The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 149

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 149

“Your Majesty. I shall enter for a moment.”

The one who opened the door and entered was his guard.

“Demon beasts have appeared within the Imperial Palace. I shall escort you to a safe place.”

Instead of answering, Irim stared piercingly at the guard who had come to find him.

Under that gaze that watched silently for a long while, a drop of cold sweat trickled down the guard’s forehead.

“Your Majesty…?”

Swoosh—

Irim came down from the window and languidly tilted his chin as he commanded.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guard guided Irim to the deepest location within the Palace of the Golden Dragon where the Emperor resided.

It was a place where past emperors had taken refuge when upheavals occurred within the Imperial Palace.

Passing through the unusually quiet corridor, the moment Irim opened the door to that place and stepped inside.

Crack!

Bang! Bang! Crash—!

Doors in three directions shattered, and humans transformed into demon beasts poured out.

At the same time they rushed toward Irim, an invisible force wrapped around them like vines and hurled them outside.

Thoom—!

It was something that happened in the blink of an eye, in a very brief moment.

Irim gracefully turned his body to look at his guard who had guided him to this place.

“H-how…?”

The guard with a flustered expression soon came to his senses with an alert face and prepared to attack him.

“You were a child I gave my affection to and cherished in my own way.”

Then Irim, without showing any sign of surprise or bewilderment, twisted up the corner of his mouth diagonally…

Swoosh—!

A golden light that bloomed in mid-air pierced through the guard’s heart.

Thud.

Without a single death cry, the guard’s body collapsed as it was.

“So it has come to this in the end.”

Irim muttered bitterly as he watched it.

“Damn it…”

A curse flowed out from between the dead guard’s teeth.

“Do not damage that shell.”

“Ugh, uuugh…”

As if ignoring Irim’s command, the dead guard’s shell shattered into pieces and tore apart.

“How troublesome. I told you not to damage it.”

An unpleasant expression rose on Irim’s face, which had been indifferent throughout.

Through the torn shell, a black malicious beast revealed its form.

It was Taotie.

“Imperial Dragon… Grr.”

Irim casually trampled on Taotie’s body as it tried to stand up.

“Where is your master?”

He asked, looking down at Taotie with cold eyes.

“Do you think, I would, ugh, tell you that?”

“It must be somewhere around here.”

Irim slowly looked around his surroundings.

Then suddenly, his gaze became sharp.

“Is it over there?”

Crash!

The folding screen flew away and what was hiding behind it revealed its form.

It had Lili’s body but was not Lili—it was Evil that was barely moving by feeding on Lili’s Malice.

“It’s been a while, Evil.”

Irim took a step toward Evil, whose entire body was covered with black blood vessels, and twisted his lips.

“Or should I say it’s nice to meet you for the first time?”

Whoosh—!

Thud!

Irim’s extended hand roughly slammed Evil’s body against the opposite wall and choked its breath.

“How delightful that you’ve come directly to the Imperial Palace like this.”

Irim’s pupils, which were choking Evil’s breath, split vertically like those of a reptile.

Sharp and hard things grew from the tips of his elegant, slender hands. They were dragon claws.

Dragon claws harder than blades tore through Evil’s skin and penetrated the black blood vessels.

Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeek—!

A chilling scream that could never be called human echoed from between Lili’s teeth.

Drip. Drip.

Falling black blood stained the tip of Irim’s shoes.

A fishy stench spread thickly, but Irim didn’t furrow his brow even once as he recited in a low voice.

“Now disappear…”

It was then.

“My lord! Now is the time!”

With Taotie’s cry, the black blood pooled on the floor drew a circular seal of evil magic, then flashed with dark red light as the spell activated.

Flash—!

Black smoke that instantly writhed and bloomed wrapped around Irim’s body at the same time as…

Swoosh—!

It pierced straight through Irim’s chest.

His head bent forward.

“Kekeke. Even an Imperial Dragon is nothing special.”

The malicious beast’s vile laughter echoed in the room.

Slide.

Lili’s body, which had been caught by Irim until just moments ago, slid down the wall to the floor, and from within it, Evil in the form of a black sphere popped out.

—Imperial Dragon’s… Dragon… Orb…

Evil cried out in an excited voice.

—Bring… the… Dragon… Orb…

“Yes, my lord. This Taotie shall offer the Imperial Dragon’s Dragon Orb to you.”

Taotie laughed wickedly as he walked toward Irim.

When he first infiltrated the Imperial Palace, he had aimed for the Imperial Dragon’s body, but soon gave up.

The Imperial Dragon’s mental strength was too clear and strong. There was a possibility of being devoured in return while trying to seize the Imperial Dragon’s body.

So what he aimed for instead was none other than his Dragon Orb.

Unlike those of ordinary dragon beast-humans, the very Dragon Orb of the Imperial Dragon that was said to contain mysterious life force.

If he could get his hands on that alone, his lord would also be able to regain a complete body and resurrect without having to parasitize other beast-people’s bodies.

Having made that judgment, Taotie had set a trap and lured the Imperial Dragon to this place.

“Foolish Imperial Dragon. Not even knowing it was a trap…”

—Tao… tie… There is… no… Dragon Orb…

At Evil’s call, Taotie hesitated.

—I cannot… feel… the Dragon Orb’s… energy…

Flustered by those words, Taotie checked Irim’s Dragon Orb.

“There’s no… Dragon Orb?”

In his gaping chest where the Imperial Dragon’s Dragon Orb should rightfully be, it was nowhere to be seen.

The Imperial Dragon had no Dragon Orb.

Flustered, he muttered in a voice of disbelief.

“That can’t be. That can’t be possible….”

Slowly―

At that moment, Irim raised his head.

The instant Taotie’s eyes filled with bewilderment met directly with Irim’s blue-green eyes.

Startled.

Taotie hesitated and stepped back at the ominous aura that overwhelmed him, but only briefly. Golden light wrapped around his body and….

“Die.”

Kwaaaaang―!

Taotie’s body exploded on the spot.

* * *

Meanwhile, Saeon was struggling with the suddenly appeared horde of demon beasts… no, people in the form of demon beasts.

Under normal circumstances, he would have immediately slaughtered the demon beasts that appeared out of nowhere….

‘These aren’t demon beasts. They’re people.’

He quickly grasped the situation.

Those black, festering wounds that each of the people transformed into demon beasts carried on their bodies.

They were definitely the same pattern as the traces left by the criminal’s evil magic that someone had shown during the meeting discussing Cuckoo’s punishment just moments ago.

He had anticipated that Cuckoo’s evil magic might bring disaster within the Imperial Palace, but to think it would be in this way.

He couldn’t harm people.

Saeon tried his best not to provoke them and slowly retreated.

Meanwhile, the people transformed into demon beasts swarmed in and surrounded Saeon and Ayun.

The Imperial Palace people, including Jeok Yeong who was at a distance, weren’t in a position to help them either.

Some of them suddenly complained of pain and began transforming into demon beasts.

That side also became chaotic as they defended against the suddenly transformed people.

“This has become troublesome.”

Jeok Ayun, standing beside Saeon, muttered while glaring at the demon-transformed people surrounding them.

“Can’t you do something? Like purification with flames.”

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”

“You’re utterly useless.”

More and more demon-transformed people gathered toward Saeon and Ayun.

They said there had been a line of people who came directly to seek gifts and request healing from that Cuckoo, believing the rumor that she was the Dragon Emperor’s Bride….

Seeing that large number, it seemed the rumor wasn’t exaggerated.

‘Damn Cuckoo. She touched quite a lot of people.’

Saeon was swallowing curses internally and pondering ways to break through the situation when.

“Father!”

At the voice heard from beyond the people who had become demon beasts, Saeon’s expression instantly hardened.

“Cotton Ball…?”

Soya was calling him from back there.

He could feel the child running toward him.

However, between the child and him were numerous demon-transformed people.

Running this way like that was dangerous.

“Dangerous…!”

But before Saeon’s words could finish….

Pop!

Soya transformed into a small bird and flew up.

“Chirp!”

The child flew through the night sky toward Saeon.

Jeok Ayun’s eyes, who was beside Saeon, shook violently for a moment.

Those red feathers of the small bird flying through the dark night sky….

“Cotton Ball!”

When Saeon reached out his hand, Soya leaped into his arms with a soft thud.

“You, dangerously…!”

“But I was worried about Father, so I couldn’t help it.”

Saeon burst into laughter at the chirping bird sounds.

“The only one who worries about Papa is our Baby Cotton Ball after all.”

Pop!

Soya soon released her beast transformation again and returned to her original form.

Then she stood in front of Saeon as if to protect him.

“Those people… they’re not demon beasts but people, right?”

“Yes. They’re people contaminated by Cuckoo’s evil magic.”

Knowing they were people, he couldn’t attack them.

“Then there’s only one method.”

“Will you be alright?”

Saeon asked in a somewhat worried voice.

He had caught on to what Soya was trying to do.

“Father told me before, didn’t you? To run in the direction I think is right. That Father would stand together on that path.”

Soya looked up at him and spoke in a clear voice.

“Since Father is beside me, I’m fine with everything.”

At this, Saeon chuckled and curved his eyes.

He ruffled the child’s hair and said.

“Yes, Papa will be here.”

With that encouragement, Soya felt like she could do anything.

“Yes, Papa.”

Soya smiled brightly and slowly turned toward the demon-transformed people.

There were quite a lot of them.

But Soya wasn’t scared.

Because Father was beside her.

‘I hadn’t planned to reveal it this way….’

Having made her decision, she extended both hands toward the demon-transformed people.

‘Heavenly Lady, please help me.’

A small flame slowly bloomed above her palms.

‘…!’

And Jeok Ayun, who was beside them, stared at it with a face as if his breath had stopped.

No, actually, from a little while ago, he had been unable to make even the smallest breathing sound, like someone whose throat was completely blocked.

With his mind bleached completely white, only one scene continuously replayed before his eyes.

Soya. Only that scene of the baby bird born with pure white down spreading red feathers and soaring through the dark sky….

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