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Chapter 634: White

Thud—!

Debris crumbled, and the air was thick with burnt smell.

The walls were melting under the heat, and the chilling cold had vanished, replaced by an unknown warmth filling the space.

“Cough.”

In the wrecked area, I struggled to lift my body through the rubble.

“Ptooey.”

Spitting out pooled blood, I managed to raise my upper body.

Crack-!

“Ugh….”

I grimaced at the pain radiating from my upper body.

Not only had my ribs cracked, but it also felt like something awful was happening in my abdomen with every move.

The part pierced by the sword, including the lacerations on my chest, were also problematic.

“Damn it.”

To make matters worse, a chilling sensation filled my body, penetrating deep within.

I immediately revived my energy.

Suuuu—

Waves of warmth flowed through me, relieving some discomfort.

Clearing the debris away with my feet, I stumbled forward.

I had been hurled into the wall by the explosion.

For a moment, it seemed I had lost consciousness.

But it couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds.

“Ha.”

I walked, breathing steadily.

‘That was close.’

If I hadn’t blocked the impact with my strong energy, my insides would have been turned upside down.

Having been pounded so much, I’ve also learned a thing or two about conserving strength.

Not that I know how to conserve, but rather how to get hurt less.

I shook off debris as I walked.

“Why is there so much smoke?”

I gathered my energy and lightly waved my hand.

Whoooosh—! The wind swept away the smoke.

Finally obtaining a clear view, I continued toward my destination.

The wall had caved in.

The debris inside was sizzling and bubbling, almost resembling lava.

And beneath that.

“…Cough…hack….”

Mang lay crumpled, a hole gaping in his abdomen.

I approached him while inspecting the damage.

Seeing his torn arm and the hole in his abdomen, I nodded.

‘Regeneration is slow.’

His arm hadn’t sprouted back yet, and the same went for his abdomen.

Thinking back, I had expected him to heal even such injuries easily.

‘Perhaps regeneration isn’t as smooth as I thought.’

Is there a limit, or is it that the number of uses is restricted?

“Cough….”

Mang was spitting blood, his body trembling.

Seeing Woo Hyeok in such a state felt oddly surreal.

“Are you okay?”

I asked him, knowing fully well he wasn’t.

He looked over at me.

“Hu…heh…damn it….”

Mang smiled faintly with his face darkening.

“…I didn’t think things would twist like this….”

With every word he spoke, blood trickled down.

Since he still showed signs of slow regeneration, there seemed to be an evident issue.

Of course, I kept my Qi perception active.

I wouldn’t be surprised if that was just smoke.

“You’re just a pitiful little newborn… How could you be such a hindrance?”

He expressed his thoughts while clicking his tongue.

“Just so you know, I had no intention of being a hindrance.”

If no bystanders were involved in this mess, I wouldn’t have thought of interfering at all.

Given the circumstances, I shouldn’t have been here in the North Sea to begin with.

Only questions lingered in my mind.

‘What happened to him in his previous life?’

He had mentioned that resurrection was near, suggesting that something significant must have unfolded in my previous life.

‘But I have no information on that.’

Maybe it was due to the North Sea; it didn’t ring a bell.

This could mean that he was either waiting for a chance after his resurrection.

Or, perhaps, he had failed to resurrect.

Or…

‘Just like now, someone could have prevented his resurrection.’

One of those three.

Which one was it? I had no clue for now.

“What did he say? The third one?”

“…Yeah, I….”

“No, honestly, I’m not all that curious about anything aside from this…”

“…”

Clearly, this conversation was about to stretch on indefinitely.

And I didn’t have the time to wait for that. Not for me, but for him.

So, I decided to ask the most important question first.

“What is the Dragon Emperor? What exactly does he do?”

Straight to the point.

As soon as the question slipped off my tongue, Mang’s gaze was fixed on me.

The past villain who caused the blood calamity.

The first disaster unleashed upon this world, still out and about plotting something nefarious.

I questioned him about the Dragon Emperor.

“…Hehe…”

Mang chuckled at my inquiry.

“…You’re awfully calm, aren’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“Your friend’s body is dying here, and this is what you choose to question?”

That remark made me scowl.

“Cut the nonsense. Just tell me if you’re going to answer or not.”

“…If I answer, will you spare me?”

“Who knows? If you beg while speaking, maybe I will.”

“Cough, cough….”

With every fit of laughter, blood continued to flow from his upper body.

I was secretly observing closely.

‘He must be reaching his limit. If he still isn’t regenerating, it must be that he can’t.’

It felt safe to assume that it wasn’t simply that he didn’t want to but that he couldn’t.

As I held that thought while intently watching Mang,

“Do you want to hear my answer?”

“Oh? You’re going to answer—”

“Ptooey—!”

He spat blood, and I turned my head to avoid it.

Then I swung my fist.

Bam—!

“Cough!”

“Damn.”

I realized I had hit Mang hard enough to lift his head.

I hadn’t meant to hit him that hard, but I messed up.

Retracting my hand immediately, I spoke irritably.

“If you’re not going to answer, just don’t. Why the hell do you keep spitting blood?”

I had hit him without realizing it.

“…Hah…hehe.”

Mang chuckled despite the hit.

Did I hit him too hard? He seemed a bit off.

“…You think you’ve won?”

“Hmm?”

“Ninth… You don’t realize you’ve made a grave mistake.”

“What did I do?”

“…With this choice, you will ultimately be defeated and devoured by the Dragon Emperor…. You will never defeat him.”

Hearing that made me smirk.

“Just like you?”

“…”

For a brief moment, Mang’s mouth snapped shut at my comment.

There was a fleeting silence, but it didn’t last long.

“Yeah, just like me….”

His admission felt somewhat pitiful.

“Can you really believe that you, all alone, will defeat him?”

“Why? Because you’re gone?”

“The other purebloods have been easily devoured by him. A young one like you, born alone, what can you do? No, it’s impossible.”

After hearing those words, I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

“Then, in the end….”

“So, what’s your conclusion?”

I interrupted him.

The conversation seemed to veer off into a strange direction, so I felt a need to rein it in.

“Since you couldn’t do it, I likely can’t either, is that what you’re saying?”

“That simplistic take is…”

“No, it’s absolutely that. It’s evident from the words you’ve said.”

These arrogant folks really get on my nerves.

Whenever I tried to have a proper conversation, it just wouldn’t progress.

“I get that you’re upset from getting beat up in the past. But if you lost because you were weak, just shut up and deal with it. What’s with this pathetic banter?”

“…Huh?”

“Huh is bullshit.”

Sigh.

A deep exhale escaped my lips.

This wasn’t why I was holding him here. If he wouldn’t give me any solid answers, I might as well get rid of him.

‘Better to let this physical body die.’

If Mang’s body—more accurately, Woo Hyeok’s body—stays like this, he will indeed die.

And that is something I had to prevent.

So it was time to wrap things up. I turned to him and asked.

“How do you know whether I will win or lose against the Dragon Emperor? You lost to me as well.”

“…!”

I spoke with a hint of sarcasm, which visibly contorted Mang’s expression.

“Do you really think you defeated me with this worthless body? That you defeated me, really?”

“Worthless or not, you lost, didn’t you?”

“Hah…!”

Mang’s face was a picture of disbelief at my words.

“Though I’ve lost this time….”

He spat out with an air of excuses, which allowed me to smirk.

‘Gotcha.’

That phrase was crucial.

Bubbling.

A sensation tingled at my feet.

It was a sign that I had fulfilled the conditions.

As the sensation coursed through me, I murmured inwardly.

‘Devour it.’

“Is that how you think you can defeat the Dragon Emperor…!?”

Mang’s words abruptly halted mid-sentence.

Whooooosh—!

Black energy erupted from my feet and enveloped him.

“Cough!?”

In an instant, Mang was engulfed by the energy, squirming in agony, but fortunately, the energy appeared stout beyond my expectations.

“Damn you—! What are you trying to pull…!!”

Suddenly, a crunching sound echoed in my ear.

It clearly resonated from within the energy.

Starting from that first sound.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Accompanied by continuous chewing and swallowing sounds.

“Gaaahhh!!”

Mang began to scream from the depths of the energy.

“Gaaahh… aahhh!!”

The noise was deafening.

As he wailed pitifully, I could only grimace at the sight.

Not because I empathized with his suffering.

But because the more he screamed, the weirder the sensations crammed inside me became.

Suuuu—

The black energy flowed from my toes.

Something was seeping into me through the vein of Tam.

It was ambiguous to call it energy.

But it was equally unclear to deny it.

Could it be memories?

Or maybe thoughts?

If not, could it be the very spirit itself?

What I couldn’t define was merging with the soul settled in my heart.

‘This feels disgusting.’

It seemed like I was taking something I shouldn’t have.

Guilt? No, it wasn’t like that.

Just an unnameable discomfort.

However, thanks to that,

‘So this is power.’

I could clearly feel that this was the sensation of Tam stealing power.

Yes, I was consuming Mang’s powers.

Crunch. Crack-!

“Cough… aaahhh…!!”

This was something I couldn’t execute during combat.

If you asked how I could do this now, it was simple.

‘Because he acknowledged his defeat.’

The condition for Tam to absorb abilities was for me to be acknowledged as having lost.

And he had fulfilled that requirement by declaring it.

‘What a pathetic condition.’

Winning the fight in itself was acceptable, but I had to make him admit it and voice it out loud.

It was an absurdly bizarre stipulation.

‘Is it that desperate for validation of a victory?’

It felt childish and foolish, but considering how power resembled my emotions, it was a plausible sentiment.

“Gaaah… no… don’t take… my… power…!”

Mang, consumed by greed, cried out in despair, refusing to stop eating.

After a while, after consuming enough,

Nom-nom—! Gulp. Aaahh…

Having finished his meal satisfactorily, Tam released a long breath.

Sluuurp.

Finally returning to the shadows, Tam and I could both exhale in relief.

At the same time, I felt full.

That thought crossed my mind, even though I hadn’t consumed anything.

Looking ahead, I saw…

“Gaa… uh….”

Mang was pale, gasping for breath.

I couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“So this is how it is. Interesting.”

“…You… took… my… things….”

He reached out to me with trembling hands.

“Return… return it… my… power….”

With a voice filled with desperation, I swatted away his outstretched hand.

Thwack—!

I casually swatted it away, and his hand flopped limply as he fell.

“What do you mean return it? It’s mine now.”

“No… it… was… mine…”

“Sure, it was yours.”

It likely had been all along.

“But now it’s not yours anymore, is it?”

Now it belonged to me.

“Damn…!”

At my words, Mang twisted his face in rage.

That couldn’t be a threat.

Since I had no more business with him, I spat a curt response.

“Since I’ve taken what I need, you can go now.”

“Gaa… caugh…!!”

Mang struggled as if he wanted to resist, but his body had been severely damaged.

He was no threat, and from my judgment, he had little time left.

I could feel that once I absorbed his powers, his time would immediately come to an end.

As proof of that.

“I’m… unwilling….”

The spark in his eyes was fading away.

What remained were his grudges aimed at me?

“I will… curse… you… I will… curse… you….”

Thud.

As he spoke, he froze, turning into stone.

The pureblood dragon met a tragic end.

It was not an inspiring death.

“…”

I placed my hand over his chest.

‘He’s not dead yet.’

His breathing was faint, and his heart still pulsed weakly.

Thanks to having barely missed the vital point with the spear.

To put it differently, the Mang that had been harbouring Woo Hyeok was gone, and only Woo Hyeok remained.

However, it wasn’t a leisurely situation either.

‘If things go on like this, he’ll die.’

Whether it was due to having absorbed Mang’s energy within the Ice Spirit’s realm or not, Woo Hyeok’s body had changed to mirror mine.

Seeing that, I could manage a slight smirk.

Mang was pale, gasping for breath.

“So this is how it is. Interesting.”

The injury was severe, presenting a multitude of problems.

‘…Tch.’

I clicked my tongue lightly in frustration.

To this point, it was roughly what I had anticipated.

Furthermore, my original plan had been to absorb Mang’s power to heal Woo Hyeok’s body.

“This isn’t looking so good.”

An unexpected problem arose.

Upon acquiring the power, I immediately recognized what it was.

‘…I can’t save him with this.’

The ability regarding regeneration was vastly different from what I had expected.

While Yu Seon healed my internal injuries, it could have been possible under normal circumstances.

But now, I felt that it was beyond my capability.

Increased regeneration ability.

If I used this, I could regenerate a severed arm instantly, just like Yu Seon did.

‘But I can’t heal others.’

The second power that Mang possessed.

The power of ‘regeneration’ had such conditions.

‘…Is this how it normally is?’

Given what Yu Seon had accomplished, it seemed implausible that it would be entirely like this.

What problem arose this time?

…Could it be.

‘As the power transferred, it… weakened?’

That thought barely flickered through my mind.

It’s likely impossible to fully absorb it, and the ability diminishes during the digestive process.

This was a plausible argument, yet the real issue was that…

‘I need to notice this in the current situation.’

It was a futile consideration.

‘What should I do?’

Should I just allow Woo Hyeok to die like this?

Even if I took him to a hideout now, he’d breathe his last on the way.

And even if I were luckier and got him there, what could I do when I couldn’t heal him?

If it had come to this, not even Shin Yi would be able to save him.

“…”

So what should I do? What exactly should I do?

I had to gnash my teeth in frustration while thinking.

‘Damn it, I feel like I could have saved him. Why is it coming to this now?’

Pitiful regenerative abilities were drawn to the extreme.

That was what I truly desired, but now…

“Eh?”

I suddenly hesitated in my thoughts.

A memory struck me.

‘If it increases the owner’s regenerative abilities…?’

With that condition in mind, one particular scenario came to mind.

Not too long ago.

Specifically, the memories of the Heavenly Demon, which had now become my past life, flooded back.

More accurately, it wasn’t about her era but about the time she had been creating demons.

‘Is it sheer coincidence that this comes to mind now?’

There laid a characteristic among those who transformed into demons through her touch.

Along with strengthening the robust physical forms they borrowed through corruption, they received one significant power.

‘Demonic Power.’

It enhances any martial arts they originally possessed, with some even gaining extraordinary abilities that couldn’t even be classified as martial arts.

The process the demons referred to was called baptism.

Recalling that I had received the Demonic Absorption Technique from the Heavenly Demon, it resonated with this situation.

‘…It does look alike.’

The strengthened body the demons gained was akin to a dragon’s vessel.

The abilities they received through baptism resembled the sense of power in a peculiar way.

Even if the levels differed somewhat.

Could this possibly be a mere coincidence?

I couldn’t tell.

Whether it was luck or not didn’t matter at all.

‘Perhaps.’

Perhaps it could be possible.

The thought sparked.

Suuuu—!

The azure pupils gradually transformed into a purple light.

The demonic energy I hadn’t harnessed in ages flooded my body.

I drew the demonic energy above Woo Hyeok’s upper body, and before unleashing it.

“…”

I looked at Woo Hyeok, who had his eyes closed, pausing for a moment.

If this were to fail, it wouldn’t be that bad.

But if I were to succeed,

‘Would you resent me?’

I hesitated for a brief moment, but weighing this against Woo Hyeok’s death, the answer was clear.

‘I will save you.’

That was the only answer ringing clear in my head.

Whooooosh—!

The demonic energy surged into Woo Hyeok’s body.

 

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