Ch.119Draig Goch (3)

The silver-white sword aura is the dragon’s reverse scale.

Merlin once said so.

Silver-white sword aura resembling starlight. Throughout human history, only one person, Arthur, could wield it. A thousand years ago, Arthur swung the silver-white sword aura to cut down countless demons and bring down many, many dragons.

“Whether he had the silver-white sword aura because he pulled Excalibur, or whether he could pull Excalibur because he had the silver-white sword aura, I don’t know. But the sequence doesn’t matter.”

What matters is the characteristic of the silver-white sword aura.

“Arthur’s sword aura resisted mysteries.”

“It means it resisted things that went against the natural order.”

“As if telling them to follow the rules of the world.”

The rules established in the world.

Things called natural order, providence.

“Witches, demons, dragons, fallen stars, the cursed things of the Abyss. Do you know what they have in common?”

“They’re beings that have strayed from providence.”

“Beings that cross, break, and twist the established rules as they please. Their very existence is like cheating.”

“Now you understand what I’m trying to say, right?”

Arthur’s sword aura punished those who didn’t follow the rules. As if telling them to follow the rules. Arthur cut through their mysteries, tore apart their scales, and made those who didn’t bleed, bleed.

“Your sword aura is fundamentally different from Arthur’s.”

“But it shares that characteristic.”

“Remember when you faced the black magician? Even though you hadn’t reached the level of Seeker yet… you endured the mystery of the masterpiece and tore apart black magic.”

Merlin had said with a smile.

“Then, now that you’ve reached Seeker, what might happen?”

Now it was time to find out.

Najin imbued his sword aura into the echo created by Roseline. The strongest sword aura output he could produce. Since the white star was still strong within Najin, a pure white light burst forth first.

And following it was gold. Gold mixed with the pure white flash. The result was a sword aura that was infinitely close to silver-white. Normally he would have hidden it, but Najin had no luxury to do so now.

This was a life-or-death battle. There was nowhere to run, and there was no option to buy time. Facing an enemy that had to be destroyed with all his might, Najin revealed the power he had been hiding.

Flash!

A light flashed.

Since rumors had spread that Najin wielded white and gold sword aura, this flash could be mistaken as a variation of that. But not by Roseline Askarlo.

“Huh.”

Roseline felt the sword aura carried in her echo. A sword aura that made half of her soul scream. Her skin stung and her heart pounded heavily. At that sharp pain, Roseline stuck out her tongue.

This will definitely work.

A smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

Roseline gritted her teeth and swung her twin swords. The echo spreading from the masterpiece, Echo, had a net-like form. Following the tip of her sword, the net of sword aura covered the dragon’s wings.

Kiiiiiiiiing!

Najin and Roseline’s sword aura clawed at the dragon’s wings. The dragon’s scales disrupted the sword aura, but the scales were being shaved off faster than the sword aura was being disrupted. With a sound of tididididik! the scales began to split.

“———————!”

With a roar, the Red Dragon flapped its wings, and the net tore apart with the gust of wind. The sword aura scattered. But the echo created by Roseline had already served its purpose.

Because it had split the scales to create a foothold.

Because it had created a gap to thrust the sword aura into.

Enduring the gusting wind, the two clung to the dragon’s wings. Humans, infinitely small compared to the massive body of the dragon. However, the radiance on the blades they held allows humans to hunt monsters while remaining human.

Left and right wings, Roseline and Najin each climbed onto one wing and began to sprint across the scales. They thrust their swords between scales and drew out sword aura at every opportunity.

Kiiiiiiiiing!

Sword aura resembling beast’s teeth echoed.

Flash!

Sword aura resembling constellations continuously emitted flashes.

A dragon’s wings are originally meant for flying in the sky.

Since they need to create and ride the wind, not all of their membrane is covered with scales. The outside is covered with scales, but the inside is not.

Chwaaaak!

Roseline and Najin persistently targeted that part. They slashed and tore the dragon’s wings. To prevent it from flying. Blood splattered and the dragon’s wings became tattered. The plan was successful, but…

The Red Dragon didn’t just sit and watch.

The Red Dragon bent its long neck, looked at its wings, and opened its mouth wide. Fire was swirling in that mouth. Breath. To shake off the humans on its body, the Red Dragon breathed fire toward itself.

The fire breathed by the completed Red Dragon was closer to a flash of light than flames. The intense heat melted the surrounding stones and softened the ground.

Roseline and Najin immediately kicked off the wings and left the battlefield when the Red Dragon opened its mouth, but they couldn’t escape the heat. Their skin was left with burns, and melted skin and clothes stuck together.

“This is crazy. Setting fire to its own body?”

Roseline grumbled, coughing up blocked breath. Najin brushed off the remaining fire stuck to his clothes and looked ahead. There was the Red Dragon engulfed in flames.

The Red Dragon’s wings were burning.

While other parts were safe thanks to the scales, the wings that Najin and Roseline had slashed couldn’t withstand the flames. As if willing to sacrifice its wings anyway, the Red Dragon had counterattacked. Najin caught his breath.

The first button was fastened.

They had torn the wings to take away its mobility. Now the Red Dragon could no longer fly in the sky. What should they do next?

-You need to pierce its heart or cut off the dragon’s neck.

Najin nodded. To seal an immortal being like a dragon, they first had to kill it once. They had to give it death as a living being by striking its heart or neck. Najin gripped his sword tighter.

“Huu…”

Najin had no means to withstand the dragon’s attack. If he tried to face it head-on, his bones would be crushed like before. But as for avoiding it, it wasn’t easy to dodge an attack that utilized that massive body.

If he chose only to avoid, the distance would increase. If the distance increased, it would only be advantageous for the dragon. He had to attempt both avoidance and approach simultaneously.

‘Not easy, but.’

It wasn’t impossible either. A method came to Najin’s mind. Chain stake. Holding the sword with one hand and spinning the chain with the other, Najin began to run.

Roseline too, as if she had her own method, was sprinting toward the dragon from a different direction.

Different directions. Rather than intercepting one of them, the Red Dragon chose to sweep them all at once, spinning its body and swinging its tail.

The Red Dragon’s tail was swung like a whip.

A blow that had shattered Najin’s bones. But Najin wasn’t stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice. He jumped high off the ground and threw the chain. At that moment, the chain wrapped around the dragon’s tail.

Ting! The chain was pulled taut, and Najin’s body was roughly dragged as if thrown at something. With the chain attached to the dragon’s tail, Najin’s body was swung like a sling following the tail.

The chain creaked. The arm holding the chain felt like it would tear. But Najin endured. Because his instinct told him this method was correct.

Enduring the centrifugal force, when that force reached its peak, Najin calculated the direction and released the chain. Like a stone shot from a sling, Najin was fired at the Red Dragon. Swaaaak! Cutting through the air at maximum speed, Najin reached the Red Dragon and gripped his sword in reverse.

And then, plunge.

Najin’s sword was embedded in the Red Dragon’s body.

Acceleration utilizing centrifugal force. A blow that threw his own body. Silver-white sword aura wrapped around the sword. All of these combined into a blow that pierced the dragon’s scales. But this was just the beginning.

Despite the pain that shook his body at the moment of landing, Najin moved, whipping his body. Twisting the embedded sword, he ran along the Red Dragon’s body.

The sword aura blazed wildly, scattering flashes. Maximum output. Without hesitation, Najin drew out sword aura with all his might and swung his sword. The attack, poured out while abusing his body to the limit, was clearly effective.

Chwaaaak!

Scales split and blood splattered.

Realizing his attacks were working, Najin moved more roughly. He swung his sword until his arms tore, and he ran across the dragon’s scales regardless of whether his broken ankle screamed in pain. He didn’t even care about his skin being burned by the heat remaining on the scales.

Najin immersed himself in the sword.

It was a state he had acquired during his previous battle with the witch.

His blood boiled and his heart beat violently. His vision narrowed, and all that was visible to him were what he needed to cut and the swinging sword. Forgetting even to breathe, Najin swung his sword in a trance.

In this state, Najin moved faster and more efficiently than usual. The blade cut deep and fatal places, and the sword aura flashed infinitely sharp.

-…! Na…jin!

The dragon’s scales split and blood splattered.

A mere human was tearing apart a dragon dozens of times his size. With each flash of white and gold sword aura, blood shot high into the sky.

-Hey, hey! …!

Najin’s sword moved even faster. In less than a second, Najin’s sword was swung ten times. From a distance, the sight almost looked like a ghost.

-Hey!

Trance. A state of immersion in the sword.

A state that only some swordsmen can reach. Swordsmen strive to reach this state, but Sword Masters who have reached transcendence often say this:

Don’t get drunk on the sword. It’s a double-edged sword with as many disadvantages as advantages.

Najin didn’t know this fact. He focused only on the fact that his attacks were working on the dragon, and he was so focused on making the dragon bleed that he didn’t hear Merlin’s voice. That’s why Najin noticed the anomaly too late.

Burrrr.

The dragon’s scales were trembling. Since when? Probably a few seconds ago. At that moment, the immersion broke. Najin’s eyes widened and his vision expanded. Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ears.

-Avoid, get away, now!

A voice that had probably been shouting for a few seconds. Najin moved, but it was already too late. The trembling scales were shot toward Najin. Dozens of forearm-sized scales at once.

Pababababak!

Scales positioned in the place where he was stepping, where he would step next, where he would escape to, all those directions, shot upward. The scene appeared slow to Najin’s eyes. But there was no way to avoid it. It was already too late.

If his vision hadn’t narrowed due to immersion in the sword.

If he had listened to Merlin’s voice.

If he had noticed the precursor, or if his leg hadn’t been broken, he could have reacted to the attack.

Plunge.

The dragon’s scales shot into Najin’s body.

Human blood, not dragon blood, splattered. Najin’s vision turned red.

2.

His body is hot. His vision is blurry.

A ringing sound, piiiiii, echoed in his ears. Najin belatedly realized that he had lost consciousness for a moment. After pushing his body to the limit and receiving a fatal wound, his consciousness had snapped.

Kuhuk, kuk, kolok.

Najin spat out a handful of blood. After blinking several times, his vision slowly returned. Najin noticed that he was lying face down on the ground. Surely he should have been pierced by the dragon’s scales?

“…you …conscious.”

A voice echoed in his ears.

Najin slowly raised his head. There was a man standing with his back to him. As his vision returned, his hearing belatedly returned as well.

“I see you’re finally conscious.”

Rihart Folshen. He was standing in front of Najin, having planted his great shield.

“Thank Roseline. The moment you were pierced by the scales, she threw you here.”

“…How long was I unconscious?”

“About 3 minutes.”

3 minutes. Not a long time, but not a short time either.

“Huu, huuk…”

Breathing heavily, Najin barely managed to stand up. He opened his eyes and looked ahead. There was the rampaging Red Dragon and the White Rank adventurers charging toward it. Led by Roseline, three White Rank adventurers were facing the Red Dragon.

It should have been just him and Roseline.

Somehow, White Rank adventurers had joined.

“Watching, it seemed possible. I don’t like fighting battles with slim chances of winning, but with you two rampaging like that, it didn’t feel right to run away.”

Noticing Najin’s gaze, Rihart shrugged. Although he had quit being a knight because he disliked being bound by duty, he wasn’t the type to run away and be called a ‘cowardly wimp’ by someone.

He took a deep breath and pushed his great shield forward.

Although it was a great shield made of rare metal, its edges were melted. As if it had blocked a breath. When Najin looked around, the ground was melted in a radial pattern. Except for the place where he had been lying.

‘…Did he protect me?’

The moment he was pierced by the scales, Roseline had thrown him here, and judging by the circumstances, the Red Dragon had breathed fire toward him. And it was Rihart who had protected him from that breath.

“Thank you. I owe you my life.”

“Don’t mention it. If anything, I’m sorry for joining late. I was hesitating.”

Rihart smiled bitterly.

He turned to Najin and asked.

“Can you move?”

“I think I can manage somehow.”

Najin stood up, staggering.

“It’s ridiculous to entrust this to an injured person, but it seems like you’re the only one who can inflict a fatal wound on that dragon.”

Rihart pointed at the Red Dragon.

The White Rank adventurers were constantly charging, but there were no significant wounds on the Red Dragon’s body. The only wounds were those created by Najin when he climbed onto the Red Dragon’s back. Blood was still flowing from the Red Dragon’s back.

“Are you going?”

“I have to. We need to catch that thing, don’t we?”

“In that state?”

“I can still swing a sword.”

Najin raised his arm.

His fingers were broken, but since his skin had melted and stuck to the hilt, there was no problem holding the sword. After checking Najin’s condition, Rihart clicked his tongue at his determination.

“You’re crazy. Do you have a plan?”

A plan. Najin looked to the side.

There was Merlin, fidgeting anxiously.

-You, you, really…

‘I’m sorry.’

Merlin, with a tearful face, rubbed her face.

She let out a sigh of relief. Merlin’s fingertips were trembling. Well, he had almost died. Najin took a deep breath and thought of a method inwardly. As if asking Merlin for permission.

Najin’s thoughts flowed into Merlin.

Reading those thoughts, Merlin glared at him.

A look that seemed to say, are you crazy, are you in your right mind. But Merlin didn’t put those words into her mouth. She just nodded, exhaling. Even to her, that was the only way to overcome this situation.

The prepared means had collapsed.

Normal methods were impossible.

The body’s condition was already at its limit.

But, Najin had just one means to overturn all of that. And to use that means, there was only one way.

“I have something in mind.”

Najin answered Rihart’s question.

He extended his finger to point at something.

Looking at where he was pointing, Rihart blinked. Then he frowned and asked Najin.

“You’re not in your right mind. Are you serious?”

“It’s the most certain strategy.”

“Usually, suicide isn’t called a strategy. It’s crazy. Who in the world…”

“Isn’t it by doing what no one else in the world would do that one achieves great deeds?”

“Huh,” Rihart let out a hollow laugh.

“Worthy of being the youngest Sword Seeker. A man who doesn’t know the value of his life.”

Even as he said this, Rihart raised his shield.

“Still, I can’t deny that’s the only way. At this rate, we’ll all die.”

“What will you do?”

“What else?”

With a thud, he took a step ahead of Najin. Raising his great shield, Rihart curled up the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll join you in your madness.”

I’ll get you there somehow.