Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: My Guardian Deity (6)
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There was no spacing to gauge each other, no probing the opponent, no waiting for an opening.
Yoo Ji-tae charged in and swung Conviction of the Ancient Soldier.
The Sword Ghost blocked it. Massive sparks flew. They locked blades, and Yoo Ji-tae found himself face-to-face with that filthy mug up close.
The Sword Ghost shoved the sword back with monstrous strength befitting an S+ mid-boss. Even as a regressor living his fourth life, he was pushed back helplessly.
The Sword Ghost pressed the attack without mercy. Its blade, half-mixed with darkness, made it impossible to predict its length or reach. He'd think he'd blocked it, only for the sword to slide out from the shadows like claws and rake his nape. Even with his reinforced body, blood sprayed.
Yoo Ji-tae parried the blade and slashed at its head. In response, the Sword Ghost's lower body turned to shadow, creating distance. Conviction of the Ancient Soldier cleaved empty air. Eerily mystical movement—utterly unpredictable trajectory. When the Sword Ghost leaped into the air, his eyes lagged half a beat behind.
The Sword Ghost spun once midair and brought its sword down. Its sword path was anything but ordinary.
He could block it if he wanted. Should he?
He could dodge if he wanted. Should he?
Or...
The moment judgment hit, he crossed his swords and thrust forward. Unable to fully deflect, the Sword Ghost's blade grazed his shoulder. He heard the muscles in his left shoulder snap and tear.
But the attack landed efficiently. Conviction of the Ancient Soldier pierced the Sword Ghost's eye.
The problem was that. The eye was already a black void, so no damage there. The sword caught on its skull. Its head wasn't a weak point.
As he tried to pull his sword free, the Sword Ghost unleashed another mystical sword technique, denying him space.
Then, as if on cue, the nearby forest stirred and slashed at him. Like a wave of blades. Hundreds of edges raked his body. Burning pain erupted everywhere. Sensation vanished from his left arm.
His mana flow stuttered slightly.
Mana surged from his heart, racing up his torso, through his torn shoulder, arm, wrist, to the sword tip.
Giant Soldier's Sword (AA) — Seventh Form
Assault Breaker
Yoo Ji-tae slammed his sword into the ground. A massive explosion erupted, razor-sharp mana blasting outward and shredding every blade. Nearby metal trees shattered wholesale, hurled dozens of meters.
The Sword Ghost hurriedly backed off.
"..."
Bleeding from every inch, Yoo Ji-tae bit his lip. His breaths came ragged.
Superhumans at a certain level could roughly gauge their opponent's power.
Yoo Ji-tae thought. The Sword Ghost was weaker than him. But its swordsmanship was profoundly deep, and the terrain favored it heavily against him.
He thought.
Slowly demolish the trees to nullify the terrain advantage.
Operate the fight with more leeway to analyze weaknesses and patterns.
If he wanted, pour everything out and kill it in one go.
But he didn't.
No time to smash trees or play it safe. Too far to go to dump all his power here in one burst.
So he had to kill the Sword Ghost with minimal power in minimal time.
'Easier said than done.'
Yoo Ji-tae took deeper breaths.
Time and power—chasing both rabbits was greed. And greed like that always backfired.
Shorten time, conserve power, and expect to baby his body too? Pure greed. The regressor knew it.
Just don't die.
He carefully selected the perfect authority for this.
An authority gained killing the Heart Cave dungeon boss at the start of his fourth regression.
In his third life, it had been the power of Oscar Blanc, world rank 1.
Blue blood began flowing from his heart.
Sensations sharpened across his body.
His vision pierced farther, deeper; the faint became clear.
His nose caught the rotting corpse stench of the Sword Forest, thick blood, mold in the moss.
And strange new senses flooded his brain. Intuition.
This would let him distinguish true mortal threats from ones he could tank.
"..."
Just don't die. Yoo Ji-tae's body lowered.
Exactly one minute later.
After fifty-odd clashes.
Conviction of the Ancient Soldier ripped out the Sword Ghost's heart.
"―――."
The fallen thing muttered something, so he stomped its face into mush.
It was over.
But not a clean win.
By the time he exited the Sword Forest, Yoo Ji-tae was a pincushion, swords embedded everywhere.
Emerging from the shadow-infested woods, a brighter forest greeted him.
He forced his hand out, yanking blades one by one. His body burned like fire, skin screaming at the touch.
It hurt.
For the first time in ages, he genuinely thought, it hurts.
Joints and muscles creaked. Post-fight, even days of rest wouldn't cut it. His body was wrecked.
Removing clogs from his veins unleashed blood like a dam burst.
He pulled an elixir from his subspace, slathering and gulping it roughly. His vast mana stores limited recovery. It just aided blood regen.
"..."
Vision halved.
Yoo Ji-tae rubbed his eyes. Blood-soaked body, but stickier around the eyes. Eyeball torn, vitreous fluid leaking.
He checked his body again.
Fortunately, no fatal wounds. Thanks to intuition-guided blocks.
So the Gold Dragon's distance hadn't grown much.
He moved out again.
Sometime in the past, Yoo Ji-tae had been human.
Utterly ordinary human.
Talent a notch below average, even.
From childhood, he wanted strength.
And after his second regression, puppeted into killing his lover with his own hands, desperation surged.
His third regression was pure survival for strength. Nearly all time buried in dungeons, 20+ years betting life on combat.
He'd been so ordinary.
Third regression stripped so much.
By fourth, Yoo Ji-tae strayed far from normal.
For instance, he was half-mad.
What the Gold Dragon thought or felt? He didn't care. As long as he didn't die somehow, right? His mind stopped there.
So when the Gold Dragon vanished, kidnapped beyond expectations so futilely.
He felt the same as third regression's start.
Despite desperate strengthening, still weak.
To avert apocalypse, he needed more power. That's what he thought then.
He pushed three days nonstop.
Met monsters.
Fought, killed, broke through.
Running, the regressor thought nothing of the Gold Dragon. Just self-recrimination.
What a trash third regression.
BM, Myeong Yong-ha, Dragon Clan head Yong Jeong-guk—talented ones were that strong or more in even one regression.
He fought fiercely. Vomited blood. Flayed flesh. Shattered bones. Craving strength.
Trapped in monster maws, body crushed by teeth, slathered in saliva—he tore out tongues fighting.
Sword snapped, then wrist—he bit throats with teeth to kill.
Legs broken, lower body numb—one arm gripping horns, gouging eyes.
Yet still weak. Thinking it, something squirmed in his chest like a black monster head. Choking bile.
On reflection, self-loathing.
An emotion absent over ten years into fourth regression. His head spun.
Then comms came.
―Chief, here... ... Movement restricted... ......
China-relative, he'd crossed 80% land in four days.
Boss nest closer now.
Further, comms fragmented more.
―...... Please... Danger...
He shut off the radio.
Frontlines from here.
Gold Dragon's trace nearby. Static there since yesterday.
But at frontlines, soldiers blocked him.
"Halt!"
One man. Two women. Badges: golden bull, grotesque horns as weapons.
Vanguard ST.
WOO's international superhuman alliance vanguard assault team.
Clearing paths to dungeon hearts at front. All members world top 4,000 rankers.
"Heard from HQ. Legion Commander especially said to look after you. We get you're an amazing superhuman."
"..."
"But dangers lurk ahead unknown. From now, follow our orders carefully. Don't know your goal, but no more solo action permitted."
Yoo Ji-tae pondered.
Assault team's 'standard range' 150km.
But vanguard camp east 220km from here.
So likely a 'scout unit' among assault teams.
Comms have strict limits. Even Myeong Yong-ha's gear didn't reach here.
'Standard range' matched comms reach.
"...Yes."
Kill them here?
"Then return to our camp first."
No one knows.
"Follow us."
Regressor hated wasting time.
"...!"
He swung. Man's head rolled. The two women counterattacked at blinding speed.
One woman's sword pierced between his ribs. Force exploded trees behind him. But he lived. Close to heart, barely missed.
He beheaded her. The other reflexively loosed arrows. Over a dozen pierced joints and muscles. Explosions rocked him rigid.
But not enough to stop. Shaking off stiffness instantly, he closed in, snatched her bow, slammed her down. Neck snapped, she screamed.
Superhumans don't die from broken necks. With trembling arms, he crushed her throat.
"Guh... Kkh..."
She gripped his wrist, straining. Nails dug, tearing his; hers shattered.
Terror-filled eyes met his.
He felt nothing special.
Just that head-spinning eased a bit.
At least this judgment was efficient.
Proved as her body stilled. Silence fell.
Time short, but.
Life efficient enough, right?
Only then did the regressor rise, consoling himself.
Burned the corpses.
Finally, Yoo Ji-tae found Baby Yellow in a cave at some mountain range's end.
Bloody man staggered silently, wary of demonkin ambushes. He crept deeper.
Oddly, no demonkin presence...
...at all.
"..."
Instead, a massive beast awaited.
Body sheathed in golden scales. Sinewy, robust fore and hind legs. Wings vast enough to blanket buildings.
Gaze exuding innate majesty. Even Yoo Ji-tae felt overwhelmed by its presence.
The Gold Dragon was there.
Yoo Ji-tae opened his mouth on a sigh.
"You're in for a spanking."