Chapter 196: Lion's Roar
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Lion's Roar
“So, what are you going to do?”
Baek Rang asked in a worried voice.
Tang Soyeong was treating the bald man.
I thought I’d only stepped on him lightly, so he wouldn't be too badly hurt, but it seems ‘lightly’ by my standards was a bit more severe than I’d thought.
Then again, I did press down with the most dangerous part of my body, so I guess it made sense.
“Gekek.”
First, I’ll grant the bald man’s request.
I had to fight Cheoldu-ryong eventually anyway.
Kill all humans.
That’s not something an individual could possibly achieve.
However, I could tell the beast harbored a deep hatred for humans and wouldn't stop his slaughter until someone killed him.
Having taken the power of the Dragon Gate, the damage he could cause would be immense.
A powerful master like my Master could surely subdue him, but there was no telling how many would die before that happened.
The Daoist’s request was simple.
Accompany him.
And if he failed to stop Cheoldu-ryong, I was to defeat him in his place.
Since I had to take down Cheoldu-ryong anyway, it wasn't a bad proposal for me.
At the very least, I’d get to see how he fights.
While this might not be true for other beasts, my fighting style always involved a battle of wits.
I don't go all out from the start; instead, I gauge my opponent's moves and gradually ramp up my power.
I sometimes use a strategy of crushing them in a single blow with overwhelming force, but that’s only for when the situation is, quite literally, overwhelming.
This is the wild; you never know who might be targeting you.
This was a chance to observe his combat style.
It meant I could get a rough idea of his strength and lead the fight to my advantage.
Cheoldu-ryong would be monstrously strong.
A spirit beast that has absorbed the Dragon Gate's power should be at least as strong as the Fire Rat.
And Cheoldu-ryong, who had defeated the even stronger Bingjo, would be far more powerful.
But that wasn't all.
Dilopho, the spirit beast of the Tang Clan, used the Sky-Filling Flower Rain as if it were second nature.
If so, what would Cheoldu-ryong, the spirit beast of Shaolin, be capable of?
He would surely display martial arts far more spectacular than Dilopho's.
I had to be prepared for that.
Plus, I had to consider that he wielded cold energy, having absorbed the power of the Snow Mountain.
“I can block some of the cold energy.”
Baek Rang was also a spirit beast who wielded cold.
If she joined me, things would be easier.
But Baek Rang had to stay here.
If Red Dragon were here, I could take one of them without worry, but she was elsewhere right now.
That meant I needed a spirit beast to protect my territory.
I had to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
The Arsinoitheriums were a reliable force, but I needed a spirit beast with superior intelligence like Baek Rang holding the fort to be able to leave with peace of mind.
She could take my place while I was gone.
“Gekek.”
“You’re going alone?”
I would go to the Snow Mountain alone.
That was the best move I could make.
Fwoosh!
I raced toward the Snow Mountain.
The Daoist gripped my fur tightly to keep from falling off.
“Cheoldu-ryong and I have known each other since we were young.”
Not knowing when the beast might go on a rampage, I listened to his story on the way.
“To be precise, Cheoldu-ryong came to Shaolin when he was still a child. You may not understand how a spirit beast could have entered Shaolin.”
The Daoist spoke as if I would naturally know what Shaolin was.
Of course, I had a rough idea of what kind of group it was, but an ordinary spirit beast wouldn't even know where Shaolin was located.
Just what was Gomodo known as for him to speak to me like this?
“To tell you the truth, it’s true that the Abbot killed Cheoldu-ryong’s parents.”
The Daoist’s voice was calm.
Shaolin was the leading sect of the Orthodox Factions, revered as a pillar of the Murim.
The Abbot of that very Shaolin killed a spirit beast?
If it had been some corrupt monk, that would be one thing, but for the Abbot himself to do it was proof that Shaolin had fallen.
“And he did it right in front of Cheoldu-ryong.”
Was this why my Master disliked Shaolin?
Killing parents in front of their child.
It was something even a beast wouldn't do.
“…Of course, he did it due to unavoidable circumstances. The Abbot erased Cheoldu-ryong’s memories and brought him to Shaolin.”
Erased his memories and brought him to Shaolin.
To use him as a pawn?
If this was true, then the organization called Shaolin was rotten to the core.
But thinking about it a little more, I realized there was no reason for that.
Why go to such trouble just to bring in a baby dinosaur?
Although he had now matured and gained immense power, Cheoldu-ryong probably wasn't a spirit beast originally.
A head-butting dinosaur.
He would have been nothing more, nothing less.
“The boy learned everything Shaolin had to offer… It’s shameful to admit, but his progress was faster than mine.”
He learned everything Shaolin had to offer.
It was now almost certain that he used Shaolin martial arts.
Even setting aside the sob story, there was still something for me to gain from this.
“That is why he is so dangerous. If he uses the martial arts of Shaolin and the unknown power he gained here simultaneously… the damage will be uncontrollable.”
The power of the Snow Mountain and the martial arts of Shaolin.
Those were what I had to watch out for.
“Grrrr…”
This was enough.
Fwoosh!
I picked up my pace.
“Urk… By the way, Lord Gomodo. Are you truly going to meet him before I do?”
I didn't particularly like this man.
My plan had been to watch the fight between Cheoldu-ryong and the Daoist to formulate a strategy.
But after a little more thought, I realized that was impossible.
Cheoldu-ryong’s hatred must be beyond my imagination.
Seeing the Daoist, who had barely escaped death, would he be willing to talk peacefully?
No, not a chance.
He would unleash a killing technique before a single word was spoken.
That would make my plan meaningless.
I would assess the situation first.
If the beast still had his reason, I would give the Daoist a chance to talk.
If not, I would have to take him down immediately.
“Grrrrrr…”
I lowered my body slightly, letting the Daoist off.
“…I understand. Please be careful.”
I could immediately sense a being with powerful internal energy up ahead.
Whooosh.
A frosty wind blew gently.
Thud.
I walked slowly toward him.
“Hoh.”
I heard Cheoldu-ryong’s voice.
“So, we have a guest.”
He had taken a form more human than dinosaur.
But unlike other spirit beasts, he had retained his distinct features.
A thick head.
Sharp claws.
And his original size.
【Cheoldu-ryong LV132】
_________________________
【Cheoldu-ryong】
An Aryong with an iron head.
He grew strong rapidly by absorbing the power of the Dragon Gate, but the power he wields is just as unstable.
The blood of an Evil Dragon has manifested, causing him to grow exponentially stronger the more he slaughters.
Cheoldu-ryong.
The status window gave me more information than I expected.
The more he slaughters, the exponentially stronger he becomes.
It was a good thing he had remained on the Snow Mountain. If he had gone elsewhere, he might have become too strong for even me to stop.
“I have heard the rumors, Gomodo. Though I didn't hear you had fur and horns.”
Contrary to my expectations, he spoke fluently.
He was calm and composed.
I thought he might have gone berserk because of the Dragon Gate's power, but that wasn't the case.
“Perhaps… you have taken the power of the Dragon Gate, just as I have.”
Maybe it would have been fine to send the Daoist first.
“Master of the Dragon Gate. I have a proposal for you.”
A proposal?
Was he suggesting a life-and-death battle with our Dragon Gates on the line?
“Join me.”
His answer was different from what I had expected.
“You can do it.”
Cheoldu-ryong smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up.
It was a smile similar to a human’s.
As if he held no hostility toward me.
His attitude suggested he was speaking with genuine goodwill.
His tone changed as well.
He dropped the formal speech and spoke casually, as if to a friend.
“Let’s kill all the damn humans and create a world for spirit beasts.”
But the content of his words was twisted.
“You must have seen the humans.”
Ruuuumble.
The frosty wind grew stronger.
“They are evil. They manipulate spirit beasts to their whims and commit atrocious acts without hesitation.”
His voice overflowed with madness.
“Where does suffering come from?”
He spoke to me as if preaching a sermon.
“Old age and death come from being born.”
Thud.
“Why are we born? Because we existed.”
Thud.
“What is existence? It is born from attachment. And that attachment? It comes from a thirst for something.”
Thud.
“Where does that thirst come from? It is…”
Cheoldu-ryong’s words continued.
Ignorance, formations, consciousness, name and form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging and death.
The 12 Links of Dependent Origination.
It was one of the core doctrines of Buddhism.
“Suffering begets suffering.”
That was the nature of dependent origination.
To deeply contemplate the nature of suffering to understand it.
And thus, to escape from that pain.
But what he was arguing was different.
“How must we escape this suffering?!”
RUUUUMBLE.
The Snow Mountain roared.
“The annihilation of all humans.”
His crazed eyes flashed.
“We must eliminate the source of the pain. Only then will suffering vanish from this world.”
He would kill the humans.
That was his sole purpose.
“Gomodo. Will you accept my proposal?”
Cheoldu-ryong extended a hand to me.
I had no intention of taking it.
“Grrrr…”
“…For a spirit beast of your stature to react this way.”
Cheoldu-ryong’s expression changed.
“Aha. So that’s how it is.”
FWOOOOSH!
Cheoldu-ryong shot forward in an instant.
I knew his destination.
He had found the hiding Daoist.
KWAAAAAANG!
Without hesitation, Cheoldu-ryong unleashed a blow meant to kill in one strike.
Crrrack.
But it never reached the Daoist’s body.
Because I had blocked his head with my forepaw.
“…You’ve been bewitched by a filthy human.”
Cheoldu-ryong looked at me and sighed.
KWANG!
I swung my arm, forcing him back.
“Daoist. Why have you returned?”
Cheoldu-ryong spoke from a distance.
He seemed to have realized he couldn't kill the Daoist instantly with me by his side.
“Everyone is dead. Even those damn monks who tormented me since I was a child.”
Whoooosh.
A cold wind blew.
“My senior brother, who pretended to protect me with his hypocrisy. Everyone is dead. You barely escaped with your life, so why have you returned?”
Cheoldu-ryong spoke as if he couldn't understand the Daoist.
“Cheoldu-ryong.”
The Daoist’s eyes stared at Cheoldu-ryong.
“No, Bakgigae.”
“…Do not call me by that name.”
“You know nothing.”
Thud.
The Daoist took a step forward.
“How the Abbot took you in…!”
“I know nothing?”
Cheoldu-ryong sounded incredulous.
“Your parents were no ordinary Aryongs.”
“Hah. Do you plan to wag that glib tongue of yours again?”
“The Abbot… he did it to save you!”
Pfft.
Cheoldu-ryong let out a bizarre laugh.
“Kh, khahak! This is hilarious. The Abbot of Shaolin broke the precept against killing for my sake?”
It was an illogical claim.
To say that slaughtering his parents was for his own good.
“You fool. Do you still not understand? Your parents were…!”
The Daoist couldn't finish his sentence.
There were words he wanted to say, words he had to say, but he trailed off as if he couldn't bring himself to speak them.
“Enough. I have no desire to recall those memories.”
Cheoldu-ryong spoke as if utterly disgusted.
“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that he committed that horrific act to save me.”
Even if he had done it for Cheoldu-ryong’s sake, nothing would change.
“Why would such a noble man send me to this place?”
The fact that he had sent Cheoldu-ryong to this place of death remained.
“For the inner core of another spirit beast, for a conflict with the Demonic Cult. Wasn’t he just using me as a disposable pawn?”
Obtaining the inner core was Shaolin’s goal.
And additionally, to gain justification for their actions.
There was no way Cheoldu-ryong didn't know the information I did.
“It was to treat you.”
“Treat me? Khahak! Treat me, you say. What kind of treatment are you talking about? Forcing me to kill others and stain my body with blood for all those years was treatment? Khak, khuhut!”
Cheoldu-ryong laughed maniacally.
“Pfft, khuhup!”
He laughed so hard that tears streamed from his eyes.
“Seeing as you don’t answer, you must have run out of things to say.”
He surely had something to say.
And yet, he held his tongue.
Why wasn't he speaking?
This might be his only chance.
He couldn't have asked for my help just to say something like this.
The frosty wind grew even fiercer.
“I will pull out that filthy three-inch tongue of yours and make you pay the price for daring to speak of my parents.”
There were no other options left.
“You seem to think you can oppose me by bewitching Gomodo… Do you really think that’s possible?”
The only thing left was to fight Cheoldu-ryong.
“…Lord Gomodo.”
The Daoist looked at me.
“Come at me with everything you have! No matter how great Gomodo is, you will not be able to stop my grand aspiration!”
Then he walked forward.
“…What?”
The Daoist calling my name wasn't a plea for me to defeat Cheoldu-ryong in his stead.
“Thank you.”
It was, just as he’d first said, for me to watch from afar so they could settle things between them.
That was the Daoist’s final request.
“…Senior Brother, are you joking right now?”
The smile vanished from Cheoldu-ryong’s face.
There was no way the Daoist could defeat the current Cheoldu-ryong.
And yet, he stepped forward.
“Everyone else is dead. Do you really think you alone can defeat me, Senior Brother?”
A profound internal energy erupted from the Daoist’s body.
A power several levels above Baek Woon’s.
He must have reached at least the Peak Realm.
But it was nowhere near enough to match Cheoldu-ryong.
“I do not think I can win.”
The Daoist could not defeat Cheoldu-ryong.
“You’ve finally lost your mind.”
Lost his mind.
That was probably the right expression.
If he had begged me to save him, I might have fought in his place.
But he did not.
“But I can stop you.”
“Khut, khahahahat! Well, this is…”
Cheoldu-ryong laughed as if it were absurd.
“Bakgigae, take your stance.”
“If you truly wish to die… I will gladly grant it!”
Cheoldu-ryong took his stance.
“Haaaaaah.”
The Daoist took a deep breath.
I immediately raised my paws and covered my ears.
I knew what that was because he had told me.
KWAAAAAAAARGH!
An immense roar shook the Snow Mountain.
One of the 72 Arts of Shaolin.
The Lion’s Roar.