Chapter 278: Floating in Mid-air!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 278: Floating in Mid-air!
No one had anticipated Honhwi’s strength.
Not a single spirit beast present.
Not even Gomodo, who had brought him here.
He had believed the Little Dragon could at least pull his own weight helping Chodo and Taotie, but his power far exceeded that expectation.
Bixi stared at the colossal dragon before him.
What he had thought was the ground was the beast's foot, and what he had thought was the sun was its eye.
Its physique was truly overwhelming, its size alone rivaling that of Jin-ryong.
Unleashing everything he had held back even when briefly facing Gaechalgoatal, his already massive body grew even larger.
The current Little Dragon was now on a scale that could be compared to a mountain.
CRRRRRAAAAAASSSSH!
Every single one of his blows had the power to reshape the geography of this place.
A mere swing of his arm could generate enough force to instantly kill most spirit beasts.
Bixi felt that the being before him was simply unfair.
With that strength and size, it was a power that could certainly reach him.
All living creatures have their limits.
Even becoming a spirit beast only raises the ceiling of those limits; it doesn't grant infinite strength.
This was especially true for size and weight.
The larger a creature becomes, the more strain it inevitably puts on its own body.
A body of that size was a truly deformed state, one where taking a single step could mean teetering on the brink of life and death.
But the Little Dragon was a being that could be called a dragon.
And a dragon is one who transcends the limits of living creatures.
However, Bixi too was a being who could be called a dragon.
There was no way he would just stand there and take the hits.
Yet, he couldn't mount any real counterattack.
That was why he found the Little Dragon’s power so unfair.
Bixi belonged to the Earth element among the Five Elements.
Since the source of his power was the earth, he had to have his feet on the ground to unleash his full strength.
But the Little Dragon was desperately preventing that.
Whenever he thought he had finally touched the ground, it invariably turned out to be the Little Dragon's body.
Unable to exert his true power, Bixi was left completely exposed to the follow-up attacks.
SWOOOOOSH!
One attack, in particular, tormented him relentlessly.
THWACK!
A tail, whipping upwards from below.
It was an attack that eliminated any possibility of him touching the ground, launching him into the air.
Once he was thrown skyward, attacks would fly in from all directions as if on cue.
Fwoooosh.
A fist, imbued with Taotie's black flames.
CRACKLE!
Chodo's giant trees that absorbed true qi.
Awooooooo!
A blast of cold energy, fired from a distance under the command of a white wolf.
Thwip!
And a constant barrage of spiderwebs as strong as steel, mixed with irritatingly effective poisons.
Among them, there was one attack that grated on his nerves the most.
“One huuusband… one wiiiife!”
“Many wiiives!”
“Many, many, many wiiives!”
It was the combined assault of the Unicorn and the Bicorns.
Normally, they were spirit beasts that wouldn't even be a match for him.
After all, they were creatures inevitably bound to the earth.
They had no way of attacking a target in the air.
But that was only when considering the Unicorn and Bicorn separately.
Who could have possibly imagined that the Unicorn and Bicorn would join forces?
Moreover, who could have pictured the Bicorns, spouting some incomprehensible nonsense, leaping into the air like shadows?
“Hehe…”
And who could have imagined the Unicorn clinging to them, seeking an opportunity with their blue horns?
“One husband, one wiiiife!”
“Many wiiives!”
SWISH!
No matter how he moved his body to try and counterattack, his blows couldn't reach the Bicorns.
It was the Bicorns's footwork, the principles of which no one could understand.
Their movements, appearing and disappearing like shadows.
They had the disadvantage of being unable to attack in that state, so their combat prowess had never been a topic of discussion. But with the Unicorn in hand, it was a different story.
“I… Ilbung!”
“Hehehe…”
The Bicorns would sometimes touch the Unicorn with their suspicious hands, but the Unicorn, already accustomed to their touch, immediately focused on the battle.
Bixi, taking a beating without being able to land a single proper counterattack, came to a conclusion.
He had to deal with the Little Dragon first, not the others, to end this situation.
But that wasn't easy either.
Even without being able to use the power of the Five Elements, Bixi still possessed strength beyond that of any ordinary spirit beast.
However, the Little Dragon before him was no ordinary spirit beast.
He was, quite literally, an unfair existence.
For such a massive creature to move so freely, it had to have a weakness.
Being so large, its speed should naturally be sluggish.
But the Little Dragon's speed was dozens of times faster than Bixi had anticipated.
SWOOOOOSH!
CRRRRASH!
Once again, Bixi was launched into the air.
He immediately threw a punch to counter.
BOOOOOM!
But his fist never reached the Little Dragon.
In that brief moment, the Little Dragon had gotten behind him.
An absurdly massive body.
And on top of that, overwhelming speed.
The larger the body, the greater the surface area exposed to an opponent's attacks.
But the Little Dragon's speed more than compensated for that weakness.
It was, quite literally, a power that defied logic.
Bixi simply could not comprehend that speed.
How could even a dragon move like that?
The answer was simple.
The footwork the lizard had mastered while treading on water, Soryongdeungcheonbo.
Its origin was not the steps of a small dragon.
The 'So' in Soryong meant 'to defy logic'.
Therefore, his footwork naturally possessed a logic-defying power.
F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-t!
It was what made it possible for a dragon the size of a mountain to move with the speed of thunder.
CLAAAAAANG!
Once again thrown into the air, he was met with a colorful assortment of attacks.
Chodo's plants wrapped around his body, and at the same time, Taotie's black flames erupted.
CRACKLE!
As his body grew as hot as a fireball, Baek Rang's cold energy cooled it down.
Thwip!
Exploiting the opening, spiderwebs as strong as steel bound his body.
“Kgh…”
Bixi, who had been silent until now, finally let out a pained groan.
He decided there was no other way.
The Little Dragon before him had no weaknesses.
And unless he dealt with him, he couldn't shake off the others pestering him.
His defense was still solid.
Although he was continuously taking hits, very few of them could be called effective.
But if this situation continued, that would change.
Aside from the three in the lead, the others shouldn't have been able to harm him, but the damage was steadily accumulating, like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle.
It was because they all possessed the power of Wood among the Five Elements.
Moreover, as they continuously bombarded him with the powers of different elements, cracks began to form in Bixi's tough defense.
“Hsss…”
If it weren't for the Little Dragon, he should have defeated them all by now, but the result was the complete opposite.
Bixi decided to acknowledge their strength.
Krrrrrrrrrrk.
“Everyone, scatter!”
Baek Rang, noticing the change in him, shouted.
KWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A massive shockwave erupted in mid-air.
It was powerful enough to push back even the colossal Little Dragon for a moment.
“…Damn.”
Chodo’s expression soured.
“I didn’t expect to be pushed this far here.”
In the midst of the shockwave, Bixi’s feet had touched the ground.
The form of a dragon with the shell of a tortoise.
Without a thought for the consequences, Bixi had unleashed his true form.
*
CRRRRRAAAAAASSSSH!
After a long fall, I arrived at a new battlefield.
If the place where Bixi and the believers were fighting was the mountaintop, this was the mountain's entrance.
In other words, it was the perfect environment for a one-on-one fight.
CLAAAAANG!
“To think you’d choose me. What an honor.”
I had slammed him straight into the ground, but Qiongqi just grinned.
It couldn't have been completely painless.
Even in his human form, a trickle of blood ran from his forehead.
But his expression was relaxed.
The face of someone who had no doubt he would win.
Vmmm.
The fox marble trembled.
I didn't know if it was Gongbok or Guseuli, but it meant they too could feel Qiongqi's strength.
“Just because you hold a Dragon Pearl doesn’t mean you can become a dragon.”
Qiongqi slowly backed away.
“Shall we talk for a moment?”
Talk?
Was he trying to buy me time?
“You’ve piqued my interest. You have a member of the Four Fiends under your command, even if he is the youngest.”
Taotie and Qiongqi belonged to the group known as the Four Fiends.
Though now that Taotie had joined the Gaegaek Cult, I suppose they should be called the Three Fiends.
“He is a fellow who knows the power of Jin-ryong and the power of Bixi. And, of course, he knows my power as well. Yet, even after seeing me and Bixi, that fellow sided with you. What do you think that means?”
Qiongqi took a deep breath, as if excited.
“It means he saw something special in you. It means you possess something that made him turn against me!”
His red eyes flashed.
“What could it be? What did he see that made him side with you? What could he have possibly seen to make him think he could surpass Bixi, surpass me, and stand against Jin-ryong?”
It seemed holding Qiongqi here myself was the right answer.
A sinister killing intent so strong it made my body tingle.
If the believers had faced Qiongqi, their losses would have been immense, even if they had won.
“Old Death with a Tail.”
Qiongqi said, staring intently at me.
Had he figured out my identity?
“…But you’re too small for that. In power, and in size.”
Just how much of a monster was the previous Gomodo for everyone who knew him to say the same thing?
“It matters not. Seeing as Taotie joined you, she must have thought you were a being of comparable stature.”
Krrrrrrrrk.
An immense killing intent pressed down on my body.
“To my eyes, you still look like an ordinary lizard, but I trust you will entertain me.”
His constant mention of Taotie suggested Qiongqi was of a similar breed.
The fact that he could have attacked me while we were falling but didn't meant he wanted a life-and-death battle with me at my best.
He was talking because he could afford to be leisurely.
“I will grant you the first move.”
Was there any way I could beat him?
No, I wouldn't know until I tried.
Now, while he was letting his guard down.
I lifted my foot high and immediately stomped down.
BOOOOOM!
The form of a dragon, cutting through the ground as if swimming through the earth.
It was the Ancient Dragon Leg Art, Descending Dragon Tremor.
R-R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!
“Ho, this is Bixi’s…!”
Of course, this alone wouldn't be enough to harm him.
Vwooom.
The fox marble resonated with my power.
A storm in my right hand.
R-R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!
Crackle.
And thunder in my left.
CRACK-BOOOOOOM!
Descending Dragon Tremor, and Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle.
Shake the earth to seal his movements, then attack him from both sides with the profundity of the storm eagle and the thunder serpent.
Even someone like Qiongqi wouldn't be able to dodge all of these attacks.
“Khahat! What luxury is this! To receive three gifts at once!”
And knowing his personality, it was unlikely he would even try to dodge.
“A fine gift to start things off! Come, I shall accept it all!”
Qiongqi also took a stance.
He planted both feet into the earth to keep himself steady.
Then he began to parry every single one of my dozens, hundreds of thrusts.
Kakakakak!
It was a bizarre attack.
It wasn't physically possible.
Qiongqi was in his human form.
So how could he block all of my attacks?
Something felt strange.
The more my fists and palms clashed with his, the more it felt like my power was slipping away somewhere.
If I had to use an analogy… it was like a swamp.
“Hah, you have good instincts. Your power is Wood. My power is Metal! Your abilities and mine are in a complete relationship of mutual destruction!”
This swamp-like energy must also be a manifestation of Metal.
Kakakakak!
“Now, what will you do? All three of your attacks have been blocked by me!”
Three?
Who said there were three?
Hssssssss.
“…Don’t tell me!”
Qiongqi’s eyes widened.
Even for you, getting hit by this at this range is going to hurt a little.
The power of storm and thunder, sufficiently gathered.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
I unleashed it all toward a single point.
CRACK-BOOM!
Qiongqi was sent flying helplessly.
But it wasn't over.
I had only landed one effective hit; I had to keep up the assault.
“Heheh, hahaha!”
Qiongqi suddenly burst out laughing.
Did he get hit in the head?
“Excellent, truly excellent! The attacks from your left and right hands were merely a distraction. No, they were to scatter the energy of the Five Elements all around, weren't they!”
Even after taking a direct hit, he walked toward me, step by step, as if he wasn't displeased at all.
“I must retract my statement about you being a lizard.”
Was being called a lizard an insult?
I just took it as a fact, so I hadn't given it much thought.
“Come at me again, young dragon.”
Qiongqi took his stance once more.
The fact that he was still maintaining his human form was good news for me.
And so was the fact that he was waiting for my next attack.
If that's what he wants, I'll gladly oblige.
I assumed the same stance as before.
I drew upon the power of my Dantian to its fullest and lifted my foot high.
“The Ancient Dragon Leg Art again! With something so meager, you can’t possibly buy enough time…”
Who said I was using the Ancient Dragon Leg Art again?
[You are using 「Reverse Scale LV10」.]
And who said I was satisfied with just buying time?
The person I was thinking of was the strongest of them all.
[You have temporarily acquired 「Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps」.]
I plan to take down Qiongqi right here and now.