Ch.230Chapter 230 – Rubrum (3)

Rubrum spread its six wings and soared into the sky.

I didn’t follow it upward, instead gripping my halberd tightly, and soon small magic circles began to appear above Rubrum’s wings.

Then immediately, light bullets started flying from the wing’s magic circles.

I could tell right away that they were similar to the magic missiles that Sera often fired, but more powerful.

‘Stay calm.’

Watching the light bullets being rapidly fired from the six magic circles, I wrapped even more magical energy around my halberd than before.

I swung the halberd to cut, deflect, and block the light bullets. Then, a massive dragon claw made of magical energy began to form above Rubrum’s head.

I narrowly avoided the claw as it struck down like someone swatting a fly. This time, Rubrum itself charged at me directly, wielding a spear.

-Clang!!

I barely blocked it with my halberd, but due to the momentum of its charge, Rubrum’s spear felt incredibly heavy.

I felt the impact reverberate through my arm, but Rubrum continued swinging its spear relentlessly.

Giving up on direct confrontation, I dodged its attacks, then spun my halberd with all my might and threw it, but Rubrum easily deflected it with its spear.

Using the brief opening created, I formed a magic blade on my arm and quickly blocked the next attack.

-Kragagak!!

Rubrum’s spear and my magic blade created a small shower of sparks.

Then I sensed magical energy gathering in one of Rubrum’s wings.

‘Damn it.’

If I continued this test of strength, I’d get hit in the head immediately.

I abandoned the power struggle, slightly pulling my body back and turning. A light bullet grazed past where I had just been.

Having forcibly created an opening, Rubrum used its spear to block my retreat and then tried to bring it down on me with full force.

Simultaneously, I felt magical energy gathering in all six wings again.

If I just stood still, I’d be hit by either the spear or the light bullets.

Judging by the power I sensed, a direct hit could immediately render me unable to fight.

I needed to quickly block or dodge.

‘Stay calm.’

I’d experienced situations like this before when fighting powerful opponents in my memories and during training.

My body already remembered how to respond.

I turned my palm to face Rubrum.

Then I immediately dispelled the magic blade that had been extending from the back of my gauntlet, causing the magical energy that should have formed the blade to momentarily linger around my hand.

I gathered all that excess energy into my palm and released it.

-Pung!

A crisp, spreading sound accompanied the burst of magical energy.

The suddenly released energy struck Rubrum, and simultaneously I felt my body being rapidly pushed backward.

Not resisting the recoil, I let my body fly backward. In an instant, I was propelled away, and I saw Rubrum’s spear and light bullets pass through where I had just been.

Successfully executing an emergency evasion using the sudden magical discharge, I flew to my intended position and rolled on the ground.

I retrieved my halberd that had been lying on the ground and pointed it at Rubrum.

‘As expected, it wasn’t enough to damage it.’

I thought quietly as I looked at Rubrum, who was completely unharmed.

Since I had fired a mass of magical energy at close range, it would have been reasonable for an ordinary opponent to be injured, but my opponent was no ordinary being.

Rubrum spoke quietly, as if it had analyzed my attack.

[So you used magical discharge to gain propulsion.]

Having accurately identified what I’d done, Rubrum soon looked at me again and said:

[Creating distance and retrieving your weapon. Not bad.]

“Like I said, I had good teachers.”

[I see.]

Rubrum silently stared at me for a moment.

And then the next moment.

[I think that’s enough reconnaissance.]

With those words, Rubrum suddenly vanished.

Instinctively, I turned around and transformed my arm into a shield-like form again. With a shock, my body was thrown backward.

Then I saw Rubrum, who had kicked me with its leg.

[Now I’ll get serious, youngster.]

“…Bring it on!”

I immediately spread my wings to stabilize myself, then dove toward the ground.

Rubrum’s spear sliced through the air where I had just been, and I struck down with my halberd toward Rubrum’s now exposed back.

Rubrum simply blocked the halberd with its gauntlet, then immediately began descending toward me.

As I fell, I threw my halberd at Rubrum again. While Rubrum was busy deflecting it with a punch, I rushed at it and struck its arm with my knee.

-Kwak!

The sound of armor hitting armor rang out brutally, and soon Rubrum’s spear fell from its hand.

Then Rubrum swung its fist and struck my head.

-Kung!

With a dull impact, my neck twisted slightly.

Instinctively, I raised one arm and leg to block Rubrum’s kick.

Using the blocking posture and the impact, I moved behind Rubrum and swung my fist, striking Rubrum’s head hard.

I created another magic blade and aimed for Rubrum’s head, but this time Rubrum also created a magical claw and caught my magic blade.

After several exchanges using magical weapons, Rubrum soon swung a sword it had created by transforming part of its armor.

-Kragagaak!!

‘As expected, a weapon made from transformed armor has more power.’

I thought quietly as I watched my magic blade break against Rubrum’s sword. Though both were weapons made of magical energy, there was a difference in durability between a weapon made from specially hardened magical armor and one simply shaped from magical energy.

Either way, if it breaks, I can just make another one, but unfortunately, I can’t transform my armor frequently since doing so puts my life slightly at risk.

However.

The fact that one side has greater durability doesn’t mean the other side is at a complete disadvantage.

-Bwoong!!

As Rubrum swung its sword, I deliberately cut off the magical energy to my magic blade.

Simultaneously, I twisted my body to avoid Rubrum’s sword, then generated a new magic blade and thrust it toward Rubrum.

If I’m at a disadvantage in terms of durability…

I can use the characteristics of a magical energy mass to avoid direct confrontation and attack.

[Such tricks!]

As I continued to dodge weapons while thrusting attacks toward it, Rubrum shouted in apparent displeasure.

After continuing this brief exchange, I soon saw the ground coming into view.

And on either side, I could see Beatrice and Eina fighting against the four sisters, including Lorona and Lirina.

Meanwhile, I saw the halberd and spear that had been falling through the air descending toward me and Rubrum. Wordlessly, Rubrum and I created distance between us and each retrieved our weapons.

I saw Rubrum trying to ascend again on the opposite side where no one was present. Flying in the opposite direction, I swung my magic blade toward Lorona and Lirina as I passed between them.

Lorona and Lirina, apparently not expecting me to suddenly pass by, backed away in alarm.

And just as I was about to fly back into the sky, Sera and Eve came into view.

“Mr. Kay!”

Sera’s cry.

And Eve’s eyes, seemingly pleading for something, came into view.

I quickly reached out my hand as I passed slightly beside Sera and Eve, and then I soared back into the sky.

Meanwhile, Rubrum, who had already flown higher than me, was seen descending with its spear thrust forward.

[Let’s see if you can withstand this!]

Fire was already beginning to blaze around Rubrum.

Starting from the spear tip, Rubrum was transforming into a flaming spear.

‘I need to neutralize it.’

Dodging would be simple, but my comrades were at the end of Rubrum’s trajectory.

If I dodged, it was obvious my companions would be caught in the attack.

Moreover, judging by the amount of magical energy I sensed, even if the others below noticed and tried to escape, they would still be caught in the aftershock.

I stopped my flight and immediately gathered magical energy in my hand.

Wind swirled, creating a storm, and lightning generated within the vortex was compressed in my hand.

I gathered and compressed the lightning, concentrating its power.

‘Still not enough time.’

With more time, I might have been able to gather enough power to neutralize Rubrum’s attack.

But since Rubrum was descending rapidly, I didn’t have time to gather that much power.

‘No choice.’

I extended my arm, staring at Rubrum, who had become a flaming spear.

Looking at the rotating flaming spear, I aimed slightly above the spear tip and fired the lightning.

Part of the lightning began to split against the rotating spear.

However, some of it was definitely accumulating on the flaming spear.

And that accumulated lightning…

‘Impact.’

I detonated it.

An explosion occurred in part of the flaming spear, weakening its rotation.

The visibly weakened flaming spear began to engulf my body.

I quickly raised my halberd infused with magical energy, but after briefly holding out, the halberd was flung away somewhere. The flaming spear soon began to corrode my armor as we fell toward the ground.

“Oh, damn it?!”

“Get away! Quickly!!”

From behind, I heard Beatrice and Eve quickly evacuating the others.

Meanwhile, my body crashed into the ground.

Then it broke through the earth and continued falling.

I felt heat behind my back.

‘Beyond this is…’

Before I could think further,

my body, along with Rubrum, fell straight into the lava.

+

It’s hot.

Even as the lava’s heat penetrated his body, Rubrum remained composed.

Originally, he was accustomed to sleeping in lava during normal times.

Falling into lava wouldn’t kill him.

However, the one who fell with him was different.

‘He won’t be able to endure it.’

Even ordinary dragons couldn’t survive in lava unless they had exceptionally tough scales or were highly resistant to heat like Rubrum.

Moreover, his opponent wasn’t a dragon.

‘This is beyond his limits.’

Even wearing dragon armor, without being a dragon by birth, it would be difficult to survive falling into lava.

‘I can’t see well, but I can sense his presence.’

Due to the flaming spear he was casting and the lava, he couldn’t see his opponent.

Still, he could sense the presence. He could tell the opponent wasn’t dead yet.

‘It must be because of the dragon armor.’

With the armor, he could endure for a short while.

But at this rate, even if he escaped, he would be incapacitated and would have to prepare for full-body burns.

‘This is the end.’

He fought better than Rubrum had expected, but this was the limit.

Unable to completely neutralize the flaming spear, the opponent had fallen into the lava with Rubrum and was defeated.

Still, Rubrum thought the opponent was at least two levels higher than he had initially estimated.

‘I can’t leave him here, I should take him out soon.’

Thinking this, he tried to withdraw his spear.

-Grip

If something hadn’t been holding onto his spear, he would have retrieved it already.

He tried to pull the spear with more force, but it didn’t budge.

And before Rubrum could do anything else,

suddenly something blunt struck Rubrum’s head hard.

[What…!]

The limited visibility had been a problem.

Still, it was a mistake to have let his guard down, thinking the opponent couldn’t move in lava.

Rubrum immediately tried to take a stance, but at that moment, he realized something was gripping his back.

And, recognizing the familiar magical energy being released from behind, his body began to rapidly exit the lava.

-Pung!!

As they emerged from the lava, his vision returned.

Rubrum quickly tried to twist his body.

The next moment, Rubrum began to fall rapidly.

With his back gripped, Rubrum’s body crashed into the ground, and as magical energy was released, it began to grind him against the surface.

-Kwadududuk

His armor dug into the ground and began to scrape along the surface.

The impact was greater than expected, and Rubrum felt part of his helmet slightly break.

However, just because he couldn’t resist for a moment didn’t mean he would continue to be pushed back by his opponent.

[That’s, enough!]

Putting strength into his entire body, he forcibly braked and then grabbed the enemy and threw him.

Somehow, the opponent’s armor felt thicker than expected as he threw him toward a wall.

And he saw the opponent, who had flown through the wall, immediately getting back up.

In the meantime, Rubrum quickly approached the enemy and kicked out.

-Tung!!

Heavy.

And thick.

Though he was the one attacking, Rubrum was slightly surprised by the opponent’s durability as some of the impact rebounded back to him. He created distance again.

Only then could he properly look at his opponent’s appearance.

[…Your form…]

The overall appearance of the armor had changed.

The armor had become more massive and thicker.

The gauntlets were more rugged and larger.

And the wings were gone.

Despite being submerged in lava, the opponent was unharmed.

[So, you’re not going to end this easily, I see.]

Rubrum muttered softly as he looked at Kay.

And as if affirming his answer, a small gleam of light appeared from within Kay’s helmet.