Silver Dragon Chronicles - Episode 73
The Blood Cult’s main stronghold was hidden somewhere in the Western Territories.
“Do I really have to do this?”
Seo Ryongseon grumbled and let out a deep sigh.
“Water Snake, be quiet.”
“Kuk!”
At Jehwa’s words, Seo Ryongseon’s face contorted.
It had been nearly a week since they crossed into the Western Territories according to Hong Yu-hwa’s plan, but there was no sign of the Blood Cult’s stronghold.
The demonic energy detector she had given them hadn’t shown any reaction whatsoever.
“Asking us to find the Blood Cult’s stronghold in these vast Western Territories makes no sense at all.”
When the Blood Ghost had come previously, she hadn’t told them where the Blood Cult’s main stronghold was.
She had said she would make contact if a large number of personnel entered the Western Territories, but unfortunately, only two had come.
“Water Snake, just find it.”
“Kuek!”
Moreover, there was the guy beside him who kept calling him by the strange name “Water Snake.”
“Can you not call me by such a weird name?”
“Hmm… Then how about Blue Snake?”
“…Just call me Water Snake.”
“Okay.”
Seo Ryongseon let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t help but sigh, wondering how he had ended up provoking a guy like this.
Just as Seo Ryongseon was lamenting his situation…
Oong!
“Huh?”
The demonic energy detector Hong Yu-hwa had given them began to react.
“What’s this?”
“Why, did it react?”
“Yeah.”
Seo Ryongseon nodded at Jehwa, who asked as if puzzled.
“Then let’s hurry!”
Jehwa smiled radiantly and started running.
“Hmm… I feel like things keep getting twisted.”
“Yes, Jeongsama’s forces are gathering in one place.”
“This is really a headache.”
As Jareuken muttered with a displeased expression, Marekeuran let out a deep sigh.
“Surely they don’t have this much military force over there as well?”
“Perhaps they do.”
Jareuken furrowed his brow.
If things turned out this way, it would become a real headache. If they diverted a single demon only to be attacked head-on and lose their forces, it would be an enormous loss.
“It seems they are preparing for an all-out war over there.”
Marekeuran said with a frown.
“Then we’re at a disadvantage. That woman called the Blood Ghost and Hyeolmamyeong have tied up thirty percent of our forces. I want to find and kill them right away, but I can’t even see where they’re hiding.”
As the two demons were talking…
Kugugugung!
A small explosion was heard. At that sound, the two demons’ faces stiffened slightly.
“What is that sound? And this energy….”
“The Silver Dragon Prince, Eun Jehwa.”
Marekeuran, who had identified the true nature of the energy, frowned.
“Huu….”
The plan was simple. Smash everything in sight! Everything that could be seen!
Truly, it was a bold and reckless plan befitting one devised by a demon.
Standing in the middle of the Blood Cult, Jehwa let out a deep sigh. This was the Blood Cult’s stronghold where they had killed all the villagers. Revenge was still valid for Jehwa.
Gooooooh!
Ferocious dragon magic power, Dragon Aura, and killing intent erupted from Jehwa’s body. It had been quite some time since the temperature around Jehwa began to drop.
The more Jehwa’s anger grew, the colder the surroundings became.
“Revenge begins.”
Kwagagagagang!
In an instant, the surrounding buildings were reduced to scorched earth.
“How did he break through the formation!”
An elder of the Blood Cult grabbed the formation mage who managed the formation by the collar and shouted.
“I-I don’t know either! He suddenly appeared and started smashing everything!”
“Kuek!”
The elder released the formation mage’s collar and glared at Jehwa, who was destroying everything in the distance.
“He’s definitely the one the cult has been wary of. I never imagined he would possess such terrifying power.”
The elder, watching Jehwa with cold sweat, felt that Jehwa had vanished in an instant and flinched, his body trembling.
Puk!
“Keok!”
Moments later, he departed from the world in an instant.
“Quite the commotion.”
Marekeuran blocked Jehwa’s path, frowning.
“Oh, the loser.”
“….”
At Jehwa’s words, Marekeuran’s expressionless face contorted miserably.
It seemed Jehwa possessed a special talent for getting under people’s skin.
“Are you picking a fight with me right now?”
“Yeah, we have to fight.”
Marekeuran was at a loss for words as he watched Jehwa nod confidently.
“Kukukukuk! Even you make such expressions sometimes.”
Then, Jareuken appeared behind Marekeuran.
“It has been a while, Prince Eun Jehwa.”
“Since when do you know me!”
Jehwa said with a severe frown at Jareuken’s words.
“It is not unreasonable that you do not remember. Because you and he seem to be different beings.”
At those words, Jehwa narrowed his eyes.
“What nonsense!”
“You have really changed. He was weak, but kind and gentle.”
Even as he spoke, Jareuken leaped.
Kwagang!
“Too bad.”
Jehwa, who had smashed the spot where Jareuken had been, muttered with a disappointed expression.
Watching that, Jareuken smiled faintly and said.
“I cannot take hits easily.”
“We have to see who’s better.”
Shik! Kwagang!
Jehwa stuck his tongue out at Jareuken’s composed face and tried to rush at him, but Marekeuran blocked him with his sword.
“Don’t interfere.”
Jehwa frowned, struck away the sword blocking him, and charged at Jareuken once more.
“Hmm.”
Narrowing his eyes at the sight, Jareuken changed his stance and met Jehwa’s swinging fist.
Kwang!
An enormous roar rang out as a shockwave spread through the surroundings.
“Amazing. I canceled it out, but my arm is creaking.”
Jareuken muttered, breaking into a cold sweat.
“Then die.”
Jehwa responded with a nonchalant face, and Jareuken smiled faintly again and said.
“No matter how great you are, can you really take on two demons at the level of a Demon Count?”
As Jareuken said, Marekeuran couldn’t leave Jehwa, who was riddled with openings, alone.
But Jehwa wasn’t alone either.
“Water Snake, block him!”
Chaeng!
Seo Ryongseon, who had appeared in an instant, blocked Marekeuran’s sword swinging at Jehwa.
“…!”
Both Marekeuran and, of course, Jareuken were startled by Seo Ryongseon’s sudden appearance.
“You take care of that guy; I’ll play with this one.”
Seo Ryongseon let out a deep sigh at Jehwa’s words, grinning from ear to ear.
Having left Marekeuran to Seo Ryongseon, Jehwa smiled a smile filled with malice and spoke to Jareuken.
“He’s strong enough to match that damned demon. So who do you think is stronger, you or me?”
At Jehwa’s words, Jareuken also let out a deep sigh.
“Well, we’ll know once we fight.”
Soon, Jareuken’s aura completely changed.
Jehwa also narrowed his eyes and raised his dragon magic power and Dragon Aura.
Kwagang!
Unlike the fight between Seo Ryongseon and Marekeuran, who sought to cut down their opponent with sharp killing intent, the fight between Jehwa and Jareuken was, quite literally, a chaotic brawl itself.
Magic was fundamental to demons. But depending on what magic they had learned, their disposition changed completely.
Kwang!
Once again, an explosion echoed out.
“Tch, what!”
As the fighting briefly lulled, Jehwa revealed himself. His face was heavily scrunched up, seemingly having quite a hard time, with burns here and there.
Jareuken, who appeared alongside him, was in a similar state. Jareuken narrowed his eyes and looked at Jehwa.
‘Even if I try to shake him off….’
He couldn’t shake him off.
He clung persistently, interfering with his magic, and used the openings to land attacks on him. It was quite a crude fighting style, but that meant he was calculating the time needed to cast magic down to the second.
‘He’s no ordinary opponent.’
The judgment to ruin the timing for attacks exquisitely, and the boldness to put that judgment into action. Furthermore, the power to realize that judgment and boldness.
A being that could only be described as perfect had appeared before his eyes as an enemy.
Cold sweat began to flow from Jareuken’s forehead.
‘This won’t be easy.’
He had been wrong to think of Jehwa as the weakling he once was, even after hearing Marekeuran’s stories about him.
Moreover, the biggest problem was that Jehwa had no fear of getting hurt. If he attacked rashly, it would be Jareuken himself who got hurt, not Jehwa.
‘What kind of dragon is so fearless?’
Jareuken smiled bitterly inwardly and lowered his body; seeing that, Jehwa also took an attacking stance.
As a brief standoff continued, Jareuken suddenly spoke to Jehwa.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“You definitely died there. So why are you alive here?”
“What nonsense?”
Jehwa frowned at Jareuken’s words.
“As expected, you do not know.”
Then Jareuken, having let out a deep sigh, opened his mouth again.
“Then the games end here.”
“Huh?”
Jehwa tilted his head at Jareuken’s meaningful words.
Thump, thump….
“Huh?”
Along with that, the sound of a heartbeat.
The heart, which had begun beating at a rapid speed, soon told Jehwa instinctively that the opponent before his eyes was dangerous.
‘What?’
At this unprecedented phenomenon, Jehwa put on a bewildered expression. He had faced dangerous enemies before, but his instincts had never sent a red warning to avoid an enemy like this.
“Keuk….”
Jareuken, who had suddenly hung his head low, made a sound.
“Keukeukeukeuk….”
At that laughter, which seemed suppressed by something like madness, Jehwa unknowingly took a step back.
“Keukeuk…. Kuhahahahahaha!”
Then Jareuken raised his head.
“Y-you crazy!”
Seeing that, Jehwa spat out a curse.
Eyes filled with madness. The light bursting from those eyes, a murderous intent without reason, and an enormous aura. Looking at them, Jehwa knew.
That bastard was insane!
The moment he thought that, something covered Jehwa’s face.
Kwang!
“Keok!”
And his head was slammed into the ground.
He felt his head go white from that enormous impact, but only for a moment. Clenching his teeth, Jehwa immediately raised his dragon magic power.
Kwagagagang!
After throwing off that powerful grip, he threw a fist at Jareuken, who was smiling a smile filled with madness.