Chapter 2 — 사자(獅子)

Part 2, Chapter 25

Lion

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Outside.

Thud!

Elric broke off mid-sentence and suddenly collapsed.

"...?"

The Golden Lion paused at the sight.

He wasn’t in any state where he should be fainting.

Had a mana rampage come earlier than expected?

But it was far too quiet for that.

He just looked... asleep.

"...Strange."

Maybe, thinking he was about to lose, the boy was pulling some strange ploy—he stared hard at Elric’s face.

The same blond hair as his own. Behind those tightly shut lids would be green eyes.

"Looks like he really did pass out. Should I just haul him off?"

Uncommon talent for someone so young.

Above all...

"Mervinger..."

The Golden Lion himself had deep ties with Mervinger in the past.

A secret history the world didn’t know.

Even Usdan Mervinger, the previous head, had never known.

No—perhaps none of Mervinger’s heads across the generations remembered it.

That thought left a bitter taste; he silently reached out.

"Hm...?"

Fwoooosh!

A sensation so alien he couldn’t say whether it had been decades or centuries since he’d last felt it.

A sensation that snapped awake a mind grown dull with boredom.

A chill.

A shiver ran up his spine.

For an instant, light flashed before the Golden Lion’s eyes.

Good grief. To feel hostility?

—To me. Was there really someone left in this world who could be called my "enemy"?

He couldn’t help thinking it.

Since Usdan Mervinger, this world had been no more than a playground to the Golden Lion. No matter how he looked, he’d never found a being who could stand as his equal.

If anything, even Usdan had balked at standing opposed to him.

So hostility that stirred his boredom—he had not felt that in a very long time.

The simple fact that there existed someone whom the Golden Lion, by instinct, recognized as an "enemy" was remarkable in itself.

And—

That ominous current was seeping from the fallen Elric.

Flash!

The Golden Lion quickly slid back, widening the distance.

At that moment, Elric—whom he’d thought unconscious—began to rise slowly.

Like a puppet hanging on strings.

Stagger, stagger—

Strength slowly bled into the weak motions, his lids lifted, and his green eyes gleamed cold.

"Oh-ho."

A short exclamation.

A low resonance.

It was unquestionably Elric’s voice, yet it didn’t feel like his at all.

"For a human, your sense isn’t bad. You really remind me of someone."

The Golden Lion’s brows knit.

"Who are you?"

Instinct told him.

Only the outside was Elric; the one speaking now was a completely different being.

But Elric didn’t seem inclined to answer properly.

"Who knows?"

Trailing off, he slid into a fighting stance.

Whooom—

A heat-haze-like aura rippled off Elric’s body.

He lowered his posture slightly and clenched his fist, as if about to use pure body arts.

It was completely unlike anything Elric had shown before.

"Why don’t you take a guess?"

With that, Elric rushed the Golden Lion again.

* * *

"A rare chance to step outside, and I took it. This might be fun."

The one who slipped into Elric’s body anew was none other than the Yulho King.

He had wiped out the Jasaja Corps and was resting in the subconscious world when, seeing the Golden Lion, his fighting spirit flared.

Pop, pop, pop—

Each time the Yulho King worked Elric’s body through its footwork, the fighting aura around him swelled explosively.

A tiger, through and through.

Movements like a beast.

"It’s not my own body, so it isn’t comfortable."

It would be hard, unfortunately, to unleash the full measure of his prime.

"But it’s enough to settle the match."

Swoosh!

Before he knew it, the Yulho King was right in front of the Golden Lion.

Grinning boldly, he unleashed Hard-Body Arts.

His motions were on a level of mastery Elric’s couldn’t even begin to compare to.

Hard-Body Arts

Maengho Chulhyeon – Jin (進)

A translucent force wrapped his hand, forming five claws.

Without hesitation, he chopped downward.

Kraang!

A savage stroke, as expected.

"Fast!"

The Golden Lion realized his instincts hadn’t lied.

Even he couldn’t afford to take that lightly.

He hastily brought up his sword and knocked the Yulho King’s attack aside.

Skreeeek!

Blade and claws scraped with a waspish whine, sparks spraying in all directions.

The Yulho King kicked the Golden Lion’s sword away and pressed in even closer.

He meant to give him no time to think.

The Golden Lion he’d seen in the subconscious world was not someone even the Yulho King—hailed as the strongest five hundred years ago—could take lightly.

Past versus present.

Champions from eras that should never have overlapped were colliding.

Lion and tiger—two apex predators clashing.

Hard-Body Arts.

Aho Simyang – Nan (亂)

Kwo-wo-wo-wo—

With a speed the eye could barely follow, the Yulho King drove the Golden Lion hard.

Each rake of those claws tore the air, gouged the earth, and opened deep trenches.

Hundreds of meters of ground were being scoured clean.

It was the kind of sight that would make you believe a host of over ten thousand had swept through.

Hundreds of sword-lights scattered like petals in every direction—terrifying just to behold.

Clang-clang-clang!

But the Golden Lion met every strike without giving ground.

"In that case—"

Mid-fight, the Yululo King decided to change styles.

Hard-Body Arts

Baekho Nana – Yun (輪)

In an instant his energy shifted, smooth and natural as flowing water.

If the previous assault had been like boulders pouring off a cliff, now it pressed with the weight of a sacred mountain.

Boom! Boom!

Each punch too heavy to ignore.

The sudden change seemed to catch the Golden Lion off guard, but he shed the Yulho King’s strike to his left and reached for his head.

If they met head-on, it could be fatal.

The Yulho King slipped away again.

Hard-Body Arts

Baekho Chuldong – Dong (動)

The Golden Lion’s hand cut the air where the Yulho King’s head had been. Seeing the empty afterimage fade, he snapped his eyes wide.

The Yulho King was already behind him.

"Got you."

"...!"

Kwoooo—

In that instant, a force he hadn’t yet shown erupted from the Yulho King’s body.

The Tiger King.

A primal ferocity only the king of beasts could possess, different in kind from Elric’s.

Tiger King’s Qi.

That’s what the Yulho King called it.

Supreme Secret of the Hard-Body Arts

Tiger King’s Descent

It was as if a tiger the size of a mountainside had risen behind him.

Graaaar!

With a rough, tearing roar—

Claws, multiplied many times over, ripped the air to shreds.

Kraaaash!

The blast was so tremendous it felt as though all of Huilran quaked.

Rumble—

Thick dust billowed up at once.

A wind tore through, sweeping the dust aside,

and the Golden Lion stood there, unscathed.

"..."

His gaze dropped.

Realizing he’d taken several steps back—

"Ha!"

He let out a short, incredulous laugh.

But only for a moment.

A satisfied smile soon tugged at his lips.

"This is delightful! Too delightful!"

When his daughter had asked him to accompany her on this outing, he’d expected another day of tedium.

Elric, and now some unknown interloper—there were too many stimulants to shatter his boredom.

Tzzzt, tzzzt. His fingertips tingled as if shocked.

The Yulho King felt the same.

"Heh, heh-heh-heh. Ah-ha-ha-ha! Hahahahaha!"

Since stepping into the realm of the absolute, centuries ago, he’d never once met a foe worthy of the name.

Given this brief moment, the Yulho King wanted to savor the rapture to the fullest.

The two laughed.

And—

As if on cue, they moved to clash again.

No—they would have, if not for other interlopers.

"...What are these?"

Shfff—

Five assassins burst up from the ground under the Golden Lion’s feet.

And others revealed themselves in the sky.

The Yulho King had no choice but to halt as well.

With razor intent, the nine assassins sent their blades at the Golden Lion.

"Die, you imperial dog!"

* * *

Things were getting complicated on Tasha’s side as well.

Fwoosh!

"Urgh...!"

Tasha’s face twisted.

The flame that had just sputtered out had been the last of her phoenix fire.

"So this is the end. Still, impressive. The fact that you fought me to here is enough to earn respect."

Jeff laughed heartily and shifted his grip on his spear.

"It’s not too late. Surrender now, and I’ll treat you as a defeated commander."

For a man rumored to be an officer in a vicious criminal syndicate within the Empire, he looked surprisingly gentlemanly.

But Tasha didn’t show an ounce of weakness.

That was Neresta.

"As expected... should I call you the next master of the Tower? Your will doesn’t flag. I’ll have to ask your forgiveness for using a heavy hand."

Jeff spoke solemnly and thrust his spear—

Clang!

Someone darted in and flicked his spear aside.

Jeff’s face twisted when he saw the intruder.

"Taihol... what do you think you’re doing?"

Small wonder—Taihol was his own direct aide.

"Legion Commander."

"Don’t tell me you mean to betray us."

"As if... How could I? That would be absurd."

"Then why are you standing in my way? Explain yourself—clearly."

Gulp. Taihol swallowed dryly. The Revolutionary Army’s disciplines were, contrary to appearances, famously strict.

Insubordination meant immediate execution. And Jeff, of all the legion commanders, was known for being the strictest with his subordinates. Naturally, Taihol was tense.

But he had to persuade Jeff somehow.

It was the only way to repay, even a little, the favor he’d received from Elric.

"It’s just that—!"

Taihol explained everything happening in Huilran.

From the Vicious Clan’s past to Usdan Mervinger and their connections.

"And so? Because Mervinger helped you, we should look kindly on their situation too—is that it?"

"That’s—!"

"You haven’t forgotten that Mervinger is one of the pillars that holds up the Empire, have you?"

Jeff meant every word.

On the day the Empire fell, Mervinger would be one of the houses that had to be erased.

"T-there’s another reason."

"What is it?"

"The Inspectorate is interested in this place as well."

"And?"

"What do you mean, and...! With the Golden Lion here, if the Inspectorate moves too, everything is in danger. Wouldn’t it be better to pull back, regroup, and return?"

On an ordinary day, that would have been enough to sway Jeff.

But—

"Run?"

Jeff’s response wasn’t what Taihol expected.

As if he didn’t even understand the word.

"Sorry, but we came here to hunt."

"...What?"

He’d never heard that before. Hunt? What on earth?

"Did you really think we brought this much force just because of the rescue request you sent?"

"..."

"If that’s what you thought, I apologize. We came because we received intel that the Empire’s hunting dog—the Golden Lion—might show himself here."

"...!"

"The bastard who always sits lofty in his own nest and never shows himself outside finally came out. If not now, when would we get the chance?"

Only then did Taihol grasp Jeff’s meaning.

From the outset, the Revolutionary Army’s target had been the Golden Lion.

"The Shadow Hawks are in play. By now, that side should be wrapping up."

The Shadow Hawks.

An ultra-elite unit the Army’s leader had raised in absolute secrecy, each and every one specialized in assassination.

They had thoroughly analyzed how to confront the Empire’s key figures.

If all of them had moved, even the Golden Lion wouldn’t have it easy.

"B-but we’re talking about the Golden Lion. Can they really handle him that easily?"

"Taihol."

Jeff clicked his tongue with a bitter smile.

"Do you still think that way?"

"...Sir?"

"It’s been decades since he became a legend. He’s an old wraith who once stood beneath Usdan’s heel. Why should we, who must lead a new era, fear an old wraith like that?"

"..."

"And if we’re going to bag the Golden Lion, who cares about the damn Inspectorate."

His interest seemingly gone, Jeff slung his spear back over his shoulder and turned his gaze to Tasha again.

"Think carefully, Lady of Neresta. Choosing the right line to stand in is an absolute prerequisite for surviving the future."

Right then—

"Choosing the right line... You’d do better to cultivate your eye first."

A strange voice spoke from behind him.

Jeff flinched and turned. He met the cool smile of the Golden Lion.

Rattle—

The Golden Lion rolled nine heads across the ground.

Every face was frozen in terror and shock. They hadn’t even had time to use a trick; blood was pouring from their necks.

Jeff swallowed. The Army’s vaunted elite seemed to have been dispatched in a single exchange.

"To think you’d break up my first bit of fun in ages. I’ll be collecting payment."

The Golden Lion smiled coldly.

But—

His eyes weren’t smiling at all.

[Author’s Note]

Hello, readers. It’s been a while. I feel a little shy using this space to say hello again after so long ^-^;

Have you been enjoying the webtoon The Mage Who Devoured Talent that launched with Part 2? The flashy action scenes, direction, and framing were so good even I, the original author, was amazed, haha.

And now The Mage Who Devoured Talent has even been released as a mobile game!

You can find it on One Store now, and it will be launching on Google Store soon.

Also! I wrangled some coupons from the game company +ㅁ+

For details, please check the notice. I’d be very grateful ( _ _ )

I’ll keep working to make The Mage Who Devoured Talent even more fun.

Thank you all.

The Mage Who Devoured Talent