Chapter 214: Signs of Crisis (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: Signs of Crisis (3)
Whooooosh—
High-altitude winds brushed against my cheeks. My ears popped. And above all, it was cold. Chilled to the very bone. Yet the smile on my lips refused to fade. Because...
I cast my gaze downward. Beyond the scaly skin beneath me lay the world below. Clouds floating in the azure sky, and beneath them, man-made structures clustered like tiny Lego bricks.
An overwhelming sense of grandeur—something I had never experienced in my entire life—struck me. It was entirely different from taking an airplane. No, it wasn't even comparable. The raw resonance of this primitive form of flight shook me to my core.
Besides, anyone could ride a plane back on Earth. But a dragon? Has anyone ever ridden on the back of a dragon? Even in this world, people who had ridden a dragon were virtually nonexistent. After all, dragons were demons.
A hostile demon letting a human ride on its back? It was like a mouse hitching a ride on a cat.
I raised my head and looked forward. From the massive horns up front, a long back stretched all the way to where I sat. It was such a reliable-looking back that it made me wonder if this was really the same Hon who drooled like a leaky faucet whenever she saw Hanwoo beef.
As I marveled internally, Hon turned her head back toward me.
-Um, Geomma-nim.
Hon spoke in the Demonic Language. Transforming into a dragon altered her vocal structures, making it impossible to use human speech.
However, the language barrier between humans and demons posed no issue for me, equipped as I was with the ‘Blessing of Communication.’ I replied in the Demonic Language.
“What is it? Are we there?”
-Not yet. But at our current flying speed, we should arrive within an hour.
“Wow... that's fast. That means taking only two hours from Korea to Hawaii. It takes eight and a half hours by plane.”
The muscles around Hon's wing sockets twitched. It was her attempt at a shrug.
-Hmph. I'm hurt that you'd compare us dragons to a mere chunk of scrap metal! A dragon flies by harnessing the mana in the atmosphere as fuel, whereas that scrap metal...
Hon rambled on, lecturing me on the magnificence of dragon-style flight. Listening to her, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. Her tone... her nuance... she sounded suspiciously like Choi Seol-ah.
'...Putting those two together has really been a bad influence on her.'
A sigh escaped my lips, forming a puff of white mist between my teeth. Then, struck by sudden curiosity, I asked Hon:
“I noticed earlier that your Korean has gotten incredibly fluent. Do demons usually pick up human languages so fast?”
-Not really. Very few demon races can learn human languages. You have to satisfy two main conditions first.
To sum it up, for a demon to speak a human language like Korean, they needed a vocal structure similar to a human's, accompanied by high intelligence. She added that demons fulfilling both conditions were rare.
'If a demon meets both conditions, that means they're quite high-ranking...'
Yet, demons of that caliber rarely showed themselves. They were extremely reluctant to leave their own ecosystems. Research had been conducted on this, but the exact reason remained unknown. Even asking Hon, a dragon, yielded no answers; she just said it seemed to be an innate habit.
Still, thanks to their reclusive nature, humanity was spared from one massive threat. It was fortunate, if nothing else.
Conversely, if such demons did appear, it served as proof that the situation was dire. And if they showed up in a group? Then things would get extremely serious.
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me. Talk about bad timing.
'Every time I go somewhere, trouble always breaks out.'
After traveling for another half hour, Hon spoke in a low voice.
-...Geomma-nim, I've been sensing it for a while now. There are demonic presences near the Gehenna Gate.
“Well, Hawaii Island is already densely populated with demons since it's where the Gate is located.”
-Yes... but this isn't normal. There are far too many presences detected. And... they don't seem like ordinary riffraff demons either. I'm not sure which race they are, but their numbers are definitely huge.
I furrowed my brows and asked back:
“Huge numbers... just how many?”
-Hold on a moment.
Hon immediately swept her magic over a wide range. Her dragon scales bristled all at once. Gathering information with her honed senses, she blurted out:
-Roughly a hundred or so.
“Fuck.”
Hon opened her eyes wide.
-What does that word mean? I've heard it a lot, but I don't really know what it means. I asked Ms. Boradori, but she wouldn't tell me, saying it was a bad word.
Look at that. A former villain preaching about bad words? Was it because her day job was a teacher? Choi Seol-ah really had so many personas. Maybe she was getting confused because she had so many alt characters...
Meanwhile, Hon pressed her question with full academic enthusiasm, curious about the word 'Fuck'. It felt like teaching a child a bad habit. Even if I tried to brush it off, she'd keep pestering me. Besides, it was a word she'd hear constantly once she started academy life anyway.
I opened my mouth.
“It's like a unique Korean expletive. Usually used when something bad happens, but people also use it when they're extremely happy.”
-Aha...
The pair of horns in my line of sight moved up and down. Hon was nodding.
“Let's save this talk for later. Hon, can you pick up the speed from here?”
-I can, but it might be too much for you, Geomma-nim. The harsh wind will probably tear at your skin...
Hon spoke with concern. I appreciated her thought, but torn or damaged skin didn't matter to me in the slightest. I could just activate the 'Blessing of Regeneration.'
To ease Hon's worries, I spoke with bravado.
“I'll be fine, so move at the top speed you can fly. You must've been itching to fly all this time anyway.”
-Don't blame me if you regret it!
“Regret? Pfft. Only real wimps regret stuff like—”
Flap!
With a majestic beat of her wings, a gale swept around us. My words failed to reach Hon's ears—because our speed of movement surpassed sound itself.
* * *
“Heheh. Put down your sword, human. We have merely come to speak—or more precisely, to negotiate.”
This came from an elf who appeared to be an elder standing out from the group of Dark Elves. At his words, Director Seong's eyelids trembled violently. He felt a bizarre, creeping horror.
Not only were they completely surrounded by a troop of Dark Elves, but a demon was speaking human language. The double shock plunged Director Seong into a state of panic. The other heroes were in the same boat, their faces pale as sheets. Except for one person—the Sword Emperor.
“Hoh, as expected of Aaron Nibelung's descendant. Your presence is no less imposing than your ancestor's.”
The Dark Elf Elder twitched his dark, purplish lips. His tone hovered right between admiration and mockery. The Sword Emperor sharply dismissed him.
“You claim to have come to negotiate, yet you create such a threatening atmosphere? You've only learned half of human speech, demon.”
“Hahaha. My apologies.”
At the Elder's gesture, the Dark Elves quietly lowered their weapons. Half of their arsenal consisted of bows, and the rest were wands carved from ancient wood.
The tense air settled down. The Elder took a breath before continuing.
“Shall we begin our conversation? I could order my children to step back, but wouldn't it make no difference to either of us?”
Dark Elves were a demon race specialized in long-range attacks like archery and magic. If they set their minds to it, they could accurately strike targets several kilometers away.
Just as the Elder said, backing off the elf troop meant nothing. Even if they faded from view, their upper hand would remain unchanged.
Knowing this fact, the Sword Emperor offered no rebuttal. He merely bit his lower lip lightly.
The Elder spoke again with a smirk, as if patting a child on the head.
“I understand your feelings well. But if you keep acting so defensive, we can't have a dialogue. How about it? Why don't you sit down and hear us out first?”
With a thoroughly displeased expression, the Sword Emperor sheathed his blade for the moment. Then he whispered to Director Seong.
“Contact the Association.”
“...Ah. Yes, understood.”
Director Seong pulled out his phone using his prosthetic arm, which at least didn't tremble. The Elder seemed fully aware of his intentions, yet he simply let it happen. He observed them with a relaxed demeanor—the composure of someone holding all the cards.
The Sword Emperor turned his head back. The Elder sat on a tree trunk, waiting quietly. Without any fluff, the Sword Emperor cut straight to the chase.
“A negotiation can only take place when both parties stand on equal footing, and when what is given and taken is equal.”
“Indeed. We didn't come empty-handed either. Before we negotiate, as a gesture of good faith, I shall provide you with a piece of information from the Demon Realm.”
The Elder continued through firm lips:
“Before long, 4th Corps Commander Permush will breach this Gate and emerge.”
"""...!"""
Association staff and heroes alike—their faces turned pale with shock without exception. The Elder curled his lips upward in satisfaction.
“As the descendant of the Sword Saint, you must surely realize there is not a single shred of lie in my words, and you must feel the urgency of the situation even more acutely. You know full well how dangerous a Corps Commander breaching a Gate on their own two feet is.”
How could he not know? A Corps Commander's true power was a world apart from when they descended via possession. Literally, a gap between heaven and earth existed in their power.
The Dark Elf Elder continued speaking.
“I won't beat around the bush. We Dark Elves wish to join humanity's side in the upcoming struggle.”
“...What kind of bullshit is that?”
The Sword Emperor spat out, a rare slip in his composure. It was simply too absurd.
“Humans and elves look quite similar on the surface. Is that all? Look at how smoothly you and I are communicating right now, Sword Emperor. We are two species that can easily coexist.”
“……”
“Although a few of our Dark Elves happened to be killed by human hands over the past few days, we shall turn a blind eye to that. What do you say?”
“What a wonderful proposal—suspiciously so. So, what are the Dark Elves asking for in return? You must surely want something if you're willing to betray demonkind and join humanity.”
“What we want is nothing extravagant. A small patch of land to live in outside the Demon Realm, and enough food—that would suffice.”
At the Elder's words, Director Seong's face brightened. The grief he had felt moments ago turned into marvel. Food and land. Under such terms, there was no reason not to accept.
However, the Sword Emperor's reaction differed from Director Seong's. He slowly drew the sword he had been touching.
Schwing.
“S-S-Sword Emperor! Why are you doing that?! Isn't this a great deal?”
“Do you happen to know what the staple diet of Dark Elves is?”
The Sword Emperor asked back without taking his eyes off the Elder. It didn't take long for Director Seong to realize the underlying meaning of that question.
'Ah.'
A bolt of lightning struck Director Seong's mind. His lips parted stumblingly.
“Hu... mans...”
His gaze snapped forward. The Dark Elf Elder's black lips curled into a sneer. Behind him, amidst the grayish-white darkness, a hundred pairs of eyes gleamed with a bloody red glow. They were the eyes of beasts looking at prey.
“Regrettably, negotiations have failed. How unfortunate.”
The Elder clicked his tongue and brushed himself off as he stood up. He looked genuinely disappointed.
“Since things have come to this, we Dark Elves have no choice but to side with the Corps Commander. And to prevent this conversation from leaking, we must eliminate all ears that have heard it.”
“Sly as ever, typical of you point-ears.”
The Sword Emperor generated Aura. The Elder snorted and warned:
“Sword Emperor, I shall sever your ears and keep them separately.”
“I shall slice off your head.”
Just as the Sword Emperor took a step forward—
Ruuuuumble...
The wind reversed its direction. Shadows fell over the forest, which had been thick only with grayish-white mist. Darkness blanketed their surroundings. As if by mutual agreement, everyone raised their heads.
A strange shadow blocked the sun high in the sky. Before anyone could figure out what it was, a figure atop it plunged toward the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The figure slammed violently against the ground, carving out a deep trench. Gray dust billowing wildly filled the area around the Gate.
Step.
From the sunken trench, a dark silhouette stepped out. At the sight, the Sword Emperor, standing behind, sputtered out in utter disbelief:
“How are you here...?!”
Kang Geomma turned slightly. Beneath his messy hair, a subtle arc formed on his lips.
“Did I interrupt?”
The Sword Emperor was still dazed, but he soon shook his head. Dust clung to his white hair.
“No. Your timing is impeccable.”
The Sword Emperor replied while looking straight at him. The arc on Kang Geomma's lips turned into a grin.
“Glad to hear that.”
Kang Geomma flicked his wrist.
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《May the Blessing of God be with you.》
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