Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Episode 91. With Spear and Shield, Into the Eye of the Storm (4)
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5th round.
Yoo Ji-tae had to join the semi-federation group to kill Kaliovan. He struggled against the disaster-class demon, Noah of the Unfulfilled Throne. And he failed to properly rescue the Red Dragon hatchling swept up in the war.
The reason for the 5th round's failure could be summed up in one word.
Weakness.
Yoo Ji-tae was weak.
So after the 5th round ended, he tried every method to grow stronger. He was killed by those harboring murderous intent to cultivate his Formless Sword. He honed his swordsmanship. He learned mana circulation techniques for trace management at the grave of Moonlight Nare.
Finally, he set out on the "Ruler Hunt."
One of the rulers he killed then was Rugiatan, the head of the Black Dragon clan.
To take down Rugiatan, Yoo Ji-tae had to track down the Black Dragons. He scoured every nearby dimension. And he found exactly 27 Black Dragons.
At that time, he saw with his own eyes what had become of the worlds that had left the Black Dragon clan alone.
"Follow me. Let's go to the Federation together."
"Still playing cop, are you? Give me one good reason."
"I've seen a lot of Black Dragon specimens. Twenty-seven dimensions. Twenty-seven old and young Black Dragons face-to-face."
The places where he found those Black Dragons...
"Every single dimension had long since perished."
Not a single lifeform left—a wasteland.
A world where nothing called nature remained.
Water had evaporated, invisible. The dry wind carried sand and dust.
Everywhere was the same.
"If you haven't reached 1,000 years old, you're young for an adult. First time hearing this? But it's the truth."
"So what? What does that have to do with me?"
"Everything. Back then, I was curious about the reason. Why did the Black clan do that? I looked into it separately because I wondered."
They polluted the water.
Raised the temperature.
Sometimes lashed out at their surroundings in fits.
Crushed and killed the weak.
"...I figured there had to be some 'reason' for causing all that."
There was no reason.
Black Dragons were just that kind of clan by nature.
"So why do you keep asking what it has to do with me?"
"Meanwhile, they never set foot in dimensions inhabited by Rulers. In that sense, you're a crash-lander, aren't you?"
Choosing only weak dimensions to infest.
Polluting them and leading them to doom—that was the Black Dragons' temperament.
The existence of Black Dragons was "poison."
Mū's presence now was no different from a single drop of poison falling on Earth.
"Wandering nearby dimensions, I arrived at a village of dwarves who devoutly believed in their gods. They described you lot like this."
Gigantic filth.
Flying chaos.
Dimensional beggar vagrant.
Destroyer of order.
Or,
"Ascalifa's waste."
Black Dragons had been exiled from Ascalifa as a clan long ago. He didn't know the exact reason, but encountering Black clan members everywhere made it clear enough.
There had to be a reason they were driven out.
"So you're judging me the same as them just because I'm from the Black Dragon clan?"
"Yes."
"That's quite the leap."
Now Yoo Ji-tae felt no need to bandy words any longer.
The thing before him would inevitably harm humanity.
"I'll give you one chance."
If it had been the past—even around the start of the 7th round—Yoo Ji-tae would have slain the Black Dragon right then.
"Turn into human form obediently and follow me."
"Ridiculous. And then what?"
"I'll lock you up in the Federation. Under special management, you won't be able to cause trouble."
"We are a wandering clan. I'd rather leave Earth than be caged."
"Send you to another dimension, and who knows when or how you'd return. So we need isolation procedures."
At that moment, the Black Dragon's aura flipped.
"How much was I going to listen to... really now..."
The compliant attitude until then vanished.
Poison laced the telepathic voice.
The Black Dragon was truly enraged.
"You're going too far, my enemy. I told you before, didn't I? Don't you dare speak of my great clan, you lowly human."
"Does stating facts upset you? Endure it. That's what your clan has done across every dimension. Or are your clan elders ashamed?"
"What do you know to judge my clan? Cut off your finger and apologize right now. Or you'll regret it deeply."
The air grew taut, as if something might burst.
But Yoo Ji-tae didn't stop.
He truly despised Black Dragons.
"Got one nest, so you'll live quietly in a corner? Nonsense. You're no different from other clans. With your ability to 'transmit' memories and emotions, you're walking contamination spreading filthy, dirty feelings across dimensions, aren't you? No better than plague-carrying rats or bats."
"Enough—!"
Wings spread wide. Body lowered.
Killing intent rippled in its gaze. Mū was truly furious.
"You're making me forget the kindness of sharing one flower."
Familiar eyes.
"Don't remember gratitude. You corrupted the elves who helped you settle and brought mutual destruction. You polluted the sea the nagas painstakingly offered and killed them all, Ascalifa's waste."
Violet eyes trembled, unable to contain rage.
Yoo Ji-tae felt Mū's killing intent surge.
Tremendous even for an adult dragon. Maybe because it was a mutant.
"......"
He had just deliberately scratched its nerves.
Those purple eyes seemed unusually calm compared to other Black specimens. If emotions were stable, maybe it could be spared. Perhaps preserved through management instead of killed.
"You've provoked a disaster..."
But a Black Dragon was a Black Dragon after all.
Harm to every dimension. Disaster. Contaminant.
As if proving it with its whole body, killing intent rippled through the space. The Black Dragon's eyes rolled back.
At that instant, the Black Dragon spread its wings.
"Crushing you would be nothing. But after your words... yes. I should follow my instincts. Everything from now on is your doing."
The voice remained calm.
But its mental state was not.
Mū had just lost its reason.
Like all Black Dragon clan, it harbored baseless resentment surging forth.
The purple energy absorbed from the nest had gathered entirely in its wings.
Simultaneously, the Black Dragon's body was enveloped in pitch-black aura.
Yoo Ji-tae grasped the situation immediately. Mū couldn't overcome its instincts and was about to wreck the world.
Inevitably, as long as it was on Earth.
This was bound to happen someday.
"Where do you—"
Disrupting teleportation was easy. Yoo Ji-tae fired killing intent to scramble the mana.
But unexpected interference came.
"Block it...!"
"B-block the bastard...!"
The wizards impaled on the nest's blades unleashed their telekinesis to block Yoo Ji-tae's killing intent.
He bared his fangs and glared murderously. What the hell were these lunatics doing?
In that gap, a third-dimensional magic circle completed in midair.
"Stop—!"
Yoo Ji-tae roared. The beastly howl shook the entire 72nd floor like thunder. The interfering wizards stiffened and fainted, some dying outright. But the dragon had already escaped.
The situation turned critical.
Earth was about to learn the might of a single "adult-class dragon."
The remaining Black Dragon nest bound him with intangible energy. Yoo Ji-tae infused more killing intent into the tip of his Formless Sword. Then he thrust both hands skyward, gripping the killing intent.
No time to descend the tower floor by floor.
Somehow, he had to catch it fast!
Federation Strategy Room.
"H-heuk!"
"What the hell is that! Hey! How many meters is that thing?!"
"B-body length 40 meters! A colossal monster!!"
Screams tore through.
The situation officer gaped at the screen over the South Pacific. Flying type. 40m body length. Resembled a wyvern. Pitch-black colossal monster. The officers gasped at the output emanating from the monster. SSS-class. On par with the "boss" from East Asia's First Great War.
"Vanguard Frontier Royal, 2nd, 3rd, 6th Legions—scramble orders! R5 extension! And..."
Shocked Jeon Ye-hae was barking orders at the screen when...
"D-di, director!"
"Later, later! Don't you know priorities right now?"
"Ma-ma—."
Another situation officer stammered beside her. Ignoring to focus on the display, but the next scream froze Jeon Ye-hae.
"The Wizard's Tower—!!!"
"Wh-what! What's with the Magic Tower..."
Wizard's Tower? Where Prophet Season went?
Then Jeon Ye-hae saw the screen and froze.
A massive thing plummeting through clouds. Unreal. Like a hammer smashing the back of her head full force.
Jeon Ye-hae muttered blankly.
"What..."
On the display.
The half-destroyed Wizard's Tower was crashing down.
The Black Dragon that had descended ahead was already far in the distant sky. Over 10km away, its huge body looked like a fingernail.
Kwaaaang!
Yoo Ji-tae blasted through space.
The target was extremely dangerous.
Different from when baby dragons died. Those dragons were compelled by Origin Fragments to instinctive slaughter.
But this one had clear self-awareness. Intelligent. What followed would be horrific.
If one dragon lost its mind and harbored only killing intent, dragon and humans fight. Somehow a battle forms. The outnumbered dragon dies.
If multiple dragons lose their minds with only killing intent, the scale grows. Humans may go extinct, but war happens.
But if even one dragon knows Earth's situation well, stays fully sane, and moves to maximize human deaths?
It's no longer "battle" or "war."
It becomes "mass slaughter."
As if proving it, far away, the fingernail-sized dragon's maw gaped wide. Mū's heart pulsed. The sky throbbed in sync.
His heart raced.
The distance—10km. It refused to close.
Because of those purple wings, doped with Earth's top mages!
Suddenly, mana surged explosively at its jaws. Mana unable to withstand friction sprayed outward. Pzzt! Pzzzt! Lightning crackled. Simultaneously, 5m purple orbs formed around its body.
They arrayed in a fan shape.
Aiming at one spot.
Damn it. The moment Yoo Ji-tae felt irritation.
"Dragon Breath"
Thoong—
A purple beam fired.
Kugugugung—
The orbs launched simultaneously.
Mū's massive body recoiled like it was pushed back.
Mana of immeasurable output. The beam. Drew a clean cylinder across the sky.
An adult dragon's full-power breath!
In an instant, it engulfed island nations across Oceania.
Australia, Melbourne. Oceania Central Trade Tower.
Employees dining on the 105th floor sighed. From the heights, beaches stretched below the trade tower. Tiny specks of people enjoying the water. Maybe dip my feet this weekend too. As they shoveled food, thinking that.
"Huh? What's sparkling over there?"
"Yeah? It is..."
Purple light began twinkling from the sky. Even with the sun still up. A sparkling sky was quite the sight.
"Meteor shower?"
"Maybe? But why's it getting bigger..."
Mid-sentence. The purple expanded rapidly. As eating hands paused in unison.
The massive purple swept the beachfront.
The beam ravaged the ground. From Melbourne to at least 140km away, central Bendigo.
The breath hitting targets exploded white. Shockwaves, flames, steam condensed, grinding Bendigo city into a dome expansion.
Immediately after. A deafening roar shook heaven and earth. Every glass window shattered. Employees were flung by the shockwave, rolling on the floor. The world shook.
An employee who opened his eyes amid the aftermath crawled on all fours to peer at the beach.
"Kya-aaah! Aaak, aaaah! Aa..."
The beach the beam swept was vaporized.
People enjoying themselves— not a trace left.
That instant. Lights went out across the trade tower.
Power outage.
"Aaaah, aaaah......"
The employee collapsed backward, oblivious even as glass shards cut his finger.
Screams echoed chaotically in the blackout.