Chapter 72

(72)

My sword dug into the man’s neck by nearly a palm’s depth.

The golden mana blade ignited, intending to entirely sever his neck.

Yet the man raised dark-red scales from his neck and firmly grasped my sword.

I summoned all the mana in my body to push down the sword, but it remained unmoving as if it were stuck in a vice.

This is bad.

“Damn.”

The man hissed, his breath escaping in raspy bursts.

Booooom—

In the next moment, the crushed man’s hand swelled up as if it were about to burst within Jeilliris’s grasp.

Despite Jeilliris pressing down with all her might, the hand continued to grow grotesquely.

In the quiet darkened cave, the veins in that hand glowed red.

“Valen, get back!”

Jeilliris clicked her tongue, and the next moment, the swollen hand exploded.

Patubuck!

Blood, flesh, and bone shards turned into sharp red and white spines that swept around.

It tore through the Emperor’s ring and black dress, striking her body violently.

It was one of the blood magic incantations, ‘Blood Diffusion.’

I let out a low sound and stepped back, and Jeilliris had no choice but to let go of the man’s hand.

We retreated along the path we had come, while the man stepped back below to create distance.

“Making me shed my blood…”

The man, clutching his neck, gathered mana and stomped the ground hard.

Papapapapapapa!

Hundreds of stone spikes erupted from the floor, rising two meters high.

Originally a technique meant to attack the ankle or spine stealthily now threatened the entire cave floor.

However, Jeilliris flew lightly, while I jumped off the wall to evade.

“You damn rats!”

The man clicked his tongue in an impatient voice.

I smirked as if I found it amusing and raised my hand in a gesture of stop towards him.

Even Jeilliris seemed momentarily taken aback by the outrageous gesture, her mouth agape.

“Don’t act arrogantly as if you were a real dragon just because of your status as a descendant of Yongchan. You’re ugly.”

Drinking dragon’s blood grants a body that is immune to heat, cold, and poison.

Coating oneself with dragon’s blood makes one impervious to swords and spears.

Eating a dragon’s heart allows the wielder to control dragon power, but abusing that power leads to corruption and turning into a dragon.

That was what Yongchan had said.

Certainly, that man had also become a dragon in that way.

“The last great dragon, Solletarass, left this world a thousand years ago, leaving power and bloodline to the progenitor of our family. Since then, the remaining dragons in this world are but strong monstrosities. You may have been a renowned hero when you were human, but now you are merely a monster.”

I paused and continued my words.

“Killing monsters has always been the work of kings and heroes.”

Jeilliris tied her platinum hair back and drew the semi-transparent sword, ‘Glass Mirror.’

The lavishly adorned black dress fluttered beautifully.

I gathered a yellow mana blade on my sword and summoned flames in my hand.

A white uniform clad in liquid metal armor firmly enveloped my body.

The man looked at us with blood-red eyes, smirking.

“Then you cannot kill me. You are neither king nor hero.”

I had no intention of listening to such words.

“Lower one. Speak higher. We are the descendants of your master.”

Jeilliris sneered again, wrapping the ‘Glass Mirror’ in a golden aura blade.

The man gritted his teeth, and in the next moment, his body was covered in a red barrier.

The barrier buzzed, expanding outwards with a fierce wind.

The power was enough to crack the cave walls and send dust falling from the ceiling.

Floating in mid-air, both Jeilliris and I managed to land safely without losing our balance.

Krrr—

In the darkness, I sensed a heated breath.

“According to your words, I am a dragon without power. Yet looking at you, I have a question.”

A voice laden with mental waves reverberated chillingly in the cave.

“If I consume the descendants of Solletarass, can I acquire Solletarass’s power? I am curious.”

I smiled bitterly.

“So you are a man-eating evil dragon. I expected as much.”

Thud, thud, thud.

The dragon charged with a tremendous sound.

In my life, I had seen my share of monsters, but even considering my life before reincarnation, it was my first time seeing a living dragon.

The dark-red body, covered in horns and spikes, seemed three times the length of a wyvern, with a long neck and a head that resembled a massive shield.

Its folded wings were sturdy like powerful arms, while two tails whipped around, making sounds like a thousand whips.

Against that overwhelming creature, the golden Emperor rushed forward, leaving a comet-like trail of light.

I thrust at its side.

* * *

As Jeilliris rapidly closed the distance to the dragon, she drew a hand sign in the air with her left hand.

An aurora-like light, resembling the poles, formed into a massive spear in mid-air.

Tukang! Tukang! Tukang!

The ‘Spears of Wrath,’ piercing through multiple layers of defensive magic barriers on the city walls, shot forth.

It was a spell that would require powerful battle mages to gather for over 30 minutes to activate just one.

It was shedding its protective shell and using its wings like arms to rush in, and Jeilliris concentrated her attacks precisely on its right shoulder.

Puh! Puh! Puh!

Not even the dragon’s shield-like scales could withstand Jeilliris’s magic.

The hard scales, where mana blades wouldn’t penetrate, shattered, and blood sprayed into the air like a mist.

With a chilling smile, she called out the activation phrase for another spell.

“Burst, tear!”

Pabababuck!

Blood gushed from the dragon’s wounds like fountains, transforming into red spines that tore through its own injuries.

It was the blood magic the dragon had used moments ago, ‘Blood Diffusion.’

Kraaah—

The dragon’s quickly charging body lurched abruptly to the left.

Jeilliris, her yellow eyes sparkling, struck the exposed side of its neck with fierce determination.

Thwack!

Her talent encompassed not only the sheer quantity of mana but also an exceptionally tactical and lethal combat sense.

She sought for weaknesses.

If none were found, she created weaknesses through furious assaults.

Swuuuu—

With a fully charged yellow mana blade, the ‘Glass Mirror’ longed for the dragon’s blood.

Jeilliris cut through with a crescent-like arc of her sword.

Swish, thwack!

“Ah.”

I let out a low sound as I pushed sideways and lost my breath.

The dragon swung its left wing, enshrouded in dark-red energy, hitting Jeilliris away.

It lashed out in retaliation, but the cut across its protective shell remained minor; in comparison to the dragon’s size, it was no more than a prick with a needle on a paw.

However, it paused for a moment in place, and I wanted that moment.

I rushed toward its back leg’s ankle joint on the right side.

The dragon, over 45 meters long, had toe bones larger than my height.

But when had I ever fought creatures smaller than me?

Recalling when I once fought an injured wyvern unable to properly take flight, I aimed my sword precisely at the thick sinew beneath.

That spot had no scales hindering it since it had to keep moving.

Of course, that flesh was so tough it couldn’t be scratched without a mana blade.

I channeled all my weight and gathered all my mana to the blade’s tip, to the point that my sword and wrist trembled as if they might break.

Swoosh!

Yet my sword penetrated between the dragon’s sinew and bones.

The dragon jerked as it hastily swung its left wing to strike Jeilliris, and it limped painfully.

Kraaah!

Even a single spike embedded properly could render its entire hand useless.

In rage, it swept the ground with its two tails, and I stuck close to its ankle to evade.

Jeilliris, who had been airborne, seized that moment of distraction to soar upwards with a flight spell.

Encased in wind and floating just above the cave ceiling, the Emperor appeared like a picturesque painting, looking down at the dragon.

As she fluttered the hem of her black dress embroidered with golden thread, she cast her second spell using the ‘Shadow Spear.’

“Valen! Move!”

The ground shook as if the cave ceiling was about to collapse, and a massive boulder, dust clouding the air, came tumbling down.

I was taken aback and pulled my sword out, diving away.

It was a boulder much larger than the dragon’s body.

The dragon roared at the ceiling.

Aaaaah…

It wasn’t a roar of fury but one of supplication.

Dark-red energy erupted, and the mighty boulder that had been falling to crush the dragon was transformed into sand and scattered away.

I murmured in a low voice.

“Incantation…”

The dragon flapped its wings, stirring up the wind as it murmured.

“Not bad. I should not have allowed you to keep casting spells.”

Once again, that voice was laden with mental waves.

Even I, a veteran warrior of forty years, felt a throbbing headache, and Jeilliris was not wearing a pleasant expression either.

“Perhaps all magic in this valley shall cease, decreed by the dragon vein’s master.”

In that instant, I felt as if something colossal beneath the ground were turning, the sensation of gargantuan gears shifting.

Clank, a sound arrived with something clicking into place, and the mana I had gathered to cast spells scattered.

Jeilliris, who had been floating in mid-air, plummeted to the ground.

The swordmaster managed to land safely from a height of 50 meters, yet her expression was severely distorted.

“Indeed, the master of the dragon vein retains their power.”

Just as stars pull planets into their gravity, the gathered mana, massive in volume, pulled in the surrounding mana.

As if stars were devouring comets, and water flowed into the lowlands created by the giant boulders pressing down on them.

Once this process progressed beyond a certain point, mana would begin to ‘accumulate’ in that area continuously.

The accumulated mana would be suffused with the color of the dragon vein’s master, adhering strictly to the master’s will.

I gripped my sword more tightly to hide my trembling hands.

Historically, dragon hunting always prioritized luring them far away from their lairs, and no madman had ever attempted to execute a plan to hunt a dragon within its lair.

In the current moment, both Jeilliris and I had fallen completely into the enemy’s territory.

Zoot zoot zoot zoot zoot!

From behind, the crackling sounds of lightning were heard.

Even at this distance, the bluish light of the skies’ jellyfish was visible.

Jeilliris and I hurled curses in unison.

“Damn it!”

Old ones always seem to scent the presence of a dying person.

The dragon, seeing us engaged in battle, likely assumed one of us would die severely, and the other would be gravely injured.

“Duke Valencius. This is an order. Go and kill those damned remnants of the old ones.”

With her feet grounded, Jeilliris summoned golden energy with a whoosh.

It was the power of the incantation seen a couple of times earlier on the way here.

The beast’s eyes seemed to open wide.

However, I found it hard to move my feet.

“I cannot leave His Majesty behind…”

“Are you worried about your burden at a time like this?”

I just blurted out what came to my head.

“Indeed, Your Excellency!”

“Huh?”

Jeilliris chuckled as if exasperated.

“You truly have no shame. Then I shall change my command. Prevent those imbeciles from striking my back with lightning. Can you do that?”

There was no longer any room for hesitation.

The beast was also gathering dark-red energy.

Cursing under my breath, I turned around and dashed away.

“You damn thing! Today you shall be torn to shreds and scattered, adding another line to the accomplishments of His Majesty the Emperor!”

* * *

Just before dawn broke, an incident occurred in the guest room reserved for visitors at the Marquis’s outer fortress.

The fireplace was roaring with burning firewood, and the thick curtains blocked the cold of dawn.

As if sensing the chill, the maid Rudi, wrapped in her blanket, stirred in her sleep.

A man clad in tight leather armor, with a paper mask covering his face, slithered into the room like a snake.

‘You’re asking for a warning. The mage folk are arrogantly insolent, pushing my hand a bit is the only way to ensure things proceed on time.’

The man held his dagger in reverse grip as he approached the bed.

His mission was to target the Duke’s maid on the first night, the Emperor’s maid on the second night, and if possible, the red-haired knight on the third night.

He had no personal feelings; he mumbled in his heart and prepared to plunge the dagger down.

Clang!

Then there was a sound that should never occur.

“You rat.”

With brown hair and void green eyes, the maid shot back in an icy tone.

With a voice that gave no hint of being drowsy whatsoever, the man instinctively recalled the word ‘failure.’

Puh, Rudi kicked the blanket away and stood up instantly, drawing a dagger from beneath her pillow.

“I must live to wait for Lord Valen. So, you go ahead and die!”

Zswish! Zswish!

At this early dawn, the two sword wielders clashed.