Chapter: 733
The Hwang-A Gangram unfolds once more.
The dragon, cloaked in armor from head to toe, breathes heavily.
“Ugh… gasp…”
The once resplendent armor had long lost its luster.
Whether it was the aftermath of an explosion or due to the fighting, it was a situation where only a vague form was barely being maintained.
It was a shape created solely to withstand the explosion.
“Ugh…”
Having suddenly expended a significant amount of energy, the dragon stumbles.
Even in this dire state, he does not put down the Hwang-A Gangram.
Not yet.
The attack is far from over.
Whoooosh—!!!
Flames rain down.
The dragon raises his arms to shield himself from the fire.
Kaboom—!!
“Aaaah!!!”
The shockwaves ripple through him.
He could only barely fend off the heat.
Blood flows from his wounds, soaking all his martial arts attire.
As expected, his right hand seems to be broken.
It hurts.
Have I ever been born this injured?
Probably not.
“Hoooaah!!!”
Unable to hold off the flames any longer, he drops to one knee.
The encroaching flames show no signs of stopping.
I clearly saw it pouring out for several dozen seconds just a moment ago. Where on earth does this energy still come from?
‘… Did they say this was using half…?’
Now that I think about it, it’s enough to make one’s breath hitch.
Is this how much is left after using only half the power?
‘What on earth… are you…?’
What on earth is your true identity?
Isn’t it far too different from what I witnessed at the Yongbong branch before?
After all, time should be the same for all humans.
‘Was my time different from yours?’
Did he walk while I merely strolled?
Or maybe I was sprinting, while he flew.
I don’t know.
I don’t understand anything anymore.
“Uhhhh… Euaaaahhhhh!!”
He shouts to endure.
That was all he could do.
I can’t win.
He knew this the instant he saw it.
And so the dragon thinks.
‘So what?’
Isn’t this what we knew before even starting?
No.
Back then, there may have at least been hope.
Maybe I could reach him with my efforts.
Now, the longed-for goal may not be that far away.
If I fought, perhaps I could win.
He would have thought as much.
But now that he’s fought, he understands.
He was not in the same realm as himself.
If I could see him ahead, it means he has already traveled a long path and is far ahead.
Unattainable, unreachable.
If he doesn’t see me, I can’t see him.
The positions of Gu Yangcheon and Shenlong were like this.
Realizing this, the dragon asked himself again.
‘So what?’
Is that it?
Does that give me a reason to give up?
“Aaaaaah—!!!”
No.
‘Not at all.’
Whooosh—!!
The Hwang-A Gangram glows with light.
A steadfast determination seeps into the armor.
The shape not only restores but begins to strengthen and solidify.
“What the hell?”
As Gu Yangcheon catches sight of this, he exhales through clenched teeth, flames spewing from his mouth.
The Hwang-A Gangram starts to radiate light.
“Look at that crazy kid.”
The image stabilizes.
His incomplete martial arts transformed into a complete form, and the fortified armor not only held against the onslaught but also began to push the attacks back.
‘You can grow stronger by fighting? Absurd.’
Where on earth did this enlightenment come from after all that beating?
The energy the dragon possessed hadn’t changed.
In fact, it should’ve diminished. After spending all that, how could he have any energy left?
This is simply.
‘He started using it efficiently.’
Eliminating what was previously wasteful and converting it into power.
I can’t help but chuckle.
‘That brat should really learn from it.’
A position where he should have already given up
While struggling in despair, the dragon’s momentum only grows firmer.
I will overcome.
That’s the only vibe I gathered from him.
‘That’s why these kids are called geniuses.’
As soon as they learn something, they utilize it immediately.
It annoys me.
I’m barely getting by learning and trying to apply everything.
I’m definitely not happy about this.
Strangely enough, it makes me laugh.
Grin.
I pushed strength down into my legs.
The flames remained relentless. He took off and rushed forward.
“…!”
The dragon flinches and raises both arms, but Gu Yangcheon was already right in front of him.
Woosh! The flames dissipate, and his feet feel the heat wash over them.
Gu Yeom Taeryun Gak.
A fierce blaze strikes the dragon’s arm directly.
To be precise, it’s the right arm.
Crack—! Boom—!
The attack breaks through, shattering the Hwang-A Gangram’s armor.
“Ugh!”
The arm that blocked it just had to be the broken one.
The dragon lets out an exclamation.
Naturally, it was a calculated attack. Yet…
Wham—!
“Her?”
The dragon immediately grabs Gu Yangcheon’s ankle with his left arm.
Cheeeeek!
“Whooaah!!”
His hand catches fire in the flames.
In the face of excruciating pain, the dragon holds on tight.
Screaming, he grips firmly around the ankle.
Whoooosh—!!
“Wow, this kid… Really.”
He uses his broken right arm to unleash the Baekboshin Kwon towards Gu Yangcheon.
Upon seeing this, Gu Yangcheon bursts into laughter.
“I like it.”
BANG—!!
The sheer tenacity of the dragon imbeds itself in Gu Yangcheon’s chest.
Kaboom—!!!
The impact sends Gu Yangcheon flying through the air.
“Whew!”
Even while witnessing this, the dragon doesn’t relent.
He swings his fist with all his might.
Bam! Bam! BANG—!!!
The flurry of Baekboshin Kwon reverberates through the fighting arena.
“Whew! Hoohoo!”
Sweat and blood stream down, yet the dragon presses on.
Thud—! Thud—! Boom—!!
With every strike, energy violently escapes him.
His legs shake.
His Danjeon reaches its limit, and the broken joints warn that further movements would spell disaster.
Anything more could lead to death.
There might not even be another chance.
But it doesn’t matter.
‘Who cares?’
Even if it means dying here.
He will accomplish what he needs to do.
With such determination, the dragon does not falter.
Crackle—!
“…!!”
Perhaps due to the strain of fatigue, ultimately his legs give way and he halts the assault.
“Cough….”
He struggles to regain his balance but feels dizzy and sways unsteadily.
“Hugh… Ugh….”
Even drawing breath is excruciating.
He senses drool pooling at the corners of his mouth. Yet, he chooses not to wipe it away.
His gaze remains fixed forward.
Beyond the debris and dust.
The dragon only gazes intently in that direction.
Wouldn’t it all come to an end after taking this much of a beating? Such trivial thoughts did not cross his mind.
He has not yet conceded defeat.
He knew it.
Then, seeming to prove this point.
“Pfft.”
Gu Yangcheon’s voice breaks through the dust.
Before long, the dust settles.
“Damn, that hurts.”
Gu Yangcheon appears, a bit fatigued, blood dripping from his chest.
Upon seeing this, the dragon furrows his brow.
‘… Has nothing changed?’
He surely felt the impact.
It seemed he hit most of the launched Baekboshin Kwon, but all he could see was Gu Yangcheon looking slightly fatigued and otherwise unchanged.
‘Is he truly a monster…?’
Could he possibly be anything other than human?
What kind of body allows for such feats? Now even the very existence raises doubts.
“Hey.”
“…!”
Then, he calls out to the dragon.
“Just a heads-up.”
At the same time, he stretches his hand downward slightly.
“This is going to hurt.”
Deliberately refraining from asking for clarification, the dragon glares.
“…Thud.”
Slowly, something begins to condense in Gu Yangcheon’s hand.
I must stop it, the dragon’s intuition warns him, but he can’t move.
His legs won’t cooperate.
Whoosh… Whoosh—!!
It’s the same blue bead as before. Could he be planning to use that?
The dragon’s heart begins to race as it slowly morphs.
It’s dangerous.
That survival instinct hits him like a shockwave.
Yet, he still can’t move.
Eventually, the bead takes on a new form, and Gu Yangcheon grips a flame that resembles a spear tightly.
“…”
It’s clearly dangerous.
The heat radiating from it reaches him even now. Even the space around him seems to warp unnaturally.
He has to escape. That definitely won’t do.
I need to get away right now.
The last shred of rationality, as thin as a hair, screams in his ear.
Swish.
While struggling with that warning, the dragon raises his fist.
Clang—!
His body wraps itself again in the Hwang-A Gangram.
“…”
“…”
In that state, they exchange glances wordlessly.
There was no longer a need for warnings or conversation.
“Hah!”
Gu Yangcheon thrusts his spear at the dragon with all available strength.
Shhhhhhhh—!!!
The spear shoots toward the dragon, emitting a rending sound.
The spear tip, now rotating with speed, connects with the armor.
Boom—!!!
An enormous roar echoes throughout.
“Aaaaaaah—!!!”
Crack—!
The foot that meets the ground is shoved back by the pressure.
“Hrrrgh… Euaaaaah!!!”
Crackle.
The armor begins to crack and crumble slowly.
If this keeps up, he’ll be penetrated.
This unknown martial art was not something that could be held back or avoided, just like Gu Yangcheon warned.
What should he do next?
‘Let it go.’
Adjust the angle.
Blocking it outright would be impossible, but maintaining the strength and changing the trajectory had to be done.
“Ugh…!!”
It’s not a matter of whether he can or cannot.
He must.
The dragon immediately channels energy into his injured right arm.
The power of the armor converges at a single point, enhancing its defense.
It forms a strength even slightly capable of withstanding the incoming onslaught.
Afterwards.
“Huh…”
Barely raising his right arm, he readies himself.
Then, he pours the remaining energy from his left arm into a strike against his own right arm.
Wham—!!
The impact twists the angle of his arm.
Bang—! Whoooosh—!!!
The spear changes direction due to the twist and heads upward.
The spear dashes away rapidly and soon after.
Boom—!!!
It detonates above, unleashing an explosion far beyond what had happened a moment earlier.
“Gah… Hah…”
The dragon trembles, looking up at the spectacle.
He actually did it.
“Did I block it…?”
I… I…
“I blocked it—!!”
Whir—
“What?”
Something just whizzed past him—
Boom—!!!
“Gahk!?!”
The explosion from behind sweeps the dragon away, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Startled from the sudden impact, he looks back.
“…What?”
He finds himself speechless at the scene before him.
The arena has been thrown into disarray due to the previous blast.
What in the world is going on?
The dragon’s expression is one of bewilderment.
“Why are you lost in random thoughts?”
Gu Yangcheon’s voice rings out ahead.
With much difficulty, the dragon slowly turns his head. There stood Gu Yangcheon.
“You think you saved the world just because you blocked one attack?”
Gu Yangcheon, once again holding the same spear, gazes down at the dragon.
“…”
With a dazed look, the dragon stares at the spear.
Gu Yangcheon comments on this.
“There’s still one more attack left. So, do you want to give it another go?”
“…Heh…”
The dragon, who had been quietly observing the spear, mutters.
“…Damn.”
It was his first utterance of a curse ever since birth.
Do it again?
That?
“….”
After thousands of thoughts racing through his mind in an instant, the dragon gazes at Gu Yangcheon and states simply.
“I… lost.”
It had become too much.
The dragon lets out a deep sigh of resignation. Like he’d been anticipating this, the referee bellows.
“S, Sanseo-gu… Gu… Yangcheon w, wins…!”
Not long after Gu Yangcheon’s victory was confirmed.
—Waaaaaah—!!!
Cheers erupt from every direction.
Waaaaaaah—!!!
—So-Yeom-Ra! So-Yeom-Ra! So-Yeom-Ra!
This was undoubtedly the loudest cheer since the martial arts tournament began.
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