Chapter 209: The Beginning of the War
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: The Beginning of the War
Wiggle, wiggle.
The fox marble slipped out from my fur.
It looked like an ordinary crystal ball, but in reality, it was an artifact of immense power.
Considering the strength Iron Head Dragon displayed when he swallowed it, I had a rough idea of its capabilities.
Vwoom.
Of course, watching it fly around and nuzzle against me, it just seemed like a child.
“Seeing you like that, it really looks like a Dragon Pearl.”
Baek Rang glanced back and forth between me and the fox marble.
How wonderful it would be if this thing really were a Dragon Pearl.
If I could obtain one and become a true dragon, I wouldn't have to worry about my current problems.
I could just handle everything myself with overwhelming power.
“Try talking to it. Who knows? Maybe it’ll really turn into a Dragon Pearl.”
Vwoooom.
The fox marble trembled lightly.
“Actually, the two might not be that different. Just as an Imugi trains to create a Dragon Pearl, a fox marble is simply something created by a fox.”
The fox marble drifted over and nuzzled against Baek Rang’s fur.
It seemed to really like my fur and Baek Rang’s.
Given that it was the artifact of a furry beast, its behavior was understandable.
“…It is kind of cute.”
Baek Rang played with the bead, batting at it with her front paw, before speaking as if a thought had just occurred to her.
“Hmm, right. A Dragon Pearl. If you really got a Dragon Pearl, things might be different.”
“Gek?”
“Of course, that’s probably impossible… If nothing else, you’re incredibly young.”
I had heard that it takes a hundred, or even a thousand, years of training to obtain a Dragon Pearl.
Despite my appearance, I was a lizard who hadn't even lived for two full years yet.
Regardless of my strength, a Dragon Pearl was still a distant dream.
“Still, you never know, so I’ll tell you what I know.”
Vwoom.
“Yeoui (如意). ‘As one wishes.’”
So that’s what the yeoui in yeouiju [Dragon Pearl] meant.
“I’ve never seen one myself, but they say it can do anything the dragon wills.”
Anything.
I remembered that the yeoui in Yeouibong [Ruyi Jingu Bang] had the same meaning.
“That’s why it’s a symbol of the dragon. Spirit beasts that have undergone metamorphosis desperately try to create a Dragon Pearl, believing that it’s all they need to become a dragon.”
Baek Rang’s tail swayed gently.
The fox marble, having taken a liking to her fur, kept trying to burrow deeper into it.
“…Are you sure you didn’t give birth to this thing? Your scales are black, and it’s a bit dark-colored too. And it keeps coming toward your chest.”
Baek Rang eyed me suspiciously.
Hey, what does burrowing into one’s chest have to do with being my child?
And why is your gaze drifting down toward my crotch?
“Don’t tell me, in that one week…”
“Gek!”
What in the world are you talking about?
“I’m kidding, just kidding. But looking at you two again, you do have a resemblance. Should I say you look like a father and daughter?”
As she said this, her expression was one of subtle anticipation.
“Seeing how it likes my fur… maybe it thinks I’m its mother…”
Pop!
The fox marble shot out of Baek Rang’s embrace.
Vwoooom!
It spun in the air as if to say, ‘Don’t talk nonsense.’
“Hey, it was just a figure of speech…”
She looked at the fox marble with a disappointed expression.
Vwoom! Vwoooom!
The fox marble trembled furiously, clearly displeased with her words and actions.
“Hey, what’s wrong with it?”
“Gekgek.”
“Don’t tell me… it doesn’t think of you as its father, but…?”
Baek Rang’s face grew serious.
I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please stop with the strange assumptions.
“Nah, no way. Now I’m even hitting on a bead…”
Smack!
I lightly slapped Baek Rang’s butt with my tail.
“Keng!”
Baek Rang let out a sound unbecoming of a wolf.
She gently rubbed her rear with her tail and slowly got to her feet.
“I think you’re starting to get a taste for hitting my butt, but you know, no spirit beast is into that, okay?”
“Keeng?”
Did you call me? Pus raised her short arms with a questioning look.
“No, what’s with her?”
I know, right?
“Ugh… The more I think about it, the more amazing it is. How did you manage to seduce them all, regardless of species?”
I never seduced anyone.
“What I hate most is that expression you make, the one that says you never seduced anyone. They say dragons are lecherous, and you too…”
Baek Rang’s words trailed off as she once again glanced between me and the fox marble.
“…This… I think I can make use of this.”
*
We had trained countless times and made every possible preparation.
I had built up my personal strength, and we had devised strategies to respond to various situations.
The time had finally come.
“Kioong…”
“Kieeeng…”
Tus and Pus, perched on Baek Rang’s shoulders, wore determined expressions.
Tang Soyeong and Nephila were also riding on her back.
Their role was more important than anyone else’s.
They were tasked with eliminating the Gu-poison controlling the Red Dragon.
“Awooo…”
“One husband… many wives…”
The wolves and the pack of bicorns snorted, signaling they were ready.
The difficulty of this battle would be unimaginably high.
Because we weren't just going to defend against the enemy.
We would ensure the safety of all our followers while annihilating the enemy.
It was a goal, an objective, that could only be described as audacious.
“…We’ll move according to the plan, but are you really going to be okay?”
Baek Rang looked at me with worried eyes.
In a simple clash of forces, our chances of defeat were high.
Even if we won by some miracle, the losses would be devastating.
I couldn't achieve my objective through a mere power struggle.
But thanks to our efforts over the past month, we had succeeded in finding a breakthrough.
I could instinctively feel that numerous intruders had entered my territory.
They may have entered my domain as they pleased, but leaving would be impossible.
I looked at my followers one last time.
We can do this.
Even if we can’t, I’ll make it happen.
There was only one thing I had to say to them.
“Gekgek!”
Then, I immediately charged toward the enemy.
The first cornerstone for a perfect victory is to seize the initiative.
*
Ak Bulhwi gazed at the mountain with spirited eyes.
Before him was a lush, dense forest.
Plants of an unnaturally large size lurked within.
“Hoh… A forest that seems to symbolize Great Nature itself. But this is a little different from the story you told me.”
“It must have grown in the meantime,” the Red Dragon retorted, glaring at him.
Her attitude didn't hide her hostility in the slightest.
Grind.
She clenched her teeth hard.
Having lost her family to the Ice Dragon and the Thunder Bird, she had come to see Irihwa as her own younger sister.
She had vowed never to form new bonds, to never again lose someone precious, but Irihwa had approached her.
A face, a personality, a voice that resembled her sister’s.
Lizamone couldn't help but see her as a younger sister.
What tore her heart apart was the fact that on the other side of the scale was Gomodo.
He was a precious benefactor she couldn't trade for anything.
Letting Irihwa be killed, or betraying Gomodo.
She couldn't choose either.
If she could save Gomodo by killing Irihwa, she would have done so, with a heart that felt like it was being chewed to pieces.
But she knew that even then, the larger outcome wouldn't change.
If she had chosen Gomodo and fought back, she might have inflicted great damage on Mount Hua.
But in the end, she would not have been able to overcome Ak Bulhwi.
Though he held the lowest seat, he was still the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect, one of the Ten Grandmasters of the World.
Rumors said he was her equal, and if they were to fight, the outcome would be a fiercely contested battle with no guaranteed winner.
But not only were the swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect nearby, but the mysterious Namgung Yeon had also joined them.
Even if she fought with all her might, she couldn't have defeated Ak Bulhwi.
Even if she managed to take an arm, if she were defeated, that bastard would take her inner core.
And even the Crushing Dragon would not be able to defeat an Ak Bulhwi who had absorbed the Red Dragon’s inner core.
In that case, if she chose Irihwa, couldn't she at least guarantee her own life?
Choosing Gomodo would be a pointless death with no gain, and it might even put Gomodo in greater danger.
…The Red Dragon had guided her thoughts to that conclusion.
The old her would have charged in without a second thought.
She was the Red Dragon, the Flame Dragon, after all.
But after meeting the Crushing Dragon, she had changed.
She learned to think about what the right course of action was.
To look beyond the present and consider the future.
The conclusion she reached was the choice she made now.
To create a situation where she could inflict the most fatal damage at the most critical moment.
Having swallowed the Gu, betrayal meant certain death.
So, when the battle was at its peak, she would wipe out all their forces.
And inflict a fatal wound on Ak Bulhwi as well.
That was her plan.
If Gomodo won, the Mount Hua Sect would naturally be annihilated.
Irihwa would no longer be under Mount Hua’s control.
And by letting Gomodo take her inner core, she could repay him in her own way for melting her frozen heart.
Although he would never understand her actions, he was the kind of being who would never take her inner core otherwise.
“Well, at least seeing this environment tells me he hasn't figured out your betrayal. No matter how much he masters the power of wood… it will all turn to ash in your flames.”
It was the law of nature that wood burns in fire.
The Red Dragon’s breath would be more than enough to clear away all those plants.
Looking at the plants, Lizamone felt a slight sense of relief, but also a dilemma.
She was relieved because it showed he hadn't been idle for the past month and had prepared defenses against intruders.
Her dilemma was that she had no excuse not to burn the plants.
She was contemplating whether she had to betray them earlier than planned.
Rustle!
A massive spirit beast revealed itself from the thicket.
Scales as black as jet.
Two horns.
Huge front claws and a long tail.
Long, white eyebrows fluttered in the wind.
“Oho, that must be the spirit beast called Gomodo.”
It was a spirit beast so magnificent it could be called beautiful.
“It’s a bit smaller than I heard, but that shouldn't matter. Look at that majesty. A spirit beast of that caliber…”
Suddenly, Ak Bulhwi’s expression changed.
It shifted from the elation of facing such a powerful spirit beast to the realization that something was wrong.
The swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect began to mutter.
“…A-a Dragon Pearl?”
They could accept a lizard having horns or a mane of flowing white fur.
But the purple orb floating around the lizard was something they couldn't comprehend.
“It’s a dragon!”
Even if their goal was to hunt a spirit beast, the story changed if their opponent was a dragon.
The dragon was the most sacred of divine beasts, a spiritual being equated with the gods themselves.
Killing a few dragon-like spirit beasts was one thing, but a dragon itself was different.
This was no different from pointing a sword at a god.
Both symbolically and practically.
A few swordsmen with weaker minds began to tremble.
They knew that if that was truly a dragon, they wouldn't stand a chance.
“Everyone, keep your wits about you!”
Even Ak Bulhwi was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.
That had to be some kind of trick.
He could feel a powerful energy, but it was by no means on the level of a dragon.
“That is…”
But what the spirit beast had aimed for was that brief moment of hesitation.
Hiiiiissssssssss.
Before his eyes, he saw Gomodo’s chest swell to an immense size.
Ak Bulhwi shouted urgently.
“Everyone, cover your ears!”
KWWWWAAAAAAAANG!
An earth-shattering roar exploded forth.
His roar resembled that of a lion, but it was deeper, more valiant.
“H-huuuhk!”
Despite no visible injuries, several swordsmen dropped their swords.
That roar was unmistakably the cry of a dragon.
Those who heard the dragon’s roar began to be consumed by an inexplicable fear.
“Kuaaak! It’s using the Lion’s Roar!”
“I-it’s not a Lion’s Roar, this is a dragon’s…!”
Everyone was thrown into chaos.
Facing a dragon was not part of the plan.
Ak Bulhwi quickly tried to get the situation under control.
The flow of battle was not good.
But he was a veteran swordsman.
He knew better than anyone what needed to be done now.
“Everyone, focus! That is…”
But before he could resolve the situation, Gomodo’s chest swelled once more.
“It’s a normal Lion’s Roar! It’s not a dragon’s roar, so just cover your ears!” he shouted, trying to teach them that the being before them was not a dragon.
A Lion’s Roar was a sonic art whose damage could be significantly reduced just by covering one’s ears.
But what erupted this time was quite different from Ak Bulhwi’s expectation.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZING!
The signal arrow announcing the start of the war.
It was the Gaegaek Death Beam.