< Episode 630 > Nine. And Three.
Smoke billows with the explosion.
Thick gunpowder stings the nose.
Heavy smoke obscures my vision.
*Voom—!*
I channel qi to my eyes to clear my sight.
The ground ahead comes into view.
*Fwoosh—!*
I immediately gather flames and create a Flame Prison.
And hurl it straight at the ground again.
*Kwaaaaang—!!*
Another massive explosion rings out as debris whirls around.
I repeated this continuously.
I can feel my internal qi draining. Flame Prison is a technique that consumes a significant amount of internal qi to begin with.
The unusually rapid consumption of qi is vividly apparent.
Even so.
I didn't stop.
*Boom—! Kwaang—! Boom—!*
I blew apart the ground wherever I saw it, smashing it to pieces.
Paying no heed to the draining internal qi, I kept using Flame Prison.
Watching the constantly shattering debris, I recall:
'Back then, using it even once was overwhelming.'
There was a time when using it once left me ruined for days from the recoil.
I think it was around when I entered the Divine Dragon Hall.
Back then too, it was a problem caused by forcing myself to use a technique I should only be capable of using upon reaching the Hwagyeong realm.
Using a technique unsuited to my realm is still the same now, however.
'I've improved, at least.'
At least, the days of becoming half-crippled after a single use were gone.
Of course.
'That said, wildly spamming it like this is still overdoing it.'
Objectively speaking.
Just counting the uses, I can manage roughly ten times, maybe a few more.
That was the count when I controlled compression and rotation to the extreme and used my internal qi efficiently.
If I use it this recklessly like now, the count would decrease even further, but.
There was no time to find a proper path.
Nor was it the time to conserve qi.
*Kuaaaaa—!!*
Wreathed in heat, I used Flame Prison several times in succession.
By the time the exact count reached five.
*Thud—!*
I stopped gathering qi at the strange sensation I felt.
Because what I saw was no longer the chaotic terrain from before.
I could see a proper underground structure.
A space that anyone could tell was artificially constructed.
*Tuk.*
I landed lightly and felt the surrounding qi.
'This is it.'
I knew immediately.
That this was the place I had been looking for.
A chill pierced through my body, and a subtly uncomfortable silence pervaded the area.
I flicked my fingers roughly.
*Hwak—!*
Then the extinguished lanterns lit up, and the surroundings became a bit brighter.
Not that it was much more than an ordinary hallway.
Turning up the lanterns, I walked down the corridor.
I expanded my qi sense, but strangely, there were no signs of anything following.
I had figured that guy—whether his name was Mang or whatever—would catch up by now.
Walking a short distance and passing through the hallway, I discovered a massive door ahead.
I frowned at the door.
'This.'
It was a door I had seen somewhere.
It possessed the same size and shape as the door from the hideout where the Palace Lord had been.
Recognizing it, I immediately grabbed the door handle.
Thinking it would open on its own just like last time.
*Zzzzzt—!!!*
"...!"
Contrary to my expectations, I felt resistance.
Along with pain, an unknown energy pushed me away.
As if trying to prevent me from opening the door.
Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.
"This bastard?"
It's ridiculous.
I'm merely opening a door, yet it's blocked like this.
Feeling an inexplicable irritation, I grabbed the handle again.
Then.
*Zzzzzzt—!!!*
The energy began pushing me away once more.
It was immense pain, but.
'I'm rather used to that sort of thing.'
I was so used to getting hurt and being in pain that it was almost sickening.
So I ignored it and put strength into my hand.
*Skree—.*
Enduring the energy, my skin tore on its own.
Even though I had a shallow layer of Ganggi wrapped around me.
Of course, I didn't let go.
*Rrrgh—!*
I grabbed the door and pulled it straight toward me.
Though heavy resistance was felt, I also raised my qi to oppose it.
A truly brutish method.
Whether it's a formation or anything else, if something is placed on it, the proper approach would be to undo it first.
To just grab the door without paying any mind to such things.
Even I couldn't believe I was this brutish.
However.
'Since when did I ever use my head?'
In the end, I thought this was the method that suited me best.
Even as my skin tore and I felt pain and strain.
I applied force without paying heed.
*Creak.*
After some time, the door truly began to open.
Ah, rather than opening.
'It's closer to being ripped off.'
What does it matter.
I put stronger force into my hand.
*Rrrgh—! Kwaang—!*
In the end, the iron door was torn off.
The iron door that had guarded the Ice Palace for hundreds of years was ripped away.
Looking at the door in my hand, I spoke.
"See, you should've just opened obediently. Why'd you have to act up?"
*Hwiik.*
*Kwaang—!*
I roughly threw the iron door somewhere down the hallway and moved straight into the entrance.
Fortunately, upon entering, I didn't feel the recoil I had when opening the door.
Only, the chill I felt had become much stronger.
Moreover, I turned my gaze and examined my forearm.
'Hmm.'
Goosebumps had risen between the somewhat protruding scales.
'What is this now.'
The moment I entered the space, my entire body broke out in goosebumps.
Along with an uncomfortable, nauseating sensation.
It was a feeling I always had when seeing a half-dragon or traces of a dragon, but this time it was especially severe.
As if.
'Like when I met the Blood Demon.'
The Blood Demon wearing Jang Seonyeon's skin.
An immense hostility surged, just like when I met him.
First, I suppressed the emotion and examined the surroundings.
'The structure is similar.'
The space with the ice crystal I had seen in the hideout.
It was nearly identical to that place.
'Which means.'
I turned my head toward where the qi felt especially strong.
Sure enough. There was an ice crystal there.
'I was right.'
The Palace Lord had said so.
That beneath the Ice Palace, there is an ice crystal that blocks the extreme cold.
This seemed to be the place where it was.
Just as the space was, the ice crystal's shape was no different either.
It was merely questionable to behold.
'It blocks the extreme cold.'
The surrounding chill remained the same, and it looked no different.
This thing is said to eat extreme cold and spread it elsewhere.
I couldn't feel any difference.
Meaning I had no idea by what principle it worked.
'Not that it matters much.'
How such a thing is possible no longer concerned me.
What mattered was that I now knew the reason it was doing so.
I took a step toward the ice crystal.
*Hwareureuk.*
At the same time, I filled my hand with qi.
No deep thoughts, no grand plans.
Simply that it had gone bad, so I break it.
With only that thought, I approached the ice crystal.
The moment I was about to strike the ice crystal with my fist, whether it broke or not—
"...?"
The moment I examined the ice crystal closely, my movements stiffened and the qi in my hand dissipated.
"Crazy."
A curse slipped out unintentionally. It couldn't be helped.
There was something inside the ice crystal.
The inside of the ice crystal, which had been obscured by the chill, became visible.
Inside—
"What's this bastard doing here again?"
—was Uhyeok.
"Huh?"
My eyes widened the moment I saw him.
The original purpose of coming to the Ice Palace.
Remembering that I had come to find Uhyeok and take him with me, I stared at the ice crystal.
What the? Why is this bastard inside here?
I was bewildered.
It was the most bewildering situation I had experienced recently.
Why on earth was Uhyeok inside the ice crystal out of nowhere?
I frowned deeply as I looked at the ice crystal, but.
'This is fucking crazy.'
The bewilderment had to end in an instant.
Setting aside why this insane situation had occurred.
The reason to break the ice crystal had only increased.
*Kkuuk.*
I twisted my waist and clenched my fist. Qi permeated my fist.
Just as I was about to strike the ice crystal—
[Damn it.]
Along with the harsh words.
*Kwaaaaaang—!*
Sharp ice suddenly poured out from the ice crystal.
Should I just take the hits and strike back?
I pondered for a moment, but.
*Whoosh—!*
My instincts had already twisted my body to create distance.
'Tch.'
The trade-off wasn't worth it.
Since every spike aimed for a vital point, dodging while maintaining an offensive stance was too much to ask.
After creating some distance and avoiding the attack.
"Ha, you son of a bitch."
I spat out a curse and looked straight ahead.
"You bastard. What are you doing now?"
[...]
A brief silence passed after my words.
[Truly, this is absurd.]
A familiar voice.
Mang's voice came from the ice crystal.
[Are you clever? Or are you foolish? To think you would come here so recklessly.]
*Grind.*
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, seething with anger.
[A little more was all I needed. It was but an instant, at most. How dare you, after refusing my hand, interfere with my affairs?]
"Interfere, my ass."
I sneered at Mang's words.
"You never planned to be on the same side anyway. You fucking bastard."
Who does he think he's fooling.
"Did you think I'd just sit there listening to that?"
From the conversation, it was clear Mang never intended to join hands with me from the start.
A center without roots.
A conversation that pretended to reveal things while omitting everything important.
Listening to words that subtly tried to coax me, I couldn't help but realize.
"It was obvious you were stalling for time. Why the hell would I keep listening?"
[Ha.]
He let out a hollow laugh at my words.
[Quicker-witted than I thought.]
He had been buying time from me.
Even going so far as to hide completely and appear through Yuseon's body to do so.
What could be the reason?
What reason could there be to go that far?
I didn't think on it for long.
If he truly had a reason he had no choice but to do that to me.
That reason would lie in the ice crystal.
Predicting that, I searched for the ice crystal, and sure enough, the situation was completely fucked.
"What are you doing right now?"
I asked him, grinding my teeth.
[I am the one who would ask.]
Mang retorted.
[Ninth. Just what do you think you're doing?]
"What?"
[I am asking why on earth you are interfering with me.]
Mang spoke to me as if he truly could not understand.
[At the very least, I did not mix falsehoods into our conversation. Our common enemy is the same. My intention to join hands was true as well. How is it you made this choice?]
At his words, tinged with slight grievance.
I looked at him and spoke.
"Do you lack ears?"
[What...?]
Could it be that he has no ears? Otherwise, there was no way he could say such things.
"I clearly told you I don't want to because you're a fucking bastard to work with. Is your comprehension lacking?"
[...]
"I hate sneaky bastards the most."
If they act up in front of me, I can just beat them.
With sneaky bastards, you never know what they'll do, so there's too much to worry about.
Especially after learning he had been sucking the Blood Clan of the North Sea dry for hundreds of years for his own resurrection, any sympathy I might have had completely vanished.
[...For such a trivial reason?]
Even after I kindly explained.
Mang spat out his words as if he still could not understand.
[Because I preyed upon these uncivilized creatures a little, you would refuse my hand?]
"Look at your tone. Your tone alone is shit."
[That these worthless beings were used for my resurrection is a blessing.]
"Now you're even talking nonsense."
[They should be grateful even in death, and yet you, their kin, would be angered by this?]
Hearing his words, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I was too pissed off to talk anymore.
"Don't get it wrong."
I filled my body with qi again.
"Whether the North Sea suffered or not, that's none of my business."
Yes, that doesn't matter.
Why would I be angered by that, as if I share some great connection with them?
What matters to me is.
Not the sacrificed Blood Clan of the North Sea.
"It's because I'm disgusted by you, who does such things without batting an eye. You bastard."
Winding even greater qi around my fist than before, I hurled my body forward.
*Crackle—!* Ice spikes poured out like before, but
this time, since I based my approach on evasion, dodging wasn't difficult.
My clothes were slightly torn from the violent movements, but
it wasn't damage worth worrying about.
*Tuk—!* I twisted on my toes and assessed the situation.
In the end, I broke through Mang's attack and reached right in front of the ice crystal.
This time, without hesitation, I thrust my fist straight into the ice crystal.
*Kwadeudeudeudeudeuk—!!!*
My fist dug straight into the ice crystal.
Swallowing my slight surprise at that.
Because it penetrated much more easily than expected.
I thought there would be some resistance.
To think it went in like I was breaking ordinary rock.
'Strange as it is.'
I put all my strength into pushing my fist in.
Then.
*Crackle—!!!* Starting from the embedded fist, cracks began to form on the ice crystal.
The rapidly spreading cracks engulfed the entire crystal.
Afterwards.
*Kwadeudeuk.*
It took only a few seconds for the ice crystal to be crushed and collapse.
*Thud, thud.*
The gradually scattering fragments of the ice crystal.
I couldn't help but frown watching the collapsing wreckage.
Not because the ice crystal had collapsed.
The reason being.
"...Ha... You're really making me annoyed."
Someone had grabbed my outstretched fist.