Chapter 48 (2/2)
“Recklessly talking drivel however you want.”
“A warrior wouldn't stoop to low methods like pressuring the few with many. Neither would a Yaksha knowing the dignity of a warrior send another in their place to deliver a message.”
“How dare…!”
All Yaksha possessed self-esteem as a Yaksha. The Yaks.h.i.+ shut her mouth when I touched upon that part. I wondered whether I'd gone too far, but it was better than showing an ambiguous att.i.tude. I had done some studying of my own on the physiology of the Yaksha during the past twenty or so days. They wouldn't treat someone appearing weak as their equal.
“It's fine. I'll do it.”
“Ahga.s.si.”
And then Hwarin Gu, who was watching from afar, personally made to move. It was an obvious result, seeing as how I'd bluntly said 'you're not a warrior if you don't come yourself'. I admit that I had purposely said it in part so she could hear it.
“Good. Maybe because you're a Black Yaksha, but even your words contain thorns. I truly hope that your skills are as strong as your words. That's why join my…”
“I have no intention of joining anybody's group.”
“I don't like it when someone interrupts me speaking. You'd better take clear note of that.”
Hwarin Gu's expression didn't look all that good. Hwarin Gu was just like a th.o.r.n.y rose. If she's going to thrust those thorns at me, I'm going to dodge. Fighting together means being able to entrust their backs to one another. There was no point joining if I wasn't considered an equal.
“I don't like having to speak twice either, but this time I'll specially say it. Join my group. I can promise you a suitable position if we win in the Stigma Tournament.”
“Ohh, that sounds good. Then I'll promise as well. Join my group and I'll offer you two drops of Skylight Stonemilk, and I'll let you be my immediate right hand man. How about it?”
It was at that moment that a Yaksha suddenly approached my side. A handsome youth with orange hair. Sword Dragon, Honjae Yeon!
Hwarin Gu frowned upon seeing him.
“Honjae Yeon.”
“Ah, you don't like it when people b.u.t.t-in the middle of conversations, right? Sorry. I could just stand by and watch him being taken away, you see. Let's see. You were called Hansung Oh, was it?”
Haa. I breathed out a small sigh. I never expected this kind of occurrence. Although I hadn't hidden that I was learning the Hundred-step Ghost Fist in the first place, I had thought that none would try approaching me after seeing the Black Yaksha's seal s.h.i.+ne with light. That way was more convenient for me as well, so I didn't think it was bad. Unexpectedly I encountered an ambush, however. By two people at that as well.
'I have no time to be doing this.'
A mere half a month remained until that so-called Stigma Tournament would happen. My goal was to fully utilize the time before that. I never had an iota of interest in the tournament, to begin with.
Showing a blatantly wicked smile, Sword Dragon Honjae Yeon spoke.
“Hansung Oh. If two drops of Skylight Stonemilk aren't enough, then I'll also give you a single root of a He Shou Wu cultivated for a thousand years. Elixirs like these will be hard to find even for other clans.”
“Just what do you mean by this, Honjae Yeon?”
“Aren't I courting him? So that he'll join my group. That's why…huh?”
Honjae Yeon suddenly turned his head. With a 2 second delay, Hwarin Gu also turned her gaze toward the sky.
ㅡBe careful.
Jörmungandr spoke for the first time since entering Rakshasa Mountain.
Rumble-!
At the same time, a 'hole' opened up in the sky.
“What's that? A great preta?”
“The great barrier…has been broken through?”
Honjae Yeon and Hwarin Gu were astonished. Great pretas were raining down from the skies. The rifts between the levels had been broken through. The other Yaksha were wide-eyed as well. They did nothing but stare until Hwacheon, one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, appeared.
“Everybody prepare for battle!”
“Hwa, Hwacheon-nim! Just what is going on?”
As one Yaksha asked, Hwacheon shook his head.
“I do not know. Something has forcefully torn apart Daerasun-nim's barrier and entered. They have the appearance of great pretas, but they are not great pretas!”
Other Rakshasa like him also made their appearances. They fended off the great pretas falling from the skies, but their numbers were far too many.
Kieeeee! (screech)
The sizes of the great pretas were varied. The smallest was at 20m, and the big ones went over 50m. A great preta with a foul appearance closely resembling a small preta, except bigger, was running towards the sparring hall like mad.
s.h.i.+ng!
Hwacheon lifted his spear. Flames bursted out from the spear and instantly beheaded the great preta. But its head regenerated in moments. It then ignored Hwacheon and began consuming the other Yaksha.
“Baastard!”
A huge pair of fiery wings burst out from Hwacheon's body.
Craas.h.!.+
He flew up and began thrusting his spear at the great preta. The earth trembled each time the spear struck. The attack was so violence that even the great preta's regenerative ability couldn't keep up with it. Truly worthy of being called Rakshasa.
The great preta, unable to regenerate due to being entirely burned, lay defeated on the ground. And then a part of the great preta's chest opened, as a black shadow person wearing a silver knight helm came staggering out.
Its height was merely reached about 1m. Its body was pitch-black like shadow. Hwacheon kicked off the ground, instantly closing the distance as he pierced the black shadow person with his spear.
Shatter!
Simultaneously, the black shadow person left behind only the helm and simply disappeared as if into thin air. And then Hwacheon turned his head and shouted.
“The black shadow person which I killed just now is the true body controlling the great pretas! They are hidden in the head or chest of a great preta, so everyone bear this in mind and prepare!”
Hwacheon left behind those words before quickly moving. His role seemed to be dealing with the great pretas that had landed here and there.
“Things are turning interesting. Breaking through the barrier laid down by sir Daerasun? Just what are these guys?”
“Honjae Yeon. This is no time to joke. Right now we have to gather our strength.”
Sword Dragon and Crimson Dragon struck an alliance. All of the nearby Yaksha began to gather with these two as the center. And…I was in the middle of feeling astonishment for another reason. The black shadow people. I know these things.
'Dark merchants…!'
They were definitely dark merchants. However, how? How did the dark merchants, who should be within the abyss, break a hole through Rakshasa Citadale's barrier, and appear here as they controlled great pretas?
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