Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 460: The Fight with Hwayo

The fight with Hwayo unfolded somewhat as Yeon-woo had expected. Hwayo took the first hit, and if that didn’t work, Hwayo would retaliate.

The only one who could fight in this somewhat choreographed manner was Yuri alone. Pure swordsmanship made it possible.

There were precarious moments, like just a moment ago when he nearly failed to defend himself. But each time, his friends, who were watching closely from behind, squeezed in and forced their way out of the crisis.

Even though everyone here was a master, it was necessary for them to do so because Hwayo’s attacks were powerful in every single aspect. They were filled with a will to definitely kill the opponent.

No matter how much he defended, the murderous intent felt as if it would numb his entire body.

“Oof, I’m going to die.”

His friends, who had been thrown far away, murmured as they returned. Yeon-woo smiled bitterly at the sight. Today was indeed tough.

Still, the reason Hwayo couldn’t kill Yeon-woo’s group was all due to one person blocking his way.

Yuri, as if imbued with divine power, was quietly engaged in the fight without a word. And she had built up quite a record.

For Yeon-woo, the fact that the immortal Hwayo was being restrained from harming his friends seemed almost nonsensical.

Usually, restraint comes from the capability to kill. In this case, it was swords rather than guns, but whether it was a gun, sword, or missile, one thing was for sure: Hwayo had no lethality.

Yet, despite that, Hwayo couldn’t move freely, essentially shackled by Yuri’s pure sword skills.

The problem with that fight was that unless a gap formed like it just did, it was nearly impossible to interrupt. And even if one did get involved, it wouldn’t carry much weight.

[Ah, no matter what, I can’t get near that guy…!!]

Therefore, when Baek In-hwa asked Lime if there was anything she could do, her terrified voice merely echoed back.

It was a thought that she might be more useless than expected. But facing the killing intent radiating from Hwayo, even Lime might meet her demise.

In that case, the gaze shifted to Yeon-woo. Since he claimed to be prepared with a way to end the immortal’s life, there was no other option but to rely on that.

Receiving those hopeful gazes, Yeon-woo calmly observed the situation from behind. The crisis Yuri faced was something his friends could resolve, so he organized his thoughts.

He recalled several artifacts stashed away in the storeroom. Some would be unusable, hence excluded.

Of course, if none of the others worked after trying everything, he would have to dig them out again.

Yeon-woo analyzed Yuri’s swordplay and Hwayo’s martial arts. It was flashy and erratic, but he was gradually becoming accustomed to it.

Yuri’s style was surely not limited to just that, but she was likely crafting the optimal sword skill in real-time to counter Hwayo.

‘If it comes this way, then that way….’

Yeon-woo’s eyes kept moving. He had to grasp every situation. Knowledge is power, and it applies to battle too.

Since Hwayo was a living being, he couldn’t be without habits. There must be preferred martial arts, and there were surely reflexive reactions he wasn’t even aware of.

As he pondered, reminiscent thoughts began to surface. The roles had flipped a bit; originally, it would have been Yeon-woo playing Yuri’s role.

Extracting the opponent’s patterns and conveying them to the rear had always been Yeon-woo’s duty.

Lost in that unexplainable nostalgia, Yeon-woo’s vision began to naturally widen.

In his golden-hued eyes, willpower shone. Clairvoyance. The eyes that could see far and in detail enveloped him like a dragon’s gaze.

That had always been the combination he used. A combination he adopted when he needed to spend mana to do so.

However, perhaps due to being on the verge of an end or Yeon-woo’s will manifesting its power, a slight change occurred.

The figures of the two people overlapped in his vision. The forms emerging from them began to move of their own accord.

Had he finally lost his mind? Yeon-woo thought, suddenly realizing the truth.

The two were moving as if mimicking forms.

What this meant was that it could be described as some kind of foresight.

Soon enough, the divided forms pointed to a dire future. Yeon-woo jerked back in shock and moved his body.

In the brief future he glimpsed, Yuri was facing death.

*

The killing intent emanating from Hwayo overwhelmed the surroundings. Despite not resembling anything human, Yuri no longer felt fear from that killing intent.

It was nothing significant. She had merely adapted. Yuri was gradually adjusting to the situation, altering her movements based on that adaptation and learning.

The reason Yuri was fighting so actively wasn’t particularly complicated. The thought that the old man should be the one to die had not changed.

But beyond that, the presence of the wall that was Hwayo stirred the instinct of a swordsman within her.

If she could surpass that foe, surpassing the master wouldn’t even be a dream.

‘Ray, that guy survived a fight against someone like this.’

Yuri didn’t know where he was or what he was doing, but she sensed that even he felt countless threats of death. Without the proper help from the children, she might have already died.

Having survived against such Hwayo was enough to sufficiently prove the strength of a single sword.

Yuri’s sword danced in a dazzling manner. Hwayo gazed at it as though entranced, swinging his fist enveloped in killing intent. The straight punch coming at her was instinctively halved by Yuri’s sword.

That was the moment of realization. She had momentarily forgotten the nature of the boy before her.

Certainly, the severed half of the arm clung right to the freshly cut surface. It was a spectacle as if time had reversed.

The punch aimed straight for the center of her chest. There was no way to dodge, no way to block, and no way to survive. The unusual amount of killing intent contained within that single strike proven it.

Slowly, in the decelerated view, Hwayo’s fist approached her.

And when that fist touched Yuri’s skin, the suddenly slowed world accelerated.

“Hey, judging by that vacant expression, did you just see the River Jordan?”

“…What the hell?”

It was a sensation and voice familiar to Yuri. To be frank, only two people in the world spoke to her this condescendingly.

The swordsman Ray and her disciple, Choi Yeon-woo. The former was acceptable, but the latter made her wonder if he was really doing okay. Nonetheless, it was somewhat reassuring.

However, the timing felt dangerously close. Stopping something happening a mere second or two later wasn’t easy.

As such, Hwayo’s strike barely grazed Yuri, and that slight brush left her chest darkened and lifeless.

In other words, it was as if she had been preserved just enough not to die. Yeon-woo couldn’t prevent the situation where Yuri was slipping away from the forefront.

Noel blocked the hole from which Yeon-woo and Yuri had escaped, and in the meantime, Yeon-woo laid Yuri down behind him. Blood pattered down, as Yuri staggered and steadied herself.

“I can’t leave my place… Can you go alone?”

“No, I’m not going.”

“What do you mean by that? Staying here won’t accomplish anything anyway.”

At Yuri’s stubborn assertion, Yeon-woo frowned.

It was understandable. Although she had been saved, not dying was only a story regarding receiving appropriate treatment.

If she stayed here like this, she might actually die.

“Do you think an old man would say such a thing because he wants to die? I have my reasons. Just calmly cast the Divine Art and get back.”

Confidence radiated from Yuri’s face when she spoke those words. What kind of confidence it was, she didn’t know, but at least it didn’t seem like she intended to die when asking for the Divine Art.

Yeon-woo, looking at her with dubious eyes, used the Divine Art.

As long as Yuri could return to the front lines, there was nothing better, so Yeon-woo turned around and rushed towards Hwayo, casting the most powerful Divine Art he could muster.

Left alone, Yuri pressed her sword sheath into the ground. It was precarious and shaky. Wondering if she could swing it just once like this.

However absurdly, the answer lay right there. She realized that the clue to moving to the next plane as a Grand Master rested on the thin, trembling line between life and death.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I had a duel…’

Back in the day, she used to challenge anyone she considered a swordsman without hesitation. Perhaps the reason Yuri had stagnated was right there.

It had been too long since she had truly witnessed death. Even facing the Demon King and believing she’d transcended death, in reality, she had still feared it and avoided it.

Thus, at that moment, Yuri was sharpening her blade. It was no longer the dull blade she had shared for over a hundred years but the blade of her heart.

Unbeknownst to her, she stripped away the rust from the long-dulled blade of her heart, honing it. She was confident the time for her to wield it would come soon.

*

“I’m back!!”

Energetically shouting as he returned, Yeon-woo was met with the natural shift change with Namgung Seong and Noel.

“How’s the Master!?”

“He’s fine! Not dead yet, probably!!”

“What does that even mean?!”

Noel shouted in bewilderment, but Yeon-woo had nothing else to say.

He wouldn’t die; probably. He could say for sure if they made it back to the base and Na Yang-ho treated him, but it would take a considerable amount of time with Yeon-woo’s Divine Art.

“What’s it mean? It means we’re supposed to fight from now on!”

Of course, many people were set to arrive. Lucrecia had mentioned she was coming, along with quite a few others. He didn’t know how many, but there would be some.

Waiting for reinforcements was familiar to him. And, well, just because reinforcements were coming didn’t mean they would always be helpful.

Facing Hwayo’s advancing fist, Yeon-woo caressed the storeroom. Something that resembled a sickle formed in his hand.

“First up…!!”

Artifact, the Grim Reaper. In terms of attributes, it was the scythe of the reaper.

It was indeed a precious item, but it was absurdly useless in a way.

To describe its ability, “Cutting bestows death,” but this didn’t mean the opponent would die instantly; it meant bestowing the fate of death.

Most living beings die, but what good is it to bestow the fate of death? Yet, seeing it in that light, maybe it could work against Hwayo.

With Namgung Seong intercepting Hwayo’s fist, Yeon-woo dove in to swing the sickle.

Swoosh!! The enormous sickle slashed diagonally across Hwayo’s body.

(To be continued in the next episode)