When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 2
The heat that bloomed from within her completely scorched her flesh.
Her blackened skin cracked in many places, like the scales of a snake.
Keuheong—!
The white tiger had already disappeared, but the beast's roar continued.
Each time it sounded, the black scabs that resembled scales began to fall off one by one.
'……Heup, eut!
The pain was like searing raw flesh with a branding iron.
Where the scabs fell off, shimmering, snow-white scales peeked through.
……Snow-white.
Sehwa closed her eyes, utterly dumbfounded.
‘C…Crazy. The Ju Clan has the bloodline of the Red Dragon, and the Cheon Clan has the bloodline of the Golden Stag. Snow-white scales?’
If she revealed this true form, there would undoubtedly be an uproar—claims of switched bloodlines, accusations of infidelity against her parents.
‘W…What about the color of my spiritual power?’
The color of one's spiritual energy is determined by its attributes.
Because she possessed a mixture of the Cheon Clan’s golden hue and the Ju Clan’s red, her spiritual power had always been a flame-like color.
‘What is it now?’
Despite the excruciating pain, Sehwa forced her eyes open and watched the process of her skin shedding.
As each scale was revealed, spiritual power welled up and then disappeared, rippling across its surface.
‘Pur…!’
Purple spiritual power.
‘……Purple? Where did this color come from? Oh, don't tell me!’
The ancient spirit orbs buried within the base of the spirit tree.
It was the spirit orbs that seemed to be the main culprits in accelerating her exuviation.
They were probably from the Jang clan, the clan of the azure turtle.
‘…….’
Though she had the bloodline of a crimson dragon, her scales were snow-white and her aura was purple?
‘Haha.’
Sehwa was at a loss for words at the sheer absurdity of her exuviation.
At that moment, another scale peeled off, bringing with it another wave of agonizing pain.
Gritting her teeth and enduring the intense agony, Sehwa stared once more at her scales, shining as white as snow.
‘……This is…a complete mess. This is bad. What am I going to do?’
Having never imagined her exuviation would proceed in this manner, she closed her eyes tightly in despair.
Ju Myoungyoon and his two sons, along with Baek Giha, rode without rest.
Ju Myoungyoon was about to stop briefly at an outpost to switch horses with his sons when—
Duddudduddu!
Baek Giha passed them by, the sound of his horse's hooves like thunder.
He had ridden a warhorse this far and seemed intent on continuing straight to their destination without changing mounts.
“Baek Clan Head!”
“You exchange horses! I'll ride ahead, and you can switch with me midway!”
“Understood. Go quickly, Father!”
“We’ll follow right behind!”
Hearing his sons' voices, Ju Myoungyoon also spurred his horse onward without stopping.
The Ju Clan's steeds were no slouches, but what bloodline did the Baek Clan Head’s horse possess? In the short time they’d paused, he had already pulled far ahead.
‘Sehwa.’
Much time had already passed.
She had been undergoing exuviation for two days without a guardian’s aid.
He couldn't imagine how difficult and agonizing this time must be for his small, delicate daughter.
As he raced to catch up to Baek Giha—
Someone was approaching from the opposite end of the road.
“Young Lord!”
Spotting them, Ju Myoungyoon abruptly halted.
Ju Kyunghyun, also looking at him, slowly reduced his speed along with his escorts.
“What’s this? Where are you headed?”
“Young Lord. Have you been riding along this road?”
“Yes.”
“Then, by any chance, did you see my daughter?”
“…….”
“I heard my daughter is undergoing exuviation on the road, without a guardian. I was wondering if, since you passed this way, perhaps you assisted her.”
“I didn’t see anyone.”
“No one?”
Ju Myoungyoon's eyes narrowed.
'The Baek Clan Head just passed through this road too, yet he didn't see him either?'
“In any case, congratulations on her exuviation. Now, if you'll excuse me.”
“What?”
With those words, Ju Kyunghyun coldly whipped his horse’s flank.
“Hiya!”
“…….”
A bewildered gaze followed the receding back of the Young Lord for a moment.
‘……My daughter who must go to the Baek Clan in your stead is now going through exuviation alone on the road. Yet you show such an attitude without a word of concern?’
The old general’s large hand tightened around the reins.
‘……No, forget it. This isn’t the time for such thoughts.’
His face hardened at the Young Lord’s coldness, and Ju Myoungyoon spurred his horse onward once more. The whip flashed beside him. No matter how fast he rode, it felt too slow.
Baek Giha’s face was frighteningly hard as he urged his warhorse forward.
As if understanding his tightly clenched heart, the warhorse beneath him galloped relentlessly.
His spiritual power resided within her unexuviated body.
What if, because of that, some unforeseen variable disrupted her growth?
‘What will I do then?’
The thought drove him to distraction.
In her past life, her exuviation had occurred long after she arrived at the Baek Clan, so he had believed there was still time.
That even if she did undergo exuviation, it would be at a time when he could adequately assist her.
But for it to begin so suddenly, so prematurely…
Just hearing that she had collapsed on the road made it clear there had been no warning signs.
‘I’ll be too late at this rate!’
The muscles in his jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth.
White spiritual energy surged around his powerful frame, and his pupils, now a chilling blue, narrowed into vertical slits.
He kicked off the horse's back and leaped into the air.
His airborne body swelled and transformed.
Perfectly sculpted muscles, like a masterpiece, rippled with his ragged breaths.
His human hands, with their prominent veins, shifted into the forepaws of a beast, concealing sharp claws.
Distinct black stripes appeared, and silver fur sprouted with incredible speed.
Thwack!
What landed on the ground was a massive white tiger, making even large trees seem like shrubs.
The beast growled, its savage gaze fixed forward, and then it kicked off the ground.
“Keuheureoeong—!”
The beast’s path was not the wide, well-trodden road, but a shortcut that cut straight through the surrounding mountains.
The white tiger, its sleek muscles on full display, propelled itself forward as if flying.
Its short fur rippled like a living organism, following the beast’s every move.
Sharp branches that blocked its path were pushed aside by its powerful body, leaving not a single scratch.
Small whirlwinds of air, swirling around the tiger, sliced through the branches before they could make contact.
The white tiger threw its head back and roared once more.
“―――!”
Snowflakes spread rapidly from beneath the beast's paws.
As the surroundings became encased in ice, the tiger’s body exploded forward, accelerating to an even greater speed.
"..."
Youngsun covered her mouth, watching what was happening inside the tent without daring to breathe.
The carefully crafted palanquin had long since turned to ash, apparently burned by the spiritual power swirling around the Young Lady.
Even the half box of spirit orbs they had poured out had disappeared, dissolving like sugar in water as they mixed with the spiritual power.
'What... is this?'
Dragonkin possess the strongest disposition among all mystic clans. Therefore, even if other bloodlines were mixed in, their exuviation form wouldn’t deviate significantly from that of a dragon.
Yet what was happening before her eyes was completely different from the typical exuviation of the Ju clan members.
The Young Lady's black hair, which now reached to her toes, blazed with red light from the tips as if flames were rising.
In contrast, around her chest, transparent blue spiritual power glowed like a large dewdrop.
Below that, a white, sharp whirlwind formed a spiral pattern at her feet.
'Three different spiritual powers...'
Youngsun swallowed hard and tilted her head.
'No, wait. Usually one inherits two types of spiritual power from their parents, so does this mean the Young Lady has four different spiritual powers? How is this possible?'
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