Chapter 271

〈Chapter 271〉 Part 1-12 Chapter 17

What should one call this wretched demon with its grotesque appearance? A legendary demon transformed into a giant and burst forth, with an indescribably thick and long dragon emerging from beneath its pelvis, its head tilted upward toward the heavens.

“Is that… Rasputin…?”

The heroes couldn’t believe the scene before them as they analyzed the magical patterns. According to information received from the association, the demon’s magical reaction was akin to what might emerge from a dimensional gate—an SS-Rank Monster known as the Dark Demon Dragon (暗魔龍).

“But there’s something mixed in with the Dark Demon Dragon’s signal…?”

Simultaneously, the magical signature of S-Rank Hero Rasputin also emerged. The magical reactions of both the Dark Demon Dragon and Rasputin were detected emanating from the same place.

Which meant only one incomprehensible thing:

“Rasputin has become a Dark Demon Dragon…?”

Summoned urgently by Suborof, the association’s ability users leapt over the wall from hundreds of meters away and shuddered at the sight of the massive figure. Alongside the Abyss Dragon protruding from the demon’s groin, it scanned its surroundings with its mouth wide open.

■■■■■■!!

Together, the demon and the Abyss Dragon let out a roar. Even though it was merely a display of power through sound, the force was enough to rupture the eardrums of any D-Rank or lower ability user.

“That’s insane…!”

Even larger than the Flame Giant who battled the Water Monkey, Rasputin’s magical energy was grand and awe-inspiring.

KYAAAH!!

But now, this immense power was being used to suck nearby ability users into his body.

“Oh, oh no! He’s coming?!”

And the thing doing the sucking wasn’t hands or feet but, of all things, the elongated dragon emerging from his groin.

KYAAAH!!

The demon swung its arm, catching a hero near the lakeside. Before the hero could react, the demon grabbed and flung him carelessly.

Below the hero, the Abyss Dragon waited with its mouth open wide.

“Ugh, NOOOOO!!”

The hero was swallowed without resistance. The Abyss Dragon effortlessly consumed the hero, grinding its teeth left and right as if savoring the taste.

Is this what it looks like when demons in hell dunk humans into sulfuric flames? As the heroes mourned their comrade sliding down the Abyss Dragon’s neck, they were left bewildered on how to respond.

“Crazy! It ate us… But why is it still considered an ally?!”

“What is the association doing?! Whether it’s Rasputin or whatever, it’s trying to eat us!!”

“KYAAAAH!! Disgusting!!”

■■■■■■■!!

While the heroes panicked, the demon began moving its massive body. Leaping across the lake, it attacked the nearby heroes, who scattered left and right to escape.

BEEP!

Amidst the game of cat-and-mouse where getting caught meant being eaten, an urgent message from the association reached the heroes.

“Team A: Lure! Swap with Team B! The rest, confirm the association’s instructions!”

Following the orders of Commander Suborof, some moved while others checked the notifications, keeping their distance. Fortunately, the demon pursued the bait team.

[The entity that appeared at the Vladimir Manor shall henceforth be referred to as ‘Deep Dark Rasputin.’ The dragon emerging from the groin shall be named <Abyss Dragon>. Hazard Level designated SS.]

Click. As always, the high-ranking officials’ notifications ended abruptly.

“Is that it? Seriously?”

The heroes felt disheartened when no further communication arrived.

“I’m seriously about to lose it.”

On the bright side, Deep Dark Rasputin’s signal was no longer green—it had turned red, indicating hostility.

“Now we gotta fight this…?”

The heroes gritted their teeth as they watched the curved Abyss Dragon emerging from Rasputin’s groin gathering magical energy at its mouth.

“Shit, fighting this is absolutely fucking ridiculous.”

■■■■■■!!!

The Abyss Dragon raised its head skyward and began spewing breath in all directions.

Thus began the heroes’ raid against Deep Dark Rasputin—by dodging the Abyss Dragon’s breath attack.

* * *

“Did cutting off his penis cause his corruption…?”

“No, it’s not your fault, Master. Absolutely not. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

We debated the responsibility for Rasputin’s transformation into a demon. Regardless of whose fault it was, I swiftly drew a conclusion.

“It’s Azidahaka’s fault.”

“Yeah, that’s true. If he hadn’t turned Rasputin into a monster, cutting off his penis would’ve been the end of it.”

To comfort the trembling couple embracing each other, I redirected blame to the original culprit, Azidahaka, and the Phantom Dragon agreed with me.

“While it’s understandable that Rasputin became a monster, none of us imagined he’d transform like this, Phoenix. Is that really ‘it’?”

“……Yes. It’s a Dark Demon Dragon.”

A counterfeit spirit, a demonic dragon.

Unlike others, it’s really inconvenient to pronounce—the replica of the Maamryong (魔暗龍), the Dark Demon Dragon, which is originally an S-Rank Monster but sometimes mutates under certain circumstances.

“Azidahaka’s meddling again.”

“……Yeah. The Maamryong energy is so palpable. There’s even Tera-originated corrupted magic flowing through his veins.”

All over the demon’s skin, the purple veins characteristic of Tera were clearly visible beneath the blackened skin. Just as I used the Spirit Stone to create the Black Flame Dragon as a monster, Azidahaka had pushed Rasputin to overload, turning him into an SS-Rank beast.

“But damn, this fight’s going poorly.”

“……I’m not fighting.”

The breath emitted by the association-named ‘Abyss Dragon’ shot out like high-pressure water from a fire hose, targeting the heroes. The heroes, unable to block it, focused solely on dodging. Those who failed to dodge were promptly gobbled up by the Abyss Dragon.

“Ammonia in urine is supposedly highly alkaline.”

“Well, this isn’t urine then. Everything it touches dissolves.”

The breath of the Abyss Dragon, also known as the Groin Breath…

“Damn it! What are the higher-ups doing?! They haven’t even named this technique yet!”

“Seems like even the association is having a headache. Hmm…so.”

The Phantom Dragon skimmed through the information received via my Magical Gear.

“Regarding the Abyss Dragon’s breath, it’s believed to contain a strong acidic substance that breaks down magical combinations. Avoid engaging directly. The technique name is ‘Ultimate Stream’…?”

“Thank goodness. For once, they’ve shown normal naming sense.”

If they’d chosen poorly, we’d have ended up with names like Dragon Spit or something equally absurd.

‘The overseers must have intervened.’

Sighing, I watched the monstrous Rasputin spew acidic breath across the palace grounds, affecting the heroes gathered around the lake.

“I don’t want to fight, but fighting really sucks.”

“Agreed…”

While Ruksalka tapped her foot anxiously, my and the Phantom Dragon’s apathetic demeanor contrasted sharply.

“Hey! Isn’t there anything you can do?! Are we just gonna leave this alone?! People are getting eaten!”

“……Give me a moment. I’m focusing right now.”

Raising a finger to quiet Ruksalka, I used my magic to read the situation surrounding the monstrous Rasputin.

‘It should be here.’

If he truly exhibits the Dark Demon Dragon’s reaction from a dimensional gate, Azidahaka likely inserted ‘that’ inside Rasputin.

“Ruksalka, do you know how devious Azidahaka can be?”

“Not THAT evil, right?”

“Isn’t he just somewhat dishonest?”

Apparently, Ruksalka and the Phantom Dragon still viewed Azidahaka through the lens of twenty years ago. But Azidahaka, living in the human world, had become quite cunning and malevolent.

‘He’s picked up all the worst traits.’

Had Ruksalka not first met Heo Yoon-hwan, she might have succumbed to humanity’s malice and suffered mental collapse.

“Azidahaka has become extremely malevolent, embodying the dark nature typical of villains.”

Disliking humans so much that before Seongju arrived, Azidahaka genuinely sought world domination, commanding the most villains of anyone.

‘I never expected him to turn Rasputin into a monster.’

“He might secretly be gathering villains worldwide. It’s too troublesome to deal with.”

Through threats and coercion, everything seemed resolved, yet somehow Azidahaka managed to turn an S-Rank into a monster. Maybe somewhere, unbeknownst to me, he’s created his own harem of men.

“So what’s your point?”

“Understood. Anyway, since this is a Dark Demon Dragon, it comes from a dimensional gate opening.”

“Hmm.”

“So where is the dimensional gate now?”

I opened a new bottle of vodka, placing my finger over the hole and igniting it.

“Since a dimensional gate must open for a Maamryong to appear, yet there’s no sign of one, only the Maamryong emerged, right?”

The 70% alcohol content ignited fiercely, transforming the bottle into a flamethrower. Pouring a small amount into a glass and sealing it with my thumb, the brown liquor bubbled violently as I released my grip, sending a flame over a meter high.

“And why does Rasputin keep eating people?”

“……You don’t mean…?!”

Guangjian gasped, realizing the implications. I nodded in response, grabbing the vodka bottle and tipping it back.

“We need to force the dimensional gate open and destroy it before the people become offerings to fully open it!”

With full strength, I hurled the flaming bottle.

SMASH!

The window shattered as my thrown firebomb soared through the air. Tracing a parabolic arc, it spun wildly before embedding itself precisely in the chest of the monstrous Rasputin, enveloped in blue flames.

“KA-BOOM!”

KABOOM!!

A massive explosion erupted from Rasputin’s chest. Overwhelmed by the impact, Rasputin’s body began to topple backward.

UUURRRHHH—

“There are people by the lake?!”

Quickly rushing to the balcony, Ruksalka manipulated the lake water, splitting it apart to prevent it from cushioning Rasputin’s fall. As Rasputin fell face-first into the lake bottom,

“KYAAAHHH!!”

“HE’S FALLING!!!”

People screamed and fled as the giant’s back hit the ground.

KWAAAAAANG!!

The earth shook violently, causing bottles on the table to roll and fall.

“Need to cushion the fall…!”

Ruksalka skillfully controlled the water, merging the split streams to submerge Rasputin and prevent him from escaping. The flooding waters surged back, covering Rasputin completely.

KYAAAAAA!!

The Abyss Dragon burst from the water’s surface, raising its head and spraying the Ultimate Stream in all directions. The acidic substance spread like a fountain, attempting to cover the entire lake.

“If we hide it, how will people see it?”

“What are you saying?! Do you want people to be swept away by the flood?!”

“No, that’s not what I mean… …Anyway, fighting in the lake gives us a home-field advantage.”

Being trapped underwater against Ruksalka is akin to battling me amidst magma.

“Of course! I’ll drown him!”

“No, not yet.”

Though it may seem optimal for Ruksalka, unfortunately, my firebomb wasn’t intended as an offensive move. Seeing Ruksalka glare daggers with Guangjian’s support, I hastily explained.

“……Didn’t we say Rasputin’s body is the Dark Demon Dragon? That means the dimensional gate is inside him.”

Pointing to my heart, I clicked my tongue. Ruksalka blinked momentarily before covering her mouth.

“You don’t mean…?”

“For years, Azidahaka researched every method to conquer the human world. And one of his favorite tactics involves planting bombs within the core of monsters, triggering them during crucial moments to connect to a dimensional gate leading to Tera.”

This mechanism, the prototype of the system I implanted in Lee Seung-hyeong with Blazing Phoenix, allowed me to maintain the ability to open a dimensional gate in New Seoul whenever I wished. By sparing Lee Seung-hyeong, I ensured New Seoul’s destruction without harming its heroines.

‘Although I no longer intend to use it.’

Regardless, the originator of this mechanism is Azidahaka, who strategically positioned monsters worldwide to instigate terrorism wherever he desired. This was evident in the future, so it stands to reason he did the same now.

“In addition to naturally occurring dimensional gates, Azidahaka will recklessly open more using his own creations. That’s the spectacle unfolding before our eyes.”

Gradually, creatures began surfacing from beneath the water. Due to Azidahaka’s dimensional gate, these fantastical beasts from another realm emerged en masse.

“They’re Tera’s monsters…”

The Phantom Dragon gave a faint smile tinged with nostalgia.

Though delighted to glimpse beings from his homeland through the dimensional gate, most had fallen under Seongju’s control, becoming corrupt spirits bent on Earth’s conquest and humanity’s annihilation, leaving him feeling bitter.

“Yes. Corrupted spirits from Tera, now fallen and seeking humanity’s extinction. Our spirits take precedence as targets.”

Ironically, the Blazing Phoenix and other six commanders avoided mental collapse by being brainwashed decades earlier by Seongju.

They’ve become zombie-like beings incapable of reversing their conditioning, later branded as ‘monsters’ or ‘beasts.’

“But anyway…”

Watching the monsters climb onto the shore, I couldn’t help but feel anticipation rise.

“This is the perfect opportunity for Core Farming!”

I sincerely thanked Azidahaka.