Chapter 38. Awakening, Kang Chul-In! War Machine, Lucia!

Overlord of Blood and Iron

“……!”

Kang Chul-In was surprised at the inexplicable behavior of Lucia but immediately tried to find the cause.

First, he followed Lucia’s gaze.

Lucia, who ran over, was staring at the sky far behind him, not at him.

“Behind!”

Unless one’s eyes were on the back of the head, it was impossible to spot an enemy from the rear.

Kang Chul-In turned his head and looked at Lucia’s eyes.

“……!”

At the moment Kang Chul-In’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

Something was diving at him at a tremendous speed. The speed was great, and it would only take a few seconds to hit him.

“Female!”

Kang Chul-In felt his stomach tighten as he realized the identity of the diving thing.

“Damn it, it’s a female.”

The Peacock Dragon he knew bred every spring.

It was unusual that Peacock Dragons, moreover a male and female pair, were here at the Cyprus forest basin in this season.

But, oh well.

Now, he had to find a way to survive somehow rather than complaining.

Right now, Kang Chul-In was in a state in which he had no power left for even lifting his finger due to the extended fight and his overuse of Mana Fire as well as Intraburst. Completely and utterly exhausted, Kang Chul-In needed time in order to move his body.

“Move!”

Kang Chul-In concentrated his whole mind and tried to move his legs.

“Move, move!”

In fact, he was completely spent and couldn’t move his body due to exhaustion, but he had to move his body if did not want to die.

Despite the superhuman mentality, he was not able to move.

However.

Kang Chul-In still tried to avoid the diving female Peacock Dragon even at the painfully slow speed that he was all he was able to manage. It would have been nice if all his stamina and mana recharged because of the level up, but that would only happen in a game.

“Rather, fight.”

In the end, Kang Chul-In decided to give up and accept his fate.

He was Kang Chul-In the Kingslayer, the Overlord.

If he could not avoid it, even if he were to die, it suited his temper to die in one strike. He did not want to be beaten to death.

“Eyes.”

Kang Chul-In was aiming at the right eye of the female Peacock Dragon only a short distance away. Now, it was only the eye he could damage now.

“Come.”

It was then that Kang Chul-In squeezed out his strength and stretched out his Vampiric Sword.

“I…”

Lucia appeared like a lightning, covering his front side.

“This Lucia…”

Chuck! The Aegis Shield covered Kang Chul-In.

“Will protect the Lord.”

At the same time, the diving female Peacock Dragon and Lucia’s Aegis Shield collided.

Clank!

Kang Chul-In and Lucia flew for several tens of meters and were thrown against the Cyprus forest surrounding the basin, emitting a roar and a tearful sound.

“Cough!”

Blood gushed out of Kang Chul-In’s mouth. It was his first injury after his resurrection.

“Sigh… That… almost killed me.”

While muttered dryly, Kang Chul-In looked at his abdomen. At the moment of the collision, the Peacock Dragon’s beak was scratched, and his left side was pierced with blood pouring out.

“L-lord.. Are you alright…?”

Lucia, who fell into Kang Chul-In’s arms, lifted her head. She was surprised to see the wound in Kang Chul-In’s abdomen.

“……!”

Lucia’s expression hardened.

“My..my lord… how dare… an inferior beast… to the master of my soul….”

Lucia, who spoke to herself with a rage-filled voice, suddenly got up.

“Lord… This Lucia…will protect you, my lord… please…for a while… please close your eyes for a moment… close your eyes…”

With those words, Lucia left Kang Chul-In’s side and started walking towards the Peacock Dragon.

Kang Chul-In couldn’t see it, but suddenly, Lucia’s eyes went out of focus. Her facial expression was terrifying, and it was frozen on her face as if she were a doll. Soon after… a deep, black darkness started to spread in Lucia’s eyes.

[War Machine Mode. R.E.A.D.Y]

A mechanical voice flowed out of Lucia’s mouth.

[Target, confirmed!]

[Exterminate.]

[War Machine Mode, START!]

When the word “start” came out, intense energy was emitted from Lucia’s body. Even at first glance, it seemed to be several times stronger than the original Lucia.

[War Machine Mode time remaining 4:59… 4:58…. 4:57…]

Lucia ran.

With Zenith, the Sword of Heaven, in her left hand and Aegis, the Shield of God on her right, Lucia’s appearance was dignified and frightening as she was indeed a Warrior born for Battle.

[Die.]

With a flat, emotionless, and eerie voice, Lucia began to attack the Peacock Dragon.

[Die.]

Lucia repeated the word only and fought the Peacock Dragon like a machine. How powerful were her attacks and defense that she was able to fight equally with the female Peacock Dragon that was 9m long?

“Lord!”

“General!”

While Lucia blocked the Peacock Dragon, Podolski and Billy urgently ran to Kang Chul-In.

“I-I will escort you.”

Podolski was trying to support Kang Chul-In with great astonishment. But, surprisingly, the reaction of Kang Chul-In…

“Leave me.”

His voice was so cold.

“……!”

“Don’t think about bringing me anywhere.”

“Bu-but…”

“Is there a thread and a needle?”

“Are you… going to stitch up your wounds here?”

“Just tell me whether you have it or not.”

“I have it. I can do a simple surgical procedure.”

“Do it.”

“……!”

“I won’t say it twice.”

Podolski opened his backpack due to Kang Chul-In’s tough attitude and pulled out thread, needle, bandage, and two bottles of potion.

“I do not have an anesthetic. It would be very painful so…”

“Right now.”

Kang Chul-In had already turned away his eyes.

“I… am I being protected by making my subordinates stand in front of me?”

It was natural that a Lord be protected by his subordinates, but Kang Chul-In was the world’s strongest, and it was humiliating to be helpless.

“Quickly. There’s no time.”

“Ye-yes!”

At the command of Kang Chul-In, Podolski hurriedly began executing first aid on his wounds.

“Ughh…!”

Kang Chul-In swallowed the pain inside.

He refused to cry out from the pain.

He endured the pain with an iron will and thought only to get up once again.

“5 minutes… The War Machine Mode limit.”

Lucia’s War Machine Mode, as he saw it, was obviously powerful, but it was impossible to beat the Peacock Dragon by herself as long as there was a 5-minute limit.

“The adventurers are exhausted. If Lucia loses, it’s complete destruction.”

Kang Chul-In sought to find a way to overcome the situation calmly while Podolski stitched his torn side. Kang Chul-In was the only person he could believe in now.

“Lord, I have finished the first-aid treatment,” Podolski said while tying a knot to cover the sutures with a bandage.

“Podolski.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Go and cut the Peacock Dragon’s heart out.”

“……!”

“Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Podolski ran off in a hurry.

“Gen-General… just run away…,” said Billy, the big man, with a tearful face that didn’t match his image.

“Did you say run?”

“Yes?”

“Look at that.”

Billy’s gaze turned to the direction that Kang Chul-In pointed to.

“…..!”

The adventurers… the adventurers were moving to support Lucia while dragging their weary bodies from the battle before.

“Do you think it makes sense to ask me to flee in this situation?”

“That’s true, but-”

“Do not worry.”

“…?”

“I will stand up, and… I will kill that god-damned stupid bird,” Kang Chul-In declared.

Kang Chul-In swore to keep his word, to make reality follow his will, even if the sky fell down on him.

“Lord! Here is the Peacock Dragon’s heart!”

Podolski brought the heart of the dead male Peacock Dragon.

“Good work.”

Kang Chul-In nodded slightly and accepted the Dragon’s heart from Podolski.

The Dragon’s heart was small. The size was similar to a human’s heart. It didn’t make sense when you recall that the Peacock Dragon’s body reached 12 meters in length.

However, the Dragon’s heart is just like that. The higher the dragon’s level, the smaller the heart, more refined and purer like a diamond. The Peacock Dragon’s heart was small, and nothing was wrong.

Kang Chul-In immediately brought the Dragon’s heart to his mouth.

Gulp!

There was a creepy sound as the flesh crunched.

“….!”

Podolski and Billy were shocked.

The appearance of Kang Chul-In, who was chewing the dragon’s heart with his mouth dripping blood, was diabolical. It looked like the Great King of Hell eating the enemy’s heart.

“After eating it, it will strengthen you.”

Although it was a dragon heart, it was not an ordinary thing to chew a lump of flesh with the blood still dripping, but Kang Chul-In had to endure the horrifying texture for him to recover his strength.

When he almost finished consuming the Dragon’s heart, the reaction started.

“….!”

[Level has been raised! Level 29 reached!] [Level has been raised! Level 30 reached!]

Kang Chu-In felt that his depleted mana was restored at the same time as his rise in level. His physical strength also recovered to some extent. Even if the Peacock Dragon was the weakest among the dragons, at least the Dragon’s heart was still useful.

“The potion.”

At Kang Chul-In’s words, Podolski immediately pulled out the potion and opened the lid. Kang Chul-In received it and gulped down the 250ml potion to the dregs.

“Phew.”

Kang Chul-In drank the potion, took a long breath, and threw the potion glass bottle away.

“Lord, my Lord! If you get up already!”

“Move aside!”

Podolski tried to insist, but Kang Chul-In was stubborn. It was not good that Kang Chul-In was still bleeding, staining the wrapped bandages.

“If you stop me, I’ll cut you down.”

Kang Chul-In uttered an obviously empty threat and used the Vampiric Sword as a staff to prop up his body.

Ssshh!

From Kang Chul-In’s body, white steam started to emerge. It grew like a haze, and the dense mana flowed from Kang Chul-In’s insides.

“How dare you drive me into a corner?”

Seen in Kang Chul-In’s eyes, belonging to the man who came back to life with the power of a Dragon, was a crazy light that wasn’t there before.

“I will kill you.”

According to common sense, Kang Chul-In’s words were ridiculous.

However, it was true that his body was in very bad condition, even though he stood up using the power of the dragon heart. If it was put into numbers, he would be at about 40% of his best condition. It was obvious that he was weak.

But, as soon as he reached level 30, Kang Chul-In had a trump card that could destroy the Peacock Dragon.

Now was the time to show it.

Lucia, who had turned on the war machine mode, proved her worth by holding her own against the Peacock Dragon.

Although it’s a female, the fact that within five minutes, she drove the monster that even Kang Chul-In could not stand against alone, was enough to acknowledge Lucia’s power and prowess.

But… by the time it reached five minutes, the limit of War Machine Mode, Lucia was in a crisis.

[4, 3, 2, 1… 0!]

The countdown ended.

[War Machine Mode, Shut Down. Cool Down: 168 hours]

Lucia’s declaration of war was over.

“……!”

Then, the Peacock Dragon’s counterattack began.

“Ms. Lucia!”

“It is dangerous!”

“Avoid it!”

The adventurers who fought together with Lucia shouted all at once, but Lucia, who was suffering from the aftermath of the war machine mode, was unable to move even a single step.

The giant hind legs of the Peacock Dragon fell on her.

It would have been natural for Lucia to be crushed to death if she was trampled by the sharp claws.

“Aahh… milord…!”

Lucia could only feel satisfaction and thought of Kang Chul-In even though she was about to die.

By now, you have escaped to a safe place. Because I have done my job, there are no lingering regrets even if I die now. Mr. Timothy, please take good care of my Lord! Lord, even without me, I hope you accomplish your goal!

Lucia closed her eyes.

She was the one who waited for Kang Chul-In for an eternity in a different dimension. It was a glorious end for her to be able to die for Kang Chul-In.

Of course, Kang Chul-In would not let it end like this.

“Good work.”

Kang Chul-In, who appeared like a ghost, embraced Lucia. Then, he jumped. The Peacock Dragon’s foot smashed the ground in vain.

“L-Lord!”

Embraced in Kang Chul-In’s arms, Lucia was surprised. Kang Chul-In’s condition was severe. It did not make sense for him to be able to move so quickly.

“That’s enough.”

“But….”

“I have the power to kill that thing.”

“……!”

“So stand down.”

“……?”

“Heavy.”

“S-Sorry…!”

Lucia was surprised and wriggled out from Kang Chul-In’s arms. Her face turned red.

“10 seconds,” Kang Chul-In said.

“I will see the end of it.”

He rushed towards the Peacock Dragon. “Put!” Kang Chul-In moved so fast that there was a sonic boom.

At that time, everyone on the scene was able to see and hear how poorly the Peacock Dragon fared against Kang Chul-In’s devastating strikes.

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