The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 252

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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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Part 2, Chapter 44

When Soya’s group arrived at the Northern Frontier.

What greeted them was a black Sacred Tree, horribly twisted and corrupted beyond recognition.

The massive tree, stripped of all its leaves, was grotesquely twisted from roots to branch tips, emanating a foul stench.

It was so horrific that it was hard to believe this had once been a beautiful Sacred Sanctuary called paradise.

—The Sacred Tree…!

The Divine Beasts screamed upon seeing the corrupted Sacred Tree.

“Come quickly, Dragon Emperor’s Bride. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Evil, who had been waiting for Soya in front of it, smiled languidly and welcomed her.

“Isn’t this Sacred Tree, reeking with its black stench, truly beautiful? This is the truly meaningful space where you gave birth to me.”

“…”

Soya quietly glared at Evil, who had been speaking as if it knew her since last time.

“You’ve brought troublesome things with you.”

Evil coldly surveyed those beside her, then flicked its fingertips.

Then blackened, rotted tree roots burst forth from beneath the black earth and flew toward Soya’s group.

Irim quickly embraced Soya and leaped up.

The roots of the black Sacred Tree struck where she had been standing just moments before, leaving deep marks.

Soya’s group drew their swords and cut down the flying tree roots.

However, no matter how much they cut and cut, the tree roots continued to grow and threaten them.

Soya also swung the White Tiger Sword widely, imbuing it with purification power, but the tree roots that seemed to be purified were soon covered with evil again and attacked them.

—I’m sorry, Baby Bird. This Sacred Tree is the source that made us grow. We cannot defeat the Sacred Tree with our power.

“Then what should we do?”

—The evil power that corrupted the Sacred Tree must be pooled somewhere. We need to find that area.

“The place where evil power has pooled…”

It was when Soya, who had quickly dodged, bit her lower lip firmly and glared at the Sacred Tree and Evil.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Sanyu shouted and stepped forward.

Whoosh— Bang!

The fire he created burned the tree roots and made an explosive sound.

Then the cross-section of the cut tree roots crumbled with a cracking sound and fell to the ground with a thud.

If Soya’s flames had the power to purify corruption, then the Suzaku’s authority ‘Red Flame’ that Sanyu inherited was the power to burn away and eliminate evil things.

The more evil something was, the stronger the damage it received, so the damage the Sacred Tree’s roots corrupted by evil power received was much greater than what ordinary Demon Beasts would receive.

“The successor of ‘Red Flame’. How troublesome.”

Evil glared at Sanyu, then commanded someone in a cold voice.

“Get rid of that one first.”

Step.

Footsteps were heard from behind Soya’s group, and a human figure walked out.

A man covered with a black cloth, the very Hyongsu that Soya had encountered.

“…!”

Sanyu’s face instantly hardened stiffly.

“Did you call for me, my lord?”

The man bowed his head to Evil.

“Deal with him.”

“…”

Instead of answering, the man carefully strung his bow.

“This can’t be, really…”

Sanyu, who witnessed this sight, muttered with a pale face, then…

Swoosh—!

He charged toward the man.

Thud!

As a result, the man’s bow fell to the ground.

The two men became entangled and rolled on the dirt ground.

After a brief struggle, the man’s body was pushed back forcefully and the black cloth he had been wearing was stripped away.

At the man’s true face that was finally revealed, shock bloomed on everyone’s faces.

Because the man was…

“Father…!”

Sanyu shouted toward the man with a voice swept by fierce emotions.

Jeok Ayun. The man who had been the previous Family Head of the Vermillion Bird Family.

And… the one who had once been Soya’s father.

“Why is that person…”

Soya muttered in a voice of disbelief.

Soya wasn’t the only one surprised.

Both Saeon and Irim swallowed hard and stared at the man.

“Unfortunately, that man is not the man you know. He is my loyal subordinate, reborn having received my power.”

Evil explained with a gentle laugh in a voice pleased only with itself.

“What…?”

Saeon ground his molars and glared at Evil.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some villain. I merely gave him a choice, and it was that man who eagerly bit at it.”

Evil spoke, deliberately mimicking an aggrieved voice.

“Isn’t human greed truly ridiculous? To gain just two eyes, he became a Hyongsu himself! And he’s supposed to be a descendant of Divine Beasts! Hahahaha!”

Amid Evil’s echoing laughter, Sanyu wailed toward his father.

“Why, why…! Why are you doing such a thing, Father! Why, why!”

“Move aside. You are not my target.”

Sanyu’s body was roughly pushed away.

Whoosh—

Flames that bloomed drew a circular ring around Sanyu, trapping him.

“Sanyu…!”

While Sanyu was trapped by Jeok Ayun’s flames, the black roots surged toward Soya’s group once again.

Slash—

“Ugh…”

No matter how much they cut, the endlessly regrowing tree roots roughly coiled around Soya’s group.

“Have you truly given up being human!”

“…”

Sanyu shouted from beyond the flame barrier, but Jeok Ayun did not answer.

He only silently strung his arrow.

Swish.

Jeok Ayun raised his bow and aimed at Soya’s group, who were struggling to break free from the tree roots.

“Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

It was the moment when Evil’s laughter rang out thunderously.

Whoosh—

The arrow that left the bowstring seemed to fly toward Soya’s group, but soon changed direction riding the wind and headed elsewhere.

Suddenly Evil’s laughter stopped abruptly.

Thunk—!

The arrow that flew away struck the base of the Sacred Tree, right in the center where the color was particularly dark.

Flames that bloomed from the arrow tip blazed fiercely, and the tree roots that had been binding Soya’s group just moments before writhed as if screaming.

Taking advantage of that gap, Soya’s group quickly escaped from the tree roots.

“Damn it… What the hell are you doing!”

Along with Evil’s furious rage, Jeok Ayun’s knees buckled.

“Cough…”

Jeok Ayun collapsed to the ground with an agonized groan.

Dark red blood poured out between his teeth.

His newly acquired Hyongsu body had been created by receiving Evil’s power.

Therefore, the body subordinated to Evil could not betray Evil’s will.

“Foolishly, did you think a Hyongsu that fed on my power could defy me!”

As Evil’s furious roar echoed thunderously, Jeok Ayun let out a pained groan.

“Ugh, urgh…”

Fishy blood mixed with saliva dripped down along the corners of his mouth.

[Why on earth…! Why did you do such a thing, Father! Why!]

When his son had shouted like that just moments ago.

‘The reason I… did this…’

What he had wanted was only one thing.

Soya.

To see once more the face of his child whom he had abandoned with his own hands.

Even as his eyes gradually grew dim and he could no longer see ahead, the face of the child in his memory only became clearer and more vivid.

My small, small baby, Soya.

This sinner who cannot even be called a father had been so curious about how you had grown.

Having abandoned his human body and been reborn as a Hyongsu, he was finally able to see Soya’s grown appearance.

It wasn’t a particularly beautiful setting.

Under the sky blackened by Evil’s revival, atop a precipice rising from the desolate black land.

It was a barren place where not a single flower or blade of grass could be seen.

However, even so, Soya standing against that bleak backdrop was beautiful alone.

She had grown much taller than in his last memory, and had a firm, mature face.

[If you’re Evil’s subordinate, I can’t just let you go.]

The sight of the child shooting arrows at him without hesitation made him happy.

[I don’t need help like yours.]

The sight of the child coldly rejecting him without a moment’s hesitation made him both sad and overwhelmed.

Soya had grown strong, unlike his weak self.

That strong face looking at him seemed to resemble that man Baek Saeon, and also seemed to resemble Madam’s face, now grown dim.

It was truly fortunate that she didn’t resemble his weak self.

Having fulfilled his piercing wish, there was nothing more to desire now.

His Hyongsu body would surely bring harm to the child.

So it was right to exit before that happened.

He had advised the child to flee to a safe place, but the child chose to face Evil rather than run away and hide.

Then shouldn’t he become at least a small help to the child in his final moments.

What composed his body as a Hyongsu was Evil’s power.

Therefore, his eyes could see where the source of power tormenting Soya’s group was concentrated.

The flame that bloomed from the tip of the arrow he shot blazed fiercely, burning the condensed power of Evil that had been contaminating the Sacred Tree.

“Though I am, ugh, a father who abandoned his child…”

Jeok Ayun said to Evil while coughing up blood.

“How could I block my child’s, urgh, path once again.”

Having barely finished speaking, he grinned at Evil, baring his gums sparsely filled with blood.

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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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