Chapter 617: Dragon (Dragon)

It was right next to me.

Just as I thought that.

Whoosh-!

My arm was already moving.

Rumble-!

I felt a vibration in my soul.

It was to use the Heart Fist (Simkwon).

There was no hesitation.

I had used the Heart Fist earlier, but…

The backlash that would come later from using it now.

I had to ignore that for the time being.

It was someone who had approached right beside me without me noticing.

That meant I didn’t have time to worry about whether it had hostility or not.

Just as I was about to unleash the Heart Fist.

Crackle-!

A strange sound came from my arm.

When I turned my gaze to look at my arm.

“!”

Slaaaash-!

My outstretched arm had been torn off, leaving only my shoulder.

Thump-!

My arm fell to the ground.

Gush-! Blood spurted from my shoulder.

“Yangcheon!”

Woohyeok shouted, his eyes widening as he saw this.

I bit my lip tightly.

Afterward, I quickly took a stance and created distance.

Drip, drip.

Blood flowed from my clenched shoulder.

Pain surged immediately after.

“Hoo… hoo….”

However, only ragged breaths, rather than groans, escaped.

‘What was that?’

What just happened?

Ignoring the pain, I looked straight ahead.

Someone was standing next to the spot where Woohyeok was facing.

It was a white-haired young man.

“Well now.”

The young man looked this way. A smile was on his face.

The moment I saw that smile, goosebumps spread all over my body.

“Your greeting is a bit rough, don’t you think? I’m not really a fan of that.”

It was unpleasant.

Just looking at him made me feel disgusted and sick.

I felt like I wanted to grab him by the neck and tear him apart right now.

It was hostility rising from the depths of my dantian.

-Kill him right now.

An instinct with that voice kept pushing me.

I had to barely hold that back.

I couldn’t win.

Because I knew that fact clearly from just one exchange.

As I stared at the young man, my tension fully heightened.

“Originally, I was just going to watch. It was a bit entertaining to watch.”

The young man began to speak.

Meanwhile, I had to frown as I saw something the guy was holding.

‘Why is she caught there again?’

It was Yuri.

Yuri was held in the guy’s hand, unconscious.

“But, this way, it’s a bit boring, isn’t it? Right?”

The guy shifted his gaze.

It was towards Woohyeok.

“Biwegun.”

“…”

At the young man’s call, Woohyeok bit his trembling lips.

“We definitely had an agreement, didn’t we? So why are you doing this?”

“…”

“Does that mean you don’t care what happens to the collateral?”

“No… It’s just…”

“If you say no, is it lingering attachment? It seems you still have some lingering attachment.”

I frowned as I listened to their conversation.

Through those words, I felt like I understood the young man’s identity.

‘So that guy… then.’

The blood relative of Binggung who participated in the rebellion.

Is that guy the one?

Seeing as he’s a young man, he must be either the First Young Master or the Second Young Master.

‘The feeling…’

Something felt strange.

What is this feeling?

This is different from the awe I feel when I see a strong person.

This is.

‘Similar to the Palace Lord.’

The sensation when I met the Palace Lord at the previous hideout.

It was similar to then.

I’m not talking about the similarity in appearance due to bloodline.

Unpleasantness.

I felt an unpleasantness emanating from his very existence.

It was like that when I saw the Palace Lord too, but this was on a different level.

‘This… yes, this must be it.’

Sensing his aura, I suddenly remembered.

Around the time I first arrived in the North Sea, I felt a chill from the ground and an inexplicable unpleasantness.

That aura and…

‘His aura are the same.’

If I felt something similar from the Palace Lord.

That aura was identical to what I had felt.

It meant he was the source of the unpleasantness from the North Sea.

What on earth is that?

What is it that makes my entire body reject it so much?

Also.

‘What should I do?’

How can I escape this crisis?

As all sorts of thoughts were rushing through my mind.

“If Biwegun still has lingering attachment… that attachment is…”

The young man’s gaze, as he spoke, turned towards me.

At that moment.

“Is it over there?”

The young man’s figure vanished.

I lost sight of him.

I couldn’t follow his gaze-

Wham-!

“Kkuhk!”

My neck was grabbed.

I was lifted straight up.

“I didn’t intend to greet you this way.”

My gaze was forced to meet his as I looked into his eyes.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…!”

My heart lurched at his words, spoken with a grin.

His light blue eyes had vertically slit pupils.

Even the faint scales visible on his cheeks.

If others didn’t recognize it, I was familiar with the appearance.

“I didn’t expect to meet a fellow clansman (dongjok) here.”

I had to frown at the words the guy spat out.

‘Dragon…?’

It’s a dragon.

This guy was a dragon.

And unlike the curse the Palace Lord was suffering from, his form looked complete.

That means…

‘Is he someone like me?’

Does this mean he’s also someone who completed the shedding and became a dragon?

While I was flustered by the unexpected situation.

“But…”

The guy’s gaze swept over my body.

“You’re much less than I expected. To think this is a fellow clansman.”

His voice clearly held disappointment.

“I don’t know if you’re injured internally, but… I guess I had unnecessary expectations. I didn’t realize you were this pathetic even when you came to the North Sea.”

Hearing that, I widened my eyes.

Does that mean he knew I came to the North Sea long ago?

He tightened the grip on my hand.

It was immense pressure. My breath was automatically choked off.

Having my neck grabbed and lifted was more infuriating than I thought.

I came to regret it.

If I survived and returned, I felt like I could use this method more often.

Just as I was unconsciously having such thoughts.

“What could it be?”

The guy was observing my body more closely.

More precisely.

“Why are you so pathetic? You’re clearly a fellow clansman…”

He seemed to be pinpointing my flaws one by one.

‘Is this bastard crazy?’

I didn’t know how long it had been since I’d been called pathetic and inferior in this life.

Excluding my appearance, that is.

“Hmm…”

After observing me closely for a while.

“I see.”

He finally chuckled, as if realizing something.

“You, you still seem to be contemplating?”

“…What…?”

“Whether you are human, or perhaps, a great Dragon. Are you seriously contemplating that?”

“…!”

Hearing that, I swallowed a gasp.

It felt like he had hit the nail on the head.

However.

Does the fact that I couldn’t properly grasp this mean there’s some difference?

I couldn’t know.

“So that’s why. That’s why.”

I didn’t know, but the guy seemed to know something.

Squeeeeze-!

“Kkeueu…”

The pressure intensified.

“So you were this insignificant.”

The light contained within the guy’s slit pupils intensified.

“Even after evolving, you wish to remain human?”

I tried to grab his wrist with my remaining right hand, but it wouldn’t budge at all.

There might be a difference in strength, but it would be more accurate to say I couldn’t muster strength in my body.

“How can you do that? To want to be on the same level as those insignificant creatures. We shouldn’t be like that, should we? We are great beings.”

“Fuck… what the hell… are you saying…”

“I can’t understand. To remain half-witted, unable to make such an obvious choice.”

The guy’s eyes changed.

The smile he wore disappeared, and something cold surfaced in his eyes.

“It was a meeting I had deeply longed for.”

It was killing intent (salgi).

It might seem shallow, but that was definitely killing intent.

‘I’m going to die.’

If I continue like this, it’s dangerous.

My survival instinct was telling me.

No, even if that guy hadn’t said anything, I could tell it was a crisis just by looking.

“I’ve lost interest.”

Meaning, if things continued like this, my neck would snap, and I would die right here.

Tight-! I tried to break free by grabbing his wrist, but even that wouldn’t work.

What should I do? What on earth should I do?

“To think you’re a being who can’t even grasp my position, it’s a waste to call you a fellow clansman. Just die.”

And so.

Grind-!

Just as the guy was about to snap my neck.

While still gripping his wrist.

I said to the guy.

[Let go…!]

“…!”

Whoosh-!

Suddenly, I felt a vibration from my heart, and wind burst from my body.

It was unintentional Dragon Speech (Yong-eon).

I wondered what use such words could possibly have, even at best.

The guy, upon hearing my Dragon Speech, froze for a moment.

Plop-!

“Cough…!”

Surprisingly, he actually loosened his grip.

My bound body was released, and I collapsed.

“Kuhuk…”

Being without an arm threw off my balance.

My blocked breathing cleared, and I was barely catching my breath.

“…Impossible.”

The guy who had been holding me until just now spoke to me in disbelief.

“You.”

I raised my head and looked at the guy.

“Are you pure-blooded (sunhyeol)?”

His voice was filled with surprise and shock.

“That can’t be right? There shouldn’t be any purebloods left on this land…”

“…What have you been talking about…?”

Pureblood? It was incomprehensible.

Where in the world could there be a half-breed like me? My body is a combination of all sorts of杂스러운 things.

What purity could possibly be in my body?

However.

“Ah…”

Contrary to my thoughts, the guy’s eyes simply lit up again, as if he had realized something.

“Yes. Yes, I didn’t expect you to achieve everything easily just because you escaped your lowly body.”

Then, with an unreadable expression, he continued speaking to me.

“It’s rather fortunate. Because I got to see you here.”

While he kept talking, I rolled my eyes without answering.

Woohyeok was about ten paces behind me.

The location where Namgung Bi-ah was presumed to be was much farther than that.

‘I don’t know what this guy sensed from me, but…’

For now, my plan was to escape this place.

I had to do that first.

Can I save everyone? Objectively, it’s impossible.

In my current state, winning was also impossible.

“It had always been a question for me.”

So what should I do?

Should I try tampering with the Innate Qi (Seoncheonjigi)?

It was obvious I’d die if I used it incorrectly, but it was time to use it.

Even if I died.

As I confirmed that and tried to gather energy in my body.

“I always wondered how three fragments of the Dragon Emperor (Yongje) ended up gathered in this land. It was because of you.”

Halt.

I froze at the guy’s words.

“…What? What did you just say?”

I looked at the guy.

Dragon Emperor (Yongje). He definitely uttered the word Dragon Emperor himself.

Seeing my reaction, the guy showed a moment of doubt, then wore a deep smile.

“Our purebloods seem to know nothing. Unlike your precious blood, you are ignorant.”

“What are you talking about? If you’re going to speak, do it properly.”

“I can’t do that. There’s nothing more desirable than a foolish competitor.”

Competitor?

“Especially if that competitor is born with the most precious blood.”

“This bastard… keep…”

I tried to get up somehow, but…

“If I had my way, I’d devour you right now…”

The guy was no longer in front of me. He had already moved and approached Woohyeok.

“I’ll hold back for now. Because I want to confirm something.”

Then, this time, he grabbed Woohyeok by the collar.

Woohyeok didn’t utter a word. He didn’t even resist.

“By trampling on you, a pureblood, and tearing you apart to devour you, I want to prove that I am the truly chosen one. For that…”

Woooong-!!

Feeling a sensation, I raised my head and looked at the sky.

“…What?”

It warped.

The space in the air was warping.

“I can’t face you like this, weak as you are. Shouldn’t we at least meet at full strength to have a proper reason?”

Crackle-crack-!

Cracks appeared in the sky, and it gradually began to break.

Space was collapsing in real-time.

What the hell kind of situation is this?

“So, I’ll just retreat this time.”

In the midst of this strange situation, the guy spoke to me with his characteristic smile.

Leaving?

Does he mean he’s just leaving like this?

Although it seemed like a fortunate situation.

I had to speak to the guy with a deep frown.

“…Are you planning to take him?”

Woohyeok, whom the guy was holding.

I said that, looking at him.

“Of course. Biwegun is indispensable to me.”

To this, the guy replied with a matter-of-fact expression.

“You know, right? We never let anyone take what’s ours.”

Grrr.

I clenched my teeth.

Because even if the guy took Woohyeok, there was nothing I could do.

I had no choice but to let him go like this.

Knowing that, I felt utterly devastated.

“It’s not much of a substitute, but…”

The guy said.

“I didn’t kill my cute younger sibling who brought you here. And I won’t touch the other fragments either, so I’ll retreat for today.”

“Other fragments…?”

Hearing this, I tried to ask, but couldn’t continue.

Whoooosh-!!!

The fragments of the collapsing world began to envelop the guy.

The fragments swirled rapidly around him like they were swept by the wind, resembling a raging typhoon.

Within that.

-Oh right, my name is Yuseon.

The guy’s voice was heard.

-Next time we meet, I hope you’ve made up your mind. Otherwise, it won’t be fun.

Kua-ga-ga-ga-!

The storm gradually grew larger and expanded rapidly.

There was no way to escape.

Soon, the wind mixed with fragments approached right in front of me.

-This is a small gift for that purpose.

Along with the continuing voice.

-I hope you like it.

It roughly swallowed me whole.

******************

Some time later.

I opened my closed eyes.

The first thing I saw was the sky, now familiar, with snow falling.

“…!”

Seeing that, I immediately sat bolt upright.

Am I alive?

But the world seemed to be collapsing?

‘Woohyeok? What about him?’

What on earth is going on?

As I tried to figure that out.

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, I felt something strange and looked beside me.

‘…My left hand?’

My left hand, which had been torn off by the guy, was back. The bound wrist was with it.

It was as if it had never been torn off, looking pristine.

Not only that.

I tried circulating the energy in my body.

‘What is this?’

I swallowed a gasp as I assessed my physical condition.

I knew immediately upon circulating my energy.

That the internal injuries I had sustained were all healed.

What on earth could be the reason for this?

Not only did my arm reappear, but my internal injuries, which I expected would take a long time to heal, were cured.

It was an inexplicable matter.

As I lowered my gaze at these events and looked at my left arm.

“…Ah…”

Halt!

My body stiffened at the voice.

A sound came from behind me.

It was the spot where I had been lying until just moments ago.

The voice was completely drained of strength.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because it was a voice I was not only familiar with but had been searching for.

My head turned.

And there.

“…Hello…”

A woman, wearing shackles on her wrists, was looking at me.

White hair and distinctive blue eyes.

She looked tired, but her face still held a deep beauty.

Perhaps she had been resting my head on her lap until now.

Her body was slightly buried, contrasting with the snow piled around.

“You…”

“Are you… awake…?”

The woman spoke, looking at me.

“It’s been a long…”

I didn’t hear the rest of her words.

My body moved on its own and hugged her.

I held her tightly as if not wanting to let go, and stayed still.

Then.

“Ah… yeah.”

Namgung Bi-ah whispered softly.

“I… missed you too.”

It was an answer to the words left unspoken.