C183
The Successor Candidate of the Blood Demon, Myung. Cale recalled information about her.
'The first one, right?'
There were a total of five Candidates in the Blood Cult. Four of them, including Yun and Hoya, came from notable families within the Blood Cult and had some kind of inherited power from their families as background. However, the first Candidate was a girl without any family power, whom the Blood Demon had found one day. Therefore, she served by the Blood Demon's side for a longer time and, at the same time, was the most beloved.
"Human, I think she really saw us!"
Myung looked exactly in the direction of the now invisible Cale and Raon.
Their eyes had clearly met, and they continued to stare at each other.
"Myung-nim?"
Her subordinate spoke to her cautiously when she raised her hand, but she remained silent.
"It's strange, Human! How could she see us? She doesn't seem strong at all! In fact, she seems weaker than that other Candidate named Hoya."
Yes, indeed.
As Cale frowned, noticing Myung's strange expression, his subordinates, though fearful, dared not speak and simply looked at her. Myung, the only Successor Candidate of the Blood Demon showing her face among the Blood Cult members with masks, finally opened her mouth.
Cale had a rough idea of what she might say. She would probably ask them to catch the intruders or protect the priestess. Preparing for it, Cale was about to speak.
"Damn it."
When those words came out of Myung's mouth, Cale stopped abruptly, and his face twisted.
"Of course, the damn Dragons are behind this! Curse it!"
Raon reacted to those words.
"What? Human, is that Candidate insulting the Dragons? Is she insulting me?"
At the same time, other subordinates began to open their mouths one after another.
"Myung-nim? What is she saying?"
"Myung-nim, is she saying they're Dragons now? Why is she suddenly mentioning Dragons?"
It was at that moment...
Boom!
The building shook strongly. The vibration was much more intense than before, causing people's bodies to tense slightly. Amidst all that, only Myung seemed to be completely ignoring the vibration.
Slurk.
Instead, she drew her sword.
"Myung-nim!"
"Noisy."
However, soon, she calmed down. With the edge of her sword pointing to the side, she gave instructions.
"Immediately, protect the Priestesses. Also, go report to the Blood Demon-nim."
Myung's eyes were full of vigilance.
"The ones with purple blood have betrayed us..."
Oh.
Cale let out a small sigh of admiration.
"Human, what is that Candidate doing, uttering strange words?"
Yes, what is she really doing?
'Anyway, this benefits us in some way, right?'
The corner of Cale's lips curved strangely, and that expression made Myung's eyes narrow.
"Myung-nim, is she?"
"Shut up and follow my orders immediately."
The mention of purple blood had drastically changed the seriousness of the atmosphere. Several people present seemed to have some position in the Blood Cult or were close associates of Myung. Soon, they began to follow the instructions quickly.
Schlaack, schlaack.
Some people stayed in front of the door where the Priestess was, holding their weapons with determination. Although their expressions behind their masks could not be seen, they exuded a determination that indicated they were willing to give their lives for this cause. Others ran out of the fifth floor.
"Now that I've seen you, why don't you show us who you are?"
Cale opened his mouth at Myung's words, pointing the tip of the sword at him.
"I don't want to."
"...What?"
Myung's expression twisted for a moment at the casual and nonchalant response, but Cale remained confident. And with an indifferent step, he headed towards the room where the Priestess was.
"Stop."
Myung spoke calmly and firmly, but Cale completely ignored her.
Cale's lips twitched as he saw the Blood Cultists, all of whom, except Myung, were tense but unaware of what was happening.
Myung, apparently understanding what was going on, sighed.
"What is your purpose?"
Then she lowered the tip of her sword.
"Myung-nim!"
When her subordinates reacted with surprise, she raised her hand to silence them. Then, she turned to Cale and spoke again.
"I never thought those from the Central Plains would be able to find their own way, unite forces, and attack the Blood Cult, so I wondered what was behind this, but I couldn't understand it. I even thought they might be the people who ruined our Great Cause in Xiaolen."
Those who ruined the Great Cause in Xiaolin.
They were...
'She's talking about us, right?'
Cale realized she was referring to themselves, as they were the ones who defeated the Huayans family, the Black Blood Family, in Xiaolen.
Amidst his surprise, Myung continued speaking.
"But honestly, they seemed to have more power than I expected, considering they destroyed the Huayans family."
She sighed briefly before continuing.
"But in the end, their backing was a Dragon. Hah."
With a wry laugh, Myung stopped looking away and fixed her gaze on Cale with a cold expression.
"Anyway, we shouldn't have involved the Dragons from the beginning."
Hmm.
After pondering for a moment, Cale responded sincerely.
"In reality, we're not from the Purple Blood Family."
"Hah."
Anger filled Myung's eyes.
If it weren't for the special power in her eyes, she wouldn't have seen the dragon and the human. Without that power, she wouldn't have been able to fully comprehend the cause of all these events.
'Even the Guardian must have seen the Dragon. But since he has never faced a real Dragon, he probably didn't know.'
The corner of her lips twisted. She spoke to her adversary.
"Even now, after all this time, do you still pretend to deceive us?"
Unlike the Guardian and other important members of the Blood Cult, Myung had traveled to the World of Dragons.
"I've been to Apitoyu."
Oh.
Cale's eyes widened.
Apitoyu.
A human who had been there in a situation where he needed any information related to that place appeared before him.
"I heard things there."
Myung picked up the sword that had been hanging. The tip of the sword pointed towards where Raon was, next to Cale.
"A Black Dragon. It is said to be the symbol of calamity. Throughout the generations, it has been said that the Black Dragon has a cruel and ruthless disposition, seeking to cause disasters that will destroy the world."
Hm?
Cale paused for a moment.
-Hmm?
Raon cheerfully spoke to Cale.
"Human, I am not a symbol of calamity! I am great and love peace!"
Cale's expression changed to a puzzled look. How could this little dragon, who was spreading his chubby belly, be a symbol of calamity?
Apitoyu was definitely a problematic place.
"Moreover, Dragons should not be underestimated just because they seem young. Their vile and selfish traits can harbor terrifying cruelty."
-Human, I'm not selfish! And I certainly am not someone vile!
"You attracted those idiots from the Central Plains and disturbed our Magic Formation. In the end, don't you plan to ruin everything we were trying to achieve and devour it all? Of course, you act like kind people in the Central Plains. That vile acting is your specialty."
-Human! Although I'm better at acting than Choi Han, I'm not very good at it. I can admit things honestly.
...This was getting a bit noisy.
Cale's expression gradually hardened as Myung and Raon took turns speaking.
Myung smiled satisfactorily at how he took it. Then she muttered.
"You're trying to do the same thing here as you did in your world, aren't you?"
Cale responded to those words.
"Do you know what happened in Apitoyu?"
"Yes. I know well. We have constantly been observing everything related to the purple blood there too."
"So you know."
Cale nodded, agreeing with her, and then asked casually.
"But why waste time with this useless talk?"
Myung's expression hardened. At that moment, Cale asked indifferently.
"Are you waiting for the Blood Demon?"
The tip of Myung's sword trembled slightly. At that moment, Cale asked indifferently.
"I guess you know. You can't stop us."
The strongest one here was Myung. And she was weaker than the Candidate Hoya.
Then, the Dominating Aura began to slowly emerge from Cale's body. Seeing this, Raon began to gather mana little by little.
-Human, can you go through it?
Cale nodded.
And Myung clenched her lips even tighter. There was a metallic taste in her mouth, but she couldn't worry about that.
'Why isn't the Blood Demon coming?'
The Blood Demon, her mother, should have arrived in Heavenward soon.
The Blood Demon was supposed to subdue them all while she rescued the Priestess.
However, the situation wasn't as she expected.
The Blood Demon didn't come here until those who seemed to be from Apitoyu had stolen the Magic Formation Core, and even now, despite sending a messenger, she hadn't come.
'What's happening with the Blood Demon?'
Is she being held back by someone?
Could it be that she was being overpowered?
'Is that possible?'
Surely the Blood Demon had become strong enough to face even a Dragon, right?
As inhumane as the Blood Demon was, she still wasn't here...
A growing sense of unease took hold of Myung. Suddenly, she felt sweat soaking her back. But she couldn't pay attention to that cold sweat. The enemies before her eyes could approach at any moment.
'Yes, they must be from Apitoyu.'
That's why they were able to easily take the Magic Formation Core, and that's why her Blood Cult was in such danger.
Her anxiety continued to grow.
'...Will the Magic Formation be okay?'
For some reason, she felt that the dragon and his followers not only interfered with the Magic Formation but also triggered something else.
'Can you trust the Dragons?'
The words she once heard from someone she met in Apitoyu suddenly echoed in her ears.
"Damn it."
Unconsciously, she uttered rude words and raised her sword again.
'Let's face them.'
Waiting for the enemies in this way didn't seem to be a viable option.
'They're showing interest in me.'
Since she mentioned Apitoyu, they had been watching her with curiosity.
She decided to use that as an opportunity to lure them in.
Wooong...
A blue aura rose around her.
Tap.
And with a light kick, her body swiftly launched forward.
Directly towards the Black Dragon.
'This human must be a minion of the Dragon. Let's start with the Dragon!'
Finally, the target would be the Black Dragon. Despite its youth, it was a cruel and cowardly Dragon.
It was at that moment...
Quaaaang...
A roar echoed all around.
Myung had to pause for a moment to regain her balance.
Then, she turned her head towards where the sound was coming from.
"That!"
Her eyes widened as something pierced through the wall and flew inside. She quickly stepped back.
Quaaaang!
What had pierced through the wall crashed against the opposite wall, raising a cloud of dust.
"Oh, wow..."
Cale looked at the individual embedded in the wall in amazement.
"Hehehe..."
Because the individual embedded in the wall was laughing as if finding it amusing.
Cale cleared the debris from the wall and stood up before asking.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, more or less. It's fine. It's refreshing to take a hit after so long."
Choi Jung Soo shook his head lightly, shaking off the dust. Then, he showed a friendly smile.
But Cale had already confirmed that Choi Jung Soo didn't have serious injuries and looked away.
Through the perforated wall, a five-story building could be seen. At the top of the building, near Heavenward, a Black Yong soared, and from the opposite side, a blue wave rose.
Choi Han and the Blood Demon seemed to be on the verge of charging at each other.
Cale, looking at this, casually said.
"Should we join the fight?"
"Hahaha..."
At that moment, Choi Jung Soo burst into laughter as if finding something funny.
"Hey."
There was a moment when Choi Jung Soo's eyes met with Cale's.
"Stay in the rear. The front has always been our job."
Choi Jung Soo pointed outside. Cale turned his head following it, and a small relieved smile formed at the corner of his lips.
It had always been Choi Han at the forefront. In front of him was the Team Leader, Sui Khan, and the intense blue energy of the Blood Demon spread like a gigantic wave that seemed to sweep everything in its path. At the same time, Sui Khan unsheathed his sword.
¡----!
There was no sound.
However, the blue energy scattered in the air after being cut by the sword. Choi Jung Soo casually murmured.
"Of course, that guy has also become stronger."
It was true. Both Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo, and the Team Leader, were stronger than Cale had thought. Well, maybe it was natural for them to become stronger after all they had been through.
Cale realized that, unlike previous situations where they had to fight using Black Mana, like with Xiaolen and the Jiangshis, they were now on a battlefield where they could fight with pure strength, a feeling they hadn't felt in a long time.
'That's right.'
It had been a long time since he was in an environment where his companions could unleash their potential to the fullest. At that moment, when Cale understood it, Sui Khan exhaled deeply and unfolded his iron sword. He seemed to be a little exhausted, and he had left an opening.
But that didn't matter.
There was someone advancing beyond Sui Khan. Choi Han, who had overcome obstacles, now wielded a rough sword wrapped in a black aura towards the Blood Demon.
Roooooooar----
As if the Black Dragon was roaring, a roar soon filled the air. The shadow of the Black Dragon covered the Blood Demon. There was a reason why the Blood Demon hadn't come here before, and it was because she was facing formidable opponents.
"I'll go again too."
Choi Han, Sui Khan, and Choi Jung Soo.
The three tightly held onto the limbs of the Blood Demon. Choi Jung Soo smiled kindly.
"We'll capture her soon. Wait."
Cale and Kim Rok Soo felt a strange sensation. For the first time in a long time, it felt like they were back on a battlefield from the past.
It was that moment.
Waaaaaaaah----
War cries were heard from somewhere. No, the shouts erupted from everywhere. Cale could feel that Chief Eunuch Wi had entered the territory of the Blood Cult, leading warriors and troops from Hainan Island, and that the Martial Artists of the Three Factions were almost approaching the island.
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