Chapter 160

〈 Chapter 160 〉 Part 1, Chapter 8, Section 20

Know thyself and know thy enemy, and in a hundred battles thou shalt never be in peril.

I know all too well how terrifying Xiao Lin, Hayate, Unjang, and Gale Guest are. With Chaos Dragon now possessing Xiao Lin, I can’t afford to rush into battle recklessly.

If there’s even a 1% chance I could die, it’s best not to take that risk. Because if you really die, that’s game over.

So, I needed to prepare thoroughly. For the sake of advancing one step forward, I took a step back using my legendary escape technique and managed to successfully disengage.

“Surprise!”

Inside the stone chamber, the Black Flame Scorpion Core Master was startled when his core marbles were interrupted. After canceling my monster form, I revived Deokbae from his core state.

“Aaaah! Huhk, huhk.”

Deokbae lay gasping on the floor after being restored. The Black Flame Scorpion Core Master showed great interest in this spectacle, but I had no time to indulge his curiosity.

“Give me the cores.”

“Here you go.”

The three S-Rank durability cores he’d been playing with ended up in my palm – byproducts of defeating the black scorpions.

“You couldn’t beat them? You chickened out, didn’t you?”

“Nope. Just needed a moment to think.”

With Mini Phoenix teleportation, Chaos Dragon won’t be able to track my location. I took stock of my current forces:

Me.


Deokbae.


Over 500 C-Rank Bright Flame Spirit monsters.


And one S-Rank Black Flame Scorpion Core Master.

“Can you fight?”

“I can do some self-defense.”

The Black Flame Scorpion Master struck a pose, showing off his might. But he was politically monstrous rather than physically powerful, making him relatively weak against two monsters whose power values exceeded 100.

“Tch.”

“Is it a strong opponent?”

“No, it’s an enemy we shouldn’t kill.”

While dodging before would have resulted in just losing, now it might result in death.

“So you’re saying if we don’t hold back, we’ll end up killing them?”

“That’s right.”

With Chaos Dragon possessing Xiao Lin, she could likely manifest powers similar to an SS-Rank special ability user. And with Gale Guest also joining the fray, this became quite the troublesome combination.

“Should we summon Black Dragon?”

“He needs to keep drawing aggro from the lower-level monsters in Beijing… Hmm.”

I do have an ace up my sleeve, but it’s not something I can use right now. That’s for when we’ve fully suppressed Chaos Dragon and need to break their spirit.

“So what do we do now…”

The key is getting Chaos Dragon to regain its willpower and act on its own. Now that I’ve entered Chinese territory, I won’t be able to get any rest even if I want to.

“The method to wake up the kid… Ah.”

It came to me.

“Great Escape.”

With the help of the protagonist party, Chaos Dragon escaped from the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Riding on the protagonist’s back without doing anything, Chaos Dragon woke up when it noticed the protagonist party putting all their effort into escaping.

Why are they running so desperately?

“Let it experience it firsthand.”

I gestured toward the Bright Flame Spirits.

“Your Majesty, how about commanding troops again after such a long time?”

The Black Flame Scorpion Master smirked.

* * *

At the moment Phoenix threw a flashbang and hid her body.

The three remained vigilant against any possible ambush, though the sun was just about to set. Phoenix had disappeared after throwing the flashbang, and they judged she was setting them up to let their guard down before striking.

“…How long have we been like this already?”

“It’s been over half an hour.”

Bonghyo answered while suppressing dizziness as he spoke to Chaos Dragon. Phoenix had vanished completely, capable of attacking at any time under the sunlight.

“Maybe she just ran away?”

“There’s no way. There’s absolutely no reason for her to run when she can win by just fighting.”

Gale Guest anxiously brandished his blade. In life-or-death combat, it was incomprehensible to him that a superior opponent would retreat.

Because it wasn’t a 1-on-1 fight? Gale Guest glared resentfully at Xiao Lin who had been possessed.

“So why did you possess someone else’s body?”

“Shut up. How dare you tell me what to do, you human. …Ah, this is annoying. I’ve waited long enough.”

Chaos Dragon didn’t have much patience. The spiritual entity slowly crawling out of Xiao Lin’s body landed with a ‘pop’ sound.

“You’ll catch a cold sleeping on the floor.”

Xiao Lin picked up the fallen Chaos Dragon, who for some reason had a flushed face, though neither Bonghyo nor Gale Guest noticed.

“I’m reaching my limit…”

Thud. Bonghyo collapsed from anemia.

“Hey! Don’t let your guard down! This is all part of their plan to lull us into complacency before ambushing us!”

Though drenched in sweat, Gale Guest maintained his stance. Xiao Lin turned her gaze to the Chaos Dragon she held in front of her.

“Master, or should I say Lord.”

“…What?”

“Would you revive Brother Seongju and the others?”

“That’s bothersome… Do we really have to?”

Chaos Dragon complained while still being held by Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin silently nodded and persuaded the dragon.

“The more guards we have immediately, the better. Didn’t they protect your chambers?”

“They weren’t very effective…”

“But they weren’t completely useless, were they?”

“…That’s true.”

With a gesture from Chaos Dragon, Xiao Lin carefully placed him near Bonghyo’s corpse. Without even standing up, Chaos Dragon grabbed Bonghyo’s collar and placed his hand on his core.

“Revive.”

Woooom.

The core momentarily consumed Bonghyo’s body before reconstructing it. Twisted spines realigned, and severed arms regrew.

“…Thank you.”

The revived Bonghyo bowed in gratitude. Collecting cores from his torn clothing, he placed them one by one on Chaos Dragon’s palm.

“Hweeeng!”

“Kyaah!”

Monsters began reviving one by one. The Illusory Dragon Group was fully restored, and the missile explosion site fell silent.

“Now what should we do, Brother?”

Xiao Lin sought advice from Bonghyo. Having fulfilled his duty by reviving the Illusory Dragon Group, Chaos Dragon went back to sleep. Xiao Lin firmly held the clinging dragon to prevent it from falling.

“The reason they fled is unknown, but they will definitely attack again soon.”

“They didn’t just run away, it seems. Tch.”

Bonghyo scratched his head in deep thought. Other members of the Illusory Dragon Group checked if their vital parts were intact by flipping down their pants, sighing in relief.

“There’s nothing we can do. Even if we fight, we need to draw them to a place where we can win. Chaos Dragon Lord.”

Bonghyo poked the dragon’s cheek to wake him up. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he frowned but suppressed his complaints upon seeing Bonghyo’s serious expression.

“Why…?”

“Does your possession allow you to fully utilize the host’s abilities?”

“Yes.”

“Then, can you possess corpses?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, this battle is ours to win.”

Bonghyo was confident of victory. He confirmed their position and pointed eastward.

“If we can just reach our destination.”

Bonghyo was thinking of Shanghai, a coastal city directly opposite their current location.

“There’s a mummified body of a martial god resting there.”

At the mention of the SS-Rank martial artist who defeated Seongju, Chaos Dragon snapped awake from sleep.

“Let’s go immediately!”

Chaos Dragon saw a glimmer of hope. Tears welling up in his eyes, he hugged Bonghyo.

“You’re the best!”

“Not at all. I am merely…”

Bonghyo nodded with utmost loyalty.

“Completely dedicating myself to you who trusts me entirely.”

The direction of the Illusory Dragon Group was decided. With their destination set, they hurriedly rushed eastward.

“Hey! We shouldn’t move now!”

Alone, Gale Guest gritted his teeth as he tried to follow, then scratched his head.

“…They’ll come back, right? Yeah, they’ll come back.”

If the opponent understands honor, they will surely return for a rematch. Ready to cut down anyone who appears completely, Gale Guest maintained his firm stance.

“Come on, then! No ambushes! A fair 1-on-1 duel!”

Until the darkness thickened, Gale Guest alone stared into the darkness waiting for Phoenix.

He never considered the possibility that the opponent might actually have fled.

* * *

“That guy’s still out there.”

I watched Gale Guest from a distance, sticking out my tongue in disgust. Thinking about how he suddenly interfered and disrupted my plans makes me want to stab him in the neck right now, but unfortunately he’s the main heroine’s only family member so I can’t.

“Tch. Just break through the youth barrier.”

“What did you say?”

“Just a curse, don’t worry about it. …No, wait. Isn’t he kind of cute?”

Deokbae shivered in shock. As befits a Round Table official beauty, Hayate becomes an universally recognized beauty with just a little makeup, possessing strong androgynous charm.

“So you’re saying…”

“To whom?”

“That’s a spoiler I can’t reveal.”

“Indeed, he is quite handsome. An exotic beauty.”

The Black Flame Core Master stroked his chin admiring Gale Guest’s appearance.

“But isn’t he a man?”

“Yes, and he’s moving.”

“Men who love men would certainly appreciate him. So you’re planning to fight him?”

“No. Let him enjoy the cold wind alone.”

“Such a pity. I was going to request you bring him to my chambers if you won.”

“…This is crazy.”

An involuntary chill ran down my spine.

“Your Majesty, is that your preference?”

“Good-looking rice cakes taste good too. Tsk, what a shame. If I had trained my martial arts a bit more in life, I could have made him kneel at my sword.”

The Black Flame Core Master kept licking his lips regretfully. To avoid imagining his rosy dreams any further, I changed the topic of conversation and our direction.

“The fake soldiers, rather the Illusory Dragon Group, have fled. They seem to be trying to evade me.”

“Where do you think they’re going?”

“Hmm. Well…”

In a normal 1-on-1 fight, even Chaos Dragon knows they can’t win against me. Possessing Xiao Lin for a 1-on-1 battle would still give me the upper hand with my monster form.

If the situation were reversed…

“Martial God.”

“Hm?”

“They’re likely aiming to possess Martial God’s corpse.”

“Who’s Martial God?”

The Black Flame Core Master seemed unusually interested in the name of the Martial God. I hesitated whether to explain, but Deokbae blurted it out.

“That bastard supposedly claimed to be the reincarnation of the Overlord of Chu?”

“…Chu? Do you mean THE Chu I know?”

The Black Flame Core Master’s expression became complicated. I had to explain despite trying to gloss over it earlier.

“He died after your dynasty. Your empire didn’t last five hundred years, not even fifty. One of the major contributors to its downfall was a certain Xiang Yu. Though, the current Martial God is said to be his reincarnation, so maybe it’s a different person?”

Deokbae mocked the Black Flame Core Master. I knew he could be reckless, but I never imagined he’d be disrespectful even to the First Emperor of humanity.

“Mr. Deokbae?”

“I’m fine. I’m already a dead man. Even though I’ve resurrected, I’m no longer the emperor of Han.”

Though he says this, his tail is trembling. Despite trying to appear calm, he seems to have received quite a shock.

“Hem.”

I cleared my throat to draw their attention.

“Anyway, if they possess Martial God’s corpse, things will get pretty troublesome.”

“Can’t you win?”

“It’s difficult to guarantee a complete victory.”

Even a 1% chance of failure must be eliminated. I only have one life, and only one coin toss.

“We need insurance. Your Majesty, please pursue the fake soldiers. Since you have command authority.”

“Alright. It’s a hunting expedition then.”

“Yes. I’ll head to the destination in advance.”

What expression will the final boss waiting at the exit have? To make Chaos Dragon even more anxious, I decided to mobilize public authority.

“Yes, hello. I’d like to report suspected troublemakers…”

We’re not the only ones chasing the fake soldiers.

***

“We’ve received a tip-off. It seems to be Bonghyo and Unjang.”

“Do you mean you’re reporting uncertain information to me now?”

Mo Taegyeong scolded Munhwa with an irritated face. However, Munhwa reported confidently.

“Also, there’s a report of the gray girl your Excellency mentioned.”

“Where?”

Mo Taegyeong asked gently after composing himself. Munhwa pointed to a spot on the map with conviction.

“Yes. They were seen heading south near Xi’an City, heading in this direction.”

“Yangtze River?”

Munhwa indicated the massive river that runs east-west across the continent – the Yangtze River.

“…East China?”

At the end of where the Yangtze flows into the sea lies Shanghai.

“Summon all Eastern Chang forces.”

“Prepare to depart within 30 minutes.”

“…But there’s a Black Dragon rampaging outside right now.”

Keeeeeear!

The dragon’s roar shook the building. Munhwa broke out in cold sweat while Mo Taegyeong gripped his pipe to calm his anger.

“I said prepare.”

“…Yes sir.”

Munhwa turned and left the office. Alone, Mo Taegyeong wiped his fingers over the photos of the fake soldiers, especially the gray girl, to vent his frustration.

“Bonghyo… So you’ve secretly taken a lover.”

Mo Taegyeong exhaled excitedly and clicked his tongue.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never tasted my son’s wife.”

Mo Taegyeong immediately picked up the phone.

“Yes. Director Mo Taegyeong speaking. I need to urgently contact His Excellency. We’ve located the terrorists. Time is critical. Although there’s a monster rampaging in Beijing right now… Yes?”

Mo Taegyeong’s face twisted.

“Request support from the Round Table?”