The battle stopped, all eyes on the scene of devastation.
"Holy crap…"
"Hah!"
People stared in stunned silence at the mushroom cloud rising over the city. They had never seen anything like it. Gunpowder technology in this world was primitive, incapable of such destruction. And this had been caused by the power of a single being.
'…Is that a legendary dragon? Destroying a city with a single attack. Unbelievable.'
General Jeongcheon, a Transcendent Realm master from the Northern Army, the largest military faction controlling Shanxi, Shaanxi, and parts of Gansu, clicked his tongue in disbelief. He had joined the battle due to its importance and his lord's request, confident in his own strength, honed through countless battles and wars.
'But that… I wouldn't stand a chance. If that hit the center of our army…'
He glanced at his glaive, his eyebrows twitching. A Transcendent Realm master was a one-man army, but their strength lay in individual combat. He had never imagined an attack capable of wiping out an entire army.
'I could try to cut it down… I don't know. I could probably withstand the aftershocks with my protective ki, as long as I avoid a direct hit.'
But he couldn't protect his entire army. And facing such a concentrated blast head-on would be foolish.
He squinted, observing Beijing as the dust settled.
"Hmm."
A massive scar marred the landscape. A deep crater, its edges smooth and glassy, where the destructive beam had passed.
'A true calamity.'
Numbers and fortifications were meaningless against such an attack, especially from a flying opponent.
The dragons, watching from their vantage point in the sky, were equally awestruck.
["Hah…"]
["That's…"]
They gasped, the power of the attack unprecedented even for them. Summoning storms, earthquakes, or localized disasters was easier than unleashing such pure, destructive power.
["Wow, what was that?"]
Even Black Dragon, who had been indifferent until now, expressed her amazement. She hadn't expected much from Horus, so much younger than her and merely a temporary replacement for the true Yellow Dragon. But his destruction of the human city and a portion of the demonic yokai jiangshi army had impressed her.
'Such a devastating attack! If he could unleash that on every human city…'
What a magnificent fireworks display! Her eyes, shining with excitement, followed Horus as he circled the battlefield before returning to them.
The gazes of all present, humans, yokai, and dragons, converged on a single being.
The unusual-looking Yellow Dragon's overwhelming power was etched into their memories.
***
Flap Flap
'Oh no. Did I overdo it, trying to make a grand entrance?'
Even flapping his wings felt strenuous. He hid his exhaustion, maintaining his composure under the scrutiny of all present, but he wasn't in good shape.
That breath attack, capable of destroying most of a city, was an attack befitting an Ancient Dragon, not an adult or even an elder dragon. It had taken a toll on his body.
'But it made an impact.'
Engaging in close combat below would be unseemly. Better to make a grand gesture and leave gracefully.
The problem was, he had pushed himself so hard with 「Limit Break」 that maintaining his adult form with 「Elder Dragon's Heart」 was becoming difficult. He was still a hatchling.
'But it's not bad. I made a discovery.'
He had found a potential solution to his stunted physical growth, previously limited by his age despite his rapidly increasing power.
'It will take some time, though. But first, I need to finish this.'
He looked down at the battlefield, towards the Demonic Cult's forces. Even the heartless Demonic Cultists would be shaken by such an attack, their rear lines decimated. If not for the emotionless jiangshi, their army would have already collapsed.
'Well, it's almost over. Time to wrap things up.'
He had made his point. The devastation would serve as a warning, uniting them against a common enemy. The loss of his yokai jiangshi and high-ranking undead was a shame, but they were limited to this world anyway. Better to use them for maximum impact now than let them gather dust.
'Waste not, want not. Unlike Auterica, I need to focus on restoring this broken world. I can always create more if necessary.'
He had already acquired the necessary techniques, and the remaining Demonic Cultists were leashed and contained in the Tianshan Mountains, ready to be used as periodic reminders. All that remained was restoring the Dragon Heart.
"Heavenly Demon's Return, Ten Thousand Demons Submit!"
"Die!"
"Kuh! For the Heavenly Demon!"
Half a day had passed since the battle began. The war for the world's fate was nearing its end.
***
"Hahaha… It's come to this. Such a shame."
Yeo Mun-cheol, the Demon Sword Master, chuckled.
Namgung Wu, the Sword Saint, facing him, spoke with a grim expression.
"It's over, Yeo Mun-cheol."
"Cough—!"
The Demon Sword Master coughed up black blood, his arms severed, a sword piercing his heart. But the sneer in his one good eye didn't fade.
"Hahaha… To think I would be defeated by that brute. The outcome would have been different if we had fought properly, Namgung Wu."
"A defeated foe speaks too much. You should have stayed in the training grounds if you wanted a fair fight."
Their battle had been a stalemate. The changing tide of the war had decided the outcome.
"I'll be assisting elsewhere, Elder."
The decisive factor, a young man wreathed in dragon-shaped ki, bowed his head respectfully before leaping away, his movements graceful and fluid like a dragon soaring through the clouds.
The Demon Sword Master's lips twitched as he watched him go.
"Pfft— To think I lost an arm to such a young whelp! Transformation Realm in his early twenties? The heavens are mocking me."
The Sword Saint agreed. He had considered his own grandson, who had reached the Peak Realm in his mid-twenties, a genius. But this young man was beyond comprehension.
Peak Realm during their first meeting at the Shaolin Temple, then Supreme Realm during the Demonic Cult attack, and now Transformation Realm. Even for an otherworlder, his growth rate was unbelievable. The heavens must be favoring him.
'He's practically the next strongest in the world already.'
He watched the young man go, his dragon-shaped ki shimmering with vibrant colors, drawing everyone's attention. An irresistible force. He possessed more than just martial talent.
'A young hero emerging in these chaotic times.'
He had already achieved great deeds, infiltrating the enemy's stronghold and rescuing the Dragon Children. If not for him, the Demonic Cult's ritual might have been completed, and even if they had won, the sacrifices would have been lost, leaving the world without hope.
And now, he was fighting on the front lines, assisting those in danger…
"Hmm, Soran seemed quite interested in him."
He stroked his beard thoughtfully. His granddaughter, Namgung Soran, was renowned for her beauty, considered the most beautiful in Anhui Province. It was only natural, considering the lineage of the prestigious Namgung Clan. His own mother, wife, and daughter-in-law were all great beauties.
His only concern was that the young man was an otherworlder, and he could return home at any time.
'But home is where the heart is. His realm wouldn't decrease even if he settled here.'
And with no family ties, he could easily become a son-in-law. And Zhuge Huimei, his potential rival…
He shook his head, uncomfortable with the thought of benefiting from another's misfortune.
"I can hear your scheming from here… Gah!"
Slash
"I almost forgot about you."
Snapped back to reality by the Demon Sword Master's voice, he swiftly withdrew his sword, decapitating him. Even a severely injured Transcendent Realm demon was difficult to kill.
He destroyed his brain, heart, and dantian with ki, ensuring his demise.
"…"
He closed his eyes for a moment, marking the end of their long rivalry, then leaped away.
'I don't have time for this.'
Towards the fiercest battle, the final confrontation with the Heavenly Demon.
***
The tide of the battle turned rapidly. The Five Dragons suppressed the demonic realm's energy, and the arrival of the yokai reinforcements balanced the forces.
The Murim Alliance could finally breathe, assisting each other, and the momentum shifted even in the battles between the strongest individuals.
The Demon Sword Master fell to the Sword Saint, and the Blood Demon Jiangshi was destroyed by Gwak Cheol. Blood Asura was no longer needed on the other fronts, and the high-ranking yokai jiangshi, including the Kirin, were falling one by one to the combined forces of yokai and humans.
And all that power now converged on a single target.
The Heavenly Demon, the final boss of this stage.
KABOOM
Rumble
At the center of the battlefield, a earth-shattering battle raged. A group of warriors surrounded a figure wreathed in dark energy.
But they couldn't gain the upper hand.
"…Amitabha. I had hoped it wasn't true, but it seems you have abandoned the path of humanity and become a demon, Heavenly Demon."
They weren't lacking in power, but some unknown force was constantly empowering the Heavenly Demon. The New Mad Demon, who had been holding the line, was weakening, having expended much of his energy.
"Insane. Turning himself into a jiangshi after reaching the Divine Transformation Realm. What is he thinking?"
"Hah! It was real? I thought he was using some evil Demonic technique. He's even crazier than I thought!"
The prolonged battle had weakened the Heavenly Demon's disguise, revealing the deathly energy he was wielding. Those who had been skeptical were now horrified, but—
"…So many have died."
The Heavenly Demon simply looked around, seemingly unfazed by the carnage, the countless corpses, the overwhelming aura of death.
"Ah, you're curious why I embraced death, aren't you?"
The monster, mimicking a living being, grinned, as if everything was going according to plan. The deathly energy he had been concealing now consumed his entire being.
"I've acquired something good recently. Very good."
Woosh
A dark, abyssal energy erupted from him. The warriors retreated, raising their defenses.
["Wait, that energy!"]
White Dragon, focused on stabilizing the distorted space, cried out in alarm, recognizing the energy. It was emanating from deep beneath the demonic realm.
["No way!"]
Greed, the traitor of Golden Island, the devourer of dragons. White Dragon realized his remains were buried beneath the demonic realm. And they were now connected to the Heavenly Demon, empowering him.
["That's the source of his power! We have to stop him!"]
But it was too late. Before anyone could react, the Heavenly Demon emerged from the darkness that had engulfed the battlefield, outside the encirclement of the masters.
"Gah!"
He held Zhuge Huimei, one of the Dragon Children, by the throat.
"All the conditions are finally met."
A land saturated with death.
The lingering presence of the devourer, Greed.
And himself, now one with death.
"Give me your karma."
The Heavenly Demon, a Karma Jiangshi, having consumed countless karmas, now reached for the Dragon Child's karma—
"Not if I can help it!"
Slash
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
"Are you alright, Lady Zhuge?"
"Cough, cough… Y-Young Master Ha?"
The young hero appeared, severing the Heavenly Demon's arm and rescuing Zhuge Huimei. The other Transcendent Realm masters seized the opportunity, surrounding the Heavenly Demon, who glared at his severed arm.
"…You… You'll never stop interfering…!"
The dragons circling above descended, their gazes fixed on him, ready to intervene.
'Finally.'
Horus, the Gold Dragon, grinned. All the pieces were in place for the true ending.