“Kuhk! What the heck is this!”
“Step back! We need to set up the defensive line again!”
The warriors of the martial arts alliance hurriedly retreated and reorganized their formation.
Suddenly, lightning struck down, but fortunately, no one was harmed.
Those bolts of lightning spared humans and only rained down upon the mass-produced Jiangshi.
However, nobody thought of it as good fortune.
Pududuk!
Phuhwahak—
As the Jiangshi, hit by lightning, collapsed and writhed, strange beings began to emerge through their bodies, one by one.
From entities that resembled humans to monsters that were bizarrely beyond the basic form of beasts.
They varied in size, from ordinary dimensions to creatures so massive that it was hard to believe they had emerged from the body of a human-sized Jiangshi.
Tap— Tap—
Amidst the sudden chaos, the survivor from Kunlun, Tae Cheong Geom Un-hak, swallowed hard and looked at an approaching figure making hoof sounds right in front of him.
A beast standing over three meters tall with ash-gray fur blowing in the wind.
Sharp black horns protruded from its head like spear tips, emanating a cutting light, and a hellish flame surged from its hooves as it trampled the ground.
‘…Could that be a Qilin?’
A legendary being often counted among the best divine beasts along with dragons.
But there was no trace of the auspiciousness from tales in that ominous appearance.
Phuhuu—
The mist, resembling the abyss, melted the earth beneath as it flowed from the mouth of the Qilin.
When Tae Cheong Geom met the blood-red glare bursting from its eyes, he instinctively staggered back a step.
He knew for certain.
That he wouldn’t even be able to grasp its ankle, let alone face it.
‘If I have to fight such a monster…’
At the very least, one would need to be at the level of Hwakyung… no, Hyeongkyung.
Of course, how could he rashly speculate on a battle of a level he could never even touch, but the presence emanating from the Qilin was overwhelmingly intimidating.
And it wasn’t like his assumption was wrong.
No matter how lowly it had fallen to Jiangshi status and how much its rank as a divine beast was diminished, this Qilin was once one of the supreme figures of Gonmudo.
‘What the hell did those Demon Cult bastards do?’
Clenching his teeth, he gripped his sword tightly.
Surely not every monster would be on the level of Hyeongkyung, and their strengths must vary wildly, but that was hardly comforting.
Glancing at the massive figures that towered around him, he estimated there were easily three digits worth of them.
‘…I thought we could win if we all worked together. Is it already too late?’
As the martial arts forces continued to bicker and fight among themselves under the excuse of survival, the long-silent Demon Cult had quietly finished preparing to seize the world.
Trying to gather their strength too late would be utterly futile.
“Hoo, hoo—”
“Damn it. What are those monsters? How the hell do we deal with that…?”
“Kuhk, is there… no way…?”
As legendary beings they had only encountered in tales appeared as foes, the morale of those who had held onto even the slightest hope was rapidly crumbling.
Even as they gritted their teeth and tried to keep their spirits up, there were no prospects for victory in sight.
And the high-skilled in Hyeongkyung had the same thoughts as they exchanged fierce blows.
Each of them furrowed their brows, displaying an expression of utter defeat.
“What’s going on? The atmosphere suddenly feels heavy.”
Mockingly, the Heavenly Demon loomed over them, slowly surveying the surroundings.
Puhuhuh— So, you finally grasped the situation? You did pretty well, but what a shame. From the start, you had no chance of winning this battle at all.
Flap— Flap—
Above him, a gigantic bird circled gracefully in the air.
A black phoenix, its wings measuring several meters long, emanating ominous energy.
The power it carried was not to be ignored.
The precariously maintained balance completely collapsed.
With this gap in strength, the fight itself could hardly be established.
It’s over.
Shin Seung, who had been doing his best to fight with one arm, the great general Jung Cheon who had paired with him against the Heavenly Demon, the Ghost Sword Demon Master completing his grudge against the Ghost Sword Demon Master, and Pacheon Dohwang, who was steadily gaining the upper hand over the Blood Demon Jiangshi; the bloodied ones desperately cutting down Hwakyeong-level Jiangshi.
All of their minds coincidentally arrived at the same conclusion.
Mission failure.
The final battle that would determine the fate of this world would end in defeat for the martial arts alliance.
Everything would proceed according to the will of the Heavenly Demon, and this recent catastrophic loss would leave the martial arts world unable to rise again.
Realizing this fact, they could do nothing but remain silent.
“Kahahat! Ridiculous!”
Only one person.
Except for the madman who had been at the forefront of the battle.
Kwaaang—!
He did not waste words.
Instead, he charged directly at the Heavenly Demon, aiming to land a punch.
Meaningless resistance.
The Heavenly Demon twisted his sword to fend off the attack, continuing to speak leisurely.
He had only managed to match the other two with their help until now, and there was no way this lone individual could stand against the Heavenly Demon.
“Ah, don’t care about that! Until it’s truly over, it ain’t over! Let’s go at it properly one more time!”
But Harley paid no mind to such odds.
He simply did what he was meant to do, what he wanted to do!
“Pull yourselves together, you fools! This opportunity won’t come again! Are you just going to sit back because the situation got a little dicey? You’re just going to throw away this magnificent stage like that?”
His fierce outburst resonated loudly, echoing all around.
At the same time, he didn’t let up on his offensive against the Heavenly Demon.
“Sometimes knowing when to give up and retreat is a virtue.”
“Kahahat! What good does giving up do? Does meat fall from the sky? If that’s the case, I’d rather just charge in!”
If the result would be the same anyway, it was up to himself to determine the process.
Either humbly accept the end, or fight tooth and nail until utterly shattered.
And Harley was always a man who chose the latter on such crossroads.
“Am I a bit of a jerk? I can’t stand to see others do well!”
Even if his own end was set in stone, he would ensure that they would not find it easy to achieve their aims.
If you toast, do so with an injured body!
Step on my sharply broken remains with bare feet!
I will make sure it happens—.
A completely selfish declaration.
As his words resounded across the battlefield, those who had been steeped in despair involuntarily wore bewildered expressions.
“Ha, ahaha…”
“Impressive. In many ways.”
“…I think I understand what it means.”
Of course, not everyone agreed with what he spat out carelessly.
But there was no mistaking what he wanted to convey and what his will was.
“Yeah, we can’t just give up like this.”
“Even if we die, we’ll take down at least one more with us.”
“…That kid is only three years old. I have to go back.”
The atmosphere, once soaked in a sense of defeat, began to shift slowly.
The motivations were varied.
Injustice that they could not finish it like this, resentment and anger towards the Demon Cult, and a determination to find a way to survive and return.
“Kahahahat! Now, this is a familiar sight! Let’s play a bit more, friend!”
“…This thunderous beast is becoming a nuisance.”
Among them, Harley, who had been struggling against the Heavenly Demon, suddenly seemed to awaken, unleashing his prowess, which hugely influenced the scene.
Moreover, since Jiangshi were like puppets acting per the will of the sorcerer, they didn’t need to face them all if he could just take out their heads.
Perhaps, just maybe, if those heroes could hold out until they took the Heavenly Demon down…
There might be just a little bit of hope.
Martial artists and sorcerers on the battlefield looked around at one another.
After the intense battle right at the beginning, their formations had long since mingled, divided by affiliations and tendencies.
Thanks to the Zhuge Family’s sorcery, they could rapidly regroup even if their ranks had crumbled, but cooperation was bound to be far less efficient when with adversaries.
But right now…
…Tch, no other choice.
Now, everyone’s lives were hanging in the balance.
That unyielding foe threatening their very lives, obstructing the futures of their remaining family, trying to seize the world.
The enemies were daunting, but the Demon Cult was far more dreadful.
“Hey, there, black spear. I’ll be in front. You support me from behind.”
“It’s the New Moon Spear. If you give me the opening, I’ll pierce through their heads in one go.”
Everyone’s intentions crystallized into one.
Even while battling together, the lingering wariness of one another vanished completely, and they turned their backs to each other.
Because if one messed up, the next in line would be the one fighting with them.
In that moment of imminent crisis, true unity was forged.
Like a flame about to be snuffed out, it flared brightly once more, and a fierce spirit emanated from the entire martial arts alliance.
Even the high-skilled in Hyeongkyung, who understood the current battlefield better than anyone, felt the impact similarly.
“Pahhat! I like this friend! I hope we can spar later!”
A man with sharp blades sprouting from his fingertips, wearing metallic gloves—Sura Blood Lord licked his lips and charged at a gigantic monster that looked at least three times larger than him.
Immediately, others also restarted their individual battles.
Certainly, changing their mindset didn’t overturn the overwhelmingly widened gap in strength.
They just postponed the end that would have come quickly.
As time went on, the current steadfast resolution would inevitably waver again… but.
Before the predicted catastrophe could arrive.
Another change occurred first.
———!
From the opposite side of the battlefield, a silent beam of light shot in quickly.
Soaring above the Heavenly Demon’s head, it targeted the black phoenix that had been obstructing the joint attack against him.
Kwaaang—!
[Kieeek!]
The sniper-like strike obliterated one entire wing of the black phoenix, which had been unable to respond properly while focusing below.
It staggered in mid-air and plummeted to the ground.
In response to the sudden turn of events, the gazes of those attentively watching the battlefield shifted toward the direction of the attack.
Included among them was Zhuge Family Representative Zhuge Ho-won, who was also present…
Wait, that energy…
It was energy he had already encountered once before.
From the mysterious expert of the other world, Harris, who had once brought Ha Seung-hoon to the Zhuge Family as a guest.
He had been lost without a trace for a while, but now, in this moment of crisis, he had finally revealed his presence.
Phew, he’s a bit late, but I’m glad he showed up!
Overjoyed, he hurriedly searched for him, only to witness an entirely unexpected sight.
“…Huh, what on earth is that?”
Something visible through enhanced magical energy flying in from the sky.
It was around a 6-meter-long dragon created from a massive amount of energy coalesced together.
Oh, and it had several people riding on its body.
“…Could it be that they really succeeded?”
As Zhuge Ho-won observed closely, a shiver ran through his eyes.
There were two familiar faces there.
One was the guest Ha Seung-hoon, who had stopped contacting them after hinting at finding a way to rescue the sacrifices.
And the other was his beloved daughter, Je Gal Hye-mi, who had been kidnapped by the Demon Cult because she was a child of the dragon.
“Ho, hohoho… My word, I can’t believe they really did it. But what on earth is that? Did they summon it with some spell?”
While he marveled, the unidentified flying entity resembling a dragon swiftly flew towards the martial arts alliance.
Although there were several flying monsters and Demon Cult members trying to intercept it, long-range snipers from somewhere burst through every obstacle.
“…How?”
The expression of the Heavenly Demon stiffened upon confirming this.
“What are you all doing? Block it!”
His usual laid-back demeanor was overshadowed by an urgent command.
And when he attempted to leap toward that direction, he was thwarted by Harley, who clung to him tenaciously.
Huhahat! I was just getting fired up, and now you want to go somewhere!
“You insolent brat!”
Despite losing part of his body, Harley’s reckless spirit made it impossible for even the Heavenly Demon to ignore him.
Especially with Shin Seung and Jung Cheon now actively joining in.
“Regardless, nothing will change! I’ll kill you all and retrieve the sacrifices!”
Finally, as the dragon-like flying entity descended into the midst of the martial arts alliance’s formation, the Heavenly Demon grimaced and shouted.
Krwaaa!
Gguuhwrng—!
In response, the Jiangshi monsters, with their dark energy rising ominously, howled ferociously.
The magical energy saturating the battlefield roiled violently, sharpening its edge.
Even so, the strength still belonged overwhelmingly to the Heavenly Demon Church.
Even if they had stolen the children of the dragons, there was no point in rebellion now that they were completely surrounded.
Unless a significant variable arose to turn the tide.
And the sky… no.
The choices of the stage director had already been decided.
Pak—!
As the magic surged, the morale of the Demon Cult swelled forcefully, a sound shattered the entire space.
At first, nobody recognized the source of the sound.
So vague was the direction of the noise; it was hard to pinpoint where it came from.
Krjaajik—!
But as the sound repeated a few times, astute individuals began to direct their gaze upward.
The stormy skies were the origin of the successive explosion sounds.
Pasaak—!
Through the dark clouds, web-like cracks gradually spread, and from within, faint light began to seep out.
A beam of light cutting through the darkness enveloping the world, shining down upon the people of the earth.
And at long last.
Kwaaagh—!
A deafening roar shook the entire space as the sky’s rupture smashed apart, scattering the gathered dark clouds everywhere.
Krrooohh—!
Gwaaaah—!
Amidst a roiling storm of tremendous intimidation, a fierce gust swept through, clearing the foul magic from the ground.
“Ah…”
“What is that…?”
The massive beings emerging from the rift in the dark clouds glided smoothly and peered down.
Their aura was different from the tainted Jiangshi swarming over the ground, spreading auspicious energy around them.
The Blue Dragon of the East, the Red Dragon of the South, the White Dragon of the West, the Black Dragon of the North.
And at the center of it all.
Krwaaa!
A somewhat odd-looking Yellow Dragon, distinct from the other dragons.
With their appearance, the unstable energies in the magical realm were forcefully stabilized and firmly fixed.
While momentary, it was an astonishing achievement no one had accomplished before.
As the monsters soaring through the rift began to reveal themselves around the seven dragons, they appeared one by one.
Now that I see it, this is definitely a spectacle.
After various hardships, Hugo finally arrived at the core of the martial arts alliance and marveled at the numerous monsters floating in the sky.
The purpose of this stage was to unite all forces of the Ganghwan Realm.
Naturally, this included Gonmudo and monsters as well.
