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Chapter 7: The Chaos Unleashed

Thud thud thud-!

The tentacles melted into debris and fell apart.

Bang-! Bang bang-!

Chiiiing–!!

As the debris hit the ground, it instantly melted away, revealing the floor beneath was also eroding away.

A foul stench pierced the nostrils. Despite this, the owner of the tentacles gazed somewhere with an indifferent expression.

There, a young man shrouded in white flames twisted his face as he looked at Taechon.

“You damned fool, how dare you.”

The seething anger was quite noticeable. Taechon, showing this emotion, curled his lips into a smirk.

“So, it’s you. The crack the world is watching.”

Upon seeing him, it was all too clear. What a grotesque sight it was.

The axis of destiny was wholly disconnected. I had never seen such a tangled mess before.

Moreover,

“To defy divine status.”

Taechon examined the flames blazing atop his tentacles. The white flame was continuously burning them.

This was affecting his divine status. Taechon watched it with keen interest.

Whose doing could this be?

“Mankye?”

It could be him.

Or,

“Could it be someone else?”

There were plenty of discontented characters, yet among them, one had particular prowess in this area.

Especially,

“The one next to you seems the most likely…”

Taechon spoke while glancing at the black-haired woman beside the young man.

“Could it be the Dragon Emperor? Is he the one who created such a mess?”

The Dragon Emperor. A once arrogant figure who ruled the Dragon Realm.

Suspecting it might be his doing, Taechon spoke up but—

“What the hell are you saying, you bastard?”

The young man, Gu Yangcheong, charged forward, covering Taechon with flame power.

Flame Burst–!!!

The sphere he had clenched in his hand began to transform.

Flame Jade Sacred Spear.

A white spear was shot towards Taechon.

Pic-!

So fast that even the sound couldn’t catch up.

As Taechon tried to react with his tentacles,

Crack-!!

The spear effortlessly penetrated the tentacles and lunged toward Taechon.

“Hmm.”

Taechon reached out at the sight. He caught the flying spear with his hand.

Griiiiind-!

As soon as he grasped it, an overwhelming heat shattered his hand.

Seeing this, Taechon frowned and twisted the spear at an angle.

The altered spear cleaved through the air, and not long after, an explosion echoed from a distance.

Kuwaaaaaaa–!!!

The white heat soared to the sky. At that moment.

Heavenly Demon Technique.

“…!”

Energy was sensed right in front of Taechon.

Turning his head, he saw Gu Yangcheong burrowing into Taechon’s space, completing something in his hand.

“Heavenly Demon Chaos Jade.”

A sinister white sphere began to crack on Gu Yangcheong’s palm.

Thud-!

Then a small sound rang out, and screams erupted all around.

Kiiaaaaaaa–!!!

With the howls of energy came an immense shockwave.

“Oh…”

Shin Cheol, witnessing this, exclaimed in awe.

“That guy… he crafted something incredible while I wasn’t looking.”

Such admiration came as a half-gesture.

And.

“…What a shame.”

There was a slight sense of regret in his voice.

Proving it was a martial art learned not long ago, or one that was only just completed, the power Gu Yangcheong wielded had some clear weaknesses.

That was the problem.

This single flaw severely undermined the crucial elements of his power.

“Oh dear.”

How could the recipient not realize it?

“You startled me.”

Amidst the torrent of screams, Taechon’s laughter spread, and at the same time, the ground began to shake violently.

Ku-gugugugugugung—–!!!!!

The ground erupted, unleashing a staggering number of tentacles.

As Gu Yangcheong watched, he withdrew his energy and moved his body. In the midst of the Heavenly Demon Chaos Jade explosion, Taechon was still standing.

The state of his body, wrecked and battered, showed signs of damage, but that was all. Taechon looked at Gu Yangcheong with a smile, as if this was no significant harm.

As if to say, ‘Is this all you’ve got?’

“Tch.”

Gu Yangcheong clicked his tongue upon seeing this.

Then.

“Hoo.”

Exhaling, he began to gather energy.

White heat. The same as the White Flame he had used earlier.

To inflict greater damage on those monsters, he had realized this during the previous battle and was acting accordingly.

The white energy ascended into the sky, forming a barrier.

White Sky.

Under the ashen sky, a white space was established.

Along with it.

Woo-!!

At the center of that sky, the sun was raised high.

Flame Wheel Sun.

As soon as the sphere arose, power surged through Gu Yangcheong’s body.

The characteristics of the Moon Night Clan manifested, greatly empowering his physique.

“Haha.”

Taechon, witnessing this, chuckled.

“Interesting. To think you could hold so much within your body. Even in such a broken vessel.”

Taechon swallowed those words as Gu Yangcheong’s hand was now pouring down toward him.

“Hoo!”

With a shout, his fingertips swept across where Taechon had been, creating a distortion in the ground as if a colossal claw had marked its territory.

Crack-crack-crack—!!!

He dodged.

Gu Yangcheong’s torn pupils searched for Taechon.

But.

Was it too slow? Remembering he couldn’t seize him, Gu Yangcheong focused on something else.

Changcheon.

He carried the heavens within his body.

The energy of Tua Pacheonmu tore through his entirety, enhancing his abilities.

Griiiiiind-!!

At this point, his muscles began to scream.

Now greatly fortified as a Moon Night Clan member, he could withstand the accumulation.

Bang-!!

As he stomped the ground and prepared for action, a vibrating surge burst forth.

Feeling his lower body swell as if it was about to explode, Gu Yangcheong launched himself.

No sound followed.

Woosh-!!

Only after the fact did the sound catch up.

Gu Yangcheong aimed a White Flame-wrapped fist at Taechon. Taechon dodged, slipping in and out, but he couldn’t escape the rapid pace.

Ultimately, Gu Yangcheong successfully grasped Taechon’s ankle.

With that, he began to pound Taechon into the ground like a hammer.

Bang-! Bang bang-!!

After a while of this, he finally threw Taechon toward the hilly area.

The rapidly flying body of Taechon.

Seeing this, Gu Yangcheong crafted a spear, launching it with all his might.

Thwoom-!!

The spear pierced Taechon’s recovery body, slamming into the hillside wall.

Bang-!!!

Explosions erupted. As Gu Yangcheong charged forward once again to meet the pinned Taechon.

His intensely split green eyes glinted with killing intent as he hand-crafted the Flame Jade, pushing it into the spear embedded in Taechon.

Sizzle-!

A sound of something bursting rang out.

Then.

Kuwaaaaaaa-!!!

This explosion was on another level from before. It contained the power to obliterate everything in the vicinity due to the combined techniques.

Amidst the towering flames, Gu Yangcheong emerged, falling to the ground.

“……”

His expression was twisted and severe. For someone whose attack had succeeded, he didn’t seem very pleased.

The reason was simple.

“Damn it.”

It had not been a complete victory.

Flame Burst–!!!

Gathering the flames, he returned his vision to its original form. The shattered battlefield was visible, but there were no places that had melted due to the flames.

It was a characteristic of the White Flame. Unlike other energies, the White Flame could not melt or burn objects.

The only thing it truly burnt was Demon Energy.

Gu Yangcheong’s particular label of energy. The White Flame only exerted its power against such energies.

“Dammit.”

It seemed this time was too much.

In the very place where the clash had caused an explosion.

There stood Taechon.

Half his body was wrecked, and only his waist barely remained intact, yet even upon seeing this, he didn’t feel victorious.

“What is that guy?”

He looked like the crow he had just fought, but Gu Yangcheong was convinced that he was not the crow.

Lacking wings? No. It was just an instinctive realization.

“What’s this?”

Taechon, in his broken state, spoke with a voice surprisingly intact compared to his appearance.

“I guess it’s this place’s trait. Everyone is unusually aggressive here.”

The moment Taechon spoke, Gu Yangcheong felt energy surge back into his hands.

Just as he was about to attack again.

Grip–!

Someone grasped Gu Yangcheong’s wrist. As he widened his eyes and confirmed the owner of the hand, it was Shin Cheol.

“……Noya?”

“Stay still. Can’t you see I’m trying to concentrate?”

“Noya… are you back to your senses?”

“Of course! I’m here because I’ve regained my senses. Is that even a question? Heh heh.”

How rude. Gu Yangcheong would have frowned at such words in the past, but now he couldn’t.

Seeing this, Shin Cheol gave a strange expression and licked his lips.

“Look at that expression? Don’t make such a face. You’re in better shape than you appear.”

“But….”

“You’ve already been told. You were just a bit drowsy.”

A bit drowsy, my foot.

Immediately, Gu Yangcheong tried to shake off his wrist and move, but the grip wouldn’t loosen.

“Stay still. Even if you move now, it won’t change anything.”

“That’s….”

And as Shin Cheol spoke, he looked across.

“Even if you move now, it doesn’t seem like that guy will fall.”

“……!”

At hearing this, Gu Yangcheong immediately turned his gaze to Taechon.

Grriiiiiind—!!!

Taechon’s body began to change.

His white hair turned blue.

The originally blue eyes turned even whiter.

As his pupils completely converted to white, the sight felt profoundly alien.

His shattered body gradually began to recover.

“Ah-.”

A chill ran down his spine-!

With Taechon’s utterance, shivers erupted all over Gu Yangcheong’s body.

What was this sensation?

What on earth was that guy? Even after getting angry, he sensed that something was very wrong.

What should he do? As the thought of wanting to flee passed through his mind unbidden,

“You little brat.”

A low voice brushed against Gu Yangcheong’s shoulder.

Swoosh.

Suddenly, he felt a touch on his left arm. It was Gui Jeong. Gui Jeong released herself and moved to Shin Cheol.

Shin Cheol, firmly gripping the weapon crafted, kept his gaze on Taechon while asking Gu Yangcheong.

“That state of yours, how long can you maintain it?”

“……What?”

“That body.”

With White Sky, Flame Wheel Sun, and Changcheon all combined within his form.

How long could he sustain this?

Gu Yangcheong calculated quickly.

“About… half a moment.”

At most, about half a moment from now.

As he relayed this, Shin Cheol laughed.

“Is that so? Just perfect.”

Swish.

Shin Cheol aimed Gui Jeong at Taechon and declared.

“Watch closely.”

As he spoke, flower petals gradually settled upon his body.

As the petals slowly descended until they met the ground.

“This is all I can show you.”

Flames erupted from Shin Cheol’s body as plum blossoms bloomed in full array.

 

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