"The enemy came all the way here?"
"Yes! For me and this country! Eliminate them!"
Hwanggeumgyeong, flustered, still followed Elik's words exactly. He touched the ground with his hand. Instantly, the surface of the ground was transmuted into steel. As Hwanggeumgyeong swept his hand, the surface curled inward and a wave of steel poured toward us.
"Huh? Wait a minute! I didn't particularly want to fight!"
The regressor, though flustered, reacted reflexively to the opponent's attack. He plunged the dangling Jizan into the ground and swept it left and right. The ground pushed back by Jizan caused an earthquake, and the incoming wave of steel crashed against the vibration, breaking and shattering.
"I have no intention to fight! Stop!"
However, it was already too late. What the regressor saw after clearing the curtain of steel was a muzzle aimed this way.
"I'm sorry. I didn't wish for a fight either."
Click. Suppression Lord Hekto loaded an iron sphere onto the piston he drew out and spoke as if regretful.
"Hwanggeumgyeong is our god. Since he has commanded it, I shall follow too!"
"Tch!"
Hekto aimed the piston, which looked more like a cannon than a gun, and fired it right away. Thwump, along with a heavy sound, a massive iron sphere was shot targeting the regressor and me.
Hekto was the only living human among them. Having read his thoughts, I rolled on the ground frantically, but the regressor responded with the Cheonbangyeong. Dodging the fist-sized iron sphere by a paper-thin margin without fear, the regressor shouted as if it was laughable.
"Did you think you could hit me with something this slow?"
I could feel the dignity of a master. Contrasting with me rolling on the ground like a dog made him stand out even more.
At that moment, Hekto opened his grasp.
"Suppression, release!"
The iron sphere he fired was a special transmuted steel that was already compressed. As he withdrew his Unique Demon Art, the pressure suppressing the iron sphere disappeared. At the same time, the thoroughly shrunk iron sphere inflated like a balloon. The bizarre sight of expanding steel was used to attack the enemy.
The regressor, who had dodged the iron sphere by a paper-thin margin, was caught up in the explosion of steel. Head, shoulders, waist. The expanding iron sphere battered the regressor's entire body.
See. I might lack style, but I'm safe at least. If you didn't want to get hit by the iron sphere, you should have dodged with all your might like me....
'Cheonbangyeong Defensive Stance, Bantugyeong!'
Well, if you don't care about getting hit, doing it your way is right.
The moment the steel touched his body, he infused Qi through it. He even grabbed and suppressed the repulsive force of the compressed steel with his Qi. The Unique Demon Art was withdrawn, but the moment the iron sphere tried to stretch, it was suppressed again by the regressor's Qi.
The regressor, who offset the cannonball-like impact to the level of a mere punch, flared up and shouted.
"Are you really asking for a fight?! Fine, if you want it, I'll give it to you!"
Our regressor is just as emotional as you guys. After being attacked once, he must have been furious to the top of his head, as he immediately took an offensive stance.
"Jigon Style, Fierce Strike!"
The regressor grabbed Jizan with both hands and swung it widely toward the flying iron sphere.
Absorption Qi just before striking, and Repulsion Qi just after striking. The moment Jizan and the iron sphere touched, the nature of the Qi was instantly reversed to push away the Suppression Lord's iron sphere.
The iron sphere struck by Jizan tore through the air and flew away. A weight incomparable to a bullet. If hit, one's limbs would be ripped right off.
However....
"Eliminate."
The moment Hwanggeumgyeong repeated it, the iron sphere flying toward Hekto turned to dust in midair and disappeared. Hwanggeumgyeong, who had turned the steel into iron dust, repeated in a gloomy tone.
"Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate."
Where did the innocent attitude from earlier go, the current Hwanggeumgyeong repeated Elik's command with a monotonous voice just like a machine.
Simply speaking wouldn't be scary at all. However, in this world, Hwanggeumgyeong's words do not end as mere words.
Farmers approached. The silent farmers, who until now had only been the background of the model garden, had transformed into a fighting force to carry out Hwanggeumgyeong's command.
An artificial eye flashed beyond the straw hat. Some farmers had half their face covered in iron. A farmer with steel branches driven into the fingers of his right hand was also visible. The farmers had various appearances, but there was one commonality.
They possessed steel within their bodies.
Seeing the Homunculus legion, the regressor tensed his entire body.
"Aren't they Guardians?"
"Guardians?"
"They are the Homunculi of the successive Lords. The Golden Palace uses them as Guardians! Stay tense! Each and every one of them will be on the level of the Explosion Lord!"
"This isn't a problem that gets solved just by getting tense!"
It really was. As they raised their hands all at once, all sorts of steel popped out. From the sky, the Explosion Lord wrapped in burning steel flew down like an arrow, and the Mirror Lord, heavily adorned with mirrors made of steel, aimed at the regressor all at once. Besides them, nameless Lords took out their respective equipment and aimed at us.
"The Homunculi will be able to use Unique Demon Arts too!"
Unique Demon Art? No. If it were a Unique Demon Art formed from an individual's imagery, I would have read it. That's not a Unique Demon Art, but something where even the Unique Demon Art itself was entirely 'created' with Hwanggeumgyeong's authority! Because the Lords' Unique Demon Arts are based on alchemy!
We need to run. I can't read their thoughts. I don't know where the attacks are heading, how they're coming and going! To squeeze through this gap, we need another way!
But to run...!
"Mr. Shei! Aim for Hwanggeumgyeong! Those things will resurrect even if we kill them anyway!"
"It can't be helped!"
The regressor held Cheonang and Jizan in both hands. Cheonang in his left hand, Jizan in his right. Holding the sky and earth divided, he matched both ends together. Heaven and earth bit their tails at the ends of the two relics.
Jizan exhibits nearly invincible performance at close range, but there is no way to exert its performance at long range. Unless thrown.
Then throwing it is fine. If lacking strength, even by using Cheonang.
"Cheonji Geomgon!"
Using Cheonang as a rope and Jizan as a throwing hammer, he spun it round and round. Jizan, which initially hovered above the regressor's head, gradually expanded its range and swept across the earth.
The speed was about that of a jump rope, but the problem was Jizan's weight. Jizan, which destroyed everything with its irresistible weight, was like a god of destruction. Whether steel or earth, anything caught in Jizan's trajectory was shattered and scattered.
When the rotation reached its extreme, the regressor forcefully flung Cheonang away, liberating Jizan.
"Moon Throw!"
Whoosh. Jizan didn't use any special tricks. It just destroyed everything blocking its way with its weight and advanced toward Hwanggeumgyeong. Unless it was of similar weight, it could never be blocked. Even if it was Hwanggeumgyeong....
However, the opponent is Hwanggeumgyeong.
"Heavy Pressure Lord. Wedge Lord. Plaster Lord."
An alchemy that was hard to even dare guess the principles of was performed. The ground where Hwanggeumgyeong's words left shook. A 50m radius of earth centered around Hwanggeumgyeong was separated in a hemispherical shape and stood in front of Jizan to protect Hwanggeumgyeong. The sword bearing the weight of the earth and the ground turned to steel collided.
A structure transmuted from steel. Moreover, each and every one of them was directly transmuted by Hwanggeumgyeong. Even as it touched Jizan, the transmuted steel only crumpled slightly. Even Jizan, which seemed like it could crush Mount Tai, gradually lost its momentum.
"Crazy...! Blocking Jizan? That's a scam!"
"I don't think you're one to talk holding a scam weapon, but. Now's the time! Let's run!"
"What a coincidence, you have the same thought as me!"
The regressor pulled on the stretched Cheonang. Jizan, having already lost all its momentum, returned to the regressor's side without any resistance. Catching the flying Jizan, the regressor quickly turned and ran.
Jizan's majesty was so immense that Hwanggeumgyeong and his Guardians also lost their tempo focusing on defense. The Homunculi belatedly chased after us.
"Haha! Slowpokes! If you can catch us..."
"...Eliminate."
While running away, a giant iron spear fell from the sky right in front of our noses. Hesitatingly looking up, numerous Homunculi, including the Explosion Lord, were hanging from dragon mounts and looking down at us. Each holding dozens of weapons in their hands.
The Explosion Lord muttered.
"You cannot escape."
"How does that even make sense!"
That's not even a Unique Demon Art anymore! The real Explosion Lord can't do something like that!
Surrounded up and down, front and back. Moreover, I couldn't even read the thoughts of these Homunculi. They took human forms, but they were something closer to a system created by Hwanggeumgyeong!
Truly a dilemma. The regressor was kicking the iron spear away, but if our ankles get caught like this, we won't be able to escape from Hwanggeumgyeong's world. A moment of life and death. What should we do...
At that moment, darkness streamed in through the cracked space. The darkness groping through the void encroached on space and instantly transformed into Tyr's figure.
"Phew! I finally found you. Where on earth did you go?"
That's what I should be saying! Where did you go to come back only now! I brought you as a bodyguard, but losing track of my location just because I was out of sight for a moment, does that make sense!
But since he had to save me right this instant, I desperately shouted while pressing down these inner thoughts.
"Tyr! This is no time. We have to run! Behind you!"
"Behind?"
Can't you see behind you? There are Homunculi behind you too! I can't read their thoughts so I don't know who they are, but they must be Lords as well. If we're attacked from both sides, there's no way out!
Leisurely looking back, Tyr spoke calmly even after seeing the Homunculi.
"There is nothing to worry about."
'They are my limbs.'
What?
While I paused for a moment to understand, the Homunculi behind Tyr creaked and charged all at once.
Past me and the regressor, toward the Homunculi chasing us from behind.
The Homunculi controlled by Tyr couldn't use the Lords' abilities. Instead, a dark red aura sinisterly wrapped around their bodies. Enhanced by Tyr's darkness and Blood Manipulation Art, they pushed back Hwanggeumgyeong's Homunculi solely with physical strength.
The Homunculi attacked by the same Homunculi couldn't come to their senses. Even though Hwanggeumgyeong's side had far greater numbers, they failed to block in advance and allowed them to approach right in front of their noses. Dark red fists flew at their faces like meteors.
Blood splattered and steel scattered. The Homunculi whose heads twisted violently looked as if they died instantly to anyone. At that moment, the dark red aura seeped in, and the Homunculi with twisted necks glowed red eyes and stood up again. Returning from death, they attacked Hwanggeumgyeong's Homunculi following Tyr's army.
The dark red mist gradually spread, signaling the state of the battle. Tyr watched the Homunculi's fight leisurely and spoke.
"It's strange, even though they have blood inside their bodies, I could sense them with my senses. Without any particular wounds, it felt exactly as if they had offered my blood outside their bodies. Even if my power has weakened considerably, I can govern this much."
Govern? Blood? Can a vampire govern even a Homunculus's blood?
No. I need to think differently. The blood that a vampire can perfectly control is only human blood. In other words, it means the Homunculi's blood is exactly the same as a human's!
Hearing Tyr's words, I realized the truth.
"They're caught in a dilemma!"
"Dilemma? You mean the Homunculi's dilemma?"
"Yes! If it's a Homunculus dominated by Hwanggeumgyeong, Tyr can dominate it too! Because even if they are Homunculi, their composition is the same as human blood! Their bodies will be the same as a human's too! However, because they don't have the instinct to protect themselves, they can't resist Tyr's power!"
Homunculi don't have their own will. It seems like they think and act on their own, but that flesh is entirely something Hwanggeumgyeong created for them.
In other words, those Homunculi are tools. Both Hwanggeumgyeong and Tyr can use them as much as they want. The function might differ depending on who uses them, but!
...Is a human flesh really this easy to create, I'll leave this point aside, though.
It's been a while. Finding the answer myself without reading thoughts. My brain is still useful!
"Alright! Let's run in this gap!"
"Run?"
"Yes! With Tyr's power, we can create a standoff, but there's nothing good about fighting a war of attrition with Hwanggeumgyeong!"
Over there, a very bizarre battle was unfolding. The Homunculi under Hwanggeumgyeong's control belatedly transmuted steel and attacked, while the Homunculi under Tyr's control received the attacks with their bodies and swung their arms and legs.
Considering even the Lords' powers, Hwanggeumgyeong's side is overall superior, but purely in terms of physical abilities, Tyr's Homunculi are ahead. The Homunculi, made of a material incomparable to lowly grunts, picked up anything as weapons and rampaged.
Hwanggeumgyeong also faltered at the sudden betrayal and brawl. At least Hekto, who had heard the story from Peru, immediately realized what was going on.