Chapter 284
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: That Sounds Good
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"That damn X god... I told you to stop."
After being flung to the opposite side by the sudden palm strike she unleashed while he was hugging Maya,
Rimon, who had been watching the situation from a distance without rashly approaching, furrowed his brow.
It wasn't just because of Maya's actions, as she tore apart Diego's head and limbs like a child playing with bugs, then shredded the remaining giants into pieces.
The horns sprouting from her head.
The wings spread behind her back.
Even her pupils, transformed into those of a reptile.
Maya's form, already half-escaped from humanity.
And the sensation emanating from her that made his entire body tingle with electricity—it was this that put Rimon on edge.
'So it came to this in the end.'
Diego wasn't weak.
He had simply maximized his physical abilities to an extreme, making him a bad matchup against Rimon, who excelled in close-quarters combat, and Maya, a master of martial arts.
The Infinite Monarch, Lee Cheongi.
The Magic Monarch, Karl.
A constellation descended to the earth.
Even Bellos, who had wielded divinity as an avatar.
Objectively speaking, Diego was a more dangerous opponent than any Rimon had faced in this Iron Age.
Even without his sword and while protecting Maya, the fact that he had pushed Rimon into a defensive position proved his strength.
His mistakes were two-fold.
Poisoning Maya with black magic, of all things.
And brazenly using black magic right in front of her, stimulating her instincts.
'The worst-case scenario.'
The princess of the Seven Dragon Society was a powerhouse of the Absolute class from the start.
Immense psionics.
Innate sturdy physique.
Even the techniques of the Seventy-Two Demon Martial Arts.
With all that combined, only a Sword Master could handle such superhumans.
Maya alone had faced the Forest Guild, including Gula, by herself.
But if that were all, the Seven Dragon Society would have crumbled long ago.
No matter how strong the princesses were.
No matter how much stronger they became alongside the Seven Dragon Guards.
There wasn't a single Sword Master so feeble they couldn't handle that much.
Yet the reason the Seven Dragon Society endured even the Heroes Age, rife with Sword Masters, was one.
The seven princesses had a last resort that activated when cornered.
'Dragonization... how many years has it been since I last saw this?'
The principle was simple.
Just as a cornered creature unconsciously releases its limiter and draws out its potential to the limit,
when life hangs by a thread, the instincts within the dragon's pure blood draw out psionics to their extreme.
...By transforming the princesses' bodies into something endlessly close to a dragon's, capable of handling that vast psionics.
A dragonized princess gains strength on a whole other level.
She can freely wield psionics to their limit, which she had previously used only restrictively through ultimate techniques due to the burden on her body.
However, for the seven princesses, dragonization was a last resort.
They rarely used it unless absolutely necessary.
It only activated when life was truly at stake, and the immense power came with two severe side effects.
Bam! Splash!
'As expected, her reason is gone.'
The first side effect of dragonization.
Complete evaporation of reason.
Moreover, driven by the instinct to protect herself, she destroys anything that catches her eye.
In a sense, it's a rampage.
A state close to madness.
At least against unbeatable foes, she flees or can distinguish friend from foe, so there's minimal control...
"Master, do you recognize me?"
Apparently, the black magic aura disgusted her greatly.
Maya, who had been smashing the corpses of the instantly annihilated giants into powder, finally halted and turned her head.
To look back at Rimon, who had called her.
Rimon spoke to her as calmly as possible.
"If you understand my words, release the dragonization immediately. Maintaining it in your current condition is suicidal."
The second side effect of dragonization.
It consumes life force.
From the start, it's a forced remodeling of the body to handle the rampaging psionics, so the burden is immense.
Even a healthy princess risks shortened lifespan or lifelong disabilities if maintained too long.
Maya was already on borrowed time from reckless human experiments.
Maintaining dragonization now meant she was racing toward death with every passing second.
"Didn't you say I can't die until I inherit the pure blood?"
Thus, Rimon did his utmost to persuade her.
With Diego already dealt with, she had no further need for dragonization.
But right after.
Rimon moved on reflex.
Bam!
And was sent flying.
His defense wasn't slow.
His crossed hands were simply overpowered and flung aside by the immense force.
Crashing through several trees.
Rolling across the ground.
Finally rising, Rimon spat out the blood pooling in his torn mouth.
Looking at Maya glaring at him with murderous intent, he muttered in despair.
"We're screwed."
It was the obvious outcome.
Maya was already more ferocious than normal dragonization due to the black magic aura.
She couldn't be expected to recognize as an ally a slave she'd met just ten days ago.
Especially since her opponent was Rimon.
The archenemy who had fought the Seven Dragon Society for centuries.
The fact that she attacked Diego first was already a miracle.
In other words, Maya wouldn't release dragonization until she took Rimon down.
Facing such a dangerous 'enemy,' her princess instincts wouldn't allow self-weakening, even if she wanted to.
'Play dead...? She'd kill me for real.'
'Disguise with constellation power...? Not in this state.'
'Dragging it out half-heartedly just endangers Master more as dragonization persists...'
What way out was there from this worst-possible scenario?
He racked his brain briefly.
"No helping it, then."
With a reluctant sigh,
Rimon tilted his body.
He raised his left arm like a shield, extended his right like a spear.
Then wiggled his fingertips and spoke lowly.
"Come at me."
Another way to end dragonization.
Knocking her unconscious.
To do that.
"If words don't get through, I'll make your body understand."
...The swordless Sword Master entered a hopeless battle.
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Babababang!
Dozens of punches extended in the blink of an eye.
He never blocks head-on.
Receives with palms.
Deflects with the back of hands.
Slaps aside with hands.
Dissipating the overwhelming power of each of those dozens of punches.
Reacting after seeing is too late.
Predicts with instinct and experience.
One motion covers two or three defenses.
Shortens paths to match several times the speed.
But attacks don't slow.
They accelerate, tearing air and stirring storms with mere aftershocks.
Thus, hand-and-fist clashes go from dozens in an instant to hundreds, then thousands.
Boom!
Not hit.
Just failed to fully deflect.
Yet blocking the punch head-on cracks his arm bone, body sliding back.
Before he can stop.
He kicks off the ground, predicts the incoming claw swipe, arches back to dodge.
Slash!
A hair's breadth too late? Or barely evaded?
Five deep gashes scar his neck.
No time to relief that claws didn't hit the artery before the ultra-high-speed pursuit.
Twists his body mid-back-arch to evade, loads rotation into a kick that shatters boulders.
Thud!
Scales tougher than any metal repel it easily.
But he doesn't stop.
Uses rebound to spin again, launches opposite leg.
Aiming for jaw tip.
A vital that shakes consciousness even for ironclad foes if struck true.
Crack!
A hand grips his ankle.
Before those fingers crush it.
Spins body around gripped ankle, finally smashes opposite foot into her jaw.
Bam!
Jaw impact loosens grip.
Pulls ankle free.
Distances from staggering Maya, catches breath.
'As tough as expected.'
Palm-shaped bruise—twisted grotesquely—from mere brief grab.
Ignores pain.
As if never staggered.
Straightens, judges Maya flowing even greater psionics.
'...No, honestly, this is pushing it.'
Not even minutes passed.
Compared to unscathed Maya, his body already covered in blood and bruises tells him.
Fight like this, he'll die.
Inevitable.
No matter how sturdy his body.
No matter how he elevates brawling to murder arts.
He's a swordsman at core.
Punches and kicks mere supplements to swordsmanship.
Of course, those supplements alone could beat average grand witches or word sorcerers.
He'd held his own one-handed against Diego's transcendent physicals surpassing monarchs or avatars.
But Maya's current power wasn't comparable to mere Diego.
From ancient times.
Before Sword Emperor repelled them.
Absolutes who devoured avatars and conquered the world.
Transcendents who, not Sword Masters themselves, uniquely slew one.
The seven dragons.
Mythical beings from before creation, surviving even world-ending calamities.
That power now dwelled in her.
Half or not, irrelevant.
Clad in mighty dragon flesh.
Freely wielding infinite biological manipulation psionics.
Amplifying already immense physicals hundreds, thousands-fold.
That alone let Maya surpass average Absolutes.
...Even Sword Masters would stake lives in direct confrontation.
'Stake my life, huh...'
Rimon trembled.
Not fear of death.
Tension from foe who could kill him, baring killing intent.
So nostalgic.
Overly familiar.
Thus, even enjoyable.
The thrill of teetering on life's edge drew an unwitting smile.
'That sounds good.'
Relaxes clenched fist.
Pulls back spear-arm.
Opens shield-arm.
Into utmost natural stance, presses palms together before chest.
As if in prayer.
Was the anjali mudra too abrupt?
Or instinct sensed something?
Charging Maya hesitated.
But briefly.
Unable to contain boiling ferocity, she growled, clenched fist.
Crack, crunch!
Scales sprout on slender hand, merge into carapace, finally form sleek, solid gauntlets enveloping both hands.
Legs too.
Ignoring abdomen or face.
Reinforcing only attack sites—not armor, but exoskeleton.
To further amplify transcendent physicals via biological manipulation, donning integrated offense-defense weapon.
Rears back, crouches.
Evoking predator pre-leap.
Facing her form squarely,
Rimon muttered inwardly.
'One chance only.'
Every dragged second endangers Maya more.
Cracked arm, injured ankle—prolonging drops slim odds further.
Thus, aim for instant kill.
One strike end.
Of course, swordless, one-shotting dragonized Seven Dragon princess—contradiction.
If another Sword Master tried, Rimon himself would mock them as suicidal.
Even Sword Emperor or Sword Demon revived couldn't.
But one.
Among history's 13 Sword Masters, uniquely capable of such madness.
Came to Sword Tower seeking power.
Yet refused to wield sword.
Learned only sword principles and brawling, not technique.
Blended them into sword reason beyond even Rimon's imagination, who taught him.
Hands as blades.
Legs as flats.
Body as sword body.
Lifelong swordless Sword Master, pacifist.
Thereby uniquely surpassing dragons in flesh.
Wielding 'swordless swordsmanship' stranger than Sword Shadow's 'invisible blade' or Sword Saint's 'unsheathed sword.'
The bare-handed Sword Master.
Kwang!
Stomps ground.
Rebound craters earth.
Maya becomes streak of light, lightning-surpassing speed hurtles at him.
Rimon drew forth one sword intent dwelling within.
『Demon-Slaying Dragon-Killing Sword Unification
Seek peace or death.』
⟨ Peace or Death ⟩
An incomplete sword intent.
Swordsman who rejected sword.
Pacifist who staunchly believed in caste.
Non-violent yet sparked world war with chosen supremacy.
Sword Man whose life was contradiction.
Rimon half-understood, thus couldn't fully accept his sword intent.
But as Sword Master versed in all techniques and reasons, veteran of countless battles.
Above all, as master who forged him through beatings, executioner who later beheaded the fallen.
He could imitate half.
Enough for Rimon.
To wield swordsmanship with body as sword.
Kwaaaaang!!!
Thus, as Rimon's hand became a single sword,
clashed with Maya's dragon-empowered hand—
thunderous roar shakes sky,
earth cracks asunder,
—the slender hand wrapped in green carapace shattered Rimon's arm and pierced his chest.