Chapter 128: Endless Night (4)

A bolt of lightning crashed down from the clear blue sky as if the heavens themselves were furious. Pzzzzt! The blinding lightning gradually faded, revealing a man standing firm in the center of the clearing. Someone Song Ha-Eun had longed to see in this desperate situation. “Oh-Jin...?” she mumbled. Deep down, she had been waiting for him with all her heart. His heavy but calm gaze fell on the dark-robed figures, the elderly man dressed in a pristine martial robe, and a bawling, tied-up Song Ha-Eun. Kwon Oh-Jin's face twisted into that of a Yaksha's, blue flames flickered wildly in his eyes. Cheon Do-Yoon turned his head, furrowing his brow. “Hmm? What brings you here?” “Off.” “What?” “Take your hands off my family, you bastard.” Kwon Oh-Jin aimed his wire shooter straight at Cheon Do-Yoon. Bang! Six silver wires blazing with blue flames shot toward him like a hunting net. Cheon Do-Yoon sighed and lightly jumped back, his black robe fluttering as he glided backward. “Family, huh...? It seems I've made a mistake in my old age.” He realized he'd inexcusably failed to investigate his prey closely enough, blinded by his greed for the Draconic Eye. “But still, hahaha, as far as I know, this child isn’t related to anyone.” The basic background check he conducted had revealed that Song Ha-Eun had been abandoned by her parents at birth and raised in an orphanage. He hadn't expected her to have such a deep relationship with the Thunder Wolf for him to be charging here so furiously. “I heard the Leech Queen can get quite jealous, though. Yet you’ve managed to get by.” Cheon Do-Yoon chuckled eerily and took a step forward. “Let me offer you a proposal.” “A proposal?” “I only desire this child’s eyes.” Cheon Do-Yoon smirked. “Is it worth losing your life trying to protect them?” “Shut it.” Kwon Oh-Jin tightened his grip around his spear, not sparing any consideration for the offer made. Cheon Do-Yoon clicked his tongue and shook his head. Then, his ice-cold gaze locked onto Kwon Oh-Jin. “Even if you are the Leech Queen’s man, I will not let your audacity slide this time.” “Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on letting it slide either.” Blue lightning coiled around Kwon Oh-Jin. Crackle! He had no intention of scamming his way out of this after Cheon Do-Yoon laid hands on Song Ha-Eun. “Oh-Jin!" Song Ha-Eun shouted desperately. "Run away, now!” Just moments ago, she had been trembling in fear with tears streaming down her face, and yet, she was telling him to run. She continued, “You idiot! Even Lee Woo-Hyuk couldn’t so much as scratch that bastard! There’s no way you can—” “What does that matter?” Kwon Oh-Jin interjected. “Huh? W-What do you mean? Of course it matters!” “You’re telling me to run because I can’t win?” He let out a hollow chuckle, twirling his spear with calm resolve. There was no need to weigh the odds. Whether he could win or not didn't matter anymore. If I don't raise my weapon against the King of Owls right here, right now... then I'll lose my very reason to keep living. I have to scrape together every last ounce of strength to survive just like I always have. He kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward. Exceed. Blue lightning engulfed his form. “Hahaha. You’ve made a foolish choice.” Cheon Do-yoon jutted out his arm and flicked his wrist as if swatting away a fly. Hundreds and thousands of black feathers hailed down on Kwon Oh-Jin. Kwon Oh-Jin calmly inhaled. Stigma of Hourglass. As if time itself stopped, the world instantly slowed down. He then searched for an opening in the deadly, seemingly invincible rain of feathers while visualizing the ideal movements to make. One step to the right, three steps to the left, two steps back. Then pivot left and jump. He had endured unbearable burns from dodging thousands of lasers during his extreme image training, which had prepared him for this very moment. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Like a scene from a Hollywood action film, he weaved through the storm of black feathers, each missing him by a hair’s breadth. Cheon Do-Yoon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?” Blocking the attack, I could understand, but dodging it? That should be impossible. Yet the apostle of Vega was weaving through his attacks with terrifying precision, closing in with relentless force. “This is absurd—” “Haaaaaaah!” Kwon Oh-Jin roared, leaping forward with his spear. The surrounding Owls scrambled in panic, rushing to shield Cheon Do-Yoon. “O-Our king!” “Stop him!” “Out of my way, you bastards!” Kwon Oh-Jin snarled, spinning as he swung his spear in a wide arc. The blue flames blazing along its edge tore through the Owls, cutting them clean in half. As a rain of blood poured down, Kwon Oh-Jin caught sight of Cheon Do-Yoon grimacing and thrusting a palm forward. Whoosh! A mass of black feathers surged together, forming a razor-sharp, three-meter-long spike shaped like an owl’s beak, which shot straight at Kwon Oh-Jin. Kwon Oh-Jin raised his left arm, intercepting the strike with his gauntlet. “Ugh!” An overwhelming pressure pushed on his left arm. The impact drove a crushing pressure into his arm. In an instant, the gauntlet exceeded its mana absorption limit, glowing red-hot and trembling as though it might melt from the strain. There’s no time to counterattack. In that case— He angled his gauntlet, letting the black wedge slide along its surface. Shhh! Cracks spread across the overburdened gauntlet. “Agh.” His left hand twisted grotesquely, causing excruciating pain. Ignore it even if it's hard. Cheon Do-Yoon's eyes gleamed coldly. “Hahaha. You do have the skills to justify your arrogance, but that’s it.” His black robe fluttered as he spread his arms wide. A black wave of countless feathers spanning several meters formed in the air and descended toward Kwon Oh-Jin. “Can you dodge this as well?” the King of Owls mockingly asked. “Ugh!” The wave swallowed everything in its path as it fell. “Huff, huff!” Dodging to the right, to the left, or upward was impossible. In that case... Kwon Oh-Jin spun his spear and slammed its blade down. Azure Lightning and Explosive Lightning intertwined, erupting at the point of contact. Boom! A massive crater formed as the ground split apart. He jumped between the cracks and felt the black wave brush past his hair tips above. Cheon Do-Yoon chuckled. “Your reaction time is admirable.” The idea of breaking the ground to escape isn't particularly special, but he moved without a moment’s hesitation in the face of certain death. Only the absolutely quick-witted and decisive could pull off such a stunt. “You’re too dangerous to be kept alive.” Cheon Do-Yoon’s expression hardened. “Hup!” His robe fluttered as he made complex hand symbols. “Celestial of Owl Nebula, Noctua.” His Stigma, etched with nine strokes, flared brightly, exuding colossal amounts of mana. Woong! “Please grant me the feathers that will tear your enemy to shreds.” He spread his arms wide and swung downward as if flapping his wings. “Ten-Thousand Black Feather Blossom.” The clear blue sky instantly shifted into a raging black storm of innumerable feathers that rained down on Kwon Oh-Jin. “Ugh!” The black feathers grazed him one by one, tearing through his flesh. As if he'd taken a shower in blood, he was stained red all over. He clenched his teeth, suppressing the searing pain. Not yet... The gap between him and Cheon Do-Yoon was laughably vast. Even if Kwon Oh-Jin could easily take on eight-star Awakeners, a high-ranking Awakener was in another realm past the limits of humanity. He was up against someone like that as a mere six-star Awakener himself. To bridge this massive gap, I need to... endure a little longer. He barely managed to withstand the relentless feather storm, creating a barrier of lightning to help. “Die, wolf of Vega,” Cheon Do-Yoon’s cold voice rang out. He spoke as if Kwon Oh-Jin’s death was a given now. “Kaagh! Guh! Cough!” Kwon Oh-Jin neared collapse like a puppet that had its strings cut. Song Ha-Eun screamed in despair, “Oh-Jiiiin!” Cheon Do-Yoon turned around leisurely and chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you join your family’s side too.” “Y-You son of a bitch!” She writhed violently, and the chains restraining her rattled harshly. Clang! Clang! “I’ll kill you, you bastard!” she yelled. “Hahahaha!” Cheon Do-Yoon took a step forward with a twisted grin when another voice suddenly echoed. “Now.” At the verge of collapsing, Kwon Oh-Jin stomped heavily. Boom! His blood-soaked eyes ignited with a brilliant blue flame, and ruthless lightning flared up. Crackle! He propelled himself toward Cheon Do-Yoon, whose back was against him. "Hm?" Cheon Do-Yoon looked surprised for a moment but quickly regained his composure and raised his arm. “You’re still alive?” Wings made of black feathers started to envelop him like a shield. Domination. Kwon Oh-Jin crouched low, gripping his spear tightly. Ring! [The target's star level is too high!] [Domination has failed!] “Hmm?” Cheon Do-Yoon was confused. However, Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t expected Domination to succeed in the first place. He merely aimed to create an opening before the black wings could completely shield Cheon Do-Yoon. “Vegaaaaa!” he shouted. The pendant around his neck radiated with a brilliant silver light. Cheon Do-Yoon’s eyes widened. “What the...?” The Weaver manifested at the scene. She glanced at Song Ha-Eun, who was tightly bound, and Kwon Oh-Jin, who was drenched in blood. “You called me out so gravely, I wondered what the matter was. It seems you need my help.” Without hesitation, she unleashed her powers to grant Kwon Oh-Jin a blessing. Woong! A dazzling silver light seeped into him, causing his mana to amplify explosively. Cheon Do-Yoon staggered backward, his face twisting in shock. “Ugh...!” He had been so certain of victory that he failed to react in time. I messed up—! A spear covered in blue lightning aimed straight for him.