Ch.104Face to Face. (4)

KWAAAANG!

A sound like an explosion rang out not far away.

“…Shouldn’t we go check it out right now?”

“It’s fine. The King of Martial Arts can win.”

Probably, the King of Martial Arts could defeat the dragon. His level was an impressive 94. Only a Lord-class dragon would be a fair match for him.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he would win instantly.

The dragons in this place, the Golden Magical Realm, might not be Lords, but they couldn’t be called ordinary either.

‘It’ll take at least an hour to catch it.’

Olivia headed toward the opposite passage without hesitation. Kiel, who had been contemplating between the two passages for a while, gritted his teeth and followed Olivia.

Boom boom boom…

The battle was so intense that vibrations could be felt even from a considerable distance. After walking for quite some time, what Olivia encountered was a cavern of such overwhelming size that its end was not visible.

That’s when it happened.

A scream echoed from the pitch-black darkness. Along with the pungent smell of blood, a sharp poisonous energy brushed past Kiel’s nose.

“…Step back.”

Kiel stood protectively in front of Olivia.

“Step back? What are you talking about? Move aside.”

Tsss-tsss-tsss!

A light much brighter than moonlight spread from Olivia, instantly destroying the darkness and poisonous energy. Only then could Kiel directly see the inside of the cavern.

There were dwarves there.

Their skin was sickly green as if soaked in poison, and their bodies were not only in tatters but had melted to the point where bones were visible.

As Olivia had said, they were different from the dwarves he knew.

“…Undead. Necromancy?”

There seemed to be at least several hundred, perhaps even over a thousand.

Olivia said with a meaningful expression:

“Do you know why those dwarves ended up like that?”

“…Why?”

“Because they hunted a dragon.”

Olivia pointed somewhere with her finger. There was a dwarf with a build so large it was hard to believe he was a dwarf.

A large dwarf wearing a horned helmet.

It was the chieftain.

The chieftain held a massive axe in his hands. His muscles, swollen like balloons, gave a hint of his prowess in life.

Of course, his condition was no different from the other dwarves.

“Led by their chieftain, they fought against a Gold Dragon and eventually succeeded in hunting it. But they were cursed.”

This was something she had learned from the records left by the dwarves.

“…Then what is the King of Martial Arts fighting?”

“The Gold Dragon’s corpse. Its flesh has rotted away, and it has no rationality left. But its scales are still hard, and being undead, it doesn’t die easily.”

“You… know a lot.”

“I’ve always been interested in these kinds of secret histories.”

Olivia’s heterochromatic eyes met Kiel’s.

“Help them find peace.”

Kiel didn’t answer. With a swish, his greatsword moved. A dark aura was already rippling along the blade.

“I have no intention of doing this for your sake.”

“…Hmm?”

Olivia’s eyes widened.

“…Helping them is my own will.”

Kiel jumped down into the cavern. With a loud crash, his greatsword struck the ground.

Before the dwarves could even react, Kiel sprung forward with a push of his knee. Even with light sword strikes, dozens were cut in half.

Olivia watched the scene from above.

‘Simply cutting them won’t kill them, will it?’

These were different from undead created by black mages. Such was the nature of a dragon’s curse.

Crack!

The greatsword tore through the dwarves’ bodies, but Kiel’s expression was far from pleased. The flesh chunks repeatedly entangled with each other, eventually returning to their original form.

Kiel’s face turned serious.

He had noticed that their regenerative ability was no ordinary matter.

He couldn’t use the Spatial Sword. Even for someone like Kiel, he wasn’t confident he could survive being buried under a mountain range.

Slash!

The dwarves moved like beasts. Without weapons, they tried to claw with their nails and bite with their teeth.

Seeing this, Kiel was able to completely shed his last bit of guilt.

Tsss-tsss-tsss-tsss-tsss!

A sword strike that turned the cavern pitch black.

The dwarves that came into contact with the sword’s trajectory screamed and were flung away.

Like that, a hundred, two hundred, three hundred… In an instant, Kiel had cornered more than half of them against one wall, and his greatsword howled fiercely.

Woooong!

And the next moment, an explosion erupted. When the dust storm settled, corpses that couldn’t regenerate were piled like mountains around Kiel.

Olivia watched Kiel with a satisfied smile.

Her purpose in bringing Kiel here was just one thing.

It was Kiel’s growth.

‘Grow well. No more, no less, let’s hit exactly level 90 today.’

From the moment they had to enter the magical realm due to unavoidable circumstances, Olivia had been thinking of how to make the most of it.

And this was the result.

[‘Sword Master Kiel’ is growing!]

The dwarves there might look weak, but considering the entire tribe, they were undeniably Dragon Slayers.

Kiel was currently facing a force equivalent to that of a decent kingdom.

Of course, the reason Kiel could move around so freely was because Olivia was subtly blocking the chieftain’s movements, but that’s beside the point.

By the time Kiel had almost dealt with the small fry, Olivia released the chieftain from his restraints.

The chieftain’s figure disappeared simultaneously.

[KRAAAAA!]

He kicked the ground, aiming for Kiel’s opening. The chieftain’s axe blade, which had instantly moved to Kiel’s rear, gleamed ominously.

Startled, Kiel blocked the attack with his greatsword. With a thunderous sound, a dust storm spread in all directions.

The sound of blade clashing echoed within the storm. It seemed like Kiel was being pushed back slightly.

“Need help?”

“Not… necessary!”

The corners of Olivia’s mouth, watching the battle from the air, twitched upward.

That was enough.

Even if Olivia stood by, Kiel wouldn’t mind. This was now a matter of pride.

In that case, Kiel would monopolize all the experience points.

‘Forget about Kiel.’

Olivia checked the situation on the other side through a familiar she had attached to the King of Martial Arts.

[Kuhahaha! Unnecessarily tough, aren’t you!]

The King of Martial Arts continued punching amidst the poisonous energy emitted by the dragon. The scales, which once would have shone golden, were not only shattered but pounded like dough.

‘…He’s insane.’

If that dragon had been alive, it would have been in awe of the King of Martial Arts’ strength.

He wasn’t even wearing magical armor. He was enduring the dragon’s poisonous energy and magic with just his physical body. There were minor wounds, but that was it.

To him, the undead dragon was just a sturdy punching bag, nothing more, nothing less.

The dragon struggled and emitted an even more sinister poisonous energy. The surging poison enveloped the ground and turned the cavern where the King of Martial Arts was located black.

But the King of Martial Arts didn’t care. The poison couldn’t corrode his body, and the sharp tail that could cut through rocks like paper had been shattered by his fists long ago.

Instead, there was a hint of boredom on the King of Martial Arts’ face.

Disappointment.

He was disappointed that the dragon race was only this much. At the same time, a smile appeared on Olivia’s lips.

‘As expected.’

The dragon the King of Martial Arts was facing was strong, but it was just a corpse that had died long ago.

Probably, the King of Martial Arts was thinking:

…Just a big lizard after all.

Olivia looked back and forth between the King of Martial Arts and Kiel.

The King of Martial Arts was overwhelming the dragon, while Kiel was being pushed back slightly. Yet, it was Kiel who was smiling.

After all, a swordsman is also a warrior. They instinctively enjoy fierce battles.

Kiel’s heart pounded loudly. It was a kind of exhilaration he had never felt before.

He was being pushed back. Being pushed back, but it didn’t feel like he would lose.

‘Just a bit more…’

Kiel’s greatsword became faster and faster. At some point, Kiel, who had been pushed back, stopped retreating.

Tsss-tsss-tsss-tsss-tsss!

Sparks flew everywhere as the sword and axe clashed. The sparks gradually tilted towards the chieftain.

He didn’t want to lose this feeling. At this rate, the battle would soon end in his victory. But he knew that even if he stopped his sword strikes and engaged again, he wouldn’t feel the same as he did now.

‘More.’

Kiel’s sword became even faster. No more sparks flew. Instead, a chilling sound of tearing fabric was heard. The chieftain’s entire body was being torn apart. But Kiel didn’t stop.

Perfect selflessness.

‘…Now, if ever.’

Until now, Kiel had only been able to use up to the 2nd form of the Spatial Sword. The 5th form, Severance, was impossible to even attempt without the [Regressor’s Privilege].

It seemed possible now.

Kiel closed his eyes. All his nerves were directed towards his sword.

He had intended not to use the Spatial Sword, but he didn’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘…I trust Olivia.’

He believed she would somehow handle the aftermath.

The next moment, Kiel’s sword moved.

With a sound like “swish,” everything around became quiet.

Kiel slowly lifted his eyelids. The chieftain had only his two legs barely remaining. His body could no longer regenerate.

‘…I succeeded!’

Kiel turned around with an excited face. There, Olivia was furrowing her brow intensely.

“You crazy bastard! If you’re going to use a big technique, tell me first. Tell me!”

She was desperately trying to support the ground that seemed about to collapse. The entire cavern was shaking.

Rumble!

‘What weight…!’

Olivia drew a spatial teleportation magic circle with her other hand.

“Grab it quickly!”

Olivia extended her hand. Kiel stared blankly at that hand before grabbing it.

They had arrived at the opposite cavern where the King of Martial Arts was.

The dragon’s corpse, now reduced to a pulp, was sprawled on the floor. The King of Martial Arts was sitting on it, using it as a chair.

“…Are all dragons this pathetic? They’re supposed to be the masters of magic. Tsk. Weaker than you, witch.”

The King of Martial Arts’ face was full of boredom. As expected, he wasn’t satisfied with this level.

In his hand was a golden key.

“It’s because it’s undead. If it had been a rational being, even you would have taken a day.”

“…You deceived me.”

“An undead dragon is still a dragon.”

“No, you deceived me.”

The King of Martial Arts landed right in front of Olivia with a face full of dissatisfaction. He pointed at Olivia and said:

“Let’s fight. Then I’ll forgive your mistake.”

“You said I killed you in your past life. Are you sure about this?”

Olivia smiled provocatively. The King of Martial Arts’ eyebrow twitched.

“You won because you fought like a damn coward.”

“I don’t want to. There’s nothing in it for me.”

The King of Martial Arts threw the key he was holding. Olivia caught it in surprise.

[Golden Magical Realm Key]

“I’ll give you that. How about it?”

The King of Martial Arts pounded his fist powerfully.

Olivia also smiled, following his lead.

Everything was going according to plan.