Chapter 104
**Chapter 103: The White Whale's Roar and the Seventh Pillar's Descent**
A savage shark swarm charged at Ampong like a pack of wolves, jaws snapping open to tear into him from every side.
Haru saw the scene and turned without a moment’s hesitation, heading toward Jin.
*It’s done. With this much, he can hold that bastard for a while. In the meantime…*
This was the masterpiece he and Jubern had poured their all into creating. Of course, it wasn’t a delusional plan to kill Ampong—just enough to buy time and make the bastard struggle.
But reality was cold.
Even bound hand and foot, Ampong didn’t look dazed or panicked. Instead, he calmly watched the approaching sharks and gave them a single word.
“White Whale.”
Urrurrurrr—!!
One word and the ground shook.
The earth churned like waves, ripples rolling across it, yet the chaos refused to calm.
Finally, a colossal whale erupted from the ground, bursting through the surface and rising into the air like it was swimming through the sky.
Boowuuu.
The white whale, matching his epithet, roared like a king.
“Erase.”
Water blasted from the whale’s blowhole in a low, earth-shaking roar.
The spray washed away every last strand binding Ampong’s limbs, leaving them clean and free.
“Ah…”
It felt like a dream.
*Not bad for a guy who tried. What now? All gone? If you don’t want to die, try one more move. Fight hard. Don’t you think?*
Haru’s steps halted as he turned back toward where he stood.
The gap between them was all too real. He had lost all will to fight.
*Don’t worry too much. In battles between abilities, the weak can never beat the strong. You’ve held up amazingly well with your power. Well… thanks to that woman’s help.*
Ampong’s strength had been so overwhelming it threatened to make Haru forget his duty to protect Jin.
It belonged to a realm he had never before encountered—unprecedented and incomprehensible.
Swaaak—!
Ampong’s figure vanished into thin air, leaving only afterimages.
Startled, Jubern instinctively raised his sword for defense.
But from behind, Ampong placed a hand on his shoulder as if to caress him.
“So, what do you think? Want to become my man? Blanser seemed to have a bit of inferiority toward you, didn’t he? There was good reason for it.”
Ampong’s mood shifted as if Jubern had struck a sore spot.
But he had already rejected every attempt by others like Yushin or Blanser.
His loyalty to Lan was that unwavering.
“Impossible. My lord is only that person.”
Jubern refused without a flicker of hesitation, just like before.
The dark killing intent that followed was unmistakable.
“…Is that so? Then I suppose you must die.”
“Hooop!”
Jubern struck first, swinging his sword at the hand resting on his shoulder.
But Ampong moved a split second faster.
Swaaak—!
“Krueup…!”
The light punch sent Jubern staggering back.
“Haaaaaaa!!”
His nose was crushed, blood pouring freely, but Jubern paid it no mind. He gripped his sword tighter and charged forward again, launching a fierce assault.
If Ampong showed even a hint of lukewarm reaction, he would have switched targets to Haru and the others. That was the calculation.
It was like moths diving into flame, yet Jubern clung on desperately, determined to buy even a little more time.
Trembling.
‘Me… I can’t even lift my hand. But that guy… what the hell keeps him moving?’
Meanwhile, Haru watched Jubern charge at Ampong, his trembling hand finally relaxing.
She was breathing hard, unable to offer any support right now.
The aftershock from the earlier wave had arrived late—and it had been far stronger than expected.
She had bound Ampong, once a member of the Seven Pillars, for a short time. Her body was spent.
Jubern’s situation was no different, but he refused to stop swinging his sword.
It wasn’t that Haru’s will was weak. Jubern’s spirit simply soared far beyond the villain’s level.
“Uwk!”
Jubern’s body twisted strangely from the counterattack.
The more they clashed, the more wounds appeared, the blood from his broken skin staining his clothes black.
The battle with Ampong was nothing like the spar with Lan.
Lan had fought in a controlled manner to match Jubern, but Ampong was different.
A Seven Pillars-level powerhouse was using every dirty trick to kill him. Jubern had no choice but to endure.
His own ability was absorbed or washed away like foam.
It was like trying to darken the vast sea with a few drops of ink.
Puuuurrrreeeeeeng—!!
Then, on top of everything, a massive explosion tore through the area where Haru’s group was fighting.
Along with it, the two huge presences that had been felt until moments ago vanished completely.
Crack.
*Could they… have been taken down…? Well, holding out against such a yokai is already a miracle.*
Haru was drained, on the verge of collapse. Further help was impossible.
The explosion had drained the aura around Haru; she couldn’t even tell if anyone was alive.
Even if they were, Jubern had no energy left to check the others’ presences while fighting Ampong.
The Seven Pillars who had promised to come were impossible to reach on time. The balance between Haru’s group and the situation here had long since tipped.
They had been driven to the worst possible corner—right at the edge of the cliff, mere steps from oblivion.
Jubern made a decision.
He would throw his life away to fulfill his duty.
“If there’s nothing left to show you, then die.”
Pat. Pazzuzut!
“…?”
Ampong’s steps had stopped as he slowly approached Jubern.
His face, which had been smiling the entire fight, finally stiffened.
Jubern’s body began to shimmer dark, and his hair stood straight up against gravity.
*Hmm, what kind of day is this? Haru, it’s not just once or twice. I’ve been surprised three times already.*
The reason Yeohwarang, a Grand Duke, had been so shocked while viewing Jubern’s status window was that he hid another ability.
And right now, for the first time, he was about to reveal the ability he had always hidden from others.
Pazzuzuzuzut—!!
It had originally belonged to the elements but had been renamed for several reasons.
The ability of lightning.
Ampong felt instinctive disgust at the fact that Jubern possessed an ability perfectly suited to his own.
“Aigoo, fuck. I stepped in it good. Of all things, it had to be lightning among so many abilities. And this one only pops up once every few years?”
*How did someone with an ability so opposite survive?*
Pazzuzuzuzut—!!
“You have done enough for me. Rest and then leave without looking back.”
Jubern whispered only to Haru, small and soft.
“Stop! Lightning is the absolute worst counter to water! If you use it like this, your body will… die for sure!”
“The only thing that matters to me is Lord’s order. If I can fulfill it, life is not worth worrying about.”
*This guy is really…*
“Uwaaa…!”
Jubern, forcing the words out, enveloped himself in lightning and let out a pained groan.
Kwaaaang!
Jubern, now fully prepared, leaped high.
The moment he began using lightning, his movements changed completely.
Even in rags, his speed far surpassed the peak he had reached simply by wearing lightning.
Buoooooo.
The white whale, which had completely overpowered Jubern’s dark aura with its presence, roared and retreated underground.
“Tsk, thanks to that I can’t use my ability for a while. But killing trash like you? I don’t even need abilities for that.”
“Haaaaaa!”
Jwaaang!!
Jubern’s lightning-imbued sword clashed with Ampong’s arm.
Jijijijijik!!
Because the lightning touched him, Ampong’s body began to be corroded by it.
“Kra! It feels great! Huh?”
Even without using his own ability, since lightning was the absolute worst counter to water, damage kept piling up.
Of course, with this much damage, he couldn’t finish it off, but the longer time passed, the more the damage would accumulate.
He couldn’t let it go on like this forever.
*It’s time to end this. Clean up and get out.*
Even while being corroded by lightning, Ampong exerted immense strength and hurled Jubern away.
“How long has it been since you felt pain? It’s probably the first time since that guy beat you, isn’t it?”
“Uu… Uwk…!”
Jubern vomited a handful of blood after being knocked back.
‘Pain is familiar now. I can’t hesitate even for a second to keep this monster tied down. I’ll push harder.’
Jubern wiped the blood rising from his stomach with a rough hand and charged forward again, teeth gritted.
“Kwaaaaaa—!!”
Shwaaak—!
The cleaver infused with tremendous power swung down from above.
Ampong quickly slapped it away with one hand and caught the other with the remaining one, neutralizing it easily.
“Bringing back a memory I didn’t want. That guy’s X. This bug dares to wound my body.”
Wooddoduk—!
Cracks of breaking bones echoed from the hand held in Ampong’s grip.
“Uug…!!”
His mind almost wandered from the agony of crushed fingers, but Jubern held on and swung his leg.
But the leg was caught between Ampong’s arm and side.
Woodduduk!
When Ampong squeezed, Jubern’s trapped leg shattered instantly.
“Khuh…”
Jubern had no strength left to resist.
Crack! Czwaaaak!
Every time Ampong moved his shoulder, Jubern’s body jerked, blood spraying from the torn wounds.
Pazzuz…
The lightning ability wrapped around his body gradually dimmed until he finally slumped like someone asleep.
“Crushing every finger and still not dropping the sword… you’re one vicious bastard.”
Thud.
Ampong turned away from the seemingly unconscious Jubern and casually tossed him aside.
He began walking slowly toward Haru, his next target.
“Sto… stop. Please stop now! You’re really going to die!”
Haru, staring at Ampong, suddenly shouted in alarm.
“Eh? What’s that? Did you go crazy? I’m really trying to kill you.”
Ampong let out a laugh as he listened to Haru’s words with one ear and ignored them with the other.
Start—!
His body froze as it reached Haru.
“You… you bastard.”
A crack appeared on Ampong’s face as he slowly turned around—the face Haru had never seen before.
Ampong’s gaze was fixed on where Jubern stood.
His hair, which had been lifted by lightning, was now plastered with blood and hanging down to his eyes. His entire body trembled.
“Haa… Haa. Still… alive.”
Shaking.
Even though he couldn’t even lift his finger to use his ability, Jubern had planted his sword in the ground to prop up his body.
Despite knowing that allowing another attack would lead to death, he called Ampong forward again.
“Whoa, what a beetle. So sparkly. Truly disgusting. I’m getting a headache. Alright, I’ll carve through your chest and crush your heart properly.”
At that moment, Ampong’s irritation flared from Jubern’s stubbornness, and he took another step toward him.
Kwaaaaaang—!!
The air exploded with a deafening boom.
In the sudden gust of wind that followed, Haru and Ampong’s eyes blinked for a moment, and a figure completely unknown to them appeared beside Jubern.
“I found you.”
Amid the scattered pieces that fluttered like fallen leaves, the Seventh Pillar, Ren Lan, appeared.
**BACKTICK**LT**div style="text-align:center__SEMI__border:2px solid #a78bfa__SEMI__padding:30px__SEMI__box-shadow:0 0 30px rgba(167,139,250,0.5)__SEMI__background:linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(15,10,26,0.9) 0%,rgba(0,0,0,0.9) 100%)__SEMI__border-radius:8px__SEMI__margin-bottom:20px__SEMI__font-family:Georgia,serif__SEMI__"**GT__**BACKTICK** **BACKTICK**div style="color:#a78bfa__SEMI__font-size:20px__SEMI__SEMI__font-style:italic__SEMI__text-shadow:0 0 15px rgba(167,139,250,0.8)__SEMI__line-height:2__SEMI__letter-spacing:1px__SEMI__"**GT__ Finding the target… Seven Pillars of the Continent, Ren Lan. His presence is overwhelming. **BACKTICK**/div**GT__**BACKTICK** **BACKTICK**/div**GT__**BACKTICK**