Chapter 619
Chapter 619
Ping!!!
The scenery changed with a single wave of Davey's hand. Kwak Do-Young, who had been injured but healed in an instant, surveyed the area with a bewildered expression, checking on everyone else who was looking around in confusion.
There were a few men and women who survived. Among them, there was his granddaughter, Kwak Hyo-Yeong. Then there was also the youngest from the Heavenrend Sect, Han Ja-Seong, who had awakened an incredible power. Dang Yu-Rin, who was the lady of the Dang family, and Ye Hyun-Hwa from the Country of Hwan were present as well.
Each of them had been kidnapped by the Ak Rim Sect for different reasons. Of course, Kwak Do-Young could've somehow escaped on his own, but after an attack on the Village of the Beginning, he faced multiple issues that held him back. Ultimately, he had ended up in a dangerous situation, but he was also able to witness a miracle that made him doubt his eyes.
Just then, someone's surprised shout rang out. "Pr... Princess!!"
The source of the yell was an armed guard, who was clad in Hwan's imperial uniform, and the mere sight of him and toward them caused the eyes of those who were just looking around to widen.
"Oh my god... Princess! What on earth has happened?!"
"You... You... Durong, why are you here?"
"What are you talking about? It is my duty to defend the palace where His Majesty resides."
"Then... This place is..."
"Is there some problem? And who are these people... Huh?! Isn't that man the White Flame Sword Saint from the Righteous Path Martial Alliance?!"
Everyone looked at Princess Hyun-Hwa with puzzled faces.
"Miss... What on earth..."
Hyun-Hwa sighed deep and long at the question asked by Dang Yu-Rin, who became quite well-acquainted with her. "There's no point in hiding it now. Yes, that's right. I am the hidden child of the imperial family. A princess who ran away from the palace to survive... That's me."
Dang Yu-Rin stood with her mouth agape, unable to do anything but stare blankly at her. It was certainly surprising. The current members of Hwan's royal family were practically nonexistent because of the blood purge done in the past by the Emperor of Hwan, Emperor Wol Gon. Then Wol Gye-Woo, who was supposed to be the next emperor, unfortunately died an untimely death.
Then Hyun-Hwa turned out to be a princess... Considering both Hwan and Yu's traditions that did not deny a princess's right to the throne, there was only one conclusion.
"The next emperor would be... Hyun-Hwa!"
The heir to the throne was really just right in front of their eyes. It was absurd to think that Hyun-Hwa, who had been a lady from a small sect with no significant power within the Evil Path Martial Alliance, was actually Emperor Wol Gon's successor.
"Ja-Seong!!"
At that moment, three girls approached from behind Durong. It was Rinne with a strange ring hovering above her head, along with Yun Hee-Ryeong and Cheon Ji-Hee from the Heavenrend Sect.
"Sister!!" Seeing Yun Hee-Ryeong, Ja-Seong quickly got up and ran to her. His arms then immediately wrapped around her in a tight embrace as he asked, "Sister! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
"Ja-Seong... Am I not even in your thoughts?"
Ja-Seong flinched at Ji-Hee's sulking question. "Ji-Hee... How did you..."
"Miss Rinne brought me here. She said it would be safer here than being at the Righteous Path Martial Alliance alone."
Ja-Seong stared directly at Rinne, who was looking up at him with a blank face that still managed to be somehow expressive. "I heard that you continued to protect Ji-Hee. Thank you very much."
At the expression of gratitude given to her, Rinne straightened her upper body, which flaunted a flat chest, and nodded. "Rinne, escort abilities, very highly evaluated."
Ja-Seong couldn't help but notice that she still had the same unusual way of speaking.
"But why are you here? I heard you infiltrated the Ak Rim Sect..."
"Yes... I did. It's embarrassing, but I was captured by them and almost died."
Yun Hee-Ryeong's expression turned pale, as if Ja-Seong's answer had drained the blood from her face. "Ja-Seong?! What do you mean?!"
Ji-Hee was also quick to express her concern, asking, "Are... Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ja-Seong gave a bitter smile. "No. I'm fine.... Thanks to a savior who personally came to save me..."
"That person... Where is he?"
"For some reason, he stayed there... And because of a strange power, I was already here when I came to my senses."
"Warp." Rinne nodded her head. "Davey's power. Long-distance spatial leap."
"Is that possible? Sorcery that allows that... No, that isn't it. All of you are just not simple beings in the first place," Yun Hee-Ryeong muttered bitterly.
"Let's go in first. His Majesty is waiting."
"His Majesty? Do you mean the Emperor of Hwan?!"
Durong was surprised by their loud reaction. Still, he managed to nod and say, "Yes, the command given by His Majesty was to protect those coming here. Let's go. The Royal Guards will escort you."
While Durong spoke as if everything had gone according to plan, chills ran through Ja-Seong's entire body. Unable to shake off the feeling, he then said, "From our rescue until our arrival here, everything appears to have been meticulously planned."
"It had to be. That person is no ordinary being. I even sometimes doubt if he's human."
"Who on earth is our savior..."
"How would I know?" Yun Hee-Ryeong turned her gaze to Rinne, hinting for an explanation.
But Rinne seemed to be more interested in a butterfly perched nearby. She didn't even bother pretending to be listening.
So instead of answering Yun Hee-Ryeong, Rinne e silently watched the butterfly and subtly opened her mouth, saying, "Good gustatory data. However, since it's alive, that plan is dismissed. Rinne rates it lowly."
She seemed to be disappointed as she nibbled at the tips of her fingers and moved away.
Looking at Rinne's behavior, Yun Hee-Ryeong couldn't help but comment, saying, "The people that Davey takes with him are all like that. Sometimes I even think she's not human either."
Her guess had precisely hit the mark.
"But... Surely Hwan..." Ja-Seong trailed off unsurely.
"Let's discuss it inside. Davey also treated the injuries, but I will need to check on them myself. Come on, let's go. Master Kwak is also waiting. Peach Blossom Fairy must be anxious."
"Mi-Young! Is Mi-Young here?!"
"Yes. She's currently accompanying Princess Jadeflower from Yu."
How were things turning out like this? Hwan and Yu were certainly not in a hostile relationship, but it was still hard to believe that they were cooperating seamlessly like this.
As Yun Hee-Ryeong led the way, she heaved a deep sigh. Then suddenly...
"Uh..." Yun Hee-Ryeong shifted her body slightly.
"Sister?"
Yun Hee-Ryeong hesitated for a couple of seconds before finally saying, "It's nothing. Maybe I just feel a little odd."
She offered a small, reassuring smile as she shifted the topic of their conversation. "Let's go. A being from the Spirit Realm will descend to help us."
She then walked away briskly, hiding the complex expression that settled on her pretty face.
*
The powers of the two Princesses from the Abyss, at best, could match one Urd, or half of Urd, since they were not exactly full-fledged powers. However, their abilities were still quite troublesome.
"Cough... Cough..."
'Is the influence already reaching Perserque?' Davey flashed his eyes in alarm as he saw her arm that was previously pale turning purple.
"There's no grave without a story."
Melt glared at Davey, her expression turning utterly ferocious. "I don't know what nonsense you're spouting."
"I'm not going to ask for your last words."
On one hand, Davey drew the Super Ribbon which was costing a lot of mana simply to maintain its form. Then in his other hand, he held Lavatein, the divine artifact belonging to Ifrit. Davey felt more at ease having two swords, because unlike other heroes, he was primarily a dual sword wielder.
So with Lavatein in his left hand and the blue-red Super Ribbon in his right, he stared at the two Princesses of the Abyss so intensely that there seemed to be a line of heat quivering in the air, like a melting strip of taffy or a head of hair charged with static electricity.
Della had already taken a fatal blow, but Melt had not yet drawn out her full power, seemingly holding back for some reason. That was why it was necessary to end the battle here. If Della's disease did not distinguish friend from foe, then maybe Melt's power might be the same.
"I don't want to know why you came to this land and started this chaos. Because I really don't care."
"You!!" Melt growled in a rough voice, her face contorted with displeasure.
Davey ignored her simmering anger and took a step forward.
Ssshhhh...
Boom!!!
As if measuring up to his previous encounter with Sleesia, an aggressive aura that was unlike any other began to pour out from him.
"Ugh?!"
Sleesia had hinted that she was one of the most powerful beings among the Princesses of the Abyss, and yet Davey had managed to kill her. So it was safe to assume that there were only a handful of Abyssal Princesses who actually posed a great threat to him. And while it was unclear how many there might be, one thing was certain. Melt and Della did not fall under that category.
[Demonic Sword]
[81st Form]
[Unification of Soulless Sword]
[Astronomic Circular Sword]
Ssssh.
The tips of the two swords precisely aimed at Della.
"No... Don't..."
Instinctively, Melt attempted to shield Della who couldn't escape nor protect herself due to her injuries that left her utterly helpless. All that Della could do in her current condition was to spread disease.
"Oh... I surely will..." Davey coldly quipped back as he kicked off with his left foot and lunged forward.
Just as his entire spirit and the surrounding area seemingly became a part of him, his two swords also seemed to have turned into ferocious fangs. Della, who had been gazing at him dumbfoundedly, turned her gaze to Melt and said something before she was torn apart and sundered as if sliced by a saw.
Thud!!!
Of course, the aftermath of the power Davey used with such determination was far from over. The sword, which had breached and sliced through Della's defenses, created enormous cracks all over the entire area, like the orbital paths of stars.
Two lines, three lines, and eventually hundreds of lines drew gigantic circles across the ground, creating a pattern with Davey and the butchered Della at the center. The scope of destruction was so great that it extremely worsened the ruins where Davey had been. Eventually, the wreckage extended far and wide, extending several hundred meters, and the entire area was turned into a complete ruin. Massive craters were created by the falling meteors. Areas became desolate as Lavatein's inferno razed the place. On top of those, there was the ice-cold aftermath of the Ice Age magic.
And finally, the place was ravaged by the second manifestation of swordsmanship from beyond the 80s form. Suppressing the aftermath as much as possible, Davey sheathed the demonic swords and focused his attention on Melt, who had scrambled away just as the aftereffects of the catastrophic swordsmanship ended.
"Della... Della... Della!!!" Melt started to scream hoarsely as if she had gone rabid. She remained unmoving while her gaze locked on the place where Della had disappeared, and it didn't take long for her to burst into wails. "You fucking piece of shit!!!"
It was as if she had finally released everything she had been suppressing. Melt began to corrode the entire area with the might of her power that she had not revealed until that very moment. The ground decayed, even the flames decayed. Eventually, even the air and empty space began to decay under her rampage.
She was becoming out of control.
"I'll tear you to pieces!! I swear I'll tear you apart!!" Melt sobbed bloodied tears while screaming madly with a voice that had ghastly transformed. It sounded as if hundreds of thousands of voices had become entangled together.
"As expected..." The thought that had occurred to Davey earlier solidified into a conviction as he watched Melt's rampage.
Cling...
Her power was fast approaching Davey, but before it could reach him, he extinguished the flame of Lavatein and separated Super Ribbon into Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon once more.
Cling...
The massive fog of corruption was swiftly drawing closer and closer to Davey, leaving no room to escape. And as he was gradually cornered, Melt, with her blood-streaked face, charged at him. But as always, Davey simply returned Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon back into their scabbards as if the war had already ended...
"The 80s forms are notoriously difficult."
Dokgo Jun's mystical art of Demonic Sword Technique from the 88th form of the Heavenly Destroyer Martial Arts was incredibly tough. Just like the previously used 80th form, [Dying to Live, Living to Die], all those techniques held the essence of martial arts encoded into them.
The 80 and above were mostly created after he had reached the Grand Master level, but for Davey to cast them, he needed a physical spec that matched that level.
It was a high risk. But it would also yield a high return.
Craaack!!!
The two blade energies formed hundreds of orbital movements, and within the ambit of their circuitous trajectories, numerous sword energies exploded out as if by a chain reaction. As the assault continued, Melt was unable to resist the ambush and was obliterated by the onslaught of countless blade energies.
Melt, who appeared to be less experienced in combat compared to Della, was naturally overwhelmed. She collapsed, looking grotesque and hideous, since her body was pierced by the blade energies that undermined the impressive resistance of an Abyssal Princess. And so, the fog of corruption failed to reach Davey.
Her special powers, which decayed the air, the flames, the ground, and every little thing within sight, were not enough to decompose the concentrated storm of blade energies in an instant. The fact that Davey wielded Lavatein and Super Ribbon played a significant role. Whether it was a non-physical entity or a physical one, it would certainly be cut when the intent to cut was present. Slicing was also nothing new to Davey, and so there was really not much challenge in doing it.
Eventually, the rampaging power created by the Abyssal princesses vanished into the sword energies.
"Cough... Cough..." Melt, who had collapsed on the ground with blood oozing out of her lips, looked desperately toward where Della had perished.
The uncontrolled Abyssal flesh began to spill out from her mangled and severed body parts, but Davey did not bother to end her life.
"We are... one." It was a phrase commonly uttered by Abyssal beings.
Sleesia and Versha had been no different, having said the exact same thing. But strangely, the words spat out by Melt felt different. The words seemed to be not for Davey, but rather for Della, who had already died.
It surely was an odd feeling.