When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 179
Chapter 179
Thud.
The old man’s head hit the ground.
His eyes were still open, but the light of life was gone from them.
Yet, his hand still clutched the dagger.
The dagger, imbued with Sehwa’s power, blazed like fire, burning the Mystic Ruler's body from the inside, just as it had done to Fifth Consort.
“Aaargh!”
Clang!
As his grip loosened, the sword, which had been blazing with the Red Dragon’s power, clattered to the ground.
“You… bastard…”
He threw his son's arm aside, which still held the dagger.
The Mystic Ruler groaned in pain, clutching his side, and pulled out the dagger that was embedded in his waist.
But the wound, burned by the five-colored spiritual power, was already rapidly draining his life force.
‘This… spiritual power…’
He had been through this before. He knew what it meant.
‘It’s going to trap my soul in this body!’
“Quickly… I need… treatment…”
He had to get back to his Master. Now. Before this spiritual power destroyed his body further.
Clutching the wound, he gasped and reached for his sword, but it was at that moment.
Clang—!
A deafening roar echoed through the hall.
There was no need to look for the source.
“!!”
A small crack had appeared on the Mystic Ruler’s sword.
He had momentarily lost his grip on the sword, and the immense power within, no longer controlled, was running wild, struggling to break free from its confines.
Clang!
Clang—!
With each tremor, more cracks appeared on the blade.
The Mystic Ruler's face turned ashen.
Without the sword, he couldn’t use the Spirit Orb’s power, and he wouldn’t be able to capture them.
He had failed to transform, the inauguration ceremony was ruined, and now he was about to lose the Mystic Ruler’s sword, the symbol of his authority, as well?
“No!!!”
Forgetting his pain, he lunged forward and grabbed the sword, but…
Crack—!
The sword, already strained to its limit, shattered, releasing the immense power within.
Shatter—!!!!!
“Aaargh!”
“Uwaah!”
Shards of the blade flew through the air, striking those nearby.
“…!!”
Even the Mystic Ruler wasn't spared. A shard pierced his eye.
“Mystic Ruler! Get down!”
“Mystic Ruler! It’s dangerous! Come this way!”
But despite their cries and the excruciating pain in his eye, he couldn’t look away.
Something red and pulsating…
…was rising from the shattered sword, writhing as it escaped its confines.
Screeech!
An earsplitting screech echoed through the hall.
The power, freed from its prison, blazed like a living entity, rejoicing in its newfound freedom.
‘Can I… control it?’
His hesitation was brief.
Could he control that immense power contained within the Red Dragon's Spirit Orb without the sword?
But just as he hesitated, a white hand reached out, faster than his.
“!!!”
Pushing Baek Giha aside, who had tried to shield her, she jumped into the chaos, ignoring the warriors’ attacks.
Sehwa, reaching the surging power, embraced it without hesitation.
“Come!”
Kaboom!
A shockwave, the collision of two powerful spiritual forces, ripped through her, and the power, losing its freedom, thrashed within her embrace.
Kiiiik!
An earsplitting screech echoed through the hall.
Intense flames erupted around her, burning her hair, her clothes, even her hands.
A raging inferno, threatening to consume her entirely.
An excruciating pain tore through her body.
But she tightened her embrace.
Blood trickled down her bitten lip, pus oozing from her burning wounds, but she held on tight.
“You can’t escape.”
She knew. This wasn't unfamiliar.
It was the same power she had once channeled during the banquet.
“Your master is here. Come inside me!”
It was at that moment.
Whoosh!
The power within her blazed even fiercer, expanding rapidly, and in an instant, engulfing her.
“Oh my god, stop! Sehwa!!”
And then, bending its massive form, it consumed her entirely.
“No!!!”
Baek Giha’s face turned ashen as he watched the massive spiritual power swallow Sehwa whole.
He lunged forward, his sword blazing with spiritual power, and struck the crimson energy, but it was no use.
Clang!
The sword shattered, and he was thrown back, the spiritual power exploding in a blinding flash of light.
Flash!
When Baek Giha, his vision momentarily lost, opened his eyes, a giant pillar of red light, seemingly connecting the heavens and the earth, stood before him.
“No!!”
He lunged at the pillar, his bare hands outstretched.
“Sehwa! Ju Sehwa!!”
He pounded on the pillar desperately, but even with all his might, it wouldn't break.
“Ju Sehwa!!!”
Just then…
A sound reverberated through their minds.
—!!!
Could it even be called a sound?
It was like a silent storm, raging within their skulls.
The red pillar exploded.
“!!!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Uwaaagh!”
Everyone was thrown back by the powerful shockwave, crashing against the walls and each other.
Even Baek Giha was thrown back against the altar.
“Ugh… Sehwa…”
His vision blurred, his head spinning from the impact, a searing heat blinding him.
But he had to open his eyes.
His entire body ached, as if he had been beaten.
But he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth, and stumbled to his feet.
He forced his eyes open, his sword, blazing with spiritual power, drawn once more.
“…Wh…”
But what was this…?
“…What is that…?”
‘…What… is that?’
At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The world was awash in red and yellow.
But within that swirling mass of color, something was moving.
Something massive, its form indescribable, writhing in the air, like two intertwined circles.
Shimmer—
A clear, ringing sound, like clinking glass, echoed through the air, and the world shifted, bathed in red, yellow, and black, as if covered by silk scarves.
“......”
How could he possibly describe what he was seeing?
It was so massive, too large to be fully taken in at a glance.
What should he call this?
Everyone who had regained consciousness, not just the Mystic Ruler and his unconscious clan members, stared in silent awe.
“......”
No one spoke, no one even dared to breathe, their chests heaving with a mixture of fear and wonder.
What was that?
It was alive.
Flames flickered and danced around its massive form, lightning crackling from its two towering horns, black smoke billowing from its closed mouth.
It was clearly alive.
Its form resembled a dragon.
But was this a dragon?
Could this colossal being, dominating the sky above them, truly be called a dragon?
Lava-like flames swirled around its massive horns and body.
A blindingly bright, scorching inferno, and within it, an overwhelming surge of spiritual power.
Then the air shimmered.
Something, its dark eyes gleaming, looked down at them from within the golden flames.
“A…”
As if compelled by instinct, the mystics began to kneel, one by one.
A perfect Red Dragon.
The original Divine Beast.
“Divine being…”
Their king, flawlessly transformed, filled the sky.
A radiant figure, dispelling the darkness of the night.
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