The sound. It was as if he had been dropped right into the middle of a battlefield, chaotic and loud.
Within that chaos, someone opened their eyes.
No, saying they opened their eyes might be misleading.
Because now, that someone couldn’t see anything, even with their eyes open.
“Haaak… hoo…”
His breathing was rough. He had lost too much blood, and his consciousness was fading.
Still, thanks to his large size, he had more blood than average, which allowed him to endure the bleeding for a little longer.
The name of this large male was Tiya Mal Clo.
Tiya Mal Clo, the veteran archer and former warrior captain of Belus Alphen, known as the “Human Dragon.”
Even as he panted, he could feel approaching footsteps through his skin.
Though it was hard to discern clearly due to the heavy bleeding and the strong wind.
Nevertheless, in such a situation, Tiya felt uneasy.
After all, his last memory was drenched in an overwhelming amount of blood.
In his final recollection, the tyrant had unleashed countless scales of white steel, which tore through numerous humans and also flew towards Tiya.
In that moment, Harrod stood in front of him.
“Harrod? Harrod! Are you alright? Harrod!”
It was an attack that even Aslan couldn’t stop when he rushed in to intervene.
Worried that Harrod’s body might not be intact, Tiya called out frantically, and soon a response came back.
“Brother, I’m fine.”
It was Harrod’s voice, sounding as usual.
From the direction the voice came, there were two sets of footsteps overlapping.
“I’m fine because Brother shielded me. And Resham has taken care of my minor injuries here, so I’m perfectly alright.”
Resham. Tiya recalled the figure known as Green whom Aslan introduced as a master of restoration magic, and sighed in relief.
Though Tiya’s memory contradicted Harrod’s words somewhat, Tiya had just regained consciousness after fainting and assumed he must have been mistaken.
Perhaps, without realizing it, he had stepped in during his brother’s crisis as an older sibling would.
“Thank goodness… truly, thank goodness.”
Clang, clang. With the distant sounds of metal ringing in the background, Tiya felt relieved that his younger brother was unharmed.
“That’s right. Truly fortunate, Brother. Now, it’s your turn to receive treatment instead of worrying about me.”
“Yes, that’s right. Absolutely.”
Tiya still couldn’t see anything. As Harrod said, it seemed that protecting him had cost Tiya his sight.
Moreover, being blind wasn’t the only issue. Tiya quickly realized that his legs wouldn’t move.
The approaching footsteps—likely Resham. Tiya, still gasping for breath, managed to lift his head toward the sound.
Through the blowing wind, his emotions could be felt.
A silent sorrow.
Tiya forced a smile.
“How long have we known each other that you’re already grieving? Enough, hurry up and treat me.”
Beyond the unseen darkness, Resham hesitated. Then the Green one spoke, trying to restrain their emotions as much as possible.
“Your eyes or your waist. I can only heal one.”
“…What?”
“Both injuries are too severe. If untreated now, you’ll lose both permanently. My mana isn’t infinite, and right now, I can only heal one.”
It was a shocking declaration, forcing him to choose.
Stunned by the revelation, Tiya heard the sound carried by the cold wind.
The clanging of metal and the sound of destruction. The battle was still ongoing.
And within that, the unique rhythm of Aslan—a presence only Tiya could recognize.
Blinking his sightless eyes, Tiya spoke.
“My waist.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Yes, heal my waist. My eyes… I can do without them.”
Both the waist and the eyes were important organs.
But for Tiya, the eyes mattered less.
Dragons generally had poor vision, and Tiya had never aimed with his eyes while shooting arrows.
However, the waist was different.
If his waist was injured and his legs paralyzed, he wouldn’t be able to shoot his bow.
He wouldn’t be able to withstand the recoil of the great bow he used.
Even if he could no longer see the world, Tiya needed to shoot now.
From across the darkness, Green looked at Tiya and said,
“But then you’ll live the rest of your life blind. You understand…?”
“I’ve already said I don’t care!”
With a desperate roar, he slammed his still-functioning arm against the ground.
It was self-loathing for wavering in that critical moment.
“I can feel it! I can feel it! That son of a bitch over there!”
Through the fierce winds, Tiya’s heightened sense of touch relayed Aslan’s movements.
Desperately fighting, even as his heart slowed.
“In this accursed world where he didn’t belong, I can feel him dying for it!”
This statement was something only Tiya could understand.
Yet Resham showed no confusion.
As silence filled the air instead, Tiya took a deep breath and spoke again.
“Heal my waist.”
Crunch.
Gripping the massive bow beside him, Tiya declared,
“I’d rather be blind.”
Could he really mean it? Tiya wasn’t entirely sure.
But sometimes, even lies you don’t believe yourself need to be told.
To make those lies come true, it had to be done.
“That bastard needs my arrow.”
Clutching his chest, feeling the cold, bloody scales on his torso, Tiya continued as his body grew colder.
“If I don’t shoot now while I still can… my life will have no meaning.”
Resham quietly listened, and Harrod pushed Tiya’s back with a strained voice.
“Do as Brother says. This is… my lifelong request.”
“…Understood.”
The faint rustling of robes.
Resham placed their hands on Tiya’s waist, and mana flowed through the nearly numb area.
Restorative magic accompanied by deep knowledge of the human body, returning it to its natural state—a magic originating from nature and creation.
Despite the dizziness, coldness, and nausea caused by losing so much blood,
Tiya slowly rose as his waist began to mend.
Watching this, Resham didn’t even suggest he stop pushing himself.
If holding back could change the situation, it would have been done long ago.
Quietly standing, Tiya leaned on his bow and struggled to rise.
Then he picked up his bow.
Before his sightless eyes, something appeared that wouldn’t have been visible even if he could see.
[Tiya Mal Clo]
[Level: 5]
[Remaining Stats: 12]
[Strength 5] [Agility 1] [Health 2]
[Mana 1] [Willpower 2] [Luck 5]
Something normally accessible and modifiable only by Aslan.
Tiya felt something wrapping around his body, beyond the wind.
What he needed was greater strength.
And sharper senses.
The scattered fragments of the ancient deity responded to that wind.
Tiya’s powerful muscles condensed and became stronger.
They grew immensely robust.
His senses sharpened, increasing their range and density.
Now, no being could approach undetected by Tiya’s senses.
[Tiya Mal Clo]
[Level: 5]
[Strength 11] [Agility 1] [Health 2]
[Mana 1] [Willpower 2] [Luck 11]
With sightless eyes, Tiya stood guided by his heightened senses.
With senses akin to a sixth sense, he positioned himself and steadied his stance.
Placing the end of the bow into the ground.
He swept his hand over where the bowstring should be. A sturdy string capable of firing plasma and giant arrows.
Holding onto it, Tiya envisioned something.
The scenery he desired was a mountain.
Not thunder.
Thunder was merely what resided within.
Aslan’s technique was undoubtedly reversed.
Thunder was always what supported.
Thus, to fire this arrow, strength and perception were required.
The strength to endure thunder and the ability to perceive it.
Finally, having lost his sight and discarded the unnecessary, Tiya reached that realm.
That perception.
Through that perception, he painted the scenery.
The image that arose was a mountain.
The mountaintop.
The peak he struck on the day he first met Aslan.
Embarrassed to admit it openly, he lied, claiming he did it for the female dragon who wasn’t even there.
In truth, Tiya wanted to break the mountain.
Like the tail that shattered the mountains of Bara Munz to create debts, like fire and metallurgy.
Like a great ancestor.
What was once mere imagination, the current Tiya could reach.
An exclusive privilege for Tiya alone, a technique Aslan couldn’t even wield.
“Mountain Breaker.”
Krrrrrrr!
As thunder descended, Harrod grabbing the end of the bow could be felt.
The immense mana flowing through the bow could be felt.
The powerful mana coursing like circuits, creating plasma denser and hotter than when Tiya made it alone.
The sun manifested on earth, roaring with thunder trailing behind like a tail.
The sun was far larger than the one Tiya usually fired with Harrod’s help.
A massive and solid arrow ten times larger than what Tiya usually shot.
An attack capable of shattering mountains.
The beacon signaling the tragic end of this battle.
Tiya drew the bow, braced with his back, and pressed his tail against the ground.
Though blind, everything felt more vivid.
Including where to aim and when to release.
When the wind stopped and silence fell.
“Brother.”
Twang!
“Thank you.”
As Tiya released the bowstring, the sun flew away.
Kwaaaaaoooooooom!
“…What?”
The heatwave blowing past stirred Tiya’s senses, now transcending the human level, reading the surroundings clearly.
Debris, blood, Resham looking at some dragonkin brother with a devastated expression.
And…
“Harrod?”
Half-remaining Harrod.
“Harrod…?”
Harrod lacked his lower body.
Yet, despite needing treatment the most, he came crawling to infuse mana into Tiya’s bow to save his brother.
Even as he was dying, he didn’t let his brother know about his own death.
Thus, discovering it was Tiya’s responsibility.
The moment Harrod’s hand slipped off the bow, Tiya knew.
Harrod’s heart had stopped.
And simultaneously, a sun erupted centered on the tyrant.
