The Dragon’s Flowers within the hall were unable to see what was happening outside. And because they couldn’t see, a few placed their faith in Jang Du's promise.
However, if they had been able to see outside, they would have realized that the situation there was far from simple.
“Fuck off already, you bastards!”
[Jang Du used Human Bomb.]
[While charging, all targets that are collided into receive additional damage. If a target is pushed back into an obstacle, it receives twice the additional damage.]
Slaaaaam!
“Stop him! Stop Jang Du!”
“Even a scratch is fine!”
“Haah… Haah…”
Jang Du had already sensed on his way here that things might not go as smoothly as usual.The sharp rocks embedded in his back served as painful proof.
‘Damn it. Why did it…’
The explosions underground had injured Jang Du. While he might have been able to break through Insulating Steel at full strength, it was nearly impossible now in his injured state.
“Restrain him!”
Jang Du then turned to face the enemies before him, noting that some possessed rather unique abilities.
They were individuals Yu Gyeong had hired.
While Yu Gyeong wasn’t fond of the way they drew an evil spirit on their faces with blood, he couldn’t deny their skills.
Slash!
They attacked with their long, sharp fingernails, which looked like they hadn’t been trimmed in ages.
‘That looks dangerous.’
Jang Du could tell from their ominous energy that their nails were coated in poison.
Baaaaam!
They were also strong enough to endure a hit from Jang Du.
In truth, it was incredible that they could withstand even one of his attacks. Usually, a single strike from Jang Du was more than enough to turn someone into a corpse, yet somehow, they managed to find another chance.
“Damn it!” angrily shouted Jang Du, furious at his own weakness.
He knew deep down that he was using them as an excuse.
‘I can’t break it.’
Even though he struck the door with all his strength, it repelled the attack completely, leaving his right hand unusable.
‘Insulating Steel!’
Jang Du had realized it the moment he struck it.
‘It’s all Insulating Steel.’
Though he realized the meeting hall was reinforced with Insulating Steel, it didn't change anything at this point.
If he defeated Zhe Gak’s underlings and had another opportunity…
‘Krgh…’
Jang Du was still uncertain.
He did not believe that he could break down that door.
‘Lady Shin Yo!’
* * *
Zhe Gak calmed his racing heart.
“The same Jang Du who was supposed to be dead is here. I guess Yu Gyeong failed. That bastard… even his arrival is loud.”
Shin Yo pulled out the dagger lodged in the back of her hand.
Clatter…
“Haah… Haah…”
“How intense.”
“Your stupid plan’s over now that Jang Du is here. Hurry up and—”
“...Are you sure about that?”
Shin Yo scowled at Zhe Gak’s question.
Despite Jang Du arriving here, he was still very lax.
“You know it too, don’t you, Shin Yo?” mocked Zhe Gak.
“......”
“He might be strong, but he’ll never break through the Insulating Steel. Even if there were two Jang Du’s, it would be impossible. That wall’s just too thick. He can’t save you.”
“Krgh…”
“Seriously? Even I know that, and I’m the dumb one here. Ah, so you were just pretending not to know. Were you hoping that I’d get scared by Jang Du or something? Haha…”
Zhe Gak’s madness grew stronger and stronger.
However, it wasn’t as if Zhe Gak had become like this because he met Yu Gyeong.
He had always been like this.
Zhe Gak had simply hidden it, biding his time.
“Don’t you think you looked down on me too much?”
Shin Yo bit her lip.
The dent in the door was likely the result of Jang Du using all his strength. He had a habit of going all out, probably intending to break through with a single blow.
‘But he couldn't break it…’
Jang Du had failed to break through the Insulating Steel.
This also meant that he wouldn’t be able to break through it at all. And judging by the screams outside… no help was coming anytime soon.
‘No one is left to save us now.’
Then, there was only one method left.
"Argh, I can't stop feeling nervous knowing Jang Du is right outside. I can't do it how I intended anymore… this is all because of you, Shin Yo."
Zhe Gak then gave a fiendish grin.
“No more second chances. I’ll kill you if you refuse to sign.”
“......”
“This crazy…”
However, no one spoke out against Zhe Gak.
It was clear that whoever dared to speak up first would become his next target.
“Now, who should I… let’s go with you!”
“H-Hieee… Wh-why me?!”
“Are you refusing?”
The woman Zhe Gak singled out was also the same one who looked down on Seol Hong, along with Tae Yul.
Though they had coincidentally met again, both were now in the same extremely dangerous circumstance.
“I-I…” she stammered, staring at the decapitated head.
Step…
But then… someone stepped forward.
It was Chi Woo.
“What do you think you’re doing, Chi Woo?”
“It’s as you can see.”
Chi Woo, too, had a plan of his own.
‘I just have to hold out until Kang Seol makes it here.’
Jang Du had already arrived, and if Seol could make it as well, there might still be a chance. While Chi Woo had also heard the explosions earlier, there was no way Seol wouldn’t have managed to escape safely if Jang Du did.
There was little to expect from the other Dragon’s Stones.
Chi Woo knew that Jang Du and Kang Seol were stronger than all the other Dragon’s Stones combined.
Even so…
Would Seol be able to turn the situation around?
Could he break through the Insulating Steel?
‘I should believe in him. No, I must believe in him.’
“Restrain him,” commanded Zhe Gak.
Fuu…
Fuu…
Two men suddenly appeared in front of Chi Woo.
It was Koeng Hong, the Leech, and Dang Seong, the Thunder.
While they should have been simple opponents for Chi Woo, he was currently under the effects of Dispersing Powder.
He couldn’t use even 10% of the ki that he usually could.
‘I guess it’s two skills at best?’
Chi Woo, rationally calculating his situation, recognized that defeat was inevitable. However, if his goal was to simply buy time, he was confident he could last quite a while.
“Should we kill him?”
“No, just restrain him. Try not to injure him too much either, he’ll become mine soon anyway.”
“Understood.”
Fwip!
Koeng Hong’s chain flew through the air.
Fwirl!
‘I’ll dodge—’
Though Chi Woo could see the attack, he failed to dodge it properly.
Thrash!
“Krgh…”
The chain quickly wrapped around Chi Woo’s arm.
Though he tried to resist, it did not budge at all with just his raw power alone.
Fwooosh…
Dang Seong’s palm quickly flew in, aiming for Chi Woo’s chin. Taking that attack would clearly knock him out.
‘I have no choice.’
Chi Woo had to use the card up his sleeve.
Fwip!
“Hrgh…”
Chi Woo leaped into the air, then dove down with both feet extended ahead.
[Chi Woo used Wind Fang.]
[Your attack deals 70% extra piercing damage.]
[Deal additional damage if you pierce through your target.]
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Clatter…
Koeng Hong tugged on his chains, pulling Chi Woo down and causing his attack to land on Dang Soeng’s arms instead of his heart.
Pierce…
“Ahhhhh!”
Furious, Dang Seong clenched his fist and swung it at Chi Woo’s stomach.
“Don’t kill him!” shouted Koeng Hong, trying to stop him.
Chi Woo swiftly channeled the ki he had saved for his next attack to defend himself.
‘I’ll die if that lands!’
It was far better to use his ki to survive than to risk a hole in his stomach.
Bam…
“Bwrgh…”
Chi Woo's body was lifted back into the air. However, it wasn’t by his own will.
“K-Krgh…”
The opponent was too strong to face with just technique alone.
“Yeah, yeah. I almost forgot about you. Look over here, Chi Woo, you damned mutt.”
“Haah… Haah…”
Stomp…
Zhe Gak began grinding his foot on Chi Woo’s head, pressing it further down.
“Stop it!”
Zhe Gak quickly turned, searching for the source of the voice.
He then smiled.
“You were hiding here too, Seol Hong?”
“Stop, please… Please don’t do this.”
“I can’t even watch anymore. You and that damned mutt must be trying to kill me with laughter, right?”
“Elder Brother Zhe Gak…”
“At least you still call me Elder Brother. How nice, haha…”
Seol Hong could feel her roots rotting away, as if the water she had been drinking had been poisoned all this time.
“Why… Why are you doing this?”
“......”
“What… What turned you into this, Elder Brother Zhe Gak?”
Zhe Gak’s laughter instantly ceased, as if Seol Hong had completely soured his mood.
“Stop being so arrogant.”
“......”
“And stop speaking as if you know everything. Everyone has their methods.”
Zhe Gak quickly turned to the others.
“Even someone like me has their way of surviving!”
The man before her was not the Zhe Gak that Seol Hong knew. Zhe Gak was kind, and patient.
Or maybe… she just didn’t know anything about him.
The pain in Seol Hong’s heart grew stronger.
“Jang Du!” desperately shouted Shin Yo.
With Zhe Gak’s henchmen having defeated Chi Woo, the only fate left for the Dragon’s Flowers was either to die in the order that Zhe Gak decided or to become his slave. Knowing this, Shin Yo resolved to play her final card.
“Lady Shin Yo! Please wait just a bi—” cried Jang Du from beyond the wall.
“How much longer would I have to wait then?! I will open the gate to the celestial realm!”
“Y-You mustn’t! If you head there without the proper preparatio—”
“Wish me luck. Well then…”
Shin Yo swiftly rolled up her sleeves, exposing her arms adorned with intricate, geometric tattoos.
“It’s uncharacteristic for me, Shin Yo, to yield to anything I don’t serve with my whole heart.”
“...What?”
“I will open the gate.”
Glooooooow…
The tattoos on her arm began to glow.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The room made of Insulating Steel began to shake as well.
It was as if the room itself had been lifted through the ceiling and into the sky.
“Wh-what is…”
[Shin Yo used Open Gate: Celestial Realm.]
[You are transported to the Celestial Realm, the realm of Xians.]
T/N: Xians are the immortal, mythical celestials of Eastern folklore, heavily rooted in Daoism.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
‘Strange’ barely scratched the surface of the sensation everyone in the room was experiencing.
It was as if their bodies were floating while simultaneously being crushed under an immense force.
“What the hell did you do?!” shouted Zhe Gak.
“I’ve transported us to another realm—a world filled with the delusions you cherish so dearly.”
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The celestial realm Shin Yo transported them to was an entirely separate world, much like the spirit and ghoul realms known to the people of Pandea.
In simpler terms, it was the realm of Xians, a place where dragons and phantom beasts also existed.
However, this was also the place where Shin Yo’s master lived.
‘Once Master realizes that I’m here…’
The residents of this world were eccentric and powerful enough to consume the entire Insulating Steel room.
It would mean death for all of the Dragon’s Flowers if they were caught. Despite this, Shin Yo still entered the realm, all in the hope of one possibility.
‘Master, please!’
She prayed that her master would notice her first and save her.
“......”
However, it quickly fell silent.
While it certainly felt like they were floating, there was no other reaction.
As they were unable to see outside of the room, all they could do was awkwardly blink.
‘No…’
After a few seconds, Zhe Gak began to laugh madly.
“Hah… Hahahahaha! You scared me, Shin Yo! Your jokes went too far.”
“Damn it…”
The Dragon’s Flowers fell to despair after even Shin Yo’s attempt failed.
There was now nothing to stop Zhe Gak’s plans.
“Bring those three to their knees before me.”
“Let me go! Let me go!”
“Seol Hong!”
Thud!
A hand pressed each of their heads firmly to the floor.
Chi Woo, Shin Yo, and Seol Hong all knelt before Zhe Gak.
“I had hoped to avoid damaging anyone who might become my servant, but... it seems that wasn’t possible.”
“Elder Brother Zhe Gak…”
Zhe Gak then lifted Seol Hong’s face by her chin.
Her eyes began to tear up as a red gash marked her forehead.
However, she did not cry.
“Seol Hong.”
Seol Hong shut her mouth.
“Do you think it’s unfair? Shouldn’t you have learned by now? The weak…”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then…”
Seol Hong seemed sad.
“The person who wrote me those words of encouragement in those letters… that wasn’t you…”
Zhe Gak began to cackle, revealing the evilness in his heart.
“Who would ever pity someone as filthy as you? Know your place, Seol Hong. You are weak.”
Clench…
“Shut your mouth…” said Chi Woo, trying to raise his head.
“Go ahead,” mocked Zhe Gak.
“Strength gathers toward a will. Seol Hong—”
“Another boring sermon. It’s quite a nice one for someone with their head on the floor, though.”
Unfurl.
“Your scrolls. Now, hurry up and–”
Just as Zhe Gak was about to hand them their scrolls…
Thuuuuuud…
The room began to shake once more.
‘Jang Du? No, it’s Master!’
Color returned to Shin Yo’s face.
It felt as if a ray of light had pierced through the cracks to save them.
Though she had opened the gate to the celestial realm, she had left a piece of the Insulating Steel room behind in the real world, allowing them to return whenever.
They were now in an unstable situation, with the possibility of someone approaching from either world.
However, if Jang Du were the cause of the rumbling, he would have announced his presence first.
And if it was her master…
‘...it isn’t Master either?’
They would have searched for Shin Yo the moment they found the room.
But judging by how there was no sound…
‘Shit! It’s a phantom beast!’
Phantom beasts were ancient monsters who lived in the celestial realm, with some even rivaling the power of dragons.
“Zhe Gak.”
“Was that you, Shin Yo? You really—”
“No, it wasn’t me.”
“......”
“Let me warn you. A portion of this room is currently floating in the celestial realm.”
“And?”
“It isn’t just humans who dislike uninvited guests.”
Zhe Gak fell silent as Shin Yo slowly continued.
“It seems that a resident of the celestial realm has come to welcome us.”
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