Akbulhwi swiftly raised his sword and swung at the incoming beam.

His reaction speed transcended human limits, yet his movements were as natural as flowing water.

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, his blade cleaved the beam in two.

Blocking an attack of that magnitude with a mere sword was a feat worthy of awe, but it wasn’t a perfect defense.

Even when cleaved, the force of the beam didn’t simply disappear; it erupted in a shockwave.

BOOM!

The resulting blast was enough to decimate the surrounding area.

"Aaaaargh!"

Several swordsmen were thrown to the ground, losing their weapons in the process.

Those below the rank of first-class fighters were rendered incapacitated merely from the shockwave’s impact.

Akbulhwi stared at the faintly trembling tip of his sword.

“So this is the power of Gomodo.”

His gaze locked onto the black-scaled lizard standing in the distance.

The creature resembled a dragon but was clearly not a true dragon.

If it were, he wouldn’t have been able to block that attack at all.

“That thing isn’t a dragon. It’s just a lizard mimicking one.”

Pointing his sword at the spirit beast, Akbulhwi spoke with confidence.

His disciples rallied behind his words.

“The Master has cut through the breath of a dragon!”
“Everyone, stay focused! That’s no Yeouiju!”

Though it wasn’t a dragon, its strength was undeniable.

Among all the troops gathered here, only a handful could face Gomodo head-on.

Akbulhwi stepped forward before the spirit beast could launch another attack.

And in that moment—

Whoosh!

The lizard spun around and disappeared into the forest.

“Running away, is it?”

The creature that had exuded such initial dominance had hidden itself.

“…Master, this may be a trap,” his strategist suggested from the side.

“A trap?”

Akbulhwi sneered at the notion.

“A trap, you say? That’s amusing.”

Even if it were a spirit beast, it was still just a beast at its core.

The idea of a beast luring humans into a trap was laughable.

The traps it had set, limited by its animal brain, would be painfully obvious.

“What shall we do?”

“There’s a saying about catching wild prey,” Akbulhwi replied with a smirk.

His strategist remained silent, listening intently.

“Do you know how Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo? To catch such a beast, you must leave it no room for hope. Allow it to exhaust all its tricks, and then crush it with overwhelming power. In the end, it will show its belly in surrender.”

Clearly, the spirit beast intended to set traps for them.

It wasn’t running away out of fear after witnessing him block its attack.

Akbulhwi was aware of its intentions yet chose to play along.

It seemed foolish, but his strategist couldn’t argue against his decision.

After all, the forces gathered here were overwhelming compared to a single spirit beast.

Though only a few could match its strength directly, those few possessed powers comparable to the beast itself.

“Still, finding it in such a dense forest won’t be easy,” Akbulhwi muttered.

His gaze shifted toward the Red Dragon.

Her flames could reduce the entire forest to ash in an instant.

“Oh, so you’re expecting me to torch the place?” the Red Dragon replied nonchalantly.

“Unfortunately, I can’t help with that,” she added, her tone dripping with mockery.

Akbulhwi’s eyebrow twitched.

“What did you just say?”

“Is that hard to understand? Thanks to that little gift you implanted in me, I can’t use my flames,” she said, her expression strangely carefree despite her restrained anger.

Akbulhwi had expected resistance from the Red Dragon.

Even if she feigned defiance, the Go Poison within her ensured she would ultimately obey his orders.

However, using her was a last resort.

Her primary role was to face Gomodo directly.

“Tch, not that it matters,” Akbulhwi muttered, a faint smile creeping onto his lips.

He was a martial artist at heart, one who revered strength.

Part of him was curious to see what traps the spirit beast had laid.

“All forces, draw your swords.”

If they couldn’t burn the forest, they would simply cut through it.

“Aaaagh! Uuurrgh!”

The traps prepared by the spirit beast were more numerous than Akbulhwi had anticipated.

One moment, vines snared their ankles, and the next, steel-tough webs bound their legs.

Though none of the traps were truly fatal, some contained spikes coated with venom.

Fortunately, a spirit beast from the Tang Clan, one specialized in aerial manipulation, protected the soldiers from falling into pits and other dangers.

The real problem wasn’t the traps themselves.

The dense forest obscured their sense of direction, while swarms of insects relentlessly attacked.

Even if they cut through the plants, the vegetation regenerated at an unnatural speed.

Though Akbulhwi could have destroyed the entire forest with a single sweep of his sword, his focus lay elsewhere.

Whenever he paused to act, Gomodo would appear, launch a ranged attack, and vanish again.

“Of course. This is its territory, after all,” Akbulhwi grumbled, though his irritation was evident.

Every time he gave chase, Gomodo would dart across the canopy, leaves and vines rustling in its wake.

Its long-range attacks, including the devastating roar and beams of light, kept them on edge.

Swish!

Akbulhwi’s blade cut through the living vegetation, leaving nothing but destruction in its path.

“Stay focused! The beast’s power isn’t infinite. Look behind you—we’ve covered more ground than lies ahead. Just a little further, and we’ll conquer this forest!”

The weary warriors, their spirits battered by constant attacks, rallied once more under their master’s encouragement.

The fact that no one had suffered critical injuries so far was a testament to their skill.

“Well, should I force myself to spit a few flames?” the Red Dragon mocked.

Her words dripped with sarcasm, yet they betrayed a genuine concern about how long they could endure.

Akbulhwi smiled knowingly.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ll soon face that black-scaled lizard. Prepare for the real battle.”

“Hah, as if. At this rate, it’ll take seven more days to get there,” she sneered.

Before Akbulhwi could respond, a massive rumble shook the ground.

Rumble.

A powerful aura rippled through the air, causing a faint tingling sensation on their skin.

“Namgoong Yeon timed it perfectly,” Akbulhwi muttered.

Emerging from the shadows of the forest was a colossal stone creature resembling a dragon.

The rocky mountain itself seemed to come alive as countless stone serpents began to slither behind it.

“Grrrrrr....”

It was Gongbok, the Stone Dragon, one of the guardians of the Dragon Gate.

“It’s only a matter of time now,” Akbulhwi said, his voice filled with certainty.

The results hadn’t been as good as I’d hoped.

That middle-aged swordsman—Akbulhwi, was it?—was stronger than I’d anticipated.

The fact that he had blocked my Gae Gak Death Beam with nothing but his sword was already unsettling.

The traps I had painstakingly prepared were easily bypassed.

While the lower-ranked fighters were exhausted and demoralized, the main force was advancing faster than expected.

The Tang Clan’s spirit beast, adept at aerial manipulation, was proving to be a real headache.

Even if I tried to hold them off, I doubted I could last against their combined forces.

Then there was Gongbok.

Having him join the battle complicated things further.

Still, I had managed to gather vital information about my enemies.

“…You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you, Gomodo?”

I stood at the end of the line, cornered.

The enemies had broken through every trap and driven me here.

Dozens of swordsmen unsheathed their blades, their spirit beasts glaring at me with predatory intent.

“Red Dragon, it’s time for you to fulfill your duty,” Akbulhwi commanded coldly.

Sending her first was a calculated move.

He knew our connection and expected it would disrupt me.

The Red Dragon stepped forward slowly.

“…You should’ve ended this back then,” she growled, gritting her teeth as she lunged at me.

Good.

If she had turned and attacked Akbulhwi, the Go Poison would’ve detonated before I could do anything.

Now, everything was in place.

I had prepared a special gift for her.

Crash!

A massive block of ice slammed into the charging Red Dragon.

“Long time no see, red lizard,” Baekrang said, stepping forward.

“Kyaaaang!”
“Kioooong!”

Tus and Pus clung to her shoulders, while Nephila and Tang Soyeong rode on her back.

“Oh my, there really is a Go Poison here,” Nephila observed.

Crack!

“…You’ve gotten stronger, white mutt,” the Red Dragon snarled.

Steam billowed as frost and flames collided.

"Well, it would be strange if you didn’t have any underlings," Akbulhwi remarked as the swordsmen at the front charged toward me.

Slash!

But mere strikes like those could never pierce my scales.

Boom!

"To deflect the Plum Blossom Sword Art imbued with ten-star inner energy… Is it truly indestructible?" one of the swordsmen exclaimed in shock.

Plum Blossom Sword Art? Ten-star power? I could roughly gauge their level from those words.

"Awoo!"

Crunch!

From the underbrush, seven wolves lunged out, attacking the swordsmen all at once.

This much could be left to the wolves.

These were just foot soldiers that Akbulhwi had sent to measure my strength.

"Where did these creatures suddenly come from?!"

Though the charging swordsmen were overwhelmed, Akbulhwi’s expression remained unchanged.

"Everyone, fulfill your assigned roles," he commanded.

The entire force began moving in unison.

One massive figure among them—a keratosaurus—seemed to reach into the air as if seizing control of the battlefield.

It was the one that had neutralized my traps.

To counter a beast like that…

You need another beast.

BOOM!

A thunderous collision reverberated through the battlefield.

"Hahaha! I nearly died waiting for you, Great Warrior!"

It was none other than Cheoldooryong, the Iron-Clad Dragon.

"So, that’s why Hye Myung was so adamantly against forming the Martial Alliance," Akbulhwi muttered, his expression stiffening slightly.

"Plum Blossom Swordmasters, eliminate that monstrosity immediately," he ordered.

It seemed like he was nearing the point where he might intervene personally, but instead, he continued sending his subordinates forward.

The behavior was strange, but one thing was clear.

Akbulhwi was avoiding using his own power.

A dozen warriors holding swords engraved with plum blossoms stepped forward.

Some among them had reached not only the pinnacle but even transcendent realms of martial arts.

While I couldn’t discern Akbulhwi’s exact objective, it was clear he sought to minimize losses while taking me down.

He was throwing subordinates at me while conserving his strength, pushing the burden of facing me onto others.

That was not the behavior of a true leader.

The Plum Blossom Swordmasters moved with dazzling precision as they approached me swiftly.

Their skills were leagues beyond those of the swordsmen who had attacked earlier.

Some of them had clearly reached the transcendent realm, their prowess unmistakable.

But even so, I wasn’t at a disadvantage.

BOOM!

The expressions of the advancing Plum Blossom Swordmasters changed instantly.

"One… husband… many wives!"

They had spotted the eleven beasts charging toward them from behind me.

"A… bicorn?"
"...First, handle those creatures, then support the Master!"

The leader of the Plum Blossom Swordmasters barked orders, but he would soon realize how difficult that task was.

Among the beasts charging at them, there was one in particular that stood out.

Its skin and massive size set it apart from the bicorns.

"One…"

The most significant difference lay in its horn.

It wasn’t positioned on its nose.

This horn embodied purification and eradicated anything it pierced—a sacred spear meant to destroy the impure.

"Husband… one wife!"

The unicorn, leader of the bicorns, clashed against the Plum Blossom Swordmasters’ blades with its enormous horn.

BOOM!

"...A bicorn and a unicorn? Even beings that are supposed to be incompatible are here," Akbulhwi muttered, his expression twisting slightly.

"Well played, Gomodo. You’ve managed to land a blow."

Even so, he murmured as if he still had a card up his sleeve.

Crrrkkk!

A massive stone serpent, which had been lying still as if observing the situation, opened its eyes.

It was Gongbok, the Stone Dragon, master of the Dragon Gate and one of the guardians of the Dragon Offspring.

As it stirred to life, it was clear.

Akbulhwi was avoiding direct combat with me.

Something felt off.

His hand constantly fiddled with the hilt of his sword. It wasn’t that he lacked the will to fight.

To thwart his plans, I needed to do what he was avoiding.

"There’s no way I have enough forces left to handle Gongbok," I muttered.

He was right.

I didn’t have the forces to face Gongbok and his followers.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The colossal stone serpent slithered toward me at a deliberate pace.

BOOM!

A radiant beam of light struck Gongbok’s massive body with immense force.

Crash!

The technique was similar to mine but different enough to be its origin.

It could only be described as the original version of the technique I had adopted.

It was her.

"My mate… You dare to target her?"

It was the Snake Queen.

Though she was strong, I knew she couldn’t face Gongbok alone.

But she could buy time while I dealt with Akbulhwi.

And she wasn’t alone.

BOOM! BOOM!

A storm raged from above.

"Who knew sending off my daughter would be this exhausting!"

A massive bird with brilliant blue feathers summoned the tempest.

It was Argentaavis, the King of Birds.

Over the past month, I had done everything possible.

I trained, crafted traps, drilled my forces, and sought aid from every spirit beast I had connections with.

All so I could take down Gongbok and Akbulhwi and protect my followers and territory.

I had waited patiently, sharpening myself to the limit.

"Well, well, you’ve truly outdone yourself," Akbulhwi said with a smirk.

"Hrrrgh."

Let me show you what happens to those who dare cross me.