Ch.171Feeding Trough

A barrage of countless spirit attacks and waves of curses surged toward the dragon. Seiran had set the curse effects to be simple. She also restricted the areas where curses could be applied to extremely limited parts, as adding such constraints would make the curses more powerful.

The curses showed remarkable effectiveness. Some of the dragon’s once-gleaming scales lost their color and began to fall off, while the membrane of its fully spread wings started to rot, causing chunks of flesh to drop.

Seiran didn’t miss any of those falling pieces. Understanding her intention, numerous wolf spirits frantically ran about, devouring everything from the falling scales to chunks of flesh.

She had to use whatever was available. Though the situation seemed favorable at a glance, she could feel her summoned lesser dragon spirit gradually being pushed back as time passed. Seiran swung her sword once more.

She didn’t take any special stance. She simply imbued meaning into the act of cutting itself, releasing her spiritual power. When the energy of Muramasa, which had accumulated countless karmic deeds, was added to her spiritual power, the slash manifested as spiritual energy cut through the golden threads once again.

*Sagak-!*

She had only cut through a portion of the tens of thousands of bundled threads. There was no immediate visible change. Nevertheless, Seiran periodically swung her sword, sending out slashes.

To others, it might have seemed like meaningless attacks that couldn’t inflict any significant damage on the dragon’s body. It might have even looked like weak, limp movements.

Seiran frowned. She had just expended an enormous amount of mental energy. It was starting to become burdensome.

“Are you just going to watch?”

“…I must have gone mad for a moment.”

“I apologize.”

At Seiran’s sharp rebuke, the commanders who had been watching the situation in a daze came to their senses. Being dazed during battle would normally be unthinkable, but the eerie spiritual power Seiran emitted had made it possible.

It was an energy that shook people’s minds. The spiritual power of a great sorcerer had a significant impact even on the imperial knights.

Seiran formed hand seals as she spoke.

“Focus on attacking. I’ll provide support. Don’t dodge incoming attacks, trust me.”

“But that’s…”

“Understood.”

“Of course we should trust our vice-commander’s words.”

Only two people nodded without questioning Seiran’s instructions: Kanok and Duster. As those two launched forward to initiate the attack, the other commanders also kicked off the ground and flew toward the dragon.

Watching their backs, Seiran began to chant incantations. Her small fingers continuously formed hand seals. Seiran moved slowly, drawing blood characters on the dirt ground.

‘A proper altar is needed, but…’

For sorcery to exert its full power, an appropriate ceremonial site must be prepared. Additionally, the surroundings should be calm and quiet, not chaotic, so that the practitioner can fully concentrate.

In other words, this situation itself was extremely disadvantageous for Seiran.

‘Using the four guardian beasts that protect the tribe as pillars, with the sky’s image as the roof. The small flame presiding over the ritual burns the blood…’

*Drip- Drip-*

*Whoosh-*

Flames ignited in the blood dripping from Seiran’s hand, causing fire to rise from the ground. This completed the makeshift altar.

Immediately after, Seiran thrust Muramasa into the ground and sat down beside it. Her clothes became soiled with dirt, but there was no time to worry about such things now.

The effects of the makeshift altar Seiran had completed became apparent immediately. The lesser dragon spirit, which had seemed to be pushed back, began to exert greater strength.

‘Just above Commander Kanok, mana reaction. Not too late. Concentrating part of my spiritual power…’

She formed a barrier just in time. As Seiran thought, her spiritual power moved. Though makeshift, this was the skill display of a sorceress positioned at an altar. Her spiritual power responded faster than before.

*Swoosh-!*

The spiritual power gathering in the air enveloped the mana that was converging right above Kanok. Before the magic could even activate, she nullified the phenomenon itself. Kanok, who had flinched momentarily, leaped forward and swung his sword as if nothing had happened.

*Clang-!*

‘The Claw Commander… he needs footing. Let me send some spirits to create a path in the air. Don’t worry about those with flight abilities.’

Black wolf spirits, responding to Seiran’s will, moved quickly to create a path in the air. Understanding her intention, Duster rotated his falling body to land on it, immediately continuing his next attack.

Such situations repeated endlessly, accelerating Seiran’s thought processes. Her head felt hot, as if her brain had been plunged into boiling water. Blood flowed endlessly from her nose and eyes, but Seiran continued to shake this blood into the burning flames.

It was at that moment. Someone finally succeeded in landing a noticeable attack. As Kanok, floating in the air, swung his sword, one of the massive wings broke off with a *snap*.

As the dragon screamed, Seiran silently cheered at the sight.

The wolf spirits that had been surging from all directions melted together to form one massive shape. The giant wolf thus created snatched the fallen wing and melted into the ground.

It was coming. An overwhelming sacrifice. A medium incomparable to anything before was crossing over. Seiran quickly dissolved the wing absorbed through the shadows. The bones that had formed the powerful body already had a designated use.

At the moment Seiran’s lips curved into a crooked smile, white bone pillars shot up from the four directions of the makeshift altar that had been forming the columns.

*Rumble-!*

The changes didn’t end there. Although it was just a wing bone, part of the body, the amount needed was more than sufficient. Using the massive pillars as a base, the white bones began to expand like rippling waves. Simultaneously, Seiran’s seated body slowly rose.

A chair made of bones emerged from directly beneath her.

The completion of a proper altar, not a makeshift one.

*Flare-*

Black flames ignited at the tops of the pillars marking the four directions. Silently watching this, Seiran lightly sat on the bone-crafted chair.

An altar has the effect of reducing the burden on the sorcerer. Therefore, the larger the scale of the altar, the more the practitioner can accomplish.

‘This should be…’

This should be enough.

Blood vessels appeared in Seiran’s reddened eyes. As her small hands formed seals, a voice that was soft yet far-reaching flowed from her lips.

Inner World Manifestation

The Longing of the Dreamer

Something she couldn’t use until now. Bringing her inner world into this place. That had now become possible.

Simultaneously, spiritual power spread out from around Seiran. The sky, the ground, everything around turned pitch black. Seiran had been wandering in dreams for the past few years. It was no different from a great sorceress with overwhelming talent meditating to train her mental strength.

Therefore.

The scale of the world she summoned could only be massive.

*Crack-!*

The altar, which shared the practitioner’s burden, began to crack. Seiran didn’t stop. She fully released all the spiritual power overflowing in her mind.

*Boom-!*

The wave of released spiritual power surged beyond the valley, covering the entire massive basin. And so, when the whole world was covered in pitch-black darkness.

Seiran wished. She wanted to live a peaceful daily life with her brother. For that to happen, that massive creature had to die.

Yes, death. Seiran wished for its death.

The space, accepting its master’s will, began to move. The seething darkness swung a massive blade.

*Slash-!*

It couldn’t be seen. There was no need to see it. In the pitch-black darkness, everything except Seiran was meaningless.

‘It hit.’

She felt a definite sensation. That the massive creature’s body had been split with a *crack*.

*Crack-*

‘I can only summon it for a short while…’

Seiran’s gaze checked the condition of the bones forming the altar. Cracks were everywhere, making it look like it could collapse at any moment. What if the bones constituting the altar had been from a real dragon?

‘Hmph…’

With such a powerful body, perhaps the body itself could have served as an altar.

Anyway. It was about time. Seiran watched the collapsing world while grasping her fading consciousness.

As the black space collapsed, the basin and valley revealed their miserable state. As if some giant blade had sliced through, the massive rock mountain and surrounding terrain had been cleanly cut.

That wasn’t all. At the end of the valley, cracks began to form on the body of the dragon that had been spreading its massive form, and it started to tilt sideways. Seiran, barely holding onto her fading consciousness, moved her shadow and the summoned spirits.

The giant wolf and lesser dragon began to wrap around the bisected dragon’s body.

‘Just a little more…’

*Crack-*

The altar, no longer able to bear the burden, collapsed. Simultaneously, the dragon’s body, entwined in shadows, melted into the ground.