Ch.118Draig Goch (2)

The magic tower in the capital of the Empire.

The tower of astronomers and astrologers, the Grey Tower.

From the outside it appeared to be just a tower, but for the magicians who dwelled there, the Grey Tower was merely an observatory for studying the sky. And so, just like any other day, the magicians of the Grey Tower were gazing up at the sky today as well.

Reading the flow of constellations adorning the night sky, checking whether new stars had been born or if any stars had fallen—this was their daily routine.

However, their work was known to be mostly static with little change. The constellations in the night sky rarely changed significantly. Only earth-shattering historical events would cause the stars in the sky to fluctuate…

‘As if historical events happen that often?’

The master of the Grey Tower.

Master of Gray Tower, Nayuta, was sprawled on the sofa, slurping her coffee while humming. In her opinion, the position of Grey Tower Master was optimal for doing nothing. The budget was generous, yet the only work required was leisurely gazing at the sky.

‘Meanwhile, the Master of Platinum Tower next door is working herself to death.’

Recalling her colleague who worked through the night, cutting back on sleep to toil away, Master of Gray Tower Nayuta chuckled. Who told her to join the Platinum Tower? Being the one who works less and earns more is the true winner in life.

Just as Nayuta was about to spend another day no different from yesterday, leisurely enjoying her sweet life—

Boom! The Grey Tower shook violently.

The Grey Tower, synchronized with celestial bodies, responds sensitively to the movements of constellations. Such a violent shaking of the tower meant that a major change had occurred in the sky. Nayuta’s eyes widened as she jerked her head up to look at the sky.

The sky was in turmoil.

Constellations were moving noisily, being pushed aside. It resembled what happened when Arthur’s constellation stirred. The birth of a massive constellation was enough to shake the heavens.

‘Has Arthur’s star moved again?’

No, this was different from before.

The stars were fleeing in terror. Nayuta’s gaze slid across the sky. Though she usually loafed around, she was a first-class astrologer certified by the Empire. Her eyes pierced through to the center of the flow.

And then, blood flowed from Nayuta’s eyes.

There was a massive star that could not be observed, understood, or even dared to be looked upon. The moment she faced the crimson malevolent star, the constellation of the witch, blood flowed from Nayuta’s eyes and nose. Her pupils trembled.

A constellation that had been silent for a thousand years.

The constellation of the Witch of Abyss was there.

The crimson star revealed itself for just a brief moment before concealing its existence in darkness. But that alone was enough to shake the sky and cause chaos. As the constellations were thrown into confusion, Nayuta lowered her gaze.

The place where the witch’s star had briefly shone.

She recalled what was located there.

Stonehenge.

The place where the dragon’s grave was located.

2.

The Red Dragon roared toward the sky and began destroying everything in sight. The imperial knights began to retreat, and the white-ranked adventurers also hesitated and stepped back.

Something was wrong.

The situation was different from what they had heard.

It was understandable that the White Dragon and Red Dragon had revived without injuries. They still thought they could find a way to capture them and believed they could handle the situation. But the current Red Dragon was different. Its size had grown two or three times larger, and its aura had changed.

This won’t work.

They sensed it instinctively.

This wasn’t an opponent that could be handled by Sword Seeker-level personnel. The crimson scales scattering red light didn’t seem penetrable by sword energy, and it didn’t seem possible to cut through that thick neck. Above all, the pressure emanating from the Red Dragon was real.

If they risked their lives, they might be able to inflict a wound or two, but the risk-reward calculation didn’t add up. After all, they were adventurers who weighed their lives against potential gains. They were free adventurers, not knights bound by duty.

“This isn’t going to work.”

“It’s not an opponent we can handle. Impossible.”

“We need at least ten Sword Seekers. Four isn’t enough for this level.”

“Or we need to bring in a Sword Master.”

At minimum, they needed ten Sword Seekers.

And even that was just the minimum—even with ten gathered, they weren’t confident they could hunt it down. They couldn’t even figure out where to start or how to hunt it.

The three white-ranked adventurers muttered these words as they retreated. One of them had already been knocked out with a single blow. Continuing to fight in this situation would be something only fools would do.

“So you’re running away?”

And here was one such fool.

Roseline Askarlo, who had been silent until now, blurted out. She stood in place without taking a single step back. At her words, the white-ranked adventurer, Rihart Folshen, frowned and spoke.

“Retreating is the right choice. Until the Empire’s reinforcements arrive…”

“I think that crimson dragon will reach Cambria before the Empire’s reinforcements arrive. Mister Rihart, you know that, right?”

Roseline sighed.

If they fled from here, the Red Dragon would head toward Cambria, the nearest city. Dragons fundamentally move to kill humans and destroy civilization.

And Cambria could not withstand the Red Dragon.

The strongest forces in Cambria were right here, and even if all the remaining adventurers in Cambria were combined, they couldn’t hunt the dragon. Without Sword Seeker-level output, they couldn’t even scratch the dragon’s scales.

“So you’re saying you’ll fight? Roseline.”

“What other option is there? I mean, we could just run away and not care if the people in the city die or not…”

Roseline shrugged.

“I have quite a lot of assets tied up in Cambria, mister. I recently set up a mercenary base and bought a house. Do you know how hard I worked to afford those? It would be a shame to lose it all.”

And it would be a shame to let my subordinates die.

Muttering this, Roseline twirled the masterpiece in her hand.

“Of course, that’s just my situation. You and those two behind you can run if you want.”

But you know, Roseline smirked.

“Then you’ll have nothing to say when I call you cowardly little shits later, right?”

Roseline clashed her twin swords together.

Kiiiiing! As the ear-piercing noise echoed, the Red Dragon’s head, which was about to move after the retreating knights, swiftly turned toward Roseline.

“That’s right. Over here, you lizard.”

Roseline Askarlo curled up her lips.

“Red ones should play together, don’t you think?”

She tapped around her eyes.

The red swirling pupils were evidence of being a witch. Roseline, a half-blood born between a witch and a human, glared at the Red Dragon with the same eyes as her own.

“————————!”

The Red Dragon roared.

As if responding to Roseline’s provocation, the Red Dragon recognized her as an enemy and began charging toward her. As the dragon approached, destroying everything in its path, Roseline stuck out her tongue.

‘This is definitely tough.’

That’s something she could never hunt alone.

She glanced behind her. Three white-ranked adventurers. If they joined in, there would certainly be a small chance, but they remained silent and motionless. As if they were contemplating something.

Well, they’d feel bad about running away too.

They must have grown attached to Cambria as well, and they had their base in Cambria. They were just hesitating because they didn’t want to risk their lives in a fight with no apparent chance of winning. In other words…

If the situation tilted even slightly, they would join in.

What Roseline needed to show now was possibility. She needed to create a situation where they could feel even a slight chance of winning. Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy task.

‘Tsk, at times like this, I need someone who would charge in with me.’

Originally, there was such a person here.

Someone who would jump in first without thinking, charging in without hesitation. A youngster who perfectly matched her taste. But that guy had been knocked out with a single blow. She didn’t even know if he was alive or dead.

“Sigh…”

Roseline sighed as she took her stance.

For now, she was planning to try it alone. Just as she was about to take a step toward the Red Dragon with her masterpiece, Echo, firmly gripped—

Boom!

In the distance, a pile of stones flew into the sky.

An unexpected thunderous sound. Roseline’s gaze turned toward the source of the sound. Breaking through the debris of collapsed stone pillars was a boy holding a sword. Seeing this, Roseline’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter.

“That guy is properly insane.”

He took that hit head-on and can still move?

Laughing, Roseline nodded. With the dragon between them, Roseline and Najin’s gazes met. No words were necessary. The moment Roseline pointed to the right and charged, Najin dashed toward the left.

A beast from the mythical age.

A living mystery.

The two swordsmen charged toward the massive monster. Though the two humans were insignificant compared to the dragon’s size, the sword energy (劍氣) they unleashed from their swords was not.

A fragment of transcendence grasped by human bodies.

A brilliant light that held the possibility of piercing the dragon’s scales bloomed.

3.

As he ran toward the Red Dragon, Najin caught his breath. His breathing was rough from being struck by the dragon’s tail. His body creaked. But it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t move.

‘Merlin.’

As he ran, Najin spoke inwardly.

‘That just now, was it the witch’s star?’

-Yes.

‘Did the witch intervene?’

This was the inland. It meant it was a stable space where constellations could barely intervene. But the witch had used some means to intervene.

-She did intervene. Originally, the Red Dragon would never attack the White Dragon. As beings split from one, they cherished each other dearly.

The witch had controlled the Red Dragon.

She controlled it and made it devour the White Dragon to become complete. In the process, Merlin said, she had touched the essence of the dragon.

-Whatever means she used, she won’t be able to use it again. Because Bedivere has moved the Round Table.

Merlin was looking at the sky.

Her eyes would see the constellations being rearranged and realigned. That scene would surely be magnificent, but Najin didn’t have the luxury to look at the sky right now.

Camlann’s existence, the Round Table, those high up in the sky…

Right now, there was a dragon roaring right in front of him.

This was his battlefield. His opponent was the Red Dragon roaring with its feet on the ground. So the only thing Najin needed to focus on was that red dragon. Running with his creaking legs, Najin widened his eyes.

‘Heavy. Fast. Hard to cut.’

The Red Dragon, now several times larger.

After taking that blow earlier, Najin sensed it. He couldn’t cut the Red Dragon with conventional means. He had to think of a way to tear through those scales and drive his sword in.

The Red Dragon, which had gone from being incomplete to complete, was a mysterious beast with all the characteristics of a dragon that Merlin had talked about.

It would take at least a Sword Master to cut that neck in one blow. The current Najin could at most scratch those scales. Could he cut it if he struck the same spot dozens or hundreds of times? He couldn’t be sure.

An opponent with uncertain odds even if he risked his life. Feeling his heart pounding, Najin took a deep breath.

‘The basics of dragon hunting.’

What he learned from Merlin.

No matter how strong the opponent had become, what Najin had to do remained unchanged. First, he had to take away that ridiculous mobility. Najin’s eyes were fixed on the Red Dragon’s wings.

Once it starts flying, they wouldn’t be able to catch it.

He had to tear those wings while it was still excited and crawling on the ground. Roseline, who had exchanged glances with Najin, seemed to have similar thoughts. The two slid toward the sides of the approaching dragon.

Grip.

Najin firmly grasped the hilt of his sword.

What enveloped the sword was a constellation of white and gold. Najin knew this was the reverse scale (逆麟) of dragons. Merlin had told him so.

White-gold sword energy resembling Arthur.

A light with the potential to pierce through the mystery of dragons.

Recalling Merlin’s words, Najin pictured a scene from a fairy tale in his mind. Arthur charging without hesitation toward the giant monsters of the mythical age, giants and dragons. At the end of that battle, Arthur hung a star in the sky.

Star, achievement, the first step toward becoming a hero.

He didn’t know if his sword would work against the dragon or not. But Najin had decided. That he would bring down that dragon. That he would achieve even greater feats than Arthur and engrave a star.

‘Without fail.’

He had decided. Then all that was left was to act.

Najin kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. Najin’s sword energy flickered brightly. In response, Roseline, who had jumped from the opposite side, clashed her twin swords.

“Hey, Najin.”

Roseline called Najin by his name.

Not “youngster” but Najin. As if showing respect to Najin who had jumped into the battlefield without hesitation, she gladly called him by his name.

“I don’t do this for just anyone.”

The echo she spread.

The waves created by the masterpiece were rippling right in front of Najin. As if saying, I’ve prepared a place for you too.

“Give it one shot. Your strongest.”

Najin smiled.

Then he swung his sword with all his might toward the rippling waves before him. The strongest blow he could deliver. The moment Najin’s sword energy mixed with the waves—

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

The echo, carrying the sword energy of two people, resonated in multiple layers.