Chapter 139
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Transcendent
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*Kwoong!*
Urk was the one who struck first.
The moment one foot seemed to dig deep into the ground, his massive frame charged forward with explosive speed, swinging a halberd.
A mighty attack that could slice even a high-ranking Awakened One to pieces in an instant, its shockwave alone capable of sending dozens flying.
*Sssk.*
Yet, the slash came to a halt.
Stopped by the boy's sword, which had slid past the swung halberd at an even greater speed, stealthily exploiting the paper-thin opening created in the attack's wake.
And so, he spun Urk's halberd around, deflecting its blade.
Dion, ducking so low he nearly touched the ground to evade the shaft aimed at his waist, then targeted Urk's ankle.
What followed was a brawl.
*Clang, cl-clang, cl-cl-cl-clang!*
The moment weapons seemed to clash, a leg like a log would miss its mark, and a stealthy blade would be deflected by muscles like steel.
Sometimes, they widened the distance.
Sometimes, they closed it.
Sometimes, they swung their weapons.
Sometimes, they clashed with their bodies.
Sometimes, they kicked dirt in each other's eyes.
Sometimes, they rolled on the ground.
They exchanged dozens of blows in a single instant, neither giving an inch.
It was a battle between wind and rock.
A life-or-death struggle, a contest to determine which was superior: swift brilliance or heavy fortitude.
*Kwwaaang!*
“Ugh!”
And amid that fierce battle.
Slowly but surely, it was Urk who gained the upper hand.
Chakra was an incredibly subtle and delicate power, but its true value lay in surprise attacks and guerrilla tactics.
It was only natural to be at a disadvantage when fighting head-on against an Aura user, whose power was simply solid and therefore the most stable and strong in a direct confrontation.
But that was precisely why Urk couldn't help but be amazed.
‘Is this truly the skill of a newcomer who just broke through the Transcendent wall?’
Fast.
Stealthy.
Precise.
The flow of chakra itself was faint… no, rather, because of that, his sense for handling that faint flow without breaking it was phenomenal.
On top of that, his swordsmanship was so proficient it didn't fall behind his own, honed on the battlefield for 200 years.
To think this was a [Novice] who had just crossed the Transcendent threshold.
Considering that even the most exceptional Awakened Ones grew weaker immediately after advancing, this was absurd.
It would be more believable if he were some old monster in disguise, one who had crossed the Transcendent wall long ago and roamed battlefields for decades.
Especially considering the insidious method of using the chakra hidden in his blade to slowly chip away at his Aura.
Yet, despite being wounded all over.
He continued the brawl without stopping.
Smiling with utter purity.
Seeing the boy's smile.
Urk had no choice but to understand.
The one fighting him now was a youth who could enjoy any reckless act…
…a genius madman, or a madly brilliant genius.
‘Truly, he is remarkable.’
Urk was afraid.
He feared how far this astonishing genius could grow in the future.
And he felt it was a waste.
The fact that he had to stomp out this boy before he could even sprout.
Therefore, he knew.
—If this was a talent he could not possess, he absolutely had to kill him here and now.
And so, with killing intent burning in his eyes, Urk explosively drew out and condensed his Aura.
『Aura Awakening — Mad Wolf's Exploding Fang』
*Wooooong.*
‘This is the end!’
Materialized Aura surged along the halberd's blade, howling sharply like the fangs of a beast.
Swinging it without mercy, Urk was certain of his victory.
No matter how astounding his talent.
It was impossible for a boy who had just crossed the Transcendent wall to also handle a Transcendent Ability, even if the Labyrinth itself were to collapse.
*Chwaaaak!!!*
“Young Master!”
And so, when the fangs of Aura shot out, tearing the boy to shreds before he had a chance to dodge.
As he heard Pandora's scream and was about to feel the satisfaction of victory amid a slight sense of pity.
Urk froze.
The corpse of Dion he had just cut down.
It had melted away into thin air like a mirage.
‘An afterimage?’
Deception was a specialty of chakra users.
So leaving behind an afterimage to hide one's body was nothing more than a cheap trick to a Transcendent Awakened One, but…
Urk's stiff expression did not relax.
If it had been a simple afterimage, it wouldn't explain the sensation he felt in his hands when he cut it down.
“No, this is…”
*Chwak!*
“...!”
As if to confirm his suspicion.
A long sword wound had appeared on his back.
And yet, Dion's presence was still nowhere to be found.
All he could feel was a chilling void.
That was why Urk couldn't help but cry out in astonishment.
“A Transcendent Ability?!?!”
『Chakra Evolution — Dark Fragrance of the Floating Flower』
Urk was horrified.
He had only become capable of wielding a Transcendent Ability after more than ten years of effort following his own breakthrough to the Transcendent rank.
Even then, it wasn't ready for actual combat, and it had taken over fifty years of bone-grinding asceticism to perfect his Mad Wolf's Exploding Fang.
But for a [Novice] who had just crossed the Transcendent wall to also wield a Transcendent Ability.
It was even more absurd and unbelievable than the fact that he had crossed the Transcendent wall at such a young age.
And that wasn't the only surprise.
*Ssk.*
On his forearm.
On his shoulder.
On his knee.
On his side.
Wounds appeared one after another.
Urk couldn't block the attacks, which were rather slow than swift.
He felt no pain, no sensation at all, so by the time he realized it, the sword had already cut him and passed.
It was the very pinnacle of stealth.
Even if the flower cannot be seen.
Its fragrance exists.
By spreading materialized chakra and dissolving and hiding not only his own existence but even the 'process' and 'fact' of the attack within it.
It was an assassination carried out right before one's eyes, one that would leave the victim unaware even after their head was severed.
Swinging his weapon was useless.
All Urk could do was protect his vital spots with Aura and slowly become covered in blood.
“Kuh, a petty trick like this!!!”
But even as he was stunned by Dion's talent for wielding such a terrifying Transcendent Ability, Urk did not give up the fight.
Instead, he only focused his Aura further and swung his halberd.
『Mad Wolf's Exploding Fang Wide-Area Technique: Wolf Fang Tempest』
*Kwarururururung!*
The blue fangs that rose along the halberd whipped around like a lash, creating a storm of Aura.
At a glance, it seemed like an indiscriminate attack to catch the hidden Dion, but Urk's objective was clearer.
It was to tear apart the materialized chakra scattered in all directions.
“With that paltry amount of chakra, how much longer can you maintain such a Transcendent Ability!”
It was indeed a brutish method.
No different from trying to blow away fog by fanning it…
...but it was also an exceedingly cunning response.
No matter how amazing the Transcendent Ability he used, Dion's chakra, having just reached the Transcendent stage, was still faint.
By pushing forward with the sheer volume of Aura he had accumulated over his long years as a Transcendent Awakened One, it was possible to crush him with raw power, regardless of the technique's sophistication.
“…Impressive. I could usually handle any Transcendent Awakened One with this.”
“Khuhu, will you surrender now?”
“No, it's just a shame.”
“A shame?”
As Urk continued to generate the storm of Aura, his expression suspicious.
A relaxed voice came from the empty air.
“If this were a simple RPG, Mr. Orc would win, but this world isn't a role-playing game where level is everything.”
“...?”
For the Awakened Ones of Odobaekryeong.
Classes and Traits were everything.
How high a grade one's Classes and Traits were, and how much one had mastered them, was all that mattered.
…At least, that's what most of them believed.
But Dion knew.
That in Odobaekryeong, there was another element.
One just as, or perhaps even more, important than the grade of one's Class.
“—It's a gacha game from hell.”
『【Body Enhancement Master】☆☆☆+【Archaeologist】☆☆☆+【Magic Beast Hunter】☆☆☆』
『Three Classes (☆☆☆) of the same grade and ability type have been gathered, activating a Class Combination.』
Triple Chakra (☆☆☆)
Second Awakening
【Ascetic】
The five Classes that were the limit for a single Awakened One.
Among them, a specialized ability.
Or a unique power.
Or an attribute.
A phenomenon that manifests when they are combined in a specific way.
The Second Awakening.
Of course, this was a power Dion had used before. Against Lar Arga, it had only allowed him to last a few more minutes.
But the true terror of the Second Awakening wasn't just about gaining a sixth Class.
It lay in the special power one could obtain through the Second Awakening Class.
『Unique Authority: Seven Gates Opening』
And in that moment.
The gates connected to the seven sources of chakra within Dion opened, and its flow began to accelerate.
Chakra was a power that grew stronger the faster it flowed, and faster the stronger it became.
The doubled chakra resisted Urk's Aura, and the speed at which it was being torn apart slowed dramatically.
But the change didn't end there.
The gates open.
The Gate of Emotion.
The Gate of Will.
The Gate of Spirit.
The Gate of Body.
The Gate of Soul.
The Gate of Energy.
The Gate of Life.
And each time a gate opened.
The chakra between the gates connected, and its speed repeatedly doubled.
Doubling, quadrupling, octupling. To 16 times, 32 times, 64 times, and…
…128 times.
*Sssssss.*
“What, is this...?!”
The resistance grew stronger and stronger, until the mist of chakra began to surge forward, swallowing his own Aura.
Urk braced himself for internal injuries and drew out even more Aura, but it was useless.
No matter how long he had accumulated Aura, he was bound to be overwhelmed by chakra that had been amplified over a hundredfold in an instant.
This was truly not something that could be dismissed with the single word 'talent'.
Such an absurd power, one that made any impossibility possible, was called this in Odobaekryeong.
A power that transcended Classes and Traits.
The exclusive domain of a true absolute being.
An Authority.
And it was something that couldn't be fully manifested at the level of a high-ranking Awakened One, and even if manifested, its effects were faint.
This Authority, which he could finally use properly after crossing the Transcendent wall, was granting Dion a power that transcended providence.
“…Just what kind of monster are you, Young Master.”
“Well, maybe the kind of monster who'll be Mr. Orc's son-in-law?”
“...”
“Then I'll be taking your daughter, Mr. Orc… no.”
And so, toward Urk, who saw him appear right before his eyes and opened his mouth as if in a sigh, sensing his end.
The moment Dion reached out his hand, filled with overflowing chakra.
“—Father-in-law.”
『Dark Fragrance of the Floating Flower Suppression Technique: Dark Fragrance Soul-Shattering Strike』
*Pooow!!!*
“Keuk, heok…”
With a sound like a drum bursting from his abdomen, Urk's massive frame collapsed powerlessly.
And so, the short yet fierce duel came to an end.
And the boy, left alone, turned to the observer and prize who had been watching the duel in a daze, and smiled warmly.
“Looks like I've received my father-in-law's approval, don't you think?”
***
Exhausted from the duel.
Wounded by the ambush.
And having come all this way through the curse, he was a complete mess.
Even so, for a boy who had just crossed the Transcendent wall to defeat Urk, a seasoned Transcendent Awakened One, was a feat hard to believe even after seeing it.
But Dion himself remained unfazed.
He simply steered the conversation back leisurely, as if he had merely knocked over a father-in-law who opposed his marriage.
“I think that was more than enough time to think. Haven't you decided yet?”
“I... I...”
“No, on second thought, a decision isn't necessary.”
“...”
“—Because you're already mine, Pandora.”
“...!”
Now that he had defeated Urk.
Pandora was now his spoil of war.
She had no choice in the matter; she just had to become his.
Looking at the boy who revealed his absurd intentions with such a pure smile, Pandora understood.
‘Ah.’
This boy would keep his promise.
He would take her, as if kidnapping her, to his home and never allow her freedom.
He would possess not only her body but her very soul and heart so thoroughly that no one, not even she herself, could ever escape his grasp.
He would use even the Fiend as a tool, committing any act without hesitation, and sweep all of Odobaekryeong into calamity.
Just like a wicked dragon that burns down the world while tearing apart even the prince who came to save the kidnapped princess.
But, for some reason.
The enchanting eyes looking back at her were so beautiful.
And that smile, filled not with fear or disgust but only with affection and love, was bewitchingly captivating.
She came to realize it instinctively.
Just as Dion had said, she never had a choice to begin with.
The moment this absurd boy broke through the cursed fog and appeared before her eyes…
No, from the day she met the boy who had passed the groom's contest, the only choice she could make had already been decided.
“So, let's have this be the contract instead.”
And so.
When Dion approached.
And wrapped an arm around her waist.
She did not resist at all.
She simply closed her eyes quietly and accepted the devil's temptation.
And so…
*Tsssss.*
“Ha, ngh!”
Following the hand that traced her back.
Along with an immense heat.
As she felt the serpent's brand being seared onto her white skin, heavily suppressing the Fiend's seal.
The cursed witch, who had resented and destroyed everything, finally accepted the partner who would bind and rule her for the rest of her life.