Ch.320Chapter 320: The Great Confrontation (9)

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I extinguish the flames flying toward me, threatening to engulf my entire body.

By swinging the Dragon Sword.

Woong-!!

Not just swinging it, but with all my might.

The flames, already close enough to touch my body, meet the Dragon Sword in an instant.

In that moment, a sensation different from cutting through matter or living beings with mass and density transmits through my fingertips.

Sizzle-!!

Despite wearing the Red Dragon Armor, the unpleasant smell of burning flesh stings my nostrils as the heat penetrates through to my skin.

“Huaaah!!”

I have no intention of succumbing to such pain, so I let out a battle cry while increasing the density of the fighting spirit enveloping my Dragon Sword.

Whoosh-!!

I also intensify the flames within me to withstand the fire breathed out by Desire.

Perhaps stimulated by my appearance—

【Kuwhaaaaark-!!】

Desire’s roar accompanies another breath of fire from far away, hammering at my ears.

The path of my sword swing suddenly feels heavier.

Even though flames have substance, it’s incredible how they approach with mass and density that press against my body.

Compared to earlier when there was half an intent to kill me and half a calculation to somehow obtain the divinity within my body after defeating me—

This second breath of flame from Desire contains no such calculation, only pure killing intent concentrated and spewed forth.

Creak-!!

I’m being pushed back. The mass and density contained in the beast’s flames are pushing my physical body back.

As Paphnir had assured me earlier, the crimson flames he lent me prevented my body from being incinerated by the beast’s fire.

But it was an undeniable fact that I was being pushed back by an enormous power I couldn’t possibly resist.

【Die! Die! DIE!!】

Unlike moments ago when it showed some composure, Desire’s voice now screams with vicious rage, demanding my death, conveying something entirely different from the earlier sneers and mockery.

The screams reminded me of a storm of concentrated killing intent and fury, but—

For some reason, those screams felt to me like jealousy—the most primal emotion one could harbor toward something they couldn’t possess.

I couldn’t even guess why Desire, who had previously considered me a tool for becoming a greater being and thus fought with some restraint, was now projecting such jealousy toward me.

But one thing was certain: if I continued to be pushed back by its flames like this, I could truly die.

So I increased the concentration of fighting spirit wrapped around the Dragon Sword that I had extended to block its flames.

Woong-!!

The Dragon Sword responds to the fighting spirit wrapped around its blade, emitting a pleasing resonance.

Come to think of it, whenever this sword rang out with such a clear tone, I always overcame my opponent and achieved victory.

This time, however, it’s regrettable that this distinct resonance cannot guarantee my victory.

That’s how formidable an opponent Desire is before me.

Well, when has fighting ever been limited to opponents weaker than oneself?

Since beginning this life with a determination to prevent tragedy from repeating, I’ve faced countless opponents while wielding my sword.

Each of those opponents was overwhelmingly difficult for me to defeat.

I’ve been struck in vital points by their weapons and suffered fatal wounds countless times.

Yet I never fell, standing firm and fighting until I ultimately claimed victory.

Thanks to my ultra-regenerative ability that leaves no traces of wounds on my body, and—

The power of my spirit sword that responds to my strong will, allowing me to cut through anything in this world.

As I used the power of my spirit sword to cut through Desire’s flames and advance little by little, my thoughts expanded to this point.

And naturally, I came to realize:

Even though my current opponent is an absurdly powerful being unlike anyone I’ve faced before—

If I continue this process without giving up, there will eventually be a good outcome.

This realization was filled with vague hope rather than clear enlightenment.

But that vagueness gave me the courage to take one more step forward.

Step-

One step, I gather my courage and move one foot closer.

With each step, the heat from Desire’s terrifying flames is so intense it evaporates even the sweat that should naturally flow.

If I’m going to die whether I stay still or advance toward it—

I might as well move a few steps closer and show human will.

Who knows? What people commonly call miracles only happen when strong will and action come together.

Perhaps these steps I’m taking now will serve as the touchstone for such a miracle.

Step-

And so I took my second step forward, filled with courage and the conviction that gave rise to it.

With each step, my heart and my second heart, which refine my fighting spirit, pound violently, circulating energy throughout my body.

Each time this happens, excruciating pain tears through my body, but it doesn’t stop my heavy footsteps.

Even as the blood vessels in my eyes burst, turning my vision crimson before my ultra-regenerative ability restores them to their original state—a process that repeats countless times—

The physical pain was no longer a factor that could stop my advancing steps.

【Why… won’t you stop?】

As Desire sees me continuing my steps without any sign of retreat, a voice tinged with bewilderment—something I’ve never heard from her since our encounter—flows from her mouth.

Seeing that arrogant demon god—no, demon dragon—who treats the world as her possession, showing prolonged confusion—

Step-

It’s enough to heighten my motivation to take a third step.

How could I possibly stop?

【Stop…】

Seeing my slow, heavy, but steady footsteps, Desire tells me to stop.

Her voice, showing pure urgency completely different from her usual cold sneers, mockery, and frivolity—

【I said STOP!!】

After a brief moment, this time she lets out a scream that embodies the fear felt when confronting something unknown—

【KUOOOOO!!】

A third stream of flames, carrying a terrible sulfuric scent, erupts from her mouth.

It’s massive. The previous two flames were already impressive enough to burn down the obsidian palace that she had painstakingly built when she still possessed divinity.

Whooooosh-!!

But compared to the current one, which burns the surrounding air so fiercely that it’s difficult to breathe, those were mere child’s play.

Here it comes…!! A massive obstacle that will engulf me if I merely try to block it.

My body and reason, already at their limits just from advancing, simultaneously urge me to stop and accept these flames, to end everything.

[Let’s go. There’s nothing to worry about.]

Paphnir’s reassuringly firm voice and—

Thump-!! Thump-!!

The pulsations from two hearts positioned symmetrically, infusing me with infinite power, urged me to move forward for what needed to be done, suppressing both reason and instinct.

Step-

As I took my fourth step—

Woong-!!

I swung my Dragon Sword, wrapped in fighting spirit, downward toward the approaching flames.

Swaaak-!!

From the tip of my downward slash, crimson fighting spirit soared, cutting through the hot sulfuric flames and continuing its journey far beyond where my footsteps were headed.

There’s no need to specify where it was heading.

Slash-!!

The sharp cutting sound of a blade slicing through flesh and blood, and—

【KYAAAAAAAK!!】

Desire’s piercing scream of agony confirmed that my spirit sword had completed its journey successfully.

【It hurts…!! It hurts…!!】

I couldn’t see Desire writhing in pain as if she had never felt such agony before, due to the flames that had not yet subsided, but it didn’t matter.

As her screams grew louder, the surrounding air rippled more violently than when distorted by flames, causing considerable trembling in my body as well.

For some reason, her painful screams seemed to bring comfort to my body, which was suffering from physical pain.

No, it wasn’t just my imagination.

My mind, already beyond its limits and filled only with the desire to lie down on the cold obsidian floor despite this heat—

Upon hearing her screams, was burning with the desire to take one more step forward to clearly see the wound I had inflicted on her body.

And in that state, to return all the mockery she had thrown at me.

Therefore…

Step-

I took another step forward.

It may have seemed like an insignificantly small step.

But the will to achieve a near-impossible feat continued to sustain me without weakening as I took this step.

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Desire was on the verge of madness.

Was it the excruciating pain that drove her mad—pain in this dragon body which, despite returning to a lower form, had rarely experienced even common wounds?

Of course, that pain was one reason, but not the whole story.

Step-

What drove her to madness was the unbelievable sight of a man who should by all rights be dead, still advancing toward her.

No matter how Desire looked at him, Kal’s appearance was so distorted that it seemed abnormal even to her, whose perspective differed greatly from ordinary beings.

His forced footsteps were so unstable they seemed ready to collapse if someone merely breathed on him.

Despite wearing a helmet, the radiant light in his eyes had dimmed to the point where it seemed to be waiting only for the moment to extinguish completely.

Needless to say, Kal should have already perished, turned to ashes after taking the full brunt of Desire’s numerous flames and violent attacks.

【Grrrrrrrr…】

Yet not only had he wielded a spirit sword that caused her enough pain to make her groan as if her blood were boiling—

“Don’t… underestimate… human will.”

He was even making a clear declaration for her to hear.

It’s no wonder Desire’s mind was in chaos, facing both physical pain and an incomprehensible sight simultaneously.

Desire realized this couldn’t continue.

She had expected the man, who should have functioned as the finest tool for her ascension to greatness, to rebel against her as always—that was almost a constant.

But her mind was desperately denying the reality that she, who hadn’t properly awakened the divinity within her body, could suffer such a miserable fate at the hands of a mere tool.

Of course, an ordinary being in such a situation would focus on denying reality until they destroyed themselves.

【Don’t be ridiculous!!】

But the difference between Desire and ordinary beings was that even amid such denial of reality, she didn’t abandon her attempt to inflict devastating punishment on the opponent who had driven her to this point.

Woooong-!!

What Desire employed against Kal, who was narrowing the distance with heavy footsteps, was her tail—the most suitable part of her current body to use as a weapon.

At first, she couldn’t penetrate the strong protective power of the armor he wore, and instead felt the impact of her own tail.

But judging that Kal, already exhausted, couldn’t withstand this attack, she swung without hesitation.

As she expected, her confidently swung tail succeeded in striking Kal’s advancing body, raising faint flames.

Baaak-!!

The thunderous sound of overwhelming mass moving at terrifying speed to crush its target overpowered even the roaring flames.

Seeing Kal’s footsteps halt after being hit by her tail, Desire’s expression began to soften from the bewilderment and anger she had been harboring.

“…How pathetic.”

But Kal, who evaluated her attack as inadequate with an incredibly calm tone for someone who had just received such a terrible blow—

Crunch-!!

【Ugh…!!】

Before Desire could finish the groan she let out in surprise at the pressure she felt from him strongly gripping her tail, what appeared before her eyes was a sight so surreal it made all the absurdities she had seen before seem plausible.

Tap tap tap-!!

Kal was running. Using her tail as a foothold, he was approaching her with refreshingly light footsteps that made his previous heavy gait seem like a lie.

His eyes, which had seemed on the verge of death, now flashed with crimson light as if about to burst.

“Let me show you…”

Kal’s declaration that he would show her something was quiet, but carried an undeniable dignity that even she couldn’t ignore.

Desire, who until just moments ago had been delivering overwhelming death to Kal—

Having returned to a dragon’s body that, though powerful, couldn’t defy the laws of mortality, felt the strong fear of death that all living beings should rightfully feel in that moment.

Though she truly didn’t want to admit it—

Right now, Desire saw Kal’s figure approaching her with fierce speed as death itself.

And although she couldn’t properly observe it due to her diminished status—

If she had noticed the energy rising like heat haze around Kal’s body—that is, the divinity gradually manifesting its presence—she would undoubtedly have felt the fear of death.

The final chapter of the decisive battle was slowly beginning, unbeknownst to both Kal who was stepping forward and Desire who was trying to stop him.