Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 438

Yeon-woo, after hearing Riley’s report, led the Hunters out of the Earth Hammer Gorge.

Countless enemies blocked their path on the way out, but that was nothing, really. He wasn’t an amateur; he had done this sort of thing a couple of times before.

The reason for moving the battlefield from the narrow gorge to the plains was simple.

The Earth Serpent was not too weak just because it had stepped a little out of the gorge, and it was better to have a wide space to instigate a fight between Moryo and Hwayo rather than being cramped like in the gorge.

In the gorge, humanity would be caught in between and get beaten from both sides.

To minimize casualties and conserve strength, it was more of a necessity than a choice.

From beyond the horizon, a multitude of people were advancing. Yeon-woo heard dry swallows from around him. They seemed extremely tense.

“Are you all nervous?”

“Yes? Y-yes.”

At Yeon-woo’s nonchalant question, the Hunters nearby responded in surprise, each offering answers.

Most were one-word replies, but it didn’t seem like they had much else to say.

After all, behind them lay Harmony City. It was only natural to feel tense knowing the citizens of Harmony City would be harmed if they failed.

Of course, Hunters fought on behalf of people. They conquered dangerous Gates to prevent harm from falling on powerless ordinary citizens and received thanks and money in return.

However, battles mostly occurred inside Gates. It was rare to fight while feeling that people were right behind them.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t drag you here to kill you all.”

“I-I know that, but….”

“If you know, then you shouldn’t be nervous, right? Well, saying that might not fully relieve your tension, though.”

With that, Yeon-woo silently pointed toward Harmony City.

These people seemed to be misunderstanding something. Perhaps because they had fought the Cult of Laziness with only fifty-odd people, they appeared to think they were some final resistance.

As their gazes turned to where Yeon-woo pointed, the color started returning to their faces.

Approaching them were an enormous number of dolls. Some were flying in the sky, while others rode on something.

True to their profession as Hunters, support troops were closing the distance in completely disorganized fashions.

“If you clash against those while being outnumbered, it would be a shame for your lives. I didn’t bring you all here to die. I brought you here to win.”

Seeing Yeon-woo smile brightly, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

What? Did they think I brought them to die? Yeon-woo wondered how his image had gotten this way.

In any case, with this, they had gained the advantage in numbers. They weren’t falling short in terms of the number of Masters either.

The only issue was the presence of the Demon King, a being of asymmetric power that could create variables beyond simple combat ability.

So far, they had managed to deal with it somehow, but he couldn’t definitively say that the other two could handle it too. That was how dangerous Moryo and Hwayo, the Demon Kings, were.

Yeon-woo exhaled calmly. And then, the battlefield began to approach. Very quickly.

A voice erupted from behind.

“Everyone, prepare for battle—!!!”

And then, boom! The clash of bodies erupted.

*

Creeeak—!!

With a sharp sound, a white-feathered eagle descended from the high sky, striking right into the midst of the enemy lines.

With an enormous shockwave, a hole opened in the heart of the Cult of Despair.

It was Namgung Seong. With a majestic cry worthy of a ruler of the high skies, Namgung Seong swooped down like a missile onto the Cult of Despair, behaving thoroughly pragmatically.

Of course, considering he was a raptor, that was a perfectly reasonable action.

Repeating hit-and-run tactics. What else could be the hunting method of a bird of prey? However, that didn’t mean the opponent was just going to sit back quietly.

One of the rowdy figures from the Violence Cult swiftly flew up towards Namgung Seong. Namgung Seong looked at him as if he were ridiculous.

In the sky, two figures began to entangle and fight. Such battles unfolded everywhere within sight.

Fights broke out in the air, on the ground, and even underground. Naturally, Yeon-woo was not free from such a situation.

Blocking Yeon-woo’s path were two opponents. To be precise, it wasn’t entirely accurate to call them two, but on the surface, it was indeed two standing in his way.

A Named Shadow Warrior, Kai Hros, and the Great Warrior of the Violence Cult, Christopher.

In the midst of the battlefield, three people faced each other, gradually creating a space as if no one could approach.

“Hey, that guy’s my prey. Can you step aside?”

Christopher was the first to speak up. Though he asked Kai to step aside, Kai silently shook his head. Seeing this, Christopher snickered.

“Well, that can’t be helped. We’ll just have to see who kills first to determine the winner.”

In an instant, Christopher was upon Yeon-woo, swinging a fist toward him.

Yeon-woo, who had only been observing the dialogue without letting his guard down, managed to block the punch with his sword.

Szzziing—!!

Due to the tremendous impact, White’s blade vibrated sharply. Yeon-woo blocked the front and, without missing a beat, launched a kick toward Kai, who had appeared behind him.

Kai nonchalantly deflected the kick towards his solar plexus while simultaneously spinning his arms to twist Yeon-woo’s ankle.

Letting go of White’s hilt, Yeon-woo spun up and smashed the other side of his foot into Kai’s head.

Then, with another spin, he landed, gripped White, and transformed the hilt into a spear which he thrust upward.

Christopher’s usually carefree expression turned pale as he urgently dodged.

“That was close!”

“Tch.”

Given Christopher’s durability, which exceeded imagination, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but wonder if his lower abdomen was that strong too, but did he still retain enough survival instinct?

“Isn’t it a bit unmanly to trap me while wrapping that Aura Blade around you?”

“Aren’t you trying to kill me while I focus on something else?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

In any case, a volley had been exchanged. Yeon-woo found himself surrounded, and it seemed Kai had regained some strength among the fray, appearing to have surpassed the Master’s barrier.

That guy had agreed to help kill Moryo, yet he was fully committed to this fight.

He probably thought that if he died with just this much, he wouldn’t be able to kill Moryo, but from Yeon-woo’s perspective, that was a thoroughly annoying proposition.

“Alright, alright. Before killing the Demon King, I’ll be sure to finish you guys off first.”

“Well, that’s how it should be.”

“Good spirit.”

Christopher and Kai each made their respective remarks. Honestly, they were both incredibly annoying, with every single word triggering irritation, especially how they acted as if they were testing him.

A massive shadow loomed beneath Yeon-woo.

Kai’s face hardened. A shadow sphere popped out, standing behind Yeon-woo. The dragon, having emerged beside it, solidified its battle stance.

‘…Has the prince already grown that much?’

Noticing the growth of Tae-oh wasn’t hard since they were from the same background.

He had grown to more than double his former self since their last meeting. At that level, he was no longer someone to be dismissed lightly.

“I’ll deal with you!”

“…That’s troubling.”

Kai smiled bitterly. It was undeniably clear that the prince and the dragon, now his sister, were not easy opponents.

*

Swish, the blade of the heavenly sword cut through the air, grazing Christopher’s skin. A deep scar was etched onto Christopher’s body. He let out an exclamation.

“A good sword has found a worthy owner. This is serious!”

“That’s why your usual conduct is important.”

With Yeon-woo’s words, Christopher burst into laughter. Once conduct was brought up, there was nothing Christopher could say.

While exchanging such dialogue, Yeon-woo wielded the sword, and Christopher either avoided or blocked the blade using the harder parts of his body.

Absurdly, even with the Aura Blade, it took effort to pierce through Christopher’s mana.

It was unmistakably clear that his defense had reached a level distinct from that of the Heavenly Demon. Yet, it was also evident that compared to the endless magic of the Heavenly Demon, he was more manageable.

From the moment he became Bell, many of Christopher’s advantages converted into disadvantages. His offensive power remained, but his reckless style often lacked finesse.

While Yeon-woo would typically utilize a backhand strike to push away a blocked attack, Christopher had no choice but to suffer as he continued to receive wounds. His excessively superior physical abilities had now turned into a weakness.

Thus, the situation was entirely the opposite of what it had been before. Back then, Yeon-woo maintained a defensive position, looking for an opening; now, Christopher was the one in a defensive stance looking for a strike.

The difference was that, back then, Yeon-woo’s counterattacks held little significance. However, Christopher’s counterattacks still had the power to decide battles in a single blow.

Even though he was clearly being pressed, Yeon-woo felt as if he were walking a tightrope.

Whenever the overwhelming pressure surged, it felt as if he could see beyond the Three Thousand Heavenly Rivers.

But still, he moved forward. He didn’t come this far just to be stopped by someone like Christopher.

He was here to defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world.

“If you don’t hurry, you might find yourself in big trouble!”

Seemingly to disrupt Yeon-woo’s concentration, Christopher muttered. Yeon-woo was already aware.

There was no way he could overlook the mighty sounds occurring on one side of the battlefield.

“To be honest, I thought Toyo was strong, but after meeting the current boss, that thought vanished.”

He understood that sentiment as well. Yeon-woo had thought the same thing.

The overwhelming murderous intent that rendered Toyo nothing. The violence that wrapped around, with that alone being enough to make someone kneel.

“Compared to that, this is nothing but a monster in name and reality. I tried to confront it once, but I got smashed without even putting up a fight.”

It was almost as if he were saying that if he fell behind, Hwayo would be waiting to claim his life with a single finger.

As it was also information, Yeon-woo silently ingrained it into his memory.

“So bring out more strength!!”

Christopher’s kick struck Yeon-woo’s side as he broke through Yeon-woo’s assault. Yeon-woo’s body crumpled softly.

Despite trying to absorb the impact with sword technique and nullify the shock with the power of courage, it was not entirely sufficient.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Wiping away the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, Yeon-woo murmured.

Now it was time to finally end this persistent connection with this demon.

(Continued in the next chapter)