Chapter 215: Old Death with a Tail
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: Old Death with a Tail
Gongbok had always admired Jin-ryong.
The most spiritual and sacred of all spirit beasts, the legendary dragon who fought against the ferocious beasts feared by all.
That was his father.
Though born an illegitimate child, he was proud that Jin-ryong was his father.
And so, he strove endlessly to reach the level of a dragon.
His mother, too, never doubted that Gongbok would become Jin-ryong's successor.
After all, he had loved water since birth, and his appearance was the closest to that of a dragon.
He trained and trained.
Hoping that one day, his father would look his way.
Hoping that he would take him and his mother into his nest.
Time passed, and he was finally granted a private audience with Jin-ryong.
He was to meet the father he had dreamed of.
His mother, her body stiff with emotion, embraced him and wept.
Gongbok did the same.
He had no doubt that his and his mother's long-held wish was about to come true.
But Jin-ryong didn't even know who Gongbok was.
He had no interest in whether such an illegitimate child existed.
How could he not know, when the world spoke of the Nine Sons of the Dragon?
Only then did Gongbok understand why Jin-ryong had abandoned him and his mother.
He had never known they existed in the first place.
He tried to speak of his mother, but Jin-ryong dismissed it, saying he knew no such female.
Upon hearing this, Gongbok's mother coughed up blood and died.
Could one die simply from hearing such shocking words?
No, that was impossible.
His mother, so steadfast and strong, would never die so easily.
Gongbok knew that his mother's death was Jin-ryong's doing.
A dragon's words held power.
A kind of authority called the Dragon's Word.
He had used that immense power to kill his mother.
To kill the woman he had once loved. Horribly, as she vomited blood.
Gongbok knew it was because he, the illegitimate son, had sought him out.
From that day on, Gongbok hated Jin-ryong.
He hated the one who had made him kill his own mother with his words.
Calling himself a sinner, he lived in seclusion for many long years.
Originally, Gongbok was a spirit beast who commanded water.
After being abandoned by Jin-ryong, he gave up his power.
To be precise, he succeeded in changing it to another power.
The power of earth and steel.
It was a laughable story.
He who hated dragons sought to imitate one by covering his body in rock and steel.
Though he harbored a desire to avenge his mother's killer, he could not hide his admiration for him.
He denied it to himself, but subconsciously, he was trying to draw closer to him.
How many years had passed since he had secluded himself on the rocky mountain?
A human he had known for a long time came to find him.
Hearing the whisper that he had a clue about Jin-ryong, Gongbok raised his colossal body.
He left for Mount Hua with his minions.
And there, he saw his father.
No.
He saw a lizard that resembled Jin-ryong.
*
Gongbok simply watched the series of events unfold.
He knew that only now was "Jin-ryong" preparing to fight with all his might.
He must have been holding back, concerned about his surroundings.
The father he remembered could not possibly be this weak.
Gongbok used the power of metal to devastate the battlefield.
So that Jin-ryong could focus solely on him.
And at last, his true power was unleashed.
Dragon's Word.
It was the very technique that had killed his mother.
Gongbok immediately prepared to counter, but the Dragon's Word merely created a single sword.
And only then did Gongbok realize that the being before him was not his father.
"...Who are you?"
His blurry eyes could clearly see dragon scales, dragon teeth, and dragon blood.
The aura he felt was similar to Jin-ryong's, but its power was far too weak.
Gongbok noticed his body was trembling.
It was strange.
He hadn't trembled when he thought it was his father.
He had only been excited at the thought of enacting his revenge and surpassing him.
But the moment he realized it wasn't Jin-ryong, his body began to shake.
Was it anger at being deceived?
No, it wasn't that.
It was something different.
Dragons, also called Divine Beasts, are sacred spirit beasts.
This lizard clearly possessed the status of a Divine Beast.
But it was far from sacred.
A blood-soaked face glared at him.
Who could possibly call that being a lizard?
A light like blue lightning flashed in its eyes, and its white fur shot up toward the sky.
Its massive claws shattered the earth, and despite having lost a horn, its ferocious aura continued to swell.
How could that be a mere lizard?
Even a demon from hell wouldn't have a face like that.
"Grrrrrr..."
For Gongbok, who had lived for over several hundred years, fear induced by appearance was not a significant issue.
He had slain all manner of ghosts and ferocious beasts, and he had even overcome his fear of his own father.
But this being was enough to reawaken a forgotten terror.
The pressure emanating from the greatsword in its hand was particularly extraordinary.
Overall, it was still weaker than him, and couldn't even be compared to Jin-ryong.
But the power he felt from that greatsword was similar to his father's.
It was reminiscent of one of Jin-ryong's teeth.
One might think it was just one tooth among hundreds, but the problem was that this single tooth was powerful enough to harm not only him, but Jin-ryong as well.
It was a weapon that could kill him, even with his steel-hardened body.
"Uwoooooooh!"
Gongbok let out a roar to shake off his instinctual fear.
The spirit beast before him was definitely not his father.
But it was clear that defeating it would bring him one step closer to Jin-ryong.
The Crushing Dragon's blue eyes stared at Gongbok.
Simultaneously, Gongbok moved first.
Kwagagagak!
Countless steel shards buried in the earth shot toward the Crushing Dragon.
It was as if dozens of spears were erupting from below.
Phwaaaak!
The power of steel tore through the Crushing Dragon's scales.
Gongbok continued his assault with the power of steel.
The sword it held was a threat, but without it, this was an opponent he could surely defeat.
No. In fact, it would be stranger if he lost.
The creature's body was already a wreck. If he just kept accumulating damage like this, victory was inevitable.
But at the same time, he felt an unexplainable sense of unease.
Phwak!
Thud.
It was in such a state that a mere gust of wind should have been enough to knock it over, yet it endured his attacks and continued to walk forward.
It could no longer use the wondrous footwork it had displayed at the beginning.
With its tail severed, it couldn't maintain its balance.
He could see that it had no choice but to take the attacks and endure.
But how could it withstand this much?
Its once-massive body had shrunk by nearly half, and the blood flowing from it was enough to form a large puddle.
Gongbok dismissed it as a groundless fear.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't picture himself losing to this creature.
Pabababak!
Phwak!
If he kept his distance and continued to pile on the damage, he would be able to bring it down.
That was what he thought, right at that moment.
Kududududuk!
An incredible amount of internal energy pressed down on his body.
Strength to uproot mountains and spirit to cover the world.
The Crushing Dragon's overwhelming power halted his movements.
Where in the world did this strength come from?
Gongbok was momentarily flustered but decided to respond calmly.
That sword was a threat, but a single cut couldn't possibly end his life.
And it was uncertain if it could even land a proper attack.
Ssssssp.
Gongbok took a deep breath.
Then, he exhaled a breath mixed with the energy of steel.
Kwagagagagagagak!
Once again, the Crushing Dragon failed to dodge the attack.
Its entire body was covered in blood, and it limped.
It's almost over.
Just a little more, and I can defeat him.
At that moment, Gongbok felt that something was strange.
Had the distance to that black lizard been this close?
He was certain he had been pushing it back, so how was it at this range?
His eyes caught the deeply gouged ground where the black lizard had stepped.
Kuuuuung!
A tremendous roar sounded every time the Crushing Dragon took a step.
He finally understood why.
Somehow, it had increased its weight to an extreme degree, preventing it from being pushed back even when hit by his attacks.
Paaaaang!
Judging the distance to be short enough, the Crushing Dragon leaped forward in an instant.
It couldn't use its previous footwork, but it was still fast enough.
Fast enough to sever Gongbok's neck.
But Gongbok was not so soft as to offer his neck to such a shallow trick.
Chwareureureuk!
A multitude of steel spikes sprouted from Gongbok's body.
It was a countermeasure he had devised for when it got close.
Even if it slashed from a distance, it would only hit steel. If it got any closer, its body would be impaled on the spikes.
Even if it stopped abruptly, all that remained for the Crushing Dragon, having used all its tricks, was a slow death.
Gongbok was certain of his victory.
...Until a single flower petal touched his spikes.
Hwareureureuk!
It was a flower, and it was a flame.
A single plum blossom neutralized Gongbok's defense.
A black lizard entered his silver eyes.
Gritting its teeth to keep from losing consciousness.
Forcibly gripping the sword with a broken arm.
It swung with a crude movement.
Swaaaaaak!
The demon's sword, overlaid with a blue sword flux, moved.
It was a desperate motion, from one who had never learned how to wield a sword.
But it was enough to sever the neck of the now-defenseless Gongbok.
Phwaaaaaak!
The moment his neck was cut, for some reason, he recalled a story his mother had told him.
It was a story about Jin-ryong's brother, a being feared by all spirit beasts.
A wicked beast that sided with humans despite being a spirit beast.
The very culprit who forced the mighty spirit beasts into hiding, to live their lives holding their breath in fear of humans.
Old Death with a Tail, Gomodo.
Gongbok finally understood why he had thought of his father upon seeing that lizard.
It wasn't a simple lizard.
It was a descendant of the feared Gomodo.
An ancient being that could perhaps be called another dragon.