Chapter 729: Eternal Spire (107)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 729: Eternal Spire (107)
"I... I belong to Seo-yun!"
"What did you say...?"
The Red Dragon’s movements came to a halt.
"My body and my heart, all of it belongs to Seo-yun. Get away from me, you pervert!"
Luna hurriedly backed away, covering her body with her hands.
"Seo-yun? Who is this brat..."
The Red Dragon’s expression twisted.
"How dare he... How dare he take what is mine..."
"I am not yours!" Luna shouted firmly. "I am Seo-yun’s woman!"
The Red Dragon’s body trembled.
Was it rage? No, it was jealousy.
"This Seo-yun bastard..." The Red Dragon’s voice dropped to a low, menacing growl. "He dared to claim my Luna?"
"I told you, I’m not your Luna!"
"No! You are mine!" the Red Dragon screamed. "I have waited thousands of years! I thought only of you!"
"That’s just your one-sided obsession!" Luna shot back. "I love Seo-yun! I have zero interest in someone like you!"
The Red Dragon fell silent. Her face turned pale.
"You... love him...?"
"Yes! I love him!" Luna said, her expression full of conviction. "Seo-yun is kind, and he makes me feel so good. We do lots of... very naughty things together! He’s on a completely different level than a pervert like you!"
"...What?! N-Naughty things? Even I haven't been able to do that yet...!"
The Red Dragon’s face contorted with a mix of jealousy and fury.
"I’ll kill him! I’ll kill this Seo-yun and take you for myself!"
At the threat to kill Jin Seo-yun, the light in Luna’s eyes died, replaced by a cold chill.
"You... take that back."
"I refuse." The Red Dragon sneered. "If his name is Seo-yun, he must be the same Jin Seo-yun Hermes mentioned. It seems he is the root of all evil."
"You—!"
Luna tried to use the System to suppress the woman before her.
However—
"You’ve lost your memories and grown weak. Do you really think you can face me now?"
The Red Dragon’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
"I want to claim you right here, right now, but your current form isn't the one I desire."
"What... what are you planning to do?"
"Don't worry. You just need to stay here until you return to your original form. In the meantime, you can watch the death of that man you claim to love."
Red chains began to envelop the entire space.
The chains burrowed into the walls, floor, and ceiling, forming a massive web. The red light intensified, staining the entire area in a crimson hue.
"This is impossible... The interference..."
Luna was struck with horror. This was a space where no one but her should have been able to interfere, yet another entity was doing exactly that.
"How...!"
"Hehe, it has been a very long time." The Red Dragon laughed coldly. "During that time, I observed and researched your domain from below. I searched for a way to return you to your original self."
The red chains tightened further. Luna’s power resisted, but the chains continued to dig in.
"I’m tired of acting like your enemy. Those foolish gods actually thought they were using me to keep you in check."
Luna’s face went pale. "N-No..."
"Wait here patiently." The woman took one last look at Luna. "While imagining the sight of the man you love dying."
"No...!"
Luna desperately tried to gather her strength, but the red chains simply absorbed it.
With a smirk, the woman vanished.
"...Ah."
Luna fell to her knees. Red chains covered the entire space—the walls, the floor, the ceiling. They were embedded everywhere.
"Seo-yun..."
Luna reached out a trembling hand into the air. She tried to summon the System window, but it wouldn't function properly.
[Error]
[System Control Unavailable]
*
The Red Dragon slowly descended the Tower.
Her first priority was to devour the Purple Star, which was necessary to fully recover her strength.
To have her, I must first recover my true power.
She had imprisoned Luna, but the girl would surely break free soon. Though she was currently weakened by seals and amnesia, she was originally a being that even the gods feared.
The moment she broke through...
"She will return to her original form."
Just imagining that day made the Red Dragon grow wet down there.
"Ah... Awakening... To see her consumed by rage... destroying everything in her path... ♡"
She fantasized, salivating at the thought. The sight of Luna’s fury. Her cold eyes clouded with madness. Her power running wild, obliterating everything.
"It will be beautiful... ♡"
But soon, an unpleasant name came to mind.
"Jin Seo-yun..."
Her expression twisted. The man Luna claimed to love.
"How dare he lay a finger on what I’ve already marked..."
Rage boiled within her.
"I will annihilate him until not even his soul remains..."
She gnashed her teeth.
"Slowly. Painfully."
Her fingernails sharpened into claws.
"I’ll pull out his entrails, crush his bones, tear his flesh to pieces... and devour him."
The mere thought of it made her feel wonderful.
*
I was in the middle of discussing the situation with Tiamat and Cheon-wol—having even summoned Athena to join us—when a sudden chill washed over me.
A shiver ran down my spine, and goosebumps broke out across my skin.
"Hm? What is it all of a sudden?" Tiamat asked worriedly.
"It’s nothing."
I said that, but this was the exact sensation I felt whenever a crisis was imminent.
If I’m feeling this now...
It was a sign that something dangerous was about to happen.
"You said the Red Dragon can move freely through the Tower without her power being restricted, right?"
"Yes. But since the Red Dragon has been released, we can also use our full power."
"Hmph, do not worry," Tiamat said confidently. "With the three of us, you, and that green-haired wench, we should be more than enough to handle her."
Tiamat’s confidence actually made me more uneasy.
This is exactly when I need to be careful.
Carelessness was forbidden. The moment you underestimate an enemy, death finds you.
"Bi-yeon."
I called out to Bi-yeon, who was standing beside me. As if she had read my mind, she was already prepared.
"I’ve already sent word."
"Good."
I nodded. And as fate would have it, my bad premonitions were never wrong.
Rumble...
Space began to distort.
The three goddesses, Bi-yeon, and I all moved simultaneously.
BOOM—!
An explosive energy struck the area. However, Bi-yeon and I had already lunged forward. Tiamat, Cheon-wol, and Athena did the same.
The goddesses deployed their barriers at once.
Clang!
Purple, blue, and golden powers merged to form a massive shield. Taking advantage of that opening, Bi-yeon and I simultaneously parried an incoming attack.
And then—
In the sky above, I saw a massive dragon looking down, a giant of incomprehensible size, and a colossal bird wreathed in lightning.
Tiamat muttered in a chilling voice.
"Vortel, Titan, and the Thunderbird..."
"If they are here, that means..."
Space tore open, and a figure emerged from the rift.
Long black hair. A crown of red thorns.
"The Apocalyptic Red Dragon...!" Tiamat cried out warily.
"It has been a long time, Tiamat. And the Master of the Moon and the self-proclaimed Goddess of Wisdom are here as well."
She glanced at the three goddesses with indifference before scanning the surroundings. Her gaze locked onto a single spot.
"The Purple Star."
The moment those words left her mouth, I realized she was targeting Ryu Seol.
I quickly located Ryu Seol. I saw her emerging from between the collapsed buildings along with Seo Eun-ha.
"Ryu Seol!" I shouted immediately. "Run! Now!"
Ryu Seol looked startled and tried to move at my command.
But it was too late.
The Red Dragon flicked her hand.
Swish!
Red chains shot out in an instant. They bypassed everyone else, heading straight for Ryu Seol with pinpoint accuracy.
"Kh!"
Ryu Seol tried to block them, but the chains were too fast.
Clank!
The chains wrapped around her arm.
"Ugh!"
"Caught you." The woman smiled with satisfaction. "The owner of the Purple Star. We finally meet."
"Let... let me go!"
Ryu Seol resisted desperately. She drew upon the power of the Purple Star, and a violet aura exploded outward.
However, the red chains didn't even budge.
"It’s useless."
The woman yanked the chain.
Whoosh!
Ryu Seol’s body was dragged into the air.
"Ah!"
"Ryu Seol!"
Seo Eun-ha, who was right beside her, leaped into the air. She tried to cut the chain with her sword, but—
Bam!
The chain swatted her away.
"Ugh!"
Seo Eun-ha tumbled across the ground.
"Bi-yeon!"
Bi-yeon and I moved instantly. I came from the left, and Bi-yeon from the right. It was a pincer attack targeting both her flanks.
I aimed precisely for the chain, while Bi-yeon went for the throat.
Whish! Whish!
Our swords flew forward simultaneously. Perfect timing. Perfect angles.
However—
"Tsk."
She snapped her fingers.
Boom!
The red chains multiplied explosively, forming a wall that blocked us.
"Urgh!"
I hurriedly blocked with my sword, but the impact sent me skidding backward. Bi-yeon suffered the same fate.
"That was an interesting coordinated attack." She smirked. "But the likes of you are not enough."
She lifted Ryu Seol higher.
"Nngh..." Ryu Seol groaned in pain. The chains were tightening around her body.
"Now, I shall take the Purple Star."
The woman’s hand reached toward Ryu Seol’s forehead. A violet star began to glow faintly on her brow.
"I won't let you!" Tiamat screamed.
"Blessing of the Battlefield!" Athena summoned a silver shield.
"Blessing of the Moon!" Cheon-wol deployed a blue magic circle.
The three goddesses charged simultaneously. Purple, gold, and blue light merged into a colossal force.
However—
"Stop them."
The Red Dragon spoke nonchalantly.
In that instant—
ROOOAAAR!
Vortel descended with a deafening howl. The massive Black Dragon blocked Tiamat’s path.
"Get out of the way, Vortel!" Tiamat gnashed her teeth.
"Hehe, I shall devour you here and become whole."
BOOM!
"Kh...!"
Meanwhile, Titan stood before Cheon-wol. The massive stone giant.
"Traitor who sided with humans." The giant swung its fist.
"Tsk...!"
The Thunderbird swooped down toward Athena.
"Kreeeee!"
Lightning poured down like rain.
Boom! Crash! Bang!
"Ugh...!"
Athena blocked with her golden shield, but the lightning was endless.
Each of the three goddesses was pinned down by a boss.
"Good. Now there will be no more interruptions."
Her hand slowly descended toward Ryu Seol’s forehead once more.
"Nng...!"
Bound by the chains, Ryu Seol writhed and let out a pained moan.
"The Purple Star... it is finally mine."
A burning red energy flowed from the woman’s fingertips. That energy forced a reaction from the violet star pattern engraved on Ryu Seol’s forehead.
And at that moment, a typhoon-like wind whipped through the area.
"Who gave you permission to touch my woman, you lizard?"
Having performed Spirit Fusion, I appeared and snatched Ryu Seol into my arms just before the red energy could touch her.
For the first time, the Red Dragon’s expression twisted.
"...You."