Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 373

Upon hearing Tae-oh’s shout, Yeon-woo infused his lethargic body with mana, awakening it.

With forced strength, he managed to lift his sagging form. The dragon’s energy had already been released. Although his mana was running low, he still had to move.

[Do you still have strength left to rise?]

The Demon King looked on in admiration at Yeon-woo’s tenacity. There was no time to respond to such a trivial reaction; they were in clear danger.

Tae-oh, who had shouted in urgency, continued with his words. Fortunately, it seemed that Yeon-woo’s bold act of burning down the entire Demon King’s Space had not yielded no results.

It appeared that Tae-oh was deducing the situation with a process of elimination between two possibilities.

[So, what about the core of the Demon King?]

[There was only one. The only item of the Demon King that remained in this space even when everything visible was destroyed.]

It was a somewhat ambiguous statement. However, at a certain moment, both Shar and Yeon-woo realized what that item was.

Yeon-woo quickly turned his head. He glanced at the doppleganger, lying helplessly on the ground.

…Is that really the answer?

The Demon King’s jewel, which had to be carried around wrapped in the doppleganger because it couldn’t be simply held or placed in Relin’s Warehouse.

It was highly likely that Tae-oh was referring to that jewel.

If that were the case, it could be a bit troublesome for Yeon-woo. It meant that he had started the fight holding the Demon King’s heart, its weakness, from the very beginning.

But if he thought that way, all his questions were resolved.

Why did the Demon King momentarily harden his expression when he tried to burn away flesh? It wasn’t due to the flames, but because he had ignited the doppleganger.

The Demon King’s inability to exert full power may be because his heart was in the hands of the enemy or because the unique blocking ability of the doppleganger hindered his strength.

[Heh.]

Observing Yeon-woo’s reaction, the Demon King burst into laughter. Simultaneously, the chunks of meat covering the ground surged up like ivy climbing a wall.

“Damn…!!”

[Cough, cough, ha-ha…! How funny it is. To hold something and not realize it’s a treasure, just like you said.]

Hearing the Demon King’s derision, Yeon-woo lunged at the doppleganger.

The control over the doppleganger was in Yeon-woo’s hands. Even the Demon King couldn’t seize that control. However, commands could only be given when in contact with it.

In other words, if the Demon King wrapped it up in thick chunks of meat, Yeon-woo wouldn’t have any means of dealing with it.

He needed to tear away the meat and command the doppleganger to extract the jewel to shatter it.

And that was too daunting a task for the three of them at this moment. Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa were running low on mana, and Kargos, who was in somewhat better shape, wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

‘At least I’m glad I have some stamina left.’

The calculation was rough. Kargos would tear through the flesh, he would retrieve the doppleganger, and then with the remaining mana, he’d strike with the Aura Blade.

If that wasn’t enough, they could only hope Baek In-hwa could somehow help.

“War Leader, Baek In-hwa!! We have to aim for that!!”

At Yeon-woo’s shout, the two took a deep breath and looked up. Although they had been in this state from the start, they were battered.

Kargos was in a horrific condition, his blood dried across his body despite his remarkable regeneration, and Baek In-hwa looked emaciated, her cheeks sunken.

Although their injuries had significantly decreased since teaming up with Kargos, they could not alleviate their mana depletion.

“War Leader, lead the way!! Smash that column!!”

“I don’t know what it is, but understood!!”

Kargos’s advantage was that when he entered combat, he willingly carried out orders, even if he couldn’t understand them.

In situations where former enemies temporarily cooperate like now, there is often suspicion and miscommunication, but that wasn’t the case with him.

Kargos, sprawled on the ground, gripped his twin axes and charged forward. They had to resolve this as quickly as possible.

If they dragged it out like before, there would be no choices left but death.

Kargos rushed in. The Demon King wasn’t just watching. Chunks of flesh were rising, soaked by some horrific liquid pooling on the ground.

It was a scene too foul to describe, but Kargos lunged ahead without hesitation.

His twin axes, swung with wolf-like sharpness, tore through the flesh blocking his path.

The torn pieces of meat splattered everywhere, only to immediately reassemble in mid-air.

A small bird resembling a hummingbird transformed from the chunk of meat suddenly flew toward Kargos.

Yet Kargos’s axes wouldn’t stop there.

That orc cared not about battling one-on-one; he preferred to take on many opponents at once as he had lived that way all his life.

In a situation where there were no allies in front or behind, Kargos truly showed his worth.

A chilling crimson mana swept across the area. Yeon-woo followed closely behind him, protecting Baek In-hwa.

“Ha-ha-ha!! Come on, more!!”

At Kargos’s thunderous cry, the atmosphere began to tremble. Indeed, people unveil their potential when placed in their favorite environments. This is why companies should work hard on employee welfare.

Each swing of his twin axes added acceleration and power. It was the madness of the battlefield. It pushed momentum on both bad and good things, and that was why people referred to him as a berserker.

Crimson mana cleaved a path. A straight line opened towards the Demon King. As he ripped through the flesh, it only increased in mass, and Kargos showed no hesitation.

Pushing his way through, he forged a path. He didn’t care if he sustained injuries, if the hummingbird monster clung to him and drained his blood, or if the gargoyle clawed at him.

“Ugh!!”

Before Kargos realized it, he reached the chunk of meat enveloping the doppleganger and raised his axes above his head.

With the massive force and acceleration gained from overcoming the obstacle, he thought to swing both axes simultaneously.

The doppleganger seemed impossible to break, but the overwhelming mana and strength concentrated in those two axes made even Yeon-woo feel uneasy.

Despite having developed an attachment to the doppleganger, if breaking one could slay the Demon King, it wouldn’t be a poor trade-off.

Yeon-woo shouted.

“Do it, War Leader!!”

“Uooooo──!”

Crimson mana traced a trajectory. The crimson afterimage slashed diagonally through the towering chunk of meat.

Boom!!

The explosive sound and shockwave felt as though a missile had struck, enveloping Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa.

Dodging behind the White, Yeon-woo pushed off, instantly lifting Baek In-hwa alongside.

Amidst the blinding light, he caught sight of the horrifically torn doppleganger within the shredded meat.

Yeon-woo crushed the mana governing the White, using it as a stepping stone to launch himself. Even in that instant, the meat column was regenerating.

His fingertip brushed against the doppleganger. He had to retrieve it. In that case, the method was simple.

Concentrating mana in his buried hand, though the surface may have regenerated firmly, the fresh flesh that had just grown wouldn’t be that strong. The inside was still mushy.

Boom!!

The concentrated mana exploded. It was the most straightforward and destructive explosion of the fire type.

Unless in a state of the Dragon’s Soul, there was no way Yeon-woo could take that explosion up close without injury in his current condition.

His left arm became tattered. However, it was okay. With what was left of his ragged hand, he was able to still retrieve the doppleganger.

With his right hand, he lifted the White and commanded the doppleganger.

The crimson jewel revealed its elegant form. Wrapped in the White as an Aura Blade, Yeon-woo brought the jewel crashing down.

The irreparable damage to his left arm was no longer a factor.

Boom!!

A crater opened. Such was the immense power unleashed. Yet, the jewel didn’t shatter—it only bore thin cracks.

Yeon-woo tried to lift the White again for another strike.

Poof.

A tentacle erupted from the ground, piercing Yeon-woo’s abdomen. Gulping, he coughed up blood along with the fierce pain.

The jewel became soaked in red blood. His grip nearly slipped. But, once more, he tightly gripped the White.

…Boom!!

The second. The cracks in the jewel visibly spread. Something incomprehensible seeped out through the fractures with a horrifying scream resonating from somewhere.

Yeon-woo tried to lift the White once again. However, his arm wouldn’t respond. No sound could be heard. It felt as if an unseen hand was gripping and shaking his brain.

In a moment of instinct, Baek In-hwa, who had collapsed behind Yeon-woo, sharply honed her senses.

Yeon-woo… wouldn’t die from just this much. She felt an unshakable conviction, despite having no evidence.

Kargos was continuing to fight, despite being pierced all over by tentacles. Thanks to that, he was drawing the Demon King’s attention.

What Baek In-hwa had to do in this situation was crystal clear. Before the Demon King kills everyone here, she must shatter the core of that Demon King.

But how to break it? It hadn’t shattered even with the Aura Blade?

In that split second, Baek In-hwa felt as if her head had spun hundreds of times. Devise a strategy, find a means. Yet, she couldn’t reach an answer.

Yeon-woo was a man who pursued efficiency while dreaming of the impossible. Therefore, there must have been a reason he brought her here, embracing her and then dismissing her.

As she considered this, she lifted her gaze. Blood dripped from both Yeon-woo’s mouth and nose.

No matter how much of a master he was or how capable he was in healing arts, with that much blood loss, he couldn’t last long. With that thought, she shifted her gaze back to the jewel.

The jewel, soaked in a massive amount of blood, had a strangely deliberate appearance. It appeared as though he was purposely letting the blood fall onto the jewel.

Baek In-hwa was squeezing out her last ounce of strength and mumbled. She had no energy left to voice it, and could only hope Yeon-woo would understand her intent.

‘…Freezer…. Glass of water?’

Baek In-hwa thought, ‘What kind of nonsense is coming out in such a situation?’ but her eyes widened with realization. She understood the intention. But would it work? She wasn’t sure, yet she had to try.

With a swish, clusters of snowflakes formed from her concentrated mana fluttered down upon the jewel, melting into it with its warmth.

And in an instant, the blood that had soaked into the cracks of the jewel froze over.

Squelch, squelch….

[W-what, huff, cough…!!]

Crack! As the blood froze, the fractures consuming nearly half of the jewel began to open up.

As a result, the frozen ice blocked the gap of the split jewel, and at Baek In-hwa’s gesture, the wavering ice barely held on like a mirage began to dissolve.

The now split jewel cracked open with a sound as something dark surged out from within, being swiftly swallowed whole by Tae-oh, who had risen behind Yeon-woo, shattering it with his teeth.

Clang!!

With a sound reminiscent of breaking glass, the space began to shatter. The power of the Demon King and the spherical space that could be said to embody the Demon King itself were vanishing.

Crawling along, Baek In-hwa embraced Yeon-woo’s unconscious form gently in the collapsing world.

In that tumbling reality, the battle with the Demon King came to a close.

(To be continued in the next part)