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Chapter 647: Composition (Ninety Percent)

Saaaaaaa—!!!

A chill cascaded down upon me. The tremendous pressure made it so I couldn’t even breathe.

“Guh…!”

I bit my lips tightly, barely managing to let out a whimper. That was the best resistance I could muster.

Suuuuh-! The flowing energy caused my Blood Qi to expand.

As it forced its way in, the pain was anything but trivial.

Yet I couldn’t stop it.

If I tried to block it, I would burst.

It was that kind of energy.

The relentless cold swept past my Blood Qi, settling directly in my heart. No, “settling” isn’t the right word. It was a much harsher reality.

It was forcing its way in. The chill from the North Sea and the one inside the Demon Lord’s body were both being shoved into my heart.

“Damn it.”

What kind of situation is this? As I barely accepted the energy, I racked my brains for a way out.

All I could do right now was endure.

Trying to do anything else was utterly futile.

It felt like trying to capture waves in a jar.

Moreover, even knowing I couldn’t take anymore, the Demonic Absorption Technique wouldn’t stop. It continued shoving everything down my throat.

Thus, the cold energy kept rushing into my body. The Technique of the Flame Wheel activated, emitting heat, but it couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming amount.

“Guh…!”

As I let out a whimper, chilly air spilled from my mouth. It was energy leaking from within me.

This was the first time since mastering Fire Technique.

The expanded Blood Qi began to morph into pain.

The vessel was reaching its limits and swaying.

How long had it been since I took in energy? I had already filled it to the brim.

Letting go of my attachments, I made the vessel wider, but it was already filled to the top. I was struggling to hold it together, but I didn’t know how much longer I could last.

Moreover, the energy rising was sheer icy cold.

If I couldn’t dilute it with heat, my body would freeze first.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

That was the state I was in.

“Shit.”

Had I known this would happen, I wouldn’t have touched it at all.

Thinking it was an opportunity, when in truth it was like a sword to my throat.

“The chill from the North Sea is all pouring in.”

Was this the result of the Ice Spirit shattering and the Demon Lord falling?

“Damn it all.”

Hundreds of years. The Bloodline of the Ice Palace had accumulated a vast amount of energy by risking its own life force.

That energy was pouring into me in full force.

“Is all this energy what Mang should have taken?”

Perhaps that was the case.

He had been steadily gathering energy for his resurrection, and when the moment came, it all went haywire, so it might be true.

Creak-!

“Guh-!”

The energy surged past my Blood Qi into my muscles.

Such an enormous influx of energy began to have an increasingly noticeable effect on my physical body.

“What to do?”

The vessel was already at its limit.

With energy spilling out, it was being contained in my flesh.

I could manage up to that point, but if my body filled to capacity and exploded…

“I’d be dead.”

My body, overwhelmed by energy, would burst, and the frozen energy trapped within would spill throughout the North Sea once more.

Since the Ice Spirit had shattered, there was nothing to stop it.

“The North Sea would become a desolate land covered in freezing temperatures.”

Saaaaaa–!! The chill continued to invade every part of my body, from my arms to my back.

I could feel my skin freezing under the onslaught of heat.

Thud.

My fingertips stretched out toward the Demon Lord, freezing in place.

If I died here, the North Sea would meet its end.

As that thought crossed my mind, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

“That would be quite the bother.”

Sure, if something happened to the North Sea, I wouldn’t mind much. Frankly, whether I died or was covered in ice had nothing to do with me.

But.

“There are children involved.”

Woo Hyeok had gotten into trouble, so it was fine to abandon him for a while. Pejon could survive anywhere he was thrown, so that was also okay.

But if the Sword Demon died, the Heaven Kill Spirit would go berserk, creating chaos here, making my death preferable.

However, Nangong Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol couldn’t be let go.

“What should I do then?”

I wasn’t afraid of death. I thought to myself, but if I died and that meant those two would perish here—now that was a bit frightening.

Was this attachment?

“No.”

It felt more like greed.

What I gained by becoming a dragon was greed after all. This was definitely greed.

I was so greedy that I couldn’t let it go.

“If that’s the case.”

Then, what could I do about it?

Yangcheon.

Don’t ask me that.

You already know the answer.

“Damn it.”

I found myself laughing inadvertently.

Is this me just answering my own questions now? I must really be losing it.

Hooooh-!

I began to move the bet within me.

Suuuuh–!!

The chill seemed to react, moving more violently.

The Demonic Absorption Technique was still trying to consume more, even though it knew I was at my limit.

Hadn’t I been feeding it enough demon energy? Was it going insane?

“Was it that hungry?”

I hadn’t really been feeding it any demon stone due to being busy. Maybe that made it angry.

“But it wouldn’t try to kill its master.”

I tried to convince myself, but it felt more like wishful thinking.

As soon as I began to move the bet, the amount of cold energy increased.

Damn it.

I had sheltered that ungrateful housemate and fed it, and now it’s trying to kill me like this.

“Fine, let’s see how far you want to go.”

I bit my teeth down with determination.

Flame Burst—!!!

Within my body, the Technique of the Flame Wheel spun rapidly.

Energy still flooded in through my palms. Trying to harness energy like this could easily lead to calamity if done carelessly—but what else could I do?

“So what? There’s no other way.”

I didn’t know how to use delicate applications of energy like other geniuses.

The only thing I did know was how to break things.

“Let’s see who dies first.”

If the chill keeps flooding in, I’ll just gather it and melt it away.

And so, the cold and heat clashed, swirling violently inside me. The opposing energies began to create waves.

It was madness. One misstep could lead to an explosive death or fall into calamity.

Knowing that full well, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Either way, whether I lose or stop, I’m dead.”

If I ignited heat, I wouldn’t have a way back.

Either I contained the cold and trapped it inside, or I would freeze to death or explode.

Win or lose.

Those were the only two options.

What I was curious about was…

“If I manage to consume all of this, how much would I gain?”

If I succeeded in trapping this vast amount of cold energy, just how significant would my bet become?

“Maybe, at least double?”

It was a storm made of energy.

Humanity could not possibly consume such a mass. It could be quite the sight if I succeeded in gaining it.

Woosh-!!

It spun.

The cold energy sought to claim my vessel and freeze my body while the heat attempted to resist.

It was rough and sharp. I felt the sensation of my skin tearing.

“But hey. This much is nothing.”

Fortunately, my body had been refined through the Breaking Heaven Technique. I could brush off skin tearing and shredding.

The problem was.

“The vessel.”

The vessel, filled to its limits, was the issue.

If I stuffed even a little more, it would overflow.

No, it was already overflowing and seeping into my body.

Normally, I would have dismissed this as an opportunity; who knows, perhaps I could have aimed for a Transformation of the Body given a bit of luck.

“But it’s useless to me.”

A manageable amount might have been okay, but the energy was far too excessive for my body to bear. It was pouring in heavier.

Flame Burst—!!

“First, I need to empty the vessel!”

I ignited heat fiercely and spilled it out. If there wasn’t room, I’d just make some.

Szzzzzz—!!

Something sizzling emerged from my body like smoke. It was due to the friction with the cold.

Using energy caused even more cold to flood in.

Those two were going at it like they were going to tear the whole place down.

I trapped the newly made space in the vessel with cold energy.

Bang-! With force, I blocked the currents, reacting to my hefty energy.

“Cough.”

Plop-! Blood burst from my mouth, staining the Demon Lord’s chest.

“Phew…”

As I exhaled, the chill flowed out. Having significantly emptied out my heat accelerated the freezing process of my body.

My body grew heavier, and my breath slowed.

Yet somehow.

“I feel oddly clear-headed.”

I didn’t sense much danger.

I wasn’t afraid or hesitating.

Squeeze-!

I captured the cold energy in heat. The vessel was filled to the brim.

My flesh swelled as if it were stuffed to capacity.

It was just annoying to see it fill up even after I emptied it.

“So I guess I need to let it out for now.”

Hwaaaah–!!

I whipped the flowing cold energy outward. The energy twisted and spread widely.

“…Huh.”

I faintly heard Pejon let out a sigh.

Did I make a mistake?

“I have no clue.”

I had no idea whether I was doing well. I couldn’t understand why I was acting this way.

For now, I only moved according to the beats of my heart and instinct.

Even knowing that if I messed up handling the bet, I would die, I didn’t hesitate to twist the waves.

Wiiiiiii—!!

The energy I couldn’t contain spread out as I swiftly rotated it.

With tiny bits of heat mixed in, it felt like even the cold energy was becoming mine.

It piled up and up.

The currents of cold energy began overlapping and appeared as a single barrier.

That meant it was an immense amount of energy.

“How interesting.”

Managing all that energy, even when it wasn’t mine, using heat was a surprise.

I’d acted without confirmation, without knowing how it would turn out.

“If I stop or hesitate, I’ll explode instantly.”

There was too much energy piling up, so I let it out for a moment.

It was a mad act I’d performed unknowingly.

“It works.”

But why does it work?

I couldn’t even begin to understand.

But if it works, that’s great. Now isn’t the time to delve into details.

“What’s important starts now.”

Suuuuh…

I felt emptiness.

The cascade of cold energy finally ceased.

“That means…”

It meant that the heavy energy surrounding me was all the chill that had been spread throughout the North Sea.

I didn’t look around to see how things stood.

For now, taming the Demon Lord’s chill was my priority.

“Just a bit more.”

It was more challenging than anticipated to rotate the cold energy and absorb the different energies.

It was difficult, but not impossible.

Focus.

Suuuuuh–!!

I sensed the last remnants of cold energy. It felt hesitant somehow. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Scared?”

It shouldn’t be.

Yet, it seemed the energy was all tensed up.

“Why act cocky? Making me angry.”

There was no mercy.

I wrapped up the cold with intangible energy, then utilized the Demonic Absorption Technique to suck it all in.

Shiiiing—!!!

The last segment of cold energy flowed into the available space in the vessel.

“It’s over.”

I absorbed all of the cold from the Demon Lord. Rising from that realization, my stomach felt heavy with how much energy I had taken in.

“It’s absurd to feel nauseous from taking in energy. What a ridiculous situation.”

Should I consider this as luxury? I didn’t feel particularly good.

Moreover.

“It’s still not totally finished.”

There was still a massive loop of gathered cold energy swirling around, and I hadn’t yet subdued the energy filling my body.

Given I couldn’t even contain this much energy, how was I supposed to store all that was still out there?

“Should I just widen the vessel?”

That vessel was already considerably wide.

I didn’t know if I could stretch it any further.

“Then…”

What about the opposite?

I couldn’t widen the vessel, so I would reduce the volume of what was inside it.

By doing that, I could store everything.

Squeeze-!

I clenched my fist tightly.

Thud-! My heart raced as the remaining heat revealed its form.

Simultaneously, I commanded the heat that was locked in the void to compress it.

Saaaaaaaa–!!

The rotation drastically increased.

The chilled energy inside the vessel began swirling under the influence of my energy.

As my intentions became apparent, I could sense the cold energy resisting.

“Ha.”

Trying to resist?

Squeeze-!

I exerted more strength.

The energy pushed back, pounding against the walls, on the brink of detonation.

Plop-! Blood vessels burst in my eyes.

I ignored it.

“Faster.”

And smaller.

I used the beautiful balance of rotation and compression. The lessons I learned in life didn’t seem so bad now.

Kiiih–!!!!

Just when I thought I was getting close, I opened my clenched fist to adjust the flow.

Then, the cold energy from outside would be sucked into my palm.

Hwoooosh-!!

The intense energy surged and unleashed a burst of wind.

Just then, I felt the sharp energy around me.

Wooooo.

The cold ultimately condensed into a form resembling Flame Jade in my palm.

A sphere the size of a human head.

Within it, I could feel overwhelming energy.

Having succeeded in condensing it, it was finally time to devour it whole.

Slam-!

Using the Demonic Absorption Technique on the sphere, I quickly swallowed it.

Since I had already compressed it, the energy flowed into my body without any resistance.

The imported cold energy naturally settled in my heart, merging with the Demon Lord’s chill.

At that moment.

“Phew—!”

Flame Burst—!!!!

A flame erupted from within me, enveloping the cold energy.

This was to purify the chill.

Such an enormous amount of cold energy. Comparatively, my tiny flame was nothing.

Even so.

“I can do it.”

My flame wouldn’t yield to that.

That conviction surged within me.

Thud-! Thud thud thud–!!!

It was a ferocious battle. It wouldn’t be strange if the vessel shattered at any moment.

The frozen body slowed my movements, and with the reduced amount of heat, everything was tougher.

But.

“You’re greedy too, aren’t you? You should be able to handle this much.”

If I couldn’t even consume this, how would I eat anything else?

Flame Burst—!!!!

I continuously ignited the flames.

If I felt my power was lacking, I would even utilize innate energy.

Kyaahhhhh–!!

The greedy flames incessantly devoured the cold energy. The cold energy flailed in a desperate attempt to survive.

“Don’t mess with me. Stay still.”

As though throwing a punch, my flames relentlessly gnawed at it.

And as time passed…

“…Huff…”

I barely exhaled and finally opened my eyes.

“Aah.”

Slurp.

Wiping my brow with my palm, I sensed something flowing.

My body was drenched in sweat.

“…”

I raised my hand slightly to confirm.

Flame-!

Flames sparked to life, then quickly formed a small Flame Jade, which I tossed onto the barren ground.

That tiny Flame Jade flew far away and—

KWAHAHHAHAA—!!!

Despite its size, it triggered a massive explosion.

“Hmm.”

As I was engulfed by the blast, I gazed at the chaotic ground with certainty.

My inner strength had surpassed my previous life’s peak.

Moreover.

“…It reached Composition.”

The technique of the Flame Wheel had finally reached Composition.

This meant that my level had truly surpassed my past life.

 

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