Ch.321Chapter 321 – Sea Dragon (1)

From afar, cheers could be heard.

The massive three-headed hound had finally melted away, a nun with golden wings descended from the sky, and the giant began to shrink.

It was proof that the monster that had appeared in the palace was finally gone, and that the resistance had won.

Perhaps sensing that my attention had shifted toward Chris and the resistance fighters, Idea thrust his sword at me.

I raised my shield to deflect the trajectory of his blade.

“I won’t let you escape.”

“Sorry, but you’d better hurry.”

I responded lightly to Idea.

It was because my biggest concern had been resolved.

Above all, she was approaching.

It was just a feeling, but I could sense that she was coming.

“Sia is coming this way.”

“…You mean that blue-haired swordswoman.”

Idea’s eyes grew wary.

Words flowed from his expressionless face.

“Indeed, if it’s that swordswoman who has reached enlightenment, she could face me.”

And he spoke as if letting me hear, as if confirming to himself.

“However, that woman had severe internal injuries. The possibility of her recovering enough to face me in such a short time is low.”

In fact, Sia’s internal injuries were the reason she had been defeated by Idea.

But even if he confirmed that now.

It didn’t change the fact that a highly disadvantageous situation was approaching for him.

“Back then, I was caught off guard because I didn’t know the effect of that sword.”

Not knowing about that sword’s ability to absorb magical power—the worst possible ability for me—was the reason I had been defeated then.

Because of that, Sia had to face that formidable opponent alone.

“I won’t be caught off guard twice.”

I said while deflecting Idea’s sword.

As long as that sword could inflict fatal wounds on me, it was natural for me to be wary of it.

Moreover, I had now somewhat figured out Idea’s swordsmanship.

Even if it was difficult to overwhelm him right now, it was possible to continue the battle against him.

I had sacrificed quite a lot of armor to avoid getting hit properly by that sword, but the fact that I had been able to stall for time against him until now was proof of that.

“If I don’t get caught off guard like last time, you’ll eventually have to face both me and her simultaneously.”

And that would clearly be the situation Idea would most want to avoid.

“She or I alone might not be able to defeat you, but can you win if both of us attack at once?”

Idea silently swung his sword.

His slightly darkened face answered for him.

And, understanding his disadvantage, he charged at me and said,

“I’ll just kill you before that happens.”

“I told you earlier. I won’t die.”

I retorted to Idea’s words while catching his sword with my halberd.

“I absolutely won’t die, even if it’s just to return to their side!”

I forcefully knocked away Idea’s sword, changed my halberd into a sword, and swung it.

Idea dodged immediately and, unlike before, thrust his sword with a slightly faster rhythm.

After blocking that, he tried to cut me down with quick, monotonous movements, and I calmly blocked those attacks.

His sword had changed, albeit subtly.

‘He’s getting impatient.’

His determination to kill me before Sia arrived was showing just a little.

But at this rate, far from killing me, he would have to face Sia as well.

If this continued, Idea would have to choose between two options.

Either retreat.

Or continue the unfavorable fight, prepared to die.

He only didn’t have to consider these options until just before Sia arrived.

As that moment was approaching, Idea was swinging his sword impatiently.

To provoke him, I opened my mouth.

“You’ve been expressionless all this time, so I thought you’d abandoned emotions too. But seeing you get impatient, I guess you can’t let go of emotions after all? Are you all talk?”

“Such crude provocation…”

Idea said that while swinging his sword, but I inwardly grinned.

If you know it’s crude, there’s no need to respond.

The fact that he bothered to answer proved that it was getting to him.

Sure enough, his attacks, which had already become slightly monotonous, began to become even more so.

As I blocked his attacks more skillfully and was about to step back, I saw Idea stomp the ground forcefully with both legs.

Then, seeing magic power gathering in his sword, I realized that Idea was about to unleash a powerful technique against me.

It was a strategy to eliminate me at once with a powerful technique.

‘Stay calm.’

I couldn’t immediately close the distance that had already opened up.

So as I ran toward him, a slight gap in time emerged.

Idea used that time to use a powerful technique.

And then.

“Got you.”

I grinned and rushed toward that technique.

It was indeed an attack with powerful force, but ultimately it followed the trajectory of the sword.

If I just remembered that fact.

Evasion or defense could be accomplished.

‘Of course, easier said than done.’

Even if one understood it intellectually, an average person would be cut down in the moment of hesitation.

But I was different.

For me, whose physical abilities had greatly increased thanks to the Dragon’s heart struggling to survive.

If I could see the trajectory, evasion was possible.

Idea’s sword swung.

My gauntlet was cut, barely exposing my bare hand.

But it missed.

Because I had twisted my body greatly after seeing the trajectory, Idea’s attack merely grazed past me.

Idea finally realized his mistake and raised his sword.

And I changed my weapon to a halberd and swung it widely.

The halberd hit Idea’s sword, and with a heavy sound, Idea’s arm went down.

I delivered a kick toward him.

“Kuk!”

Idea’s posture crumbled.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had come.

I quickly changed my halberd to a dagger and forcibly raised the arm that had been swinging widely.

My target was Idea’s heart.

I tried to stab the dagger, aiming for that spot.

Idea belatedly tried to block the dagger with his arm, and I thrust the dagger forcefully toward him.

“Keuuk!”

Blood splattered, and Idea’s arm was mangled by the dagger.

For the first time, he had sustained a proper injury, and a hint of panic was visible in his eyes.

Emotion properly showed on the face of someone who seemed to have no emotions.

And to take advantage of that panic.

I forcibly pulled out the dagger and changed it to a sword.

I lifted it up, intending to strike Idea’s head.

“This is the end!”

The sword gradually approached Idea’s neck.

Idea hurriedly reached out to block the sword.

Soon, the sword penetrated his remaining intact hand.

“Kuk!”

Idea let out a groan for the first time, as if in pain.

And I raised my fist to strike Idea’s head.

I intended to either knock him unconscious or smash his head.

-Drip

“Rain?”

A drop of water fell on the arm I was about to swing.

While swinging my fist, I moved only my eyes within my helmet to look up.

And I saw it.

An enormous amount of water falling down on me, and.

“Huh?”

Within it, a giant eel-like creature descending with its mouth open.

+

Idea was trapped in the water.

And as his vision darkened as if light was being blocked, his body began to not move properly.

Immediately, Idea began to search through his memories.

‘Magic?’

Idea remembered that a magic scroll that compressed water, and compressed it again to create a sphere with tremendous pressure, was stored in the Order.

It was a magic usually used for research purposes, but within the Order, this scroll had a different meaning.

‘A scroll for transporting sea dragons?’

It was a scroll used when there was a need to move the Order’s weapon, the sea dragon, to another place, when warping alone was unreliable.

Of course, they didn’t just use it as is, but also employed anti-gravity magic to move it easily, but that wasn’t the important part.

What was important was recognizing where this magic was being used.

Therefore, in this water, he could quickly identify what the two moving objects besides himself were.

‘Over there.’

One was, of course, Kay, whom he had been fighting.

He too had not been able to respond properly to the sudden situation.

It was natural, since even Idea himself hadn’t been able to respond.

More accurately, it was closer to not having thought about needing to respond.

It would be more accurate to say that he hadn’t cared whether such spheres were flying around or not.

Because Kay was focusing all his attention on Idea, and Idea on Kay.

Even if someone had openly used such a scroll, they hadn’t been able to quickly notice and respond.

As a result, they were both trapped in the water, and.

They were now in danger of being toyed with by a predator that was absolutely advantageous in such water.

Immediately, Idea noticed Kay being attacked by a long, giant eel-like creature.

Soon, he saw Kay trying to respond by drawing his weapon, but that was the end.

‘It’s difficult in this pressure.’

He himself couldn’t move quickly in this situation.

The same was true for Kay.

The long eel attacked Kay, and finally, it seemed to have bitten off something, as a liquid that looked like blood escaped from Kay.

Idea watched the scene for a moment, then swung his sword, adjusting its power.

The water split as if a hole had been made in the sphere, and water began to leak out at tremendous speed.

And Idea didn’t resist the flow and escaped out of the sphere.

“Eup…!”

Whether he was cursing him as a coward, or trying to attack the shadow that was assaulting him.

Idea saw Kay’s shadow swinging something from behind.

But Idea had already escaped from the water.

And he caught his breath and checked the sphere he had just escaped from.

The sphere from which he had just escaped by cutting it slightly seemed to have lost a considerable amount of water, as it appeared somewhat lighter.

While the cry of what seemed to be the sea dragon still spread from inside, Idea stared blankly at the sight before quickly swinging his sword backward.

-Clang!

“Oh my, you noticed.”

It was a light voice.

But Idea already knew its owner.

“What are you doing, Harkan?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

Harkan said, raising one of his arms.

It was the arm with the severed wrist, which looked similar on the surface but felt distinctly different.

“Revenge?”

“I’m just repaying the debt from Ferarius.”

Harkan said, revealing his killing intent.

“He took my hand, so taking his neck would make us even.”

“That’s not your only purpose.”

At Idea’s words, Harkan’s eyes widened for a moment.

Then he promptly answered cheerfully.

“Ah, of course. I haven’t forgotten my original purpose.”

“But,” Harkan pointed at Idea.

“That sword of yours can nullify anything magical. It would have been a bit risky to attempt an assassination with just the sea dragon.”

If he cut through the sphere with that sword to escape, as he had just done, Idea would be free from the water’s influence, and conversely, the sea dragon would be exposed to air, creating limitations for it.

Since this was the royal palace, it would be impossible for the sea dragon to drag enemies back into underwater combat.

“So the sea dragon is just insurance, merely a means to remove obstacles.”

Harkan said that, but Idea slightly sneered.

“Then how will you kill me?”

“You must be weakened from facing that man.”

Harkan said that and then snapped his fingers once.

Six knights in black armor stood behind Harkan.

“Just six?”

“These are the ones I kept in reserve. Don’t boast that it won’t be boring.”

Idea raised his sword without much response.

And, as if believing that Idea was already finished, Harkan looked at the sphere and said,

“Serves you right, you experimental subject.”

It was as if he was speaking toward the inside.

“The price for daring to take my hand will be paid with death, or something even worse.”

There was no answer, of course.

But Harkan continued.

“All of his companions are beautiful women.”

Saying that he could enjoy them if he caught them, Harkan licked his back tongue once and continued.

“I’ll present your head, and then rape and kill them in front of your neck.”

Harkan was spewing curses full of anger without restraint.

Meanwhile, Idea, who had cut down one of the black-armored figures, looked at Harkan without paying attention to his surroundings.

“Is that all you’ve prepared?”

“What more is there to prepare against him?”

Harkan grinned and said.

“He’s facing a sea dragon in water. It’s a monster that can only be compared to dragons in underwater combat. Even he can’t survive.”

“You think that’s enough?”

“It’s enough. How about you take good care of your neck?”

Harkan mockingly said, watching Idea face the five black-armored figures.

However, in Idea’s view.

Harkan’s preparation was far from enough.

“Should I make you realize one thing?”

“What?”

“If the sea dragon is comparable to a dragon in water.”

Idea quietly said.

“Then a dragon is still a dragon even in water.”

Harkan didn’t understand what he meant for a moment.

But in the very next moment, the sea dragon leaped out of the water.

And as if chasing the sea dragon, two anchors shot out from the water.

“What…?!”

The chains attached to the anchors moved freely as if they had a will of their own.

They began to wrap around the sea dragon.

And as they pulled with terrifying force, the chains tightened, causing some of the sea dragon’s scales to crack.

-Kraaaaa!!!

“What’s going on?!”

The sea dragon’s scales could withstand tremendous pressure.

Such scales couldn’t easily break.

Knowing this, Harkan’s face turned slightly pale.

And Idea quietly said to such a Harkan.

Somehow, all six black knights, including the one he had defeated earlier, were now lying at his feet.

“Indeed. This is what happens when you fail to kill when you had the chance.”

Idea was taking out what appeared to be medicine from his pocket and spraying it on his arm.

Harkan was momentarily speechless at the sight that defied his understanding.

“What’s happening…”

As Harkan muttered blankly, the sea dragon was dragged back into the water.

And inside, the water sphere shook tremendously as if a massive object was turning.

The next moment, the sea dragon’s body began to be thrown out of the water.

-Kraaaaaaaa!!!!

The sea dragon screamed as it was flung into the air.

Harkan’s eyes widened even more.

And then.

From within the water sphere, Kay appeared, wearing thick white armor.