* * *The voice of the unicorn residing within the Handle of Uragan.Unlike its usual frivolous (?) tone, the voice resonating in Yeomyeong's mind at this moment sounded gravely serious.
[That person's mind is filled with various schemes to try and manipulate you, but blinded by greed, they don’t realize they are the very person being exploited.]…
[O Virgin! I shall be your strength. No evil can escape from my sight, so turn the tables and use that person to safeguard this land!]As soon as the unicorn’s words ended, Yeomyeong sighed.
…What is this?Why could he hear the unicorn’s voice even though he wasn’t holding onto the handle?Yeomyeong, with his sword still pointed at Mara, pulled out the handle from his waist.However, the handle was in an unusual state.The handle, engraved with the unicorn, was emitting its own light, as if it were a heated piece of metal.It was not the usual color of the shield but a brilliant golden light—the same hue as the golden seal covering the valley sky.Yeomyeong gripped the Handle of Uragan tightly and asked the unicorn’s spirit within.
…Explain. Tell me what’s going on.[O Virgin, there isn’t much time. I will give you an explanation after it’s all over, but for now, you must stop Orsay Taboul.]Explanation.Only after he gripped the handle as if trying to break it did the unicorn’s attitude change.
[Are you sure? It’s a long story, full of friendship and tears between a unicorn and the dwarf bloodline…]Briefly, just the important points.[…I am also a token of the dwarven bloodline. That’s the reason I have been empowered by the light of the Royal Seal.]A token? Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes, thinking about the ring of the Dune clan that Captain Kwon brought.However, he still found it difficult to understand what the connection between the handle and the token was.
[The final token left behind by the true rulers of the Craftsmen Mountain Range, the Uragan clan. That is who I am.]Yeomyeong then remembered the explanation given by the weapon dealer, Joseph, when he sold the handle.The handle of an unfinished weapon made by a master craftsman during the war with Stalin.Since it was originally a dwarven item, it wasn’t particularly strange that it turned out to be a token of a clan.However…
Then, why did you stay silent all this while and suddenly ask me to join forces with that lunatic to stop the dragon?Yeomyeong positioned himself and the handle so that he could break it at a moment's notice, and asked.Just moments ago, he had seen the dragon that associated with the dwarves go insane; he had no reason to not suspect the unicorn inside the rod.However, the unicorn’s answer was far from Yeomyeong’s suspicions.
[O Virgin, it is because you want it.]…What?Because of me?[The grudges of the dwarves and the revenge of the dragon are all remnants of the past. They have nothing to do with me now. That is why I have kept my silence all this time.]The unicorn continued eloquently.
[But Virgin! The anguish you were struggling with just now moved me.]…
[Be it in life or death, a unicorn will always strive to protect purity and justice, so how could this one ignore the struggles of a noble Virgin torn between ideals and reality!]Noble… what?Upon hearing the unicorn’s loud voice resonating in his mind, Yeomyeong wondered if he should just break the handle and be done with it.Regardless of his contemplation, the unicorn declared boldly.
[Take this handle to the Royal Seal! For I, too, am a token of bloodline with authority, I can take control of the Royal Seal and assist you!]As soon as the unicorn finished speaking, the first thought that came to Yeomyeong’s mind was,
Is it really possible?To take control of the Royal Seal…[Indeed! I am the token left by the Uragan clan, one of the nine golden bloodlines that produced kings. I can easily seize any authority, especially from a collateral clan without a name, like the Dune clan!]Yeomyeong’s doubts deepened. If what the unicorn said was true, and if he and Mara, who had the ability to fly, joined forces…It might be possible to stop the dragon and save Manchuria.At the very least, the probability of succeeding was much greater when compared to the dire situation moments before.The Saintess's foresight, the unicorn’s words, Mara’s offer for a temporary alliance, and… even the dragon's wing, bearing a large scar.Pieces of a puzzle that had been scattered all over his thoughts began to connect.
…Perhaps.Yeomyeong gripped the Handle of Uragan tightly and looked at Mara, who was waiting for his response.“Are you going to do it or not?”Facing the golden eyes, Mara asked him. Yeomyeong lowered the sword he was holding against the person and answered calmly.“Alright, I will take up your offer to join forces. But I have some conditions.”“Conditions?”“No independent actions; you will go along with my plan.”“Your plan? Well, as long as the plan is nothing too crazy…”Mara’s eyes flashed as they glanced at the Handle of Uragan. Despite their attempt to conceal it, their gaze filled with intense greed didn’t go unnoticed.Did they realize that the handle was the key to the plan? Yeomyeong paid it no heed and stated the next condition.“One more thing. Don’t hold back; give it your all right from the start.”“What? Of course, I’ll give it my all in a fight. What do you take me for…”“Right now.”As Yeomyeong cut him off, Mara burst into laughter. It was a laugh that clearly showed their disdain for Yeomyeong.“Alright. I’ll show you my full strength right now. But… first, show me what you’ve been hiding. Do you have an ultimate move?”An ultimate move. Instead of responding to Mara’s provocation, Yeomyeong forced his mana into his heart.Mimicking the monster’s blood flow acceleration.His blood vessels expanded, and the blood and mana in his body surged at an abnormal speed.The microvessels that were unable to handle the pressure burst, and his heart screamed, but his regeneration was more than keeping up in real-time.Although it seemed nothing had changed externally… Mara was quick to notice Yeomyeong’s transformation and opened their eyes wide.“…This bastard, you are really a monster?”“Enough with your nonsense. It’s your turn now. Wait, don’t tell me that you don’t have one—an ultimate move.”Mara snickered in response to the light provocation.“Hey, Bastard, don’t be surprised when you see it.”Saying that, they began to gather mana in their fingers and press down on their body.First, between their eyebrows, a place called the Yin Tang Acupoint.
1Second, the center of their chest, the Yutang Acupoint.Finally, below their navel, the Qihai Acupoint.After sequentially pressing on the three vital points known to martial artists as the upper, middle, and lower dantian
2, the mana flowing from Mara's body underwent a sudden change.
Fwoosh!The mana that had been swirling around their body precariously surged into the sky, blazing.It was truly an overwhelming amount of mana, comparable to that of the Dragon.A powerful wave of mana swirled around them, overflowing as if their body could no longer contain it.The grass, trees, and Mara’s golden short hair were swept around while Mara raised a corner of their mouth.“Is this enough?”It was enough. Yeomyeong carefully observed the mana of the person in front of him and then extended his hand.Soon, the two figures soared into the sky.* * *
[Don’t hide! Come out, you vermins! Come and witness the justice that will be brought upon this land!!]The Saintess held her breath under the golden sky as the mad dragon roared.After the first shot, the following shots she fired were unable to achieve the same effect as before.It didn’t matter how much she blessed the bullets, penetrating the dragon’s scales with a 5.56mm NATO
3 was impossible.This meant that she had to aim for places devoid of any scales—such as the mouth, eyes, or the wing membranes …However, even that was no easy task. It seemed that the dragon was accustomed to bullets as it skillfully deployed shields to protect its weak points.
27 bullets left.The Saintess took a deep breath while taking count of her last magazine. She could do this. No, she had to.As she braced herself and was about to peek from the tree she had hidden behind, someone grabbed her shoulder.!!The Saintess was startled.She barely managed to stifle her scream before turning around to see four familiar men standing there.“…Captain Kwon?”It was Captain Kwon and the mercenaries from the Sonjuk Mercenary Group. They were injured, with burns all over their bodies, probably because they were unable to escape the dragon’s fiery attacks unscathed.“Saintess, could you please heal us?”“Yes? Yes! Of course.”The mercenaries were in poor condition. Vice Captain Kim Mansoo’s back was nearly burnt off, and the rest of the mercenaries weren’t in a better condition either.Anyone who wasn’t a Superhuman would succumb to such wounds. The Saintess poured out healing light over the mercenaries.And as she was healing them, Captain Kwon looked around before asking.“Where is the New Recruit? Wasn’t he with you, Saintess?”“…That’s…”The Saintess trailed off. She didn’t know where Yeomyeong was or what he was doing.All she knew was the outcome of the future. However, she couldn’t reveal it as the future could still change.“Could it be that he’s made a break for it?”Captain Kwon narrowed his eyes and asked. While the Saintess hesitated over how to respond, Vice Captain Kim Mansoo intervened.“Captain, don’t make baseless accusations in a situation like this.”“…Kim Mansoo, this is a conversation between the Saintess and me. You have no right to interfere.”“Captain.”Kim Mansoo’s eyes grew cold. He fiddled with his hatchet before sighing.“I can understand the strange test you gave the new recruit and your decision to keep the true intention of this mission hidden from us. That's within your authority. But suspecting a team member? That's unlike you.”“…”"What sort of conspiracy is hidden under the guise of this mission? What are you fleeing from that has driven the Captain I know into such a corner?"“…All I can tell you is that it involves the government.”“The government? The South Korean government?”“You don’t need to know more. This burden is mine alone…”As their conversation continued, the Dragon’s roar echoed throughout the valley.
[You insignificant thief, was rolling on the ground once not enough? Fine! This time, I will tear apart your limbs, one by one!]The Saintess and the mercenaries looked up at the sky over the valley simultaneously.In that place stood Mara, who had just engaged in an aerial battle with the Dragon before being flung far away, and…“…Yeomyeong?”Through the blindfold that obscured the Saintess’s vision, she saw Yeomyeong holding Mara’s hand and flying through the sky.A staff emitting a golden light identical to that of the Royal Seal was at his waist, and the light grew in intensity as he drew closer to it.The very light she had seen in her Foresight.The Saintess stopped healing the mercenaries and stood up without realizing it. She picked up the rifle she had set aside and spoke to the mercenaries.“Captain Kwon, you want to prevent the catastrophe, don’t you?”“…Saintess?”“Then start running, now.”No further explanation was given. The Saintess began running towards the valley, and the mercenaries, who had been staring blankly, soon came to a realization and looked towards Yeomyeong.“Captain, we’ll discuss the rest of the details after we save Manchuria.”The first to follow the Saintess was Kim Mansoo. He sheathed his hatchet and ran in the same direction as the Saintess.Initially bewildered, Captain Kwon and the mercenaries soon realized the sounds of footsteps were growing distant.“I guess we have no choice but to leave it to the gods.”With a sigh, Captain Kwon started running, and the rest of the mercenaries followed suit.
***Up in the sky, where the dragon was spewing fiery blasts sporadically.
“Hey, is this plan really… okay?”Mara shouted while dodging the incoming fire. Yeomyeong, who was flying in the sky while holding Mara’s hand, responded calmly.“If you don’t like it, you can just give up immediately.”“Damn it, can’t you say something a bit more reassuring?”Still in the air, Mara adjusted their position with a strange maneuver while complaining.Using the recoil, Yeomyeong swung his sword, and making the fire blast that was falling from above exploded just in time.
KABOOM!!Seeing that the decisive strike had missed, the Dragon unleashed even more magic.
[Begone, you pathetic little fly!]Whoosh!Ranging from fireballs, spears of flame, fire butterflies, to massive walls of fire—All sorts of magic poured down, enveloping Mara and Yeomyeong.“That lizard bastard…”Mara muttered as they stood in the air. The mana, amplified by their dantian, surged and left a long trail behind them.The crimson line raced across the sky. Although the Dragon’s flames were blocking their path, Yeomyeong, still holding on to Mara, swung his sword to cut through the flames.
[Fools. Do you really think I’ll just let you close the distance?]As they kept closing in rapidly, the Dragon flapped its wings to fly backward.Even when facing a Superhuman who could fly with the assistance of some strange martial arts, dragons were a species born with wings. They were never at a disadvantage when it came to aerial combat.It should have been that way.Mara’s trajectory changed without warning. Instead of flying straight at the dragon, they began to trace a long parabola, as if trying to throw something using the centrifugal force.If Mara had a gun in their hand, the Dragon would have deployed a shield. If they had a bomb? The Dragon would have increased the distance.However, all that Mara held was an unfamiliar human… and so, the Dragon’s reaction was delayed.“I don’t care if you dieeeee!”And without giving the Dragon a chance to react, Mara twisted their whole body and threw Yeomyeong.It was an unexpected attack. Was he planning to self-destruct? The Dragon tried to increase the distance, but it was too late. Yeomyeong was right in front of it.In Yeomyeong’s hand was an object emitting the same light as the Royal Seal.Though it was an unfamiliar object, the Dragon immediately recognized what it was because the mana it contained was unforgettable.
[Uragan? Why are you here?]As the astonished Dragon tried to retrieve the Royal Seal, the Royal Seal and the Handle of Uragan met.
Sparkle!And above the shining Royal Seal, the form of a golden unicorn appeared.
1. Yin Tang Acupuncture Point.Yin Tang’s location is at the midpoint of the glabella, directly between the inner edges of the eyebrows, an area sometimes called the "third eye" in various spiritual traditions. It is a place that has been associated with insight and inner vision, both in Eastern and Western cultures.2. Dantian is a concept in traditional Chinese medicine loosely translated as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center". Dantian are the "qi focus flow centers", important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, martial arts such as tai chi, and in traditional Chinese medicine.3. The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO) is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges. On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries.
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