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Chapter 7: The Crash of Fate

“Whoa–!!”

A gigantic tail sways in the void. If I counted, it was roughly four. A massive and fluffy tail, white as snow, thrashes wildly.

“Grrrraaa–!!”

The growl of a beast reverberates thickly. It’s not even that loud, yet it echoes throughout the ground like a mournful wail.

“Grrk–!!”

A man clutches his throat, straining against the presence before him.

He had to escape. He needed to break free from this bizarre creature but couldn’t manage to do it.

“What kind of power is this-!!”

It’s too strong. Just the weight of it could create waves that would crush everything nearby. The man was sure of it.

That shock from earlier, when he had briefly lost consciousness—that was this thing’s doing.

“Where did this thing even come from…?”

He eyed his opponent, certain it belonged to the Moon Night Clan. A creature blessed by the night’s power of Mankye.

Especially, this one seeming to embody the pureblood essence of the clan. It was as if they were in the same state as when Yusa unleashed his true form.

“Such a level…!”

Comparing it to Yusa, even that was an insult to this being’s power.

The crushing force, of course.

“It’s shattering divine statuses.”

Crack–!!

It nonchalantly crushed the power of the divine pressing upon it. How absurd was that?

A divine status can’t even be touched without proper standing.

The energy they had unleashed moments ago, for some reason, pushed against that status…

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this…!”

This was on an entirely different trajectory. Even at half-strength, he was someone who had attained the master’s level. Typical beings should have found it impossible to so much as approach him.

Yet the creature before him casually dismissed that notion.

As if…

It were no different than he was.

Cracka–!!!

His vision swirled. By the time the man realized it, his body was soaring through the air.

The speed was unreal.

If this continued, he might crash through the barrier and smash it apart.

Barely regaining his mind, he spread his wings.

Whissssh-!

Three pairs of wings unfurl, halting his flight.

Just then, as he tried to sense where the creature was…

“Grrraahh-!!”

“…!”

The growl resonated dangerously close behind him. He quickly turned his head, only to be greeted by an ashen sky.

Crack–!!

A fist descended upon his face.

With the impact, he crashed to the ground.

Boommmm–!!

His small body hit hard, shattering the earth beneath him.

“Ugh!”

He grunted, trying to withstand the pain as he pushed himself up.

Woo-oooh-!!

He heard that sound again. Raising his gaze, he spotted the creature preparing something.

Flames began gathering at its mouth.

Not good. It felt ominous and unsettling. His instincts screamed. That must be stopped immediately.

“Stop it–!!”

He cast the command immediately.

Thud-!!

The binding rushed toward the creature, attempting to snare its physical form.

“Grrr-!!”

“Wha!?”

The moment the command reached it, it shattered. That could only mean one thing.

“Is it truly a vessel?”

Meaning that the beast too could become a master.

It must have the potential to ascend to a higher existence.

Where on earth did such a creature come from?

“Grrk…!”

He stammered, infusing energy into his body, accelerating forward.

The divine essence within his wings surged, enhancing his speed.

As he adjusted his position, calamity rained down in the spot he had just occupied.

Crackling–!!!

A purple blaze rained upon the ground. A colossal pillar emerged, exposing the earth beneath.

With the power emanating from it, the man’s eyes narrowed.

“This…”

It was divine power.

There was a distinct level contained within the energy.

“What in the world.”

What was that creature?

He had condensed his own divine essence and vitality into his body, but that thing—what was it?

Could it be…

“A vessel from another world?”

Could it be a demon sent by a different master, just like him? That thought flickered in his mind.

Such a possibility was not entirely out of the question.

There might be others targeting Mankye besides Taechon.

“If that’s the case.”

It must be dealt with. No matter where it sprang from, it was an obstruction to Taechon’s plans.

Crack-crack–!!!

“He must be eliminated.”

Dozens of feathers converged, forming a white trident. It was far sturdier and stronger than the one he had wielded before.

Vitality enveloped it. As divine power emerged, white currents spread out.

Grrrrm.

The ashen sky stirred, as if a thunderstorm were brewing. This was the man’s domain. What he desired transformed into energy, influencing the space around him.

Swish.

He lifted the trident high above his head.

At that instant, the gathered currents in the ashen sky manifested as thick bolts of lightning converging at the spear’s tip.

Crackling–!!!

Fizz–!

With the spear glowing with light, the man moved. He had just used a fraction of his accumulated vitality over countless eras.

What he thought would be boundless energy, now felt critical as he realized the danger of his opponent; he immediately expended it in large amounts.

“I still had so much more to do.”

Although he had succeeded in becoming a vessel, he was still woefully incomplete.

There were many things he had yet to attain from Mankye. If he could gather enough…

“Only then could I finally reach my master.”

The current master was likely too lost in the upheaval to regain composure.

He had to absorb her as well to fulfill Taechon’s wishes.

So…

“You will die here.”

Anyone opposing that command would die here.

Swish-!

“…!!”

The man turned to his left. The trident he had aimed was gone from his grasp.

His arm was ripped away. The trident now soared in the air.

What’s going on?

“That thing…!”

“Grrrraahh–!!!”

The creature lunged at him with claw-like hands, severing his arm in one swift movement.

Its speed was astounding.

And alongside that…

“Grrrraahh–!!”

Boom–!!

“Grrk!”

It wasn’t just speed that assaulted him.

The sudden impact threw his body off balance again.

Blocking one fist, another came shooting in. He defended once more.

Boom-!

The impact forced him even further back.

Rather than retaliate, he had to use this rebound to create distance. Stretching out his arm, energy burst forth and wrapped around his flying hand.

Swiish-!!

He attached the approaching hand to his left shoulder. This was quicker than regeneration.

He moved the reattached arm lightly to adjust and pushed back to create distance. However…

Swiish–!!!

The creature’s tail lashed out, wrapping around the man’s body.

He tried to flee in a hurry, but it was futile. There was more than one tail, and the creature locked down every escape route.

“Grrk-!”

This was problematic.

The man stared wide-eyed.

Thud-!

His heart raced, unleashing the power within him.

Power.

He sought to use the granted power to escape the predicament, but…

That’s when trouble struck.

Crack!

“What…?”

Out of nowhere, something flew in and sank its teeth into his thigh.

A black shape grappled with him. As he assessed where it had come from, he realized it had originated from the creature before him.

What was this? What other attack was coming? It didn’t take long for him to realize.

“What the…?”

The divine power’s manifestation was interrupted. Normally, it would have erupted, but it remained unfired.

Panic swept over the man. How absurd was this? Just as he froze in that ludicrous state…

“Grrrraahh–!!”

The creature seized the moment and sank its fangs deep.

“Damn it–!”

The space was constricted, and the distance had evaporated.

There was no escape.

As its fangs pressed against his throat, ready to tear him apart, the man’s command was lost.

Thud-!

“…?”

Just as the fangs were about to break through the skin, the beast’s body suddenly shrank away in an instant.

Its massive form diminished, bristles vanishing entirely.

The overwhelming presence and size dissolved at the man’s feet.

“Huh…?”

As he looked at the fallen creature, the man let out a wry smile. He had just uncovered the identity of the bizarre being that had overpowered him until now.

“It’s a dragon.”

A dragon. The troublemaker that had entered his space.

Was that what it had been all along?

“How…?”

How could it have exhibited such strength?

Although questions flooded his mind,

“Whatever it was.”

At this moment, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had survived and…

“Died.”

The fact that it had failed to carry out its role and had now lost consciousness.

That was dangerous.

What was even more frightening than the dragon itself was the presence it had exhibited moments before.

That being was indeed a serious threat.

“Thank goodness. Now I can take care of it.”

Resolving to eliminate the obstacle, the man readied the trident to plunge it into the creature’s neck.

Crack–!!

Bang-!

“Grrk!?”

He urgently spun the trident as thorns burst from the ground beneath him.

His body was shoved aside in an instant.

That was but a moment.

He had braced himself to hurl the trident, but—

“This is absurd.”

There was no longer the creature that had been on the ground. Hurriedly, he turned his head.

Where he had just been was where Yarang was lying.

Looking to that place…

“You…!!”

A familiar figure stood there, one he recognized well.

A woman with long black hair, pale skin, and a diminutive frame.

Meeting her gaze sent an unsettling shiver down his spine.

“You were here all along.”

“……”

She was the same woman who had nearly driven him off the cliff at Spirit Mountain.

Holding the fallen dragon in one hand, she lifted Yarang with the other.

It was evident she aimed to escape.

“Did you think I’d let you go?!”

Determined to not let her slip away, he immediately threw the trident, yet—

“……”

The woman shifted her hand lightly as the spear flew towards her, and before he knew it, a sword had materialized in her grip.

Crashhhh–!!!!

The sword blade deflected the trident. It hadn’t blocked it entirely, only redirecting its path.

The trident soared through the air aimlessly.

With a whoosh—!!

The trident that had soared into the ashen sky exploded.

An unimaginable force spread wide across the heavens.

Kiiiii-!!

Behind the woman who deflected the strike, a rift tore open in space.

“What is this—?”

The man sped up to engage her, but before he could lay a hand on her, she slipped through the dimensional rift, escaping.

Thud-!

His hand barely brushed the closing portal.

“……Damn it.”

He missed.

Gnashing his teeth, the man felt frustrated. He had let slip the means to eliminate the threats right at his feet.

“If the master hears about this, she’ll surely be furious.”

Clenching his fists.

Should he search for them? It seemed more important to deal with what needed to happen next.

“…No.”

The man shook his head. Rather than seek those whose locations were unknown, there was something more pressing to attend to.

“…First. To Hwasan.”

Taechon had spoken words of the past.

When he reached the vessel, he was to go to the place known as Hwasan.

And then…

“Swallow the hidden treasures of Mankye.”

He needed to seize the will of the master who would be there.

 

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