Chapter 339

Chapter 339
## Chapter 339

Dragon and Dragon (3)

Following the initial introduction between Horus, the newborn dragon from Auterica, and the ancient guardians of Ganghwange, a period of rigorous education began. Under the vigilant supervision and tutelage of the two senior dragons, the youth was introduced to the intricacies of regional mysticism.

While Azure Dragon and Red Dragon had maintained from the start that his role as the Yellow Dragon during the upcoming ceremony would be purely nominal, Horus had firmly requested deeper instruction. Even if his function was primarily emblematic, he believed grasping the underlying mechanics was vital. To properly participate in such an important event, a baseline comprehension of the sorcery involved was mandatory.

Moved by his earnest dedication, the two draconic mentors pledged their unreserved backing.

Naturally, Horus harbored his own hidden motives.

‘I must capitalize on this chance to acquire as much knowledge as possible… Perhaps I can uncover a method to liberate the Dragon’s Children.’

He was fully prepared to steer the circumstances to his own benefit. Solving any grand dilemma required a grasp of its fundamental principles, and to master the perils of this domain, he first needed to decode its esoteric laws.

‘The Maoshan Sect is renowned for its mystical arts, but the bulk of their doctrine actually stems from the Golden Island Sect.’

Within the hierarchy of the Golden Island Sect, the apex masters of mysticism were the dragons themselves, worshipped as legendary divine entities. They reigned as avatars of absolute might, commanding atmospheric currents, torrential rains, and cataclysmic tempests. It would be foolish to squander an opportunity to study directly under them.

Furthermore, the velocity at which Horus acquired these arts was nothing short of staggering to Red Dragon and Azure Dragon, who still viewed him merely as an adorable, uninitiated whelp from a foreign realm.

“Good heavens… What manner of creature is he? Has he been concealing his true nature until now? Can a mind truly process information at this speed?”

“…Now the secret of his rapid ascension at such a tender age becomes clear. This transcends mere prodigy. He is absorbing and synthesizing magical concepts instinctively, as though it were a natural bodily function.”

“Ha! Those ancient fools who boast of a millennium of meditation would lose their minds if they witnessed this. Longevity truly means nothing in the face of such genius.”

“Hmm.”

The diminutive dragon devoured every scrap of doctrine they offered with frightening efficiency. It defied belief that he had entered the chamber completely ignorant of their ways.

Yet, analyzing his innate traits made the phenomenon perfectly logical.

「Ruler of All」 vastly heightened his resonance with primal forces and elemental currents.

「Seeker of Mysteries」 bestowed an unparalleled aptitude for all manners of the arcane.

「Resistor of Fate」 permitted him to bypass or nullify the inherent friction caused by the physiological differences between diverse dragon lineages.

On top of these, he already possessed a masterful command over 「Dragon Language Magic」. Horus was blessed with an impeccable lineage and a flawless foundation, his intrinsic capabilities eclipsing those of ordinary draconic beings by a wide margin. Furthermore, his current state was amplified by the “Growth Elixir” alongside a multitude of developmental enhancements.

‘Not to mention the passive cognitive support funneled through my alternate personas, such as “Unholy Sage” and “Path of Magic”.’

The convergence of these variables forged the anomaly that was Horus. He was an entity capable of deriving ten principles from a single lesson, a hundred from ten, and a thousand from a hundred—an existence defined by logically impossible progression.

《The consciousness attains illumination through erudition. You have successfully unlocked the skill “Heavenly Flow Sorcery”.》

Devoting himself entirely to his intellectual pursuits, it was only a matter of time before his efforts yielded monumental advancements.

“…His comprehension has already reached this threshold. What is your assessment, Azure Dragon?”

“He has completely shattered our projections. We are ready to transition to the subsequent phase.”

“Agreed. Bestowing it upon him now is entirely justified.”

“Indeed. Circumstances demand it, after all.”

His rapid mastery won the deep respect and validation of the two female entities guiding him. As their subsequent session commenced, they presented him with an exceptional token—a legendary artifact he had not anticipated receiving so early in his journey.

“Ah? Could this be…?!”

“Hehehe, even your bewildered face is incredibly charming, Horus.”

“It is quite entertaining to be the one delivering the shock for a change. Most satisfying.”

Before him lay a perfect sphere, emitting a vivid azure radiance that mirrored the expanse of a cloudless sky. Deep within its core, an internal golden luminescence swirled and surged like trapped solar fire, radiating an undeniable pressure. It was an object of hypnotic splendor, drawing the gaze irresistibly.

“A Dragon Orb…”

“Consider it a gift, Horus. Besides, it is an indispensable tool for the ritual. Though I must admit, I did not foresee handing it over so rapidly.”

“One cannot truly embody the Yellow Dragon without a Dragon Orb. Under normal conditions, you would manifest your own, but given your unique situation, the previous custodian would surely approve.”

A Dragon Orb was the ultimate anchor for a dragon, serving an identical purpose to a Dragon Heart. It functioned as an immense reservoir of condensed vitality, granting a vast array of passive augmentations to its bearer. Such treasures were almost never relinquished willingly, as they remained tethered to their makers for the duration of their existence.

“The previous custodian…?”

“…The former Yellow Dragon. Pinpointing their identity is complicated, as their tenure was tragically brief.”

“Do not dwell on it. View it as an inheritance, a legacy passed down to assist in resolving our current crisis.”

Given the recent upheaval known as the ‘Great Calamity’, the existence of unbonded Dragon Orbs was entirely logical. Horus wrapped his fingers around the sphere and centered his awareness.

Voom—!

A tempest of vital energy, interlaced with howling winds, erupted around his form. The localized climate shifted erratically as he labored to govern the colossal torrent of power, which remained volatile and unfamiliar. Yet, mastery was merely a product of repetition, and his inherent traits were perfectly engineered to accelerate the process.

‘Excellent. In fact, this is spectacular! I never imagined acquiring an artifact of this caliber so early.’

While his extraordinary learning speed played a massive part, there was undoubtedly another motive behind their sudden altruism.

‘For instance… ’

The unfolding crisis across the Murim landscape, specifically the resurgence of the Demonic Cult, was weighing heavily on the leadership of the Golden Island Sect.

‘They are operating under severe time constraints. In an era this volatile, anything could happen.’

The original Yellow Dragon lineage had already suffered total extermination at the hands of the Demonic Cult. Even though the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society—the architect of that slaughter—had been eliminated, the surviving remnants of the cult still posed a catastrophic hazard. It was only natural for the guardians to be anxious.

‘A Dragon Orb. How best to utilize this resource…?’

Horus, however, harbored no anxieties.

After all, the prime instigator of the chaos, the Heavenly Demon, had already been purged by his own hands, and the systematic eradication of the cult’s stronghold was currently underway.

Executed seamlessly by his other self.

—

Xinjiang Province, Tian Shan Mountains, Heavenly Demon Cult Headquarters.

Rumble—!

The earth shuddered violently as a cataclysmic detonation reverberated across the peaks. The mountain citadel, which had maintained an eerie serenity despite being the epicenter of the continent’s peril, was instantly thrown into absolute panic by the abrupt assault.

“Move, faster! To your positions!”

“Earth Devil Squad, deploy to the perimeter immediately!”

The fanatical combatants of the cult rushed about in a frenzy.

Jang Sam, a lowborn laborer who had tended the fortress livestock for over a decade, cowered in the recesses of the cattle shed, his complexion white with terror as he observed the madness.

‘What madness is unfolding?!’

He had lost count of how many times that frantic thought had crossed his mind. He racked his brain, desperately trying to construct an understanding of the day’s events.

It had commenced as any ordinary morning. He had awakened at dawn, consumed the meal prepared by his spouse, offered his daily supplications to the image of the Heavenly Demon, and report to his duties. He was in the middle of distributing fodder and purifying the stalls when the pristine blue sky was suddenly choked out by unnatural, roiling storm clouds.

As he and his fellow laborers traded bewildered looks, a thunderous crack split the firmament, followed by a voice that seemed to descend from the stars themselves, vibrating through the valley.

[“Heed my words, fragile mortals confined to this petty domain.”]

[“I stand as the sovereign of all malevolence.”]

[“Prostrate yourselves before your new Demon King.”]

The mere resonance of those syllables had sent an icy dread down his spine, drying his throat instantly. It was a declaration of absolute authority, mimicking a cosmic decree. The sheer weight of intent woven into the proclamation defied human comprehension, leaving his common mind paralyzed.

‘Yes, that was the catalyst. Everything broke apart immediately after.’

Recalling the sequence of events, Jang Sam exhaled a ragged breath. The voice alone had shattered his focus, and the moment the echoes diminished, a suffocating, corrupt energy smothered the citadel, igniting total anarchy.

Crash—!

Peeking nervously through the slats of the wooden structure, his pulse hammering against his ribs, he directed his gaze toward the heart of the settlement.

[“Roar—!”]

“Form a wall! Repel them!”

Clang! Clang!

Violent skirmishes were breaking out across every thoroughfare. Entities forged from pure shadow, looking as though they were sculpted from liquid ink, cut paths of destruction through the ranks of the cultists. Conversely, elite martial artists attempted to rally, locking shields and executing highly disciplined defensive maneuvers to stem the tide.

It was a butcher’s theater, yet even a simple peasant like Jang Sam, entirely ignorant of martial philosophy, could discern the trajectory of the battle. The defenders stood no chance.

The reality was stark. The cultists were exhausting themselves merely combating the vanguard. No asset within the fortress was capable of intercepting ‘him’—the enigmatic figure hovering languidly in the clouds, drifting toward the palace with casual indifference.

Boom!

[“Graaa—!”]

[“Arggh…”]

Suddenly, the reinforced portals of a primary sanctuary within the compound shattered outward, and several titanic silhouettes strode into the sunlight. These entities dwarfed any ordinary human.

“Mercy… D-demons?!”

Their scale was only part of the horror. A porcine monstrosity sporting jagged tusks, a massive tiger equipped with predatory wings, a lupine beast walking upright like a man…

The mere sight of them stole the air from his lungs. Jang Sam, who had desperately clung to his sanity through the initial bombardment, finally reached his breaking point. Overwhelmed by the crushing malice radiating from the beasts, he collapsed to the dirt, froth pooling at his lips, slipping into unconsciousness alongside the rest of the civilian staff.

“Oh? What do we have here?”

Hans, the architect of the siege, who had just finished anchoring a localized barrier to isolate the city from the outside world, shifted his attention toward the newly unleashed abominations.

“Jiangshi constructed from demonic entities? And their signatures feel remarkably familiar.”

Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized the mutated titans. Each stood well over fifteen feet in height, their flesh heavily branded with necrotic runes and binding talismans. The methodology required to transmute such massive, magical organisms into functional undead puppets genuinely piqued his intellectual curiosity.

‘Their resonance matches Dool quite closely.’

It was no coincidence. These were undead thralls manufactured from the remains of the Four Perils—mighty entities that had once shared a brotherhood with Dool. The remaining three sovereigns, excluding Dool who had successfully fled to seek sanctuary with the Golden Island Sect, had been preserved here. Their consciousness had been scrubbed away, their primal might diminished, relegated to mindless automatons answering to human masters.

‘And the inventory is quite extensive.’

A steady stream of diverse demonic undead, displaying a myriad of grotesque geometries, began pouring from the threshold of the grand structure. It became apparent that the facility served as their primary manufacturing laboratory.

His prior hypothesis that the jiangshi conversion process was strictly compatible with human anatomy had proven erroneous. This revelation pleased him greatly.

‘Superb research material!’

Their methods for anchoring souls and reinforcing dead flesh were far more sophisticated than he had anticipated. He required highly versatile and malleable biological frameworks for his upcoming endeavors.

‘I have gathered sufficient observations.’

Hans surveyed the burning landscape. He had intentionally compressed his perimeter slowly, applying measured trauma to force the remaining hierarchy to deploy their hidden contingencies, given that the supreme leader and the core elite had already been eliminated. It appeared they had officially exhausted their options.

‘Time to conclude the operation.’

A massive agenda awaited him. He needed to harvest these specimens without causing structural degradation, while ensuring the survival of the cult’s high ranking officials and esoteric researchers for interrogation.

Goooo—

An ocean of corrupt, abyssal energy, suffocatingly dense, began to coalesce around his physical form. It was a vacuum of absolute darkness that seemed to extinguish the light of the sun.

Crack— Snap!

The fabric of space began to fracture and splinter under the sheer mass of his presence. From those dimensional ruptures, a freezing, void-like ether seeped out, cascading over the rooftops.

A detached, icy smirk surfaced on Hans’s features.

Naturally, a masterless fortress, stripped of its legendary vanguard, possessed no variable capable of halting his advance.

Scarcely a few hours after his descent, the historic seat of the Heavenly Demon Cult ceased to exist.