Chapter 283
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 283
Chapter Title: It's Common Sense.
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[Oh dear, my aching body...]
"Are you in a lot of pain?"
[I'm barely hanging on.]
Yuna Kyung let out a pained groan.
Transformation was already a huge strain on the body.
She usually avoided it unless absolutely necessary, but she'd gone and played a life-or-death game of hide-and-seek against Gula in that state.
For Yuna Kyung, still just a fledgling, there was no choice but to collapse from full-body muscle pain.
On top of that, dodging missile barrages had singed some of her down feathers into frizzy curls.
Still, since flapping her beak required no real effort...
Half-buried in Li Chingwei's arms as she raced along, Yuna Kyung blurted out a question.
[But Princess Sister, is she really going to be okay?]
"What do you mean?"
[The scary sister. If she met the team leader, that's good, but if not, she could be in danger, right?]
"Yes, she could be in danger."
Li Chingwei nodded.
Just from the prophecy that Aynsha had to help Maia, it was easy to guess she wasn't in top shape.
"But she won't die."
[...Why are you so sure?]
Yuna Kyung was baffled.
It sounded contradictory—dangerous, but no risk of death.
Li Chingwei calmly explained to her.
"Because history proves it."
[History?]
"It's a tale from the Heroes Age."
The Heroes Age, when Sword Masters roamed, was the most turbulent era in human history.
Especially for the Seven Dragon Society.
Not only did the Sword Demon and Sword Duke sharpen their blades against them.
Even of the ten Sword Masters born after the Bronze Age ended, seven were Rimon Asfelder's disciples.
Over half of all historical Sword Masters turning against the Seven Dragon Society was inevitable.
"Back then, we—called the Demonic Cult—were enemies of the whole world."
And the Seven Dragon Society's foes weren't just Sword Masters.
The gods and witches toppled by the seven dragons.
The fairy kingdom that resisted to the end.
The ethnic groups suppressed by the Seven Dragon Society.
Having once dominated the world, they faced all the grudges they'd accumulated the moment their power waned.
This only worsened as they devolved into a criminal syndicate over time.
Public enemy number one.
That was the Seven Dragon Society.
"Plenty hunted us down, including forces that cornered us."
Avengers bound by hatred.
Hunters coveting the society's treasures.
Even black mages trying to use the princesses as sacrifices.
Among those pursuing the Seven Dragon Society were high-level experts rivaling sect leaders, and absolutes like grand witches or word sorcerers.
At the time, the society had scattered into small cells to evade Sword Masters.
This prevented total annihilation, but blocking elite squads was tough.
Even the princesses faced mortal peril multiple times.
"But in the end, only Sword Masters could kill our seven princesses."
Yet princesses rarely died.
They survived somehow, passing on their true blood.
In one-on-one fights, even Sword Masters could defeat but not kill them most of the time.
The Golden Dragon Princess even routed Sword Wolf Billy the Kid.
"What do you think the reason was?"
[Uh... money?]
"That was part of it, but not the whole story."
Li Chingwei chuckled.
Leaping over a tree branch, she added meaningfully.
"It's because we were the final bosses of a criminal syndicate aiming for world conquest."
[...How does that explain it?]
Was this an explanation?
Or a joke?
As Yuna Kyung tilted her head, Li Chingwei smiled warmly.
"Because it's common sense that final bosses have a Phase 2."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Diego was confident.
Poisoned by venom concentrated thousands of times beyond scorpion toxin, even Rimon couldn't endure.
This strike would finish him.
"Cough!"
That overconfidence was his downfall.
He hadn't expected the counterattack.
Spitting blood from the shock of his heart pierced, Diego slowly raised his head.
And froze.
Maia, writhing in agony moments ago, now stared at him with an emotionless face.
She'd suddenly struck Rimon—holding her—sending him flying, then landed on the ground herself.
But it wasn't just that.
Her jade hands sliced through his Beelzebub-enhanced transcendent flesh like cheese, burrowing to his heart.
No, the real reason was his insect-absorbed instincts.
From the moment their eyes met—her pupils narrowing—they screamed.
Flee now.
This isn't prey.
Escape if you want to live.
What the hell is this...!
Krunch!
Confused by the incomprehensible, Diego obeyed his instincts.
Risking his heart tearing out, he pulled back, widening the distance from Maia.
His insect vitality let him survive that much.
As Diego regenerated his heart from afar...
Maia's lips parted slightly.
"Ahh..."
"AAAAAAA...!"
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!"
First a thin groan.
Then a savage scream.
Her voice grew, turning beastly.
Transcending human hearing, the sonic waves shook heaven and earth.
Then the transformation began.
Crack, craaaack!
Scales sprouted on thin-skinned areas like inner thighs and armpits, covering vitals.
Round ears sharpened triangularly, soft flesh replaced by thin, tough membranes.
Neat hair unraveled; two horns emerged.
Shrrrip!
As if final...
She crouched, back writhing.
A pair of massive wings burst through her shirt, flapping to stir wind.
When it ended...
No fragile, sickly, cynical Green Dragon Clan princess remained.
Only a beast—human-like yet inhuman—flashed feral eyes.
"Th-this... is..."
The first thought seeing her: beautiful.
Not mere prettiness.
A natural beauty without mutation's distortions.
Functional perfection, no waste in her living form.
Human allure balanced with monstrous purity.
Unseen even in Forest Guild's monster players.
Purest.
Most perfect.
Too noble.
Her natural form—leagues beyond artificial shifts—made Diego swallow dryly.
Then he realized.
This wasn't a transformation.
Her human guise was the lie; this was her essence.
And its name...
He knew instinctively, though never seen.
"Dragon?"
Had she heard?
Or black magic's aura?
Statue-still post-change, Maia slowly turned to Diego.
Chill!
Eyes meeting, he forgot all awe, reflexively kicking off to flee.
I have to escape!
Ready to die fighting moments ago.
But insect instincts.
Her predatory glare.
The absolute species gap—even billions couldn't bridge.
Drove him to blind flight.
A simple, desperate urge to get away.
"Gasp!"
But he halted in horror.
After mere steps, Maia—who'd been ahead—was now behind.
Papapap!
Faster speeds.
Zigzags.
Same result.
As if refusing escape.
Maia blocked him instantly, moving too fast for even his lord-surpassing body—seeing only afterimages.
This crazy...!
Heart pounding, armor sweat-soaked.
Dozens of escape tries in seconds, yet barely moved.
He gritted his teeth.
"Fine, if you wanna die, I'll kill you!"
No escape?
Then crush her!
Resolved, Diego pulled his pile bunker arms back, maxing insect powers.
Mantis shrimp punch: 2,500x body weight.
Flea leap: 100x height.
Beetle lift: 50x weight.
Cockroach, scorpion, spider, etc.
Amplifying transcendent physique further.
All poured into the pile bunker, stabbing Maia's blocking heart.
A sure-kill.
Lord or god.
Transcendent power/speed—no reaction possible.
Clang!
"...?!"
Thus, Diego froze.
No martial art.
No mystic power.
His all-out strike caught in one hand.
Unbelievable.
"Let, let go!"
He tried retracting reflexively.
Futile.
Force that repelled giant Gula.
Yet her slender arm didn't budge; couldn't free the bunker.
Instead, she yanked, dragging him close.
Within reach.
Squish!
"What!?"
She gripped his other arm.
Armor dented finger-shaped; arm crushed like matchstick in vice.
"Urk, uwaaaah!"
He thrashed to free it.
Shake, pull, kick—everything.
Vain; she compressed it to real matchstick size.
Pure grip strength.
Pain blocked, or shock would've maddened him.
Squish!
No relief.
Horror.
She seized the other arm.
Watched it crush slowly; eyes bulged.
This...
Beating foes needs no complex tech or powers.
Just faster, stronger.
Diego always believed, honing physique.
Only then did he realize the fatal flaw in his belief.
Even strongest force crumbles before overwhelming might.
...A monster.
Seven Arks.
Constellation descent.
Insect traits.
Black magic.
God-surpassing power.
Yet pure physique crushed him like bug.
Unreasonable existence.
The purest creature in the world.
And therefore the most terrifying.
Yet also the most beautiful.
One monster crushed his arms.
Twisted legs off with hands.
Ripped guts with fingers.
Finally reached for neck.
Thus Diego became blood and flesh chunks.
Liberation Brigade's 12 Specters, rank 7.
Forest Guild schemer, codename Demon, who surpassed lords.
His gruesome end.