Chapter 256: The Thousand Curse Dragon (8)  

Ohjin sadly watched Ha-eun as her legs trembled, her lips pursed, she clenched her fists, and her eyes contained a deeply horrified look. Did I push her too much? He thought it might not have been the best idea to bring her with him. He hadnt known shed be so terrified of Barbatos.

I thought shed be okay. Was the memory of her blindness too big of a trauma? No, maybe he hadnt thought deeply enough about the matter and was wrong for assuming that, since it was her, shed be able to shake the memory off with a smile. Hed made an unfair assumption about her.

Sorry he mumbled. In hindsight, it was ridiculous for him to think that way. No one could truly understand anothers pain. Though hed tried, it was still something that only she experienced. It was rude of him to assume shed be alright.

Huh? What are you sorry about? she asked.

No, its just. I didnt realize you were thinking about it so much. Though theyd been together for more than 20 years, he felt upset that he couldnt figure out her feelings correctly.

Why is that a problem? Do you need to know everything that goes through my head just because weve seen each other naked? She mischievously smiled and poked him in the side. Its not your problem Its mine. You dont have to apologize, bastard. She patted him on the shoulder.

He was familiar with that side of her, but her smile felt awkward to him. In the end, though, she was rightit was something only she could resolve. As someone who wanted to empathize with and comfort her, hed have to let her overcome the problem on her own.

Haa, okay. Beat him into the ground for me. Ohjin let out a deep sigh and took a step back. Hed respect her decision, but he wouldnt let her endanger herself. Ill cut if I think it looks too dangerous, though.

Yeah. Ha-eun nodded and inhaled sharply. Desperately controlling her trembling legs, she turned toward Barbatos.

What are you doing? Barbatos coldly asked. Didnt they say that, when anger exceeded a certain point, your head felt cold? The dragon glared at Ha-eun as she approached by herself. Had he ever experienced such a level of humiliation before? The most intense rage hed ever felt burned within him.

Well It was natural for him to be enraged when a woman whod been shaking in fear suddenly walked forward by herself and said shed take him on, especially since hed received a special blessing in the name of vengeance.

What do you mean? Didnt you hear? This shouldnt take long. Ha-eun gave the dragon a relaxed smile as she took a cigar from her pocket. Her hand trembled, and a small flame burned at the end of the shaking cigar.

Fuu. Thanks to her superhuman body, nicotine had no effect on her. Maybe it was due to habit that the smoke seemed to slightly calm her anxiety. Now, shall we give it a go? she asked. Her lips crept into another smirk as she loosened the patch covering the left side of her face to reveal an amber eye bulging with blood vessels that glared at Barbatos.

That eye? Barbatos looked at Ha-euns eye in disbelief. How could a human have a dragon eye? Before he could get an answer to his question

Burn. Ha-eun used her middle finger to flick the cigar in her hand.

Fwoosh!

A fierce flame leaped from the end of the cigar and swirled around her like a living creature in a whirlwind of heat that soon merged into a dragon and shot at Barbatos. Do you think you can deal with a true dragon just because you have that eye? Barbatos snorted and flapped his wings, causing a curtain of dark curses to enshroud and protect his body.

Fwoosh, Fwoooosh

The raging flames dispersed as they met a curse so strong that it could even trap inanimate objects.

This is just the beginning, you fucker! Ha-eun clenched her fist and poured a fountain of flames at Barbatos. Unfortunately, she was so far away that the flames spread and were unable to pierce through Barbatoss veil of curses.

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When she saw her flames stop, Ha-eun thought, Ill have to pierce it myself. She took a step toward the veil of curses, and her legs, which had barely calmed, began to tremble again. She felt that her breath was stuck in her throat and felt unbearably frightened.

-Ha-eun, are you okay?!

She recalled her memories of six years prior. After losing consciousness in her fight against the Thousand Curse Dragon, as she was lying on the hospital bed with her world filled with darkness, shed floundered in fear.

-Huh?

-Whats wrong with you, Ha-eun?

Ohjin held her hand, but she couldnt see anything.

-Ohjin It its weird. I I cant see.

Shed cried like an abandoned child and curled up in the hospital bed amidst her world as dark as the moonless night.

I wouldnt have been able to hold on without Ohjin. It wasnt just when she was under the cursehed helped her grow in every manner. Its always been like that. Ohjin was always in front of her, and even as he took all the worlds malice on himself, he didnt back down.

Was he not scared? Was he not frightened? Even though she knew the answer, she always curled up like a hermit crab and hid behind him. It was more comfortable that way. Even if she didnt do anything, he protected her with everything he had.

Damn Ha-eun gritted her teeth and chewed her lips. Isabella had once told her that Ohjin was her only hope. That mightve been the case, but he was also Ha-euns salvation. Though she bluffed and feigned strength on the outside, she was always protected by someone who was weaker than anyone else.

Even so, I want him to look up to me. Ha-eun let out a mocking laugh. She originally wanted to protect him as his elder, but in truth, she was protected by his shadow. Even so, she wanted to be reliable to him.

Now I need to step out of my cocoon. She couldnt always curl up and hide behind himshe had to be able to stand by his side so that she could share a life with him. She had to move on.

Krrrrr! You insolent girl! Do you think youll be able to break through these curses? Barbatos yelled.

She took a step toward her greatest fear. Haa, haa

One step, and her whole body became heavy as a terrible fatigue struck her.

Two steps, and she felt nauseous as a migraine assaulted her.

Three steps, and a freezing chill struck her. Four steps, and pain reverberated through her.

Five steps, and she was out of breath as if she had climbed a high mountain.

Six steps, and her skin melted as if she were immersed in a swamp of acid.

Seven steps, and a horrifying scream filled her ears.

Eight steps, and the illusion of the parents she had only seen in pictures poured hateful words at her.

On the ninth step Oh Her sight went terribly darkdarker than a moonless night.

Kuhahaha! Its been a while since you felt this way, right? Barbatos burst out in laughter as he looked down at Ha-eun, whod stopped walking. Six years prior, hed felt exhilarating joy after stealing her sight.

Augh. Ha-eun curled up in that terrible darkness, and the terrible helplessness and despair she had felt after losing her sight filled her once more. Ohjin Ohjin. Instinctively, she called out his name. If she curled up, he would come to helphe would beat the Thousand Curse Dragon and save her.

In the end, it looked like nothing would change. No. Ha-eun looked up. Hadnt she decided that she wouldnt keep hiding behind him? Fuu. She took a deep breath and felt a tingling pain in her left eye. A moment later, a beam of light began to seep into the endless darkness.

Fwwwooooosh!

One, two, three a total of nine fiery dragons circled her as if to guard her. Their flames lit up the darkness, and she saw the dragons black scales in front of her.

Her biggest fear, Barbatos, looked down at her with wide eyes, Y-you burned my curse? Barbatos shook and cried out in fear.

Ha! Ha-eun scoffed. The Thousand Curse Dragon from her nightmares looked pathetic and ugly. It was like this back then, too. She thought back on her past with the orphanage director, whod beat her constantly. The image of the director waving his fists at her young self felt like a devil or monster from a fairy talelike a god she could never beat.

When she saw Ohjin lie and deceive the devil, when she saw her biggest fear at the time running away, shoeless, shed burst out laughing.

You werent a big deal. Things ended up the same. Hup. She took the tenth step and felt a burning pain on the left side of her chest. Rather than the pain of Barbatoss curses, it was a pain any Awakener would more than welcome.

A tenth stroke carved itself into her stigma.

Fwoosh!

As if connecting the other nine strokes, a tenth dragon appeared and wrapped around her. She clenched her fist as if grabbing the air, and the ten fiery dragons wrapped around her arm and extended over her hand.

Burn. She pulled her flame-covered fist back and leaped forward.

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