***Due to the intense mana emanating from the Dragon’s chest, Yeomyeong squinted as soon as he locked eyes with the Skeletal Dragon.His eyes burned as if he were standing next to a blast furnace.Without taking his eyes off the Skeletal Dragon, he asked Kim Mansoo."...Vice Captain, what is that thing?"Kim Mansoo, who had been trembling as he stared at the Dragon, finally returned to his senses.Without even attempting to wipe off the cold sweat dripping from his face, he replied in a cautious tone."Kahal Magdu... The Undead Dragon that tead up with terrorists. Why is a monster that should be in South Arica here in Manchuria...?"As soon as Kim Mansoo finished his explanation, the Dragon spoke.- Oh, so you know my na? Seeing that no one in this land knew of , you're not an ordinary rcenary.Was it really so impressive for soone to know his na? The flas in the Dragon's eye sockets softened and curved into the shape of a crescent moon.- I'd love to stay and chat for a bit... but I try to avoid small talk during working hours....- And unfortunately, a mission is still a mission. So, the two of you must die here.The Skeletal Dragon spoke as if trying to console them, wagging its finger, which was now nothing but bone.Then, countless footsteps began to echo from beyond the coniferous forest. Hearing the irregular and unnatural footsteps, Yeomyeong frowned.Uooooooohhhh...Soon, an overwhelming number of zombies erged from within the darkness of the forest."Goddamn it..."As soon as he recognized the zombies, a curse imdiately slipped out Kim Mansoo’s lips.It was because their attire was all too familiar— Military uniforms, combat suits, even uniforms of the other rcenary groups..."North Manchuria is already... done for."Back when he faced the monstrous human with rocket launchers, he still held on to a glimr of hope, believing that North Manchuria wouldn’t fall to re terrorists.But now, confronted with undeniable proof, Kim Mansoo could only shut his eyes tightly, and his expression turned grim."Vice Captain."Yeomyeong, who had been observing the situation, interrupted his thoughts and spoke as he watched the approaching zombies."What are you going to do?"Reading the intent behind the question, Kim Mansoo bit his lip.To fight or flee.Neither choice was easy. Because when going against that massive Skeletal Dragon, neither victory nor escape was guaranteed."First... we should flee."The decision was quick, and their feet were even quicker.The two of them kicked off the ground almost simultaneously and ran in the opposite direction of the Dragon. The zombies, dragging their broken bodies, chased after them, but they were unable to keep up with the strides of the Superhumans.- Fleeing in the middle of a mission—how fittingly rcenary-like of you both.The Dragon moved its bony legs to chase after the two. Its steps were leisurely, as if it were a nobleman on a stroll.Thump, thump, thump!The sound of the giant footsteps behind them gradually grew distant, but Yeomyeong couldn't relax.A growing sense of foreboding was creeping up on him, as if sothing was wrong....What was it?As he frowned, he could sense sothing moving in front of him.The slow footsteps suggested that they were undoubtedly zombies. Were they already surrounded? Yeomyeong instinctively changed directions. No, rather, he tried to.Kim Mansoo was the first to stop, before Yeomyeong. The two of them looked grimly at the zombies surrounding them."...Damn it."They were all mbers of Team 3 from the Sonjuk rcenary Group, who had died in the previous battle."That fucking bastard...!"Seeing his comrades turned into zombies, Kim Mansoo clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.At that mont, they heard the voice of the Dragon approaching them leisurely.- As rcenaries, you must understand, right? The only thing that matters in a mission is success. Hence, no one will be leaving North Manchuria alive today.When Yeomyeong turned around, the Dragon had its fingers curled, aid at the two of them.The pose was similar to when a human was about to flick sothing with their thumb and index finger.Flick, the Dragon flicked its fingers and sothing was launched toward the two at an incredible speed.Clang!Once again, Yeomyeong swung his sword to deflect the attack. However, this ti, it wasn’t a bullet that flew toward them.The object that fell to the ground was a dog tag.A blood-stained dog tag that probably belonged to a soldier or rcenary from North Manchuria.“…What a nace.”The fact that this gigantic creature was carrying sothing like that clearly showed that it was not as a treasure but purely for provocation.Seeing the expressions on their faces harden, the Dragon burst into laughter. Kim Mansoo gritted his teeth and glared at it."Newcor, you should run.""...What about you, Vice Captain?""I'll buy so ti. Since you're faster than , use any ans necessary to get this news to the Manchurian base."Manchurian base? Yeomyeong pondered as he looked at Kim Mansoo, who decided to sacrifice himself. Could it be… did he not realize?Yeomyeong whispered in Kim Mansoo's ear."Senior Tian Lin is not among the zombies. It seems like he managed to escape.""What?""If the Dragon learns of it, he might pursue them, so let's end this conversation here. And..."Yeomyeong stood beside Kim Mansoo, holding his sword. The sound of the zombies was getting closer."I will fight alongside you.""...It would be better for you to flee.""If we divide our forces even after being surrounded like this, we'll just be defeated individually.""Or we might both die at the sa ti."Despite saying that, Kim Mansoo loaded his rifle. It didn't seem like he was inclined to dissuade Yeomyeong any further.Yeomyeong glanced between the Skeletal Dragon and the zombies before speaking."Vice Captain, I have a plan.""...A plan? In this situation?"The conversation strangely evoked a sense of déjà vu. Kim Mansoo turned his head slightly to look at Yeomyeong’s face."It's a simple plan. While I’m dealing with the Dragon, you take care of the zombies.""...That’s it?""Yes, and if possible... please don't die."A wry smile appeared on Kim Mansoo's previously rigid face. He tightened his grip on his rifle and nodded."Alright, let's give it a shot... No, let's make it happen."The mont he resolved himself, Yeomyeong kicked off the ground.The zombies rushed at him, but with the mana powering his calves, Yeomyeong had already leaped.He stepped into the air—or rather, kicked off the trunk of a coniferous tree to climb higher.And on reaching the top of the tree, he was finally at eye level with the Dragon. The eerie blue flas in the Dragon's eye sockets t Yeomyeong's golden gaze.
***- Oh? So, you intend to fight back?
The Undead Dragon, Kahal Magdu, spoke in a voice tinged equally with surprise and amusent, expressing admiration.- Amazing! The courage of the weak truly deserves praise.No further conversation was needed.As Yeomyeong leaped towards the Dragon, the Dragon stirred up its mana with a wave of its hand almost simultaneously.The Dragon's overwhelming mana was arrayed, and the surrounding mana yielded to it, forming sharp ice.It was a simple attack spell that human Mages called Ice Spikes.However, the Ice Spikes conjured by the Dragon were fundantally different in size, strength, and number when compared to those of humans.Crackle!The air froze, and dozens of ice spikes filled the space. The ice, glistening under the night sky, looked nacing.The next mont, with a flick of the Dragon's finger, all the Ice Spikes moved simultaneously, flying towards Yeomyeong.It was a perfect encirclent, covering not just top and bottom, but all the other directions.Facing an unavoidable attack, Yeomyeong thought back to the wolf monster he had seen during his entrance test.More precisely, he recalled the manner in which it moved its body.The monster infused mana into its heart, squeezing its blood vessels to enhance its body.For humans, rely attempting to imitate that would result in vomiting blood and dying, but Yeomyeong was willing to take the risk.He trusted his Regeneration ability. With a Regeneration ability surpassing that of even Superhumans, he believed he could endure the monster's technique.His thought process was brief, and there was no hesitation....Accelerate blood flow.Yeomyeong poured mana into his heart to make it pump faster.His heart, surpassing its limits, pumped blood and mana, making his blood vessels throb to the verge of bursting.From his head to his toes, from his aorta to his microvasculature.More mana and more oxygen were supplied everywhere. The reaction was explosive.His vision cleared, and his body outpaced his senses. As his mana surged, everything around him seed to slow down.In that split second, he could clearly see all the trajectories of the Dragon's Ice Spikes. As the spikes moved along their paths, Yeomyeong swung his sword towards their weakest point. A flash of white light erupted from his blade.Clang—!The encirclent of the Ice Spikes shattered on making contact with his sword.Cold shards of ice splashed against Yeomyeong's cheek.And before they could even lt, he managed to pierce through the encircling Ice Spikes and reached directly above the Dragon’s head at a breakneck speed.- How, no way—?Without even giving the Dragon a chance to react, Yeomyeong plunged his sword towards its chest.As he descended, he unleashed the Surging Wave technique.The mana in his heart flowed through his waist, shoulder, elbow, and hand. His sword beca a wave, surging towards the Dragon.His target: the Dragon's heart he sensed between its ribs.However, the Dragon twisted its body at the last mont, extending its front leg towards the sword. This move was to protect its chest by sacrificing its bones.The next mont, Yeomyeong's sword collided with the Dragon.Crack!He did not feel the sensation of cutting through anything. The feeling that ca up through his grip was heavy and Yeomyeong was flung away along with his sword."Keugh!"Yeomyeong tumbled across the ground after falling, but he quickly regained his stance. As expected, his sword had failed to reach the Dragon's heart.All he had managed to do was knock off a few fragnts of bone from its front paw.Cutting through the bone... is impossible.The hardness was beyond imagination. If there had been flesh, he could have tried to cause a massive bleeding, but the opponent was an undead with only its bones remaining. And his sole target was its heart.Yeomyeong took a deep breath, then tightened his grip on his sword.- Hahaha! You thought you could damage my bones! This hasn't happened since those damned Yankee1 bastards hunted !The Dragon, seemingly amused by sothing, stood on its hind legs and swung its hand. Its massive claws left a long gash in the place Yeomyeong had been.The coniferous trees shattered, and dirt flew in the air. Having managed to narrowly escape the Dragon's attack range, Yeomyeong drew on his mana once more.He imdiately propelled himself and reached directly under the Dragon.Since he couldn’t attack from above, he planned to thrust his sword from below. He stretched his body as he used his Feather Step.Thump! Thump!The Dragon struck the ground Yeomyeong was treading. The impact was strong enough to make the ground tremble, but Yeomyeong had already accelerated and reached right under the Dragon's nose.Yet, he was unable to raise his sword because the next mont, an unexpected attack struck his body.Thwack!It was the Dragon's tail that hit him. He barely managed to block it with his sword, but the heavy impact sent him flying.Yeomyeong soared through the sky in a parabolic arc, like a tennis ball."Keugh!”The shock that he was unable to deflect coursed through his muscles, causing his microvessels to burst all at once from the imnse pressure.Blood spewed out from his mouth and nose. However, the biggest problem was the microvessels in his eyes. His vision turned red.- That's the problem with Earthians... They think other species also fight with just two arms, just like they do.The Dragon's mocking voice reached him as Yeomyeong plumted to the ground.Damn it.His whole body throbbed, but he had no ti to rest. The Dragon was already preparing its next spell.He imdiately pushed off the ground, using the recoil to stand up.Even though his vision hadn't returned yet, he could clearly sense the mana swirling around him.Craccccckleeeee!!This ti, it was lightning. The sound of electric currents tearing through the air deafened him. Unlike the Ice Spikes, it was an attack he would be unable to deflect with his sword.- You're impressive but still inexperienced. You would have beco a good body for if you were allowed to mature for a few more years. Such a pity.Yeomyeong wiped the blood from his eyes and looked at the lightning filling his field of vision.Would he be able to dodge all that lightning? He wasn't sure.However, if he didn't, he would surely die. He spat out the blood in his mouth and raised his sword.- I like your bravery, fighting until the end. Now then, let's finish this....Just as the lightning and sword were about to clash, both the Dragon and the human turned their gaze towards the other side of the coniferous forest.- What's this?Sothing was approaching them.There was no mana, no sign of any presence... yet the sound, resembling that of a vehicle exhaust, grew louder and louder....!By the ti Yeomyeong realized it was indeed the sound of a motorcycle's exhaust, the source of the noise was already in front of him.VRRRROOOOM!!Just above Yeomyeong, the air split open as a motorcycle appeared.It was a top-tier sports motorcycle adorned with all sorts of grenades and homade bombs hanging off its body.Radiating a holy light, as if it were a Holy Relic, the motorcycle flew straight towards the Dragon.It was an utterly surreal sight. The Dragon stared blankly with its mouth agape as the motorcycle traced an arc through the air.Only when the motorcycle almost reached its chest did it snap out of its daze.- You crazy...!KAAAABOOOMMM!!The mont the Dragon tried to grab the motorcycle, it exploded.First, an intense bright light engulfed the area. Then, a trendous shockwave swept through the surroundings, and finally, the Dragon's scream echoed through the forest.- KROAAAARRRR!!!Yeomyeong instinctively raised his hands to shield himself from the incoming debris. As the shock subsided, he turned his head toward the direction the motorcycle had co.Two floating automatic rifles, held by slender hands, hovered in midair.It was the gunslinger he had hoped never to see again.1. The term Yankee and its contracted form Yank have several interrelated anings, all referring to people from the United States.
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