When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 197
Chapter 197
“What?! He moved?!”
The Mystic Ruler, his face pale, looked unrecognizable, his appearance having deteriorated drastically in the past few days.
The wound on his waist, which refused to heal despite all the medicine he had used, was festering, the surrounding flesh rotting.
“Yes. He flew towards the Central River.”
“D-Damn it! Damn it!”
He should have switched bodies before he left! Why did he leave without a word?! Why?!
“And Sanghyun?! Is Ju Sanghyun still refusing to come?!”
“A servant from Elder Sanghyun’s residence just arrived. He’s still bedridden from the injuries he sustained that day…”
“He’s still bedridden?! After all the medicine I sent?! Is he defying me?!” The Mystic Ruler’s pale face contorted as he pounded the bed with his weakened arm.
He had chosen Ju Sanghyun as his next vessel, after the First Corps Commander suggested him.
But Ju Sanghyun, as if aware of his intentions, had refused to come, making various excuses. And meanwhile, the Corrupt Dragon, who was supposed to assist in switching bodies, had gone somewhere.
‘This is bad! What if I can’t switch bodies with anyone?!’
“And the First Corps Commander?! Have you still not found him?!”
“Well…”
“Well, what?!”
“His room is empty… so… perhaps… he… ran away… to avoid being held accountable for the escape of Elder Myoungyoon’s sons…”
The Mystic Ruler slammed his fist on the bed again, his frustration boiling over. He should have switched bodies with the First Corps Commander instead of Ju Sanghyun.
He was going insane.
But he couldn’t just sit here and fume.
He took a deep breath and looked at the servant before him. “What’s your name?”
“I-I’m Danguk.”
“Danguk…” The Mystic Ruler’s face, which had been contorted in rage, softened as he looked down, his voice now quiet and mournful. “Everyone has abandoned me in this dire situation, yet you remain by my side, caring for me. I’m deeply grateful.”
“N-No! It’s my duty, Mystic Ruler!”
“I would have rewarded you if I weren’t in this condition…”
“I don’t need a reward! I would do anything for the Ju Clan! Just tell me what you need.”
The Mystic Ruler’s expression turned apologetic. “…If you insist… then I have a request… Could you help me up? I need to summon the warriors.”
He reached out his hand, trying to sit up, and Danguk, surprised by the unexpected praise, quickly rushed to his side and supported him.
“Where are you going in this condition? Are you going somewhere far, since you’re summoning the warriors?”
“If He had to leave so suddenly, without a word, something serious must be happening. With the Six Clans united, constantly plotting against us, we can’t let our guard down.”
“Mystic Ruler…”
“Yes, I am the Mystic Ruler. But how can I remain ignorant of such a serious matter that even He had to attend to? I have to go after Him.”
He looked at Danguk and added, “So, could you assist me? I need your help getting there.”
‘To think he’s still working for the clan in this condition…’
“Of course, it’s my duty.”
Danguk nodded repeatedly, carefully supporting the Mystic Ruler as they left the room, making sure not to aggravate his wound.
‘Perhaps this weakened state is actually advantageous. It’ll make those cunning bastards like Ju Sanghyun and the First Corps Commander lower their guard.’
The Mystic Ruler’s eyes, narrowed, were fixed on Danguk. ‘I’ll devour him first, and then lure Ju Sanghyun…’
His gaze, like a snake eyeing its prey, gleamed with malice.
Kaboom!
Sehwa struck the black barrier again with her spiritual whip.
As her attacks intensified, the barrier flickered more frequently, as if weakening.
Kyaaa—!
A roar, like a scream of rage, erupted from beyond the barrier.
The black miasma, which had been flickering, pulsed violently, shaking the air.
Rumble!
Sehwa watched the barrier, which was now shaking violently, as if making its last stand.
A blinding light exploded outwards.
When the light subsided, the black barrier, like melting ice, crumbled and disappeared from the sky.
But the darkness covering the Ju Clan territory remained.
No, it wasn’t darkness.
It was something that looked like a piece of the night sky, stretched across the horizon.
A massive, black form, moving sinuously, appeared in the sunset-lit sky.
It was the Corrupt Dragon.
Rumble!
The ground trembled as the massive dragon landed on the other side of the Central River.
The setting sun was eclipsed by its colossal form, plunging the surrounding area into darkness.
A foul stench, strong enough to make her gag, reached Sehwa.
Drops of dark red blood, dripping from the dragon’s body as it moved, corroded the earth like acid.
“…Corrupt Dragon…”
But it was still a dragon.
And Baek Giha also seemed to sense it.
Having checked on the unconscious warriors within the Baek Clan’s ice barrier, he had returned, now in his human form, and was standing beside her, his voice low, “It truly… is a dragon…”
The warriors who had regained consciousness, startled by the tremors and the roar, rushed out of the Baek Clan’s barrier.
“—!!!”
They froze, their eyes wide with shock as they saw the Corrupt Dragon, its colossal form dominating the sky before them.
Strangely…
…despite the stench of decay emanating from its obsidian scales, shimmering in the fading sunlight, the Corrupt Dragon looked majestic.
Its red eyes, which had seemed so menacing in the darkness, now seemed ancient and wise.
Sehwa’s expression hardened.
Perhaps they had underestimated the Corrupt Dragon.
They knew his power was immense, but now that they knew about his connection to the First Consort, they believed they had a way to kill him. He was essentially a patchwork of stolen bodies and lives, sustained by his anchor. If only they could redirect the backlash of the curse onto him, they might be able to defeat him easily.
But…
‘It might not be that simple…’
Just as her hand, hidden within her sleeve, clenched nervously…
—So you finally came, after all that boasting. Cat got your tongue?
The Corrupt Dragon, having noticed Sehwa and Baek Giha standing on the other side of the river, and the large ice barrier behind them, spoke, his voice echoing in their minds, as if carried by the wind. —Or did you finally realize you need to negotiate after seeing my true form?
The warriors, unnerved by the eerie voice echoing in their skulls, lowered their gazes, their faces pale, despite their experience on countless battlefields. Even the most seasoned warriors trembled, some leaning on their swords for support.
Sehwa, her expression unchanged, replied, “I don’t know how to answer that.”
—What?
Was she finally scared?
The Corrupt Dragon laughed. —It’s too late for that. Do you think I’ll spare you now, even if you beg for your life? Your arrogance—
“I meant, I’m not sure how to respond to such absurdity.”
—…What?
“You sent me that nightmare, and I simply told you to come here yourself if you had something to say. And you rushed over here like a scared little rabbit, and now you’re complaining that I’m not saying anything?”
She looked him up and down, her gaze condescending. “Well, judging by your appearance, I suppose you’re the one who wants to beg for his life.”
—You…!
A dark, sinister aura erupted from the enraged Corrupt Dragon.
His eyes blazed with fury, the pupils no longer visible. —You’re truly out of your mind. He glared at her. —Go ahead, say whatever you want. Let's see if you can still be so insolent when your friends are dying before your eyes.
“Your own tongue is still wagging quite well, despite having one of your eyes blown out and your own clan members screaming in agony. Why shouldn’t I be able to do the same?”
—How dare—!
“I was worried when I saw your two eyes in that nightmare.”
She smiled sweetly at him, her gaze fixed on his one remaining eye.
“But seeing that your other eye is still gone… I’m relieved.”
—Ju Sehwa—!!
The Corrupt Dragon roared, his voice filled with rage, as if he was about to tear the sky apart.
Sehwa’s smile widened.
She was deliberately provoking him.
The more enraged he became, the more openings she would have.
“You’ve always threatened me, every time we met. That you wouldn’t spare me, that you would kill me and torture everyone I cared about.”
—You—!
“So please, show me what you can do. Stop with the empty threats, the repeated defeats, the same old promises. Show me something new.”
The Corrupt Dragon’s breathing grew ragged, his massive body emitting black smoke.
She looked at him, her gaze cold and mocking.
“I’m tired of your empty threats. They’re getting boring.”
—You!!!
Just then, the entire plain was bathed in a blinding light, the ground shaking violently.
The Corrupt Dragon’s face, contorted in rage, opened its mouth.
—…!!
A massive pillar of fire, consuming even the black smoke, erupted from his mouth and shot towards them.
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