Chapter 321: War of the Dragons (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: War of the Dragons (3)
Slash!
A sharp slicing sound echoed.
It felt as if...
The world itself had been cut in half.
"Kack!"
"Keeeee..."
The bodies of the lesser dragons slowly collapsed.
Before they could even react, the sword strike had felled all five dragons.
"Looks like that's the end of the earthworms..."
Jinhyuk shook the blood off Balmung.
The tip of his sword pointed toward Samaja.
"Now, you're the only one left."
Finally, it was a one-on-one.
"...Indeed. Perhaps leaving it to others was my mistake."
Shring!
Samaja drew his sword.
The blade, forged from thousand-year cold iron, was coated with the Tang Clan's Absolute Death Poison.
"Wow. That looks like a pretty expensive sword. If I give it to my personal blacksmith later, he'll absolutely love it."
Old man Orun would probably be itching to get his hands on it.
Of course, there was a high probability he would destroy it while making a fuss about enhancing it.
"You... dare to take my sword?"
"Why not?"
"It seems you look down on me quite a bit. I understand. Since I have only shown myself scheming from behind the scenes, it is only natural you would find me so easy."
Whoosh!
A dark energy flared up at the tip of his sword.
[Samaja activates 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art'!]
The demonic power acknowledged only by the heavens.
"The Heavenly Demon has stepped down. Who do you think took his place?"
The perfected Heavenly Demon Divine Art unfolded.
* * *
If one had to name the strongest offensive abilities...
This was undoubtedly one of them.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art that struck fear into the hearts of all just by its name.
And yet.
Clang! Clash! Clang!
The more their blades clashed, the more Samaja's face twisted into a grimace.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was said to have no equal under the heavens.
No matter if his opponent had learned a makeshift version of the ability from the Heavenly Demon, there was no way he could compare to Samaja, who had undergone bone-shaving training.
The quality of their training and the experience they had accumulated were on completely different levels.
"Ugh!"
Clang!
He barely managed to block the greatsword flying in diagonally.
Naturally, a large, heavy-looking sword should have been slow, even if its power was immense. That was the law of physics.
And yet...
Clash-clash-clash-clash!
The problem was...
His opponent was wielding that massive sword as freely as if it were a pinwheel.
'What on earth is this...'
Samaja's body reeled violently.
With every single strike.
Every time he blocked an attack, his arms felt heavier and heavier.
"Didn't you boast so confidently about mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? If you're struggling this much, you won't even be able to close your eyes in peace when you die out of sheer embarrassment."
Jinhyuk sneered once more.
"Don't make me laugh! I haven't even properly begun yet."
Though he spoke bravely, anyone could see that the tide of battle was rapidly turning.
To blame it on the difference in weapons...
'I, too, possess a divine weapon that is second to none in the entire Murim.'
Or was it because of this altered landscape?
A desolate place where the white bones of a giant dragon lay.
Ever since they had been transported to this new location instead of the Murim, he could feel his internal energy depleting at an extreme rate.
He wasn't sure of the exact reason.
'What is certain is that I am being pushed back.'
If he dragged this out any longer, his head would surely be severed by that greatsword.
Grit!
Samaja clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
He didn't want to admit it, but his opponent was stronger.
In that case...
Rumble!
He abandoned defense and even gave up on speed.
The Aura coating his blade grew even larger.
One strike, one kill.
This was the result of layering Aura upon Aura, investing everything solely into cutting power.
"Testing the waters like this will take all day. If you're a man, don't dodge and settle this with the next strike. Surely, you won't resort to something as petty as dragging this out into a war of attrition to win?"
Samaja provoked Jinhyuk.
It was a cheap provocation, not even worth responding to.
A cheap provocation, indeed...
But for some reason.
Jinhyuk, who had been moving at high speed, came to a sudden halt.
...He took the bait.
Though he didn't show it on his face, Jinhyuk was also running out of time.
[Recreation of Myth]
[Time Remaining: 0h:0m:27s]
27 seconds.
After that, he would have to fight Samaja while squeezing out his depleted stamina and mana.
'Cornering him mentally worked.'
In truth, Jinhyuk was the one short on time, so he had deliberately played a stalling game. This strategy of striking where the enemy least expected had worked perfectly.
Jinhyuk smiled faintly.
'Just a little longer.'
He felt like he might pass out at any moment due to the mana consumed by manifesting Goguma's true form and fighting the Blue Dragon.
But it didn't matter.
This battle was finally reaching its climax.
Crackle!
Balmung was dyed a deep purple.
He was concentrating all his energy to unleash maximum explosive power.
"This time, I will end you!"
Samaja moved half a beat faster.
A horizontal slash.
From left to right, a blue sword light swept out.
"Sorry, but that's impossible for you."
A vertical slash.
From top to bottom, a black sword light plunged down.
Boom!
Light clashed against light.
"Aaaargh!"
Thick veins bulged on Samaja's forehead.
"Huuup!"
A thin stream of blood trickled from Jinhyuk's nose.
His muscles screamed from the overload of mana.
Screeech...
Sparks flew.
The light flickered frantically.
The deadlock broke just a few seconds later.
[The skill's duration has ended.]
[Recreation of Myth has been canceled.]
A status window announcing the end appeared.
At the same time, Siegfried's power and the space that replicated it vanished.
In that brief instant.
Joy and despair crossed paths.
"Damn it! Of all times..."
"Pfft... Hahaha! It seems your internal energy has run dry!"
Samaja burst into wild laughter.
Now that the familiar Murim had reappeared, his confidence soared.
Knowing that Jinhyuk's strength was depleted, the fight was as good as over.
Samaja's arms trembled slightly.
Just a little more, and he could sever his neck.
However, Samaja's own internal energy was also running on empty, making it impossible to deliver the finishing blow himself.
To secure a certain victory here...
"Blue Dragon!"
He called upon the divine beast currently engaged in battle.
"Roaaar!"
The Blue Dragon, which had been locked in a fierce life-or-death struggle with Goguma, roared.
It instinctively knew that turning its back now would mean death.
However.
Samaja used a forbidden art to suppress the Blue Dragon's instincts.
'It's a bit of a waste, but it doesn't matter.'
Even if he lost the Blue Dragon, killing Jinhyuk here and wiping out the rest would still be a highly profitable trade.
Above all, as long as he had the 'White Flame Dragon Orb', he could always raise other lesser dragons in the future.
Ultimately.
"Roaaar!"
The Blue Dragon, having completely lost its reason, lunged toward Jinhyuk.
It intended to finish him off with a direct physical charge.
"With this..."
A sinister smile played on Samaja's lips.
"It's over!"
The Blue Dragon closed in right before Jinhyuk's eyes.
So close that he could almost feel its breath.
And at that moment.
"Growl?"
"What...?!"
As if by magic, the Blue Dragon's massive body froze mid-air.
It was as if it had been tightly bound by invisible threads.
"W-what is the meaning of this?! Blue Dragon! Swallow him this instant! Tear him to shreds with your fangs!"
The veins in Samaja's neck bulged.
He had to be urgent.
The Blue Dragon had to fulfill its role before the ancient dragon could kill it.
"Blue Dragon... what are you doing...!"
"Don't rush him so much. He's trying his best, isn't he?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
He looked far too relaxed for someone staring down the massive fangs of the Blue Dragon.
"Did you pull another trick, you bastard?!"
"Nothing major, just a little prank."
[The 10-Star Barrier 'Divine Beast's Trap' is now active.]
As Jinhyuk snapped his middle finger and thumb, blue runes began to manifest in the air around them.
A high-level barrier of the 10-star rank.
It was an area-of-effect binding spell created through an 'Ancient Barrier'.
"W-when did you set up such a spell?!"
"How long do you think I've been stationed here? Did you really think I wouldn't prepare anything?"
Jinhyuk had known for a long time that Samaja possessed the Blue Dragon.
He also knew that, given Samaja's personality, he would use the Blue Dragon as a sacrificial pawn when in danger.
Therefore, setting the stage hadn't been difficult at all.
"For a spell to activate... it requires time to concentrate. You shouldn't have had... that kind of leeway."
"Well, of course, because I didn't set it up myself. It's no wonder you didn't notice."
Even without lifting a finger, there were plenty of others who could do it for him.
"Master! Did we do good?"
"We worked really hard not to get caught. You know that, right? Huh?"
"Hehe. I did exactly as you ordered without any mistakes!"
"Everyone, quiet. My head hurts."
East, West, South, North.
The spirit beasts waiting at the four cardinal points of the barrier waved their hands.
Undine, in particular, was stomping her feet in excitement, eager to be praised.
"You certainly... used your head. However, the fact that your internal energy is depleted remains unchanged. Even if we fight again from now on, I still hold the upper hand."
"No, there's no need to fight anymore. Even if I don't lift a finger, it's already over."
The Divine Beast's Trap was not limited to merely binding a target.
Removing all harmful spells and skills cast upon a divine beast and restoring its lost sanity was also an ability possessed by the 'Divine Beast's Trap'.
Hummmm!
Life returned to the Blue Dragon's bloodshot eyes.
Its wildly thrashing body quickly calmed down.
"You... human."
The first emotion it expressed was rage.
There was no way the Blue Dragon, a divine beast that roamed the mountains and sought the harmony of life and nature, would hold any affection for Samaja, who had forced it into obedience.
Good.
This should be enough.
Jinhyuk deactivated the 'Divine Beast's Trap' at the perfect moment.
Rumble!
The Blue Dragon turned its head toward Samaja.
"T-this cannot be. My... forbidden art... how? Ugh! How dare a mere beast bare its fangs at its master?! Kill him! You useless thing!"
"You still accumulate bad karma with that filthy mouth of yours, lowly creature. I thought you might show at least a shred of regret or guilt in your final moments..."
"I cannot die in a place like this! I cannot die... so pointlessly!"
Samaja swung his sword, but it bounced off the Blue Dragon's scales.
Having spent all his energy even to manifest Sword Aura, he no longer had the strength to flee.
"Turn to dust and vanish."
The energy of the wind gathered in the Blue Dragon's mouth.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
That was the end.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
Blades of wind shredded Samaja's entire body.
He probably didn't even have time to feel pain.
He had been crushed by such a swift and overwhelming force.
* * *
With Samaja's death, the pillar supporting the Heavenly Demon Cult was gone.
The main force that had headed to Luoyang was also completely crushed by the alliance of the Murim Alliance and the Imperial Army led by Abraham.
Only a few experts of the Heavenly Demon Cult, including Chae Hong-ah, barely managed to escape the castle with their lives.
And now.
In a remote mountain area slightly away from Luoyang.
"Thank you, human. It was none other than you who saved me from the darkness."
The Blue Dragon expressed its gratitude.
Repaying a favor was both the duty and the belief of a divine beast.
[The divine beast 'Blue Dragon' wishes to settle its debt of gratitude.]
[Please state your desired reward.]
Finally, this moment had come.
The reason Jinhyuk had given the Blue Dragon the chance to take its revenge, even at the cost of missing out on a massive chunk of experience points from Samaja.
'I did get recognized for my contribution, but it's nothing compared to missing the final blow.'
Naturally.
He had to receive a fitting reward.
No, he had to extract an unreasonable reward.
A reward that would feel utterly unfair and absurd to the other party.
"What I want is..."
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.