As they got closer to the meeting location, Julian’s expression hardened.

  The Transcendentals’ energies were everywhere. They were hot, cold, insidious, vigorous, and even though each energy possessed different qualities, each of them was so strong that it would be difficult to see again.

  “At least thirty-two.”
Before she had accepted the fate of being the Adjuster, she hadn’t known beings like them existed in this world. Even after starting her activities as an Adjuster, she had only been aware of their existence. It was just recently that she actually met a Transcendental in person.

  However, there were dozens of such rare beings gathered here. At a glance, there were at least thirty-two of them. If she included those who were hiding their energies and not revealing themselves, then It was impossible for her to estimate how many Transcendentals had actually gathered in this place.

  “Are you the successor of the East?”
While she had momentarily stopped to look around and grasp the circumstances around her, a strange man appeared next to her and began acting as if he knew her. He had an energy that was fundamentally different from the energy of the Transcendentals who twisted the laws of the world just by existing. Julian realized that the other’s calm presence was no different from her own.

  “Where are you from?”
“The Central.”
As she expected, the other party was an Adjuster just like her.

  “Let us wait for the others here and then move on.”
Julian nodded at the man’s words. While it was quite far from the meeting location where the Great War took place, even she thought it wasn’t a good idea to move forward unreasonably.

  Before the storm. 

  Beings who thought they were the only ones in the world had been forcibly summoned to one place. It was rather odd that there hadn’t been any clashes so far. The only reason there hadn’t been any clashes so far was because of their fear for the yet unseen Dragon Lord as well as their wariness of the other Transcendentals.

  If it hadn’t been for the existence of their adversary, then they would probably have stayed that way until the Dragon Lord appeared. But they could no longer endure it when their adversary, someone they could not stand the very existence of, appeared.

  “Some will explode soon.”
Even if the Central Adjuster hadn’t told her, Julian could feel the Transcendentals’ energies seething. 

  Kyaaaa!

  It was just as expected. A pillar of fire suddenly rose from somewhere and then a giant made of flames roared wildly as it showed itself. A one-eyed crow rose into the air, cawing as if in response as it flew towards the giant.

  For the Transcendentals, who had been enduring the hatred and murderous rage they were feeling to the core, the roar of the two monsters was no different than a signal cueing the start of the battle. 

  Powerful energy collided everywhere as explosions occurred. The quiet ruins of the Great Temple turned into chaos in an instant.

  “Aren’t they like beasts?”
The Central Adjuster spoke out of the blue as he looked at the primitive battle where the Transcendentals were biting and being bitten. 

  “That is the very reason why we have to be cautious about them. Their minds are too immature for the power and strength they hold.”
The Adjuster of the Central Region showed a contemptuous expression as he said how tragic it was that mentally immature beings possessed the power to destroy the world.

  Without realizing it, Julian closed her mouth. Until she had taken off the shackles of being the Dragon Slayer, she herself had shown an appearance that was no different from them. She couldn’t criticize them for their ugly behavior now.

  “Hm.”
She felt complicated as she watched the Transcendentals who forgot their purpose for gathering here and were focused on tearing each other apart.

  Contrary to her past grand title of Dragon Slayer, she didn’t have the teeth or claws to deal with the dragons. For her lord, the Dragon Slayer, who had been filled with hatred and murder, had been nothing more than an existence that could easily be dealt with.

  Nevertheless, she had endured the murderous rage and saved herself. In the process, she had been forced to take on the fate of an Adjuster, but she held no resentment. 

  I want to see him…
“What?”
It seemed like she had revealed her inner feelings without realizing it. The Central Adjuster was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

  “I didn’t say anything.”
She quickly adjusted her expression and responded calmly.

  The Central Adjuster didn’t question her any further. Perhaps he didn’t put much importance on her inconsequential mumbling because he soon turned his head and focused on the Transcendentals’ battle. 

  For Julian, this was truly fortunate. If the other party hadn’t lost interest rather quickly, then her red face would have been discovered. 

  “Whew.”
Taking a moment to exhale and get rid of some of the emotions, she looked at the Grand Temple.

  When will you come, sir? Are you going to be late again?

  Her gaze, a mix of expectation and concern, turned to look somewhere.

  And Kim Seon-Hyeok, whom she was so desperately looking for, had arrived at the meeting location a while ago.

  ***

  “What a shitshow.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok clicked his tongue as he watched the chaos unfolding far below him. 

  From the start, he had known that the Transcendentals were mentally immature beings when compared to their strength, but seeing them tangled up like this, he felt like he was unexpectedly seeing them laid bare. 

  [Their hatred and immaturity are reducing the burden on you.]

  If time went on like this, then it would be possible to cut down the number of Transcendentals in half without him having to expend any effort. But, he had no intention of sitting still and watching their battle.

  “That’s not what I want.”
What he wanted to do was show overwhelming power so that they would never dare to be impertinent or show insolence ever again. He didn’t want to threaten Transcendentals when they had lost all the power and strength they could lose. 

  “It’s much more effective if I go out now than to let them gain the guts to think they could win later on.”
He refused to let the stupid Transcendentals have useless ambitions like Ji Sang-Hee.

  “Edda, let’s give them a good hit before we start.”
At Kim Seon-Hyeok’s words, Edda took a long breath. 

  Perhaps feeling Edda’s energy even in the middle of the fierce battle, some of the Transcendentals stopped fighting and looked up at the sky.

  Tsk, it was too late. 

  When they belatedly recognized the massive dragon’s existence, they tried to shout, but Edda let out her breath first.

  Kwaaaaaaa.

  A golden light swept through the battlefield. By the time the light subsided, the battle had already stopped. 

  Kim Seon-Hyeok looked at the Transcendentals, who were half out of their minds from encountering the Dragon’s breath for the first time in their lives, before he jumped off Edda’s back.

  ***

  My Lord!

  From the moment Kim Seon-Hyeok appeared on the battlefield, Julian hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him. Her heart began to heat up. 

  Even as he stood in the middle of dozens of incomparably powerful Transcendentals, he was excessively calm. It was as if he was a lion strolling through a flock of sheep.

  Forget the War Dragon’s power, he hadn’t even drawn upon the slightest bit of his own power. However, he was completely overpowering the Transcendentals who had drawn their powers to their max.

  They were truly on different levels.

  Step, step. 

  None dared to draw attention to themselves by talking while he was moving. The Transcendentals simply backed away from him like terrified sheep.

  “It seems like you have forgotten why you are here.”
He looked around at the Transcendentals as he spoke coldly. It was a sentence that caused the Transcendentals, who had lost themselves to their instincts and fighting, to remember why they had gathered here.

  “Calm your energies. If there is anyone who continues to show off their power, then I will consider them to be challenging me.”
Before he even finished speaking, the energies that had been swirling around in all directions faded away as if it had all been a lie. By the time he finished talking, not a single energy escaped the Transcendentals’ control.

  “Ah!”
Julian exclaimed in admiration.

  It was truly a marvelous sight to see the Transcendentals, each of whom possessed unparalleled power as a master of the world, being terrified out of their wits at the words of Kim Seon-Hyeok, who was nothing more than a proxy. 

  “He’s gotten unbelievably stronger in the time I haven’t seen him!”
It was only natural that the Central Adjuster also exclaimed.

  “Have you met before?”
Julian tried to calm her voice as much as possible as she gave it her all to hide her feelings of pride.

  “I’ve seen him once in this very place. He was strong then, but not as much as he is now.”
The Central Adjuster exclaimed in admiration as he said that he had seen the battle between the Dragons and Chaos in the past. 

  “Even without the Dragon’s halo, he’s like this. If the Dragon Lord reveals her presence, then not a single Transcendental gathered here would be able to be his opponent.”
While it was definitely the Dragon’s breath that had first stopped the fight, it was Kim Seon-Hyeok’s presence that was keeping the Transcendentals silent right now.

  “He truly deserves the title of a Transcendental’s Companion.”
Julian felt somewhat proud when the Central Adjuster, who had considered even the mighty Transcendentals as beasts and despised them, praised Kim Seon-Hyeok.

  “As expected of My Lord…”
“What did you say?”
Once again, Julian unintentionally spoke her true feelings. She shook her head with an unabashed look on her face.

  “I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m sure you said ‘my’ something…”
“You must have heard wrong.”
The Central Adjuster frowned at her words, but he didn’t press her further. Her mutterings weren’t important right now.

  “Summon Dragon.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok’s soft voice echoed throughout the battlefield. As if in response to his words, a purple halo appeared in the air, and a small and beautiful Fairy Dragon appeared. 

  What will you do now?

  It was the same question, but this time, Julian’s feelings were completely different from before. The worries she first had were all gone, and all that remained in its place was the anticipation of what he would do next.

  ***

  Having summoned the Fairy Dragon, Kim Seon-Hyeok looked around.

  Tense beyond words, the Transcendentals looked alternatively at the newly appeared Fairy Dragon and Edda in the sky.

  “Geheimnis.”
[Yes, sir.]

  “Start sorting.”
At his words, the Fairy Dragon spread its wings that resembled a butterfly and began to wander among the Transcendentals.

  “Hm.”
The Transcendentals must have taken his warning to heart because none of them dare to react.

  Not long after, the Fairy Dragon returned to his side after wandering among the Transcendentals. 

  “You done?”
[I’ve marked everyone, so at a single word from you, I can reveal the mark at any time.]

  “Then show me the mark right now.”
The Fairy Dragon didn’t delay and purple light burst out from all over the place.

  “Huh?”
“Didn’t you say that as long as we aren’t hostile, we won’t be harmed?!”
Some of the Transcendentals panicked and shouted at the sudden situation. Powder made out of the light started flying towards the ones who protested like that.

  However, out of dozens of Transcendentals, only half of them were engulfed in the light.

  “The light will do you no harm.”
While everyone was puzzled by the selection, Kim Seon-Hyeok began speaking. 

  “At least, only that light.”
For some reason, the proviso sounded ominous. The Transcendentals surrounded by the light suddenly retreated. 

  “Those who are not marked, step aside.”
“What the hell is that mark?”
Some questioned the command that was given without any explanation.

  “You should roughly have an idea by now.”
Just like he said, the faces of a couple of the Transcendentals surrounded by the light faces noticeably hardened. Some of them were even sneaking backward. 

  “Human sacrifices, indiscriminate slaughter, and countless other evils.”
Seeing them like that, Kim Seon-Hyeok took a step forward.

  “The mark is a stigma for your evil deeds.”
“R, run away!”
Some turned around and ran away before he even finished speaking. Some exchanged glances before suddenly attacking. All of them reacted differently, but Kim Seon-Hyeok remained calm. 

  “Summon all Dragons.”
He simply summoned his Dragons quietly.