Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: 10. The Protector (3)
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"......"
Yoo Ji-tae looked down at them.
The guardians rose one by one. The mana flickering unsteadily around them showed their unease. They must have always protected the nest with overwhelming power, descending upon the world at will. It was only natural for such beings to feel shaken after being crushed by force.
The reason their attitude had flipped to one of respect was inherent to living armors as denizens of the demon world.
The strong are revered.
Denizens of the demon world held awe for the mighty.
"Is this place... a world under your rule?"
It was a misunderstanding, but there seemed no need to correct it.
He gazed at the guardians without answering.
Judging from previous regressions, a change would come to them at this point.
And his prediction was spot on.
As death approached, the guardians' will to survive surged. It was the instinct of any being desperate to continue existing.
But something felt off.
Normally, even if the desire to survive arose, the enslavement magic would wash it away like a curse. The guardians had to eliminate the enemy and protect the dragons, even at the cost of their lives. That was the leash the dragons had placed on them.
Yet these guardians now felt a burning desire to live. Perhaps because the curse of enslavement had lifted during their long wandering through dimensions. In other words, they had gained freedom for the first time in centuries.
At that moment, a common thought struck several guardians.
We have to escape from here, somehow.
Yoo Ji-tae, reading their minds, spoke up.
"Now we can talk."
He approached the Green Dragon's guardian and shoved its upper body. Clang! The shattered plate armor tumbled across the floor.
Immediately after, an invisible blade pressed against its chest—where the living armor's core resided.
"Something must have gone wrong in the dimension. How did you survive?"
"......If we answer, will you spare our lives?"
"Still haven't grasped the situation?"
The blade dug into the armor. Krrrk... Metal grated against metal. Like soft wood being gouged, the plate armor began to splinter.
"......I'll tell you. The phenomenon is called a dimensional twist. Our lord attempted travel between nearby dimensions, but for some reason, the dimension warped, and we were flung outside the confirmed dimensional boundaries."
This much, Yoo Ji-tae already knew.
"Explain the dimensional twist."
He asked again what he knew, to compare with answers from other regressions.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but......"
The guardian paused briefly before continuing.
"Among the words our lord once spoke, there was mention of the 'Horizon of Providence.' He said it lies beyond the world's timeline. I recall him saying the dimensional twist was caused by some force originating from that horizon."
But this regression's explanation differed from the others.
Horizon of Providence? Yoo Ji-tae had never heard the term.
Come to think of it, no Green Dragon guardian had ever come to him in previous regressions up to this point.
Was it because the guardian before him was from the Green clan, known for reading providence?
A blue aura gathered in Yoo Ji-tae's eyes.
The truth revealed was true.
It meant the words were factual.
"......"
Dimensions were like the sea.
The sea is vast, but reaching a nearby island isn't hard. Yoo Ji-tae could open a portal to the demon world right now if he wanted. The demon world was close, and he could handle something like a rowboat.
Of course, dimensional travel required sacrifices, but it was possible.
However, the dragons' world, 'Ascalifa,' lay in a distant dimension. Crossing from Asia to America in a rowboat was practically impossible.
In short, their outing had been like setting out in a rowboat and encountering a tsunami.
That made it all the more puzzling.
"Even dragons can't navigate such twists."
"Yes. That's correct."
Then how did you end up here together? Sensing Yoo Ji-tae's intent, the guardian continued.
"Near the Horizon of Providence... there was some entity."
"Entity?"
"Yes. It spoke to me from beyond the horizon..."
This was new information as well.
A flicker of irritation creased Yoo Ji-tae's brow.
"What did it say?"
"It wasn't words in any language. More like... a will guiding the way. That will showed us the path forward. I merely gathered the other guardians and found the direction to the hatchlings."
Dispersing the Formless Sword, Yoo Ji-tae pressed his forehead and lowered his head.
His mood was souring badly.
Beyond the fourth regression, aside from elements that changed per loop, he knew almost everything about this incident.
He was only ignorant about individual dragons—like missing the forest for the trees. Until now, he hadn't treated dragons as full personalities.
He couldn't afford unknowns.
This world, this timeline—everything had to be under his palm.
It had to be.
Yet Scales Eye clearly showed true.
An unknown element had emerged.
"That will seemed dissatisfied with something. Like it was cursing it... Perhaps because I carry a core made from the Green Dragon's power."
The Green guardian kept talking. Yoo Ji-tae memorized every word precisely while reflecting on himself.
Why didn't I know this? The 'Horizon of Providence' and the 'entity beyond it.' Was it there in other regressions too, and I missed it? No. While traversing dimensions, smashing the demon archduke's skull, twisting the black dragon's neck, walking the hell of the Three-Way Asura—I learned everything there was to know about dimensions. I verified the pieces fit countless times.
Yet now? An element capable of affecting the entire timeline crashes in without warning. How?}
As he pondered in silence,
"...Ah, and traces of that entity remain in part of my core. I can't tell what they are, but..."
His head snapped up at those words.
He strode to the guardian, grabbed the mangled plate with both hands, and pried it open. Metal bent like taffy. "......Gah!" The guardian screamed.
Inside lay the mana core. Invisible to the eye as it wasn't material, but clear to Yoo Ji-tae.
He thrust his hand into the core. The steel armor trembled violently.
That was when the status window appeared in Yoo Ji-tae's vision.
His one unique authority.
The power that rewound all dimensional timelines centered on him.
Yoo Ji-tae mulled over the status windows repeatedly.
As suspected, something resented his regressions.
From beyond that distant 'Horizon of Providence.'
He couldn't know what unstable factor lurked there. Still, no need to get worked up yet.
According to the window, Apocalyptic Clock would detect any 'hostility from outside the timeline' ahead of him.
Letting out a deep sigh, Yoo Ji-tae shook off his unease.
"...Got it for now."
The oppressive weight blanketing the space lifted. The guardians finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, about your disposition. Regrettably, I can't give you the dragons."
The glow in the iron armors sharpened. The guardians harbored hope.
"So, if you want to go, you're free to leave. Just don't cause trouble outside. Anyone want to?"
"...I, I want to go."
First, the Gold Dragon's guardian voiced its intent.
Guardians with dragon-forged cores could repair their bodies. The bent armor straightened, severed flesh reattached.
The guardian stood.
"Anyone else?"
The others, watching cautiously, raised hands. They had never chosen to be dragon guardians willingly. They craved freedom.
The Red clan's guardian and Blue clan's guardian rose slowly.
But the Green Dragon's guardian showed no reaction.
"You not going?"
"......"
"I'm asking. You staying?"
"I cannot go."
Yoo Ji-tae kicked the guardian without looking back.
Kang-!
The immense force sent it flying dozens of meters, tumbling through the sub-space.
Its exposed chest plate was crumpled beyond recognition.
"......Cough."
Not a mere blow. A shock that rattled the mana source.
Yoo Ji-tae walked slowly and stood before it. He asked again.
"Say it again. Staying?"
"...I will not go."
The Formless Sword sliced through the guardian's helmet. Krrrk! A horn sheared off. Another strike to the core.
"Staying?"
"I am... the one who guards the history of karma..."
Even as its life flickered out, the Green Dragon's guardian endured.
So Yoo Ji-tae plunged the Formless Sword into its neck with an indifferent expression. Krrrk. The killing intent pierced straight through, emerging from the nape.
"Staying?"
"Go... ing... no..."
Its voice broke as mana flow severed somewhere.
Yet its gaze burned fiercely still.
So Yoo Ji-tae smashed the guardian's face with his fist.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
With each hit, the black pupils shook. In just three blows, the living armor's helmet crumpled like rags.
Such shock to the soul—if human, the skull would shatter.
"Staying?"
"......"
It endured.
He approached the fallen guardian and crushed its chest with his foot.
"Last chance. Staying?"
"I... can... not..."
"Fucking lunatic."
Yoo Ji-tae licked his lips faintly.
This reaction was unexpected. He had assumed all four would crave freedom.
He met the blinking eyes. Scales Eye showed disgust. It truly suffered in this situation yet held firm.
"That one's always been dim-witted."
Then another guardian interjected.
They had seemed distant from other clans before. Was that why?
"A fool who can't seize freedom right in front of him. Do as you wish."
It was mockery toward a comrade who failed to grasp opportunity.
So Yoo Ji-tae pushed the guardian further into the corner.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Until its life fire nearly extinguished. Fists stronger than sledgehammers rained down.
"......"
The pulped Green guardian lay broken.
Its remaining gaze, flickering, never avoided Yoo Ji-tae's.
That was enough.
What the other guardians thought, their pasts—irrelevant to him.
He was a broken man. Killing innocents held no guilt if necessary. Evil, perhaps, but he had long forsaken good-evil dichotomies, already a villain by some standards.
In this situation, the only reason to spare a guardian was one.
Would it help protect the dragons?
And now, one of four met his criterion.
Now that's a proper 'guardian.'
Plus, info on beyond the Horizon of Providence would be useful. Keeping it wasn't bad.
Yoo Ji-tae turned to the others.
The rest were useless.