< Rehearsal (4) >
Of course, a scenario had already been roughly planned for the rescue of the Dragon’s children due to Hugo’s exploits.
To enhance the realism, I didn’t meddle with every tiny detail, but I did adjust the strength of the Demon Cult that they would face during the process in advance as part of that.
But now, receiving a sudden gift from the Dragon God and having my power surge tremendously…
‘This might turn out to be easier than I thought?’
The result was exactly the situation at hand.
“Hwa-gyeong! It’s Hwa-gyeong!”
“Don’t rush in! Prioritize holding out as long as you can!”
As the Demon Cult members blocking the basement corridor screamed like banshees, Hugo charged at them alone, swinging the sword he held with lightning speed.
For a moment, I worried if I’d adapt quickly due to the sudden boost in my level, but while using my martial arts, I was sure that was a baseless concern.
‘…This is amazing?’
The sword in my hand moved as freely as if it were a part of my body.
As my will directed it, the sword already reached its target.
Achieving a state of unity between weapon and wielder, the Body-Sword Unity (신검합일).
It was an exhilarating sensation, almost intoxicating.
“You foolish idiots! Can’t you even hold out properly?”
At that moment, a giant over two meters tall walked forward among the Demon Cult members, huffing and puffing.
Grasping a grotesquely large iron mace in each hand.
‘Finally, he’s here.’
A supreme demon assigned to safeguard this ritual site.
Normally, he would have been quite the challenge for Hugo, weighed down by being the burden of the team along with the advantage of the main base and support from subordinates…
‘Since the situation has changed, plans must change too.’
To him, that level was merely a formality.
Creeeak—
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
Thanks to the public spirit body (공령지체), the restriction on his internal energy vanished, swirling around and awakening his physical abilities to their limits, and soon immense energy began to be drawn into the sword and transformed into the essence of destruction.
“Strong energy…! Quickly set up the defense…!”
While his opponent hurriedly prepared himself and urged his subordinates, Hugo didn’t care in the slightest.
He simply immersed himself deeper into something residing within him.
‘Heavenly Dragon Divine Technique (천룡신공).’
It was the new name of the Nameless Skill (무명공) that blossomed when touched by the Dragon God.
All the martial principles he had practiced so far, along with secrets he’d never known before, fused together to culminate in the Ganghwan Realm’s martial arts.
‘If they block the way, just smash through!’
Fast (快) and strong (强) attacks stamp (覇) down.
Crackle—!
As various techniques combined, a thunderous aura surged from his hand.
It transformed immediately, swirling along the sword into a dragon of lightning, rapidly increasing in size.
Rumble—!
A dragon formed of massive bolts of lightning enveloped Hugo’s body.
It then roared like thunder and shot forward from the tip of his sword.
“Stop…!”
“An…!”
Immediately after.
Accompanied by a deafening noise, screams merged and vanished.
Had this space not been set up with a special formation, it wouldn’t have been strange for the corridor to collapse from such a destructive blow.
Crackle— Crackle—
Among the residual sparks jumping like embers at the scene, the only being standing on two legs was the supreme master, arms crossed to shield his face.
“Gah… This, this cursed…!”
However, that figure standing atop the sacrifices of his subordinates wasn’t perfectly fine either.
From his charred black skin to his mouth and throughout his body, smoke billowed, as if he had been hit by a bomb, with his hair and beard standing on end.
But indeed, like a demon, he wouldn’t give up resisting despite being in such a defeated state.
“Grrr!”
With bloodshot eyes, the severely damaged body began to heal at an unnatural speed.
Losing all sense of reason, his body charged towards Hugo, swinging both iron maces.
“Die!”
Was it a side effect of the demonic energy reducing his intelligence? It was hardly a wise decision.
‘Well, senseless techniques that boost physical abilities at the cost of reason are pretty common anywhere.’
Hugo slowly lifted his sword.
With a soft (柔) change, he absorbed (吸) and diverted the attack.
The two iron maces, which seemed capable of crushing a boulder, slipped away as they collided with the flowing waves enveloping his sword.
But the movements of the water dragon flowing along the sword didn’t cease there.
Whoosh—
A torrent curved elegantly, sweeping along the tip of the sword.
Soon, it turned into a violent wave, engulfing the unbalanced giant.
“Gah!”
Crash!
The giant, caught off guard as he lost his maces, staggered back, clutching the neck that the water dragon had bitten.
Though he reacted quickly to dodge as soon as his attack failed, it merely let him escape immediate death, and he couldn’t change the doomed fate set for him.
He had no means of regeneration after more than half his neck and heart had been torn out.
Staggering with wide eyes, the supreme demon fell to the ground unceremoniously.
It was an absurdly easy defeat for someone who had been set up as a challenge.
‘It diverged slightly from my expectations, but it’s not bad.’
Hugo nodded slowly as he scanned the battlefield turned upside down.
Honestly, facing merely a supreme level would feel a bit lacking as a trial.
The higher and more treacherous the obstacle before you, the more the joy multiplies upon overcoming it.
If the enemy’s level increased as much as ours had risen, then it was fair enough.
“Let’s hurry. Since the fact of our escape is known, there’s no benefit in staying here.”
He turned to address those quietly following behind him.
Having approached after the battle concluded, they carefully stepped forward, straining to ignore the devastation around them.
“The outside must be a battlefield… Will we be able to join the Martial Arts Alliance right in the midst of that?”
Among them, Je Gal Hye-mi, who had maintained a relatively calm demeanor, spoke with a worried tone.
Thanks to her ability to utilize holy power, the frail Dragon’s children could move on their own, but they were still barely on par with average individuals.
Crossing through a battlefield where a fierce fight was underway was simply impossible.
“Well, let’s try… and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll have to look for another way.”
Hugo replied, slowly nodding along with her words.
Meanwhile, a part of his mind was busy gathering various aspects of his personas to discuss how to modify the current scenario for efficiency.
Since they had already received a down payment, it was only his duty to satisfy the investor’s needs as best as he could.
‘If you receive an investment, you have to deliver its worth.’
That way, he could attract additional investments and ensure the existing customers’ reputations positively affected new investors when entering other markets.
He had no intention of being satisfied with merely this level.
Of course, to do that, successfully completing this stage was crucial.
“Thank you in advance, great hero. We have no one to rely on but you.”
“…That’s true. We have nothing to lose anyway, so we must do whatever we can.”
“Still, since the Demon Cult wishes to capture us without a scratch, there might be a fair chance of success?”
Hugo nodded slightly as he observed the Dragon’s children, each attempting to ease their tension by sharing a word.
While the ongoing war outside was important, managing them was equally critical.
The ultimate goal of the Ganghwan Realm scenario was the reconstruction of the Dragon Heart.
They were vital entities in that process.
*
Clang— Clang—!
“Gah!”
Caw—!
Kaboom!
Amidst the cacophony of noise on the battlefield.
“Huff, huff…”
Taechunggeom Unhak, participating in the fight as a member of the Martial Arts Alliance, burst into rough breaths.
Due to the harsh environment known as the Demon Realm, even a brief intense battle left him gasping for air.
Thanks to support from formations and other techniques, he managed to hold on, but without that, he would have long since collapsed.
“Whew.”
Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the Jiangshi lying still on the ground, his sword’s function ceased, and bit his lips again.
‘…Rest in peace, teacher.’
This Jiangshi was his former mentor.
Just half a year ago, they had parted ways, promising to meet again someday, avoiding the blades of the Demon Cult.
‘Who would have thought this is how we would meet again…?’
His sect had long been obliterated; the Kunlun Sect had vanished.
Being closest to the area occupied by the Demon Cult, they often suffered the heaviest losses with each outbreak.
Before the bloodshed at the Imperial Palace, the efforts of other forces to respect and support their hardships were abundant, but that was all long gone after the world plunged into chaos, and everyone had to fend for themselves.
It was only natural that the isolated Kunlun Sect would eventually crumble.
The fact he could be here today as a survivor of Kunlun was sheer coincidence.
While staying as a guest at a certain family, he heard the news of an all-out offensive against the Demon Cult, and without hesitation, he joined the Beijing expedition.
Fueled by the will that Kunlun sought to protect, he could not afford to let it extinguish.
He wanted the world to witness that the descendants of Kunlun still remained.
Above all, it was the perfect chance for revenge against the Demon Cult.
‘…What the hell have the Demon Cult done?’
Taechunggeom gnashed his teeth as he thought of the several Jiangshi from Kunlun, including the recently defeated teacher.
These were no ordinary Jiangshi.
Being a Kunlun Dosa who stood on the front lines against the Demon Cult, he was well aware of the kind of Jiangshi they were using, but there was something incomprehensible about the creatures mobilized in this war.
‘They’re enhanced versions of typical Jiangshi in every aspect. Their physical abilities and resistance to internal energy have improved to the extent that first-rate fighters can’t even leave a scratch… And on top of that…’
His gaze turned towards a section of the battlefield.
On the front lines, clash after clash unfolded among the higher-level fighters of Hwa-gyeong, demonic beings, and Jiangshi of equal standing.
‘Zhangmun-in…’
Among Hwa-gyeong’s Jiangshi was also his own sect’s head.
Not to mention, how long had it been since so many corpses of strong fighters had been collected? There were twice as many Jiangshi on this side at a comparable level!
Because of this, the numbers of Hwa-gyeong level powers were overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the Martial Arts Alliance, but thankfully, the overall situation wasn’t bad.
It was partly due to the presence of Surak-hyeol, a current realm warrior from the Sapa sect on their side.
‘At this rate… There could be significant losses, but we may still win.’
While surveying the battlefield, Taechunggeom took in the clashes happening everywhere.
The Sword Saint clashed with the Ghost Sword Demon Master, and Pacheon Dohwang battled against blood-demons.
And against the Heavenly Demon, both Shin Seung and General Jeong Cheon exchanged blows, and…
KABOOM—!
“Hahahaha! This is quite the thrill! Truly entertaining!”
Despite having a massive hole blown through his abdomen by the Heavenly Demon’s demon sword, he burst into laughter with glee.
‘…Sin Gwangma. If he hadn’t been here, would I have made it this far?’
Indeed, the Heavenly Demon’s prowess was even more astonishing than what he had heard.
Without Sin Gwangma, it would have taken at least three or perhaps even four current realm warriors to stop him.
Had that happened, the ripple effects would have led to chaotic battles elsewhere, resulting in total annihilation long ago.
All of this was thanks to Sin Gwangma’s formidable presence, unhesitatingly taking on double the workload.
‘Our task is to create an environment in which they can defeat the Heavenly Demon. If we can stabilize the battlefield to the point where more can join in battling him…’
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Taechunggeom resolutely gripped his sword once more and stepped onto the battlefield.
Having rested sufficiently, he was determined to ignite his body against the Demon Cult once more.
‘I can do this. At this rate, I can do it!’
With burning vengeance fueling his spirit, hope began to sprout slowly.
In the face of the adversarial environment of the Demon Realm, the heroes pressing forward toward their goals in steadfast unity filled him with excitement.
And as the guilt of having fled from his sect faded into the past, he felt pride in being part of this grand journey.
‘This is the strength of the martial world. No matter how dark the night, dawn will always break—’
We shall clear the shadows that hang over the world with our own hands and seize a bright future.
In that moment of optimism.
Rumble—
Something began to stir from the ominous thunderclouds overhead.
Amidst the strange sounds echoing from the clouds, violet lightning flashed dramatically.
Even those focused on the ongoing battle could not ignore it.
Crash!
And finally.
From the heavens to the ground.
With a thunderous roar that shook the earth, purple lightning rained down across the battlefield.
*
‘It’s about time to ramp up the pace.’
Hans, hidden behind a veil and controlling the battlefield, wore a faint smile.
So far, everything had been proceeding according to plan without any significant issues.
The large-scale barrier spread within this space was already under his control, allowing him to adjust the amount of the abyss supplied to the Heavenly Demon to keep his performance at a suitable level.
‘But to reach a climax, this is a bit lacking.’
Hope shouldn’t come this easily.
To bind the divided factions together, it’s essential to battle through insurmountable despair and trials, never giving up until the prize is seized.
And for that, something more overwhelming was needed.
Hans nodded with satisfaction as he observed the gigantic beings beginning to rise from the spots where the purple lightning had struck.
KRAAAHHH—!
GROOOOWL—!
With ferocious roars, the colossal monsters twisted their bodies, showcasing their presence.
Despair began to fill the faces of the humans, who had somehow maintained balance up until now.
Kirin, nine-tailed foxes, dokkaebi…
The moment the top-tier supernatural Jiangshi he had meticulously crafted revealed themselves.
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