argentavis, and a giant lizard rumored to be the queen's companion.
The hearts of the beasts, who had been mere spectators, began to stir.
“He coveted a forbidden power and stained his wings with so much blood.”
“Kieeeeeh!”
The pterosaurs responded fiercely.
Even when I first met them, they would charge at the Human-faced Bird, defying death.
Like the Snake Queen, they too clearly had an ill-fated relationship with Quetzalcoatl.
“The law of the jungle. I will not deny those words. I, too, have devoured countless beasts to reach this position.”
To survive in the first place, one must take the lives of other beasts.
No one would blame them for that.
“However, he has crossed the line.”
Quetzalcoatl is different.
For power, he betrayed Little Dragon who raised him, and killed all of his disciples.
“He kills to mock, and kills to covet power. He takes them while they are still alive, but with their minds broken. Isn't the reason you've all gathered here because you share the same wounds?”
“Kraaak…”
“Kiiiiik!”
Cries could be heard from all around.
They must be beasts who lost family or friends, or were brainwashed and used as Quetzalcoatl's disposable pawns.
“Even if you haven't fallen victim to him yet, isn't it because you cannot continue to live in constant fear that you have gathered here?”
“Krrrr…”
The Snake Queen looked around at the crowd.
The speechless beasts let out their own cries.
The sorrow of losing family to Quetzalcoatl.
The rage of having friends stolen.
Their own plight, living in fear day after day.
The beasts were denouncing him in this way.
“My companion has killed the Jian Bird.”
As we had discussed beforehand, I lifted my head and maintained the coolest expression I could.
I could feel everyone's gaze focusing on me.
I wanted to twist my body and make a fuss right now, but I had to hold it in.
“His forces are weakened. The tide of victory has already turned.”
“Grk, grk!”
The beasts each racked their brains.
Those who had been harmed by Quetzalcoatl had already begun to gather behind the statues.
The beasts trembling in fear also gathered in one place.
The beasts who neither trembled in fear nor had been harmed by him would have no reason to join this battle.
It would be taking on an unnecessary risk.
But what if the Snake Queen won this battle overwhelmingly?
Under the pretext of having helped her, they could get a piece of the action.
“Kgggeuk!”
All the beasts gathered here joined the battle lines.
The Snake Queen looked around at the crowd.
“An unprecedented battle. No, a war is about to begin.”
A number double the initial force had gathered.
“But it will not last long.”
The Snake Queen's tail moved.
A beautiful greatsword was held in her tail.
“I swear on the name of the Snake Queen. Today, the King of Birds dies.”
The Snake Queen's speech was over.
“Kwoooowok!”
The beasts roared in acclamation.
“Hmph, even I'm getting fired up.”
Argentavis also wore a satisfied smile.
“Krawwwk!”
“Kieeeek!”
“Shaaak!”
Beasts, each of whom could be called a mighty general, continued to shout.
Even my reptilian heart was beating fast, so how must the others feel?
“Grrraaaawr!”
“Monogaaaamy!”
…I think I see one that's really angry. It must be rage towards the King of Birds.
And so, with countless troops gathered, we advanced toward Quetzalcoatl's nest.
It was the prelude to war.