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Chapter 7: The Roar of Beasts

Growl growl growl—!!!

The sound of a beast’s cry reverberated through the air.

Snap—!! Snap—!!

Cracks spread across the void, with shards falling everywhere—an overwhelming number of them. Black Qi oozed out from the cracks that appeared in abundance, an undeniably ominous sight.

The energy pouring out was more than sufficient to shatter the very fabric of space.

Kyaaaaaa—!!

Growl growl growl.

The cries of all manner of beasts resonated, suffocating the surrounding atmosphere.

Growl growl growl…

The Duryeong also let out an unrestrained roar as it gazed into the void.

What is that? What could possibly be so foreboding?

The cracks enlarged gradually.

As the Duryeong clutched its beloved weapon tightly, a voice rang out.

“Fool.”

“……!”

A voice was heard. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

The Duryeong’s gaze shifted from the sky to straight ahead. There stood an arrogant being claiming to be the heavens.

“Are you afraid?”

It wore a mask, hiding its expressions, but the eyes visible shone with a brilliant purple light.

Afraid? Of itself?

“What a ridiculous claim.”

Bang—!

The Duryeong swung the axe it held down violently onto the ground.

In that moment.

Growl growl growl—!!!

Something fell from the cracks that gaped open toward the Duryeong.

Thud—!! Thud thud—!!

Various things landed, smashing into the rock-filled ground. Upon closer inspection, they bore the appearance of gigantic beasts.

With two legs supporting their weight, they clutched shields and swords in their large hands—something resembling humans but distinctly not.

As the Heavenly Demon observed them, Gu Yangcheong nodded.

“See that?”

A sense of unease flooded in. A nagging déjà vu clawed at his eyes.

“What are those? They are not living beings.”

At first glance, he hadn’t noticed, but now he understood.

“Those aren’t… living creatures.”

What filled the ground was not a living being. An alien sensation washed over him.

“Though they exhibit signs of breathing… Hmm?”

They seemed plausible enough. He spotted subtle rises of the shoulders and chest, indicating breath. The sound of exhalation was audible as well.

“But they lack souls.”

He could feel none of the unique sensations typical of living beings emanating from them.

It could be warmth.

Or perhaps, something that could be described as vitality.

“Hm…”

What could that be? It was inexplicable.

Moreover, it seemed that the Duryeong was not the one using them.

The entity that caused the current turmoil did not seem to be the Duryeong. Its expression spoke volumes.

Extreme vigilance. Deep-seated, incomprehensible dissatisfaction lay within.

That dissatisfaction wasn’t directed at him. Even the earlier shout confirmed that.

“Crow—!!”

That name was shouted the moment the Demonic Gate opened.

“A crow, huh?”

Who could that refer to? He had no clue. It was a being he couldn’t grasp even when extending his Qi Perception.

Was it that this being was so strong it couldn’t be sensed, or was it simply… night?

He glanced at the sky. The rising moon was dazzling.

Seeing that brought forth questions. Unlike during the day, he couldn’t sense the presence of those in the Spirit’s Den.

As soon as night fell, it was as if they vanished like ghosts.

What that meant was…

“Is it merely because it’s night?”

Or was it a problem with the Spirit Mountain itself?

Whatever it might be, the issue was clear. What mattered now was the order of things.

“Is it that I can’t sense the Spirit Mountain’s presence? Or is it that being here has disrupted my Qi Perception?”

He needed to observe the differences between those two points.

“Hm…”

What was the catalyst that caused the loss of his Qi perception?

Questions rose, prompting a sense of caution. Something that eluded his Qi perception had caused those cracks.

“It could still be nearby.”

Like last time, it might be targeting him again.

So he couldn’t let his guard down easily.

“Regrettably, I’ll leave that side to others.”

He had already requested assistance concerning that matter.

For now, he had to concentrate on the creatures before him.

Kyaaaaaaaaa—!

Growl growl growl—!!!

The two-legged beasts that appeared from the ground exuded hostility around the Duryeong.

Even if they lacked vitality, the Qi and killing intent they emitted were genuine.

Drool dripped from the gaps in their sharp fangs.

Chiiiii—!!!

As the drool splashed on the ground, a sizzling sound echoed, with the ground starting to melt away.

There were quite a few of them. Even a rough count easily surpassed a hundred.

Seeing them, he let out a smirk. “Not too shabby.”

The attitude of not being frightened by their numbers was notable.

He spoke to the creature. “If you wish to catch me, you’ll need at least this much.”

“……Growl growl growl…”

The Duryeong emitted a dissatisfied growl, but it was all. It showed no intent to refuse.

The creature that earlier roared about being disturbed by the fight was acting unusually this time.

Had it cast aside its pride? That didn’t seem likely.

“What are you plotting?”

It probably had some intention behind it.

Indeed, it must be so, but—

Swish.

Despite knowing that, he raised his hand.

“……?”

The action sparked curiosity in the Duryeong’s eyes.

Over a hundred strong beings.

There was one reason to not be intimidated by their numbers.

“They are beings lacking vitality, merely possessing Qi.”

Even with such a vast number gathered,

“That’s applicable to me as well.”

Coincidentally…

Growl growl growl—!!!

The creatures he controlled were not much different.

Snap snap snap—!!!

Purple light erupted from the ever-enlarging cracks.

Simultaneously, creatures emerged from within.

Kyaaaaaaaaa—!!!

The beasts, who’d previously directed their hostility at him, charged forth at that change.

With incredible speed.

Just as the claws of a beast lunged toward his throat—

“Bite.”

He whispered calmly.

Crack!

In the disaster he created, the beings that burst forth sank their fangs into the beast’s neck.

*

Kyaaaaaa—!!!

Growl growl growl—!!!!!

The entire wide expanse of Spirit Mountain filled with the harsh cries of beasts. Moreover, the sounds of something breaking and tearing resonated simultaneously.

It was a harrowing and spine-chilling sight.

The chaotic clashes brought about by the rushing masses were enough to raise the heated air mixed with Qi, escalating the temperature significantly.

Truly, it was absolute chaos. There wasn’t even a single gap in sight.

In the densely packed space, an intense battle raged.

Watching this, a man hovering in the void grimaced.

“What… is this…?”

Flap.

He fluttered his black wings, inspecting the situation with trembling eyes directed at the ground.

What on earth was happening?

It was an unexpected development.

Even if he wasn’t pleased about it, he couldn’t simply allow that ignorant creature to suffer, so he tried to offer some help.

Originally, he had dispatched troops to an area that couldn’t be opened without his Lord’s command.

“What is that creature?”

The Heavenly Demon was an unknown entity.

Rumors had it that it wreaked havoc across Mankye recently. When the first news arrived, it had merely seemed like another minor anomaly.

However, astonishingly, it had come to clash with one of the generals.

This part had not been clearly confirmed, but the man was sure of it.

It was the first death of a general in several hundred years.

That alone provided ample reason to stay vigilant against it, yet—

“The foolish ones don’t even seem to care.”

The Duryeong could be like this. Naturally, it would have no attention to spare for anything but fighting or matters concerning the Spirit Mountain.

Yarang, too, was hardly different.

That girl was a drifter without even possessing a Divine Tree, no matter how much love from her Lord had elevated her to general. She remained in an ambiguous position.

The only one who might’ve thought about such matters was Yusa.

“Yet, he fell first.”

Whether it was his scheme or mere coincidence, it was clear that the situation was far from favorable.

The incompetence of two generals was one thing, but—

“The state of Lord is also suspicious.”

Currently, a subtle change had occurred with his Lord.

As soon as the owner of the Abyss went into hiding without fulfilling his duty, the Master of Mankye had hastily moved to seal the gap in the Abyss.

With his ankles bound, all that sat at the Lord’s side was but a shell with only the spirit remaining.

Her state, therefore, might somewhat be understandable.

“Is that really all there is to it?”

To the man’s eyes, that seemed rather suspicious.

“Considering how far things have escalated, something should have triggered movement.”

Given that a general had died, it would make sense for the Master to take action directly.

They were entities that would not tolerate anomalies in their world.

Among them, she had been responsible for overseeing Mankye, which placed her in a higher rank.

Yet—

“Why does she not act?”

She must have been fully aware of the situation.

For some unusual reason, her movements had grown sluggish regarding matters like these.

“I cannot comprehend it.”

The man couldn’t understand.

If this were the case—

“…Should I report to Lord?”

His Lord.

Was he to convey this to his true Lord, the Master of Mankye, not just any ordinary Master?

Such thoughts crossed his mind.

“Yet, it isn’t time.”

Though it was drawing near, it wasn’t yet time.

He was still in a state of waiting for the perfect moment. Acting in such an ambiguous point in time wasn’t wise.

“Then, I cannot simply let the Duryeong die just yet.”

If the time hadn’t come, the Duryeong shouldn’t perish.

Whoever the Heavenly Demon was, despite not knowing how strong it was or its intentions—

“I must intervene.”

The powers wielded were anything but ordinary.

How could it…

“Is it able to use powers akin to that of the Abyss?”

Pulling its troops out through the cracks.

That was similar to the power granted by securing permission from his Lord concerning the Abyss.

Of course,

“It’s not entirely the same.”

It was a sensation of power he had never encountered before. Thus, it was likely somewhat different.

“I shouldn’t leave it as is.”

The man’s instincts warned against allowing it to continue as it was.

As if to prove this, the black beasts summoned by the Heavenly Demon ruthlessly pushed back the troops he had sent to the Duryeong.

Tsk.

Was it not enough?

He thought as he moved his fingertips.

If he sent more troops as they were, it could put him at risk.

While the Master of Mankye despised using powers without her permission, he knew that for his own plan, the Duryeong could not die.

Thus, as he began to overexert himself to send forth more troops…

“I found it.”

A beautiful voice resonated nearby.

Hastily, the man turned his head.

Quack—!!

“Cough!”

A white palm reached out and grabbed the man’s face.

“You are…”

And then—

“This way.”

The man’s body rapidly plummeted to the ground.

 

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