Ch.156Desolate wind

“Wh-What is this?”

It was now certain. Something invisible was surrounding the entire island. Seo-rin retrieved her falling sword and said:

“The whole island is like this. It seems they’re trying to prevent anyone inside from leaving…”

Seo-rin frowned. The countless skeletons she had witnessed on her way here flashed before her eyes.

“What should we do? Should we try to break through by force? Or look for another way?”

At Theo’s question, Seo-rin stared at the transparent void. Even with mana channeled through her sword, she couldn’t pierce it. Perhaps a more powerful attack would work. Seo-rin drew the Ice Dragon Sword from her waist.

Swoosh—

As the blue blade revealed itself to the world, the surrounding energy dropped noticeably. A chilling cold enveloped Seo-rin, causing frozen mana crystals to fall piece by piece around her.

“Please watch our surroundings.”

“Ah, yes!”

Kiiing—!

Seo-rin immediately drew up her mana. The starlight ring seated in her heart emitted a violent spinning sound. The mana, amplified through rotation, granted Seo-rin power incomparable to before.

Light flickered. The blue mana extending from Seo-rin’s arm burst forth into the world.

Flash—!

With a flash of light, Seo-rin’s posture changed. Even Theo, who was watching, couldn’t properly observe her movements. He only realized in the next moment that Seo-rin had extended her arm.

‘Without activating the Lightning God Body, I couldn’t even react…’

Just as Theo swallowed dryly, the trace of a slash drawn long across the void disappeared with a violent vibration.

“The attack was absorbed.”

Seo-rin said with a frown. She confirmed that her extended slash had struck the transparent barrier. However, as if space itself were alive, it had consumed her attack.

Nothing remained where Seo-rin’s slash had passed.

She felt she could break through if she used her full power. But the aftermath was the problem. Using mana amplification through the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword had the drawback of severely damaging her meridians.

So what about this? Seo-rin drew another sword instead of the Ice Dragon Sword. What emerged was a heavy iron sword nicknamed the “Mage Killer.”

Shhhing—

If it couldn’t be broken by force, then absorbing that force would do. The Mage Killer possessed the authority to absorb all powers classified as abilities.

Mana, inner energy, spiritual power, morale—it absorbed everything indiscriminately. She had even confirmed it could absorb divine power. What she needed now wasn’t mana release, but pure physical enhancement.

The moment Seo-rin made her decision, the muscles in her slender limbs instantly expanded.

“Haaah!”

Unable to shoot sword winds or auras, she had to approach directly. Seo-rin thrust the sword she was standing on and flew forward while spinning her body. After the small girl’s form spun around, a lightning-fast slash struck downward from above.

Swoosh—!

The sword tip caught on something. Through the sensation transmitted to her fingertips, Seo-rin was certain her attack had connected. As proof, the dark blade was tearing through the void.

Along the long drawn line, space itself split open. It was the transparent veil that had covered the entire island in balance. As part of it tore, the entire veil began to collapse.

Rumble—!

Just before Seo-rin’s form fell into the blue seawater, she used a flying sword beneath her feet as a foothold. Immediately after, the transparent veil completely shattered.

The transparent veil turned white as it broke apart, revealing itself to the world. It looked just like falling snow.

After breaking the veil, Seo-rin didn’t release the sword from her hand. That was because she sensed a massive presence from beneath the sea.

The next moment.

Splash—!

As Seo-rin’s form shot high into the sky, something enormous surged up from beneath the sea. The first things to fill her vision were blue gleaming scales and whisker-like fins extending from both sides.

The seawater that had shot high into the sky began to fall as rain. Seo-rin, drenched in the falling seawater, looked down at the massive monster before her.

“A dragon…?”

No, that wasn’t it. Though it resembled the dragons of myth, the creature before her was somehow awkward. Its scales varied in size and color, and its long whiskers were tentacles with suckers.

And its eyes? Within its yellow eyes were embedded multiple blue pupils. This was not a naturally born creature. Someone had artificially combined monsters to create a dragon-like form.

The creature before her lacked the divinity attributed to mythical dragons. Instead, it emanated an ominous power, the kind felt only from shamans.

At that moment, she understood. The purpose of this island. The reason for the veil that prevented those inside from escaping. The entire island had been a feeding ground for this creature.

At that moment, with a crackling sound, Theo, transformed into blue lightning, charged toward the pseudo-dragon. The straight bolt of blue lightning struck the creature directly.

Crash—!

“Seo-rin!”

At Theo’s call, Seo-rin immediately drew swords from her subspace and scattered them in all directions. Having worked together for a long time, she immediately understood what he wanted.

[Kwaaaak!]

The pseudo-dragon, pushed back by Theo’s attack, shook its body and roared. As the gloomy spiritual sound reached the sky, dark clouds instantly gathered.

Honestly, Seo-rin had no reason to fight this massive monster. Yet, she couldn’t leave. The faint smile she had seen on Rena’s face earlier flashed before her eyes.

Seo-rin didn’t consider herself a saint. However, she was someone who would willingly act if there was something she could do, if she could help others with it.

Kiiing—!

The ring in her heart began to rotate violently again. Simultaneously operating opposing mana caused a clash, creating a small explosion. The explosion within her body triggered another mana amplification.

Through the scales of the Starlight Dragon, Seo-rin had briefly encountered the true form of a dragon. Thus, she understood how absurd the transmigrators’ goal was.

Creating a dragon directly? How could that even make sense?

Bang—!

It was the moment Seo-rin thrust the sword that had been her foothold. The sturdy iron sword shattered, and Seo-rin’s form shot forward rapidly.

Crash—! Crash—!

Theo, transformed into lightning, circled around the pseudo-dragon’s body, unleashing endless attacks, but couldn’t land an effective hit. A thick veil had formed around the creature’s body, blocking his attacks.

At that moment, Seo-rin flashed past Theo. As the girl’s rapidly launched form spun, a dark slash was fired.

Swoosh—!

[Kieeek!]

No ability could exert power before the dark blade. The transparent veil protecting the pseudo-dragon’s body was torn, and its scale-covered skin split with a ripping sound.

At that moment, a black shadow submerged beneath the sea surged up at tremendous speed and struck Seo-rin’s body. With a loud crash, what appeared was a mass of giant tentacles with red blood vessels protruding.

While the pseudo-dragon’s upper body vaguely resembled a dragon, its lower part looked like an entirely different creature. This made it appear extremely grotesque.

“Seo-rin!”

As Seo-rin rapidly flew and crashed into the seawater, intense cold was released from where she fell, causing the seawater to freeze.

Crack—!

“Huff…”

Seo-rin exhaled a white breath and rose to her feet. She hadn’t been injured in the first place. The veil of Sun Force she constantly maintained always protected her physical body.

With each step Seo-rin took forward, the range of the frozen sea expanded.

Crack—

Through the white wind, Seo-rin’s figure appeared. In her right hand was a new sword. A chilling wind gathered around the invisible blade.

The newly transformed Muramasa flew into her right hand of its own accord, even though Seo-rin had no intention of drawing it. As if it had its own will.

It continuously emitted a growling vibration, as if the creature before it was extremely displeasing.

“What are you so displeased about?”

Seo-rin asked as she took a stance. The starlight beginning to form in her right hand created an even more violent tremor. Soon, the frozen sea around Seo-rin shattered.

Flash—!

The extreme sword technique split the sea and sky. Even the pseudo-dragon before her was merely part of the background being split in half.

Rip—!

Beyond the split sky, the dark universe revealed itself. It looked like an empty void, but Seo-rin knew. That beyond it were countless stars. That there were other worlds.

And that the Starlight Dragon, which the transmigrators were so desperately seeking, was there.

As the black space covering the sky disappeared, the bisected corpse of the pseudo-dragon collapsed onto the sea.

Splash—!