As expected, the Blood Wind Sect struggled in the opening of the battle.
The Golden Guard—the Emperor's elite enforcers—pressed them hard from every direction, their blades cutting the air like rain. Blood splattered, screams echoed, and the crimson banners of Sochang Castle were stained a deeper shade.
Still, not one of the Blood Wind warriors retreated.
They were battered, wounded, and exhausted—but their spirits refused to yield. Even as they were pushed to the brink, the desperation in their eyes only sharpened their resolve.
And then, something shifted.
The battle that should have ended swiftly stretched on for hours, half a day of unrelenting chaos. The longer it went, the more the tide began to turn.
The once-dominant Golden Guard found themselves faltering.
"Push them back!" Song Cheon-baek's shout cut through the clash of steel. His sword erupted in a surge of energy so fierce it lit the air itself.
Lee Seong-jun, watching from afar, raised an eyebrow. "Extreme Energy…?"
It was no ordinary technique. The torrent of power rippling from Song Cheon-baek's blade was unmistakably the mark of a Life-and-Death Realm master—a level far beyond his former limits.
The strain was obvious. Blood trickled from Song's lips as his body trembled under the pressure, but his will refused to break.
"Waaaaahhh!"
With a single swing, his power cleaved through the ranks of the Golden Guard, scattering them like leaves in a storm. The earth trembled from the impact.
The surviving Guards rallied desperately. "All members, regroup! Defend the line!" shouted Yang Tae-bo, one of their foremost swordsmen.
But before his command could take root—
Slaaash!
A crimson arc cut through the air, and Yang Tae-bo's head fell before anyone could react. His body dropped like a puppet with its strings severed.
Lee Seong-jun gave a faint smile. "Your body's not fully healed, Cheon-baek. Don't overdo it."
But the words carried a note of pride.
The Blood Wind Sect, once dismissed as broken remnants, now fought like a reborn storm. In under ten minutes, eleven of the Golden Guard's finest lay dead.
Song Cheon-baek collapsed beside Jo Jong-woo, both men barely conscious.
"This… isn't bad," Song muttered with a faint grin. "Looks like I'll have to work harder if I don't want to get left behind by my juniors."
Jo chuckled weakly. "The waves behind the river always push the ones before them. It's only natural."
Their laughter faded as they drifted into unconsciousness—victorious but utterly spent.
Lee Seong-jun extended a palm. Crimson energy rippled out, enveloping the fallen Blood Wind warriors and healing their wounds.
Then his gaze shifted—to Anna, who stood alone across the field.
She faced the last surviving enemy: Geuk Moon-yeok, the Supreme Swordsman of the Golden Guard.
'This is taking longer than expected,' Seong-jun thought.
Anna's power was overwhelming—her physical strength and energy far surpassed her opponent's. But Seong-jun had limited her, forbidding her from using her innate draconic powers and forcing her to fight only with martial arts.
After all, knowing martial arts and mastering them through experience were entirely different things.
'Even with her intellect, this task is close to impossible,' he mused. 'To face a Life-and-Death master after only two weeks of training…'
Still, he didn't lift the restriction.
Because despite everything, he knew—Anna wouldn't lose.
A deafening explosion shook the courtyard.
Boom!
Geuk Moon-yeok staggered back, his eyes wide in disbelief. "W–What are you!? You shattered my killing blow… with your bare fist!?"
Anna smiled faintly. "I told you—I'm a dragon."
Her movements blurred. Each punch struck like thunder, every step shaking the ground.
Seong-jun watched silently, a spark of awe in his eyes. Her control of internal energy… it's already at the level of wonder.
Then Geuk Moon-yeok's eyes widened in pure horror.
"That… that technique—! The Defeated Dragon God Sword!?"
The form she displayed was unmistakable—a signature technique known only to the Golden Guard's highest masters. Yet Anna wasn't using a sword. She was replicating it perfectly with her fists, every motion refined beyond human understanding.
Seong-jun chuckled under his breath. She's not just mimicking it… she's improving it.
Anna's adaptation was flawless—pure, fluid, and without weakness. It was as if she had taken the technique, dissected it mid-battle, and rebuilt it into something transcendent.
A gust of power rippled around her. The air trembled.
"This ends now," Seong-jun murmured.
Anna's energy surged once more, brighter and sharper than before. Her aura condensed into a vortex, drawing in the world's essence itself.
Geuk Moon-yeok's eyes trembled. "No… You—you've climbed over the wall again!?"
Seong-jun's voice came low and calm. "It's over."
Anna raised her fist, her eyes glowing like twin stars.
"The dragon descends."
A colossal dragon of blue energy roared from her fist, its body spiraling forward in a storm of light. It swallowed Geuk Moon-yeok whole, his final scream fading into nothing.
And then, silence.
Anna exhaled, lowering her trembling arm. Sweat and dust streaked her face, but her smile was bright.
"How was that?" she asked, turning toward Seong-jun expectantly.
He met her gaze and nodded with quiet satisfaction. "Better than I could've hoped. You've exceeded every expectation."
Her smile widened, eyes sparkling. "Thank you. I'll keep going—I'll master martial arts completely, and reach even higher."
The determination in her voice was undeniable.
The Golden Guard had fallen.
The Empire's proudest warriors—the Emperor's unbreakable shield—were annihilated at Sochang Castle.
And the rumor that had begun as a whisper now roared like wildfire across the continent.
"The Blood Emperor has returned."
In the capital, the Imperial Palace trembled with unease.
"Is… is it true?" Emperor Yeon Seo-han muttered, his voice cracking. "The Golden Guard… defeated? Even Geuk Moon-yeok?"
The ministers bowed in silence. None dared to speak.
When one finally did, it was with trembling words. "We've sent for confirmation, Your Majesty… but no reply has come."
That silence said everything.
The Golden Guard was gone. The Blood Emperor had truly returned.
Yeon Seo-han's hands clenched around the arms of his throne. "It can't be… he was dead. He should be dead!"
His voice echoed across the red silk-lined hall, desperate and fearful.
"What do I do…?!"
No one answered.
No one could.
Because they all knew—against the Blood Emperor, there was no plan.
His legend was not just power—it was faith, carved into the hearts of millions.
Yeon Seo-han covered his face, trembling. "I was a fool… I should have prepared. I should have erased every trace of him…"
But it was too late.
The shadow of the true emperor had returned—and his reign of blood would soon begin anew.