Chapter 73

(73)

“Piercing flames!”

I hid between the cave walls at the boundary where blue mushrooms gathered, sniping the sky jellyfish in a despicable and cowardly manner.

One sky jellyfish, struck by the spear of flames, shriveled and fell, while dozens of sky jellyfish released electric shocks.

Flash!

In the next moment, the rock I was hiding behind shattered into two pieces.

However, I remained completely unfazed and hid behind the next rock.

They gathered yellow and blue electric shocks from their translucent white bodies, making a sound like “Wuuuuuu!” before striking down with a loud “Bang!”

Powerful, but the prelude was easy to detect, and in this dry cave, the electric shock did not spread sideways.

In other words, as long as I avoided direct hits, it would be fine, and after spending 40 years on various battlefields, it wasn’t particularly hard for me.

Their true power would come when they unleashed their electric shocks unilaterally from the high sky outside this magical realm.

This cave, not even 100m high, was a very advantageous battlefield for me.

“Piercing flames!”

After creating and launching the next flame spear, I cast a glance at the swirling gold and crimson at the back.

When sealing magic with an incantation, mana within several kilometers is bound.

I had seen that when Jeilliris had assaulted the Ivory Tower before my return.

However, the sealing of the dragon’s magic was limited to the battlefield of the two.

This was because Jeilliris was equally resisting with an incantation.

In the situation where neither could use magic, though I hated to admit it, I thought it was disadvantageous for Jeilliris.

She was, of course, a strong swordswoman, but her true value lay in her ability to showcase immense mobility and unleash unilateral large-scale magic bombardments from the sky.

If she could use magic, she would bind the dragon’s feet with skills like ‘Spear of Fury’ or ‘Earth Collapse’, and slash its neck with an aura blade, but whether such strategies would work in the current situation where magic was sealed was uncertain.

Just as I could launch aura blades when cutting down mushrooms, the dragon’s mana pool would likely not be lacking compared to Jeilliris.

Moreover, it could use breath and psychic waves for ranged and mid-range attacks, but unlike the dragon, Jeilliris was left without any means of mid- or long-range attacks besides releasing aura blades since her magic was sealed.

Step, step, step, step.

“Ah, this is maddening.”

Footsteps were heard ahead.

They appeared to be mercenaries and adventurers descended to gather mushrooms, but the mutation had already completed.

Though they were about 2m tall, dozens of blue mushrooms about 2m high grew on their backs, making their actual size appear much larger.

It looked like they were walking with a huge bag on their backs.

“Please spare me!”

“Help me!”

“I will definitely return.”

“Mom, mom. I’m sorry.”

“Why should I have to go through this?”

… Those words carried no meaning.

It was like manipulating the vocal cords to continuously repeat what sounded like the last utterances.

So, there was no need to get angry or respond to the provocation.

Zzzzt-.

Blue currents sparked from the weapons they held.

Axepikes, swords, armor, chains gleamed.

I muttered towards the sky jellyfish floating in the sky.

Heeheeheeheehee.

It seemed they were laughing, waving their translucent tentacles.

“Laughing?”

Taking down each one of them with a shot would be the wisest choice.

However, it wasn’t in my nature to stay silent after such provocation.

The malice of continuously replaying someone’s last gasps even made someone like me dumbfounded.

Imperial swordsmanship, Stage 1, All-in-One.

Since it was a technique that sacrificed subordinates for acceleration, it wasn’t good to use for long, but compared to similar awakening techniques, it was quite cost-effective.

Feeling the mana flowing through my body like a thread swell like a chain, I stomped on the ground.

Evil!

I struck first, cleanly severing the head of the one at the front.

Thud!

Its body weakly kneeled, and the towering mushrooms spewed electric spores.

The spores followed me like a swarm of insects, and at that moment, instead of retreating, I threw myself into the midst of them.

Fzzzt!

“Uooooo?”

“Uaaaaaah!”

While the mushroom parts were immune to electric shock, the human parts were not.

About a dozen Infiltrators all simultaneously got electrocuted, writhing under the electric spores.

At that moment, I cut through their legs or necks.

Fsssh!

Fsssh!

The spores that were expelled proved more lethal to the clustered enemies.

Thud, I was hit in the back by an electric mace.

“Damn it!”

Fortunately, my spine seemed intact, but I stumbled forward embarrassingly.

I was glad Sererassie didn’t see it.

Wuuuuuu!

The sky jellyfish looked down at me from above, gathering electric shocks.

As I cursed under my breath and tried to get up, a massive psychic wave erupted from the inside of the cave.

Kiiiiiiiiing-!

“Argh!”

It felt like my head was going to explode.

I gasped as if electrocuted, arching my back and crawling on the ground, while the sky jellyfish wriggled their taut bodies, fleeing upwards into the sky.

Then the dark passageway behind me filled with a bright red light.

“Ah.”

Even while crawling, I instinctively recognized the identity of the light.

Breath.

Kwah-!

The next moment, a tremendous fire erupted from the inner passage.

The entire passage, nearly 100m in diameter, was filled with flames.

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize the silhouette propelled into the sky by the force of the flames.

Jeilliris was grimacing in pain, her face contorted.

* * *

The Emperor was not burned by the flames.

Having become a swordmaster and reached the level of Immortal Unburnt, she exhibited great resistance to heat from various heterogeneous bloodlines, including that of the dragon.

Valenciaunos was aghast at seeing her covered in burns and suffering.

‘Even a dragon’s breath can be a breath, huh?’

“… No.”

He had died from the breath of a corpse dragon months ago and returned.

The eyes of the Bandit, stimulated by the trauma, were heavily constricted.

He could afford to lose Jeilliris to those dragons no more.

His heart raced alarmingly, while his head cooled down.

Time seemed to crawl endlessly.

Hooook!

A giant dragon burst out from the passage.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

As the nearly 45m tall creature rushed forward, the ground shook and the rocks trembled.

Valenciaunos first checked the state of the dragon.

‘That thing won’t be flying for a while.’

It was not in a normal condition either.

The membranous wings were torn to shreds, and the scales on its neck, shoulders, and chest were shattered.

It had lost one of its two tails; only one remained.

Hot blood dripped from it, making a large puddle on the ground.

“At last, I will taste your blood. For turning my body into this, I will chew every drop of your marrow.”

The dragon howled, carrying its psychic wave.

Valenciaunos lay beneath the dragon’s chest, looking at Jeilliris, who had fallen before him.

She stood up, emitting smoke from her body.

An aura of indifference rose in her golden eyes, which usually radiated confidence.

Valenciaunos vowed to himself that he would not turn that resolve into reality, even if it meant dying a thousand times.

‘More.’

Could I do this with this body? The question was struggled to be dismissed.

One could only ascend through effort and conviction.

If I exhaust my body now, I might not reach that level in this life either; no, it would definitely not happen.

However, he clearly remembered why he dreamed of that level.

The dragon raised its head, inhaling.

Its chest swelled, and the area under its neck reddened.

Kwah-!

And finally, the moment it stretched its neck forward to unleash flames.

Valenciaunos sprang forth, kicking the ground.

Thud, he leaped to the right side of the dragon’s neck and pressed close.

Its center of gravity tilted to the left since it had lost its right tail.

‘All-in-One won’t do.’

It required utmost strength and weight to penetrate the dragon’s hide.

That time was a stab, while now it would be a slash.

A stronger technique was necessary.

Imperial swordsmanship, Stage 4, Harm to Self and Others.

As the meaning suggested, it was a superior version of All-in-One that brought massive damage to both oneself and others, using great force while sacrificing considerable subordinates.

Thump, Valenciaunos’s heart raced like mad.

It felt like every vein in his body was swelling with mana, resonating within.

The resonation, the basic element of circle magic that amplifies power, was manifesting throughout his entire being.

Tsu-ka-aak!

The mana blade, multiplied several times, swung in precise alignment with the path of the wounds made by Jeilliris.

Targeting only the exposed muscles and nerves, devoid of scales or hide.

Slaash!

“Graaah!”

Blood sprayed, and the dragon’s flames were cut off for a moment.

“… Valenciaunos.”

The Emperor, in a defensive stance, muttered his name.

She lowered her defensive stance and began reciting an incantation to draw up the energy of the incantation.

‘One strike won’t be enough.’

Valenciaunos bit down hard, feeling as if he was about to collapse.

He felt half-asleep already.

Imperial swordsmanship, Stage 5, I Matter.

Me, mine, and the obstinate, sticky, severe obsession towards that.

Before his return, Valenciaunos, who didn’t understand that, hadn’t enjoyed that technique.

Yet now, he understood the desperation that could turn back time and death.

The determination that he absolutely, never, ever would squander the opportunity given to him.

His mind cooled as the surrounding information flooded in.

He felt capable of counting the number of hairs on the heads of the Infiltrators he had slain.

Valenciaunos poured all his mental energy not into the defense but into striking the dragon’s neck wound as efficiently and lethally as possible.

He slashed upwards to the right, then slashed downwards to the left.

He drew horizontally, turned upwards to stab, and then pressed his weight down to cut.

While slashing, he twisted his wrists inwards, precisely targeting the nerves.

Evil, szak, saaaak!

The shining golden trajectory of the sword carved lines in the air again and again.

“You can’t awaken to possibilities!”

The dragon, howling in mixed rage and psychic waves, twisted its neck in agony.

Valenciaunos’s sword meticulously tore through the strong muscles, avoiding all flesh, specifically digging into the cervical vertebrae and nerves.

Even while suffering from the psychic waves that caused blood to gush from his eyes, nose, and ears, he wielded his sword.

The dragon raised its broken spiked left tail, gathering crimson energy.

Thud!

Though the spikes were broken, the tail flew faster than sound, striking Valenciaunos directly.

The impact shattered the magical pattern inscribed on the liquid armor ‘AquaTeg’, ripping his uniform apart.

He nearly lost his mind from the pain of having his limbs nearly torn off.

Had it not been for the ‘I Matter’ amplifying his mental capacity, he might have died from the shock.

In a fleeting moment, while thinking that if he fell, his head would crack open, someone’s hand gripped Valenciaunos’s body.

* * *

“Pull yourself together! If you close your eyes now, you’ll die.”

Valenciaunos opened his eyes with a faint consciousness.

For a brief moment, it felt as if his heart had stopped.

Realizing that it was Jeilliris holding him was a miracle.

“You gave me enough time.”

After gently placing Valenciaunos down on the ground, Jeilliris dashed forward.

Though she was still suffering from her burns, certainty towards victory reappeared in her eyes.

The dragon gritted its teeth, suppressing the pain.

Though its muscles had hardly been cut, the agony of being stimulated in its nerves caused its neck to spasm.

Thus, the Emperor, rushing like a shooting star, created an aura blade was lost on him.

“I am a greedy Emperor.”

Her face was twisted, not displaying her usual relaxed and sadistic smile.

“I cannot tolerate someone touching my people.”

Golden aura flared from her treasured sword ‘Yurigir’, nearly doubling its length.

The Emperor pressed up against the dragon’s chest, which was the closest weakness to the dragon’s heart, not its primary weak point but a limb that the dragon could pierce through with its claws anytime.

Jeilliris was aware of this, and the dragon knew that she was aware.

Thus, even as Jeilliris charged straight in, the expectation was that she would target its neck as before.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

The dragon vomited forth a cry of confusion and pain.

Jeilliris, gripping the sword in reverse, pierced it into the shoulder of the dragon.

The aura-clad broadsword pierced through the dragon’s hide and muscle.

She turned her body in mid-air, facing the ground with her head and the sky with her feet, and kicked off the dragon’s body, charging towards the ground.

With the golden aura-brazing sword tightly grasped.

Slaaaaaash-!

Jeilliris dashed diagonally from its shoulder to below its chest.

The dragon’s chest tore apart, and blood poured down like rain.

It was a fatal wound, to the extent that one could see its beating heart.

The betrayed anticipation caused a significant shock, ripping the dragon’s chest open.

It was not a metaphor but a direct statement.

“This-!”

Then, the dragon’s wings covered in crimson energy fell towards Jeilliris.

Thud, Jeilliris’s divine body was buried into the stone floor.

Shards of stone flew up, while the blood of the Emperor soaked the ground.

Boom, at the same time, the dragon lowered its massive neck onto the ground.

“I, here…!”

“No!”

Valenciaunos, dragging his broken limbs, forced himself to stand.

Jeilliris did not move.