Screech!
A sharp shearing sound echoed through the air.
As if…
The world itself had been split in two.
“Gah!”
“Keeeh…”
The bodies of the lesser dragons began to crumble.
The five dragons fell without a chance to react to the swift sword strike.
“Looks like that’s the end of the worms…”
Jinhyuk shook the blood from his sword.The tip of his blade now pointed towards Samaja.
“Now all that’s left is you.”
A one-on-one situation finally unfolded.
“…Yes. Perhaps it was a mistake to rely on the others.”
Swoosh!
Samaja drew his sword.
The blade, forged from a millennium’s frost, was coated with the lethal poison possessed by the Tang Clan.
“Wow, that looks like an expensive sword. My personal blacksmith will be overjoyed if I bring it to him.”
Old Man Orun would be so eager to possess it.
Of course, it’s highly likely to be destroyed during enhancement, but that’s another matter.
“You plan to take… my sword?”
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
“You seem to greatly underestimate me. I understand. Since all you’ve seen is my scheming from the shadows, it must seem easy to defeat me.”
Flare!
A dark energy surged from the tip of Samaja’s sword.
[Samaja has activated ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’!]
A power recognized only by the heavens themselves.
“With the Heavenly Demon gone, who do you think has taken his place?”
The completed Heavenly Demon Divine Art unfolded.
＊＊＊
In the realm of offensive abilities, there are some that are always mentioned among the strongest…
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was one such martial art, its mere mention instilling fear in all.
But.
Bang! Crash! Bang!
The more their blades clashed, the more twisted Samaja’s expression became.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, said to have no equal under the heavens.
Regardless of whether his opponent had somehow hastily learned abilities from the Heavenly Demon, they could not compare to one who had undergone bone-grinding training like himself. ȒÁℕǑꞖĘ𝘴
The quality of the training and the experiences amassed were on completely different levels.
“Kuk!”
Bang!
He barely parried the broadsword that flew at him diagonally.
Logically, a big and clunky sword, despite its power, should be at a disadvantage in speed.
And yet…
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
The problem was.
His opponent was handling that colossal sword as if spinning a pinwheel – with absolute ease.
‘What is this…’
Samaja’s body staggered greatly.
With each hit, his arms felt progressively heavier.
“Weren’t you confident with your Heavenly Demon Divine Art? It’d be shameful to die sputtering like this, wouldn’t it?”
Jinhyuk taunted him again.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I haven’t even begun to show you my true power.”
His words stated confidence, but the rapid tilt in the balance of power was visible to anyone watching.
To attribute the disparity merely to their weapons…
‘I too possess an exceptional divine weapon that would make others envious across the entire martial world.’
Or is it because of this transformed scenery?
Ever since being transported to this new place, not the martial world, his inner power consumption had become severe.
The exact reason was unclear.
‘One thing’s certain, I’m being pushed back.’
If he lingered any longer, his neck would undoubtedly meet the massive broadsword.
Gnash!
Samaja bit down hard on his molars.
Although he hated to admit it, his opponent was more powerful.
And so…
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
He jettisoned his defense, forsaking speed as well.
His sword aura grew, as he invested everything into a single, lethal strike.
“If we keep dancing around, it will take all day. A man like you would face me head-on without dodging, right? Surely you’re not planning some petty trick, dragging out this fight to claim victory?”
Samaja taunted Jinhyuk.
A provocation not worth responding to – cheap, even.
And yet…
Why did it seem to have worked?
Jinhyuk, who was moving at high speed, suddenly stopped.
…He had taken the bait.
Although he didn’t show it outwardly, he was just as pressed for time as Samaja.
[Myth Reproduction]
[Remaining time: 0h:0m:27s]
Twenty-seven seconds.
After that, he’d have to fight Samaja with depleted physical and magical power.
‘Provoking him into a mental corner worked.’
Ironically, the side lacking time had managed to drag out the fight, a deceit that had now taken full effect.
Jinhyuk smiled slightly.
‘Just hold on a little longer.’
He felt like passing out from the magical power spent manifesting the spirit of the sweet potato and the power drained from the battle against the Blue Dragon.
But it didn’t matter.
The fight was drawing to a close anyway.
Fzzzt!
His sword began to radiate a deep purple hue.
He concentrated all his energy to maximize the explosive power.
“This time it ends here!”
Samaja made a move slightly faster than usual.
A horizontal slash.
From left to right, a blue sword strike sliced through the air.
“Sorry, but you’re out of your league.”
A vertical slash.
From top to bottom, a black sword strike pierced downward.
Kaboom!
Light clashed with light.
“Kraaaah!”
Large veins protruded from Samaja’s forehead.
“Huff!”
A thin stream of blood trickled from Jinhyuk’s nose.
His muscles screamed in agony from the surging magical power.
Crackle-crackle…
Sparks flew.
Flames flickered wildly.
The balance that had been maintained in stalemate shattered a few seconds later.
[The usage time for the skill has expired.]
[Myth Reproduction will be canceled.]
Announcement windows appeared, signaling the end.
Simultaneously, the power of Siegfried and the place that enabled its reproduction disappeared.
In a fleeting moment.
Joy and sorrow intersected.
“Damn it! Why now…”
“Kuh… Kahaha! You’ve run out of inner power, it seems!”
Samaja let out a loud laugh.
Now that the familiar martial world was back, his confidence surged even more.
With Jinhyuk’s power drained, the fight was effectively over.
Samaja’s hands trembled slightly.
Just a little more and he would be able to cut off the head.
Samaja too was running on empty, which made it impossible to finish the fight.
For a decisive victory here…
“Blue Dragon!”
He called for the battling divine beast.
“Koooooh!”
Engaged in a fierce battle with the sweet potato, the Blue Dragon roared.
Instinctively understanding that turning its back would mean death.
However.
Samaja used his golden arts to suppress the Blue Dragon’s instincts.
‘Such a waste, but it doesn’t matter.’
Losing the Blue Dragon was irrelevant, as long as he killed Jinhyuk on the spot and then swept up everything else.
Besides, possessing the ‘Pearl of White Flame’ meant he could eventually raise more lesser dragons.
And so.
“Kraaaah!”
The Blue Dragon, having lost its reason, charged towards Jinhyuk.
Intent on ending it all with a body slam.
“This is…”
A sardonic smile spread across Samaja’s lips.
“The end!”
The Blue Dragon had gotten as close as it could to Jinhyuk, almost close enough to breathe on him.
And in that moment.
“Kuh?”
“What…!?”
The Blue Dragon’s movement inexplicably halted in mid-air, as if bound by invisible threads.
“How did this happen? Blue Dragon! Devour that man at once. Tear him to pieces with your teeth!”
Samaja was shouting himself hoarse.
He had to rush; the ancient dragon would soon kill the Blue Dragon.
“Blue Dragon… What are you doing…?”
“Don’t rush it. He’s doing his best, isn’t he?”
Jinhyuk was flirting with a smile on his face, his demeanor far too relaxed considering the massive Blue Dragon’s fangs were before his eyes.
“Did you do some trick again?”
“Nothing major, just a little prank.”
[The 10-star barrier ‘Trap of the Divine Beast’ is now activated.]
With a flick of Jinhyuk’s thumb and forefinger, blue runes began to emerge around them.
A high-level containment magic, corresponding to 10 stars.
‘An ancient barrier’ he had prepared as a broad containment spell.
“When did you set up such magic?”
“Think about how long I’ve been here. Of course, I wouldn’t just sit around without making any preparations,”
Jinhyuk knew well in advance that Samaja had a Blue Dragon; he also knew Samaja would use it as a trump card in a dangerous situation.
Because of this, setting up the board was not hard.
“To cast a spell, you need time to concentrate… But you didn’t have that luxury.”
“Well, of course, I didn’t do it myself. You didn’t notice because I wasn’t directly involved.”
There were plenty of other things that could be done on his behalf.
“Master! Did we do well?”
“We tried really hard not to get caught, you know? Right?”
“Hehe, I did just as you asked, without mistakes!”
“Keep it down, everyone. My head hurts.”
North, south, east, west.
Spirits who had laid in wait at every corner of the barrier waved their hands.
Especially Undine, who was hopping from foot to foot in anticipation of praise.
“Sure enough… You used your head well. But the fact remains that your inner power is depleted. Even if we were to fight now, I’d have a much greater advantage.”
“No, there’s no need to fight any longer. Even without lifting a finger, it’s already over.”
The ‘Trap of the Divine Beast’ wasn’t just for binding its target.
It also had the ability to remove harmful spells and skills affecting the divine beast and restore its lost sanity.
Whooooosh!
Life returned to the Blue Dragon’s eyes, which had been bloodshot.
Its flailing body swiftly calmed.
“Human… creature.”
The first emotion it showed was anger.
A divine beast, which roamed the mountains seeking harmony between life and nature, could hardly be fond of Samaja, who had forced it into submission.
Good.
This should do.
Just in time, Jinhyuk released the ‘Trap of the Divine Beast.’
Rumble-rumble!
As a result, the Blue Dragon turned its head towards Samaja.
“How can this be? My golden arts… why? You damned creature!”
“Still spewing sin from your foul mouth, even now. I thought you’d show at least a fragment of regret or guilt in your final moments…”
“There’s no way I will die here, so pathetically… like this!”
Samaja swung his sword, but it was deflected off the Blue Dragon’s scales.
Having expended all his strength simply maintaining his sword energy, he no longer had the means to flee.
“Become dust and vanish.”
Winds gathered in the Blue Dragon’s mouth.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
And that was the end.
Boom-boom-boom!
Blades of wind carved Samaja’s body to pieces.
He likely didn’t even have time to feel the pain.
It was all over with such speed and overwhelming force.
＊＊＊
With Samaja’s death, the pillar supporting the Heavenly Demon Cult crumbled.
The main force that had gone to Luoyang was utterly demolished by the Imperial army led by Abraham, in coalition with the Martial Alliance.
Only a handful of the cult’s masters, including Chae Hong-ah, managed to escape the city with their lives.
And now.
In a secluded mountainous area not far from Luoyang.
“I thank you, human. You have delivered me from drowning in darkness, and it was none other than you who did it.”
The Blue Dragon expressed its gratitude.
To repay a favor is both the duty and conviction of a divine beast.
[The divine beast ‘Blue Dragon’ wishes to settle its debt of gratitude.]
[Speak your desired compensation.]
Finally, the moment had arrived.
The reason he gave the Blue Dragon a chance to repay the debt, even at the cost of missing out on Samaja, a big chunk of experience.
‘I’ve been recognized for my contribution, but compared to missing the last hit, it’s nothing.’
Of course.
He deserved a befitting reward.
No, an excessively unfair reward.
From the other side’s perspective, a reward that seemed totally unreasonable and outrageous.
“What I want is…”
Jinhyuk opened his mouth slowly.
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