episode_0060

*****

It’s not too late. The moment I confirmed it, relief spread throughout my body. No, looking at the current situation, it’s not that it’s too late──

‘I made sure it wasn’t late.’

That would be correct.

Sia was surrounded by the magic power of Cheongun. It may be said that it is for capture now, but when the purpose of that magical power changes, will Sia be able to withstand it?

While I was thinking about a solution, Cheongun released the magic around Sia. Sia’s body, which had been awkwardly leaning against the wall, slumped down.

“Unexpected. Are you going to fight fair and square?”

“He just showed his magnanimity as a father. I don’t want to hear the excuse that they followed because there were hostages.”

Saying that, Cheongwoon stood proudly in his natural form. A posture that does not contain any meaning, but is really just standing. However, considering the differences in specifications between them, it is correct to think that there are no gaps.

Phew. Take a deep breath and think briefly. After drinking the potion, I feel like something is running wild inside my chest.

Can you win? I can confidently shake my head at that answer. But can it endure? If this question is… .

It’s worth a try. The experience inside me was telling me that.

“Sia. I’m watching you well.”

“… Yes, yes… .”

Sia knows my current potential. So, I was asking for my magic power to be amplified even a little, but for some reason, I received a gaze filled with heat. It is true that the more intense the gaze, the better.

“Phew.”

As expected, should I say that? The amount of magical power amplification has increased much more than usual. Since it wasn’t at a level where I couldn’t control it, I distributed the rampaging magical power with all my might.

Escape is impossible. Then waiting is a handshake. I had to act as much as possible on my part to create variables.

Fortunately, my body is in very good condition now. It’s not at the level where thoughts themselves become actions, but it feels somewhat close. We’ve reached a point where Chinese kids, if they see it, will talk about it.

One step at a time, one step at a time, we walk forward. Cheongwoon just watched what I was doing with an expression that said, ‘I’ll just watch what this little guy does.’ First of all, I want to break that slack first.

In order to do that, I have to reach one of the heights I achieved in the past.

Clench your fist. Put magic there. Establishes a pillar of magical power in a body strengthened with potential. Use it as an axis to swing your fist. This is a movement that I have been doing tirelessly before and after becoming this body.

On the surface, what I will do this time is not much different from that.

“Happy!”

The image is a shell. It is the feeling of launching yourself into the ground as a launch pad. It was the highest speed since I came into this body.

It’s not just fast. Sudden acceleration followed by a sudden stop. Anomalous movements, as if the physical law of inertia were nothing, were combined with a small body.

Cooung.

The first blow was to the side. The feeling of a fist that could distort even an iron wall colliding with something harder. He fired himself once again as if chasing after the flying Cheongun.

Of course, in the meantime, a counterattack comes. However, even though it has a tail, it is still in human form. His joints, muscles, and magic power were telling him what kind of attack he would make.

Avoid attacks with a gap of about a fingernail. The wind that followed turned the magical power into a slope and let it flow as much as possible.

Predicting behavior and manipulating magic in detail is not something that can be done with human reflexes. The nerves of my entire body were filled with magical power. The moment there is even a 0.01 second lag in your thoughts and actions is the moment of defeat.

The magical power flowing through Cheongwoon’s body can be seen with one’s hand. The moment magical energy was concentrated on the tail, the barrel-like tail swung. It takes only a moment to decide between what is possible and what is impossible.

Damn it.

The moment I caught the flying tail, it was I, not Cheongun, who swung the tail. Cheongun, who fell from his back to the floor, broke the floor and fell down.

Let’s fall together like this──No, it’s too late. I jumped up to the ceiling. Just push the ceiling with your feet and fire again.

There was an overwhelming difference in speed between me and Cheongwoon, who was just falling. A kick came as if he was planning to counter, but I expected that too.

I ducked into his arms while dodging and then used all my strength to slam him into the ground. The collapsed floor once again created a state similar to floating in the air.

Attacks made without a foothold in the air lose a lot of power. This was the reason why I chose to fight in the air while destroying the floor in my clash with Cheongun.

“Porridge, uh!”

One more layer, one more layer. While going down, I had many battles with Cheongun. Of course, as I am still alive, I can say that the entire battle was my victory.

But even that eventually came to its limit.

Kwasik.

Is the bottom thick, or has it reached the bottom? The floor where the guy’s head fell had a crater in it, but it didn’t collapse.

He immediately changed his attack method and ran with Cheongwoon’s head pushed to the ground. Cheongun’s face and horns crack on the floor and sparks fly out.

Perhaps because it was the first time it had been attacked, the tail counterattacked a little later. I tried to grab the tail and hit it like I did before, but once again my fingers were broken.

I had no choice but to avoid the attack and was satisfied with throwing Cheongun.

“Ha, ha… .”

My heart is beating like it’s going to burst. This is because magic power has not yet replaced blood. While Cheongwoon was getting up after being blown away, I took a moment to check his body condition.

It’s a pain to have all the nerves in your body screaming. Several of the muscles in the limbs were torn, and bruises were appearing all over the body, possibly due to internal bleeding. The worst ones are the fingers that are twisted again after releasing the attack. The only good thing was that the other bones were safe.

The workshop itself was flawless. Although Cheongwoon was accustomed to fighting with a human body, it was far from reaching the level of proficiency or mastery. The proof is that he was able to successfully attack continuously without being hit even once.

So this result is simply the difference between me and his species.

“Is this the end?”

Cheongun, who got up, was dirty with dust.

That was the end. If you look hard enough, you may find minor scratches here and there, but they won’t mean much. Because it wasn’t like he didn’t have the ability to recover that I had.

“We haven’t even started properly yet, dude.”

“In that case, you can go wild even more. It is also the husband’s role to accept his wife’s complaints. There is still time.”

Take a peek. With those words, Cheongun’s eyes turned to the sky. At first glance, it may seem like you are looking at the moonlight pouring from the ceiling, but in reality, you are probably looking at reinforcements coming this way.

It’s a given, but no matter how good Cheongun is, he can’t run away with me while dealing with the reinforcements that are coming right now. The arrival of reinforcements is a victory condition, but in a sense, it is also a time limit.

“With your power, you cannot overturn my decision. Be satisfied with the mercy I give and know that following Me is the way to happiness.”

“So you said not yet. Just wait a moment. I’ll give you a killer punch to the face in no time.”

Of course it’s a bluff. It is true that my physical abilities have increased dramatically compared to before taking the medicine. However, it is meaningless as long as the object of comparison is a dragon.

What we have to overcome now is the wall of realm. If this world were just a battle of specs, wouldn’t it have ended with all the dragons being defeated?

I think most of the conditions to overcome the wall are met. Because I already tried to reach it once. So if just one more piece comes together, maybe…

“If you don’t come, I have no choice but to go.”

“… … .”

I ignored Cheongun’s words and continued thinking. Fortunately, the burning heat in my chest has not yet abated. I feel like the effects of the drug itself still remain.

I felt a sense of discomfort there. As can be seen from the setting of the story and the failed transformation into a demon, the change caused by this drug is an irreversible change. It’s extremely difficult to get it back.

However, despite taking a lot of drugs, I am only affected by a slight surge in my abilities. Rather, if it continued like this and the drug’s energy disappeared, there were even signs that the runaway would subside.

In other words, I’m not really feeling the effects of this drug yet.

“Are you scared? Or are you just looking for a chance? Either way, I can’t wait any longer.”

“Shut up, I think I’ll catch you now.”

No matter what I said, Cheongwoon moved his body. As I accelerated my nerves once again, the magic power in his body slowed down.

This is a drug that affects the soul. However, according to Cheongwoon, wasn’t the level of my soul such that it wouldn’t be attracted even by the dragon’s body? Perhaps my overly powerful soul is rejecting even this medicine.

So, the action I had to take here was clear.

“Ugh, extreme… .”

The heat in my chest slowly spread throughout my body. Once I became conscious of it, I understood. This heat is felt not in the physical body but in the spiritual body.

The pain feels like jumping into a fire pit. No matter how you look at it, it was not a normal reaction. Naturally, anxiety rose in a corner of my mind.

Maybe I have just made an irreversible mistake?

Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn’t have time to reflect on that premonition at length. Even though perceived time has slowed down, real time passes. The Cheongun in front of me had already gone beyond the stage of gathering magical power and was preparing to charge at me.

In the end, there was no such thing as a choice. As soon as I accepted that, the pain that felt like my entire body was on fire ended.

***

Kwasik, Kwasik, Kuung.

Cheongun watched with a calm face as several walls beyond his field of vision collapsed. Fafnir is a seemingly fragile girl. Anyone with normal sensibilities would not predict the girl’s survival after seeing the devastation before their eyes.

Cheongwoon also had an anxious expression until just before. His current attack was an attack that took into account that Fafnir would kill his power with another strange technique.

But Fafnir just stood still while the fist was thrown. He raised his right hand right before being hit, but considering that he had both hands before that, it was very unpleasant.

My thoughts changed when my fist touched Fafnir’s palm. A strange sensation was felt in Cheongun’s fist. Although it was faint, it was similar to the sensation he felt while dealing with humans in China.

The devastation before our eyes was, in a way, evidence of that. If Fafnir had not been able to defend himself at all, his body would have exploded on the spot. If I had properly strengthened my body, the impact would not have been offset by just one or two walls.

We were able to successfully defend ourselves by some means. That was the conclusion that Cheongun came to, and in fact, Fafnir was standing up from beyond.

Fafnir didn’t look very good. Blood is flowing from his head, as if he hit a bad spot, and his wounds are visible through his tattered school uniform.

However, Cheongun’s eyes did not miss the fact that Fafnir’s right hand was intact.

“Hehe, hehe… .”

A small but clear sound of laughter. Fafnir’s right hand touched the corner of his eyes. When the blood that was already on the body was removed, no more blood flowed out. It was noticeable that the small wounds here and there were healing quickly.

That’s not all. Both hands of Fafnir. Two small, white hands were slowly turning black from the fingertips. Something black climbed up the back of the hand, wrapped around the outside of the arm, and stopped only at the elbow.

It was not difficult for Cheongwoon to recognize that it was a dull glowing black ‘scale’.

“Amazing. What tricks did they use?”

“I won’t tell you. Hehehe.”

Before hearing Fafnir’s answer, Cheongun had magic in his eyes. Clearly, when I had just confronted him, I could see a soul that felt like it was of a high rank, even though it was distorted.

But now the soul was surrounded by something black and even Cheongun’s eyes could not see it. It looked as if it had been swallowed by black slime.

What was interesting to Cheongun was that the oscillating, irregularly shaped spirit body was increasingly resembling Fafnir. The size was different, and in fact, other than the fact that it had horns, they weren’t that similar, but it was true that they were relatively similar compared to the liquid monster just before.

“There, just waiting. I’ll go and beat you up now.”

Jump and jump. It was a very slow walk compared to talking. How many people would feel threatened by a smiling girl walking slowly?

However, for Cheongwoon, it was the second time he felt ‘threat’ after coming here.

Still, Fafnir came right in front of Cheongun. Just enough distance to reach if you extend your arm.

At that distance, Fafnir stretched out his hand. In fact, if you look at it only from the outside, it was an excellent right hand straight, but from Cheongwoon’s perspective, it was as fast as stretching out his hand.

Compared to Fafnir’s attacks until then, this attack was like child’s play. However, Cheongwoon evaded the attack by twisting his body.

“Ah.”

Fafnir’s lips popped out at the missed fist. Cheongwoon’s expression became strange with an expression that was hard to imagine from the warrior he had shown a moment ago, but only for a moment.

Huh.

The wind blew into the area where Fafnir’s fist was withdrawn. As if the place had been a vacuum just a moment ago.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you take this much.”

“What did you do?”

Even if the hands were covered in scales, the attack power would not increase dramatically. Blue Cloud decided that the scales were just a sign that Fafnir had become closer to a dragon. That attack has another cause.

“This is still the limit for writing. This won’t help much in wasting time. What should I do?”

“I will ask you again. What did you do?”

“What are you doing? You guys do this often too, right? Oh, not Genesis. You dragons.”

Cheongun’s expression distorted at Fafnir’s words. A high-level ability that only a small number of people in China possess. The fact that what was felt there was somewhat similar to Yongeon was a fact that Cheongun, who looked down on humans, tried to ignore.

“Bullshit. Our species does not use such cumbersome abilities.”

“Well, it’s definitely a hassle, but… . Still, although our versatility is low, our control itself is much better, right?”

deals with concepts. When the awakened person realizes the form of his own soul. Or when the technology embedded in the body overcomes a certain barrier. It was like a kind of secret medicine that could only be used by awakened people who had achieved certain conditions.

Awakened people who deal with concepts draw a line from the time when they simply dealt with magic power. This is because one can demonstrate transcendental abilities in the concepts they deal with and the phenomena beneath those concepts.

A power that can render all differences meaningless, such as differences in magical power, differences in rank, and differences in species.

It was that kind of power that Fafnir was using.

“Unfortunately, there is only one thing I can use right now. I guess I got used to it because I used it most often.”

The attack that Fafnir has continued until now. No, it’s actually much worse than that. Not only is the speed overwhelmingly slow, but the movement is only straight.

But Cheongun had to avoid that punch. From the outside, it looks like the giant is dodging the girl’s fists in fear.

Of course, it wasn’t a very pleasant experience for Cheongun.

“Hmph. Wouldn’t it be okay if we didn’t respond to that level of attack in the first place? If you attack from the side like this──!?”

Cheongun dodges Fafnir’s fist and attacks from the side. However, Fafnir immediately retrieved the raised fist. The series of movements of turning one’s body and thrusting a fist in the same position was so fast that even Cheongun was shocked.

How much discipline have you built up? If Fafnir had known Cheongun’s inner thoughts, he would have answered 10,000 straights a day.

In the end, just before the fists met, Cheongwoon had no choice but to step back once again.

“Hey hey, are you scared? Why don’t you hit me hard like before, okay?”

“… Ugh.”

Cheongun’s expression distorted at Fafnir’s provocation. I want to put up at least one arm to subdue Fafnir, or at least check the power of that attack. That feeling soared.

No, in the first place, Cheongwoon did not like the idea of arguing like this. The opponent is, after all, only half of the same compatriot. It is not difficult to kill it if you give your all right now.

Cheongwoon thought about that for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile. After all, these are all meaningless assumptions when the other person is your pet.

The time limit was slowly running out. He couldn’t just dismiss them as humans, but among the people coming this way, there were a few that even he couldn’t ignore.

In the end, he failed to obtain Fafnir.

‘No, there is still one chance left.’

Cheongun jumped far back. A speed that is difficult to capture even with Fafnir’s eyes. Naturally, a distance was created between Cheongun and Fafnir.

I felt something about Cheongwoon that was different from his relaxed attitude until now. Naturally, Fafnir also had no choice but to stop provoking and become serious.

The most important thing in one-on-one combat is reading the opponent’s intentions. By now, Cheongun must have been feeling that it would be difficult to quickly subdue Fafnir without seriously injuring him.

If you include the time Sia earned, it took a considerable amount of time. Fafnir judged that Cheongun’s sudden change in attitude was an expression of the thought that there would be no more chances if he could not be suppressed with a strong single blow.

In other words, the outcome of this match-up was determined by Cheongwoon’s strike. The last thing that Cheongwoon chose was… .

‘Discharge of magic power at a distance.’

A large amount of magical power gathered in Cheongun’s outstretched hand. An overwhelming pillar of light, which had swept away everything in a straight line and turned the laboratory into an anthill, poured down on Fafnir.

As he took his stance toward that pillar once again, Fafnir smiled confidently.

In fact, for Fafnir, all of his actions so far were close to gambling. The concept dealt with by Fafnir certainly had powerful destructive power, but it also had its limits. Even when he was Asura, didn’t he have a hard time dealing with dragons?

The power of a concept is weakened when it collides with another that deals with the same concept. Ding is also an act of dealing with concepts, and when it comes to dragons, the effect of dangling is unconsciously felt throughout the body. If Cheongun had thought of using his body to attack, Fafnir would have been in quite a bit of trouble.

In the end, it’s a truth and a truth. Now, that desperate tightrope walk has tilted towards Fafnir’s victory.

Clench your fist. Put magic there. Establishes a pillar of magical power in a body strengthened with potential. Use it as an axis to swing your fist.

A straight shot from a movement that has been performed countless times.

It is literally a blow that contains the soul.

◦ at

Concept implementation.

[Destruction]

With one punch from the girl, the huge pillar of light shattered into pieces and scattered in the air.

***

────.

The dragon’s roar echoed in the night sky. The sight of a large object hundreds of meters long soaring through the night sky under the moonlight was somewhat dreamlike.

Numerous awakened people were approaching the blue-colored dragon. Cheongun also looked at them, but was picturing a completely different scene in his head.

‘It’s truly a complete defeat.’

The moment when his own blow collided with the girl’s small fist. There was no sound. It was an unrealistic sight even for Cheongwoon to see, as if a movie full of CG was being played without sound.

This appearance of Fafnir gave him a new appreciation. The last attack he made was nothing compared to breath, but it was an attack that could be used even in dragon form. I never even imagined that it would collapse with a single human punch.

This is even though the soul and body still play separately. As time passed, Cheongun even had expectations about what Fafnir would show when he became perfect. Perhaps even his own breath could be crushed with just one fist.

In fact, for the dragon race, fate was the same as duty. So, regardless of what Fafnir looked like, Cheongun was planning to hold a consecration ceremony as long as the conditions were met. Cheongun’s personal likes and dislikes do not exist there.

But now, Cheongwoon was clearly ‘curious’ towards her.

“──.”

Below, humans continued to cry. When he thought it was a little noisy, Cheongwoon recalled the contract he had made with the person who was the leader of Genesis.

‘Complete destruction of the laboratory.’

‘And fear.’

Cheongun’s massive body, which was about to fly into space, slowly changed direction. The sounds the humans made became louder, but no one was seen running away.

They probably believe in the defensive barrier stretched out above them. The colorful barrier, blocking a range that was surprising even to Cheongun, was enough to change his prejudice against humans once again.

In other words, you could say that’s all it is.

The dragon heart devours the magic power in the air. The magic power thus collected is purified and purified within the dragon, leaving only the pure energy of destruction.

Of course, the launcher is the mouth. This is where the influence of Yongeon is greatest.

“──!!”

I could see the humans below shaking and preparing something. Some even fired attack magic, but basically it was a task of covering other defensive shields above and below the unfolded barrier.

Either that or not. Cheongun fired his breath with all his might.

Kwazizig. Kwasik. Wajangchang.

This too is a single blow. The downpour of breath shattered the spread out defenses as if they were nothing and collided with the wide spread barrier. Blue light and rainbow-colored lights flashed so brightly that they seemed to blind the eyes of those who saw them.

It was a standoff that seemed eternal, but it eventually came to an end. The momentum of the breath gradually decreased, but the speed at which the barrier cracked was much faster.

In the end, the barrier, like other shields, was shattered and scattered into thin air.

Cooung.

Although the remaining breath lost much of its power, it broke the defense shields spread out below and landed on the ground.

Here, Cheongun thought once more. Although it was a breath that gave all its power, it cannot be used only once.

The humans below had suffered some damage, but it didn’t seem to be enough to be critical. If you use your breath more here, you can inflict considerable damage.

But what came to Cheongwoon’s mind was a blonde girl with horns, and the last part of the paper he had received.

As you wish. It was Cheongun’s will that decided to advance or retreat in this area.

‘There is no need to incur your pet’s hatred by slaughtering humans for no reason.’

The laboratory was left in ruins. This would have been enough to cause fear. Even if I stepped down from here, I wouldn’t be held accountable by the contract.

After organizing his thoughts, Cheongwoon flew up into the sky again.

Letting out a roar hoping for a reunion.

*****