Chapter 266: An Ancient Being
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 266: An Ancient Being
What in the world is that hideous thing?
I’d already figured out that the Black Cloud Faction had some strange pills.
After all, the ones with some sanity left saw their leader die and confessed everything to me.
Of course, the information came from mere grunts, so it wasn't very credible, but I was able to learn that taking the pill allowed them to assume the form of a beast.
But I'd never heard they could transform into this.
This was no ordinary beast.
The combination of blue and red fur was incredibly jarring.
Just looking at it made me feel overwhelmed.
My instincts recoiled from it.
It wasn't human, yet it tried to imitate one.
It wasn't a beast, yet it looked like one.
Craaaackle!
Two ice dragons flew toward the monster.
“Hui! We have to run!”
Run?
There are two of us at the Transformation Realm, and she wants us to run?
“Gekek.”
Good things happen when I listen to Seol-hwa, so I’d better do as she says.
I quickly let Seol-hwa onto my back and moved.
CRRRRAAASH!
At the same moment, the ice dragons flew in and created a massive wall of ice.
It must have been to buy us time to escape.
“…Thank you for listening to me. That thing isn't the kind of opponent you can just charge at recklessly.”
Hummm.
Seol-hwa controlled her cold and yin energy, leaning lightly against me.
Does she know something about that creature?
“Hui, don't be alarmed, but that thing just now is…”
That thing is?
“It's a 'Suspiciously Suspicious Thing'.”
Well, I could tell that much.
It looks suspicious at a glance.
“Don't make that face! I'm telling you, it's a Suspiciously Suspicious Thing! Of course, he's probably just mimicking its form for a moment… but that thing is an ancient being.”
An ancient being?
“It's a spirit beast said to have appeared when the Heavenly Demon was active. No, I suppose I should call it a ferocious beast now.”
Is 'Suspiciously Suspicious Thing' its name?
Gomodo was once called 'Old Death with a Tail', so I guess it's something similar.
Come to think of it, their active periods overlap.
Is it really a creature worthy of being called an ancient being?
In terms of seniority, wouldn't that put it on the same level as the previous Gomodo or Jin-ryong?
Considering Seol-hwa recognized it on sight, it must be a being that hasn't been forgotten despite the long passage of time.
It must be incredibly strong.
Fwoosh!
I picked up the pace.
It seemed best to put some distance between us and think of a way to take it down.
“To summon such a being with just a few pills… The Black Cloud Faction is not an organization to be underestimated. The power I feel from their leader now far surpasses the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.”
Far surpasses the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.
Since Seol-hwa's own level is estimated to be the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, that means he's stronger than her.
“I think we need to hold out and stall for as long as possible. If his power was amplified so much in such a short time, the consequences are obvious.”
There's no need to go out of our way to fight such a dangerous opponent.
Since his power was forcibly amplified, he'll self-destruct once time runs out.
If Taotie were here, she would have charged in, saying this was great, but thankfully, she's absent.
…But what in the world is she doing?
It's about time for her to show up.
CRRRRAAAAASH!
I could hear the sound of it relentlessly striking the ice wall.
“…It doesn't look like it'll hold for long. Even if we retreat, he'll be able to catch up to us immediately in his current state.”
He can keep up with my current speed?
One of my strengths is my overwhelming speed, which belies my size.
Especially when I use the Soaring Little Dragon Steps, my speed becomes unparalleled.
It's hard to believe he could catch me, but it can't hurt to be cautious.
“Because that's what a Suspiciously Suspicious Thing is. It can literally do anything.”
What on earth is this 'Suspiciously Suspicious Thing' for her to speak of it like this?
“It's frustrating, but… its ability is worthy of the word 'omnipotent' to some extent. According to the books I've read, it's said to be able to control anything. Of course, it requires a price, and the Black Cloud Faction's leader has only briefly touched upon the power of the Suspiciously Suspicious Thing, so his abilities must be extremely limited.”
Seol-hwa's expression darkened.
Crack…
I heard the sound of the ice wall breaking.
I could hear it even though we've covered a considerable distance.
The reason was simple.
Seol-hwa kept creating walls behind us as we fled.
Which meant there was an ice wall right behind me.
Shatter!
Even that one was mercilessly destroyed.
“Kekeke… Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. And you, nameless lizard. I resented you so much before, but now, I couldn't be more grateful.”
His power was unbelievable.
How could he break through a wall that thick and reach us in an instant?
“…Nothing is impossible for a Suspiciously Suspicious Thing. 'If there's anything I lack, is it not internal energy?' That's what it would say as it rampaged madly on the battlefield.”
Nothing is impossible?
Where could such a broken ability exist?
No, even if that's true, the opponent before me isn't the Suspiciously Suspicious Thing itself.
He's just a human borrowing its power.
If I join forces with Seol-hwa, we should be able to defeat him.
“Don't think about defeating him. Focus on buying time, no matter what.”
…Right, let's stall for as long as possible.
With Seol-hwa's ice arts and my power of wood, we should be able to buy enough time.
Craaaackle!
Whoooooosh!
The power of the storm was added to Seol-hwa's ice arts.
An ice storm, filled with frigid energy, formed and swept over the approaching Black Cloud Faction leader.
K-g-g-g-g-g-gak!
“Hmm, indeed… the Ice-White Divine Art is annoying.”
But he was unharmed.
It wasn't enough to freeze the creature with blue and red fur.
Even so, he couldn't break through the ice storm either.
He was simply frozen and pushed back, over and over again.
At this rate, we'll be able to stall for plenty of time, just as Seol-hwa said.
“First… let's deal with the most troublesome one.”
Fsh!
The Black Cloud Faction leader stared at Seol-hwa with his suspicious pupils.
“Kyaaaaak!”
At that moment, Seol-hwa let out a shrill scream, and her ice arts came to a halt.
What in the world just happened?
She was on my back, so there's no way she could have been hit by another attack.
“Kekekeke… You don't seem to understand.”
I had to check on Seol-hwa's condition, so I had no choice but to withdraw the power of the storm.
Her body was as cold as ice.
She was still breathing, but her face was twisted in agony.
He just looked at her. Why is she in this state?
“Our eyes met, so she must have fallen prey to a Heart Demon.”
A Heart Demon?
…Is this power really close to omnipotence?
How could he subdue the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in a single moment?
“Now that you've withdrawn the storm, I'd like to use this power to my heart's content, but unfortunately, I don't have much time…”
Fsh!
I could feel him focusing power into his eyes.
He must be planning to use the same technique that took down Seol-hwa.
I don't know what it is, but I should be able to counter it by closing my eyes.
Hummm.
“Keoheok!”
Even with my eyes closed, the pain came through just the same.
Something indescribable entered my mind directly.
The shock was so great that my legs buckled, and I felt like I would drop to one knee.
So this was the secret to his ability.
No wonder Seol-hwa lost consciousness.
Showing something like this to her when she was already exhausted from using her ice arts continuously would have inevitably caused internal injuries.
The mental image is too horrific.
A being with blue fur runs freely through the fields, and a being with red fur swims freely in the sea.
There is fur on the mountains and fur in the valleys.
Red fur, blue fur, yellow fur, black fur, white fur.
Furs of all colors fluttered everywhere.
There was no place in this world without fur.
Suspicious creatures gathered, did suspicious things, and continued to send fur flying.
“Guuuh…”
“Khahak! I like that reaction! Yes, no matter the being, this is what happens when they meet my gaze!”
I heard the sound of footsteps.
“I thank you once again. Thanks to you, I have come to know this overwhelming power!”
It was the sound of him slowly approaching me.
“If I offer you to Jin-ryong, this overwhelming power will become entirely mine.”
Does that mean he won't kill me?
Now that I'm in this state, there's probably no need to.
Since I can't escape this condition unless he allows it, I'm completely subdued.
“These black scales… They are truly worthy of being called a dragon's scales. Yes, he'll need your inner core anyway, so it shouldn't matter if I take a few scales for myself…”
The moment his hand was about to touch my body.
CRUUUUNCH!
I snatched his head.
“Gyaaaaaaaak!”
C-c-craaack!
His skull shattered, and hot blood streamed down.
“H-how…!”
The Black Cloud Faction leader asked, even as he screamed.
His ability was certainly formidable.
After all, it continuously showed an image so horrific that even a master like Seol-hwa lost consciousness in an instant.
“Gggk… How can you move… Gyaaaaak!”
Anyone would have fallen prey to a Heart Demon.
Except for me, of course.
Because I live with someone far more ferocious than what you just showed me.
— Khahahahat! Calling such a motley creature an ancient being. It's been a while since I had a good laugh.
“W-wait! Gyaaaak! What are you showing me… Gggk… S-scales? Gyaaaaaak! The scales… scales! Scaaaaales!”
If you wanted to take me down, you should have at least brought a Spino in a maid outfit.