A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 407

The sight of the massive Demonic Dragon emerging from the sandstorm filled everyone with dread. Its forefeet stood upon the earth like colossal pillars. A thick, sturdy neck extended directly from its torso, topped with a massive head. Behind it stretched a body so large and long that it was obscured by the sandstorm. Covered in armor-like scales, the Demonic Dragon resembled a giant lizard more than the dragons spoken of in the Central Plains [a region often associated with traditional Chinese culture and mythology]. Yet, its overwhelming majesty and ferocious appearance were more than enough to terrify all who beheld it.

Whooooosh.

The Demonic Dragon’s burning eyes, visible through the sandstorm, gazed down upon those within the ‘Pigpen’ [likely a derogatory term for their current location or situation]. Everyone froze, but unexpectedly, the bandit thugs were the first to react.

“Uwaaa!”

As someone screamed and began to flee, their leader, Gulbahar, immediately shouted.

“Damn it, scatter!”

He didn’t bother specifying where to run. In a sandstorm like this, it wouldn’t matter anyway; the priority was to get away from this place as quickly as possible.

Thump, thump, thump.

The bandit thugs scattered into the sandstorm in an instant. However, the massive Demonic Dragon showed no reaction to them. Or rather, it couldn’t.

Phew, phew, phew.

Iron pellets flew through the sandstorm. Although they didn’t contain the inner force of No Gun’s Ironclad Brigade [a specialized fighting force], the Demonic Dragon couldn’t ignore the iron pellets aimed precisely at its eyes.

Swish.

The massive Demonic Dragon closed its eyes.

Clang, clang, clang.

The thick eyelids, like armored plates, easily deflected Dang Wol-ah’s iron pellets. However, that wasn’t the entirety of Dang Wol-ah’s attack.

Whoosh.

The moment the Demonic Dragon closed its eyes, Dang Wol-ah’s slender form soared through the sandstorm. And her sword, So-wol, began to emit an eerie green light.

Wooong.

Her So-wol, emitting a low moan, seemed poised to pierce the Demonic Dragon’s snout.

“Wol-ah, be careful!”

Sim Soo-yeon’s cry rang out as the Demonic Dragon shook its head violently.

Whooosh.

Simply shaking its head, the Demonic Dragon’s massive body transformed even a simple action into something deadly.

“Taha!”

Sim Soo-yeon unleashed a sharp shout, directing her sword, Mi-myeong, towards the Demonic Dragon’s feet. But the Demonic Dragon wasn’t idle either.

Swish.

The Demonic Dragon raised its massive forefoot. For the Demonic Dragon, it was merely lifting its foot to take a step, but that alone was far taller than a person. Lifting that massive forefoot high, the Demonic Dragon brought it down on Sim Soo-yeon.

Koo-oong.

The impact reverberated through the ‘Pigpen.’ The remaining roof collapsed, and Sim Soo-yeon, who had charged forward, had to retreat immediately.

Thud.

Meanwhile, Dang Wol-ah also landed beside Sim Soo-yeon. Although Sim Soo-yeon’s own attack had failed, she had achieved her goal of helping Dang Wol-ah evade.

But the Demonic Dragon’s attack wasn’t over.

—Krrr.

“Get out of the way! That thing’s up to something!”

By the time No Gun shouted a sharp warning, red flames were already gathering at the Demonic Dragon’s mouth.

Fwoosh.

Flames erupted from the Demonic Dragon’s mouth.

Flap, flap, flap.

Son Bin and his group scattered in all directions. But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Seo-rin grabbed the small girl, Zaina, tightly around the waist. The quick-witted Zaina clung to Seo-rin as if she had been waiting for it, and Seo-rin, with her two hands now free, grabbed Rahman and Hwang Bang-ju by their collars. And in an instant, she leaped over the wall.

“This is going to suck!”

The busiest person was No Gun. No Gun yelled and threw himself towards the Cult warriors. For some reason, the Cult warriors hadn’t fled yet. Or perhaps they couldn’t.

Thwack.

No Gun kicked away two warriors who were staring up at the Demonic Dragon in shock, and grabbed the collars of the warriors within reach.

Thwack, thwack.

At the same time that the heavy inner force contained in Dang Wol-ah’s iron pellets relentlessly pushed away the three warriors farthest away, No Gun leaped over the wall. It all happened in an instant.

Whoosh.

The ‘Pigpen’ was engulfed in flames. However, everyone who had fled over the wall was safe from the fire. Son Bin, who had been carried to safety by Sim Soo-yeon, was also unharmed. But the Demonic Dragon was once again raising its massive forefoot.

Koo-oong.

Whoosh.

The Demonic Dragon stomped its feet and breathed fire again. As if not giving them a chance to retaliate, the Demonic Dragon didn’t let up its attacks on Son Bin and his group.

Crack.

The Demonic Dragon lowered its head and swept through the ‘Pigpen.’ Even the remaining walls were instantly swept away.

—Krrr.

Flames flickered from the massive Demonic Dragon’s mouth. But the Demonic Dragon couldn’t unleash the flames.

“Sanghyo, Iljeol [likely the name of a sword technique or a pair of swords].”

Whooong.

A massive white sword revealed itself above the Demonic Dragon’s head. Although the Demonic Dragon’s size diminished the overwhelming feeling, it was large enough to pierce the Demonic Dragon.

—Kwaaaaa!

The Demonic Dragon, sensing the danger, roared. But it was already too late. Swoosh. It was the moment that Sword Empress and her Sanghyo Iljeol were about to plunge down towards the roaring Demonic Dragon.

“Get out of the way!”

A sharp voice echoed in Sword Empress’s ear. It was the moment to pierce the Demonic Dragon in one fell swoop, but Sword Empress didn’t ignore the warning. It was Son Bin’s voice.

Whoosh.

Sword Empress withdrew Sanghyo Iljeol and twisted her body at the same time that lightning tore through the air.

Crack!

What struck down from the sky towards Sword Empress was clearly lightning. The thunder that followed without delay meant that the lightning had struck right above her head. And that wasn’t the end of it.

Whooooosh.

A tremendous storm surged towards Sword Empress from above. A gale that could instantly blow away a house was tearing through the air, threatening to rip apart Sword Empress, who was floating in the air. But Sword Empress didn’t move. She had clearly avoided the lightning, but just being within its range had paralyzed her entire body.

Thud.

Sim Soo-yeon immediately soared into the air. But at this rate, the gale would engulf Sword Empress first.

“Storm Snow Blossom!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Sim Soo-yeon unleashed Storm Snow Blossom in the air.

Whooooosh.

A storm of snowflakes poured out from Sim Soo-yeon’s sword, Mi-myeong. It was the worst possible situation, with a dry desert climate and a sandstorm raging, but Sim Soo-yeon’s immense cold energy, once attuned to the Eternal Ice Essence, was creating a storm of sharp ice blades even in this scorching desert.

Clang.

The two storms collided in the air with a tremendous sound. And Sim Soo-yeon used the moment of respite created by the impact to embrace Sword Empress.

Thud.

The moment she embraced Sword Empress, Sim Soo-yeon felt something eerie flying towards her from the sky, or rather, charging at her.

—Kiyaaaaa!

Whooosh.

Cutting through the air filled with sandstorms, what was rushing towards Sim Soo-yeon was a hawk of enormous size.

Claw-gwak.

Even as Sim Soo-yeon’s eyes widened, the sharp talons of the giant hawk were closing in on her.

It was then.

Swoosh.

Sim Soo-yeon felt something eerie, a ‘line,’ pass in front of her. That ‘line’ was precisely cutting across the front of the giant hawk’s ankle as it charged towards Sim Soo-yeon.

—Kiyaak.

The giant hawk shrieked and retracted its talons. At this rate, its ankle would be cut off before it could reach Sim Soo-yeon. But that action was even more surprising to Sim Soo-yeon. The giant hawk had clearly sensed the existence of the ‘line,’ which only an Outer Realm expert could perceive, and its deadly power.

“Soo-yeon unni [a term of endearment used by younger females to address older females in Korean culture]!”

Ping.

An iron pellet flew towards Sim Soo-yeon along with Dang Wol-ah’s voice. Sim Soo-yeon, who was in the middle of the sandstorm-swept sky, lightly kicked the iron pellet.

Thud.

Thanks to the iron pellet, Sim Soo-yeon accurately sensed her direction and position, and safely landed on the ground with Sword Empress in her arms. Sim Soo-yeon immediately raised her head to look at the sky, but the giant hawk that had attacked her had already disappeared into the thick sandstorm.

—Krrr.

Meanwhile, the massive Demonic Dragon, its burning red eyes gleaming, was cautiously scanning its surroundings, as if searching for Son Bin and his group in the distance, and stirring up flames.

“Are you both alright?”

Son Bin approached and asked quietly. Sim Soo-yeon looked down at Sword Empress in her arms. She still seemed paralyzed, but she could definitely feel her breathing and pulse. Her eyes were also clear, so she was definitely conscious. She would probably recover soon.

“Yes, I think so.”

As Sim Soo-yeon nodded, No Gun landed beside her. No Gun, who had thrown the Cult warriors in a suitable place, asked Son Bin.

“What was that just now? That big hawk thing, I mean.”

“It’s the fifth Demon God.”

At Son Bin’s answer, No Gun’s expression hardened.

“Demon God? That’s also a Demon God?”

“Yes.”

Looking up at the sandstorm-filled sky, Son Bin said with a troubled expression.

“I’m sure of it.”

“They’re compensating for each other’s weaknesses.”

Dang Wol-ah, who had approached unnoticed, said quietly. As she said, it was true. If the giant hawk, which should probably be called the Demonic Hawk, was circling in the air, it would be difficult to attack the Demonic Dragon. It was also difficult to avoid the Demonic Hawk’s lightning strikes or ambushes because of the Demonic Dragon stirring up trouble on the ground. The Demonic Dragon and the Demonic Hawk were complementing each other.

“Those, those are the masters of Taftan Volcano.”

At the voice trembling slightly, Son Bin and Sim Soo-yeon turned their heads. The little girl, Zaina, in Seo-rin’s arms, was saying something in Pashto [an Iranian language spoken in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan]. Rahman, who had appeared with Seo-rin, was translating the Pashto into Hindi [a language spoken in India], and Hwang Bang-ju was trembling as he conveyed it to No Gun.

“Taftan Volcano?”

At Son Bin’s question, Zaina nodded.

“There’s a big volcano called Taftan in the south. There’s a big fire dragon and a thunder hawk in that volcano, and they call those divine beasts the masters of Taftan Volcano.”

Even as she spoke, Zaina was scared and clung tightly to Seo-rin’s neck, not wanting to let go.

“So no one goes near Taftan Volcano. Our village was the closest village….”

What the Demonic Dragon destroyed wasn’t just the ‘Pigpen.’ The few houses around it were also instantly smashed by the Demonic Dragon. Hwang Bang-ju felt a pang of sympathy at Zaina’s gloomy appearance. Then, he suddenly thought of something strange.

“Oh, but why aren’t the villagers….”

It was strange that there were no signs or screams from the villagers, even though something so terrible had happened. But Hwang Bang-ju couldn’t continue his words.

Thud.

No Gun nudged Hwang Bang-ju. Hwang Bang-ju, realizing that it was a signal to say nothing, closed his mouth.

“Please, run away quickly.”

Zaina looked at Seo-rin with a desperate expression. This time, it was Hindi that Seo-rin could understand.

“No one can beat the masters of Taftan Volcano. You have to run away quickly….”

“Thank you.”

Seo-rin smiled at Zaina.

“But I can’t. We came to this village because of those things in the first place.”

As she spoke, Seo-rin looked at Son Bin. Son Bin, who understood Hindi, gave an awkward smile. The reason they came to this small, remote village in the wilderness was solely because Son Bin’s senses had led him here.

“So we’re going to catch those things from now on. My brother will.”

Seo-rin’s resolute eyes made Zaina’s heart flutter. She didn’t even register that the person catching them was ‘my brother.’ Seo-rin gently put Zaina down on the ground. Seo-rin raised her head and looked at Son Bin.

“Right, brother?”

“Yeah.”

Son Bin replied quietly. It was a conversation that Zaina couldn’t understand at all. She wouldn’t have understood even if it had been Pashto instead of Hindi. She couldn’t understand why Son Bin was saying these things, not No Gun, who had forced the master of Taftan to retreat with one sword, or Sim Soo-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, or Sword Empress, who were flying through the air.

—Kiyaaaaa!

Suddenly, the Demonic Hawk’s cry echoed from the sky. At the ominous cry, Son Bin raised his head at the same time that the sound of a storm rushed down from above.

Swoosh.

“It’s coming!”

It was the moment that No Gun shouted and everyone was about to leap away.

Boom, boom.

Three slowly rising, glowing fireballs emerged from beyond the sandstorm. For a moment, they thought it was the Demonic Dragon’s doing, but the fireballs that flew in an arc were heading straight for the Demonic Hawk’s trajectory.

Kwagwang.

—Kiyaaaaa!

The fireballs accurately struck the Demonic Hawk as it fell. The Demonic Hawk, engulfed in flames, twisted its body, and fragments of fire rained down on the spot where Son Bin and his group were.

“Those bastards….”

No Gun, who was carrying Hwang Bang-ju and Rahman in each hand and moving away, frowned.

“Aren’t those the guys from back then?”

Boom, boom.

The glowing fireballs rose again from beyond the sandstorm. The ones spewing fireballs at the giant Demonic Hawk were the three demonic beasts that followed the Water Demon God.

Flap.

—Kwaaa. Thump, thump, thump.

The Demonic Hawk flew into the sky to avoid the fireballs, and the Demonic Dragon twisted its massive body and charged at the demonic beasts. But the three demonic beasts easily avoided the Demonic Dragon’s charge by simply kicking off the ground. In the first place, their physical elasticity, reflexes, and speed were all different.

Flap.

The three demonic beasts, white, red, and black, gracefully twisted their bodies and landed on the ground.

—Kaak.

The black demonic beast breathed fire.

Fwoosh.

The glowing fireball directly hit the Demonic Dragon, but the Demonic Dragon didn’t even blink. Standing tall in the burning flames, the Demonic Dragon only glared at the demonic beasts with its ferocious eyes.

“What’s going on? Why are they fighting each other? Do they have a grudge against each other?”

No Gun, who had moved to safety, frowned and said.

“That’s not it.”

Dang Wol-ah said quietly from behind. Her eyes, hidden behind her veil, sparkled.

“Those children are helping us right now.”

‘Children’ was probably an inappropriate expression. They looked small next to the massive Demonic Dragon, but in fact, those three demonic beasts were all fearsome beasts, each taller than a person.

“Helping?”

No Gun asked back. Dang Wol-ah quietly nodded.

“Hmm….”

Although he was a little suspicious, No Gun had no choice but to agree with Dang Wol-ah’s words. Those three demonic beasts were clearly helping Son Bin and his group. And that was probably related to Son Bin taking the Water Demon God’s ‘fragment.’

“Bin-ah [a term of endearment, likely a shortened version of Son Bin’s name].”

No Gun turned around and said. Son Bin, who was already preparing, replied.

“Yes.”

“Did you hear? Those guys are doing what we were going to do.”

No Gun chuckled and said.

“It’s your turn now.”

Empress Sarasvati said that their existence must be extinguished. And the only person in this world who could do that was Son Bin. That’s why Son Bin needed to step in at the crucial moment. Unless they knew what kind of power Son Bin’s ‘fragment’ had, they couldn’t be sure if there would be a second chance.

Swish.

Son Bin stood up from his seat. And he looked at the Demonic Dragon, which was confronting the three demonic beasts. The preparations for the final battle were complete. Now, all that was left to do was to extinguish the existence of those two Demon Gods, or forcibly send them back, as the Empress had said.

“I understand.”

Son Bin nodded. In Son Bin’s eyes, which were looking at the ‘Demon Gods’ who had been reduced to mere beasts with a heavy heart, there was no longer the slightest hesitation.

(Author’s words)

It is said that when a large sandstorm blows, communication is paralyzed due to the sand dust containing frictional electricity.