Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 197

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 197】

197. One-on-One Combat (3)

“You came to catch a dragon?”
At the Dragon Slayer’s words, Kwon Myung-woo’s eyebrows twitched.
“I’ve been thoroughly irritated by this greenhorn who calls himself a dragon slayer without ever having properly hunted a real dragon.”
“So the great Heukcheon’s First Fist shares my sentiment. What an honor this is.”
The Dragon Slayer responded with a sly grin.
“But you should be careful. If your head gets lopped off by my axe, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
“Ha! I need to shut that arrogant mouth of yours right now.”
Kwon Myung-woo’s arms and shoulders became covered in black scale armor. Gripping the black iron fists firmly, he advanced toward the Dragon Slayer.
“Oh my, if you step into my range like that, it’ll be dangerous.”
When he had closed to within roughly three meters, Kwon Myung-woo suddenly felt his body grow heavy.
【’Enemy Dragon Star’ is affecting your body!】
【You are experiencing interference in mana control!】
【Your physical abilities are declining!】
It felt as though his vitality was being drained away. His mana moved sluggishly, as if it had turned to mud.
“You haven’t forgotten, have you? My Gift, the Enemy Dragon Star, is the natural predator of the Black Dragon Bloodline.”
The reason the Dragon Slayer earned his current title was because of his Gift.
Dragon-race monsters, dragon bloodlines, even artifacts blessed with dragon power—
Everything related to dragons weakens before the Enemy Dragon Star.
“The closer you approach, the stronger the Enemy Dragon Star’s influence becomes. If you recklessly draw near, your neck will be severed…”
That was when it happened.
Kwon Myung-woo charged forward. The Dragon Slayer raised both axes in response. A violet aura converged upon the blades.
“You heard my warning and still charge at me head-on?”
Kwon Myung-woo ignited dragon energy in both hands. He extended both arms simultaneously, releasing the dragon energy.
Black Dragon Twelve Ascendant Martial Forms—Superior Manifestation
Qi Strike Style: Projectile Flame Conflagration
The dragon energy exploded, engulfing the Dragon Slayer. Yet it still wasn’t enough. The dragon energy consumed the entire space.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly the dragon energy split in half. A violet aura surged toward Kwon Myung-woo.
Kwon Myung-woo quickly blocked the aura. But the moment it touched his forearm, the black scale armor tore.
“…What?”
Black scale armor was the supreme defensive power symbolizing the Black Dragon Bloodline.
It made no sense that such armor—especially one forged by Kwon Myung-woo himself—could be torn so easily.
Kwon Myung-woo tried to retreat. But before he could, the Dragon Slayer charged at him.
“Where do you think you’re running!”
Dragon Slayer swung both axes wildly. Each time the blades cut through the air, a violet aura traced crescent-shaped afterimages.
Kwon Myung-woo deflected Dragon Slayer’s axes with his palms and elbows.
“Not bad for a young punk!”
“And you’re surprisingly spry for someone so withered and decrepit!”
They hurled insults at each other. After dozens of clashes, it happened.
Suddenly, Dragon Slayer let out a sinister chuckle.
“By the way, shouldn’t word be arriving soon?”
“What?”
Severe vertigo washed over Kwon Myung-woo. His stance wavered slightly.
Dragon Slayer seized the opening. He swung both axes wide, aiming for Kwon Myung-woo’s neck.
Kwon Myung-woo blocked with his forearm. The moment the blade met flesh, the axe split through his black scales and embedded itself in his arm.
“…Tch!”
The instant his forearm was cut, Kwon Myung-woo spun his body. He yanked his arm free faster than the axe could follow and retreated.
Kwon Myung-woo looked at his forearm. Blood streamed freely from the wound.
Fortunately, he’d pulled free before the blade reached bone, but his nerves were damaged. His fingers wouldn’t respond properly.
“I should have been more careful.”
Dragon Slayer spoke with a smug grin.
“The Red Dragon’s essence is poison to humans like you. The more you clash, the more it affects you.”
That wasn’t all.
Dragon Slayer’s aura was cutting through the black scales far too easily.
It was proof that when the Red Dragon’s essence collided with the Black Dragon Bloodline’s power, the former held a decisive advantage.
“You should have run instead of fighting me!”
Dragon Slayer charged again, swinging his axes at Kwon Myung-woo.
“This time, I’ll take your head!”
Suddenly, Kwon Myung-woo struck the axe with the back of his hand.
With a sharp metallic ring, the blade shattered.
“…What, what?”
Bewilderment flashed across Dragon Slayer’s face. Kwon Myung-woo didn’t miss the opening and drove his fist forward.
The punch slammed into Dragon Slayer’s solar plexus. In that same instant, Kwon Myung-woo detonated his Dragon Force.
The shockwave rippled outward in all directions. Devastating impact tore through Dragon Slayer’s insides.
“Gack! Kugh!”
Dragon Slayer flew backward with a scream, struggling to regain his senses.
“I grew careless thinking you were nothing special. Now I’ve taken a wound.”
Kwon Myung-woo tore his clothing and wrapped it around his forearm.
“The Red Dragon’s essence?”
Kwon Myung-woo shot Dragon Slayer a contemptuous glare.
“What good is that? Did you really think weakening me with such a trivial thing would make you stronger than I am?”
Kwon Myung-woo released his aura. The sheer force alone etched cracks across every wall and floor in the chamber.
“Come. Let me show you the true power of Heukcheon.”

* * *

“Pangu.”
The moment Kwon Han-ul uttered those cryptic words.
Suddenly, the aura emanating from Kwon Han-ul transformed.
The savage, tyrannical energy characteristic of the Black Dragon Bloodline dissipated like smoke on the wind. In its place, a heavy, sluggish oppressive force filled the void.
What was happening?
Bae Cheol-min could not comprehend it. Magical power shifts according to the user’s emotions—it can become rougher or more subdued. But the essence itself never changes.
A phenomenon where the very nature of one’s aura transforms like this should be impossible.
“This is….”
Suddenly, Bae Cheol-min recalled a memory from his past.
The Sanchez Family, called the nobility of Pandemonium.
When their superhuman bloodline reached its peak, it had always radiated this kind of oppressive force.
“That can’t be… possible…?”
But Kwon Han-ul is of the Heukcheon Bloodline. Moreover, he possesses the true Black Dragon Bloodline.
Then why was he sensing the aura of a superhuman bloodline?
-You don’t know my secret?”
Then Kwon Han-ul opened his mouth. He was clearly speaking with his lips, yet his voice resonated not through the air but directly in my mind.
-I suppose you met Aion and removed the seal. Yet you don’t know my secret—which means you too are merely a castaway.
Castaway.
The word grated harshly. Bae Cheol-min clenched his fists. The muscles in his forearms tightened like steel around bone.
“Shut up. I don’t know what you’ve done, but… nothing changes.”
I will kill Kwon Han-ul.
I will tear off his head and offer it as solace to the bloodline members of my clan who died abandoned.
“This time it won’t end halfway. I’ll separate your upper and lower body.”
Bae Cheol-min charged toward Kwon Han-ul. With each step his feet struck the ground, the floor shattered.
With terrifying leg strength, he closed the distance in an instant. Kwon Han-ul swung his arm toward my abdomen.
He wielded his arm like a whip. Unable to withstand that force, the joints of my shoulder and forearm dislocated.
But that was fine.
For one with a superhuman bloodline, wounds of this degree meant nothing.
“Die.”
The dislocated arm whipped through an arc. My arm reached Kwon Han-ul’s body first before the sound even arrived.
Bae Cheol-min’s arm severed Kwon Han-ul’s body. In that instant, Kwon Han-ul’s form became an illusion and vanished.
“Was it a clone?”
Kwon Han-ul became smoke and dispersed in all directions. Bae Cheol-min scanned the surroundings to find his true form.
But Kwon Han-ul was nowhere to be found.
“Where did he hide….”
Then it happened.
The scattered smoke coalesced in midair, forming a shape.
A fist, and the upper body of a giant gripping it, loomed down upon Bae Cheol-min.
The moment confusion flickered across Bae Cheol-min’s face.
The giant threw a punch.
Bae Cheol-min instinctively raised his forearms and crouched. In the next instant, the giant’s fist slammed into him.
The entire world shook. It felt as though my brain was bouncing wildly inside a massive drum.
My vision, which had been spinning, finally steadied. Only then could I comprehend the state I was in.
My forearms were crushed.
Every muscle had ruptured.
My internal organs were churned into chaos.
【Healthy Blood detects critical danger to the body!】
【Life force rapidly diminishing!】
【Ability ‘Radiant Return’ manifests!】
This was far more than merely dangerous in appearance. The ability ‘Radiant Return’ could only be activated in the final moments before death.
The fact that it had activated automatically meant I was staring death in the face.
I struggled to lift my head. The giant’s form dissolved, and the smoke coalesced once more into a single mass.
Soon, Kwon Han-ul’s silhouette emerged.
“Just now… what technique did you… use?”
-I threw a punch.
The voice echoed in my mind once more. I forced down the blood rising in my throat and cried out.
“That’s… absurd… You reduced me… to this state… with a single blow… and you call that… a punch?”
It was impossible.
This body, perfected through countless trials in Hell, boasted durability second to none in the world.
Not only was it resilient, but the recovery power of Healthy Blood meant I rarely suffered fatal wounds.
To exaggerate slightly, even if my heart were torn from my chest, I would not die. Within three minutes, it would regenerate and return to normal.
Such a body, destroyed in a single strike.
In one blow.
“…Cough.”
Finally, I coughed up blood.
Even with Healthy Blood’s power at maximum, my body had not fully recovered.
If Kwon Han-ul attacked now, I would have no choice but to die.
-Your body is no ordinary thing. You must possess many abilities others lack.
Fortunately, Kwon Han-ul did not finish me.
-Each time I struck, something felt strange. Hard? A protective barrier layered on? That wasn’t it. It felt as though some force was interfering with my attacks.
“…Perceptive. You’re right. Thanks to Healthy Blood’s relentless refinement, I’ve acquired countless traits.”
I responded to his words. I had to recover my body somehow.
It was shameful, but there was no other choice.
“Among them is the ability to resist physical damage. It’s the kind of ability normally found only on artifacts that prevent status ailments, yet it dwells within my flesh.”
Just a little more recovery.
Then I could continue fighting.
“I possess countless other traits as well. I’ve even gained the ability to breathe through my skin and to block auras.”
I have no weapons. No armor. There was no need for them.
To him, his body was both weapon and armor. In fact, during his time with Gangtaedae, Bae Cheol-min had rarely encountered equipment that surpassed his own physique.
-That’s why I drew upon the Superhuman Bloodline. With this power, I should be able to shatter your body.
The Superhuman Bloodline.
At those words, Bae Cheol-min’s pupils dilated.
“So it wasn’t… my imagination after all…!”
As one mystery unraveled, another took its place.
A human cannot possess two bloodlines simultaneously. That such a thing was impossible had been proven long ago.
Yet how could Kwon Han-ul possibly wield both the Black Dragon Bloodline and the Superhuman Bloodline at once?
-It seems you’ve recovered completely now.
At Kwon Han-ul’s words, Bae Cheol-min’s senses sharpened. He fixed his gaze upon Kwon Han-ul.
“…How long have you known?”
-From the beginning.
At the implication that he had deliberately waited, Bae Cheol-min found himself grinding his teeth without realizing it.
To receive pity from an enemy. Nothing could be more humiliating.
“You’ll regret this.”
-I waited precisely so I wouldn’t regret it.
Bae Cheol-min’s brow furrowed. What was he talking about?
-I’m sorry.
In that instant, Bae Cheol-min felt something surge within his chest.
-For what happened to the Bae Family. For not accepting your proposal.
Something welled up inside him. To suppress that emotion, Bae Cheol-min clenched his jaw.
“What… what are you apologizing for!”
-For what happened to the Bae Family, and for not accepting your proposal.
“It’s pointless to say such things now!”
-I know. That’s why I waited. At the very least, you shouldn’t be left with lingering regrets, should you?
“…Ha.”
Bae Cheol-min let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re not even planning to take it easy, and you call this venting?”
-I cannot lose to you. There are far too many things I must accomplish.
Bae Cheol-min pushed himself to his feet. His battered body had recovered enough to fight once more.
“Damn bastard.”
Frustrating as it was, he had to acknowledge it. The current Bae Cheol-min could not defeat Kwon Han-ul.
“I’ll show you how I was able to attack Kwon Seon-woo.”
Bae Cheol-min opened a subspace. From within, he withdrew all manner of pharmaceuticals.
He consumed the drugs orally, injected them with syringes, and ingested them through every conceivable method.
“…Ugh!”
The drugs took immediate effect on Bae Cheol-min’s body. Veins bulged across his entire frame as his skin flushed a vivid crimson.
An ordinary hunter would have perished long ago, yet Bae Cheol-min endured.
He survived through the power of the Healthy Bloodline.
“Heh, hehehehe.”
The agony of the drug mingled with a twisted ecstasy that spread throughout my entire body. Bae Cheol-min let out a wild, unhinged laugh as I screamed.
“Then let’s begin again!”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————