Chapter 626: Authority/Power (Authority/Power)

Inside a room where not a single light was on.

Amidst the quiet atmosphere, Yu-seon sat on the throne.

Closing his eyes, resting his chin with his own hand.

Beyond his closed eyes, only darkness existed. Though the room’s atmosphere remained silent.

Unlike that, Yu-seon’s mind was chaotic.

[…Open….]

[Kill.]

[Swallow.]

[Swallow the fragments.]

To the unceasing voices, Yu-seon brought the hand resting his chin to his forehead.

“…They’re noisy.”

How much time had passed since Yu-seon couldn’t sleep? It had likely been continuous since right after receiving Bingjeong’s choice.

Because his body had broken out of its mold and possessed a transformed physique.

Even without sleeping, there was no problem with stamina.

However, it seemed a feeling of exhaustion still remained.

Rather than the physical aspect.

It was in terms of the mental aspect.

Recalling this, Yu-seon let out a slight chuckle.

“Weak… truly weak.”

After all the effort to escape humanity.

To be exhausted by something like this was laughable.

He had become a great being, having received Bingjeong’s choice.

He shouldn’t be acting so unimpressively over something like this.

“Hmm…”

Judging so, Yu-seon waved his hand.

Woong-.

Every time his fingertips brushed the air, ripples occurred.

Feeling the subtle sensation, Yu-seon repeated the action.

[Chew and swallow.]

[And so….]

“I get it, so please be quiet.”

To the repeated words, Yu-seon said, frowning.

“Even if you don’t rush me, I will do so.”

Even without you continuously saying it, it must be done.

It was the ‘contract’ formed for that very purpose.

To Yu-seon’s words like that.

[But.]

[Why aren’t you eating it?]

Bingjeong asked, as if in doubt.

Why wasn’t he swallowing the fragments? Regarding this, Yu-seon recalled a certain young man.

[Yu-seon-nim.]

Who still didn’t move as desired.

A young man who displeased him.

Yet, even so.

The person she wanted the most.

“…I am merely waiting for the right time.”

Yu-seon said in a slightly tired voice.

“So, please be quiet. I want to be still for a while now.”

He spat out, laced with annoyance.

[…]

Then, the noisy voices suddenly quieted down.

The space became somewhat peaceful.

Yu-seon tilted his head, wearing a strange expression.

Could it be that it actually understood the words?

“That’s unlikely.”

He knew that such things didn’t work on Bingjeong.

If so, what could this be?

The moment Yu-seon pondered the question.

Woong-!

“Oh my?”

Yu-seon reacted to the sensation he felt.

“…Oh my goodness?”

Something had entered his senses.

As he felt that, Yu-seon’s eyes widened.

Tuk-!

“…!”

A sound was heard from outside the window.

Tududuk-! Tudududu!

Swaaaah-!

Rain. Rain was pouring outside the window. Roughly and quickly.

“…What is this…?”

Where did the snow that was falling until just now go, for rain to suddenly fall?

Moreover.

‘…Why?’

Yu-seon had to feel surprise that he only just noticed that fact.

If it was something happening within his ‘domain’, Yu-seon shouldn’t be able to not know.

He noticed this strange phenomenon only now?

“Such…”

As Yu-seon expressed surprise for a moment in the flustered situation.

Ttobeok-.

“…!”

Yu-seon’s head quickly turned towards the clearly felt sensation.

Towards the door from outside the window.

Ttobeok-.

The sound grew louder.

Footsteps leisurely approaching from the hallway.

They were gradually getting closer to Yu-seon’s location.

Ttobeok-.

Halt.

The footsteps that had been continuously approaching soon stopped in front of the door.

[Hmm.]

Yu-seon frowned at the voice heard by his ear.

Cheolgeok.

Someone grabbed the doorknob.

Cheolgeok-! Cheolgeok-!

After trying to open it a few times.

[…What is this, why isn’t it opening? Isn’t this how you open it?]

After hesitating for a moment, as if it wasn’t working well.

Ujijijik-!

A rough sound burst from the door, and just like that, the door panel was ripped off.

One side of the door was smashed. The one who did this wore a slightly flustered expression as he looked at the ripped door.

“…Ah shit, why is this thing so weak?”

“…”

Their eyes met.

Torn pupils, similar yet different to Yu-seon’s, were visible.

As Yu-seon stared silently at the other person in the absurd situation, the young man holding the door said with an embarrassed expression.

“Sorry, I can’t control my strength well yet.”

“…You.”

Whoosh.

Udangtang-!

The young man carelessly threw the door panel away.

The sound of it falling towards the hallway echoed loudly.

“…”

“…”

After staring at each other silently for a few seconds like that.

As an awkward atmosphere persisted in the somewhat chaotic situation.

“Long time no see.”

The other person spoke to Yu-seon first.

“…”

“It feels awkward to say ‘long time no see’, it feels like only two days have passed. Right?”

At the young man’s words, Yu-seon looked at him as if observing him.

It hadn’t been that long, just as he said.

His appearance was the same. Though his form hadn’t changed much from back then.

“…Oh my.”

Yu-seon could feel the changes while observing him.

It wasn’t just his appearance that hadn’t changed.

He had changed in many ways.

Kung-!

Kung-!

Yu-seon’s beating heart was proof of this.

“It seems you’ve decided.”

He was someone who couldn’t find direction and was lowering his own worth.

The current him was different.

Not only was his core established.

The impatience and hesitation likely possessed only by humans had disappeared.

An ease that great beings should possess was contained within him.

“It was worth showing mercy.”

“Should I thank you?”

“If you do, I’ll gladly accept.”

Yu-seon said with a smile.

The young man replied with a smile.

“Fuck off.”

To the words spoken while raising his middle finger, Yu-seon nodded his head as if displeased.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything to retort with, so that seems impossible.”

“You retort to that? You’re rougher than I thought?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I was raised very gently.”

“Hmm.”

Exchanging trivial conversation, Yu-seon asked him.

“How did you get here?”

It was a question containing many meanings.

It included not only why he came, but also how he arrived here.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because it didn’t make sense that it was so peaceful on the way here.

If there had been even the slightest friction with the warrior guarding the outside, Yu-seon should have noticed first.

Before he arrived at this place.

The moment he set foot inside the palace, he should have already been within Yu-seon’s sight.

Yu-seon only noticed him around the time he was walking down the hallway.

“Guess.”

Gu Yangcheon chuckled and replied so to the question.

It must mean he wasn’t going to tell.

Hearing that, Yu-seon tried to ask more, but.

“Is that your true form now?”

This time, Gu Yangcheon asked Yu-seon a question.

His tone was one of curiosity.

Yu-seon at that time wore a male form.

Whereas now, Yu-seon had taken on a female form.

“Well.”

Yu-seon merely answered vaguely to the question.

“When I was human, I looked like this, but it’s not particularly important.”

“Hmm.”

“Gender isn’t something important to us.”

Dividing into male and female is a matter discussed among beasts, including humans.

“Only being a Dragon (龍) is important. Gender is irrelevant.”

“Are you saying you can decide that at will?”

Yu-seon chuckled at the young man’s words.

Seu-.

He slowly began to change his body.

The form he had when they first met.

Into a male body with a cold, white-haired impression.

“Oh.”

The young man burst out in admiration at the completely changed form.

At the same time, he looked as if he had realized something.

“That’s not martial arts, is it?”

Yu-seon’s expression subtly changed at the words spoken with certainty.

“You have a good eye.”

He had tried to show it in his own way, pretending not to know.

The young man seemed to have noticed immediately.

This isn’t fun.

Yu-seon suddenly had such a thought.

Seu.

Yu-seon slowly rose from the throne.

At the same time, his male form returned to a female form.

Ttobeok.

Descending the stairs, he slowly approached the young man.

“So, why have you, our Pureblood, come to find me?”

The distance narrowed.

“Our meeting wasn’t exactly beautiful, was it? Or am I wrong?”

“That’s right. I even had my arm ripped off out of the blue.”

“That was because you ripped off our palace’s precious door, so I hope you’ll let it slide.”

Ha.

Hearing the words, the young man, Gu Yangcheon, laughed out loud.

“You’re comparing ripping off a person’s arm to a door panel? That’s absurd.”

“Besides, I gave you a gift, didn’t I?”

He fixed the body that was close to being a wreck.

And regenerated the lost body parts, so wasn’t that enough?

As Yu-seon said with that intention, Gu Yangcheon erased his smile.

“The former is correct, but the latter is wrong?”

Flich.

“…”

Yu-seon’s steps stopped for a moment at the words spoken casually.

“I don’t know how you fixed my internal injuries, but the latter isn’t true.”

Yu-seon’s expression gradually crumpled at the continuing words.

It seemed he had noticed.

He thought it wouldn’t take long for him to notice, now that he had ended his hesitation and properly established his identity.

‘To notice this so quickly.’

His coming here so quickly was unexpected, but.

This was even more surprising.

“You seem quite perceptive.”

“That’s praise I don’t hear often. Not bad.”

Yu-seon thought even while conversing.

Just how much had he noticed?

While being curious about that.

‘Even if he noticed.’

He also had the certainty that nothing would change.

Even though that person was a Pureblood who could aim for the Dragon Emperor position.

He wouldn’t be able to escape his own ‘Power’.

It was such a certainty.

“So, what is the reason you’ve come to find me?”

“I bestowed precious mercy upon you… Did you perhaps come to die again?”

“You speak so menacingly. Who’s going to die?”

“If that’s not the case, then I can’t understand.”

Utterly incomprehensible.

Yu-seon continued speaking, showing that emotion with exaggerated actions.

As she did so, she also erased the smile she had been wearing.

“If I had given you time, you would have just run away disgracefully. Why did you come here?”

I will come find you again.

Yu-seon had clearly said so to Gu Yangcheon.

And he had intended to.

Because it wasn’t the time yet, he was simply enjoying the wait.

But Gu Yangcheon came in person.

Could it be that.

“Did you think you could beat me just because you barely gained strength? Then I’m a bit disappointed.”

Yu-seon spoke up and waved his fingertips slightly.

Udeudeuk-!

“…?”

A strange sound was heard.

Gu Yangcheon checked the direction of the sound, wondering what it was.

Peoeong-!

A bursting sound was heard from his left shoulder, and his arm flew off.

Tududuk-!

Blood flowed from the shoulder, wetting the floor.

A sudden situation.

Yu-seon said.

“Know your place. Even among Dragons, we are not of the same caliber.”

He said it with a fully arrogant expression.

Hearing that, Gu Yangcheon looked at Yu-seon.

It must have been painful.

Gu Yangcheon merely looked at Yu-seon with an expressionless face.

It was a face as if he didn’t even care about the missing shoulder.

Jurureuk.

As if there wasn’t a reaction, blood flowed from Gu Yangcheon’s mouth.

Yet, he didn’t wipe it.

“It feels real. The pain too. That’s why I couldn’t notice.”

“…What did you say?”

Yu-seon’s eyebrows twitched at Gu Yangcheon’s words.

“Back then too. And now too. It’s incredible power. Is this what Power is?”

“…”

Yu-seon inwardly ground his teeth at those words.

It seemed his guess was correct.

That person.

Had certainly noticed what he had done.

“Now, is this entire space… your Power?”

“…”

Yu-seon did not answer.

It didn’t matter if Gu Yangcheon had noticed, and it was the same now.

‘After all.’

‘He has entered my domain.’

As much as Gu Yangcheon had entered his ‘nest’.

The probability of him winning was nil.

Recalling this, Yu-seon said.

“Shall we try a guess?”

He threw back the words Gu Yangcheon had said to Yu-seon earlier.

Then Gu Yangcheon chuckled.

The sight of him laughing with his arm gone and blood flowing from his mouth was somewhat creepy.

“It’s fine. I’m not particularly curious.”

“…You.”

Woong.

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes shone.

Was it an illusion? Yu-seon had to feel a sense of strangeness, as if the air had changed.

“Earlier, I asked why you came, didn’t I?”

“The first reason is, I wanted to try something out, and there was nowhere else I could use it but on you.”

“What does that…”

“The second reason is, I remembered something you said.”

“Something I said?”

When asked, wondering what that meant.

“You said it yourself.”

Gu Yangcheon said to Yu-seon.

“Dragons don’t tolerate having their possessions stolen.”

“And so?”

“What do you mean, ‘and so’?”

With his one remaining arm, Gu Yangcheon brushed back his hair.

His eyes, previously hidden by his hair, became more clearly visible.

“I came to take back what was stolen.”

“Hand it over.”

What was he asking for? Yu-seon pondered that for a moment, but.

He could recall it soon after.

Because there would only be one thing he could possibly ask for now.

“…Biwegun?”

“That’s right.”

Gu Yangcheon laughed, as if it were the correct answer.

Conversely, Yu-seon’s face contorted viciously.

Seeing that, Gu Yangcheon clapped his hands as if surprised.

However, having only one hand, it looked like he was clapping in the air.

“Wow, look at that face. It’s too scary…?”

“How dare you…”

Kuuung-!

As if reacting to Yu-seon’s emotions.

The surrounding space vibrated.

And then.

Dungsil-!

Gu Yangcheon’s body floated in the air, then was sucked directly into Yu-seon’s hand.

Kkwaek-!

Yu-seon grasped Gu Yangcheon’s neck, which had flown over.

Deudeudeuk-!

Strength entered the grasped hand.

Yu-seon said to Gu Yangcheon with the same crumpled expression.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t come to steal your possessions.”

“Caught again. This feels pretty crappy.”

Even amidst that, Gu Yangcheon was unfazed.

“…Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t come to steal your possessions.”

Uuuuuung-! Uuuuuung-!!

The vibration intensified.

“He was originally mine. I just brought back what’s mine.”

“Hmm.”

“He’s not yours.”

Kkeudeudeudeuk-!

It felt like something was being crushed somewhere.

Where could it be this time?

Gu Yangcheon focused on the sensation in his body.

He realized this pressure was on his heart.

Is he going to burst my heart?

Feeling that, he nodded.

“Yeah, then make it yours.”

“…What?”

Yu-seon was momentarily flustered by the words spoken so casually.

Just take it.

For someone who invaded enemy territory saying he’d come to take it.

The tone was too light.

“Make it yours. That guy.”

Words that implied such things weren’t even important.

And in reality, it wasn’t very important.

“Even if it’s yours, I don’t care.”

If it’s Yu-seon’s, what does that matter?

“I didn’t come to take mine, I came to steal yours. That’s all.”

“What…?”

The moment Yu-seon asked back to such wordplay.

Kkwak-!

Gu Yangcheon gripped Yu-seon’s wrist with his one remaining arm, the one that had been grabbing his neck.

It was the same situation as last time.

The problem was that Yu-seon still didn’t budge at all.

Kkuuk.

He kept trying to exert strength, but escaping Yu-seon’s hand was difficult.

His energy increased, and his level of cultivation rose, but the result was the same.

However, Gu Yangcheon didn’t care about that either.

Gu Yangcheon said, looking at Yu-seon.

“Do you know something? I’m very greedy.”

It was something he had recently experienced.

He didn’t want anything stolen from him.

He had to achieve everything he desired.

If that didn’t happen, he would obtain it, even if it meant crushing it.

“So. Even if it’s yours, I don’t care. Because I can just take it.”

If it belongs to someone else, it’s a matter of taking it.

He obtains what he wants.

He follows primal emotions.

Now that his hesitation disappeared, he felt like he had always been this kind of person.

“I don’t know if I became arrogant and selfish because I’m a Dragon, or if I was always like this.”

Perhaps this ‘power’ arose because of that.

Gu Yangcheon, having realized his own Power, had to think that, funnily enough.

“I must have what I want. Especially if it’s yours.”

“…”

Yu-seon showed silence for a moment after hearing the words.

And then, he gradually erased his expression.

It sank coldly.

He felt ridiculous for getting heated up until just now.

“You’re right.”

Yu-seon nodded his head to Gu Yangcheon’s words.

What importance would words have?

This person came to steal his possessions.

What was there to object to in that simple logic?

Just.

He just had to try not to be stolen from.

Puuk-!

Yu-seon’s remaining hand dug into Gu Yangcheon’s skin.

It was towards his heart.

It pierced straight through, penetrating his heart.

Chuwuk-.

Gu Yangcheon’s head drooped, and his body slumped.

This was the predetermined ending from the beginning.

It had been decided from the moment he entered his domain.

It was simply fulfilled.

Though it was a somewhat hollow ending, this was the truth.

‘…It’s funny that I got heated.’

An ending so ridiculous it was shameful for having reacted so intensely.

Yu-seon, feeling this, sighed and tried to withdraw his hand, but.

Kkuk.

“…?”

For some reason, his hand wouldn’t come out.

The hand that pierced Gu Yangcheon’s heart didn’t move, as if tied.

Kkwak-!

“…!”

The moment Yu-seon uttered words, flustered.

“I caught you.”

A voice came from the slumped Gu Yangcheon.

Yu-seon tried to apply strength, surprised by this, but.

“Chew.”

“Greed (貪).”

Blue darkness swallowed the space.