Ch.119Dragon King Subjugation Battle

Something had changed.

It was everyone’s perception of Karnok, who had been sent flying into the corner. Seorin and Sephiroth stood their ground with swords pointed. Ten blades under Seorin’s control flew toward Karnok, their edges poised to pierce him at any moment.

Yet Karnok did not rise. Except for his quiet breathing, as if he had merely fainted, there was no movement at all.

“Is… is it over? Surely we didn’t kill him, did we?”

Alberich, who had finally gotten up, slowly rose while clutching his abdomen. The blood around his wound had stopped flowing. It was the healing power of holy energy.

The three exchanged silent glances. Then, they slowly approached Karnok. He might be feigning unconsciousness to lure them into a trap. Seorin altered the nature of her mana flow, immediately enveloping her entire body in a veil of Sun Force.

It was still an unfamiliar technique, one she couldn’t maintain constantly.

“This is…”

“He seems to have just fainted.”

Even when they approached close enough to touch him, Karnok didn’t stir. This was no act to lower their guard. Karnok had clearly lost consciousness.

“Let me examine him for a moment.”

Alberich stepped forward first. After seeking permission from Sephiroth and Seorin, he extended his hand, wrapped in glowing holy energy.

Faaah-!

The soft luminescent holy energy began flowing into Karnok’s body. Alberich couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion as he examined Karnok’s condition. There were traces of necromantic energy remaining in his body, but there was only one soul present.

The clean soul untainted by necromantic energy was certainly Karnok’s. But then, where had the Dragon King’s soul disappeared to?

“Strange…”

“Is there a problem?”

Sephiroth questioned Alberich’s muttering. Alberich shook his head.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with Karnok. It’s just… I can’t sense the Dragon King’s soul.”

“Could it be hiding? Take a closer look.”

“…Very well.”

Alberich nodded at Sephiroth’s request, though he hesitated momentarily. But no matter how much holy energy he poured in, no trace of another soul could be found in Karnok’s body.

Instead, the massive amount of holy energy was simply healing Karnok’s physical body.

“The bruise around his eye is gone.”

Seorin looked at Karnok’s eye area with a hint of disappointment. The spot where she had punched him had turned black and looked somewhat cute, but now it was gone. Seorin clicked her tongue.

“It’s not there. I can stake my life on it.”

After examining him thoroughly, Alberich stood up and shook his head. Seeing his resolute expression, even Sephiroth didn’t ask him to look further.

Watching this, Seorin rubbed her chin. The whereabouts of the soul that even Alberich couldn’t detect. Somehow, she felt she knew where the Dragon King’s soul had disappeared to.

‘Seiran…’

The snow-white wolf that had emerged from her body had pulled something black out of Karnok’s body and devoured it. Given the circumstances, could that have been the Dragon King’s soul? Unable to communicate with her younger sibling made the situation frustrating.

Seorin placed her hand on her small chest.

The Dragon King’s soul had vanished. This meant the control over the moving corpse knights was gone. Thanks to this, the Blue Wing members who had been trapped were arriving at the cavern one after another.

The condition of the members who rushed in was serious. Their bodies were covered in blood, and some were gasping for breath as if they might collapse at any moment. Nevertheless, they had hurried here to help their comrades.

“What? Is it all over already?”

“Where’s the Dragon King? And why is Vice-Captain Karnok lying there?”

Flora and Theo, who arrived shortly after, slowly surveyed the cavern. The floor was marked with sword scars of various sizes, and one area looked as if a bomb had exploded, with cracks spreading outward.

Skilled swordsmen could infer past events from the traces left behind, even without witnessing them directly. Theo and Flora both groaned simultaneously.

“The battle wasn’t long.”

“The intervals between strikes were short. Here and there, moving great distances… yet the sword marks were left simultaneously.”

They were all sword practitioners. Once they realized the enemy was gone, various conversations naturally flowed. They didn’t hesitate to reconstruct the battle situation from the remaining traces, offering their own opinions.

With Karnok, the group’s leader, unconscious, Vice-Captain Sephiroth naturally assumed command. He had the uninjured members organize the cavern and selected those who were relatively well to help with emergency treatment of the wounded.

Alberich’s holy energy was a great help during the emergency treatment. Though he couldn’t pour excessive holy energy into each person to heal everyone, some of the most critical cases were able to save their lives thanks to him.

The healing power inherent in holy energy shone brightly.

“Breathing is easier now. Thank you.”

“I thought this place would be my final resting spot…”

“…Everyone, don’t move recklessly. Your wounds might reopen if you swing a sword or run.”

It was then that Alberich, who had been pouring out holy energy while nagging, staggered.

“Alberich?”

“Are you alright?”

Was it because he had saved their lives? Or because they had faced death together? Perhaps both. Alberich raised his hand, recalling memories of his past life. There was nothing wrong with his body. He simply could no longer maintain control over it after using too much holy energy.

“I need to rest for a while. I’ve used too much holy energy.”

Those were Alberich’s last words. The next moment, the holy energy flowing from his body suddenly disappeared, and when he blinked, the atmosphere changed drastically.

Watching this, Sephiroth spoke.

“We’re returning.”

The Dragon King’s soul, their target, had vanished. Whether it had been destroyed or had escaped was uncertain, but they could no longer continue the mission.

Before leaving the mission site, Seorin gathered the corpses that had been under the Dragon King’s control, doused them with oil, and set them on fire. Beyond the blazing flames, black smoke rose into the air.

Seorin silently watched her own disappearing form.

***

The Blue Wing’s return procession was extremely slow. They had tied their horses at the entrance of the ravine, but upon arrival, not a single one remained. The entire ravine had been shaken by the battle between masters. Even well-trained war horses had no choice but to flee.

“Everyone, hurry up. Even if you can’t run, you can’t stop walking.”

Sephiroth urged the members on. They couldn’t stop walking, even if they couldn’t run. According to the information they had gathered, it was confirmed that the Dragon King had companions or a group working with him.

Seorin also remained vigilant. She constantly maintained Ashen, a technique that expanded her detection range. If they encountered a powerful opponent like Hayato in this situation, they would not be able to avoid annihilation.

There weren’t many people who could fight at present. Reynard, Flora, Theo, Seorin, and Sephiroth were all. The rest of the members had suffered severe wounds that required recovery.

Seorin sniffed the air. The smell of blood emanating from the group was overwhelming. It gave the impression of a massive piece of meat moving.

“Just a moment…”

Sephiroth, who had been walking well, stopped and occasionally coughed up blood. The blood flowing from his mouth was becoming increasingly red. It meant that his constantly operating mana cultivation technique was healing his internal injuries.

His complexion grew increasingly pale, but his breathing was becoming more stable.

The moon and sun rose and set several times. The Blue Wing group could hardly rest. The intense smell of blood vibrating from their bodies attracted beasts and monsters that frequently approached them.

Dealing with these creatures wasn’t a major problem. It just made them mentally exhausted. When monsters approached exuding killing intent, all members who had been trying to sleep would rise with swords in hand.

After this happened repeatedly, dark shadows settled under everyone’s eyes.

“I wish we had a carriage. Even a cart to carry the wounded would be nice…”

Theo, who had been walking for a while, muttered in a small voice. At that moment, a group appeared not far away. Even at a glance, there were more than ten of them. All were armed, and two of them were even on horseback.

“That’s…”

“Their intentions are obvious…”

The members who spotted them naturally frowned. The way they looked over the Blue Wing group was extremely greedy. The killing intent that naturally emanated from them made it clear they were people who made murder their profession.

Bandits.

These people, who wouldn’t dare operate in the imperial capital, were freely active outside the empire. Just as Theo was about to draw his sword and step forward—

Someone walked ahead more quickly. Snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, creating a mysterious atmosphere. Her casual stride with hands behind her back exuded confidence.

The girl advanced as if she were simply taking a stroll.

Simultaneously, the ten swords she possessed unsheathed themselves and shot forward.

Swoosh-!

The ten blades, riding the wind, severed the bandits’ heads. All with a single strike. As those who couldn’t even comprehend their own deaths began to fall one by one, the girl who had delivered death turned around.

Looking back at the Blue Wing members, she said:

“I’ve secured the horses. As for carts to transport the wounded, I think we can make them on the spot…”

As Seorin trailed off, looking around cautiously, another gust of wind blew, and the ten swords returned to their places.

Clang-!

Theo and Flora flinched simultaneously. The sight of Seorin freely controlling ten swords momentarily reminded them of the Master of Ten Thousand Swords.