HBWnovel Chapter 211
Chapter 211
I lunged straight at Akbulhwi.
Pabababak!
I gauged his reaction speed.
It was sufficient to effortlessly block my Gae Gak Death Beam, which I had fired from an unseen angle.
A sneak attack wouldn’t work.
Naturally, Akbulhwi swung his sword to block my charge.
Suaaah!
The blade moved with tremendous speed.
I immediately planted my feet firmly into the ground to reduce my momentum and whipped my tail to deflect his sword.
Kaaaang!
I aimed for the guard of his sword.
“Sharp instincts you have,” he said.
The vivid colors of plum blossoms were clearly visible even to the naked eye.
While my scales could easily withstand ordinary blades, that sword aura was different.
Even with dragon scales, I’d undoubtedly be cut if struck by it.
No sooner had I deflected his attack than Akbulhwi closed in aggressively, as though he had never hesitated to face me.
Extending my claws, I coated them with a blue sword aura.
Kaaaang!
“You think an animal’s claws can match the grandeur of my blade?” he scoffed.
Kagagagak!
We locked in a contest of strength.
He was no pushover.
Up until now, most of my battles had been against opponents of similar size to me.
My combat style was tailored to fighting larger mystical beasts, so battling a smaller, human-sized opponent posed its own challenges.
Moreover, this man—despite being human—possessed power rivaling that of formidable mystical beasts. He wasn’t an opponent I could easily dismiss.
In raw strength, I had the advantage.
But his mastery of technique was unparalleled.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Style he wielded was leagues beyond anything the Magnosaurus had demonstrated—a pure, unadulterated form of the art.
Even as we grappled, sharp sword auras targeted my neck.
Standing idly by was not an option.
Sssuup.
In my left hand, I gathered the essence of the bird.
In my right, the essence of the serpent.
As if the Bird King conjured a storm, I darted toward my foe with blistering speed, while the Serpent Queen’s destructive rays concentrated on a single point.
Kagagagak!
The essence-infused strike of Eungsa Saengsabak erupted.
“This... is entertaining!” Akbulhwi exclaimed, pushing back my claws with his sword.
Using just my hands wasn’t enough to deal with him.
Focusing inner energy into my feet, I stomped the ground forcefully.
Kwaaaang!
The explosive force of Gangryong Jinpok surged out, sending waves of qi through the earth.
Roots burst forth like dragons swimming through the ground, rushing to envelop him.
Suaaah!
Chooork!
“Urgh!”
Though he cut through the plants with his sword, he couldn’t entirely avoid my tail swipe, which struck him squarely.
Paaang!
However, it didn’t deal significant damage, as Akbulhwi quickly repositioned himself.
“Master!”
The martial artists fighting elsewhere shouted in unison.
“Wooooh!”
“Victory is ours!”
My allies, seeing I had landed a hit, erupted in cheers.
When leaders clash and gain the upper hand, it’s the most impactful move one can make on the battlefield.
“...Your movements are truly extraordinary. A giant lizard wielding human martial arts? How curious,” Akbulhwi remarked, brushing dust off his body.
“Your techniques resemble those of multiple grandmasters combined.”
He sounded almost impressed, clearly satisfied with our recent exchanges.
“You mimic human maneuvers only to suddenly attack with your tail. Facing such unpredictability, most opponents would fall.”
Standing still, Akbulhwi stared me down.
Paaaaah!
“This kind of strength...”
A violet aura enveloped his body.
“...cannot be underestimated.”
A faint scent of plum blossoms wafted through the air.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly.
His sword wasn’t just imbued with ordinary sword aura anymore.
“Come, face me,” he declared.
The violet energy converged, shaping itself into a massive blade.
It was a level I had not yet reached—Sword Manifestation.
He was now going all out.
I couldn’t expect the same openings as before.
...
“...You do realize I’m still fighting you in my human form, don’t you? Step aside before you get hurt worse,” Red Dragon warned as flames gathered around her lips once more.
Though they seemed evenly matched, Red Dragon had been holding back to avoid harming her deity’s followers.
But Baekrang didn’t back down.
“Since when did you care about my well-being? A surprising turn of events. Though I haven’t lived as long as you, I’ll outlast you yet!”
Kwaaaang!
A whirlwind mixed with frost surged forward.
“Really... This is getting tiresome!”
Red Dragon wrapped her entire body in flames, irritation spilling from her every word.
“Why are you so hell-bent on stopping me? You have no idea what’s at stake!”
“Hey, you idiot,” Baekrang retorted, cloaking herself in icy energy.
“You think I’m doing this because I like you?”
Suuuaaaak!
A fierce blizzard began to howl.
“I couldn’t care less if you die from that poison,” Baekrang shot back.
Her words struck like a sudden blow.
Could it be that she knew about the poison Red Dragon had consumed?
“That lizard said something, you know.”
Crack!
“He said he wouldn’t lose anyone. Not anymore.”
Red Dragon’s eyes widened.
She had made a similar vow, after losing her family to the Ice Dragon and Thunder Phoenix.
That promise had driven her to swallow the poison and now, to sacrifice her life.
But the one she served—her deity, who had melted her frozen heart—was different.
He was trying to save her, too.
Perhaps all of this was her fault.
“...My deity truly is too kindhearted,” she murmured.
One couldn’t hold onto everything.
To save her followers and herself was an impossible task.
Red Dragon focused her energy again.
She had only one course of action left:
Shake off Baekrang, pour all her strength into defeating Akbulhwi, and die in the process.
She wouldn’t be able to kill him outright, but at least she wouldn’t become a burden.
Fwoooosh!
Crack!
Flame and frost clashed once more.
Now that she was no longer holding back, Red Dragon had the upper hand.
“Kyaaaeng!”
But Pus’s web shot out from somewhere.
“Keeeeng!”
Tus released a cloud of poison, momentarily obscuring Red Dragon’s vision.
Against her overwhelming flames, the poison was ineffective.
Still, the distraction allowed Nephila’s sturdy web to extend toward her.
A decisive blow, or so it seemed.
But it lacked the power to make an impact.
The web merely touched her body, burning away immediately.
“Urgh!”
Yet, at the end of that web was a small figure clad in the Fire Rat’s pelt: Tang Soyeong.
Her strength wasn’t exceptional.
She wasn’t weak enough to be considered a third-rate martial artist, but she wasn’t strong enough to be called first-rate, either.
At best, she was second-rate.
And a second-rate martial artist couldn’t possibly deal meaningful damage to Red Dragon.
But was Tang Soyeong truly just a second-rate fighter?
Would the Tang Clan entrust a mere second-rate martial artist with their mystical beast?
Would the radicals expend so much effort to assassinate a second-rate martial artist?
Tang Soyeong was still an unbloomed flower.
Even so, she was the most beautiful and dangerous flower of the Tang Clan.
Her title as the Tang Clan’s flower wasn’t just due to her exceptional beauty—it stemmed from her abilities.
Beautiful flowers always have sharp thorns.
And the Tang Clan’s flower bore the most perilous thorns of all.
Clang.
A vial of poison shattered mid-air, and its contents seeped into Red Dragon’s body.
This was a deadly poison that not even the Tang Clan’s leader could control—a poison only Tang Soyeong could create.
A poison so potent it could purge even the most malevolent energy and render even the strongest helpless.
Thump.
Thump.
Red Dragon’s heart pounded erratically.
The poison tore through her, leaving her dazed.
Even the legendary Sword Queen, who was said to be immune to all poisons, couldn’t resist this poison.
Red Dragon couldn’t fight it.
Her heart burned as if it would explode, tears welled in her eyes, and an overwhelming longing to see someone consumed her.
At that moment, she realized the name of this poison.
The most lethal, irresistible poison.
And yet, the easiest to become addicted to.
It was... love.