Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 266

Looking at the silent Aerial Fortress, Lee Myung-jung took a deep breath.

“Everyone’s inside, I presume.”

Exactly the agreed-upon number of forces had entered.

He secretly wished he could send in a few more troops… but it wasn’t feasible.

Still, with both his youngest son and his second son inside, it should be fine.

“Acting Head of the Family, are you alright?”

The captain of the Blue Sword Unit, his direct subordinate, approached and cautiously asked.

Lee Myung-jung nodded.

Just before his youngest son went in, a few words he had whispered telepathically, so the surrounding warriors couldn’t hear, lingered in his mind.

‘It’s unlikely… but if there’s even a slight chance, we need to prepare.’

It was a bit of a shame, but Lee Myung-jung thought he had done well to say those words.

Due to the numerous incidents in this uncharted territory, the international situation would become quite chaotic.

Above all, there was the atrocity of the Eiffel Magic Tower… no, Kabbalah.

It was impossible to know what would happen inside, but the outside world would be just as difficult a battle as the inside.

‘Managing the family is still better for me than for you, kid.’

Lee Myung-jung chuckled and turned around.

He needed to join the Ironclad Unit and Lee Seo-hyun, the eighth member, who were currently taking care of the stragglers in the rear.

“Let’s return to the base camp and communicate with the main family’s command. Now, we… should go back.”

“Yes, sir!”

Lee Myung-jung gave the order and started walking.

-The news of Father’s death may come. You must be careful then. Amidst the chaos caused by the Aerial Fortress, who knows what situation will unfold.

-And Lee Gun-sung. There must be a reason why that guy is so quiet. While I’m gone, please request cooperation from the Black Crow Society.

-While I’m gone, I entrust the family to you.

Father’s death.

Lee Gun-sung, who was silent.

The former was hard to believe, but the latter was someone to be wary of.

“Blue Sword Captain.”

“Yes, Acting Head of the Family.”

“As soon as we return to the family, we must cooperate with the Black Crow Society and investigate Lee Gun-sung.”

“…Understood.”

Lee Chul had left.

News of his father was not heard.

Until the two returned, he would be the one to protect the family.

* * *

After absorbing Mujin, I could now create and use the weapons I had devoured through the Black Qi [a type of dark energy].

Not only the weapons obtained from the family’s armory but also those absorbed while wandering outside, like Kyungchun, were considerable in number.

Now, even I couldn’t accurately say how many weapons I had absorbed.

And I could also use the abilities of the absorbed weapons.

Of course, magic power was needed to use the unique power of the absorbed weapons, but not all weapons were like that.

“Kiek, keeek…”

“Hoo.”

I knocked down the last charging Behemoth cultist and examined the dagger I was holding.

A masterpiece-class dagger, Blood Butterfly.

This weapon, which contained the mystery of ‘bleeding’ within the dagger itself, had the power to prevent the opponent’s bleeding from stopping for a while.

“Annoying things.”

I walked past the fallen Behemoth cultist.

Soon, I heard his breathing disappear.

Grasping the dagger tightly, the Blood Butterfly turned into Black Qi and was absorbed into me.

“No more approaching enemies… Was that a scout?”

The number of Behemoth cultists I had defeated in this place was about twenty in total.

Moreover, they were all masked, and no White Masks or Apostle-level figures were seen.

‘In a situation where magic power is restricted, the monster’s body is maintained… does that mean their masks are a separate power unrelated to magic power?’

Immediately after death, some completely transformed into monsters, while others had their masks peeled off as if melting into the air.

In other words, the power of monsterization, which the Behemoths called ‘masks,’ was a power with a different structure from magic power.

Perhaps that power, different from magic power, was related to the primordial monster.

‘Kabbalah and Behemoth alike. They said they each handle Black Qi in different ways.’

I looked at the guys who had fallen to the ground after being monsterized.

…It seems there really is no way to reverse the state once a mask is put on.

If they don’t return to their original state even in this world where magic power doesn’t work, then there’s practically no way to remove the mask.

Perhaps Choi’s power has a possibility….

‘Anyway, if the Behemoth guys are like this, then the Kabbalah guys must be the same.’

The Eiffel Magic Tower’s Tower Lord, Michael Garrell, and the unpleasant forces that infiltrated this place, would put the immortal forces with the characteristics of Soongmoo Lee family at the forefront.

‘It’s disadvantageous.’

I let out a hollow laugh.

Behemoth, Kabbalah.

Because they were walking the path of heresy, they had even greater power in this situation.

Of course, since I also wield the power of Black Qi and Choi’s power, I would never be pushed back by them.

‘But why is Black Qi working in a situation where magic power is also restricted?’

I felt a strange sense of incongruity.

If they were going to restrict all power, shouldn’t they have restricted Black Qi as well?

Or perhaps, Black Qi couldn’t be restricted even by the power of the Aerial Fortress.

“Hoo, anyway, I should have a meeting with my brothers first. I think I need to join up with the main family’s forces quickly.”

As a result of running around fighting, I was able to confirm that this space was incredibly vast.

Without magic power, it would be endless to explore this vast space.

‘I’ll have to search every nook and cranny….’

Ah!

At that moment, I suddenly opened my eyes as an idea flashed through my mind, and I raised Black Qi again.

Creak, squeak!

Soon, a long sword was in my hand.

A monster-class long sword, Dainhagen.

Once drawn, it is a magic sword in the form of a longsword that never returns to its scabbard until it slays a race with the same nature as the first opponent it cuts.

Its ability was closer to ancient curses and mysteries than magic power, so it was sure to activate.

Slash!

I fearlessly cut my palm with the long sword.

Blood gushed out.

Normally, this would be quickly healed by Black Qi, but apparently, as a magic sword, it hardly healed at all.

Cutting my own body with a magic sword was truly insane.

Woo-oong!

Instantly, I felt a surge of murderous intent in my head.

That murderous intent led me somewhere.

“Got it.”

The ability worked.

My hand was bleeding profusely, but at least there would be no problem finding the main family’s forces.

I smiled and kicked off the ground in the direction the sword was vibrating.

The Soongmoo Lee family search engine was complete.

* * *

The dwarves gathered on the top floor of the Aerial Fortress sighed deeply.

“Test start?”

“Started. Test.”

The dwarf who had faced Lee Chul earlier and explained the test spoke.

They stared silently at the crystal ball in the center.

Inside the crystal ball, Lee Chul was seen running quickly.

They looked at the sword made of Black Qi in Lee Chul’s hand.

“A person who returned from death? That one, a descendant of it.”

“Same, correct. Appeared. In an unprepared place. The ritual was off.”

The yellow glow floating under the robe was torn horizontally.

It felt like a person was narrowing their eyes and glaring.

“Will he be able to recognize it? What kind of place that is.”

“I don’t know.”

The dwarf who started the test looked at the crystal ball with sad eyes.

And at the same time, looking at the black weapon in Lee Chul’s hand, he fluttered his robe as if uncomfortable.

“The prophesied one. There is also a possibility. Of not coming out.”

“No. There’s no way. It’s already reached its peak. Human power.”

“The era is heading towards its end.”

“It must end. Before the Dragon’s Shed realizes it.”

They trembled again.

“I am now ready. Slowly test. Must do quickly.”

The dwarf who presided over the first test reached out to the crystal ball again.

Woo-oong!

The Aerial Fortress began to vibrate.

* * *

I moved forward a little faster.

It was the first time I had ever felt my body move so slowly.

The disappearance of the magic power I had built up over a lifetime was having a bigger impact than I thought.

‘It reminds me of my past life.’

The days when I couldn’t use magic power because I ate poison made in the Aerial Fortress and my magic system was twisted.

Originally, I couldn’t use magic power at all, but I stubbornly tried and managed to use it a little.

Of course, if you ask if the current situation is similar to that time, it was definitely not.

The countless elixirs I had eaten, the results of arduous training, and even the Rebirth Transformation [a process of reincarnation and empowerment].

Even without magic power, my body was far beyond the category of ordinary people.

‘It might be a good thing.’

I felt a strange sense of satisfaction along with the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

There were times when I deliberately suppressed my magic power and trained my body, so it felt like I was doing that kind of training now.

Besides.

‘I didn’t have the time to check my body’s strength after the Rebirth Transformation.’

Quite a few changes had occurred in my body, but I didn’t have the time to check and utilize them one by one.

Now that magic power had forcibly disappeared, it seemed like the time had come to look back on the physical aspects.

As I steeled my heart like that, I felt like this moment had become a time of training, and joy was revived.

Woo-oong!

Including rocky areas, jungle areas, and waterfall areas, even terrain full of poisonous fog.

I continued to move according to the instructions of Dainhagen in my hand.

My body was showing strength beyond imagination.

First of all, stamina.

I had already been moving at full power for at least 2 hours, but I wasn’t tired.

The durability of my body was also considerable.

In the poisonous fog area, I deliberately inhaled the poison, but I only coughed a little.

Even in the rocky area, I was hit by falling rocks, but I only got a slight bruise. Even that healed quickly.

‘Hmm, next time I want to go into the fire or test how long I can hold my breath.’

At some point, I even deliberately took off Eunhan, my only armor.

Anyone who saw it might have thought it was self-harm, but from my point of view, it was just a process of checking the changes in my body.

As I moved again.

I found a clear stream and stopped for a moment.

I bent down and lightly quenched my thirst.

‘That reminds me.’

I looked around.

‘…It’s still familiar.’

No matter how I looked at it, this unfamiliar space, which could not be seen as an ordinary forest, felt familiar for some reason.

Why did it feel so familiar?

I can confidently say that I don’t even remember such a bizarre forest.

‘No, wait a minute.’

Incredibly bizarre bushes.

The colors and shapes of the vegetation are completely different from the general ecosystem.

I’ve been to a place like this before.

‘Uncharted territory?’

Suddenly, that thought came to mind.

Except for the sensory impairment and magic power suppression, the scenery of the uncharted territory was exactly like this.

‘It’s certain. It’s a similar landscape to the Northern Uncharted Territory.’

Looking at the densely packed jungle, I narrowed my eyes.

Whitened ferns, blood-red logs as if they were bleeding, strangely twisted rocks as if someone had carved them….

If it weren’t for the gloomy atmosphere, the appearance of the uncharted territory would be exactly like this.

“No way.”

I couldn’t believe it easily.

No matter how excellent the technology of the Aerial Fortress was, there was no way it could reproduce the mystery of the uncharted territory.

But what if it wasn’t a reproduction?

-The one who finds out the truth of the land.

What does the truth of the land mean?

I frowned for a moment and looked at the scenery of the forest.

At that time.

-Kiek!

A grotesque creature’s throat cry, like a mixture of pig and chicken cries, was heard.

I turned around and looked behind me.

-Be careful. This primordial land will see you, who have lost your strength, as weak prey.

Rustle!

At first, I thought it was the Behemoth cultists, but the presence was a little different.

Kugugung!

A shadow fell over my body.

“…No way.”

I looked up at the creature for a moment and doubted my eyes.

The creature looked down at me.

Swish!

Forgetting my panic for a moment, I realized that the situation I was in was not good.

I immediately grabbed my weapon and glared at it.