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Chapter 632: Flame Jade Sacred Spear

At that moment, while I was listening to Mang’s fury, he finally spoke up.

“Hani, I’ll ask you one last time.”

“What is it?”

“Are you thinking of joining me?”

Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Even after coming this far, he was still trying to charm me.

It was absurd.

He was persistent, I’ll give him that. But seeing him act this way made me realize one thing.

‘It means I’m that important to him.’

More accurately, my power is.

The power to devour the dragon’s abilities and nullify them.

To swallow and steal powers.

That’s what he needed.

“This is your last chance. I have no intention of showing you any mercy.”

“Um.”

Pretending to consider, I lightly stroked my chin and then said to him,

“I have one more question.”

Pointing my finger at him, I asked,

“You said you’d let that guy go if you got your body back. But once you release him, will he still be alive?”

“Um?”

Mang cocked his head as he contemplated my question.

“It seems you need something fragmented or whatever that is. If you take that away, can he still live?”

“Ah.”

After I added a bit more explanation, it seemed Mang understood, nodding his head.

“The blessing will carry on.”

“Blessing?”

“Yes, a blessing that I assisted you with before you die.”

In other words, he was sugar-coating the fact that he intends to kill me.

“There’s no greater blessing than this….”

Mang hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I see.”

As if he realized something, he said,

“You’ll refuse again this time.”

He must have gotten to know me a bit through our conversations, and he sensed the situation.

Damn it, he was quick on the uptake.

“…”

“…”

Silence descended.

That was the signal.

Boom.

<Wooosh—!>

In an instant, we closed the distance between each other.

Zoom—!

My Heart Eye activated once more.

I could see threads of energy forming from his physical body.

Twisting my head to observe, I felt a sharp rush as my sword grazed his hair.

Snip—! The severed hair froze mid-air.

An immediate attack followed.

I spun my body quickly to let my sword slide past.

Using that momentum, I aimed a kick at his waist.

Bang—!

A rough sound erupted.

The attack didn’t land cleanly.

My kick hit a mass of ice that had formed in the air, weakening its impact.

With the blocked attack, my motion became awkward.

Mang seized the opportunity, swinging down his sword.

If this continued, I’d end up in a tight spot.

I flicked my wrist slightly to interrupt his strike.

A spark flew from my fingertips and struck the blade.

<Clang—!>

“…!”

It was a petty little trick, but it altered the sword’s trajectory.

Thud—!

Thanks to that, the sword slammed into the floor instead of my head.

I quickly regained my balance and extended my fist.

<Whew—!>

‘Tua Pacheonmu.’

Second Style.

To be in the Heaven’s authority.

A sharp gust of wind hurled towards Mang.

Bam—! Once again, an invisible barrier blocked my attack.

But swish—! The strike shattered through, relentlessly closing in.

“…!!”

Mang’s eyes widened at the crumbling barrier.

An unorthodox motion.

Tua Pacheonmu’s power radiated from perfect form.

Even if it was somewhat reduced in strength.

‘But that doesn’t mean it’s weak.’

The fist, now wrapped in a whirlwind, struck Mang’s abdomen.

The issue was.

<Thud—!>

“Ugh!”

The shock also reverberated into my belly.

Kaboom—!!!

The shockwaves exploded as we both were sent recoiling.

<Thud—! Crash—!>

My body smashed against a wall, collapsing alongside the debris.

It wasn’t a severe impact, allowing me to dust myself off and stand up.

However.

‘He kicked me even in that state?’

Despite being hit by Tua Pacheonmu, he had managed to kick me away.

In the ridiculous situation, I looked at him.

“Cough! Spit!”

Mang spat out blood with a grimace.

He was clutching his abdomen, which looked incredibly painful.

But slowly, his upper body seemed to be healing.

Seeing that made me realize.

‘That ability must mean he can use it too.’

So, he could probably use other powers as well.

Yet, during combat, he wasn’t using any other abilities.

Perhaps he was consciously avoiding it due to my powers.

What a nuisance.

Even if it wasn’t that,

‘It seems he won’t fall easily.’

Though his strength was ambiguous,

his speed was slightly superior to mine. But the difference wasn’t vast.

It seemed we were more or less on equal footing.

Yet the biggest problem was.

‘My body is gradually slowing down.’

It was becoming evident that I was moving slower.

I wasn’t exactly exhausted.

My energy had depleted significantly, but it wasn’t to the point of feeling deficient.

So what was happening?

As I was pondering over my physical change.

“…How amusing.”

He finally spoke up.

“The sight of you struggling to kill me is truly sad. Normally, I’d have swallowed you in one bite.”

Listening to his words, I relaxed my shoulders.

“Then why not just run away?”

“I can’t. This fight has already been defined; how could I possibly flee?”

With that, he wore a disgusting smirk.

At that moment.

“You’re noticing it, right? Your body is gradually disobeying your commands.”

“…”

Hearing Mang’s words, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

So this discomfort was his doing? How did he manage that?

‘It’s not poison.’

Since I’ve achieved Immunity to All Poisons, something like that couldn’t seep into me.

If it wasn’t poison, then what could it be?

As I gazed at Mang, he provided me the answer.

“Dragons generally don’t stray far from their nests. Do you know why?”

“Why, is it that you grow stronger here?”

“No.”

He pointed casually at the ground.

“It’s not that being here makes me stronger; rather, other dragons grow weaker.”

“…Oh.”

I couldn’t help but express a slight admiration.

This was new information.

“It may seem insignificant, but since this is my lair, as time passes, you’ll likely slow down like a snail. You cannot defeat me here.”

“Um.”

My body, which was already sluggish, was becoming increasingly unsatisfactory.

‘This is problematic.’

I didn’t expect a geographical disadvantage.

Furthermore.

‘The continuous regeneration is irritating.’

If this continues, following Mang’s logic, the fight will drag on, and I’ll be the one at a disadvantage.

While it was good that he wasn’t using his powers.

‘That renders my powers somewhat useless too.’

Stealing becomes tedious under the circumstances.

It wasn’t an option for me right now.

So, my remaining plan is.

‘To finish this as quickly as possible.’

That’s all there is left.

But how to make that happen?

Just as I struggled with that thought.

“Why, are you reconsidering my offer—”

“Ah.”

Fortunately, an idea surfaced in my mind.

I didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

‘Should I try it?’

After receiving the warning from Pejon not to use it, I had kept it hidden.

He had told me to absolutely refrain unless I entered the Realm of the Heart.

The first time I attempted it, it nearly resulted in my demise, tearing up my insides.

Since then, I had only tried it mentally but hadn’t physically performed it.

But now seemed like the perfect time to give it a shot.

Ending my brief contemplation.

I extended my right hand lightly into the air.

<Whooosh—!!> The Flame Jade began to gather at the tip of my palm.

“Um?”

Mang’s expression showed curiosity as he watched.

But soon, it transformed into mockery.

He must’ve thought I was attempting the same move from before.

Yes, I had used Flame Jade so often.

I had just blocked with it earlier, so it would appear odd.

One more thing.

“Are you still floundering? Didn’t you think I—? Hmm?”

Just as he began to ridicule me, his eyes widened dramatically.

Whirl—!

The assembled Flame Jade began to spin rapidly for some unknown reason.

I focused all my energy on my palm.

<Wooosh—!!!>

Far faster than it had ever spun before. Just how fast was it?

Swirling winds—!

The surrounding chill was drawn into the Flame Jade.

At that moment.

Whirl—!

The incoming cold ignited, transforming into flames that seeped into the Flame Jade.

Spinning and compressing.

And the Flame Jade, now filled with intense heat, began to burn brighter.

“…You… What are you doing?!”

Seeing this, Mang swiftly swung his sword from a distance.

Slashing—!!

It appeared he intended to disrupt me before I could realize whatever it was I was up to.

His judgment was excellent, but there was a flaw.

<Tah-dah—!!>

Blood splattered wildly.

The sword’s energy struck true against my chest.

An attack far exceeding that of what had grazed me before.

Simultaneously, ice began to form on the cut.

It was a critical injury, but I didn’t release the Flame Jade.

It was thanks to that.

‘Got it.’

The technique hadn’t failed.

And finally, I grasped the completed Flame Jade.

Thud—!

Without hesitation, I squeezed it tightly.

At that instant.

<Kwah—!>

The gathered flames erupted, engulfing the space in heat.

“Cough—!”

The searing heat made Mang thrust his sword to block it.

The heat wasn’t meant to be aggressive; it felt like it was just a natural warmth.

Only.

‘It’s hot.’

Hot, and unbearably hot.

The warmth met with the cold air, producing clouds of steam.

In my obscured vision, I could see a look of horror etching itself onto Mang’s face.

“…!”

What stood before him was none other than Gu Yangcheong, ice forming on his chest from the scar he suffered.

“I’m not displeased after all.”

A glowing something radiated with blue flames.

In appearance, it looked like—

‘A spear…?’

Standing there, was a long spear forged from flames.

 

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