Silver Dragon Chronicles Episode 79
Chapter 21. The Final Battle
"Ugh, uaaaaah."
Having been swept away by the tremendous roar, Yeom Johwi quickly came to her senses and ran back to where the explosion had occurred. And seeing the enormous trail of destruction, her mouth fell wide open.
"N-now's not the time to be surprised! J-Jehwa, where are you?"
But a moment later, she began looking around with an urgent heart to find the vanished Jehwa. And discovering him standing blankly, covered in blood, she quickly approached him.
"J-Jehwa! Are you okay?"
Looking at Yeom Johwi asking in an urgent voice, Jehwa showed no reaction. Then as Yeom Johwi drew close, he collapsed right into her embrace.
"Eh? J-Jehwa!"
Seeing the seriously wounded Jehwa, Yeom Johwi quickly began examining his physical condition.
Around the time Yeom Johwi was making a tearful face as she looked at Jehwa's injuries, Baek Horan and Seo Ryongseon arrived, having run over after hearing the explosion ring out with an enormous sound.
"The prince?"
Supported by the running Marekran, Jarken regained consciousness and asked blankly.
"He's alive."
Marekran replied to Jarken's question with a stiff face.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
"It isn't that I didn't kill him—it's that I couldn't."
At Jarken's rebuke, Marekran spoke with a deep sigh. To that, Jarken responded blankly.
"Is that so?"
And Jarken lost consciousness again. Watching him, Marekran began to recall what had just happened.
Unlike Yeom Johwi, who had been swept away by the explosion, Marekran had witnessed the phenomenon occurring with Jehwa and braced himself directly for the blast, so he was able to endure the explosion by merely being pushed back to some degree.
And he approached Jehwa, who had caused the explosion.
"You're alive? And to think you're even standing..."
Though covered in blood and staggering, he was definitely standing. In contrast, Jarken was collapsed on the ground, emitting faint breaths.
"It would be best to kill him now."
Marekran drew his sword with a stiff expression and approached Jehwa.
Killing him now is the right move. If he recovers from his wounds, there is no guaranteeing what will happen next.
Thinking so, Marekran swung his sword at Jehwa.
Clack!
But Marekran's attack was blocked by Jehwa. At that, Marekran's body flinched.
Even after becoming so riddled with wounds, he still retained this much strength?
While thinking so, Marekran realized that Jehwa's hair had already turned silver.
"Hey."
Jehwa—no, Eun Jehwa—called out to Marekran in a small voice, and Marekran looked at him.
"If you lay a hand on this child, you die."
Marekran felt goosebumps run across his entire body at those words spoken with a faint smile.
It was absolutely not a joke. Marekran's instincts were screaming that the man currently possessed the strength to do exactly that.
Though quite composed, Marekran believed in his instincts.
Throughout the world, the beings most sensitive to instinct were precisely those known as demons. Therefore, demons possessed excellent intuition and often trusted their instincts over their minds.
Marekran knew all too well that handling such a situation with reason would be the perfect way to die.
Marekran broke into a cold sweat and carefully withdrew his strength from his sword. And stepping back, he supported Jarken.
After briefly observing Eun Jehwa, he immediately leaped away to create distance.
"Phew."
Eun Jehwa, who had let out a deep sigh at that sight, muttered.
"The lad fell asleep again."
The Jehwa inside him had drifted back to sleep.
"What kind of dream are you having right now?"
Eun Jehwa smiled bitterly and tried to slump to the ground. If Yeom Johwi hadn't appeared at that moment, he likely would have collapsed.
"..."
"..."
In the Jeongsama council chamber, the faces of Hong Yuhwa and Ji Ugyeom, who had been conversing, hardened stiffly at the same time.
-Just now.
-Yes, there was an enormous clash of ki.
The two cautiously exchanged voice transmissions.
A clash of ki beyond imagination had just occurred in the direction of the western camp. So vividly that its momentum could be felt even here.
'Did Jehwa and Jarken clash?'
In this vicinity, the only ones capable of unleashing this level of energy were Jehwa and Jarken.
'Nothing must happen to Jehwa...'
Hong Yuhwa muttered with an anxious expression.
And so, time slowly flowed on.
***
"Excuse me, excuse me, Lord Eun Jehwa."
"Hm?"
The youth Eun Jehwa, who possessed long, lustrous silver hair, tilted his head at the call of a little girl in her early teens.
"A lot of comrades died, but now we might be able to live without dying, all thanks to you, Lord Eun Jehwa. Thank you so much."
As the girl smiled brightly and spoke, Eun Jehwa also smiled gently and stroked the girl's head.
"There is no being in this world that deserves to die. Since we created you, it is only natural that we take responsibility. It's merely that everyone irresponsibly turns a blind eye to you. Someday, the day will come when they too acknowledge their own mistakes."
Having spoken thus, Eun Jehwa continued.
"Once you become free someday, let's visit the Eunwang Palace. It's a truly beautiful place."
At Eun Jehwa's words, the girl opened her eyes wide and replied brightly and energetically.
"Yes!"
***
"..."
"Oh! He opened his eyes!"
Jehwa opened his eyes blankly, and the surroundings began to grow noisy.
"Jehwa!"
Hong Yuhwa called out to him with an expression on the verge of tears. Since meeting him, she had never seen him in such a shattered, broken state.
"Ah, ugh..."
Jehwa tried to move his body but let out a groan at the shock assaulting his entire body.
"Ah, it really does hurt."
The information he had learned before using the technique surfaced in his mind.
But along with it, he had also learned that he himself would receive a considerable shock from using it. Even so, since he had forced himself to use it, it seemed his body was in quite a lot of pain.
"How long have I been like this?"
Looking at Jehwa asking as if puzzled, Seo Ryongseon, who had been sitting quietly beside him, answered.
"Two days."
"I've been lying down for quite a while."
Jehwa muttered with a deep sigh at Seo Ryongseon's answer.
"Inside a carriage?"
Hong Yuhwa spoke as she looked at Jehwa tilting his head quizically.
"I badgered the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult into giving us one. We're heading toward the Blood Cult now."
"Hmm."
At Hong Yuhwa's words, Jehwa nodded.
And then he raised his body.
"Ah, you shouldn't move yet."
Baek Horan, who had been sitting quietly nearby, looked at him with a bewildered expression.
"Aah, it's fine."
Thanks to Jehwa's astonishing recovery ability and Seo Ryongseon's healing techniques, though his body hurt considerably, he had recovered to the extent that it wouldn't hinder his movements.
And so Jehwa rose and exited the carriage.
"Aaagh, where is this guy?"
Sa Wollin rode on her horse and let out a deep sigh. Having never been separated from Jehwa for this long since meeting him, she was starting to worry.
"Who is this guy?"
"Eun Jehwa."
At the voice coming from beside her, Sa Wollin, who had been sighing and answering, tilted her head for a moment. And when she looked to the side, she was startled.
"Keck!"
"Hey."
Jehwa smiled broadly and waved his hand.
"Y-you, where did you go!"
Jehwa replied with a nonchalant expression to Sa Wollin's shout.
"Various places."
At that, Sa Wollin frowned.
"Haah, you don't look injured anywhere. Well, if it's you, you'd be fine even if a monster came."
"..."
Jehwa made a strange expression at Sa Wollin's words.
"Do I really look like that much of a monster?"
"You're so strong, you're basically a monster!"
Sa Wollin snickered at Jehwa's words.
Looking at her, Jehwa scrunched up his face.
"Ahahahahaha!"
Sa Wollin burst into laughter at that sight.
At Sa Wollin's laughter, Jehwa let out a deep sigh and tilted his head.
"Your sword, you changed it?"
"Huh? This? Hong Yuhwa gave it to me. She told me to keep it just in case."
"Hehh."
Jehwa looked at the sword with a fascinated expression at Sa Wollin's words. Sa Wollin wouldn't know, but Jehwa had vividly felt the energy flowing from that sword.
"It's a peculiar sword."
"Really? I don't really get it."
Sa Wollin tilted her head and muttered.
In this manner, a week had passed since the Jeongsama Alliance entered the land of the western camp.
Moving such a large number of people, no matter that they were martial artists, their speed was considerably slow.
And Jehwa and the others maintained their guard without relaxing for even a moment, in preparation for a possible demon attack.
"Hm?"
A warrior patrolling near the Jeongsama Alliance's base spotted a merchant group approaching from afar and tilted his head. And he spoke to the comrade beside him.
"Report above that a merchant group is approaching from afar."
"Got it."
At the warrior's words, the comrade warrior nodded and headed toward the base.
Having spotted the merchant group, patrolling warriors gathered here and there.
"What is the matter?"
Just then, a stout man came out from inside the merchant group's carriage with a puzzled expression.
"Ah, we are warriors of the Righteous Martial Alliance. We are currently on the move to suppress the Blood Cult. Pardon us, but might we inspect the goods inside the carriage?"
When a warrior spoke politely, the stout man, who had briefly shown a flustered expression, nodded after a moment and answered.
"Go ahead."
At those words, the warriors began searching the carriages. It seemed to be quite a large merchant group, for the number of carriages was considerable.
While the warriors were searching the carriages, the person in charge from the Martial Alliance arrived.
"Which merchant group is this?"
"It is the Seoha Merchant Group. The escort agency is the Biryong Escort Agency."
"The Seoha Merchant Group and the Biryong Escort Agency, you say."
They were quite a famous merchant group and escort agency in Qinghai.
"There are no suspicious items."
At that moment, the warriors who had finished searching reported to the person in charge.