novelraw Chapter 291 : Primordial Demon (9)
Chapter 291 : Primordial Demon (9)
Flash—!
“Ah, I’m a bit late.”
“…….”
U-jin’s brief remark was bound to leave the Emperor flustered.
It wasn't as if they were in a cathedral engraved with the overlapping magic circles of the Order; appearing suddenly in the middle of the air above a battlefield was no easy feat.
If his eyes hadn't deceived him, the magic circle that had just flickered in the air was undoubtedly one for spatial movement.
It wasn't that he didn't know what it was, but appearing so abruptly without any prior signs or preparation was a level of phase transposition the Emperor had never experienced before.
If such a thing were easily possible, there would have been no reason for the Order to go through the trouble of creating the 'Guardian Train' or using movement-type artifacts.
In the Emperor's eyes, it appeared to be a form of spatial movement that possessed virtually no restrictions.
Whether the Order had been hiding their technology or if some ability of U-jin’s that he didn't understand had intervened, he couldn't say for sure.
What was certain, however, was that this wasn't a matter light enough to be brushed off casually, as if he were simply late for an appointment.
…Well, of course, U-jin didn't mind such things at all.
“It’s been a while.”
“…It hasn't felt like that much time has passed for it to be ‘a while.’”
Answering as if to nitpick, the Emperor asked the suddenly appeared U-jin for his reasons.
“I have already received the aid you sent ahead. Is this additional assistance to slay the Primordial Demon?”
From the Emperor’s perspective—having already heard Shim Cheong mention that ‘U-jin sent her’—it was a natural thought.
After all, the Emperor was the one who had given U-jin another fragment of the Xuanyuan Sword.
Of course, while doing so was the right thing according to the original legends, the right thing wasn't always a given.
It wouldn't have been strange for U-jin to feel a sense of gratitude.
In fact, if the Emperor hadn't shared the oral tradition passed down through the Imperial Family, the Xuanyuan Sword would still be in the Emperor’s hands.
He also understood the sending of Shim Cheong in that context.
In the first place, the Emperor had already left a request for cooperation with the Order.
The magic circle that appeared when U-jin arrived was clearly a divine magic circle unique to the Order, and the creature that had appeared off their coast was none other than a Primordial Demon.
It was only natural to view this as support at the Order’s level.
Furthermore.
“…It has been a while for you as well, Inquisitor.”
“It’s been some time, Emperor.”
The blonde figure beside him was a High Priest of the Order whom the Emperor knew well.
He recognized Leonardo Louis Button immediately, as they had met during the process of weeding out the Demonic Species that had once infiltrated the Murim Empire.
Given the circumstances, if the situation before him wasn't the Order’s support force, no other options remained.
Shrug.
“Well… that’s right. Additional aid.”
“…If it’s right, it’s right; if it isn't, it isn't. What do you mean by that?”
“There’s no time for long explanations. Still, since I received the item here, I felt I should come here first.”
Swing, swing.
Cutting the conversation short as if there were no time for long talks, U-jin held up the Xuanyuan Sword and muttered softly.
It wasn't difficult for the Emperor to understand what those words meant.
After all, he was the one who had passed the legend of the Xuanyuan Sword to U-jin.
However, the word that caught the Emperor’s ear within U-jin’s short sentence was ‘first.’
“First?”
When he reflexively asked back, U-jin raised the Xuanyuan Sword and replied.
“This isn't the only place those monster-like things have appeared.”
“……!”
This was shocking news to him.
The fact that the appearance of a Primordial Demon wasn't limited to this location.
“I’m on my way back from the South. They appeared there earlier chronologically, so I stopped there first. After this, I’m heading North.”
“…….”
It seemed that this wasn't the only place where a Primordial Demon had broken its eternal seal and revealed itself.
The simultaneous appearance of Primordial Demons.
The brief information learned from U-jin provided a shock to the Emperor in and of itself.
It was already surprising enough that a Primordial Demon had broken a seal of thousands of years to appear within the Murim Empire’s territory, but quantitatively speaking, this was several times more serious.
He had no choice but to completely uproot his previous thought that a solution would be found as long as he dealt with the one before his eyes.
Well, however.
Even if the situation had become more severe, the Emperor’s duty didn't change much.
The fact that the Emperor had to handle the Primordial Demon in front of him remained unchanged.
If he couldn't stop this one, it didn't matter if the others were stopped or not; destruction was the only outcome either way.
…Though it seemed the one responsible for handling this Primordial Demon wasn't him, but someone else.
Wuuuung—
Soon, a blue light began to shimmer from the tip of the Xuanyuan Sword U-jin was holding, and the sea of Murim behind Behemoth began to writhe.
Gush—
A dark shadow rose from the deep sea, and waves surged as if clearing a path.
A massive wave could be seen lapping against one of Behemoth’s legs that was submerged in the water.
After all those warning signs, what appeared before their eyes was astonishing.
—That is!
—A, a dragon!
It was exactly as they said.
Rising through the surface from the depths of the sea behind Behemoth was a supreme being known to have ruled the skies even before the Primordial Demons of the Primeval Era.
It was a ‘Dragon.’
Its body was covered in blue scales, and its elegantly grown pair of horns and the Yeouiju provided a mysterious atmosphere that was difficult to describe.
Yes, it was one of the Four Divine Beasts summoned by U-jin, the Guardian Deity of the East, the ‘Azure Dragon.’
A legendary being said to preside over wood and spring, and to rule over rain clouds, wind, thunder, and lightning.
“…Hah.”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
The reason was in the same vein as the sense of wonder he felt when looking at ‘Behemoth.’
The records of the Imperial Family, which had been utterly unbelievable, were understood in an instant the moment he saw the ‘Dragon King of the East Sea’ in person.
『…In the East Sea dwells the Dragon King, an Imugi who attained the Way, held the Yeouiju in its mouth, and ascended the Dragon Gate. Its internal energy, cultivated for 1,000 years, miraculously transforms its appearance. Its horns are like a deer’s, its eyes like a rabbit’s, its ears like a cow’s, its nose like a pig’s, its neck and torso like a snake’s, its belly like a clam’s, its scales like a fish’s, its claws like a hawk’s, and its legs and palms are similar to a tiger’s.』
『It is the king of all things that live in the water, and it has 81 scales over its body, among which there is one scale that grows in reverse; if this is touched, the dragon falls into a great rage. When the dragon is enraged by the touching of its Berserk Button, dark clouds gather for ten days and nights, and unceasing rain pours down like a disaster, and in severe cases, lightning and hail fall…….』
『However, once he falls asleep in the deep-sea Dragon Palace, he does not wake; he is so intoxicated by sleep that he will continue to slumber even if trees grow upon the dirt accumulated between his scales. The day the sleeping Dragon King of the East Sea rises again is when the heavens open at the end of the world…….』
It was self-evident that every single one of those absurd records was true.
The massive Azure Dragon, comparable in size to the Behemoth before his eyes, displayed an overwhelming majesty that humans could not hope to approach.
As if proving that the claim of ruling the entire continent during the Primeval Era was not a lie, it looked down at Behemoth with eyes more noble than anyone else’s.
Of course, it didn't just engage in a staring match forever.
The Azure Dragon, having revealed its body from the sea, soon took its eyes off Behemoth and lifted its head.
As it looked toward the sky, the heavens turned black as if they had been waiting.
The entire sky over the battlefield, which had been bathed in bright sunlight until just a moment ago, was covered by thick dark clouds, and soon the weather began to change.
Drip, drip.
One drop, then two.
The rain that began to fall over the battlefield, which was thick with the scent of blood, slowly began to wash away that blood, and the falling raindrops gradually grew heavier.
This didn't happen over the entire region.
In other surrounding areas, the weather changed only to the extent of a 'drizzle'—enough to recognize that it was raining.
But only in the sky where Behemoth stood, where the dark clouds were uniquely black and thick, the rainfall was becoming endlessly heavy.
From a thin, sparse, and quiet drizzle, it thickened into thread-like streaks of rain drawn across the sky, and soon those streaks filled the air so densely that they formed a thickness like a heavy fog, obscuring the vision.
It didn't end there.
Shuaaaaa—
Heavy streaks of rain began to pour down like a summer monsoon, and the rain fell with such abnormal force that the soldiers near Behemoth could physically feel its weight.
It grew thicker and heavier, its density filling up until each drop felt weighty.
The rain had become as thick as it could possibly be.
And next.
Flash!
It was a sudden bolt of lightning from the sky.
Rumble!
Along with the golden streaks decorating the sky, a powerful thunderstorm struck down upon Behemoth, and a massive roar of thunder followed without delay, asserting its presence.
At that thunderous sound, all eyes on the battlefield turned toward it, and what they witnessed next were sharp chunks of ice that began to pour down following the thunderstorm.
As if the rain that had been growing more frequent and thicker wasn't enough, it had transformed into chunks of ice.
The tendency to grow in size remained the same even after forming chunks.
The ice chunks, which were gradually thickening, soon became so massive that the word ‘glacier’ suited them better than ‘hail,’ and they slammed down onto Behemoth’s back.
It wasn't just once.
Flash!
Rumble!
Crunch!
Lightning and hail struck Behemoth’s back repeatedly and without pause.
Behemoth had been continuing its steps blankly and without thought even until the Azure Dragon revealed itself on the water’s surface, but once the size of the hail reached the level of ‘glaciers,’ even Behemoth was forced to show some reaction.
The footsteps it had been planting without hesitation were now faltering, and a hint of agitation could be heard in its unique cry.
—Bruuuuuuuuuu!
Behemoth’s cry rang out slightly longer and with more force.
It wasn't a cry of agony.
But it was a clear change that no one else had been able to elicit until now.
And then.
Swoooosh—
Swoooooooosh—
Rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and then.
Naturally, it was a ‘Typhoon.’
In the sky above the battlefield, a massive wind boasting an unrivaled presence was whirling.
Not only humans but even the magical beasts were flustered by the worsening weather and the unbelievable speed of that change.
The pace of the battlefield slowed down to the point where it felt as though it had momentarily stopped.
And at that point.
“I say, is that……?”
Flash—
U-jin had already vanished from the Eastern battlefield along with the Inquisitor.