Not A Regressor-Chapter 316: Faded Promise (8)

The footsteps drew nearer.

It’s coming.

Kwon Oh-Jin tightened his grip on his spear and summoned his Stigma’s mana. Blue lightning crackled fiercely, roaring like a wild beast. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He slowly inhaled and activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici.

The five sets of footsteps that likely belonged to a small group checking on the lair as the rest chased after Isabella.

But they’ll be swarming in soon enough.

The entire disturbance in the kingdom had clearly been about the Dragon God’s lair. The troops that had been pursuing Isabella would surely converge here.

I have to do this fast.

If the demonkin started piling in, there would be no way to hold them off. Since they didn’t know how long awakening the Dragon God would take, this had to be dealt with swiftly.

In that case...

Lightning condensed at the tip of Kwon Oh-Jin’s spear, surging like a caged beast.

Crackle!

The spearhead crackled with feral energy, vibrating with a growl that echoed through the tunnel. In the distance, the demonkin appeared, sprinting down the spiral passage.

Kwon Oh-Jin stomped hard and drew back his arm with the spear as far as he could.

Boom!

In his mind, he pictured a meteor streaking across the night sky. Like releasing an arrow from a taut bow, he swung his arm forward at full force. The condensed lightning burst outward as he threw his spear.

Crackle!

The lightning spear pierced through the skull of the lead demonkin. The one behind him cried out in horror as the front-runner’s head exploded.

“Watch—!”

Before he could finish his warning, six wires wrapped tightly around him.

Lightning flowed through the wires and electrocuted him. Only a bone-chilling scream rang out as the stench of burning flesh filled the air in the chamber.

“Ugh!”

One of the trailing demonkin unsheathed his sword. Black flames ignited along the blade.

Fwoosh!

With a roar, he charged at Kwon Oh-Jin, who was now weaponless after throwing his spear. The black fire from his violent swings seared the air with hellish heat. Like a starved predator ripping into prey, the firestorm spread wide and consumed Kwon Oh-Jin.

Stigma of Hourglass.

At that moment, the world froze. Like a video in slow motion, everything moved sluggishly. Within that slowed world, Kwon Oh-Jin calmly observed the demonkin’s movements.

Then, the world resumed its pace. The sweeping black flames engulfed him.

Lower left.

He dropped low, and the burning heat scorched his back. He couldn’t dodge it completely, but was able to spring up and grab the demonkin by the neck.

“Hup!” The demonkin’s eyes bulged wide in shock.

The corners of Kwon Oh-Jin’s lips curled up into a wicked smile. “Lightning Charge.”

Lightning crackled and condensed around the demonkin’s head.

The demonkin let out a horrific scream as he convulsed like a fish flung out of water. Unable to withstand the pressure, his head exploded, spraying blood like a fountain.

Now there are two left.

Beyond the spray of blood, Kwon Oh-Jin could see two more demonkin charging in from each side.

He grabbed the corpse whose head had just burst and hurled it toward one of them. As that demonkin momentarily faltered, the other one on the opposite side came swinging his sword.

Black flames ignited in the air like ink splashed across the sky. These flames contained the Heavenly Demon’s power. The black fire used by the demonkin didn’t just burn flesh. It also consumed mana and life force from whatever it touched.

Kwon Oh-Jin instinctively fired a lightning bolt, but the dark flames absorbed it. Empowered by the lightning, the black fire flared even more violently as if the Black Heaven itself had been transformed into flames.

“Die!” the demonkin roared, grinning confidently as the fire completely absorbed the lightning.

The raging fire shot toward Kwon Oh-Jin like a flood.

Absorption, huh.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and casually clenched his fist. Lightning gathered below his right elbow, transforming his entire arm into crackling blue lightning.

“Can you absorb this too?”

“What...?”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s lightning fist smashed into the black flames. A blinding current tore the flames to shreds and headed directly toward the demonkin.

“Khaaaaaa!” The demonkin convulsed, twisting and writhing in agony as the lightning devoured him.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm returned to normal as he turned around.

In the past, Lighting Form required lengthy preparation and left devastating side effects. He never used it lightly. Now, with the Stigma of Lyra at nine stars, he could selectively transform parts of his body at will. Granted, using it without proper preparation, just like now, meant it would only last a few seconds.

But that’s more than enough.

He had just unleashed a barrage of lightning with power equivalent to dozens of Explosive Lightning condensed in a single punch. What did it matter if it only lasted a few seconds?

The last demonkin stepped back in terror with a pale face. “S-Shit.”

His comrades had been obliterated in the blink of an eye. Sure, they were just scouts and not some high-ranking elites, but they were still demonkin who had inherited the Heavenly Demon’s power. Each one of them could take on hundreds of warriors alone, yet this human had completely overwhelmed them.

He dropped his weapon and raised both hands. “I-I surrender!”

No matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn’t win against this monster head-on.

“You surrender?”

“Y-Yes! I’ll do anything you ask! S-So, please... spare me. If I help you, you might be able to escape before the main forces arrive!” the demonkin desperately pleaded and bowed.

“Hmm, is that so?” Kwon Oh-Jin paused for a moment, then nodded. “Perfect timing. I had something I wanted to say anyway.”

Had Kwon Oh-Jin accepted the surrender? He approached the demonkin with his arms crossed.

The kneeling demonkin’s lips curled into a twisted grin. He couldn’t win against this monster head-on, so making him let his guard down was the only way.

“Die, human!” The terror vanished from the demonkin’s eyes, replaced by a sudden ferocity.

Whoosh!

Black flames flared to life in his palm. He had discarded his weapon, but his powerful body was a weapon on its own. He raised his fist, cloaked in fire, ready to strike.

“It’s best to look your opponent straight in the eye when you lie.”

“What?”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Before the thought could even fully form, a spear pierced through the demonkin’s heart from behind and emerged on the other side.

“Kugh!”

It was the spear Kwon Oh-Jin had thrown at the beginning.

“Looking away makes lies easy to spot.”

“H-How...?” The demonkin collapsed, coughing blood.

Kwon Oh-Jin walked up to him and extended his hand, allowing Dantalian to fly back to him like a sword in a wuxia novel.

Swoosh!

He flicked it clean of blood with a swift motion.

“You...” Kellion stared at Kwon Oh-Jin with his jaw dropped.

Even if they were just scouts sent to check the lair, how could he have defeated five demonkin so easily? For a moment, Kellion couldn’t help but wonder if the savior from Caelus’s prophecy was Kwon Oh-Jin and not Song Ha-Eun.

Kwon Oh-Jin also felt surprised as he looked down at the five fallen demonkin.

I figured I got stronger after reaching nine stars, but I didn’t expect to be this strong.

His physical power, the potency of his lightning, his mana, and even his mastery of the Stigma of Lyra’s techniques had reached an entirely new realm.

Damn, am I borderline as strong as Isabella now?

As that arrogant thought briefly flashed across his mind, more footsteps echoed in the distance.

Dududu!

This time, it sounded ten times louder than earlier.

Damn it.

The main demonkin force was approaching.

“How much more time do we need?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“I don’t know.” Kellion shook his head.

Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed and gripped Dantalian tighter. He could hear at least fifty sets of footsteps approaching.

No matter how much stronger he had become, he couldn’t easily overpower such numbers like he just did.

“I will help.” Kellion gripped his staff.

While he couldn’t overwhelm multiple demonkin like Kwon Oh-Jin, he still bore the Stigma of Draco. If Kwon Oh-Jin could just buy a bit of time, he could unleash a powerful strike.

“Then, I’ll leave the rear to you.” Kwon Oh-Jin charged forward with his spear in hand.

Moments later, the demonkin’s main force stormed into the lair.

A fierce and bloody battle began.

Boom! Crackle! Crash!

Kwon Oh-Jin rampaged wildly against all fifty demonkin.

“Aaaargh!”

“Kugh!”

Blood splattered everywhere. Black flames and blue lightning intertwined, erupting in scorching heat waves. The chamber shook as if an earthquake had struck.

“Haa! Haa!” Kwon Oh-Jin gasped for breath, his panting tinged with the taste of blood.

Though Kellion provided some backup, facing fifty demonkin head-on wasn’t easy even for someone who had reached nine stars.

How much longer?!

He anxiously glanced over at Song Ha-Eun.

Crack!

A fracture split across the Soulstone that Song Ha-Eun had been touching. It began to shatter. A red flame burst free from the crystal, blazing violently as if engulfing the entire chamber.

“O-Oh-Jin! It’s done!” Song Ha-Eun opened her eyes after concentrating for a long time and turned around with a radiant expression.

Kellion collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “F-Finally... At last...”

Ever since the Dragon God had fallen into a deep slumber, how long had he yearned for this very moment?

“Oh, Great Dragon God! Please save us!” Kellion bowed deeply, his forehead pressed to the ground.

The entire chamber trembled as the flames from the Soulstone danced and swirled through the air.

Rumble!

Just then, the flames drifting through the air began to gather toward Song Ha-Eun instead of the sleeping Dragon God.

“H-Huh? W-What’s going on? Why is it doing that?”