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Chapter 293

The situation began to change dramatically as the newly arrived Hunters stepped onto the battlefield.

As countless Hunters made their presence felt on the battlefield, the previously stretched forces began to stabilize.

However, in that situation, Yeon-woo felt something odd.

Perhaps the Demon King was the weakest among them; perhaps that power was only impressive but not indicative of true strength. It was all too easy to make such assumptions.

From Yeon-woo’s perspective, that would be a clear evasion. Believing the opponent to be weak was foolish behavior.

Hunters must prepare for the worst-case scenario, and turning a blind eye was not an option.

There is no way a being called a Demon King could be this weak. There had to be something more. No one had witnessed its true form yet.

Normally, Yeon-woo thought it was a waste of time to concern oneself with the unpredictable, but strangely enough, this situation did have some hints worth noticing.

‘The Orb of Heaven.’

That orb floating in the sky was the most mysterious object of all.

It resembled a marble, etched with circular patterns, and since the Demon King had descended, it had remained unresponsive, floating in mid-air.

However, that orb had reacted once before. Yeon-woo vaguely remembered.

When the Demon King had devoured the moment of time, didn’t the orb’s patterns also flash with light at the same time?

At that time, Yeon-woo assumed it was an amplifier of the Demon King’s power or range, but now he began to entertain other hypotheses.

‘What if that girl’s appearance isn’t her true form…?’

Nevertheless, it remained purely speculative at this point. It has always been said that a fool’s reasoning can lead to disaster; one could theorize all they wanted, but spreading such uncertainties was another matter entirely.

In any case, the immediate task was to defeat the humanoid Demon King. Whether by repulsion or destruction, that was the goal to confirm Yeon-woo’s suspicions.

The flames unleashed by Hyuk Mu-ryeon adorned the space as Gun-ryeong swirled through the air.

The countless flames scattered by Guneun kept the Demon King from moving freely through the battlefield.

Yuri’s sword cut the space amidst the many flames.

Confronted with the philosophy that those who are not heroes find it hard to inflict wounds, Yuri decided to channel the sword’s power, concentrating it with each strike.

Baek In-hwa skillfully filled the gaps that could foster separation between the two.

Even as an Aura Master, it was impossible for them to execute a perfect cooperative attack, which meant Baek In-hwa played a significant role.

The Demon King clicked her tongue in annoyance at the trio’s joint offense. The serpents that accompanied her swept away the flames that confined her, while her arms intercepted Yuri’s blade. The cold biting through the gaps caused the serpents to freeze.

Now well-rested, Yeon-woo focused his gaze, ready to step into the fray.

It wasn’t efficient for those three to keep fighting against the Demon King forever. Yeon-woo needed to step forward since he could inflict wounds using relatively less power.

Fortunately, the Demon King’s mana was not infinite; the density of her power felt markedly different from the first intimidating sight they’d seen.

Yeon-woo attentively watched the flow of magic, waiting for the right moment.

And then it happened. Hyuk Mu-ryeon, with a typically bold approach, charged at the Demon King.

Wielding the crimson flames that could warm the very atmosphere, Hyuk Mu-ryeon’s strike pierced into the Demon King’s body.

Though the Demon King crossed her arms to block it, she couldn’t escape the pain of her sizzling skin, causing her face to contort in agony.

Boom!!

Unable to withstand the shock, the Demon King’s body was hurled against the side of a building.

The force was so tremendous that it caused a building, already half-destroyed from battle, to crumble.

Seeing that, Yuri clicked her tongue and swung her sword.

Since it was already a collapsed building, it might as well be completely demolished; the blade slashed through the debris indiscriminately.

The indiscriminate assault of the sword carved the remnants into pieces, creating dents in the ground below from the sheer power.

However, the sudden disruption in their teamwork made it difficult for Baek In-hwa to join in hastily.

Though the surprise attack succeeded in inflicting more powerful damage, they couldn’t maintain a balanced offensive.

Despite not being a martial artist, the Demon King did not miss the opportunity.

With a violent flow of her mana, the Demon King sent the debris that covered her flying into the air, standing directly in front of Hyuk Mu-ryeon, who couldn’t regain control after his attack.

The Demon King’s body was scorched black, wounds bleeding, and her eyes glowed with fierce determination.

Hyuk Mu-ryeon gasped in shock, and Yuri, seeing that, rushed to his side in a flurry.

“I told you I wouldn’t die unless you fix that attitude!!”

“What am I supposed to do about that!!”

Hyuk Mu-ryeon shouted back at Yuri’s reprimand. Regardless of their quarrels, the Demon King kicked out, striking Hyuk Mu-ryeon in the side.

Hyuk Mu-ryeon flew helplessly, and Yuri, who had been prepared in advance, barely caught the back of Hyuk Mu-ryeon’s neck with the scabbard.

It was just to prevent Hyuk Mu-ryeon from being thrown out of the battlefield, but because of that, Baek In-hwa was left alone.

Reading the situation, Yeon-woo springloaded himself into action.

“You’re the most annoying one.”

The Demon King murmured as she appeared right in front of Baek In-hwa, right after having tossed Hyuk Mu-ryeon away, swinging her arm wide.

One couldn’t say Baek In-hwa’s defense was slow; it was just that the Demon King’s strike was far too quick.

‘I got careless…!!’

A heavy scent of death slowly approached Baek In-hwa amidst the frenzy. But just a moment later, the impending shadow of death that loomed over her vanished in an instant.

Yeon-woo, who had been preparing from the beginning, slipped between the two.

Twisting the arm of the Demon King wielding the sword heading toward Baek In-hwa, he narrowly avoided a deadly strike that would have skimmed past her cheek.

Without utilizing the power of the opponent against them, this was a precariously fine balancing act.

Yeon-woo then raised the blade over his head in a single fluent motion. With a swift motion, a slender cut grazed the Demon King’s solar plexus.

Of course, such a light strike would not be enough to kill the Demon King, whose vitality was not weak. Yeon-woo knew this and prepared to channel his mana once more.

The Demon King glared at him, her arm flying errantly.

Facing the iridescent light emanating from her pupils, Yeon-woo took a deep breath.

“Ha─.”

The technique called Dragon Transformation allows the contractor to merge with a dragon.

Through Dragon Transformation, the contractor can access most of the abilities that a dragon possesses, including many organs associated with it.

However, there’s one ability that even in Dragon Transformation cannot be accessed: the Dragon Breath.

Dragon Breath is not just a regular breath; it is said to release ‘attributes’ that only that specific dragon can unleash.

Even Nea and Shar had their unique mechanisms for it, according to the explanations given.

But if asked why Dragon Breath couldn’t be used even though the heart and scales are organs too, the answer is simple.

Dragons, like humans, have hearts. Scales correspond to the fine hairs of skin, and bones correspond to bones and…

While most organs have their human counterparts, Dragon Breath was the exception.

However, Yeon-woo alone in this world could disregard such limitations. Thanks to the Elemental Mana of starlight, ‘Brave.’

If necessary, Yeon-woo could alter his physical form at will, even creating the organs needed to use Dragon Breath.

The breath exhibited by Shar during the fight with the Frost Alligator was an overwhelming pressurizing force emitting sound waves. It roared loudly enough to create depressions in the earth, using physical power to crush.

And in this form, given the countless cuts upon his skin, it would unleash its maximum might.

After all, the figure in front of him appeared to faithfully implement human functions.

The air inhaled mixed with mana. He felt the mana flow through his trachea into his lungs and then escape through an unknown exit.

The whirl of mana was palpable within an unnamed organ.

Was this the sensation of Dragon Breath? Yeon-woo rolled his eyes in confusion as he expelled something that rose to his throat.

“──!!”

Boom!!

The ‘sound’ he expelled slammed right before him.

The force was so overwhelming that Yeon-woo’s body was propelled back, crashing into the wall.

Baek In-hwa stared at Yeon-woo with a dumbstruck expression.

“Cough, hey! Are you looking at me right now!!”

After clearing dust from his throat, he shouted out, and finally, Baek In-hwa snapped back to reality, shifting her gaze. On the opposite side of Yeon-woo, in the crumbling building, lay the girl known as the Demon King.

Her body, twisted in unnatural angles, bled from the myriad wounds, pooling into puddles. Even from a distance, it was clear her pupils were vacant, and her chest did not rise; she appeared undeniably deceased.

“…Huh, huh….”

“Don’t say it, Baek In-hwa!!”

How dare you attempt a resurrection spell on the Demon King; that is unforgivable!

Even with ringing ears, Yeon-woo shouted at the words he could barely hear. Startled, Baek In-hwa closed her mouth.

At that moment, Yuri returned beside Baek In-hwa, stroking her chin as she muttered.

“She’s dead, but…”

Sighing softly, she looked up at the sky. The Demon King was dead. But the Demon King’s Snake kept pouring forth relentlessly.

What that phenomenon implied was shockingly clear: The Demon King was not dead, and just as Yeon-woo had predicted, that was not her true body.

Brushing off the dust, Yeon-woo looked up at the sky once more. The orb floating in the air retained its majestic position.

Suddenly, watching that scene, he imagined something.

The engravings beneath the orb resembled an eye. If he envisioned a human face in the air, it would look like a woman adorned with hair that resembled snakes.

(To be continued in the next chapter.)

 

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