Chapter 234: Blood Jade Hand
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234: Blood Jade Hand
“Ughhh! Aaaaaaaargh!”
The black shadow howled in agony.
It screamed, clutching the area around its eyes as if it had seen something it shouldn't have.
It’s not something to brag about, but my Heart Demon certainly has a shocking appearance.
But how is that thing seeing my Heart Demon?
Come to think of it, there were more than a few strange things about this. Only a human would feel a sense of unease at that sight. Wouldn't other spirit beasts or animals just think it was wearing a peculiar hide?
…Of course, even setting all that aside, it’s true that my Heart Demon looks horrifying.
Even ignoring the lack of clothes, its gleaming teeth and bizarre shrieks would be enough to terrify anyone.
A giant dinosaur with red scales and a sail.
The adversary, Spinosaurus.
Given its colossal size, incomparable to a normal Spinosaurus, I guess it was only natural for the shadow to be terrified.
“Krrrrruaaaaak!”
The black shadow continued to scream.
Its form gradually faded.
Just as I thought. That horrifying figure wasn't something left by the Heavenly Demon. According to my Heart Demon, it was more likely a trick played by Jin-ryong.
—How dare you enter my space without permission. You’re far too fearless.
Why is this your space?
“Ugh… M-mercy…”
It can talk?
How can I catch it and get some information…
CRACK!
I thought about trying to dig up some information, but the thought ended there as its body was immediately shattered into pieces.
I thought I was seeing an illusion, but it was something that happened inside my mindscape.
Even Gaechalgoatal couldn't directly enter my mindscape. If it had, it would have come face to face with my Heart Demon. Since even Gaechalgoatal, who had borrowed the power of Tai Sui, couldn't do it, I knew this had to be the work of a being even stronger than that.
It had to be Jin-ryong, of course.
That was a close call. Of course, thanks to Jin-ryong's power being so strong, the shadow ended up meeting my Heart Demon. Since it was bound to be destroyed before it could speak anyway, this was for the best.
…But why is my Heart Demon helping me?
This guy should have no reason to like me. Even if it wasn't my intention, it was forced to wear a strange outfit.
Shouldn't it be waiting for me to fall completely into a trap before thinking of taking my body? “I don’t like either that thing or you, but I can’t stand by and watch someone else aim for the body I’m going to use.”
I didn't quite understand, but if that's what the Heart Demon said, it must be right. It seemed the fact that it was after my body hadn't changed.
Seeing how that shadow had been approaching with its mouth wide open, it must have been trying to do something to my mind. It might have been trying to take over my body, just like the Heart Demon.
The Heart Demon had basically taken a number and was waiting in line, so there was no way it would just watch someone try to cut in.
…But looking at the result, didn't it end up helping me?
This Heart Demon… why has it been doing nothing but helpful things lately?
There was the advice it gave me when I saw the future, and now this. Of course, it's still watching for a chance to take my body, but I feel like I've received more help than I expected.
And are Heart Demons normally beings with their own separate personalities like this?
I can sort of understand why it appears in this form. It's taking the most horrifying form out of everything in my head. In other words, it's a being born from my imagination.
But why does it know more than that? How does it know what that shadow is, and what connection it has to Jin-ryong?
—Is that all you can come up with?
The Heart Demon spoke in a displeased voice.
—Tsk. Still so young and naive.
The Heart Demon clicked its tongue.
—Now that the darkness has vanished, its original form should be visible.
Original form?
I immediately turned my head.
Where the shadow had disappeared, a white, human-like figure was looking at the rock.
—It is a realm far too high for you to indulge in yet… but since you have the Dragon Eye, you'll manage somehow.
As soon as the Heart Demon finished speaking, the Heavenly Demon's sword was swung.
SWOOOOSH!
What Yin and Yang were, what the Five Elements were. Thanks to Chodo, I had a vague understanding, but that wasn't important now.
What was important was that I could see that sword strike.
I couldn't even begin to fathom the principles behind the swing. I just stared blankly at the Heavenly Demon's movements. “What's so great about a technique like this to be so surprised.”
The Heart Demon grumbled beside me, but its words didn't reach my ears. My job was to engrave those movements into my eyes.
*
“Hero? Are you alright?”
Chodo shook my body, her face etched with worry.
“Hero! Wake up!”
Hey, what are you doing, grabbing my tail with a vine and shaking me like that?
“Ge-eeek…”
I'm going to lose what little consciousness I have left because of you.
“You're safe. I was worried.”
Your actions speak louder than your words.
“Ge-eeeng.”
Let go, you.
Thud.
According to Chodo, I had suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed. She added that I didn't wake up even when she shook me.
Hey, in that case, you should have just stood guard for me. Was there really a need to wake me up? And in such a violent way, too.
I wanted to see more of the Heavenly Demon's traces, but it seemed this was all I was allowed.
After coming to my senses, I told Chodo what I had seen. I couldn't really convey my impression of the Heavenly Demon's sword strike, so I just settled for something like, "Wow, that was super cool." It wasn't that I didn't want to, but I couldn't describe the scene with just 'gek' sounds. Of course, I am learning to speak, but the Heavenly Demon's sword mark was something that couldn't be described even with proper words.
“What? A shadow?” Chodo said, startled.
“That can't be… The fact that I couldn't sense it means someone stronger than me played a trick… If that's true, then it must have been my father's doing.”
Chodo's green eyes stared intently at the mural.
“It seems Lord Jin-ryong was wary of the sword mark left by the Heavenly Demon being deciphered. …Well, I suppose that's to be expected. He is, after all, someone who committed such an act out of fear of the Heavenly Demon.”
She was consistently using honorifics, but her hostility towards Jin-ryong was palpable. Just seeing her help me here, it wasn't hard to guess they didn't have a good relationship.
“I almost caused great trouble for the descendant of Gomodo.”
She bowed her head to me in apology.
“Gekgek!”
I waved my hand, telling her it was okay. It's not like Chodo knew about it.
Besides, if Chodo had wanted to harm me, she would have done it just now when I was completely defenseless. Even if not then, she could have finished me off when we first met.
“Hero, you are so broad-minded…”
As she said that, Chodo glanced at my chest. It looked like she was biting her lip, but I must have seen it wrong.
“Still, since you overcame it, I feel good, as if we've landed a blow on my father. But objectively speaking, this isn't a good situation. Because Lord Jin-ryong has likely realized what happened.”
If it was indeed a trap set by Jin-ryong, a signal must have been sent to him somehow.
“He must know that someone has seen through the sword mark left by the Heavenly Demon. …That said, he won't be able to make a move right away.”
If I were Jin-ryong, I would have flown here immediately. After all, since he feared the Heavenly Demon so much, he wouldn't take the appearance of a being who deciphered his legacy lightly.
“It's because of his relationships with other humans and spirit beasts. My father is strong, but it's not as if there are no other spirit beasts comparable to him after all this time. Of course, that was based on the last time I saw him, so I don't know what he's like now… but seeing as he's left the 100,000 Great Mountains alone, it's clear that my father is also mindful of the other spirit beasts.”
No matter how strong Jin-ryong was, he couldn't do everything alone. In the first place, he was only able to stand against Gomodo and the Heavenly Demon because he led thousands of spirit beasts.
“…And even besides the spirit beasts, there is an extremely dangerous being in these 100,000 Great Mountains.”
A dangerous being.
“She is called the Blood Jade Hand.”
Blood Jade Hand!
What a terrifying name. It sounded a bit like the name of a martial art, and if you interpreted the 'su' at the end, it could also be the name of a beast. I didn't know who she was, but with 'Blood' in the name, she had to be an extraordinary individual.
“I only saw her from a distance, but I had never seen such a being before. For a modern human, not an ancient being, to wield such power. To subdue a monster over ten jang tall in a single blow and then climb on top of it to eat a meal as if it were nothing… even thinking about it now is just…”
Chodo wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
A monster over ten jang tall. One jang is three meters.
…She took down a monster over thirty meters tall in a single blow? And then casually climbed on top of it to eat a packed lunch?
“The most frightening part is her appearance, which is the complete opposite of her power. Despite possessing such dreadful power, she has a beautiful face that could rival my own.”
Huh?
Didn't she just call herself pretty?
Were you always like this? She seems to have lightened up after getting that huge weight off her chest.
“Her long, flowing black hair and contrasting jade-white face were flawless. However, she had a lot of useless fat on her chest, which made her body look a little sluggish.”
I gulped.
Useless fat?
My tail was wagging.
“I did think her dry, expressionless face was a bit of a shame, but on second thought, perhaps that's what completes her.”
Chodo's stream of compliments continued.
Seriously, just how beautiful is this person for her to be praising her so enthusiastically? Wait, since she compared the woman to herself, is this just a high-level way of complimenting her own looks?
“Her blue eyes, the same color as the flower decoration on her clothes, made her even more mysterious…”
Huh?
That sounds somehow familiar.
Someone who fiddles with my body… and who sighs softly but gives my head a little pat when I pretend to be asleep and snuggle closer.
…….
“Ge-eeek!”
It's Master!
No, what on earth has she been doing to get a name like Blood Jade Hand? Of course, Chodo might have made it up herself, or maybe the other spirit beasts came up with it while whispering amongst themselves…
That makes it even weirder, doesn't it? For spirit beasts to give her an alias, just what has she been up to?
“Her white hands are especially the highlight. Spirit beasts that dared to bite her hand had their teeth… Ahem, that's why she was named the Blood Jade Hand.”
What happened to their teeth?
Why did she trail off?
I lifted a forelimb and gently tapped my own teeth.
“Ge-eeeng…”
…My teeth are still okay, right?