Chronicles of the Silver Dragon, Chapter 78
“Hmm….”
“If even Lord Unwonnam says so.”
Only then did many begin to believe those words.
And, as expected, Ma Tae-ak’s mood grew incredibly foul at their reaction.
“I suppose your conduct isn’t usually very good? Seeing as how those same people who were doubting your words from the start are all reacting like that to that old man.”
“Hey, are you speaking informally to me right now?”
“Oh my? Why so serious all of a sudden? It doesn’t seem like anyone is listening.”
Ma Tae-ak frowned at Hong Yu-hwa, who had come up beside him and was speaking with a smirk.
But after a moment, he let out a deep sigh and shook his head as if giving up. Then he muttered with a face full of complaint.
“I’ve caused a lot of harm to the martial world. Even the guys in the same sect would make faces as if it wouldn’t be strange at all if I were to destroy the martial world.”
“Yeah, your personality does seem awful. What happened back then in Shaanxi too. It’s not like anyone would want to follow you?”
‘I should just whack her!’
He wanted to hit this girl with such a nasty personality right away, but since he was weaker than her, he couldn’t even do that.
“Fine, where is the Blood Cult right now?”
Having resolved to ignore anything regarding his personality, Ma Tae-ak asked with a serious expression, and Hong Yu-hwa replied indifferently.
“There’s some huge village in Seojang, and they say the Blood Cult is hiding cleverly behind it on a massive mountain, having set up a formation. It’s a place with quite a lot of foot traffic too. The only problem is that all the villagers are Blood Cultists.”
“They’ve made such a place their base? That is certainly unexpected. We thought they’d be hiding completely out of sight.”
Whether it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Martial Alliance, or the Saryeon Alliance, they had sent numerous spies toward Seojang to locate the Blood Cult.
But most of them had their communications cut off before they could even report where the cult was.
Moreover, it hadn’t even been a few years since news of the Blood Cult’s resurgence had spread.
When large-scale search operations had yet to be carried out, if a single large village was the entrance leading to the Blood Cult, it was only natural to overlook it.
“Hmm….”
Ma Tae-ak fell into deep thought, and a long silence hung over the meeting hall.
Since there were no loud, brazen people to disturb Ma Tae-ak while he was thinking, it inevitably grew quiet.
***
“Haahm~”
Je-hwa yawned lazily and stretched.
Lately, Je-hwa had fought in countless battles, but he had frequently failed to kill his enemies and let them slip away. Because of this, his mood was extremely foul right now.
Yeom Jo-hwi and Seo Ryong-seon, who were with him, were also having a miserable time.
Currently, the four people with whom Je-hwa interacted the most were Baek Ho-ran, Yeom Jo-hwi, Ji U-gyeom, and Seo Ryong-seon.
Among them, Yeom Jo-hwi and Seo Ryong-seon had incurred Je-hwa’s displeasure.
Baek Ho-ran was a pet(?) Je-hwa had adored since childhood, and although Ji U-gyeom had fought him, he had left a good impression on Je-hwa with a bribe (gold).
But in contrast to those two, Yeom Jo-hwi and Seo Ryong-seon had been unable to uproot the seeds they had sown when they first met.
The two of them trembled in fear as Je-hwa’s personality grew more ferocious.
Currently, Je-hwa was walking toward where the Jeongsama forces had gathered.
“Ah, Je-hwa.”
At that moment, Yeom Jo-hwi spotted Je-hwa and waved her hand happily.
“Huh?”
“…Are you in a bad mood?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Je-hwa’s sullen reaction, Yeom Jo-hwi asked with an awkward expression, and Je-hwa nodded at her question.
Yeom Jo-hwi broke into a cold sweat at the sight.
But Je-hwa ignored her and simply trudged along.
At that, Yeom Jo-hwi cautiously followed behind him. If she ran away and ended up getting hit for arousing suspicion for no reason, she would be the one wronged. As long as she didn’t rub him the wrong way, she wouldn’t get hit, so she cautiously followed after Je-hwa.
As the two walked on like that, Je-hwa abruptly stopped shortly after.
“W-why?”
Wondering if something had irked him, Yeom Jo-hwi asked in alarm, and Je-hwa replied coldly.
“Enemy.”
“Huh?”
“An enemy.”
“…!”
At Je-hwa’s words, Yeom Jo-hwi stood beside him and looked at the one he had called an enemy. Sure enough, a demon they were seeing for the first time was staring back at them.
“Huh? I’ve never seen him before?”
“Their leader.”
“….”
Yeom Jo-hwi’s face hardened at Je-hwa’s indifferent words.
“Isn’t he dangerous?”
“He probably is.”
Je-hwa stepped forward and raised his aura.
“We meet again. Because of what you are doing now, we are in no small amount of trouble.”
At that, Jareuken, who had been waiting in front of them, spoke with a troubled expression.
“Shut up.”
Je-hwa snorted at Jareuken’s words. Then he charged straight at Jareuken.
Kwoong!
The ground where Jareuken had been standing was overturned by the fist Je-hwa swung.
“Tch!”
Clicking his tongue lightly at the nimble demon, Je-hwa raised his momentum even higher. At that sight, Jareuken’s face hardened as he unleashed his power.
“Kuhahahahaha! Brat! Die!”
Kwagagagang!
The surroundings began to be devastated by bullets made of demonic power.
But Je-hwa dodged them all nimbly, smirked, and gathered dragon power into his fist. Then he charged straight at Jareuken.
Snorting at Je-hwa rushing toward him, Jareuken hurled a massive chunk of demonic power.
Kwang!
Throwing his fist at the chunk of demonic power to neutralize it, Je-hwa instantly charged at Jareuken again.
‘What?’
His movements themselves had changed. Seeing Je-hwa move even more sharply than before, the smile vanished from Jareuken’s face.
‘This brat! He’s gotten far more accustomed to battle!’
He had grown used to fighting him. Unlike before, when he didn’t know what to do and charged mindlessly. He hadn’t necessarily gotten stronger, but this was still shocking in its own way.
“What trick did you pull! Blood Wave Rampage!”
Kwagagagang!
This time, the surroundings began to be devastated by the magic Jareuken used.
Jareuken, who had started to burst into mad laughter at the sight, suddenly went rigid.
Hwak!
Je-hwa had burst through the explosion and appeared right in front of Jareuken, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
“Wh-what!”
When the astonished Jareuken let out a scream of despair, Je-hwa shouted.
“Explosive Dragon Thousand Strikes!”
Kwagagagang!
“Kuaaack!”
Struck directly by Je-hwa’s attack, Jareuken screamed and flew backward.
The Explosive Dragon Thousand Strikes that Je-hwa used was an Extreme Killing Strike of the fist arts, a Dragon Killing Technique with the strongest destructive power among Extreme Killing Strikes.
It was so powerful that among the ultimate techniques one step above, there were few techniques that possessed greater destructive power than the Explosive Dragon Thousand Strikes.
Staggering as he watched Jareuken fly away vomiting blood, Je-hwa faltered. He had landed a powerful blow, but he too had sustained heavy damage bursting through the explosion.
“Yeom Jo-hwi!”
“Y-yeah?”
Yeom Jo-hwi, who had been staring blankly at the incredible battle, jumped in surprise at Je-hwa’s call.
“Kill him! Hurry!”
“Okay!”
At Je-hwa’s words, Yeom Jo-hwi spread her twin fans and rushed at Jareuken, who had yet to recover from the blow.
Just as Yeom Jo-hwi was about to swing her fans…
Kagagagagang!
Someone struck her fan aside with a sword. At that sight, not only Yeom Jo-hwi’s but also Je-hwa’s face hardened. The one who had blocked Yeom Jo-hwi’s attack was none other than Marekeuran.
“Keuk!”
Je-hwa let out a groan.
Marekeuran was a being who possessed strength far greater than Yeom Jo-hwi.
“Eeek!”
Yeom Jo-hwi, who had begun to exchange blows with Marekeuran, bit down hard as his gradually oppressive swordsmanship pushed her back.
Chaeng! Chang! Kang! Chaeng!
Sparks flew each time the fans and sword clashed.
But it was naturally Yeom Jo-hwi who was slowly being pushed back.
“Keuk!”
At that moment, Jareuken clutched his chest and staggered to his feet.
“Just drop dead already!”
Je-hwa gathered dragon power in his hand and threw it at Jareuken.
Pang!
But Jareuken batted away the dragon power projectile and shouted.
“As if! You damned brat!”
Baring his teeth and growling, Jareuken began to chant in a low voice.
Grooooooaar!
Terrifying demonic power churned around them, and the air began to tremble.
“What?”
At that absurd phenomenon, Je-hwa’s face went blank for a moment. Jareuken was gradually increasing his magical power through the chant.
If his magic erupted with this mana, this entire area would be blown away.
“How ridiculous.”
Je-hwa sneered coldly and kicked off the ground, lunging at Jareuken.
Kkagang!
He tried to strike the defenseless Jareuken, but was blocked by a strange membrane surrounding him.
“What?”
Snarling fiercely at the sight, Je-hwa began to wildly beat at the membrane—that is, the barrier.
Kang! Kwang! Kwang!
But the barrier created by powerful magic would not break easily.
“Hoo?”
Je-hwa let out an exclamation of admiration.
But this was a hair-trigger situation; Jareuken frowned at Je-hwa’s relaxed demeanor.
As Jareuken’s chant was nearing completion….
“Dragon Killing Technique….”
Je-hwa murmured in a low voice, and at that, Jareuken’s eyes widened greatly. To think he would use a Dragon Killing Technique in this situation—his intentions were incomprehensible.
“Detonation!”
Smirk!
At the word “Detonation” from Je-hwa, Jareuken’s eyes bulged even wider, and Je-hwa put on a devilish smile.
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
Jareuken cursed upon seeing that smile.
“Ultimate Technique….”
But Je-hwa’s words continued.
Dragon Killing Techniques were techniques that demonstrated greater power the more force was poured into them, and the stronger the caster’s will. The technique that grew unimaginably stronger when the user was prepared to risk death was precisely the Dragon Killing Technique of the dragon race.
“Sil… ver… De… mon… Wrath.”
“Damn it!”
Silver light began to emanate from Je-hwa’s body as he finished calling out the technique name, and at the sight, Jareuken cursed once more.
Detonation was a wide-area technique that used the caster’s body to inflict damage on the entire surroundings.
It boasted destructive power incomparable to any fist, leg, blade, sword, or spear art; a double-edged technique that inflicted damage even on the caster when used, a technique akin to self-destruction.
Moreover, what Je-hwa had used was Silver Demon Wrath; its destructive power was beyond imagination.
His magic could no longer be canceled. If these two massive forces collided and caused an explosion? That power would be absolutely unpredictable.
He too had raised his magical power as much as possible through the chant.
The insane silver dragon before him had chosen one of two things: either he would die, or Jareuken would die.
Flash! Kwagagagagagagagagang!
A massive boom echoed alongside an enormous flash of light.