'Something is happening.'
Rumble-
The rumbling in the sky from the distant sea was slowly getting louder.
"Human, the sky is getting cloudy!"
The stars were disappearing in the distant sky.
The clouds were covering the light of the stars.
Ooooooooong.
Cale looked at the purple formation core that was rumbling and sparkling in his hand.
He then observed the changes in the distant sky as well as the growing waves in the once calm waters.
He could think that this was not a big deal.
The water splashing like this during the night was nothing special and the distant sky getting cloudy could not be related to this area at all.
However, Cale could only say one thing as he put the formation core back in his pocket.
"The Dragons messed around."
Aipotu. Those Purple Bloods bastards had done something.
"Human! I think I know what you mean when you say messed around, but I am not that kind of Dragon!"
He ignored Raon's comment.
He couldn't confirm what kind of mess, no, what kind of traps those Dragon bastards had set up, but…
He had a feeling based on the changes in the sea and the approaching rumbling from the sky.
'The sea is dangerous.'
Cale addressed the Fist King.
"Please go see the Chief Advisor immediately and ask her to have the ships dock on the island as quickly as possible or return to the shore on the other side. And then please have everybody gather not on shore but at the center of the island."
"…I understand."
The Fist King answered without any hesitation as he had seen what Cale had seen.
Cale then added on.
"And please take care of the priestesses as well."
"Of course. You do not have to worry."
Cale looked away from the Fist King and motioned to Raon with his gaze.
"Let's go back."
To the Blood Cult.
"I got it, human!"
Oooooo-
Black mana started creating a teleportation magic circle on the deck again.
The Fist King watched Cale get ready to leave and hesitated before asking a question.
"…Young master Kim! Is something about to happen with the destruction of Stairway to Heaven?"
Paaaat-!
Cale was covered in a bright light as he left a short response.
"I'm going to go check that, Fist King-nim."
That was the only way to set a plan.
The Fist King's solemn face and the scared priestesses disappeared from Cale's view.
He heard the voice of the Sky Eating Water at that moment.
– Cale. This seems, mm.
Cale closed his eyes and was about to let the teleportation magic circle take his body when he heard the extremely sunken voice of the Sky Eating Water.
– It looks like both the sky and the sea will charge at us?
'Fuck.'
Cale swore as he opened his eyes to see that he was in the plaza right in front of Stairway to Heaven.
It was at that moment.
Twitch.
His heart felt numb.
"Oo-"
He heard Raon's groan at the same time. Cale immediately extended his hand.
He could see Raon with his wings and body curled up. Cale immediately hugged Raon after seeing that Raon's wings were shaking.
He then looked around.
"Huff, huff."
"Ugh."
Nobody had pointed their swords at Cale despite his teleporting to the center of the plaza.
Everybody was either kneeling or down on the ground or barely standing and breathing heavily.
Pat. Pat.
Cale petted Raon's back.
He heard a quiet voice.
"…Human."
There was no shaking.
However, he could sense fear and shock in Raon's voice.
"Human… What is this...?"
It had been a long time since Raon truly asked Cale about the identity of something.
Cale got annoyed after sensing the faint trace of fear in Raon's voice.
However, he did not say anything.
As Raon was in Cale's arms, he slowly raised his head to see the existence that was making him shake.
Cale was looking toward that direction as well.
Shhhhhhhh-
There was a gust of wind.
It was not a natural wind.
Fluctuating blue aura… That blue color was shining. This natural and beautiful blue color that made people think of the sea under the sunlight was mixed with hundreds, no, thousands of different shades of blue, making it truly resemble the sea.
Wind blew whenever the aura fluctuated and Cale frowned at the aura the wind contained.
'This-'
The Dominating Aura reacted at that moment.
– Hoo. That's pretty strong.
Dragon Fear.
It was an aura that would make most creatures fall into fear.
An aura that was like Dragon Fear but completely different touched Cale's skin.
"Human."
Raon peeked his head out. He was not shaking at all now. In fact, he was squirming.
Cale looked down at Raon.
"I'm okay now!"
Ancient Dragon Eruhaben. The Dragon Fear that he released was not something a fellow Dragon like Raon feared.
However, this unfamiliar aura that was similar to that was enough to give this young Dragon a short period of fear.
Raon was a Dragon but he was only six years old after all.
Cale released the arm that was hugging Raon.
His arm was a bit numb but he ignored it.
He looked somewhere else instead.
He heard the Dominating Aura's voice.
– But this aura, it feels like it was created from tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of lives?
Step.
Cale stepped forward.
He could see it.
He could see Choi Han breathing heavily with his sword stabbed into where he was standing.
Standing right in front of the Blood Demon, his existence felt extremely small compared to the large sea-resembling blue aura.
He was just one person.
Crack.
Choi Han seemed to be struggling to breathe. The roof he had stabbed his sword into cracked.
However, he only looked forward.
He made eye contact with the Blood Demon.
"This was fun but I don't think I can play with you for very long."
She looked relaxed.
Her white hair moved like a painting within the blue aura.
"Huuuuuu."
Choi Han could hear team leader Lee Soo Hyuk let out a deep breath next to him. He couldn't even see Choi Jung Soo.
The moment Choi Jung Soo had attacked the Blood Demon…
They were able to get very close thanks to the team leader's power and Choi Han had seen Choi Jung Soo's white yong charge toward the Blood Demon as if it wanted to rip her into pieces.
This immense aura had suddenly released from the Blood Demon at that moment.
Choi Jung Soo had been flung away by that immense aura. The white yong had been swallowed by the blue aura as if it was drowning in the sea.
'Ha.'
Choi Han scoffed internally.
He finally realized it.
'This is the true Blood Demon.
The Black Bloods of Xiaolen… The Huayans patriarch was nothing.
Yes, I should have expected this.'
He could feel it properly.
'She took away the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and turned their life force into her own aura.'
It only made sense for such an aura to be this strong.
It did not make sense that such an aura was simply clean and pure.
Because-
'The lives of hundreds of thousands of people… The weight of that should be heavier than anything else.
In some ways, this is even stronger than Eruhaben-nim's Dragon Fear.'
Even though Eruhaben was a Dragon, the aura of a single individual could not be heavier than the aura created from the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
"Tsk."
The Blood Demon clicked her tongue.
"I never expected to use my full force in this place."
She spoke as if she approved of Choi Han and Sui Khan, who was standing behind Choi Han with his head down.
"I will accept it. You guys are magnificent."
Her gaze headed to the bottom of the roof for a moment.
"Haaaaa, haaaaa-"
"Huuuuuff, m, mother."
Two young Blood Demon candidates were lying on the ground breathing heavily.
Their blue hair was turning black.
Blue auras shot out of their bodies and seeped into the Blood Demon's aura.
Choi Han sighed as he watched.
'In the end the young Blood Demon candidates were all to benefit the Blood Demon as well.'
The Blood Demon was absorbing the auras of the young Blood Demon candidates, these children who called her mother, and turning it into her own aura.
She smiled warmly toward Eun and Baek.
"You two grew wonderfully until now. Your auras are splendid. Your mother is so happy that you two grew up to be so fabulous."
'How can she be like this?'
As Choi Han had that thought…
Sssssssssss—
A breeze started blowing again.
It was even stronger now.
"I wish to no longer waste time."
The Blood Demon channeled her aura.
This blue aura that resembled a tsunami raised its body.
The aura shot up with the Blood Demon at the center as if a large wave was forming.
That aura accurately charged toward Choi Han and Sui Khan.
Step.
The Blood Demon took a step forward.
Boom!
Choi Han could feel his heart thumping.
He could feel that strong aura trying to attack him.
He felt as if he could tell the identity of this aura that was full of so many lives.
'That is a swamp.'
It was not the sea.
It was a swamp.
It was the type of swamp that would drag you down and not even leave a single strand of hair once you fell inside.
Choi Han could feel that his aura would be sucked away and his entire existence would disappear the moment he was swallowed by this blue aura.
'Is this martial arts? How was the Blood Demon able to get such power?'
He heard the Blood Demon's gentle voice at that moment.
"Something seems to have happened to Stairway to Heaven, so after quickly taking care of you… I will need to resolve the issue that you all and those bastards from Aipotu have created."
Sssssssssss—
The blue aura rose even higher.
"Mm."
The Sword Saint of the Namgung Clan was barely able to remain standing in front of that aura.
It was good enough that he was not showing an embarrassing sight in front of it.
"Huuuuuff."
"Ugh."
The martial artists of his clan were unable to breathe properly in front of this strong aura.
'It's like-
Yes, it's like that.'
The Sword Saint had a thought as he looked at this large blue aura.
Yunnan Castle.
Young master Kim's tsunami that had destroyed the castle walls there… The Sword Saint was feeling the same sensation he had felt when he first saw that tsunami.
'No.
This is even stronger than that.
The Blood Demon-
Is at an even higher level.'
The Sword Saint felt as if all of his strength was leaving his body at that fact.
Who could stop this aura?
The Sword Saint felt suffocated for a different reason.
He couldn't breathe properly at his own uselessness.
Step.
That led him to take a step forward.
He felt as if he could not stop here.
However, it was not easy to take that step forward. An instinctual fear was binding his body down.
Yet he took another step.
The Heavenly Demon in front of him… That guy was already walking forward.
He could not lose to this guy.
He then saw the Blood Demon looking around.
Her gaze was now directed at them.
"Pfft."
The Blood Demon quickly chuckled.
It wasn't even a sneer.
"How pitiful."
That was all she said.
As the Sword Saint scowled…
"What kind of nonsense are you spewing?"
The Blood Demon flinched.
Shhhh-.
The breeze that the blue aura was creating stopped.
She looked down.
Step, step.
There was someone nonchalantly walking toward her.
This person who was looking up at her as he walked… That person's gaze was quite annoyed and his face was full of discontent.
He moved without any hesitation.
Flutter flutter.
Behind that person was a young black Dragon flapping his wings and following behind him.
Other than that, nobody could stop him, hold him down… Or even look at him.
Ooooo–
The air rumbled.
Nothing could be seen but the blue aura could not move anymore.
An intense aura was coming out of this person walking forward.
"…How-"
'How can he push back this aura...?'
The Blood Demon flinched as she had that thought and looked down. She looked at her arms.
She had goosebumps.
She bit down on her lips.
"How could I-"
'After everything I did to get this far?!'
She could not say that out loud, but… As her relaxed face wrinkled for the first time…
"Blood Demon."
This person who looked up at her with an annoyed gaze…
Cale Henituse looked at the Blood Demon and nonchalantly asked.
"Why are you imitating a Dragon?"
Raon had said the following to Cale.
'Human, that aura is very different from Dragon Fear but, for some odd reason, it is very similar as well. I feel like this aura was created by basing it on Dragon Fear!'
Although the aura's fundamentals were different, the way the aura was used was the same as Dragon Fear.
'Mm, it is difficult for me to explain Dragon Fear. But something feels similar to Dragon Fear for sure.'
Cale felt as if he could understand what Raon meant.
Dragon Fear.
Similar to how that was used to let others know that they were the only noble existences in the world, similar to how it was used to let all others other than Dragons know that they were simply there to be their prey…
It was like a fear to let humans know that they were at a different level, no, to let them know to worship them.
'And the Blood Demon is the same.'
The aura coming out of her seemed to be saying that she was the only noble existence in this world and to bow down to her.
It was telling them to offer up everything they had to her.
She was the only existence that contained the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
The corners of Cale's lips twisted up.
He asked the Blood Demon again.
"You created this aura to defeat Dragons, didn't you?"
The Blue Bloods and Purple Bloods…
Looking at the two of them…
The formation protecting the Blood Cult… The core at the center of this important and precious formation was given by the Dragons of the Purple Bloods.
It could not be created without the Dragons.
Basically, the Blood Cult owed a debt to the Dragons of Aipotu.
There could even be a superior and subordinate relationship they did not know about.
That was why Cale was probing.
He then got his answer.
Cale started to smile.
"I guess I was right?"
Cale chuckled after seeing the scowl on the Blood Demon's face.
The Blood Demon opened her mouth after seeing Cale's reaction.
"You dare-"
The Blood Demon looked down at Cale and moved her aura.
Ssss–
The blue aura started moving again.
The large blue wave charged toward Cale.
Like that instant when Cale's wave was just about to strike the walls of Yunnan Castle…
As Cale quietly looked up at it…
Someone reacted.
– You dare.
The Dominating Aura.
He scoffed in disbelief.
– Does she think she's a damn god?
"Pfft."
Cale laughed at that response.
He thought it took skill for such an imposing voice to speak so frivolously.
– Cale, we won't lose when it comes to bluffing!
Cale nodded his head.
He then gently stomped his foot.
Boom—!
However, the air rumbled.
"...!"
The Blood Demon's eyes opened wide.
The blue wave stopped.
It could not move.
"Gasp."
The Blood Demon clenched her neck with her hands.
As Cale looked at her…
The air around him fluctuated.
'H, how-'
She could not move her body.
She felt something she had never felt before in her life; something extremely fearsome and scary that felt as if it would kill her.
The Blood Demon wondered what could make her so scared.
However, she figured it out almost as if it was instinctual.
It was something she had never faced in her life or even learned about…
It was a fearsome monster that could not even be imagined or explained in her mind.
A monster that would consume her was in front of her.
This man…
This skinny human was that monster.
The Blood Demon felt as if her body and her life was being dominated.
The Dominating Aura spoke in Cale's mind.
– A punk who steals other people's lives and pretends that they are her own is just a coward.
– Even if it is just bluffing, an aura developed on your own is better than an aura that required the lives of hundreds of thousands of lives to be worshiped.
Beyond the stiffened Blood Demon's shoulders…
– See. There is no reason for a true predator to cower in front of a coward.
Cale made eye contact with Choi Han and the team leader. The two of them looked totally fine.
He had bought them time so that they could recover and the rest was up to them.
Cale nodded his head.
The instant he had the Blood Demon tied down…
The two of them moved.
– By the way, Cale, I've never used my full strength yet?
Cale just watched as he heard the Dominating Aura's bluffing.
This should be the end of the Blood Demon.
—
Translator's Comments
Dominating Aura is still not at full?!