Chapter 35 - Bloodline is Everything

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 35: The Emergence of Bloodlines (4)

<'Shura King' Awakens.>

The aura of the Shura King engulfed the entirety of Aryongtae.

Armor, once as hard as steel, clung tightly to his body—almost as if it were a living creature.

Mei Rong stared in stunned disbelief.

“How can a wretch like you, of the Hyukcheon Clan, possess the Shura King?!”

“I retrieved it from the shrine of the First Clan Lord.”

“Don’t spout nonsense! That shrine is where the Clan Lord prays every single day! If the Shura King had been there, the Clan Lord would have known!”

“He couldn’t have known. The Shura King only responds to True Blood.”

“True Blood…?”

Mei Rong staggered, his legs suddenly giving way.

“...Impossible,” He muttered, his face stricken with disbelief. “One can possess only a single bloodline. How do you have two… and both are True Blood…? What are you?! What kind of devil has Hyukcheon created?!”

Even Kwon Hanul didn’t have the answer.

Why he possessed multiple bloodlines. Why new bloodlines continued to emerge.

But that wasn’t what mattered now.

A wielder of the Shura Blood can master a hundred weapons by learning only one.

Additionally, they can enhance their gear with a unique power called Shura Aura.

Yet, these are merely secondary abilities. The true power of Shura Blood reveals itself when a weapon is imbued with Shura.

This phenomenon—known as “Shura infusion” or “releasing the Shura”—elevates the weapon to an entirely different realm, capable of piercing even Dragon Slayer-grade armor.

Like Black Dragon Blood, Shura Blood becomes more potent with higher purity.

Inferior Blood is inferior to Mixed Blood, and Mixed Blood to Pure Blood.

And True Blood?

What, then, is the power of the Shura King, which manifests only within True Blood?

Such stat boosts are mere trifles compared to the Shura King’s true might.

Even these equipment upgrades are peripheral.

This. This is the true power of the Shura King.

Dragon Demon Energy gathered in Kwon Hanul’s fist. What once flickered like smoke or flame now condensed into something dense and tangible.

Mei Rong’s eyes widened in shock.

“That power...!”

He had just witnessed it. No—he had experienced it firsthand.

Though only the beginning, it was unmistakable…

Amazingly, the Shura King had bestowed upon Kwon Hanul the supreme power—Unyielding Aura—accessible only to true transcendent beings, merely by absorbing mana.

Even more terrifying was the fact that this was only the beginning.

Kwon Hanul’s synchronization rate with the Shura Blood was only 6%.

As the rate rises, the Shura King's power will grow stronger.

In other words, even with this barely awakened power, he had generated Unyielding Aura.

At 100% synchronization, he would surely gain access to techniques surpassing even Unyielding Aura.

But there was no room for celebration.

“This is overwhelming.”

The Shura King was a true demonic weapon.

Maintaining it alone drained all his mana. The Shura King consumed it faster than his Healthy Bloodline could replenish it.

Worse, it constantly sought to possess Kwon Hanul’s body.

As synchronization increased, so did the rate of the Shura King’s invasion.

A monstrous weapon.

No other weapon in existence could match it.

Yet one misstep would mean losing his body to the Shura King, going berserk in a frenzy of slaughter and destruction.

“But breaking it in will be satisfying.”

Unfortunately, he had no time.

He was already gasping for breath.

Even maintaining a fraction of the Shura King’s power had pushed him to his limits.

Any further delay, and he would collapse. He had to end this fight with Mei Rong—now.

“Well then, Greatest Sword of Central Plains.”

Kwon Hanul’s voice rang with power as he shouted at Mei Rong:

“Care to take a swing at me?”

Mei Rong clenched his teeth.

Kwon Hanul’s sudden shift in tone wasn’t out of respect. It was sheer mockery.

And despite the humiliation, Mei Rong said nothing.

Instead, he channeled the blood from his heart into his sword, summoning forth the Shura.

“I’ll stake my life to kill you here and now.”

“The famed Greatest Sword of Central Plains challenges me to a duel of life and death? I’m honored.”

Even Kwon Hanul’s taunt didn’t rattle Mei Rong.

That’s how formidable Kwon Hanul had become in his eyes.

“Well then, I’ll go first.”

Kwon Hanul stepped forward.

There was no room for technique. Just controlling the Shura King took everything he had.

He poured all his strength into his fist and let it fly, unleashing immense power.

Simultaneously, Mei Rong raised his sword, channeling every drop of blood through his arm into the blade.

Screaming—whether a battle cry or desperation—Mei Rong struck with the sword.

Fist and blade collided.

The outcome was instantaneous.

* * *

“Mei Rong, you bastard!!”

Kwon Myung-woo roared, his eyes bloodshot.

“The so-called Greatest Sword of Central Plains—how could he resort to such cowardice at the very end?!”

“Commander, please calm down.”

“Calm down?! Do I look calm to you?!”

Kwon Myung-woo pointed furiously at the artifact.

“Kwon Hanul is trapped in there! If we don’t open that relic now, he’s going to die!”

Though Mei Rong had lost to Kwon Myung-woo in an instant, he was still the Mei family’s greatest swordmaster.

During his career, Mei Rong had cleared countless nation-level disaster dungeons and slain the highest-risk monsters.

Even with his heart pierced and energy spent, Kwon Hanul couldn’t possibly win against him.

“Hayun! Isn’t there any way?!”

Joo Hayun, who was examining the artifact, shook her head.

“Once activated, it can’t be opened unless the owner releases it. That’s how this relic works.”

“Can’t magic do something?!”

“You know that Earth’s magic can’t affect a Legendary-grade relic.”

Not just for Joo Hayun—for every mage and witch on Earth, this was true.

Earth’s magic was still in its infancy. It couldn’t interfere with relics.

“Damn it!”

Kwon Myung-woo cursed, turning to the Mei bloodline.

His eyes, burning with killing intent, struck fear into their hearts.

“Anyone! If any of you can open this relic, step forward now!’”

Sadly, the artifact was a closely guarded relic even within the Mei family.

There was no way anyone else knew how to operate it.

No one stepped forward, and veins bulged on Kwon Myung-woo’s forehead.

“You dare ignore me?!”

He clenched his fist, terror seizing the Mei bloodline.

“Calm yourself.”

Just then, Kwon Seonwoo spoke.

“Brother! How can you stay so calm?! If we don’t get him out soon, that kid’s going to die!”

“Getting all worked up like you is not going to magically solve anything, is it?”

Kwon Myung-woo clamped his mouth shut and just huffed in frustration.

“Brother, seriously—there’s no way? Not even one?”

“There isn’t.”

“Think again, please!”

“Unless we bring in the Midas Clan, there’s nothing we can do—but how on earth are we supposed to summon them in time?”

Kwon Myung-woo slammed his fist into the ground. The earth trembled beneath him.

“…I’m sorry.”

He looked at the relic with a face full of guilt.

“I wanted at least to help you take your revenge…”

But that would be impossible. After all, once Kwon Hanul is dead, Mei Rong will die too.

And no one can collect a debt from the dead.

“Damn it all!”

That’s what infuriated him the most—being unable to avenge his fallen comrade.

Just then—

Clank!

A metallic click echoed as the lock disengaged and the artifact began to open. An explosion followed immediately.

Kwon Myung-woo raised his arm to shield his face. A powerful force grazed his arm as it tore through the air.

Soon, the world settled into silence. He slowly lowered his arm.

Through the thick cloud of dust, a lone figure emerged. Kwon Myung-woo bared his teeth and growled.

“Mei Rong! So you’re still alive! I’ll tear you apart, alive and screaming!”

Then the dust cleared completely, revealing the person within—and everyone’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t Mei Rong.

“What’s with all the hostility?”

The voice only deepened Kwon Myung-woo’s shock.

“You—You—How… how are you still alive?!”

“Were you hoping I’d be dead?”

“N-no, it’s not that… That damned Mei Rong, what the hell happened to him…?”

It was only then that Kwon Myung-woo noticed.

A little ways away from Kwon Hanul, there lay a corpse.

Whatever had happened, more than half of the body was gone.

The shock of seeing Kwon Hanul alive had distracted him from noticing that corpse.

The body lying motionless on the ground—was Mei Rong.

Kwon Myung-woo, Joo Ha-yeon, the Hyukcheon operatives, even the Mei Clan—all stood with their mouths agape. Even Kwon Seonwoo’s eyes widened.

“The Hyukcheon’s Kwon Hanul has defeated the Greatest Sword of the Central Plains—Mei Rong!”

One of the Hyukcheon operatives shouted. Like a spark in dry grass, others quickly joined in.

“Kwon Hanul of Hyukcheon has slain the greatest swordsman of the Central Plains!”

The Hyukcheon warriors erupted in cheers. Kwon Myung-woo, still dumbfounded, muttered under his breath.

“That bastard… Just had to swoop in at the end and steal all the glory…”

But soon, a smile crept onto Kwon Myung-woo’s lips.

Given the gap between Kwon Hanul and Mei Rong, it should’ve been impossible to even finish the fight.

And yet, Kwon Hanul had done the impossible.

“As expected of True Blood. Truly, the son of Cheon.”

He murmured, before raising his voice in a shout—his neck veins bulging with intensity.

“That’s right! Kwon Hanul of Hyukcheon has defeated the Greatest Sword of the Central Plains!”

That day, a new hero was born in Hyukcheon.

Sure, he’d stolen the final bite—but the victory was his.

At the height of the celebration—

“Sorry to interrupt your moment of glory,” Kwon Seonwoo spoke up, “but we can’t stay here forever. The remaining Mei Clan warriors and the Chinese military will soon converge here. It’ll become a major headache.”

They weren’t in Hyukcheon territory—they were deep inside enemy lines. There was no time to relax.

“How do we get out of here?” Kwon Hanul asked.

Kwon Seonwoo answered casually, “Same way we got in.”

“…The same way?”

Kwon Myung-woo nodded and chimed in, “Brother, have you fully recovered your magic power?”

“I’ve recovered enough. Just need to take this final dose.”

Kwon Seonwoo pulled out a small pill. As soon as he did, a refreshing fragrance filled the air.

It was clearly no ordinary recovery item.

“But before we go, there’s something that needs doing.”

He pointed toward the Mei Clan’s buildings and gave the order—

“Loot it.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]