Chapter 279: Destroyer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 279: Destroyer
“Could it be… this is…!”
[Proficiency with 「Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps」 is insufficient.]
Right, there was no way I could succeed on the first try.
This was a martial art left behind by the Heavenly Demon, one that only my master could use.
So, remember.
The sight I saw back then with my blurry vision.
The image of my master, captured in my eyes just before I collapsed.
And the techniques my master taught me.
Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps is a technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
So, even though I’m my master’s disciple, I’m not officially a member of the cult.
That meant my master couldn’t formally pass the technique down to me.
But my master taught me the technique time and time again.
Where to place my feet when throwing a punch.
Where to position my tail when using sword aura or sword flux.
Where to place my hips when biting an enemy.
Every movement I learned from my master connected into one.
Everything my master was, was poured into the simple motion of lifting a foot and stomping the ground.
Kuuung.
One step.
The force was far weaker than the Ancient Dragon Leg Art.
The bewildered expression on Qiongqi’s face hardened.
Because my attack failed?
No.
Because it landed perfectly.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
The Heavenly Demon is the demon who stands above the heavens.
Therefore, his steps are meant to shatter the sky.
I had only stomped my foot lightly, yet the heavens crumbled and the earth danced.
It felt as if the green earth was speaking to me.
As if lamenting why I had taken so long to arrive.
And yet, as if saying it had missed me.
Kuguguguk.
“How do you know this technique….”
An overwhelming mass pressed down on Qiongqi’s body.
“A shame about your proficiency. If you’d had a little more time… I could have truly enjoyed this!”
It was definitely a technique I lacked proficiency in.
Replicating my master’s power perfectly was beyond me.
But that was fine.
I never intended to defeat him with this technique.
Qiongqi’s body began to change.
The moment he saw the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps, he must have decided it was impossible to face me in his human form.
Of course, he would.
According to Chodo, Qiongqi was an ancient being who roamed the battlefields when the previous Gomodo and the Heavenly Demon were active.
It was a faint but unmistakable technique of the Heavenly Demon, so he had no choice but to be wary.
Dududuk.
Chwaaaak!
As Qiongqi’s body grew, two massive, crimson wings unfurled.
High-tier spirit beasts can switch between their human and true forms.
There are advantages to being human and advantages to being a spirit beast, so they change depending on the situation.
But they can’t just switch without any restrictions.
It would be advantageous to be in a small, fast human form for evasion, and to return to a large, powerful true form for attacking.
But no one ever did that.
The reason is that an opening is created when they transform.
To cover that opening, they might use a shockwave to break their opponent’s stance or something like mist to obscure their vision.
But what was the situation now?
Qiongqi, who had elevated me from a lizard to a young dragon.
After taking my Ancient Dragon Leg Art, Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle, and Gaegaek Death Beam, he must have thought he could handle it.
Perhaps because he was one of the Four Fiends, he had a side similar to Taotie and seemed to enjoy fighting.
That’s why he’d told me to try attacking him this time, too.
And in that situation, the move I chose was the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps.
A technique Qiongqi could never have predicted.
And yet, a technique that was surely in the depths of his memory.
It was fine even if the power wasn’t what he expected.
The purpose of using the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps was to bait Qiongqi into hastily returning to his true form.
Qiongqi’s red eyes looked at my right arm.
[Status: Miniaturization] is deactivated.
Udeudeudeuk.
[Due to the effect of 「Miniaturization LV10」, 「Status: Gigantification」 is applied.]
The claws, imbued with the power of the storm, accelerated madly.
Five fingers pierced the enemy’s head.
The claw that had evolved from the Nine Yin White Bone Claw to the Gaegaek White Bone Claw, and from the Gaegaek White Bone Claw to the Gaegaek Divine Claw.
Puhwaaaak!
It struck him in his defenseless state.
“Kuaaaargh!”
Qiongqi let out a pained scream.
…It wasn’t good.
In that instant, he twisted his body, causing me to hit a different spot instead of his neck.
The place where my claws were embedded was none other than his wing.
This attack was the strongest I could muster, aimed at the only opening he had, but I had failed to kill him in one blow.
The situation was bad, but I still couldn’t give up.
Since my claws were in, I had to take what I could.
Dudududuk!
“Knghhh…! Such… cheap tricks…!”
Jjeoooooong!
A sonic boom that transcended the limits of sound erupted from Qiongqi’s mouth.
It was on a different level from what the Iron Head Dragon had shown, but it was a technique from the same root.
It was the Lion’s Roar.
Pababak!
Even I couldn’t withstand that sound attack head-on, so I had no choice but to retreat.
Mumble. Ptooey.
I spat out a mouthful of feathers.
“Kkeuk…. Hoo….”
The massive tiger clutched its shoulder.
I’d torn off one of his wings, so he must have lost his mobility.
“…I won’t say I was careless. To think you’d use the Heavenly Demon’s technique as bait. I’ve lived for a long time, but I’ve never seen a bastard like you.”
A giant tiger standing on all fours.
My right arm trembled.
I had attacked when his body was at its weakest, but it had still put a strain on my arm.
“Excellent. You’re the first one to ever sever my wing.”
His wing was torn off. But his spirit didn’t diminish in the slightest.
“But… that’s all you have, isn’t it? Do you really think you can reach me now?”
I probably couldn’t.
The moment I failed to aim for his neck, my defeat was all but certain.
Sssseup. Jjeooooong!
I launched a desperate long-range attack, but he didn’t even bother to dodge.
My attacks couldn’t damage Qiongqi now that he had returned to his true form.
He was already a strong opponent, and now I was at a disadvantage in terms of compatibility.
“Are you still planning to burn with fighting spirit?”
Qiongqi walked out of the smoke unscathed.
I tensed my hind legs, preparing to react to his next move.
What I saw was a brief flash.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
I barely managed to dodge the attack, but he caught up to me instantly.
A massive forepaw swung toward my head.
“Please, don’t die right away.”
Those were the last words I heard while I was still conscious.
*
“Keuheuk…. Cough.”
I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
My head was spinning.
I fought with all my might, but it wasn’t enough.
So this is what a master of the Profound Realm is like.
He possessed the power to literally shatter a mountain in a single blow.
His speed was such that not even lightning could catch him.
When he was in his human form, I thought I had a chance, but now that hope was gone.
He was at a level I could never reach right now.
“Your body is certainly tough.”
Qiongqi said with a smile, his wing severed.
“Things have come to this… and you still haven’t used the power stored in that tail of yours.”
If he had wanted to kill me, I would have died several times over by now.
He was toying with me, trying to draw out everything I had.
“Hoo…eup….”
I caught my breath.
The situation was desperate, but I couldn’t give up.
I had failed to kill him, but I had succeeded in piquing his interest.
Since he wanted to play with me, he would drag the fight out as long as possible.
I just had to hold on somehow until my followers arrived.
That’s what I thought.
Kuuung.
Before Bixi joined the fray.
“What are you?”
Qiongqi looked at Bixi, who was in his true form.
Did Bixi’s arrival mean my followers had been defeated by him?
“There was an unexpected variable. Someone stronger than Taotie and Chodo was among them.”
“And?”
“…I decided it would be better to deal with the lizard here and then strike them down with you.”
…Damn.
That old man must be seriously strong, for Bixi to retreat even for a moment.
“Pfft, khahah! Even if you were at a disadvantage, you gave up after revealing your true form?”
“I simply thought this was the faster way. If I show up with this battered lizard, they won’t dare to attack anymore.”
“Tsk, I knew it. You pretend not to, but you’re still thinking about your bloodline.”
Still, there was some reassuring news.
Just as I expected, Bixi was reluctant to kill my followers.
I don’t know if it’s because he’s a benevolent spirit beast, or if he plans to keep them all alive to offer to the True Dragon.
“But… if there was someone that strong, how did you escape alone?”
“I used my power. I created a formation that cannot be broken unless I die.”
“He must have been quite the opponent, for you to use your shell!”
His shell.
Bixi’s current body clearly had a shell.
It was probably some kind of metaphor.
A unique ability of Bixi’s that I didn’t know about.
Perhaps a power akin to a barrier.
“And you… you seem to have had a harder time than expected.”
Bixi pointed at Qiongqi’s severed wing.
“It’s a medal of honor. It was an attack that exploited an opening, but it was the best I’ve taken in a long time. Much better than you, who only ever runs away.”
They were talking amongst themselves right in front of me.
It made sense. Right now, I was no different from a corpse.
Every bone in my body was broken, and I could barely see.
If there was a positive side, it was that I hadn’t lost any limbs.
I’m pathetic.
To be pushed this far and still refuse to unleash the power compressed in my tail.
“It’s almost over. Now we just have to take this lizard.”
“Hmph. I’ll deliver the finishing blow. And I’ll make you pay dearly for interrupting my fun.”
“…He has permitted an attack on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, so I will leave that matter to you.”
“Khh, now that sounds tempting.”
Someone once told me… that this time, I wouldn’t be able to save everyone. That I would definitely have to cut something away.
They were right.
I can’t beat these guys as I am now.
I tried to save everyone, but I’ll end up saving no one.
I didn’t want to lose.
I wanted to overcome this, no matter what.
…….
My eyes closed on their own, and the blue light faded.
I couldn’t see anything.
“…I lost.”
“Oh? Admitting defeat now?”
Qiongqi sneered as he slowly approached.
“But even so, nothing….”
Now is the time to cut away.
Not my tail, not the people I must abandon.
But myself.
I lost, so do whatever you want.
My mouth moved, making a sound.
It wasn’t my will, but the voice of the being that had defeated me.
“Yes, the contract is formed.”
*
Bixi’s massive body began to tremble like an aspen leaf.
He felt a primal fear wash over him.
No matter how much time passed, the memory of that time—one he could never forget—resurfaced.
It was the same for Qiongqi.
He felt a strangely familiar aura from the young dragon before him.
This acrid scent of blood.
And this ominous killing intent.
Yes, this was the smell of death.
Qiongqi and Bixi immediately backed away, holding their breath.
Where the blue light had faded, a red light now dwelled.
How could such power come from a single being?
An unbelievable hostility and malice.
A being that could only be defined as death itself.
“Y-You are….”
Qiongqi was silent, while Bixi barely managed to speak with a trembling voice.
His instincts told him who the being before him was, but he didn’t want to believe it.
The ancient being feared by all spirit beasts.
“I have been death since ancient times.”
The dragon of the earth scattered a red glint from its eyes.
“And I have been the destroyer of this world.”
The Old Death with a Tail had arrived.