Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 282

The sand rose up like a tidal wave.

A massive sandstorm enveloped Moby Dick and the beasts, spinning at an incredible speed.

Grind! Grind!

The fine sand particles scraped against the beasts' shells and hides, making a horrifying sound.

Screeeeech!

Roar!

The Grey Ogre, Giant Spider, and Crimson Drake let out agonized cries.

No matter how indifferent they were to pain, the torture of having their surface ground away was impossible to ignore.

The A-rank beasts fared somewhat better.

Their force fields held up, offering some protection.

But the B-rank beasts, force fields and all, were instantly shredded.

This was Sand Mixer at full power.

Its strength was on a completely different level from before.

The B-rank beasts let out desperate, agonized screams.

Their protective hides and outer shells vanished almost immediately, exposing the raw, red tissue beneath.

Fwoosh!

Flames ignited the exposed tissue.

It was fire conjured by Zeon’s Inferno Gauntlet.

The intense heat quickly incinerated the B-rank beasts from the inside out.

With sand eroding them from the outside and flames scorching them within, the B-rank beasts evaporated in an instant.

The A-rank beasts finally gathered their wits and attempted to attack Zeon, but none of their strikes reached him.

“Sand Gehenna!”

The sand beneath them melted and turned into a lava-like substance.

The sticky magma swallowed their legs in seconds.

It was like a pit that no one could escape once they’d fallen in.

The more the A-rank beasts struggled, the deeper they sank into the Sand Gehenna.

The once-formidable Grey Ogre and Giant Spider screamed in a frenzy.

The Crimson Drake, born with fire resistance, was the only one still holding on through the heat.

It extended its forearm to grab hold of the baby whale.

Desperate to consume the vulnerable newborn, it hoped to replenish its strength.

—Screeeech!

The baby whale let out a mournful wail as it was seized by the Crimson Drake.

Moby Dick blinked its huge eyes and looked at Zeon.

Its gaze seemed almost like a silent plea to save its child.

Zeon nodded, speaking softly.

“Alright, I’ll protect your baby for you.”

Swish!

At his words, dozens of sand jets shot up from the ground, attacking the Crimson Drake.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Under the relentless barrage of the Sand Blaster, the Crimson Drake dropped the baby whale and was forced back.

Roaaaaar!

Infuriated, the Crimson Drake roared, but Zeon flooded its mouth with sand. As sand filled its stomach, the creature gagged and began to retch.

At that moment, Zeon gave a command.

“Claymore!”

Boom!

The sand inside the Crimson Drake’s stomach exploded.

Even a creature as tough as the Crimson Drake couldn’t withstand a blast from within.

The Crimson Drake detonated, its remains scattering in all directions.

Next in line were the Grey Ogre and the Giant Spider.

With a flick of his wrist, Zeon directed chunks of magma straight into their mouths.

Roar!

Screeeech!

As the scalding lava poured down their throats, the Grey Ogre and Giant Spider writhed frantically on the ground. They tried to expel the magma filling their insides, but it was no use.

Zeon delivered his final verdict to the tormented A-rank beasts.

“Fire Rain!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A shower of searing flames fell from the sky.

With their force fields completely dissipated, the Grey Ogre and Giant Spider melted away under the torrent of fire.

“This is insane!”

Claire’s eyes widened.

It had taken Zeon less than a minute to wipe out the beasts.

In that short time, he’d annihilated three A-rank beasts and several B-ranks.

No Awakened in Neo Seoul could do anything like this.

It was hard to believe the figure before her was even human.

For a moment, she wondered if he was actually a dragon, disguised in human form.

Zeon’s power was beyond anything she could imagine.

Just watching him made her body tremble and her breathing quicken.

At that moment—

“Zeon!”

Lee Jung-ho, who had been thrown far away and left vulnerable, was now charging toward Zeon.

His face was contorted in rage.

Being launched into the ground by the sand pillar had wounded his pride.

An aura blade was now wrapped around Lee Jung-ho’s sword.

Shiiing!

The aura blade sliced through the air, aiming for Zeon’s throat.

Zeon sidestepped with Sand Stride, evading the attack.

Lee Jung-ho pursued, swinging his sword in rapid succession.

Swish! Swish!

In terms of cutting power, no modern weapon could match the aura blade.

Even a glancing hit would leave a grievous wound.

“Hiyah!”

With a loud cry, Lee Jung-ho’s sword drew a peculiar arc.

It skimmed just above the ground, like a swallow flying low over water.

There was no escape from its path.

It was Lee Jung-ho’s unique technique, one that allowed him to change the trajectory of his blade the moment his opponent moved.

‘Swallow Blade Dance.’

A skill honed over thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of drills.

As Zeon attempted to dodge with Sand Stride, Lee Jung-ho’s sword shifted midair, following him.

“Sand Blaster.”

At Zeon’s command, dozens of sand jets shot forth.

An ordinary Awakened would have been overwhelmed by the high-pressure sand assault, but Lee Jung-ho was no ordinary fighter.

“Hah!”

With a fierce shout, he began spinning his sword at incredible speed.

The aura blade rotated with him, forming a shield that blocked his front.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sand blaster jets crashed against the aura shield and scattered in all directions.

Lee Jung-ho neutralized the sand blasters in an instant, closing in on Zeon.

He aimed his sword at Zeon’s arm.

“Even if I take off both arms, you’ll still be able to guide me, right?”

“Can you even do that?”

Clang!

Zeon coldly retorted, deflecting Lee Jung-ho’s sword with his gauntlet.

Despite clashing with the aura blade, the Inferno Gauntlet didn’t have a scratch.

But Zeon didn’t stop at simply parrying; he unleashed a swarm of Sand Vipers.

Dozens of Sand Vipers surged forward, striking at Lee Jung-ho like venomous snakes after prey.

Ssss!

Lee Jung-ho cut through the sand snakes with swift strokes.

In an instant, sand dust rose around him.

Zeon had stirred up the sand on the ground, sending it into the air.

The sand began to fill Lee Jung-ho’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

Lee Jung-ho immediately shut his eyes and held his breath.

Most Awakeneds would have panicked at being forced to close their eyes, but not Lee Jung-ho.

To him, physical sight was just an accessory.

He viewed the world through his “Mind’s Eye,” so a bit of sand in his eyes was no hindrance.

With his Mind’s Eye, he focused on his target, Zeon.

He prepared his ultimate technique.

‘Single Point Thrust.’

Boom!

It was less of a “thrust” and more of a “shot,” like a bullet fired from a gun.

His sword flew toward Zeon at terrifying speed, aimed squarely between his eyes.

Just as the sword was about to reach him, a figure appeared in front of Zeon.

A Sand Soldier.

Crash!

The Sand Soldier took the blow on Zeon’s behalf and was shattered.

But Lee Jung-ho’s sword kept pushing through, its target unwavering.

Yet, it didn’t reach Zeon’s forehead.

Three more Sand Soldiers materialized, standing between Zeon and the blade.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lee Jung-ho’s sword pierced through all three soldiers before finally coming to a halt, just shy of Zeon’s forehead.

Lee Jung-ho’s face twisted in frustration.

His perfectly executed strike had been blocked by mere sand soldiers.

The idea that Zeon would disregard him like this sent his anger over the edge.

“How dare you!”

Boom!

At that moment, the sand beneath Lee Jung-ho’s feet exploded.

Zeon had triggered Claymore.

The impact was so intense it made him sway like a reed in the wind.

Fortunately, he’d instinctively deployed an aura shield at the moment of the blast, protecting his entire body.

The aura shield was the ultimate defense available to physical-type Awakeneds.

Although it consumed a large amount of mana, it could withstand almost any attack.

Lee Jung-ho planned to drop the aura shield as soon as the sand explosion ceased and go on the offensive.

‘I’ll end this with my strongest skill, Meteor Slash.’

A powerful skill that mimicked the energy and velocity of a falling meteor.

It was a skill he’d never shown anyone before, saved for only the most formidable foes.

Keeping his focus on Zeon through his Mind’s Eye, Lee Jung-ho waited for the perfect opportunity. But he hadn’t realized that his legs were now deeply embedded in the sand.

He only noticed after hearing a spine-chilling sound.

Whoooosh!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The sand was swirling violently around his legs.

“Damn it.”

It was Sand Mixer.

He’d watched Zeon use this skill to grind the beasts to pieces. Even monsters with force fields and formidable defenses hadn’t withstood it.

An ordinary human body would be pulverized instantly.

His aura shield was the only thing keeping him safe for the moment, but he knew it wouldn’t last long.

Lee Jung-ho realized that his time was running out.

With every passing second, he was sinking deeper into the sand.

Once his head was submerged, escape would be impossible.

“Damn it!”

Lee Jung-ho bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

He felt a chill spreading through his entire body.

Only now did he realize how badly he had underestimated Zeon.

The belief that he could easily overpower Zeon in a one-on-one fight had been a grave error.

Zeon was clearly just as skilled in facing Awakeneds as he was at defeating beasts.

There was no other explanation for his flawless response.

Whoooosh!

Meanwhile, the Sand Mixer continued to grind away at his aura shield.

Cracks began to form along the shield’s surface.

If he didn’t act, he’d be shredded by the sand.

Rather than wait helplessly, he chose to take a desperate risk.

“Hiyah!”

With all his might, Lee Jung-ho swung his sword.

The aura around his blade exploded outward.

Boom!

The force of the explosion blasted the sand back.

In that brief opening, Lee Jung-ho sprang out of the sand and into the air.

“Meteor Slash!”

He unleashed his ultimate skill.

Like a meteor hurtling to the ground, his sword fell toward Zeon.

Lee Jung-ho and his blade shone red, like a massive comet.

It was a terrifying sight.

If Zeon took this hit, even he wouldn’t escape unscathed.

‘If it lands, that is.’

Of course, Zeon had no intention of letting the attack land.

If his opponent relied on a single, powerful strike, he’d respond with overwhelming numbers.

Fortunately, the desert offered an infinite supply of sand.

Zeon prepared to demonstrate the pinnacle of quantity-based assault.

“Sand Blaster. Infinite Barrage!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hundreds, then thousands of sand jets shot toward Lee Jung-ho.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]