Chapter 374
Chapter 374
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 374
Chapter Title: Child of the Dragon (2)
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That majestic scene of destruction brought the battlefield's clashes to a momentary halt.
"Madness..."
"Hah!"
Amid the swirling clouds of dust, the vast crowd stared in stunned silence at the massive mushroom cloud engulfing the city.
It was only natural—they'd never witnessed anything like it in their lives.
In this world, gunpowder technology was primitive at best, and triggering an explosion of that scale was nearly impossible.
Not to mention, this had erupted solely from the energy unleashed by a single living being?
'...So this is the stuff of legends—a dragon? Enough power to obliterate a city. Unbelievable.'
Grand General Jeongcheon, a Present Realm expert from the Northern Army—the dominant force controlling Shaanxi, Shanxi, and parts of Gansu—narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.
Aware of the operation's importance due to his base's proximity to Beijing, and at the request of his lord, he had joined the battle. Yet he held unshakable confidence in his own prowess.
Forged through countless real battles and wars, his martial might needed no further praise.
'But that... no chance. If it hit right in the middle of an army...'
He glanced at the crescent blade in his hand, his brow twitching.
Even a peerless Present Realm master was akin to a one-man army, but most of that power stemmed from interpersonal combat.
Unleashing an attack that could wipe out an entire legion in one go? He'd never even imagined it.
'If I slashed it head-on... maybe. I could probably endure the aftermath with my protective aura, as long as it doesn't hit directly.'
The problem was guaranteeing the safety of the accompanying army in that scenario.
And facing such a brute-force, concentrated blast head-on without dodging was sheer idiocy anyway.
Enhancing his vision, he gazed toward Beijing as the dust began to settle, letting out a low groan.
"Mm."
The first thing visible was the massive scar gouged into the earth.
Where the beam of destruction had swept, a colossal crater yawned—not only that, but everything on its cross-section had melted smooth, reflecting the light.
'A disaster, plain and simple.'
Against such an assault, swarm tactics or hunkering down behind castle walls meant nothing.
With the enemy freely soaring through the skies, defensive options were severely limited.
And the dragons overhead, with their prime view from above, shared the same awe.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Whoa.]
[That's...]
Exclamations slipped from their mouths unbidden.
An attack of power even they, with their long lives, had never seen.
Summoning thunderstorms or earthquakes over a fixed area was simpler by far; this pure, overwhelming destruction felt alien by comparison.
[Whoa, what's that guy?]
The black dragon, nonchalant until now, finally showed genuine excitement and interest.
She hadn't expected much from someone far younger and merely standing in for the true imperial dragon. But wiping out swarms of human bugs and some yokai jiangshi from underground had deeply impressed her.
'What a flashy attack! If he could blast every human nest-city like that...'
What greater fireworks show could there be?
Her sparkling eyes fixed on Horus as he leisurely circled the battlefield skies before turning back this way.
Thus, the gazes of humans and yokai on the ground, and dragons in the air, all converged on one being.
The uniquely shaped imperial dragon's overwhelming majesty etched itself vividly into everyone's memory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Flap— flap—
'Oof, did I overdo it trying to make an impression?'
Wingbeats that usually felt effortless now weighed heavy.
With all eyes on him, he kept his composure, but Horus's condition wasn't great.
A single breath that vaporized most of a metropolis.
A strike fit for an Ancient Dragon—not even a mature or elder one.
The strain on his body was inevitable!
'At least I definitely made my mark.'
Brawling personally down there would've been undignified anyway.
Better to land one massive blow and withdraw gracefully.
The issue was overexerting with "Limit Break," making it harder to sustain his adult form via the "Elder Dragon's Heart."
His true body was still just a hatchling, after all.
'Still not bad. Especially since I found a new possibility.'
Apart from his surging martial power, physical growth had only come with age—until now.
A solution to that chronic issue he'd resigned himself to was finally in sight.
'Though it'll take some time. Ah, but first, wrap up down there.'
Horus's gaze shifted to the battlefield below, zeroing in on the clustered Demonic Cultists.
Even ruthless Demonic Cultists couldn't stay unshaken after their rear lines were obliterated wholesale.
Without the emotionless jiangshi obeying orders, they'd have collapsed already.
'But that's ending soon too. Time to finish this.'
He'd shown enough.
The devastating blow to the Demonic Cult would instill crisis and vigilance across this world's beings, and that grudge would bind them together.
Sacrificing yokai jiangshi and high undead stung a bit, but they weren't made by Awakened anyway—disposable here, useless elsewhere.
Better to burn them spectacularly for maximum impact than let them gather dust.
'Hoarding leads to waste. Unlike Outerica, where we're rebuilding a collapsed world, alternatives abound if needed.'
He'd mastered the tech; Demonic Cult remnants for periodic reminders were leashed at his Tianshan base.
All that remained was rebuilding the Dragon Heart.
"Heavenly Demon Reborn, All Demons Rise in Mourning!"
"Die!"
"Urk! Heavenly Demon!"
Half a day since the battle began.
The war deciding this world's fate neared its end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Heh heh— so it ends like this. What a pity."
Gui Geom Ma Je, Yeo Muncheol—a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult protector—chuckled lowly.
Sword Saint Namgung Wu, facing him, replied with a stern expression.
"It's over, Yeo Muncheol."
"Cough—!"
Blackened blood poured from Ghost Sword Demon Emperor's mouth, his arms severed and a sword impaled in his heart.
Even as blood streamed from his lips, the sneer in his one good eye lingered.
"Heh heh... To think a thunderbolt fool like that would bring me down. If we'd fought fair, it'd be different, Namgung Wu."
"Losers talk too much. If you wanted excuses, stay in the training hall."
Their duel had been neck-and-neck until then.
The tide had turned due to shifting circumstances.
"I'll go aid elsewhere, Elder."
The pivotal variable.
A young—no, boyish—man cloaked in dragon-shaped aura bowed lightly and leaped away.
Movement like a dragon frolicking in clouds.
Glancing sidelong, Ghost Sword Demon Emperor twitched his lips and convulsed.
"Pfft— the brat who severed my arm is just a kid! Early twenties at Fiery Realm? The heavens are dead set against me."
Sword Saint agreed.
He'd called his grandson, peaking in his mid-twenties, a genius—but this youth shattered expectations!
Peak Realm at Shaolin, early Peak at the Cult raid, now Fiery Realm upon reunion.
Even accounting for his otherworlder status, the growth was unbelievable.
The next top martial artist was all but decided.
Sword Saint's gaze followed the youth.
Dragon-shaped aura blazed rainbow hues, tearing through the field.
Others' eyes naturally drew to his dazzling, dominant figure.
An irresistible pull—not just talent, but something intangible.
'A young hero born for chaotic times.'
Rescuing the Dragon Children alone from enemy lines earned ample merit.
Without him, the Cult's ritual might've completed mid-war, birthing variables—or even if won, no hope left with all sacrifices gone.
Yet he led from the front, aiding beleaguered warriors...
"Hm, come to think, Soran seemed quite taken with him."
Stroking his chin beard seriously, Sword Saint pondered.
Not bias—Namgung Soran was hailed An hui's top beauty.
Prestigious families like Namgung wed beauties, naturally.
His own mother, wife, daughters-in-law—all stunning.
Sole concern: the youth's otherworlder uncertainty.
'Roots take hold anywhere. Even settling here, his realm won't regress.'
No kin meant easy son-in-law fit.
And rival Jeon Gal Hye-mi was...
He paused, shaking his head.
Gloating over others' misfortune felt wrong.
"I can hear your scheming from here... guk!"
Slash—!
"Forgot about you for a sec."
Sword Saint snapped back at Ghost Sword Demon Emperor's voice, yanking the sword from his heart and beheading him.
As a Present Realm expert with sinister demonic arts, a heart stab wasn't enough.
For certainty, Sword Saint obliterated his brain with aura, then heart and dantian thoroughly.
"......"
Ending a long enmity.
Closing his eyes briefly in reflection, Sword Saint flew off elsewhere.
'No time for this.'
To the fiercest clash.
The final showdown with the Heavenly Demon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The battlefield's balance tipped sharply.
The Five Dragons suppressed Ma Gyeong's harsh environment; valiant yokai bolstered forces, erasing deficits.
With breathing room, they aided allies—snowballing to affect even top fights.
Ghost Sword Demon Emperor fell to Sword Saint; Blood Demon Jiangshi to Pa Cheon Do Hwang.
Fiery Realm clashes no longer needed Shura Blood Lord; top yokai jiangshi like Qilin fell to yokai and warrior swarms.
All that power converged on one: the stage's final boss, Heavenly Demon.
Boom—!
Rumble—
Battlefield center.
Earth-shaking clamor amid thunderous blows.
One cloaked in pitch-black aura against many.
But the many couldn't seize advantage easily.
"...Amitabha. As I feared, Donor Heavenly Demon seems to have abandoned the human path to become a true demon."
Force wasn't lacking, but an inexplicable sinister power endlessly fueled him.
Singwang Ma's frontline momentum had waned from exertion too.
"Insane. Facing Mythic Realm breakthrough by turning himself into a jiangshi? What was he thinking?"
"No way! That was real? Thought it was some Cult sorcery. Guy's crazier than expected."
Exhausting himself, Heavenly Demon's death aura could no longer be fully masked by Heavenly Demon Divine Art's demonic qi.
Half-believers now gaped in certainty—but
"...Quite a few dead, huh."
Heavenly Demon casually surveyed amid the carnage.
Corpses strewn horrifically; his subordinates dying even now, death qi thick—yet he remained unperturbed.
"Ah, you wondered why I embraced death?"
As if all per his plan.
The demon mimicking the living grinned ferally.
No need to hide now—death aura permeated his flesh.
"Got something good lately. Real good."
Whoooosh—
Jet-black aura erupted from him.
Power beyond black—abyssal darkness from the depths.
Warriors stepped back into defensive stances.
[Wait, that aura!]
The white dragon, stabilizing spatial distortion, cried in shock.
A familiar energy suddenly asserted itself.
From deep underground in Ma Gyeong.
[No way!]
Tan, the gluttonous thief of Geum O Do who devoured countless dragons with predation.
White Dragon knew its remains lay buried here.
And now linked to, activated by, Heavenly Demon.
[That's his endless power source! Stop him! If he uses it—!]
But White Dragon's shout came a beat late.
Before reactions, Heavenly Demon submerged in engulfing darkness and reemerged outside the encirclement.
"Guhk!"
Gripping one Dragon Child's throat—Jeon Gal Hye-mi—from the rear.
"All conditions met at last."
Death-saturated land brimming with death qi.
Predator Tan, potent even in death.
Himself, merged with death.
"Yield your karma."
The being devoured by its own karma after consuming countless others.
Karma Jiangshi Heavenly Demon began siphoning the 'Dragon Child's' karma—
"Who said you could?!"
Slash—
A intervening voice.
Keen slash echoed through space.
"You alright, Lady Jeon Gal?"
"Cough, cough... H-ha, Young Master?"
The young hero, arriving unseen at the crisis, had severed Heavenly Demon's arm, scooped her up, and retreated.
Present Realm experts seized the opening, re-encircling Heavenly Demon as he scowled at his severed forearm.
"...You bastards. Foiling me to the end...!"
Enraged at the missed chance, dragons overhead descended, circling with glaring eyes.
No more tricks tolerated.
'Perfect.'
Gold Dragon Horus's eyes glinted amid them.
All puzzle pieces for the true ending were in place.