< Rehearsal (3) >
The shockwaves erupting from the battlefield twisted the flow of the atmosphere.
Kuuwung—!
Kwaang!
The aftermath was not just confined to the immediate area but had the tremendous force capable of shaking all of Beijing.
It was truly a fierce battle, perfectly fitting the description of a final showdown that would determine the fate of the world.
Sasasak—
However, in a building slightly distanced from the chaos, a figure stealthily crept in without showing any signs of reaction amidst the commotion.
Focused solely on what needed to be done, he concealed his presence as much as possible.
‘I intentionally created a bit of a gap, but it’s going smoother than I expected. I guess my stealth skills have reached a considerable level thanks to my activities in the meantime.’
The intruder, a peak-level martial artist using the alias Ha Seung-hoon, briefly paused to sense the energy inside the building.
The internal energy spread throughout his body, sharpening his senses like a blade.
‘…Good. Then, let’s go.’
As expected, there were no significant variables to consider.
After all, look at all the effort he had put into this; there was no way the plan would go wrong now.
Having gathered his energy once more, he silently slipped into the building like a ghost.
He not only applied the “Heavenly Body Technique” to meld with the surrounding energy but also combined “Nameless Skill,” which could encompass all types of martial arts techniques, with the synergistic boost of “Diversity,” enabling him to wield stealth techniques comparable to a renowned thief.
‘There isn’t a skill specifically related to that part, but it seems like all the martial arts I newly acquire end up absorbed by “Nameless Skill.” I wonder when they will finally gain names?’
The martial art he was currently utilizing was the greatly esteemed “Muyoung Sinbeop,” previously referred to as “The Path of the Nameless Absence.”
This technique was discovered while rummaging through the Heavenly Demon Church’s library, and Hubert’s “Analysis” rated it a marvelous A-grade martial art.
Naturally, mastering it wasn’t easy, but perhaps due to all the skill assistance and growth bonuses, Hugo managed to acquire it in no time.
There was also the influence of near-real combat training against Demon Cult followers, wandering around the vicinity of Beijing for a while.
‘Well, it’s not bad as it is. I can use any martial art to its utmost efficiency, disregarding the nature and limitations of my internal energy.’
In contrast to the A-grade rated Muyoung Sinbeop, the paired internal energy technique he possessed was merely rated C-grade.
Typically, considering that once learned, internal energy techniques couldn’t be changed at will, he effectively abandoned the potential of developing the latter solely to maximize the performance of the former.
Had it not been for his unique traits, he wouldn’t have even bothered looking that way.
Thanks to that, Hugo was able to smoothly approach the location he intended to infiltrate.
Normally, even with outstanding stealth techniques, it would have been impossible; however, this was all happening while a war was raging outside, determining the future of this world, wasn’t it?
The powerful figures who could potentially sense his presence had all already left for the battlefield, and of those demon cultists remaining, the strongest one was at the same peak level as Hugo.
Moreover, he was fully aware of the precise boundary arrangement and security levels here.
It would have been bizarre if something went wrong.
‘Here we are.’
Arriving in some underground space.
Symbols and incantations drawn in blood filled the walls, accompanied by bizarre-shaped artifacts and flickering candles, adding an ominous atmosphere to the surroundings.
“It’s about time. Then let’s begin.”
“Is that so?”
Just at that time, as if he had timed it perfectly, the seven or so demon cult sorcerers bustling about began their ritual.
On one side, dragon children prepared as sacrificial offerings were bound to prevent any rebellion.
“Pacheon Jureung (Broken Sky Curse), Yeongsebulmang (Eternal Remembrance), Wonwidegang (Wishing for Great Descent)…”
“Heaven and Earth’s Reversal, You Say, No Shape (Yusang Muhyeong)…”
Standing in their designated spots, the sorcerers started chanting the incantations.
There was no need to delay any longer.
‘As quickly as possible.’
While hiding in the darkness with his sword in hand, Hugo suddenly sprang into action.
And at the same time, a streak of light flashed.
“Spiritual Command…”
Swak—
One of the sorcerers chanting nearby had their head suddenly drop.
It was such a sudden occurrence that no one could react.
The sorcerers barely began to respond only after the second and then the third head rolled after the subsequent flash.
“An intruder? How did you get here…?!”
“Impossible! There’s a formation that even the current realm can’t easily breach here! How could such a fortified area be penetrated so quietly?!”
“Cough! What are the guards doing?!”
In their eyes, filled with panic, was a clear sense of distress.
After all, how could they anticipate that the leader they thought was on their side had secretly opened the path for the enemy?
Despite the dire situation, the efforts of the sorcerers, determined to somehow hinder the intruder, were heartrending, but unfortunately, their struggle would not be rewarded.
With the limited space, the appearance of a peak-level martial artist was sudden.
Aside from the ongoing ceremony, there were no meaningful defenses prepared.
In such conditions, even the most skilled sorcerers would find it impossible to yield any significant result.
After all, martial arts dominated this world for a reason.
“Cough! You…! You won’t survive here either…”
Thud—
Thus, the battle that erupted unexpectedly in the underground ceremonial chamber casually ended with the last sorcerer’s heart pierced by a sword, their blood pooling as they uttered a curse.
“Phew.”
Shaking his sword in the air to rid it of blood, Hugo exhaled the breath he had been holding.
The already eerie space began to emanate an even more sinister atmosphere with the scattered blood and the newly added seven corpses.
“…Ha, Gongja?”
“God?”
Then, cutting through that atmosphere, the familiar voices of two individuals echoed into the silence.
Hugo turned his head toward them and let out a quiet laugh.
Before his eyes were faces he hadn’t seen in a while.
Though he was keeping track of An’s well-being through Hans, seeing them in person left him feeling inexplicably delighted.
“How did you get here…?”
Just as unexpected salvation arrived during a moment of despair when all hope seemed lost.
Seeing Je Gal Hye-mi’s eyes widen in surprise, unable to form words, he opened his mouth with a confident smile.
“Didn’t I promise?”
In stark contrast to the horrifying surroundings, his refreshing smile left a deep imprint on her mind, as if the space he occupied belonged to a different world.
“I’ll definitely save you, no matter what.”
“Ha… Ahaha…”
In response, she still couldn’t find her words and only let out a hollow laugh.
It seemed she thought it was just empty talk.
Approaching her with teary eyes, he set her free from her bindings and addressed the figure next to her, Jo Gwang-in.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness. I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”
“…Indeed. I owe you again. Honestly, I’ve never been this glad to see someone in my life. Not even when I met my mother.”
“Uh, that’s… very flattering.”
After exchanging small talk, he went on to free the others from their bindings. There were a total of seven dragon children present.
Thanks to the care he had taken, none of them were severely harmed.
Fundamentally, being weak was unavoidable, but still.
“Thank you so much, Great Hero. But, um… has the extermination squad arrived? Have all the demon cultists been dispatched? Is it over now?”
At that moment, one young man among the dragon children, resembling a young scholar, cautiously asked the question.
His expression exuding the expectation of finally being able to go home.
“Unfortunately, the situation isn’t fully resolved yet. I snuck in here while the martial arts alliance clashed with the demon cult’s main forces.”
“Ah, that means…?”
“Yes, there are still demon cultists in plenty outside.”
At that reply, shadows cast once more over the faces of the young man and the others.
Though they had escaped being sacrificial offerings in the ritual, they realized it was still far too early to rejoice.
If the martial arts alliance’s extermination squad happened to lose against the demon cult, they would end up as offerings again.
Swish—
Just as that gloomy atmosphere settled in, Hugo was about to speak when Je Gal Hye-mi cautiously squeezed his right hand with both of hers.
Having calmed her heightened emotions, her expression returned to her usual demeanor.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Then she placed his hand on her forehead and began to mumble something softly.
As a result, the blood on his hand started to trickle down her face, but she didn’t care at all and focused on what she was doing.
After a brief moment passed.
“Hmm?”
Hugo’s eyes widened in surprise as a refreshing sensation swept through his entire body.
“I’ve removed the curse. It must have been from the demon cult sorcerers earlier.”
Slowly removing his hand from her forehead, Je Gal Hye-mi began to speak.
He had already been aware of the curse’s existence.
He had planned to remove it later through Hans when the opportunity arose.
When the high-ranking sorcerer had been killed, the curse they spoke like a dying wish possessed strong coercive power.
It was akin to a spell invoked by sacrificing one’s life and resentment, raising death itself as an incantation.
Though Hugo had yet to fully resist it since he hadn’t reached a fully developed state, the fact that she made it so easy…
‘So she’s grown rapidly during her time here.’
He had heard she had been deeply delving into theories for a considerable time, but even so, her speed was utterly out of the ordinary.
Hugo’s gaze shifted to Jo Gwang-in, who stood vacantly beside them, and the other dragon children.
There didn’t seem to be any noteworthy peculiarities about them…
Could this be a quality of the dragon children, or was it simply Je Gal Hye-mi’s unique talent?
‘Maybe it’s both.’
As he pondered quietly, he suddenly realized that she was still holding onto his hand.
“Um, Suja?”
“Ah.”
It seemed she had been distracted or something, resulting in a reflexive sound escaping her lips in response to his call.
Yet her two hands were still tightly grasping his right hand.
“…?”
“…”
In the quiet pause that followed, her eyes suddenly shot up as she slowly opened her mouth.
Crack!
Uruur—
“…Hurry up! We can’t let the offerings escape!”
“…How dare you! This place is…!”
A clamor of footsteps began to echo from outside the underground chamber, as numerous figures surged in.
Though they had been caught up in the barrier meant to block intrusions, the guards here were likely sufficiently aware of the entry points by now.
The situation was critical, with no telling when the demon cultists might come barreling in.
“Chukbok! I’ll place the Chukbok on you!”
Seeming to feel the gravity of the situation, Je Gal Hye-mi shouted loudly and tugged on his hand with great force.
And while he was confused, she pressed her lips onto the back of his hand lightly.
‘Chukbok?’
What transpired in just a few seconds was nothing short of dramatic.
Paaaa—
“Eh?”
A radiant glow, the likes of which he had never seen in this world, began to surge from her.
It started to permeate his hand through their lips touching.
‘…What is this?’
This was an energy that felt both familiar yet unfamiliar.
However, there was no mistaking what it was.
‘Holy Power?’
A wondrous force that had never existed in this world.
The Holy Power of the Ganghwan Realm’s Holy God, Dragon God, was now manifesting through her body.
‘…Ah, I see.’
As Hugo solidified his understanding of the situation, his expression grew serious.
Ultimately, the dragon children were variables ordained by the Dragon God to restore the broken dimensions.
A special existence sent down to the earth by the Holy God of one world.
‘In other words, Je Gal Hye-mi is an apostle chosen by the deity… No, she’s more like a miko.’
Originally, her fate would have been to be sacrificed as an offering.
But by awakening the powers nestled within her, she had broken free of that destined mold.
‘Wow, I didn’t see that coming.’
This was a turn of events he had never anticipated.
Had the Dragon God foreseen such an outcome as well?
‘Well, then again, it probably wouldn’t matter much. Just because a miko is born doesn’t mean the Dragon Heart gets restored.’
While awakening her holy powers was impressive, there would undoubtedly be limits to it.
If that could solve the dimensional issues, the dragons of Gonmudo wouldn’t have suffered so much.
‘…Tchk, I suppose it raises her value as an offering a little.’
Thanks to the elevation of her existence, she could perhaps fully substitute the other dragon children by herself.
Just that slight change.
Ultimately, it wouldn’t lead to a significant alteration.
Or so he thought.
Saah—
That proved to be a hasty conclusion.
《The entity meets the conditions and blossoms with potential. The special skill “Heavenly Body Technique” evolves into “Super Recovery,” “Great Strength,” and “Hyper Sensitivity” to form “Public Spirit Body.”》
The Holy Power that seeped into Hugo’s being began to interfere with his physique.
It was clearly a transformation that transcended the bounds of a blessing from using holy power.
‘What the heck is this?’
Surprised, he turned to Je Gal Hye-mi with a shocked expression, but she was stiff, staring blankly with unfocused eyes still pressed against his hand.
It dawned on him—the source of the bizarre phenomenon occurring within him.
This wasn’t due to her blessing.
‘…It’s the Dragon God.’
Through her physical body, and using the Holy Power dwelling within her as a medium, a higher being’s involvement initiated this change.
《The entity has reached enlightenment by meeting the conditions. The special skill “Nameless Skill” evolves into “Heavenly Dragon Divine Technique.”》
And this didn’t stop at just interfering with his physique.
The unprecedented power scampering through him stirred his accumulated knowledge of martial arts, intertwining it all into a singular understanding in a manner he had never even considered.
A newfound enlightenment regarding martial arts crashed into his mind.
‘Hmm, it’s been a while since my “Mind Hub” and “Spirit Firewall” faced such overload…’
For an ordinary person, this could have posed a threat, but for him, who already had solid countermeasures in place, it wasn’t a huge problem.
Hugo calmly observed his body, watching the changes taking place in real time.
Several conditions need to be met to break through the barriers of martial arts.
Firstly, the mind.
He had already qualified for that long ago.
His achievements alone in transcending were more than one or two, not to mention he was nurturing holy energy within.
Secondly, the body was a non-issue.
With a robust physique enhanced by points and the evolution gained from “Heavenly Body Technique” to “Public Spirit Body,” it resembled a legendary body where one could wield natural energy according to their will, eliminating physical limitations.
Lastly, understanding and realization concerning martial arts were met just moments ago.
Crack— Crack—
The sound of bones twisting echoed throughout his body.
The transformation, called Hwan-gol Tal-tae in martial arts, took place when breaking through barriers.
For a martial artist, it was akin to gaining a fateful opportunity.
However, the process wasn’t long.
Thanks to the enhancements from points and various skills, his body had already maintained an optimal state at all times.
As the transformation concluded rapidly, Hugo opened his eyes to find himself calmly looking down at his body.
‘This is…’
The unprecedented power resonating in both hands and throughout his body.
It didn’t lead to a direct breakthrough to transcendence, i.e., the current realm, but the power he now wielded—this new strength combined with various traits and insights—was ultimately not at the level of just having brushed against the limits of the realm.
‘What a joke.’
He never expected to break the barriers in such a manner.
Hugo glanced up at the ceiling of the underground chamber.
As if locking gazes with whoever was above.
It seemed the Dragon God knew that victory was a safe bet as well.
