C182
Under a thick layer of clouds that even hid the moon, the General Commander of the Murim Alliance, Jegal Miryeo, was completely drenched by the wind-driven rain. She extended her hand.
"The rain has stopped."
She lifted her head. The clouds were dispersing. The bright moonlight broke through the clouds, revealing her figure. Then, she lowered her head and looked down.
"The sea has calmed."
The wild waves and the storm that had been raging also disappeared. In the distance, the Hainan Island could be seen, and she could also distinguish the half of the island emitting a royal blue glow.
That was when a white flame rose in the sky.
"The signal has arrived."
She turned around and looked towards the sea. The Evil Alliance Leader, Samapyung, calmly folded his umbrella. His gaze also turned to the same person Jegal Miryeo was watching. The Heavenly Demon, who was sitting on a rock, stood up. Her body, the only one not soaked by the rain, exuded a strange heat.
Looking towards the island, she said:
"Let's go."
Hundreds of large and small ships, including military, commercial, and fishing boats, rented and purchased from everywhere, set sail into the sea at the same time. Their speed was astonishingly fast.
"As expected of my Master."
Sima Pyeong smiled as he looked at what he held in his hand. He was on the largest ship at the rear. From his ship, the wind blew forcefully, propelling the ships in front of him to move faster. The entire deck of the ship was covered with Magic Circles, and Sima Pyeong tirelessly placed a Magic Stone in the center of those Magic Circles.
With a command previously prepared by Raon, Wind Magic unfolded. The ships seemed to glide over the sea swiftly, as if they carried no weight, heading towards Hainan.
However, the hundreds of large and small ships were filled with people. The elites of the Three Factions held their weapons, watching the approaching blue lights.
"Now, we will finally fight a bit."
Among them, Cale's group that did not head to Hainan with him. Toonka relaxed, stretching the muscles of his shoulders as he yearned for the moment of the fight.
Whooooosh—
Half of Hainan illuminated by blue lights.
On the opposite side, red flames soared.
Chief Eunuch Wi. He had finished his conversation with the Lord of Hainan and signaled that they had already gathered the common people of Hainan.
"Wow."
Toonka murmured as he looked at this.
"It's working well."
According to the plan, Cale would break the Magic Formation Core, calming the sea and revealing the Blood Cult. Additionally, Chief Eunuch Wi would gather the rest of the people from Hainan.
And so, the warriors of the Three Factions headed towards Hainan.
The plan was going well.
Toonka felt it and said it unintentionally.
"It's strangely resolving well."
And he surprised himself.
"Really? Too good to be true..."
Hmm. For now, he kept his mouth shut. Then, he thought.
"I don't know. As long as we can fight, that's enough."
Toonka was someone who dismissed deep reflections.
Even as he did so, he felt a pang. Toonka, who had only been with Cale Henituse a handful of times in his life, and each time had been for some strangely unforeseen reason, could only come to one conclusion.
"...It's too simple."
The Trash of the Evil Faction, Sima Jung, who was next to him, looked at Toonka as if he were talking nonsense, but Toonka was serious.
"Hmm. Well, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Of course, Tonka stopped thinking about it out of laziness. Instead, he raised his voice demanding:
"Increase the speed! We have to get to the battle quickly! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Toonka just wanted to fight. A smile appeared on his face.
"...They're fast."
Then, ships shining with blue lights in the half of Hainan began to appear gradually. They were ships from the Blood Cult.
According to Toonka's wish, the battle had already begun.
---------------------------------------
"Human, did I do well?"
"Yes."
Raon, who had fired the signal flare, puffed out his chubby belly, and Cale nodded dryly in praise.
Of course, he ignored the huge hole in the roof caused by the flare.
Raon shot the signal just after Cale removed the Magic Formation Core.
"Human, aren't you going to destroy the core?" Raon asked in disbelief.
At the same time, the Guardian shouted in anger.
"Bastards! Give it to me!"
And then he pierced through Raon's barrier.
Boom!
Oh, indeed, he was a Profound Realm expert. Cale admired his skill but remained undisturbed. Instead, he calmly said,
"If you come closer, I'll break it..."
The Guardian paused.
The long-haired, gray-bearded elder had stopped moving. It wasn't because of what Cale had said.
If Old Baek had said that, the elder would have ignored him and launched himself.
He trusted he could take it from him before breaking it.
But the Guardian's complexion was getting paler, and drops of sweat formed on his forehead.
'How...?'
Suddenly, someone had barged in like a rat and dared to steal the Magic Formation Core...
How could they emit such a powerful aura?
'This is not the aura of a Martial Artist.'
Existence. The mere presence of the human naturally reminded him. He recalled the Blood Demon, a disciple who surpassed him long ago, even when her martial arts skill was still inferior. He undoubtedly believed that the presence and momentum of this woman could be the future of the Blood Cult.
That overwhelming atmosphere had made him satisfied to be stuck in this place as a Guardian for his entire life.
But...
'This energy...'
The energy emanating from this person was no match for the Blood Demon, who was now at her peak.
The problem was...
'That's not all.'
It seemed like the energy she was emitting now was only scratching the surface, and the opponent was this relaxed.
'Who is it?'
The Guardian, who had lived alone in this place as a Guardian, couldn't identify the identity of the unknown intruder in front of him. On the other hand, he began to understand why Old Baek had betrayed him.
'I can't win against someone with this aura.'
He would definitely be defeated. But the Guardian smiled.
"Are you going to break it?"
Hah. As if impressed, he let out a short laugh. This time, Cale looked at him with a perplexed expression. His gaze turned to Old Baek behind the Guardian, who was waiting for his chance.
Old Baek stopped for a moment and shouted,
"If you break it, the Magic Formation cannot be used! I'm sure of that!"
The Guardian scoffed at him for raising his voice in frustration.
"Heh. That's not even funny."
The Guardian glared at Cale.
"That's something separated from a treasure from another world. From the beginning, it's not something you can break. Do you have any idea how much power has accumulated in that?"
Cale, focused on the core, looked at the Magic Formation he had entered. The decagon-shaped Magic Formation was present not only on the floor but also on the ceiling. Although both had the same decagon shape, they had different internal patterns. It seemed like the Core was floating between these two Magic Formations.
The Guardian shouted.
"Soon, you'll be crushed by the power contained in that core. Even I, when I hold that core for a moment, feel my blood twist because of that energy. You're human too, right? You'll become like me."
He couldn't contain his laughter.
"Haha, How about it? Do you feel your breath getting choked by that energy even now?"
The Magic Formation, whose core was inaccessible even to the priestess and the guardian, was something not even the Blood Demon could handle without caution. How could some unknown person handle it?
'If there's a variable, it's the Dragon by his side.'
The young Dragon.
Apitoyu, a Dragon similar to those damn ones from the Purple Blood Family. They must be cautious of him, despite his youth.
'Young, but a Dragon is a Dragon, and we must not allow that despicable race to have the core.'
That must be avoided at all costs. The Guardian slowly approached Cale again.
Then, it happened.
Kwoong-!
The entire sky shook violently.
"The Magic Formation is losing power."
Behind him, Old Baek shouted disgustedly.
Squeeee...
Then, a sharp warning sound began to resonate throughout the Blood Cult Headquarters. It was clearly a warning about what was happening when the Magic Formation stopped.
Soon, the Blood Cult would fall into chaos. The Guardian frowned.
'Why hasn't the Blood Demon arrived yet?'
She should have arrived already, even if she was late. However, the Guardian realized that something had happened to her too.
Kwaaaaang—!
The continuous roar was heard from outside. The Blood Demon was close by. However, there was something quite stubborn blocking her way.
'It must be the companion of the intruder.'
The Guardian bit his lip. He should take the Core from the intruder's hands before the young Dragon grabbed it.
'The moment his energy twists because of that Core will surely come. If I can take advantage of that moment...'
If he can take advantage of that moment...
The Guardian could hear the voice of the intruder.
"Energy?"
Cale was puzzled.
'I don't feel any energy.'
The purple Core he held in his hand had a shape similar to a gemstone. It felt like he was holding a cute rock in his hand.
-It doesn't seem to be dangerous.
Cale was unharmed, just as the Sky Eating Water had said. He lightly tapped the Magic Formation Core.
"Uh, how..."
And then, the Guardian's expression distorted.
-Let's eat it quickly!
He heard the voice of water that trapped in the sky, but Cale stared at the bewildered expression of the guardian and put the core in his pocket.
'I shouldn't eat it right away here.'
It would be dangerous. He would eat it when he needed it or break it. Even though the Guardian had said he couldn't break it, Cale had a hunch that he could. Usually, his hunches turned out to be correct.
"Oh, no..."
When the Guardian tried to move again to take the disappearing Core from Cale's arms...
"Old Baek!"
Cale called Old Baek.
"Guardian, you have to hold onto it!"
"Eh?"
The moment Old Baek asked without understanding.
Cale whispered softly, loud enough for someone nearby to hear.
"Destroy it."
With those words, Cale stomped on the ground with his foot. Raon understood perfectly.
"Alright!"
With those words, Black Mana rose in front of Raon's front paws, and Raon brought those two front paws together before forcefully slamming the ground.
Kuaaaaaah!
The ground cracked.
'I have to go find the Priestess.'
Cale fell through the hole. Of course, he wasn't worried about the landing since he had Raon's magic.
"No!"
As he fell, he saw the desperate expression of the Guardian below him.
"No!"
Behind him, he also heard Old Baek shouting the same as he tried to grab the Guardian to prevent him from falling.
'Old people should be able to handle themselves.'
Cale lost interest because...
"One floor down."
Cale and Raon went from the ninth to the eighth floor, breaking through the floor. Both had already used invisibility magic to hide their appearance.
"What's happening?!"
"It's not the time to wander around here! Let's go up right away! There's no doubt something happened to Guardian-nim!"
The inside of Heavenward was already in absolute chaos. Even though it would normally be an elegant and majestic place, at that moment, with collapsing ceilings and issues in the Magic Formation, it looked completely chaotic.
'In this place, finding both of them will be difficult.'
Cale infiltrated among the crowd and started searching for the Priestess with Raon.
"It seems like the Blood Demon is still being held back by others."
Kwaaaah---
Kwaaah---
Only by hearing the constant roar, he realized that his companions were doing a good job. Of course, he didn't want to see his companions injured while fighting celestial demons, so he decided to quickly check Heavenward and head towards the Blood Demon as soon as he confirmed that the Priestess or the Princess of Orsena wasn't there.
"Let's hurry!"
Raon also seemed impatient, just like Cale.
'But it's strange.'
Cale was moving quickly but felt a strange sensation inside.
'...Really, it feels strange.'
The reason was simple.
'Too easy.'
He had obtained the Magic Formation too easily. Sure, he had Raon's help and also had the power of a Dragon, but still.
'Isn't this even more strange?'
The Magic Formation was supposed to protect the Blood Cult. It was a device to conceal their hideout and control the way people reached it. That's why it stayed here with the Priestess, and even that Guardian.
'Why did they allow someone to approach this valuable barrier so easily? The Magic Formation shouldn't have been so accessible just because I have the strength of a Dragon.'
Of course, that shouldn't be possible.
'And the Blood Cult wouldn't want that.'
So, what had happened? Who had created this situation?
The answer was quite obvious.
'...It seems like the dragons are behind this.'
Apitoyu. The Purple Blood Family lives in that world.
The hunters of that family, the dragons, seemed to be responsible for creating this valuable Magic Formation and barrier.
'The Dragons gave them the Magic Formation Core, after all.'
Since the Dragons cooperated to create this Magic Formation, it was very likely that they were also behind some intrigue.
'Hmm.'
However, the Dragons had helped the Blue Blood Family, a rival family, by giving them this valuable Magic Formation. Although there might have been an agreement, the Purple Blood Family was a group suspected of causing the disappearance of an entire world.
Would such a place really do good things for its competitors?
'This... doesn't feel right at all.'
It was at that moment...
Kuwong-
Once again, Heavenward vibrated strongly. Although he thought it was because the Magic Formation had stopped, for some reason, he felt like this vibration was emerging from deep beneath the ground, below the building.
'I can't leave it like this.'
I have to check it again.
Cale's expression stiffened.
'We are on the sixth floor right now.'
Quickly, let's check on the Priestess and then take another look at the Magic Formation. Of course, we must also check the condition of the other comrades.
'She is on the fifth floor.'
Based on the information he got from Old Baek, Cale reached the fifth floor and stopped.
He looked up.
Kuang! Clop!
Noises of something breaking came from the upper floor, getting closer.
'Is the Guardian shaking off Old Baek and coming?'
The enemy was pursuing them. Realizing that, Cale felt a hint of annoyance.
Is the tenth floor empty? Is it okay to be unguarded?
'First, let's do things in order.'
As he descended to the fifth floor.
Human! There's someone with blue hair over there!
Cale turned to see a new Blood Demon Successor Candidate at the entrance.
"Greetings, Myung-nim!"
Cale was dumbfounded seeing how the Blood Cultists greeted the candidate who had appeared.
'Eh?'
Candidate Myung.
Human, do you think she found us?
Cale, who had turned invisible, clearly made eye contact with that person.
At that moment...
Kuwong-
When Heavenward vibrated intensely again.
Tenth floor.
Ssssss...
I...
The Magic Formations drawn on the floor and ceiling began to change slightly, a very fine purple aura appeared on them. While the Guardian disappeared chasing Cale, the other Cultists continued to protect the place.
The Magic Formations on the floor and ceiling, each with a different pattern engraved on them, began to change slowly.
The patterns that were on the ceiling moved to the floor and vice versa, starting to change their shapes slowly.
Crack~
And the edges surrounding those patterns began to crack as well, also very slowly.
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