Book 16 Chapter 8
Chapter 78
“Watch out! These guys, they’re all Wing-type mages!”
Ludwig family’s arcane magic, Bell Sidious, discerned the source of the supernatural power. There was no power that could be hidden from its pupil power.
What it saw was the Enemy Marking Spell.
Magic circles, etched with the forbidden Orbios runes on each vital part of their bodies, were augmenting their physical strength to an unnatural degree.
“That’s not all! There’s an aura of [King’s Flesh] comparable to all of ours combined!”
The bow of the [Cheonhwagungpa (Heavenly Harmony Bow Sect)], which originated in the central part of the Empire, was an extra-large greatbow named Hwagung (Harmony Bow).
The Cheonhwagung, which began in the wide-open plains of the central region, had abnormally enlarged the size of its bows to increase the power of a single shot, under the motto of ‘power over versatility.’
This is why, unlike a normal greatbow, which is 6.5 cheok long, the Hwagung’s length reaches an astonishing 7.5 cheok.
‘Distance…!’
The arrows of the [Cheonhwagungpa] possessed immense power and an outrageous range.
In terms of range and power alone, they held an overwhelming advantage over their rival, the [Jeolgokgungpa].
However, unlike the [Jeolgokgungpa], which adopted shortbows and developed their archery to subdue prey while traversing rugged mountains, the versatility of their bows and archery was extremely low.
They were champions in ultra-long-range shooting, but if an enemy approached even to mid-range or closer… a massive blow would come.
‘The distance isn’t right…!’
Just like now, as Cobb was busy frantically fleeing from one side of the ship to the other throughout his pursuit by Iron Abba.
“You’re nimble! But let’s see how far you can run!”
Iron Abba kicked off a magical foothold created in the air, changed his body’s direction, and slammed his heel directly onto the deck.
“!”
“!”
“!”
Screams and death throes raged.
Countless citizens of the Hosen Kingdom, captured like slaves, were onboard in the cabins below deck.
“Now, you can’t run away, can you? I’ll keep doing this every time you try to escape.”
Leonia, whose pupils trembled and whose lips twitched in spasms, charged forward at that moment.
“You…!”
A secret technique of the Namryungeompa.
Injangeondo (Human Staff Guidance).
“…How dare you!”
A charge wielding heavy weaponry makes the path of movement or the trajectory of a swing easy for an opponent to read.
This was a secret stratagem to counter that common sense.
The thrown weapon travels along a different trajectory to the area the master intends to go, arriving at the destination together—a simple logic but a difficult secret technique in practice.
“What, what right do you…!”
She instantly got behind Abba and brought down her double-bladed axe, but there was no sensation of steel cutting flesh.
*CRRAANNGGG…*
Even the sound was different. The sensation reaching her wrist was the same as striking an iron block with an axe.
“…commit such an act!”
Abba’s hands, which had crossed to block the blow, were visibly transformed into metal.
Super-Hardening.
It was a magic that transformed the body into iron, created by the Black Church’s second pillar while idly experimenting with Wing-type magic.
“Hmm~ I wonder?”
To use this power, one needed truly bestial muscle and arm strength to support a body whose mass was extremely amplified as it transformed into iron.
“I don’t have the right, but I was given such an order… If I don’t follow it, I’ll be scolded.”
Zernix, who detested muscle strength as barbaric, gave up on using this magic himself and instead enticed Abba, who was then considered a rising star in the martial arts world, to experiment.
“Look out!”
As is often the case with athletic individuals, Abba was stupidly pure and easily fell for the enticement. Had he remained in the martial arts world, he would have easily achieved a normal career path.
“Look out, Leonia!”
Before Pencion’s urgent cry could reach her, Leonia’s vision went completely black, and her body was slammed against the ship’s rail.
A blow from Carerlin of the Dark Lightning!
With that single strike, the breastplate beneath her lion fur was hideously shattered, and all the ribs and internal organs just below her heart were damaged.
‘If it had been, just a little, a little higher… I would have died.’
However, Leonia was currently using [King’s Flesh].
【Ho, ho, ho…】
Blood, emitting a painfully hot power as if it would melt her entire body, activated the authority of immortality… super-fast regeneration within her flesh.
【Such a beautiful child…】
At the same time, invading her mind was a vision… a distant primeval era, a burning and screaming desert… She furiously shook her head to barely dispel the image.
“I need to take care of both of you first and find out what you’re plotting.”
She pushed off the ground with the base of her double-bladed axe to stand up. The lionesses, ‘Ruru’ and ‘Senru,’ stood guard on either side of Leonia, growling.
“What? Why aren’t you dead…? Ah, this is annoying and I’m sleepy.”
“Then how about trying hard and finishing it quickly! It’ll be comfortable to rest afterward, won’t it!”
Carerlin spun her spear, then assumed a stance that even felt graceful.
“You’re right. Yes, I should do that.”
This was strikingly different from before, when she was so lazy she didn’t even properly take a preparatory stance…!
Heavenly Spear Art, Seventh Form, Finale.
Carerlin, who had exceptional talent from a young age but avoided training due to her lazy personality, was taught by her Cheonchangpa master to practice only this Seventh Form, the thrust.
– Just thrust. Use the Seventh Form! Today is a hundred times. I’ll give you food after you finish that!
Since it seemed like she just had to simply thrust, Carerlin dutifully performed the training to get food.
A hundred times a day, a thousand times, ten thousand times…
Later, when she could perform ten thousand thrusts a day, she was capable of a flash like a bolt of lightning.
– Now you are ready to go out into the world. If you don’t learn other forms or go to the Jigeomje (Earth Sword Festival), I will not give you food.
Carerlin killed her master because she was annoyed by his persistence in making her go to the Jigeomje, a Papal State-approved sword fighting tournament.
When she was on the verge of death, pursued by the Special Operations Department and the Papal State, Zernix found her.
Zernix promised her delicious food and power, and Carerlin immediately agreed, thus becoming a member of the [Seven Souls].
“I’ll put my heart into this, like when I killed my master.”