Ch.118Dragon King Subjugation Battle

‘My head flew off…’

I landed a decisive blow. If I hadn’t taken off the head, I would have been disappointed in myself. Seo-rin let out a small groan as she stared at the corpse standing upright before her.

She had entered the battle with the intent to kill. Since being reborn in her younger sister’s body, she thought she had completely abandoned any attachment to life. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Seo-rin looked at the motionless corpse—her own body. The severed head belatedly fell and rolled across the floor. Red flesh twitched feebly within the cross-section of the cut.

She had essentially killed herself with her own hands. A whirlwind of emotions surged within her.

Furrowing her brow, she exhaled a sigh, expelling her emotions. There was no time to indulge in sentimentality. Even now, the other members were fighting at the risk of their lives to buy her time.

Just as Seo-rin was about to approach the corpse, the Star Light Spear clutched in the corpse’s hand scattered a dim light and flew very quickly toward the other side of the passage.

Had someone retrieved the weapon after losing the fight? Seo-rin kicked off the ground. Despite the intense pain in her shoulder, the extreme cold spreading throughout her body dulled the pain.

This was Ice Dragon-Heart, based on the White Dragon Heart Technique. She could emit an even more intense cold to numb the pain completely.

Hwaaak-!

The entire straight corridor became covered in white frost. Above it, a snow-white storm raced forward.

***

Kwang-!

Violent explosions erupted from all directions, accompanied by massive energy waves. Since entering the Dragon King’s dwelling, Karnok’s group had been forced to wield their swords constantly. Dozens of knights kept charging at them, blocking their path.

Each knight was a renowned warrior from ancient times. From those who had made their names on battlefields to mercenaries who had earned knighthood—not one could be taken lightly.

Letting down one’s guard meant death. They couldn’t even execute the coordinated attacks that were Cheong-ik’s pride. Dozens of knights cleverly broke through their formation, disrupting their rhythm.

Even when their arms and legs were cut off by swords, they wouldn’t retreat. These reanimated corpses felt no pain. Karnok’s gaze turned toward the center of the vast cavern.

A massive magic circle spread across the floor, centered around an altar. The place reeked of a terrible stench—a mixture of red blood and the putrid fluids of decaying corpses. In the midst of it all stood an old man.

By appearance, he seemed no different from the corpses strewn across the floor, but Alberich, who was with them, revealed his identity.

“We need to clear a path! We must stop the Dragon King from completing the ritual!”

“I’ll cut straight through. So all we need to do is kill him, right?”

“Well, there’s still more to do after that, but…”

Karnok stepped back and changed his stance. His legs spread wide as he lowered his overall posture. The way he gripped his sword and kept his body close to the ground looked like preparation for a charge.

Then, enormous mana erupted from Karnok’s body. It was of such magnitude that everyone present was astonished—almost unbelievable that a human body could contain such power.

Gugugu-!

The death energy filling the space began to recede. The mana Karnok emitted was beginning to turn the space itself into his domain. Immediately after, Karnok kicked off the ground.

Wujik-!

Something extended in a straight line. It happened right after Karnok kicked the ground. After Karnok’s figure, which had been emitting blue mana, dissolved into the air, the space twisted and something transparent stretched out.

Its speed was beyond what the eye could follow. Even the knights present, all with exceptional skills, couldn’t track it.

Watching this, another vice-captain, Sephiroth, shouted:

“Karnok…!”

Aren’t you thinking about the consequences? His small mutter dissipated hopelessly.

Void Walker. This was the technique that had elevated Karnok to the position of vice-captain. Due to its extreme mana consumption, it was a skill he rarely used.

Before Sephiroth’s voice completely faded, the space split open, and Karnok emerged from within. Having entered a different space while running, he had been able to bypass the knights and charge forward.

Karnok’s figure descended like lightning toward the Dragon King.

Kwaaang-!

Before Karnok’s sword could reach the Dragon King, snow-white bone fragments rose from the floor, forming a massive shield. However, its speed was slower than Karnok’s strike.

Before the shield was complete, his blade had already penetrated halfway through it. With a cracking sound, the white shield shattered. Next was the Dragon King’s right shoulder.

Seugek-!

The clean blade cut through the old man’s shoulder. At the same time, Karnok frowned. The strike had been allowed too easily. Even the bone shield prepared for defense was inexplicably weak.

‘Did he not intend to block?’

As this question arose, Karnok’s gaze met the Dragon King’s.

[I’ll have to take your body instead, as a compromise.]

***

Paaaat-!

Seo-rin appeared with the storm. Arriving at the vast cavern, she surveyed the situation, which seemed mostly resolved. Dozens of knights lay sprawled about, while Cheong-ik members were either lying down or kneeling among them.

Few were uninjured. It was clear evidence of the fierce battle that had taken place. Seo-rin’s gaze followed the scent of fresh blood.

Alberich and Clara lay fallen, groaning weakly, with holes in their abdomens.

Just as Seo-rin began to move, a scream-like shout erupted from not far away.

“Seo-rin! Be careful!”

Who should she be careful of? As Seo-rin tilted her head in confusion and raised her sword as warned, blue mana spread like flames, and a familiar figure flew toward her.

It was Vice-Captain Karnok. Seo-rin, who had been about to wave her hand in greeting, hurriedly swung her sword instead.

Her sword clashed with the Star Light Spear that Karnok was holding.

Jjeong-!

“Karnok…?”

The force behind the blade was too fierce to be a joke. Moreover, he was emitting intense killing intent. Seo-rin immediately pushed Karnok away and drew upon her mana. The mana that began in her heart spread throughout her body, releasing cold with the wind.

Ten swords rose into the air in response to that mana. With that, all preparations were complete. Nevertheless, Seo-rin looked at Karnok with a glimmer of hope.

“That’s not Karnok! His body has been taken!”

It was the other vice-captain, Sephiroth, who spoke. The situation was now clear. Somehow during the fight, Karnok’s body had been seized by the Dragon King.

Shiiik-!

Sephiroth, who had rushed over quickly, blocked Seo-rin’s path and swung his sword. As he came closer, the smell of blood intensified. Seo-rin’s gaze quickly assessed Sephiroth.

Red blood was flowing endlessly from around his abdomen. He’d been wounded.

“Seo-rin… we need to subdue the current Karnok… the Dragon King. Can you do it?”

“You mean don’t kill him?”

“Alberich said that he hasn’t completely taken control of the body yet. If we can subdue him, Karnok might be able to reclaim his body…”

Seo-rin answered by moving her ten swords. In response to her will, a biting cold swirled around the swords before they shot toward Karnok.

Kwang-! Chaang-!

Shugwagak-!

Sword strikes unfolded at angles impossible for a human body. Seo-rin’s figure flew above them. Sephiroth’s words were true. Karnok was blocking Seo-rin’s attacks with sword and spear while simultaneously using necromancy.

Sharp bones shooting up from the ground and occasional attacks from reanimated knight corpses blocked Seo-rin. Sephiroth joined to help her, but they couldn’t gain a decisive advantage.

Sephiroth’s ambush injury was a major factor. While wielding his sword, he occasionally coughed up blood and staggered.

The situation was equally unfavorable for the Dragon King. Though he had taken the body of a powerful knight, he couldn’t suppress Karnok’s soul. Because of this, he couldn’t draw out even half of the body’s capabilities. This was also why he couldn’t control dozens of knights simultaneously with necromancy.

‘If I can just buy time…’

Everything would go according to his will. The Dragon King fought defensively, trying to protect the body as much as possible.

“His skill increases rapidly as time passes. We need to finish this quickly.”

“I know.”

Sephiroth and Seo-rin exchanged words while executing seamlessly coordinated attacks. The fact that they could still converse meant they weren’t yet pushed to their limits.

Sephiroth completely adapted to Seo-rin’s rhythm. He took on all defensive duties, matching his breath to allow Seo-rin to launch her best attacks.

This allowed Seo-rin to unleash her maximum offensive power without restraint. She released the sword in her hand and regulated her breathing. Then, a storm whirled in her small hand.

Ice Dragon-Heart Wind White

Kwang-!

The storm that struck the air swept everything in its path. Corpses on the ground were cleanly sliced apart. The following cold froze the floor. Even after expending one breath, Seo-rin didn’t stop. She immediately reached toward the air.

The eleven swords under her control responded instantly. The sword closest to the needed position was drawn to her hand.

She disregarded defense, pouring all her energy into attack. She didn’t care if her posture collapsed. This was because Seo-rin trusted Sephiroth.

The sword strike from Seo-rin’s hand took the form of a dragon. This was Seom-ryong. A light dragon covered the space, opening its mouth to devour Karnok. At that moment, Seo-rin’s and Karnok’s gazes locked in mid-air.

Seo-rin felt a strange sensation. Something stirred inside her. It meant her sleeping sister had awakened.

‘Sei-ran?’

What are you trying to do?

Conversations with her sister were always one-way. No answer came. Instead, a snow-white wolf poured out from Seo-rin’s body. Its appearance was like undulating waves.

Kwaaaa-!

The massive wolf seemed to tear at Karnok. But it passed through. The moment it caught Karnok’s neck, the wolf’s blurry form became clear, and it pulled something black from within his throat.

She didn’t know what her sister had done. But it wouldn’t harm her. Seo-rin immediately prepared her next attack. She extended her leg to steady herself, then pulled back her other hand to wrap a storm around it.

Then.

Just as Seo-rin’s fist was flying toward Karnok’s face, his blurry gaze cleared, and his mouth opened.

“Seo, rin?”

The reaction was strange. It was as if Karnok had regained consciousness. But Seo-rin didn’t stop. Her small hand struck Karnok’s head.

Kwang-!

A massive storm erupted, and Karnok’s figure flew back and crashed into the ground.