Chapter 178:
In truth, the Yeouiju had shattered during her overload, unable to withstand the surge of power. Hae-wi had felt the impact even within his dungeon, a separate reality from Seo Jae-yi’s.
But only the vessel containing his power had broken; the potent energy within had dispersed and integrated itself throughout Seo Jae-yi’s body.
‘Even I didn’t anticipate that.’
If she had been an ordinary human, she would have either died, unable to contain the power, or the power would have simply dissipated.
But Seo Jae-yi was an Esper with the potential to surpass even him, and her body was already saturated with his energy from their Guiding sessions, so the Yeouiju’s power had naturally settled within her.
That was why her overload level no longer increased, no matter how much she used her ability.
<Your everything? That’s amusing. You gave your Yeouiju to a human; you’re no longer as powerful as you once were.>
<…We’ll see.>
<I’ll spare your life if you abandon that human and join us. A fellow master of the earth, don’t make a decision you’ll regret.>
Hae-wi scoffed at the white dragon’s offer.
<Do you think I would abandon the woman I love enough to give her my Yeouiju?>
Just as she was his everything, he was hers.
If Seo Jae-yi was willing to fight the dragons, then so was he.
<…You’re a fool, unworthy of being called a dragon. Very well. I’ll show you no mercy.>
<You’re the fool. How dare you speak of mercy?>
Hae-wi, insulted, unleashed his power, his aura flaring.
But the white dragon wasn’t intimidated. Why would it fear a Mireu without its Yeouiju?
…It shouldn’t be afraid.
<…How…?>
Why? Why was this Mireu’s power growing? It didn’t have its Yeouiju; he had confirmed it!
Why was it radiating a power comparable to his own?
<…You… you possess power equal to mine, even without your Yeouiju?>
<Indeed. I wonder why?>
Hae-wi grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes.
The Yeouiju’s power hadn’t vanished; it resided within Seo Jae-yi. What did that mean?
It meant Seo Jae-yi had become the Yeouiju.
Seo Jae-yi, stronger than him, had become the Yeouiju, making him stronger, and as the Yeouiju’s master grew stronger, so did she.
That was why they were one.
But Hae-wi wasn’t foolish enough to reveal this to his enemy. He lunged at the white dragon.
The white dragon retaliated, unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts that struck Hae-wi.
But even as it attacked, it was still trying to decide,
‘Which one should I kill first?’
The human Esper who radiated a power surpassing even dragons?
Or the Mireu who could heal her instantly?
‘Ah.’
It suddenly realized.
<…I see. Regeneration. You possess the power of regeneration.>
Seo Jae-yi’s unnatural healing speed, the Mireu’s ability to charge back into battle unscathed after being struck by lightning…
It all made sense if the Mireu possessed regenerative abilities.
‘Then I have to kill the Mireu first.’
Seo Jae-yi couldn’t withstand its lightning. The human would no longer be a threat without the Mireu.
The white dragon, leaving Seo Jae-yi to the other dragons, focused all its attention on Hae-wi.
He could withstand its lightning attacks, but his regeneration wouldn’t last forever.
‘Regeneration alone isn’t enough to defeat a Lightning Dragon.’
Hae-wi knew his weakness.
But he wasn’t worried. His role was to be a distraction, a meat shield. He hadn’t intended to fight the white dragon alone from the start.
He had another, far more potent ability.
Ignoring the lightning bolts striking his body, Hae-wi scanned the battlefield. He located thirteen Espers, including Seo Jae-yi, still alive and fighting.
His other ability.
Using his regenerative power to lower Espers’ overload levels.
He roared, his voice cutting through the crackling lightning.
His vibrant green energy, piercing through the lightning, struck the Espers. The Mireu’s life force, potent and invigorating, surged through them, from head to toe.
“Gasp!”
“What?!”
The Espers, who had been desperately fighting the dragons attacking Seo Jae-yi, gasped, feeling the sudden surge of energy.
It was similar to Guiding, yet different. It felt like every cell in their bodies was being revitalized.
Their depleted energy reserves replenished, their overload levels decreasing. Power surged through their veins.
“How…?”
Even Grayson, feeling his strength return, was startled.
But it was only momentary. This was their chance.
“Now! Kill them all! Help Seo Jae-yi!”
He yelled, and the other Espers, also momentarily stunned, looked up.
And they saw her.
Seo Jae-yi, atop the fiery Mireu, battling four dragons simultaneously.
One of the dragons was already on the verge of death.
Some were awestruck, while others felt a pang of shame, seeing her fight so valiantly, a feat they couldn’t replicate.
Their pride as S-rank Espers wouldn’t allow them to stand by and watch.
“Kill them! Bring them down!”
“Telekinetics! Prepare the grappling hooks!”
The Espers, quickly regrouping, launched a coordinated attack on the four dragons. The dragons, already exhausted, couldn’t defend themselves against the revitalized Espers.
“Eli! Send me up there!”
Grayson yelled at Elizer. Elizer, also recovered, immediately created a portal and sent him to Seo Jae-yi, who was on the fiery Mireu’s head.
Seo Jae-yi, seeing her friend suddenly appear beside her, grumbled,
“Hey, this is a one-seater.”
“Don’t be so cold; I’m here to help.”
“This is made of my fire. Don’t complain if your feet get burned.”
Grayson looked down at his feet as Seo Jae-yi clicked her tongue. His boots were already starting to smolder.
His feet were hot, but he just shrugged, his face calm.
“It’s fine. Won-yeong made these. They’ll last until the end of the battle.”
A gift from Seo Won-yeong, for Seo Jae-yi’s only friend.
They were fire-resistant; they would hold.
“First target?”
“The one that’s still in good condition.”
“Got it.”
Grayson supported Seo Jae-yi as she chose her target.
The fiery Mireu unleashed its breath attack, and Grayson amplified it with his wind. Seo Jae-yi created fire spears, and Grayson sharpened them, just like she had done against the Earth Dragon.
While the two of them kept the remaining, relatively healthy dragons occupied, the other Espers attacked the ones that had been weakened, now within their reach.
Elizer, teleporting the injured Espers to the rear for Guiding and then sending them back to the battlefield, provided crucial support.
The tide of the battle had completely turned.
<You!>
The white dragon was flustered, but it was too late.
The white dragon shuddered at Hae-wi’s mocking words.
Two of the dragons, already critically injured, finally succumbed. The remaining two wouldn’t last long against Seo Jae-yi and Grayson’s combined assault.
The dark blue dragon fighting Airok was putting up a good fight, but Airok, empowered by Hae-wi’s arrival, was slowly gaining the upper hand.
If this continued, it would be the only one left.
So the white dragon had to make a decision.
<…This is for the greater good. I will remember your sacrifice.>
Its eyes hardened with resolve.
It stopped regenerating its missing arm and focused all its remaining power, except for the bare minimum required to maintain its form, on the sky.
“Seo Jae-yi! Watch the sky!”
Hae-wi, sensing the change, yelled. Seo Jae-yi, who had just torn off one of the dragon’s wings, looked up.
The sky, heated by the intense battle, had turned an ominous black. It was far more turbulent than the sky above the Gapyeong dungeon.
“Prepare for defense! Incoming lightning!”
“Logi! Leave that one and come here!”
Grayson and Seo Jae-yi yelled.
Airok immediately disengaged from the dark blue dragon and flew to Seo Jae-yi’s side, his body covered in wounds, his breath ragged.
The telekinetic Espers created a barrier around everyone except the dragons as soon as their allies gathered.
It was a barrier created by three S-rank Espers, but no one felt safe.
They all knew…
They couldn’t withstand this.
<Unleash.>
The moment the white dragon spoke, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down from the sky.
It was a power so immense that even the dragons outside the barrier screamed and crashed to the ground, unable to withstand it.
The Espers were no match for it.
Boom! Boom! KABOOM!
“Ugh!”
“Aaaaaargh!”
“Endure! We have to endure!”
The three Espers maintaining the barrier groaned in pain. One of them managed to hold on, his arm trembling, but the other two collapsed, blood gushing from their noses, the blood vessels in their eyes bursting.
The Guides rushed to their side, pouring their energy into them, but their overload levels continued to rise.
If even one of them fell, the barrier would shatter.
They had to eliminate the white dragon quickly, while they could still move.
Hae-wi infused Seo Jae-yi, Grayson, and Elizer with his life force. The three of them were startled by the sudden surge of energy.
‘Hae-wi?’
Seo Jae-yi was about to turn to look at him when his voice echoed in her mind.
‘Don’t talk to me directly.’
‘Huh? What? You’re communicating telepathically?’
‘I’ll explain later. Just listen.’
Seo Jae-yi nodded slightly.
‘I’ve healed Grayson and Elizer as well. The three of you should be able to use the lightning to counterattack. It’ll be difficult, but…’
Hae-wi briefly explained their roles.
It wouldn’t be easy. They were facing a Rank 1 dungeon boss monster. Redirecting its full-powered lightning attack would push even them to their limits.
‘It’s alright. You can do it, in your current state.’
But Hae-wi sounded confident, so Seo Jae-yi trusted him.
She could do this, in her current state, her body surging with power, as if she had regained something she had lost the moment he appeared in the dungeon.
‘Remember, Seo Jae-yi. Lightning is also heat.’
He was right. Lightning contained heat, an intense heat even she couldn’t withstand, but it was still heat.
So she could do this.
Seo Jae-yi looked up at the white dragon, raining lightning down from the sky.
All the other dragons were dead, killed by its lightning; it was the only one left.
It was the perfect opportunity to risk everything.