Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 400: The Chaos of an Elite Few

It was indeed a perplexing sight for Yeon-woo, but the current situation could be summarized that way.

The support troops had to be composed mainly of martial experts skilled in light movement, and the Heavenly Demon side had to keep their distance to avoid getting swept up in the chaos.

Explosions from sword energy erupted around, forcibly expanding the battlefield.

Standing still in the middle would get Yeon-woo killed by the exploding aura, so he quickly made his escape.

Since the Heavenly Demon also withdrew for now, Yeon-woo needed a moment to catch his breath.

Fortunately, the support from their side outnumbered the enemy.

While the number of experts on the side of the alliance was higher, due to the characteristics of martial arts, it truly was a given that the demonic faction had the advantage in a simple numbers game.

The Heavenly Demon’s face twisted unpleasantly at the timely arrival of the support troops.

Although it was expected they would arrive roughly at this time, the timing was so perfect that Yeon-woo couldn’t help but feel like cheering.

Moreover, the displeasure on the Heavenly Demon’s face was a sight for sore eyes.

The Sword Master and Namgung Seong clashed swords, one after another.

In truth, there was no way Namgung Seong could be a match for the Sword Master.

The Sword Master had long since entered the realm of mastery, a swordsman who stood shoulder to shoulder with the best.

But compared to him, Namgung Seong was merely a chick.

Nevertheless, they were exchanging blows repeatedly.

“Hooh…!!”

Even the Sword Master was taken aback by the fierce sword attacks. Yeon-woo too could feel the refinement of Namgung Seong’s swordsmanship had improved since before.

What kind of training has he been doing all this time…? But on reflection, wasn’t he from a family with two teachers in his grandfather and father?

That would certainly explain it. If he had received special training from them during that time, he might have been able to elevate his skills somehow.

Aside from that, Soolma was facing off against the elder Zigal, and Seongma was engaged in a fierce duel with the stern Taoist, Hyeoncheon Jin.

Seongma looked utterly displeased, but escaping the sword of Hyeoncheon Jin was no easy feat.

Finally, Jinma descended in front of Yeon-woo.

As Yeon-woo took a moment to catch his breath, Gongson-bin approached, waving his yellow robe as if to offer help.

“Come to assist me?”

“Haha, I thought I might give my modest support.”

“Everyone’s help is appreciated.”

Although Yeon-woo didn’t know what type of martial arts Gongson-bin practiced, he could tell he was sincere.

Jinma, in a way, was an enemy that resembled Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo, who could transform his body as desired using the power of courage, and Jinma, who exhibited a change worthy of the name True Demon through martial arts.

‘…But what kind of person is Gongson-bin?’

Thinking it over, it’s hard to say. Even before Yeon-woo’s regression, the Gongson family never really appeared prominently.

They might have been quietly moving in the shadows to save the martial arts.

Being a branch of the Huang family, while they may have been presented as a center, it would be a risky choice to directly engage in battle.

“Hm, it seems you don’t know much about me?”

As Yeon-woo pondered, Gongson-bin lifted the corners of his mouth.

Could it be he really didn’t know? If that’s the case, it’d be time to show him something.

Muttering as he stepped forward, Gongson-bin placed one hand on his waist while extending the other palm outward.

He then flicked his fingers nonchalantly.

“…Huh?”

Such an arrogant attitude made Jinma scoff.

And rightly so. A mere junior, clearly weaker than him, was claiming to concede the first move.

“If you wish to die, then so be it!!”

Jinma’s human form erupted with massive muscles.

A reckless charge that could only be called a shoulder tackle came crashing down on Gongson-bin.

The air shattered beneath that momentum, the inflated shoulder reminding one of a massive truck or wrecking ball.

However, Gongson-bin met Jinma’s terrifying appearance head-on and remained unruffled.

Even displaying a sense of leisure, Yeon-woo was taken aback.

As Jinma’s form barreled toward him, the first thing Gongson-bin did was lower his stance.

His thoroughly trained lower body emerged from beneath the robe. Steadily planted on the ground, he softly accepted Jinma’s charge with the back of his hand.

“What…!?”

A voice of surprise escaped Jinma’s lips.

No matter how furious he was, Jinma was also a grandmaster of external martial arts.

It shouldn’t be possible for someone of Gongson-bin’s level, merely at the advanced expert stage, to brush him off so easily.

Yet, without difficulty, Gongson-bin slipped sideways and struck at Jinma’s flank with a swift move.

Boom!! With a thundering sound that echoed as though a balloon made of flesh had burst, Jinma was sent flying to the edge of the battlefield.

It was hard to believe such a feat was accomplished by that seemingly puny body.

“Phew, is that all?”

Gongson-bin, who effortlessly sent flying an opponent being one rank above him, dusted off his hands.

From Yeon-woo’s perspective, it was a remarkably adept technique. One could even compare it to Lionel’s level, perhaps an extreme of flow-based martial artistry.

“To introduce myself, you see, people often refer to us, Gongson, as such. They say we are different (亞) from humanity (人). Indeed, we’re called the True Person (眞人).”

With a sly grin, Gongson-bin spoke, emanating a peculiar flow of mana.

How to describe it? If Yeon-woo’s mana symbolized the infinite cosmos and Noel’s resembled the light of day, then his was….

‘…a shade of blue?’

A hue reminiscent of life…. One that seemed akin to the earth, illuminating the color palette.

The warrior of the martial arts was neither hidden nor young.

*

It had been day after day driven solely by the determination to save the world of the ancestors. But finding an answer proved impossible.

The demonic energy acted as a thick barrier, forbidding their entry.

Yet still, Gongson-bin did not hesitate and continued to strive.

Someday, they would find a way to eliminate the demonic energy. Having hope was their only option.

Fortunately, that hope began to shine.

Choi Yeon-woo, the boy known as the Dragon’s Contractor.

Initially, he hadn’t concerned himself much. But after hearing that he could remove demonic energy, well, he became slightly interested.

As a branch of the Huang family, positioned as the focal point for rescuing the martial arts, it only seemed to appear nominally strong.

But that was far from the truth.

If Gongson-bin decided to exert his strength, he’d receive help not only from the five great families but also from the alliances and the Saimiryun.

This way, those from other worlds weren’t able to interfere, while those from the martial arts couldn’t mess things up with Choi Yeon-woo.

As long as he didn’t leave a bad impression, considering his tendency to recklessly help people, he’d likely find himself helping the martial arts.

And ultimately, such actions bore fruit.

Gongson-bin grinned as he looked at Jinma, whose face was twisted in fury.

“The time has come. It’s time to reclaim our world.”

Yeon-woo stared blankly at that scene. Despite his attempts to search diligently, he had missed the reason for Jinma’s astonishing prowess.

It was because he initially hadn’t shown a fighting appearance.

“Even chewing on it would be insufficient…!!”

With that relaxed demeanor, Jinma exploded with rage as vast amounts of demonic energy surged like columns. In response to his anger, Jinma’s physical structure began to transform.

His lower body became as thick as the columns of the sacred grounds, transforming into a muscular mass, while his arms became longer and bulkier.

Wielding arms several times longer than his body, Jinma swung them like whips.

Swoosh!!

The ground erupted from just the brush of Jinma’s arms. The reach difference with Gongson-bin, a master-level martial artist, seemed to be several dozen times larger.

Nevertheless, Gongson-bin simply smiled and casually walked through the storm created by the whips.

‘…This makes no sense?’

Even Yeon-woo could see that Jinma was excellently utilizing his physical condition.

Yet, Gongson-bin was evading the whips with such nonchalance.

Was it his impressive agility? Or something else?

As Yeon-woo pondered the nature of Gongson-bin’s star-like mana, Gongson-bin snatched the whip with precise timing.

Even while Jinma’s whip was moving at unbelievable speed, it was clear its strength diminished once it hit the ground. He capitalized on that moment.

In words, it seemed very easy, but taking such an action while those whips were breaking the sound barrier was a testament to his audacity.

As if guiding the whip, Gongson-bin pushed with a shout.

Normally, a flexible object like a whip wouldn’t simply be thrown by being pulled.

And yet, as Gongson-bin exerted force, Jinma’s body was drawn out with an unbelievable ease.

“What the hell…!!”

“Huuh, ha!!”

Ultimately, without even witnessing any technique, it felt as though Gongson-bin was perfectly drawing out 100% of his physical capabilities.

That alone allowed Gongson-bin to dominate Jinma.

It wasn’t just a matter of being slightly better; Jinma was clearly several ranks behind.

Whoosh, Jinma soared through the air, unable to hold back his astonishment. Hastily unfurling his wings, Jinma readied himself in midair.

Excluding Seongma, who resembled the Heavenly Demon, seeing Jinma, known for his notoriously foul temperament, panting with his mouth agape was quite amusing.

Well, it seemed they had observed everything worth seeing. That was enough.

Of course, Jinma and the Heavenly Demon were worlds apart in terms of capability, but for Gongson-bin, dealing with someone of Jinma’s caliber seemed feasible.

In that light, it was fair to say the odds of victory had significantly risen compared to earlier.

Gongson-bin smiled at Yeon-woo. In his gaze, there was an implied request for Yeon-woo to finish things up since he lacked decisiveness.

That was indeed true. Although skilled at attacking, he seemed incapable of sealing the deal.

Perhaps it was simply a bad match against Jinma.

‘Could this mean that otherworldly heroes complement each other’s shortcomings?’

There was no way for them to remove the demonic energy, and Yeon-woo had no means to kill the Heavenly Demon until he acquired the heavenly spear.

Originally, it was likely that balance was maintained by giving the heavenly spear to Gongson-bin.

And Noel also seemed to evoke a similar feeling. Perhaps the relationships of heroes unfolded that way.

Thinking along those lines, Yeon-woo infused strength into the hand gripping the heavenly spear.

In the next moment, Gongson-bin, moving at a speed even Jinma couldn’t perceive, grabbed Jinma’s body.

“What are you…!? What the hell are you!!”

With disbelief written all over his face, Jinma blustered as his body inflated.

Jinma’s massively muscled form swung his arms in a desperate attempt to shake Gongson-bin off, but Gongson-bin refused to let go.

Bathed in blood from the blows, Gongson-bin twisted his body instead.

As Jinma fell headfirst toward the ground, Gongson-bin followed suit.

Distinguishing between the two who were so tightly entwined would hardly be feasible.

However, among those who had reached master level, there wasn’t one who couldn’t manage that feat.

A silver flash shone brilliantly. It was shockingly easy to procure a fragment of the demonic essence from Jinma’s body.

(Continued in the next episode)