Chapter 128 – Chapter 22: Dragon Heart #2
His body reacted before he could think. The moment the barbarian king was about to hit him, In-gong used Wind Style to retreat. It was truly a narrow escape. The place where In-gong had just been standing was struck by the barbarian king"s mace, and the earth was split apart. It shook from the power, and some of the barbarians in the area fell to the ground.
It wasn"t a special blow, nor was it the technique that smashed the gate. This was just a simple attack.
Yet it transcended common sense.
The barbarian king lifted his head as he raised his mace. In-gong was only two to three meters away.
“Good."
The barbarian king spoke in a rough but excited voice.
He used Body Hardening as a rigid sh.e.l.l wrapped around his whole body. Its quality was completely different from Paratus", and although the sizes were similar, In-gong couldn"t think of them as the same. This time, it was like facing a mountain.
The barbarian king had the power of War. Unlike the other barbarians, the red aura was burning like a flame.
In-gong knew instinctively&h.e.l.lip;
The barbarian king wasn"t a War Knight. However, he was strong. The power of War was really enormous.
It was like facing the man with the spear at Thunderdoom Fortress. That man came to mind. Maybe the barbarian king was a similar existence.
"Apostle of War."
Those words emerged, and the white woman"s voice was also heard.
In-gong understood. It was the War Knight that had given the barbarian king the power of War. This meant that the one behind the barbarian king was not the Death Knight but the War Knight.
He had granted the power and the flag.
In-gong finished organizing his thoughts and focused on the barbarian king before him.
In Knight Saga, the barbarian king had a strength comparable to that of an advanced general. Moreover, he now had the power of War. He was sure to be much stronger than the barbarian king in Knight Saga.
Fighting him now wasn"t a good idea. It was the middle of enemy territory. At the very least, he should lure the barbarian king back to his camp where allies could fight together.
In-gong came to the conclusion quickly and used Wind Style again. He was surrounded by barbarians, so it wasn"t possible to retreat with Wind Style alone. However, he was only aiming for a small gap. Once the distance increased from two to three meters to five or six metres, In-gong used his last Blink.
A blue smoke exploded. In-gong was aiming for a place which was diagonal to the starting location. The moment was instantaneous. Then something collided with the blue smoke.
In-gong screamed. The moment he had reappeared, the barbarian king"s mace slammed into him. It tore through the air!
This was a shallow attack.
The barbarian king didn"t speak, but In-gong seemed to hear the voice of the barbarian king in his ear.
The moment when In-gong used Blink, the barbarian king had raised his head and looked at the air. He had moved before the blue smoke had even disappeared.
There were two reasons for this.
One, the barbarian king knew about In-gong"s flying and blinking ability. He hadn"t seen it on the battlefield, but he had heard about it from Paratus and the other barbarians.
Blink"s strength was that In-gong changed locations instantly. Moreover, the location where he appeared wasn"t specified, so the enemies were helpless. However, was it really like that? Was there truly no specific location as to where he would appear?
When someone"s life was at risk, the use of Blink was likely to be straightforward.
The barbarian king had read the intention to withdraw in In-gong"s eyes. In fact, In-gong had used elusive footwork to step backwards like the wind.
If he was using Blink in that situation, he had to step back. In-gong needed to be as far as possible without any enemies.
Then that meant the trajectory was calculated. By taking a diagonal step backward, it was obvious he would go in a straight line from there.
The other thing was the power of War.
The barbarian king, who held the power of War, didn"t miss the power of Conquest which had been used in the beginning. The barbarian king could feel the power of Conquest.
He read the direction and trajectory, then he determined the distance through feeling.
It was about a dozen meters. Obviously, that wasn"t a close distance. However, as soon as Blink was triggered, he had been able to narrow the distance. He wielded Skull Crusher the moment In-gong appeared in the air.
The barbarian king couldn"t catch up completely, but this distance&h.e.l.lip; it was just enough to hit In-gong.
Kw.a.n.g!
There was a tremendous roar as the atmosphere shook.
Shortly before the attack hit, In-gong"s aura had exploded. That explosion pushed In-gong and also affected the trajectory of Skull Crusher. Affecting both the target and attacker, the explosion reduced the strength of the hit.
However, that was it. The attack was still enough for what the barbarian king had intended.
The barbarian king"s power was beyond imagination. In-gong flew more than a dozen meters and slammed into the ground.
For a moment, he couldn"t breathe. He couldn"t distinguish between right and left, as well as front and back. There was no feeling in both arms, and there was no strength in his legs.
"Ku-pa-ha!"
The barbarian king shouted. He was already racing toward In-gong, and the distance narrowed in an instant.
Kw.a.n.g!
The barbarian king"s second attack clashed with White Eagle. The green force field, strengthened by Black Eagle, shook roughly. Despite being far away, White Eagle had moved to In-gong"s position and prevented the second attack. However, it was unable to withstand the strength of the attack and was pushed back.
The barbarian king laughed out loud, and Green Wind screamed In-gong"s name.
Kw.a.n.g!
It was the third attack. This time, White Eagle blocked it again. Due to the fact that it was coming from a diagonal direction, White Eagle was pushed diagonally and into the ground.
The barbarian king raised Skull Crusher once again. However, there was a crack in Green Wind"s force field. In-gong gritted his teeth and used Dragon Style as he raised his head.
The fourth attack—
Right before it struck, In-gong reached out for White Eagle with his white aura shining brilliantly!
"Absolute Area!"
White Eagle"s super special move—it controlled all attacks within a certain range of White Eagle.
The moment Skull Crusher hit White Eagle, the barbarian king"s arm was bent at an unusual angle. It didn"t stop there as even the barbarian king"s body flew backwards.
"Master!"
Green Wind shouted, but In-gong couldn"t be pleased. Absolute Area wasn"t a simple technique. It was a super special move which required a huge amount of aura and mental power. Yet he had used it to prevent an ordinary attack.
In-gong felt lightheaded. Blood poured from his body due to the backflow of aura.
This was the worst situation. His legs still had no power, and his hand which held onto White Eagle was trembling.
It was just like how Paratus had been. Due to the unexpected blow, he had received an enormous injury.
The barbarian king, who had been thrown back, landed on the ground. He glanced at his twisted right arm and laughed loudly. With one hand holding Skull Crusher, he readjusted the bones in his right arm.
Indeed, the barbarian king was a monster. When just looking at strength alone, he was stronger than Vandal who boasted the highest power in the demon king"s army.
He stared at In-gong, then he diverted his attention away from In-gong for a moment.
"Shutra!"
Caitlin’s voice—she was approaching, and the quad-core was activated.
She was racing through the barbarians with Kaparang and the lycanthropes. Paratus and his followers didn"t know what had happened. Maybe it was a reckless rush that left them behind.
The barbarian king just laughed. Then Caitlin arrived in front of him. Her angry aura exploded as she rushed toward the barbarian king. Kaparang and the lycanthropes were no different.
A battle broke out.
With one swing of Skull Crusher, three lycanthropes collapsed to the ground. The barbarians, who were watching the barbarian king"s battle, put pressure on the lycanthropes from all sides.
The fact that Caitlin and the lycanthropes were in the middle of the battlefield hadn"t changed. Vandal was far away, and the remaining troops were fighting the barbarians, so they couldn"t get there. The only ones there were the lycanthropes.
In-gong coughed up blood again. The sudden activation of the quad-core had a negative impact on him.
However, In-gong didn"t stop the quad-core as Caitlin"s durability was weaker than In-gong"s. Caitlin could lose her life from just one of the barbarian king"s blows. So, In-gong couldn"t reduce her combat capabilities.
"Master, Master!"
In-gong heard Green Wind"s sad voice and took a deep breath. With trembling hands, he then pulled out a potion from his inventory and drank it. Meanwhile, the barbarian king"s Skull Crusher took the lives of three lycanthropes.
In-gong continued taking deep breaths, trying to normalize his flow of aura. He could feel Caitlin struggle. She seemed to be dancing on the edge of a blade. The number of lycanthropes, which had hardly been damaged in the repeated battles, decreased rapidly.
In-gong suppressed his impatience. He had to remain calm.
Abandoning Caitlin and the lycanthropes in order to run away wasn"t even a choice. He couldn"t do that. They had jumped into this fight in order to save In-gong. He had to help them.
However, victory was required.
He had to defeat the barbarian king—break him and destroy the spirit of the barbarians.
Right now, In-gong"s body was a broken mess. Furthermore, due to the backward flow, it was hard to reach his aura.
In-gong needed something else—a means to enhance his power, even if it was just a little bit.
His head started working overtime, and several things popped into his head.
Telekinesis, magic power, divine power—
They were all lacking. Although they were secondary powers, they couldn"t replace aura yet.
The deaths continued, and Caitlin screamed. The Starlight Core and Moonlight Core shook, causing In-gong to cough blood again.
"Master!"
Green Wind"s voice was heard. She appeared in solid form and caught In-gong. Both of her eyes were shining.
Green Wind&h.e.l.lip;
The guardian of Enger Plains. She had been born from the fragment of Watcher Ainkel"s soul.
As he looked at her, it was like a lightning bolt struck him.
"Watcher Ainkel."
Her dragon heart—
In-gong had taken the fragment. As a result, In-gong had been able to become a dragon humanoid.
However, that was it. The fragment was an essence of an elder dragon, a being said to have the same power as a G.o.d, but the power of the dragon heart was only that much.
In-gong activated Dragon Style. He triggered Dragon Blood once again. The dragon genes were activated.
At that moment&h.e.l.lip;
Green Wind touched In-gong"s cheek, and she smiled. Her smile was just like the one when he had talked to Green Wind alone in the temple on Enger Plains.
"I am completely conquered. Rule over me, Conquest Knight."
Green Wind—Ainkel whispered, then she kissed In-gong"s lips. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Conquest&h.e.l.lip; Make them submit.
Watcher Ainkel"s strength—
He hadn"t absorbed it, and the fragments of power were scattered around in In-gong"s body.
Green Wind became a wind which wound around In-gong. He focused inwardly on the hidden powers in Dragon Style and Dragon Blood—the fragments of power in his dragon genes.
It was created.
He opened his eyes.
It was a third aura heart. This was a mighty magic power that only a dragon had&h.e.l.lip;
Also known as a dragon heart!
The Moonlight Core was strong, and aura also sprang out from the gandharva aura heart which In-gong had originally.
The third aura heart—the dragon heart supplemented all the power of his dragon style, and In-gong"s magic power started to emit a dragon"s power.
[You have fully conquered Watcher Ainkel"s power.]
[A dragon heart has formed in your body.]
[The level of Dragon Humanoid has risen.]
[The level of Magic Power Control has risen.]
[The level of Magic Power Control has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
The woman"s voice rang in In-gong"s ears. All his injuries were restored as the white light that celebrated his achievement shone.
And in that light, the power of Conquest stopped. All those fighting against it looked at In-gong.
In-gong raised his head. Time had pa.s.sed. The bodies of the lycanthropes were scattered all around, and he saw the b.l.o.o.d.y back of Caitlin, who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.
In-gong"s gaze moved away from her, and he glared at the barbarian king who was beyond Caitlin. He declared without hiding his anger,
“Penta-core.”
Five aura hearts.
A pure white aura emerged from the dragon heart in the center.
Chapter 129 – Chapter 22: Dragon Heart #3
The Moonlight Core and Starlight Core continued to be connected.
In-gong and Caitlin influenced each other. In-gong had three aura hearts, while Caitlin had two. The dragon style which came from the dragon heart headed toward Caitlin. The aura which was exchanged through the Moonlight Core and Starlight Core painted their auras with both colours.
The quad-core was a great force, but the penta-core was more than that. It wasn"t simply the addition of one aura heart.
The aura flow was bigger and stronger, and the aura recovery rate was faster as well. In a short time, Caitlin"s body, which had consumed an enormous amount of aura, filled with a new aura.
In-gong didn"t capture all the aura. Instead of controlling the enormous power of the penta-core, he released it. The white aura emerged from In-gong"s body like fire, and the dark blue aura twisted with the white.
The aura"s density was different. It wasn"t a mild light. For a moment, In-gong seemed like the sun.
Aura was life force. Everyone had it, so everyone could feel the power. It was a force which could be understood better than any other.
The lycanthropes were astounded, and the barbarians trembled in fear.
However, the barbarian king smiled, and he laughed loudly.
"Aura! It is the same as War!"
It was meaningless to everyone except for In-gong, but it didn"t matter.
The barbarian increased the power of his Body Hardening one step further. His body became redder, stronger and harder.
The aura of War surrounded the barbarian king, and In-gong stared straight at him. The barbarian king was inherently strong. In-gong hadn"t struggled against Gerard just because of the power of Famine, but Gerard himself was powerful as well.
So, it wasn"t just the power of War—In-gong needed to concentrate on the barbarian king himself.
Barbarian King Karatus&h.e.l.lip;
A person who was more incredible than Vandal. When it came to just the power of the body, he was superior to any enemies In-gong had faced so far. From the beginning, it had been all about power. He couldn"t drag this out too long.
In-gong took a step forward. While the barbarians and lycanthropes were still in shock, he triggered Wind Style. There was no noise. There were no signs. The moment that ma.s.sive amount of aura was released, In-gong"s body appeared beside the barbarian king.
The barbarian king hadn"t seen In-gong move, but he was a natural warrior and wielded Skull Crusher instinctively.
In-gong saw it. Naturally, he reached out his left hand and triggered Great Mountain.
The pushing force collided with Skull Crusher. The brutal force tried to destroy Great Mountain, but it didn"t work. Great Mountain diverted Skull Crusher"s trajectory. As it struck the ground, In-gong took one step and aimed for the barbarian king.
The barbarian king once again instinctively tried to defend. He strengthened his front parts, such as his chest and abdomen, through Body Hardening. The change occurred in the blink of an eye, almost creating a fortress in the front of the body.
However, In-gong didn"t pay attention to it. He knew the barbarian king would do this. Instead of using a fist, he stretched out his palm. The barbarian king felt something ominous and opened his eyes, but it was already too late. In-gong"s palm just touched the abdomen of the barbarian king.
A technique of Divine Sura Authority was triggered.
It was an attack that destroyed the enemy"s aura from within!
"Arang!"
A rough aura, like an angry wolf, dug inside the barbarian king. The hard, external sh.e.l.l was no use. The tremendous aura devastated the barbarian king"s insides. His life force was damaged.
Cough!
The barbarian king coughed up blood, and his red flesh returned to its normal state. The blow was so severe that Body Hardening was turned off.
However, he wasn"t thrown back like Paratus had been. The barbarian king swallowed down the pain and pushed strength through his entire body. It was enough to make In-gong admire his patience and durability.
In-gong didn"t panic. He hadn"t thought the barbarian king would fall with just this, so he pulled back his palm and rotated his body. The barbarian king had been able to withstand Arang, but this strong kick to his abdomen pushed him back.
Kwakakakakang!
At the same time, a huge amount of aura spread. It was a sense of pushing, rather than destruction. The barbarian was thrown back into the sky and flew 20 meters. He would have flown much further if he hadn"t encountered so many barbarian warriors.
The barbarian king slammed into the ground. Instead of pursuing the barbarian king, In-gong chose to take some time to breathe.
It seemed like ages, but only a few dozen seconds had pa.s.sed in reality. In-gong looked at the mini-map. Vandal was moving toward In-gong"s side with his troops. In the rear, Takar"s troops were fighting the barbarians, and the lycanthropes were still surrounded by barbarians.
In-gong stretched out his hand. He recovered the king"s flag from Carack and penetrated it into the ground, spreading the power of Conquest. A ray of light shot up into the sky. As Conquest spread like a shockwave, the lycanthropes were covered with the white energy.
After confirming In-gong"s position through the light, the movements of Vandal and other high ranking members became more active. Additionally, the lycanthropes regained the strength to fight.
Caitlin approached In-gong. She hadn"t adapted to the penta-core yet. It was like a flooding river of aura, so it was hard to control it. However, she was a genius, and it wasn"t long before she bound back the floor of aura.
In-gong watched the barbarian king while asking Caitlin,
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, it isn"t my blood."
Despite the pain, Caitlin spoke in a bright voice to rea.s.sure In-gong. She was always like this.
In-gong glanced at Caitlin and smiled. He adjusted the penta-core to alleviate some of the burden on Caitlin, then he breathed out and formed a fist.
"He"s coming."
In-gong declared. The barbarian king was standing up. He was indeed strong. He wasn"t an opponent who could be defeated with just a few surprise attacks.
However, In-gong wasn"t afraid, and it wasn"t just because of the penta-core.
Then Caitlin grabbed In-gong"s hand. The connection between them was strengthened for a while, and the white aura and dark blue aura mixed together.
"Go."
Caitlin said, and In-gong nodded. The two people let go of their hands as the barbarian king moved. Skull Crusher was giving off a formidable aura. The barbarian king was changing the way he fought.
In-gong ran toward the barbarian king, and Caitlin followed him. The barbarian king roared loudly.
"Ku-pa-ha!"
Skull Crusher moved through the air. A huge outpour of power rushed towards In-gong and Caitlin.
So far, the barbarian king had only used simple strikes. He hadn"t used wide area attacks like this shockwave. The reason was simple—there were allies on the battlefield. They would also be killed by the wide area attack.
However, he couldn"t afford to worry about that in a situation like this. The barbarian king was going all out.
Instead of jumping over the wave, In-gong and Caitlin extended their fists simultaneously. Aura radiated out and broke the shockwave. It was an ignorant method in order to protect the lycanthropes behind them.
The white and blue aura shattered the red, and the barbarian king moved through that gap. He aimed a strong blow at both In-gong and Caitlin.
Caitlin stepped back hurriedly, and In-gong used Wind Style to appear behind the barbarian king.
Thanks to the penta-core, the power of his aura had increased, but his durability hadn"t. He couldn"t face the barbarian king directly since one blow could cost him his life.
Between In-gong and Caitlin, the barbarian king chased Caitlin. The reason was simple—Caitlin was closer to the lycanthropes.
The barbarian king poured out attacks. Every time Skull Crusher was swung, there was a shockwave explosion. They swallowed up the lycanthropes who had resumed fighting the barbarians.
The lycanthropes tried to get away from the barbarian king, but it wasn"t easy because the barbarians were pushing the lycanthropes. Despite knowing they would be caught up in the shockwaves, the barbarians didn"t stop.
The barbarian king swung Skull Crusher again. Caitlin howled and rushed toward the barbarian king. At the same time, In-gong struck from the rear.
The roars continued in succession, and the earth shook a few times. The white, blue and red auras collided several times, causing explosions.
It was a bizarre fight. Despite all the attacks, none of them reached the target. The barbarian king repeated the quick and aggressive attacks. Since In-gong and Caitlin were focused on evasion, attack was indeed the best defense.
The barbarian king"s attacks became faster, and In-gong and Caitlin had to focus more on evasion.
This couldn"t continue. Unlike In-gong, Caitlin hadn"t received the bonus from levelling up, so she was quite tired. If this became a prolonged fight, Caitlin wouldn"t be able to escape from the barbarian king"s strikes.
In-gong had to shake the situation. First, Caitlin had to be determined.
Caitlin plunged through Skull Crusher"s trajectory. She moved through Skull Crusher and aimed her fist.
It wasn"t an exaggeration to say that all the power in Caitlin"s body was used in the blow, but the attack power didn"t reach its target. The barbarian king defended against it with all his strength. He staggered and aimed his left first at Caitlin, who was up in the air. Confronted with the inevitable blow, Caitlin"s eyes closed.
Kw.a.n.g!
There was a loud clamor. However, it wasn"t the sound of flesh and bones breaking.
It was White Eagle. White Eagle had blocked the barbarian king"s fist with exquisite timing. Although Caitlin was pushed back more than a dozen meters, her life was saved.
This also created a chance for In-gong, and he rushed toward the barbarian king whose attack stance had collapsed. Once again, In-gong aimed Arang at the barbarian king"s abdomen.
However, unlike earlier, the reaction was different this time. The aura which was about to pour in was blocked by the power of War. The attack didn"t result in a fatal wound.
Despite the spilled blood, the barbarian king smiled. He widened the distance with In-gong and wielded Skull Crusher.
In-gong didn"t use Wind Style. Instead of increasing the distance, he yelled,
"Green Wind!"
It was the King"s Call!
Green Wind responded. She crossed through s.p.a.ce and appeared instantly before In-gong. A green force field expanded out and blocked Skull Crusher!
Kw.a.n.g!
There was a loud roar as White Eagle was pushed against somewhat. However, it didn"t break, and White Eagle defended from above In-gong"s head.
In-gong pulled back a fist, breaking the flow of aura himself. As blood flowed from between his lips, he concentrated his aura on Earth Quaker—
The destruction of the Great Enkidu!
"True Destruction!"
In-gong slammed his fist into the barbarian king"s belly, and the power of destruction swallowed up the barbarian king.
The red energy of War peeled off instantly as cracks spread and the hard sh.e.l.l was destroyed. The barbarian king coughed up blood. His sh.e.l.l broke, revealing a bleeding wound. The firmly grasped Skull Crusher was dropped to the ground.
However, it was up to there. In-gong had used True Destruction hastily, and it was lacking.
In-gong coughed up blood as well. The barbarian king howled like a beast and swung his right arm. As it pushed against White Eagle, the barbarian king moved his left fist. It was a blow for taking In-gong down instantly.
"Shutra!"
Caitlin shouted.
In-gong raised his head and squeezed out his remaining strength. He moved his feet to avoid the barbarian king"s attack, then he reached out and grabbed the Skull Crusher which the barbarian king had dropped.
The barbarian king"s weapon&h.e.l.lip;
Another thing which had been left behind by the Dragon King.
In-gong conquered it—dominated it. He took it for himself.
Thus, Skull Crush"s super special move was able to be activated—the powerful blow that had destroyed Takar"s gate!
It was a surprise that shook the heavens and the earth!
The white light from Skull Crusher struck the barbarian king.