Chapter 312: I Can Tell You the Whole Truth Now (2)
Chapter 312: I Can Tell You the Whole Truth Now (2)
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles
Ninth Form
Light-Splitting Single Annihilation
Patrick’s left-hand sword unleashed a barrage of strikes.
—Urgh…!
—Mm…!
It shone as brilliantly as the morning sun.
Even the Four Calamities were forced to avert their eyes, momentarily blinded by the flash.
The dazzling sword light completely obscured Patrick’s form. And immediately after…
“Go!”
From the heart of that light, a wild Black Dragon surged forth.
The Black Dragon, brimming with raw destructive power, lunged straight at the White Tiger on the ground.
Rumble! Crash!
—Grrr…!
Hit by the Black Dragon’s violent charge, the White Tiger faltered and was pushed back.
The White Tiger had faced Patrick’s attacks before, but this strike was far heavier than anything it had experienced then.
It was more than just painful; it was threatening enough to make the beast realize it could actually die if it wasn't careful.
—ROOOOAR!
The White Tiger let out a massive roar, unleashing its full power.
Under the force of that roar, the Black Dragon—formed from Patrick’s Intent—shattered into pieces.
The White Tiger was covered in wounds of various sizes, but…
—I’m not done yet!
It wasn't enough to take it out of the fight.
Burning with battle spirit, the White Tiger sucked in all the surrounding air.
Its upper body swelled to more than twice its original size as it inhaled so much wind that the oxygen in the area grew thin. Then…
—Take this!
BOOOOM!
A wind blast erupted from the White Tiger’s maw.
The wind blast, compressed to an incredible density, possessed terrifying destructive power capable of laying waste to the entire area upon impact.
Patrick judged that even if he dodged, he wouldn't be able to escape the blast's radius. Therefore…
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Tenth Form
Twin Dragons Whirling Strike
‘I’ll break it with pure force.’
Once again, the Hook Dragon Sword in Patrick’s right hand thrust forward, releasing a Black Dragon made of Intent Aura.
The moment the White Tiger’s wind blast and Patrick’s Black Dragon collided head-on…
KABOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
—Is it a stalemate?
—No, it isn't.
The moment the wind blast and the Black Dragon clashed, the Blue Dragon saw it.
He saw a swift White Dragon emerge from the sword in Patrick’s left hand, which he had swung a fraction of a second later.
While the Black Dragon exploded against the wind blast, the White Dragon arced wide to the side and struck the White Tiger’s flank directly.
—GAHHHH!
The swift, sharp flash of the White Dragon tore a hole through the White Tiger’s torso.
It was a lethal blow, incomparable to anything dealt so far.
The White Tiger staggered and fell to its knees. Seeing this, the Vermilion Bird…
—How DARE you!
Regardless of whether he was the Prophesied Human or not, the Vermilion Bird could not simply accept defeat. It wreathed its entire body in flames and soared high into the sky.
Having flown so high it was almost invisible, the Vermilion Bird…
—Let’s see you handle this!
It plummeted straight down.
As the Vermilion Bird dove like a massive spear of fire with its wings tucked, the Blue Dragon shouted urgently.
—Stop! Do you intend to kill everyone?
This was supposed to be a test.
Serious as it was, it would be problematic if Patrick, the Prophesied Human, actually died.
However, the Vermilion Bird seemed intent on truly killing Patrick. But…
“Bring it on.”
Patrick wasn't the type of man to die just because someone wanted him dead.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Eleventh Form
Rampaging Dragon Torrent
Of all the new techniques Patrick had created, this was his favorite.
It resembled the Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance in that it overwhelmed the enemy with a barrage of strikes, but the difference lay in the fact that this was a technique of Intent that manifested Intent Aura, and its essence was far more violent and destructive.
While the Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance focused on sharpness, the Rampaging Dragon Torrent focused on the sheer brutality and destructive power of a "mad dragon" losing its mind in a frenzy.
‘I don’t know why, but this one just feels right in my hands.’
Countless strands of Intent Aura surged from Patrick’s twin swords.
The powerful Black Dragon. The swift White Dragon.
These two attributes of Intent Aura swarmed the Vermilion Bird, which had become a spear of fire falling toward the earth.
—Kr… K-AARRGH!
Would it feel like this to have your feathers plucked while still alive?
The violent Intent Aura unleashed by Patrick stripped away the Vermilion Bird’s flames and began to tear the bird inside to shreds.
The Vermilion Bird lost its downward momentum and was being torn and crushed, swallowed by the torrent of the rampaging dragons.
—Wait… I… I surren—!
The Vermilion Bird tried to declare its surrender, but Patrick’s swords showed no mercy.
‘You’ve been getting on my nerves for a while now.’
He had no intention of taking it down with a single clean blow like he did with the White Tiger.
He might as well test the power of his new technique while he was at it.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And so, the Vermilion Bird was pulverized by Patrick’s new technique.
Ultimately, it plummeted to the ground, looking like a rotisserie chicken that had been stripped of its feathers.
THUD!
—Ugh… Groan…
Having dealt with the Vermilion Bird, Patrick turned his gaze toward the Blue Dragon standing to the side.
“Kept you waiting, didn't I?”
—…….
“Now it’s your turn.”
The Blue Dragon instinctively flinched.
The fact that Patrick had cleanly dealt with both the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird meant there was no longer any doubt about the human's strength.
He truly might be the Prophesied Human.
In fact, the Blue Dragon was now certain of it. However…
—My pride will not allow me to simply step aside.
“Oh? Is that so?”
—I shall show you why I have been called the head of the Four Symbols since the days we were known as the Four Divine Beasts!
The Blue Dragon then spat something out from his throat and held it in his mouth.
The identity of that glowing blue jewel was the Cintamani.
It was a treasure that contained the very divinity of the dragon race.
Using this meant the Blue Dragon was also getting serious.
The lightning energy surrounding his body doubling in intensity was proof enough.
“Good. So we’re doing this?”
Patrick had felt it would be a shame if it ended like this anyway.
Shouldn't he show them the last gift he had prepared?
His swords traced lines of light.
The form they created was a dragon of light.
As the light took shape, Patrick projected his Intent into it.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Ultimate Secret Art
Twelfth Form
Radiant Dragon’s Reign
A unique martial art created by Patrick that surpassed the original Dragon God’s Reign.
The dragon of light created this way was twice as large as the one produced by the original technique.
It was so massive that even the giant Vermilion Bird looked small by comparison.
Standing within the dragon of light, Patrick spoke directly to the Blue Dragon.
“This is my full power.”
—…….
“I assume you’re prepared?”
—Wait, any further testing is meaningl—
“Shut up and fight, you punk!”
Patrick’s Radiant Dragon soon became a Rampaging Dragon, swarming over the flustered Blue Dragon.
KABOOM!
A brilliant flash exploded in the sky.
The dragon of light swallowed the Blue Dragon whole.
Taking the blow head-on, the Blue Dragon…
CRASH!
…fell straight to the ground.
Having gathered the fallen Vermilion Bird and the groaning White Tiger all in one place, Patrick looked down at them arrogantly from within his dragon of light.
After confirming they no longer had the will to fight, he turned his gaze.
“Are you going to go too? You giant turtle?”
The Black Tortoise, also known as the Living Calamity, had not interfered in the battle from start to finish.
He had simply watched in silence.
For the first time, he slowly raised his head and spoke.
—Do not mock me, human.
“So, are you going to fight or not?”
—I was once the guardian deity of the North, managing the creation of life and death…
“I asked if you’re going to fight.”
—Because I am so wise and discerning, I can confidently say this: You are undoubtedly the Prophesied Human.
“…….”
—Therefore, there is no need for us to fight.
In short, since Patrick had already proven himself enough, the Black Tortoise was bowing out.
—Congratulations, human. You have passed our trial.
Watching the Black Tortoise try to get a free pass, Patrick said, “And what exactly did you do?”
—…….
The Black Tortoise had no answer.
* * *
The Four Calamities formally recognized Patrick.
If this monster wasn't the Prophesied Human, then who on earth could be?
So now…
—I can tell you the whole truth now.
“Finally…”
Patrick let out a sigh.
He looked at the Four Calamities and said, “If you say something like ‘I can’t tell you’ again, I’m going to rip that guy’s shell off, fill it with water, and boil the lot of you.”
—…….
The Blue Dragon trembled.
The trembling was a mix of the overwhelming emotion that the Prophesied Human had finally arrived and…
‘This man might actually do it.’
…sheer terror.
Regardless, the truth began to flow from his mouth.
The Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon.
Everything started with them.
They were born into human bodies, but the essence of their existence was by no means human.
Both were the pinnacles of evil who heralded the end of the world, merely born using human vessels.
In essence, they were no different from demigods.
As they grew in their human bodies, they gradually rediscovered their identities as gods.
For one reason only: to bring about the end of the world.
The Heavenly Demon, the pinnacle of all demons in this world.
The Blood Demon, the lord of hell and death.
These two were originally beings responsible for destruction within the cycle of the world’s reincarnation.
If the creatures living in the world grew strong enough to endure and overcome them, the world’s lifespan would be extended; if not, the world would perish and wait for the next era.
That was the natural order.
However, there was one problem: two destroyers had appeared in the same era.
There was only one world to destroy, but there were two destroyers.
In this state, the wheel of the world could not turn according to the natural order.
Eventually, the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon clashed.
* * *
Patrick nodded.
As he listened to the explanation, one long-standing question was finally answered.
“So that’s why the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Bloody Asura Cult clashed so fiercely.”
Back in the Central Plains, he couldn't understand why two groups that seemed so similar were so desperate to kill each other.
But hearing this, it made sense.
“They were like predators fighting over the same prey—the Nine Provinces.”
—It is not wrong to think of it that way. For us, it was a stroke of luck.
“Luck? How was that lucky?”
Patrick looked at the Blue Dragon with an incredulous expression.
Though Patrick hadn't lived through that era, the war between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Bloody Asura Cult was remembered as the period when the most blood was shed in the history of the Central Plains.
Not only martial artists but countless commoners were slaughtered, and it was said that even the Imperial Court’s elite guards, sent to intervene, were annihilated.
That horrific period, recorded as an era of death and destruction, was lucky?
Then, the White Tiger spoke to Patrick.
—Prophesied Human. If the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon had not clashed and kept each other in check, that world would have perished long ago. Not a single rat or blade of grass would have remained.
“…….”
As Patrick remained silent, the White Tiger continued the explanation.
—In the end, the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon could not settle their dispute. And the human bodies they had borrowed to manifest began to reach their limits. When those bodies reached the end of their lifespans, the two reached an agreement.