Martial Elf

Is it because I didn’t raise the blade of my True Silver Sword?

Did I lack the ability to forcefully change direction in mid-air?

Was I frustrated by the hasty use of my internal energy due to the ambush?

Or did I choose the wrong martial art to use?

No.

It was a martial art that I operated at full power without considering sparing anyone after a long time.

The energy and momentum contained in the swung sword held the power to cut through like thin paper.

But the sword, which I swung with the determination to slice through, eventually failed to cut and bounced back with great rebounding force, making me feel a certain way.

The rebound was fitting for the thunderous sound that spread in all directions after the collision.

My feather-light body was mercilessly escaping from the point of impact.

‘I need to return.’

The state of the ambusher was still intact.

If I was helplessly displaced from my position, my giant brothers might have died in the meantime.

Not only my Yongcheon but also throughout my body, I emitted energy in the opposite direction through my blood vessels.

The burst of energy struck the air, and my body, which had been bouncing back, came to a stop in mid-air.

At that moment, I changed my posture, and once again, the power gathered in Yongcheon burst forth as I flew back to the original campsite.

The giants, who had not been awakened by the spirit’s ambush, literally woke from the sudden thunder in the clear sky and froze while looking at the ambusher.

‘That’s a relief.’

After confirming that my giant brothers were safe, I lightly descended to the ground.

And I gazed at the figure of the ambusher.

“…Oryong?”

The appearance of the ambusher was quite impressive.

A massive body.

A long neck.

Two horns that rose majestically.

Reptilian eyes.

And wings stretched wide open.

Golden scales.

Its appearance seemed similar to the dragons of the central continent, but it lacked the precious pearl and mustache, and it had wings.

Just like the Oryong that is said to have been commanded by the Emperor, Gongsun Xuan Yuan.

Originally, dragons do not have wings, but when a iyumi reaches a thousand years old, it becomes a dragon.

If that dragon lives for another thousand years, it is said that wings sprout, becoming Oryong.

Moreover, how majestic it looked!

Gold, when overdone like those wealthy fools, can appear vulgar.

However, the ambusher before me, shining under the morning sunlight, adorned with golden scales and stretching out gracefully, felt more beautiful and noble than vulgar.

Yet contrary to that appearance, the aura surrounding it was reckless and tyrannical, rather than resembling a benevolent spirit.

‘Of course, it doesn’t look friendly.’

The Oryong also seemed to have deviated from its original trajectory with the thunderous sound, crashing not into the originally intended campsite but into the nearby trees.

But it seemed unaffected by any of those elements, nonchalantly standing on its two feet, inspecting one of its claws as if it were displeased.

One claw larger than my height collided with the True Silver Sword, leaving a large crack.

‘That’s a relief. It wasn’t completely ineffective.’

I, too, looked at the True Silver Sword that had collided with the Oryong’s claw.

Surprisingly, despite the force of the collision, the True Silver Sword remained intact without a single scratch.

I could still use it.

I stood in a position where I could protect my two giant brothers from the ambusher while sensing the warnings and an overwhelming presence still coming from my dantian.

Only the Oryong’s eyes, which were looking at its cracked claw, turned toward me.

“The spirits are making a fuss that they found the remains of a big monkey, and I find an unexpected presence here. This isn’t where the little monkeys live. How did you sneak into my garden?”

Its voice felt arrogant.

Is it really proper to call it a dragon?

It is just talking, but I felt the surrounding mana quaking.

I looked up at the towering figure, despite the distance, and spoke.

“Who are you? Why are you targeting us?”

I spoke to elevate my tension, something I hadn’t done in a long time.

“You do not deserve to know that. My purpose is those two scraps of the big monkey behind you.”

Then it tilted its head and glanced at its claw, speaking with a voice laced with a bit of anger.

“Now that I think about it, I was going to let you go at first, but I can’t forgive you now. You insolently sneaked into my garden, interrupting my event, and now you’ve marred my body. Die and apologize.”

Killing intent surged from the Oryong like an explosion.

Accompanying that, the mana in the atmosphere throbbed.

‘Is the aura of the surroundings enticed by simple will manifested? …That’s not good.’

I realized I might need to consider that there could be even more weapons besides the monster-like body.

I heard thudding sounds from behind me to the left where Silv was.

I could sense the fear as they took steps back from the pressure emanating from the dragon.

It was hard to say it was Silv’s fault.

The opponent was just too intimidating.

This fight… It seems to have more hazards than benefits.

What an unexpected thunderous event this is.

“Maintain your distance around me!”

Being too close or too far makes it difficult to respond.

And before my giants could respond to my words, the Oryong lunged at me, leaving a golden afterimage like its body.

‘It’s slower than when it first flew toward me!’

Still, it was fast, but it was not a major problem for me.

A claw big enough to tear apart the giants’ spines approached me to shred me.

A slight breath and relaxation.

Instead of dodging, I threw my body toward the approaching claw.

I rode smoothly on the winds pushed aside by the powerful front claw.

The Oryong looked surprised as it saw me riding on its claw, trying to avoid it.

Nangong Family’s Shining Step

For some reason, the mana in the atmosphere didn’t respond well to my will.

If I struggled to recover my internal energy during the fight, I needed to make effective use of my existing energy.

Part of the internal energy that had undergone property transformation infused with the power of lightning, intended for the use of the Duplication Thunder Strike.

I couldn’t keep it internal for long, so I needed to use it efficiently.

Nangong Family’s Transforming Thunder Sword Technique

Wind Thunder Barrier

It turned into a rough and destructive light and surged along the dragon’s body.

Like a storm of lightning, with the line of my surge as the axis, hundreds of sword strikes were dealt in the blink of an eye.

‘It’s tough!’

But it only grazed the black scales, causing slight scars but failing to cut through.

The strong rebounding force from each slash made my hand, gripping the sword, tingle with pain.

I frowned at the disappointing outcome.

The sword’s lineage.

It was a sword imbued with the same thundering energy as the Nangong family’s Tianlei energy, renowned for its cutting power and elegance within the martial arts community.

「Kraah—-!」

Just as I reached the vicinity of its neck, the dragon violently shook off its body, and I was thrown away, lightly landing on a nearby tall tree branch.

As the dragon’s roar caused the leaves to fall helplessly, I lightly placed the True Silver Sword against them.

Just by brushing against the falling leaves, they split into two.

‘The energy was used properly.’

What couldn’t be cut by the Duplication Thunder Strike was not mere coincidence.

Moreover, that strong rebounding characteristic no matter where I struck.

‘It protects like a defensive energy, resembling the Ho Sin Gang Ki.’

And it was as natural as breathing.

‘I doubt I could unfold it as naturally even if I unfolded the Life Force Combat Armor.’

The trees that had been standing until now were completely obliterated by the tail that the dragon swung.

The surrounding spirits screamed as they scattered.

「You bug-like creature!」

‘At any rate, it shouldn’t just be cut.’

This was on a completely different level from the opponents I had faced so far.

There had never been an existence that could utilize the energy so perfectly in offensive and defensive maneuvers, whether they had awakened their energy or not.

‘Frustrating, but judging by energy management, it’s above me.’

Being a creature that ranks among the best of spirits, resembling a dragon, it seemed to be cherished by nature, as the magical energy in the atmosphere favored that dragon.

‘For the first time since being born as a High Elf, I’ve felt outmatched in sensing and controlling energy.’

It makes its energy follow not just its own emotions but the energy of the surrounding nature as well.

Isn’t that a legendary realm?

Nonetheless, was it because of its overwhelmingly dominant power?

The way it handled its body was terribly rough.

‘I should avoid a prolonged battle.’

But if this continues, I would be the one to tire out.

If I were to allow a direct strike from those dreadful claws, I could easily end up like the giants who had died before.

A bitter smile escaped me.

If I looked at the people I had been fighting alongside, including my brothers, even if they performed well, they would only be peak-level by central continent standards.

However, before my eyes was a dragon exuding killing intent, which, by central continent standards… might not even be counted among the top 100 in the martial arts history?

If I were the main character from a typical martial arts story littering the streets, I would want to say that I had completely misjudged the order of enemies to face.

‘The order is all wrong!’

Araya Technique

Eye Technique: Scrutinizing All Phenomena

「Hmm-?!」

Rushing toward the dragon, which had paused for a moment to question its thoughts.

Using the Eye Technique to scrutinize all phenomena, my eyes filled with energy, and my vision transformed.

‘…I’m exhausted.’

A storm of immense information blasted through my newly changed vision.

The flows of energy spreading in lines, stretching out and dispersing in all directions.

The golden Oryong, harboring gigantic power.

The distribution of mana so dense it could interfere with even energy sensing, the land of the giants.

Moreover, every time I clashed with the dragon, the surrounding environment was undergoing rapid changes due to the aftermath, making me dizzy.

‘But I can see.’

The last strike with energy imbued True Silver Sword swung toward the golden scales.

「Kraah!」

Ignoring the sword that had failed to pierce through the scales multiple times during our clash, the dragon let out a painful scream while focusing solely on evading my attacks.

The sword swung under the scrutiny of the Eye Technique broke through the shield of scales that had protected the dragon like a steel wall and made it bleed.

Was it unaccustomed to pain?

It felt like the shock of losing a scale was greater than the pain it felt.

「…You…」

In an instant, I felt the dragon’s eyes dim with curiosity instead of anger.

“So you weren’t invincible!”

With my audacious shout, the temporarily lingering emotions disappeared, and it let out a choked roar filled entirely with rage.

「You bug-like monkey! Don’t be so cocky for merely losing a few scales!」

Indeed.

I had no intention of saying that my victory was guaranteed just because I had grazed a few of your scales.

Now that I know my attacks work, it’s time to move decisively.

Now is the time to exert all my strength.

Peng Family’s Transforming Hell King Dragon Slaying Technique

Flame Blade

This time, the True Silver Sword was imbued with Hell King’s energy, not the lightning energy like before.

Although I was using a sword instead of a blade, I compensated for any deficiencies through my senses in the moment.

The whirling energy caused my hair to flutter.

「How dare a monkey think so grandly!」

The omnipotent dragon, capable of commanding the surrounding mana, sensitively read the meaning behind the energy contained in my sword.

Filled with rage, I leaped toward the charging dragon.

Peng Family’s Transforming Hell King Dragon Slaying Technique

Massacre Dragon Slaying

I swung my True Silver Sword, igniting with flames to directly clash against the dragon’s strike.

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