Ch.928Red Lightning

With a deafening explosion, blue streaks of light swept through the surroundings like lightning.

Mana light scattered like an explosion. Some of the defensive formulas covering the dragon’s body shattered, spraying uncontrolled mana residue like fresh blood.

“Tsk, blocked as expected.”

Some. In other words, I couldn’t completely break through the defensive formula.

That’s right.

Even with the power of severance added to Durandal’s mana-breaking ability, my sword couldn’t cut through Kudsedra’s claws and had stopped right in front of them.

– Crackle!

From where the blade and claws met, sparks flew violently like water sprayed on a high-voltage power line.

Forces opposing each other equally without giving an inch. The Karma contained in Durandal and the dragon’s mana were burning and repelling each other.

‘No, this isn’t repulsion… it’s distortion?’

I analyzed the flow of power while pushing the longsword more forcefully.

The power of severance that tears through space itself. In front of the dragon’s claws, it was scattering in all directions, carving lightning-like wounds into the surrounding space.

A spatial distortion type defensive formula.

It wasn’t nullifying the space-cutting power itself, but rather redirecting the force in different directions to protect its body.

Yes, certainly. This way it could have blocked the Sky Slash.

Sky Slash is difficult to counter because of time stop and its overwhelming range, but its power is identical to a normal space-cutting strike.

If this barrier couldn’t be penetrated by the Sword of Severance, Sky Slash would also struggle to break through it.

There were only two ways to destroy a spatial distortion field.

Either break through with overwhelming power that makes distortion impossible, or destroy the formula composing the magic to eliminate the distortion field itself…

The former was an inefficient method—terribly inefficient—and the latter was what I was actively attempting, but with ambiguous results.

The speed at which Durandal’s power destroyed the formula and the speed at which the broken distortion formula recovered were nearly equal.

Even when the blade tried to break through the creature’s defensive field and penetrate inside, a new defensive field immediately formed in its place, blocking it again.

In short, I couldn’t completely dismantle this formula until all the mana that Ismenios had poured into the defensive magic was consumed…

‘Really, you poured in an absurdly massive amount of mana?’

It was unclear how much mana had been invested in just this one defensive magic, but even after several seconds of contact, there wasn’t even a sign of the mana being depleted.

As a result, my sword had stopped without even cutting off one of its claws.

“KRAAAAAA!”

For Kudsedra, this was an opportunity.

While I was pushing my sword with all my might using both hands, the beast still had its other arm and mouth free.

“Get away-!”

Roaring fiercely, Kudsedra swung its other arm toward my back. It seemed intent on crushing me between its limbs.

“Tch…!”

If this continued, I’d end up like a middle-aged man crushed in a one-person pod. I withdrew my sword from the dragon’s claws and quickly created distance.

– KWAAANG!

The dragon’s foot connected a moment too late. The sound of its clap was like thunder.

“You’re as quick as a fly!”

“You’re just slow. Like a castrated pig!”

A fly, huh. Judging by that comparison, it seems this dragon lord was indeed of Dragonborn origin.

If it had been born a dragon from the start, given its size, it wouldn’t have properly recognized the existence of something like a fly.

Despite being arrogant enough to treat other races like insects… the truth is, it too was once just one of those insects.

Was its particularly nasty personality really because it lost its third leg without ever getting to use it?

“KRaaaak!”

Perhaps the castrated pig comparison reminded it of the loss of its unused reproductive organ. Kudsedra glared at me with rolling eyes and thrust its tail like a spear.

That tail was also covered in blue mana light, making it clear that a severance strike wouldn’t be able to wound it.

In that case, I needed to change my approach.

– Shing.

A clear, cool metallic sound. I reached behind with my left arm and drew one of the crimson daggers sleeping in its sheath.

‘Melsung, please.’

[Now you’re just openly using me. If you’re going to do that, why not just hand over your body?]

As I gripped the crimson dagger in reverse and asked her to use a technique I couldn’t use myself, Hersella grumbled sarcastically.

‘You can’t fly.’

A ground-walker has no business in aerial combat. Without the ability to use Rune’s flames, Hersella had no way to face a dragon flying through the sky.

[Tch, just because you can use a little sorcery, you’re showing off. Fine, just put out the fire!]

Unable to argue back, Hersella clicked her tongue in irritation but summoned the power of Murder Karma, concentrating it on my left arm.

Simultaneously, I extinguished the flames of Karma Fire as she requested.

Extinguishing the Karma Fire meant I would inevitably fall, but it was necessary to properly unleash the Murder Karma technique.

With Karma Fire active, trying to extend tendrils would only result in flames shooting out instead, making it difficult to use other Murder Karma techniques.

– Whoosh!

My body plummeted downward.

Toward the dragon’s approaching tail, I aimed my blade, which was enveloped by five layers of overlapping red lightning. The destructive lightning that had pierced through Orhan’s body.

– Kigigigigik!

The dragon’s scales trembled, emitting a screech like thousands of birds crying out simultaneously.

“Kyaaaah!”

Like a bolt of lightning, it struck the approaching dragon’s tail.

Murder Karma Art

Melsung

The crimson dagger carrying destructive lightning pierced the dragon’s tail like a bullet.

—-

Just as when I destroyed Orhan’s heart, the compressed and layered Murder Karma lightning penetrated the dragon’s defensive magic like it was paper.

– Crack!

The red blade shattered the dragon’s scales and drove deep into the flesh of its tail.

The next moment, the crimson dagger, unable to withstand the pressure, burst into fragments.

“KRYAARK…!”

Kudsedra let out a pain-filled scream.

The blade fragments exploded outward, tearing the inside of the tail to shreds. It was like watching a grenade explode inside a giant snake’s mouth.

“Yes, this works!”

As I dropped the hilt of the shattered crimson dagger and drew another to deliver a follow-up strike—

“So what!”

Kudsedra roared and swung its tail like a whip, despite the end being completely blown off.

“Ah.”

An explosive sound. With a train-like impact, my body was thrown backward.

I managed to block the dragon’s tail with Durandal’s blade as a shield… but there was no way to prevent being flung away like an insect hit by a flyswatter. The difference in weight was simply too great.

– KWAGWAGWAGWANG!

Rock fragments shot up like a fountain. I fell toward the ground like a falling comet, smashing into the surface with my legs and sliding along, creating a deep furrow.

A trench so long it could serve as a moat if filled with water.

—-

A moment later, I finally managed to stop my body as it tore through the earth, letting out a faint sigh.

‘Wow, my leg bones are still intact.’

Surprisingly, despite being hit by the dragon’s tail and crashing into the ground, my body was merely aching and throbbing, without a single broken bone.

Falling—no, being flung—from hundreds of meters in the air, yet my body remained intact. In just two years, I’ve truly become a monster.

In the past, wouldn’t I have ended up like a splattered pancake? Even though it was my own body, I was dumbfounded by its resilience.

[You should know it’s thanks to me.]

Hersella immediately seized the opportunity to flaunt her abilities.

Well, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

The reason I could land so intact wasn’t just due to my body’s durability, but also because she protected me with Murder Karma power at the moment of impact.

‘Yes, yes. Thank you.’

So I just placated her without arguing. There was no time to argue anyway.

“Not done yet-!”

With a roar that shook the air, Kudsedra dove down like a hawk targeting its prey. A massive shadow cast darkness on the ground. It was like watching a red meteor falling.

“…Coming down?”

From my perspective, this seemed like a foolish move.

The primary goal for heroes like me was to bring the dragon down to the ground, but it was coming down on its own before I even destroyed its wings.

Why?

Wouldn’t it be more efficient to blast my surroundings with breath or magical bombardment?

“Don’t you use magic?”

Since I couldn’t understand this decision at all, I looked up at it and loudly asked the reason.

“What need have I for magic!”

An unexpected answer came back.

“This body itself is already no different from magic!”

…So, it’s saying it won’t use magic.

Or perhaps it can’t? Considering it only swung its claws and tail earlier, it seems like it might not have learned magic at all…

“Magic is merely a trick for weaklings who cannot trust their own bodies! I do not rely on such things!”

That seems to be it.

It’s quite a roundabout way of saying it’s an uneducated brute.

“I get it now. You didn’t have parents? If you did, they would have taught you at least some magic.”

I smirked and taunted it.

Whatever the reason, I was more than happy it was coming down.

Without wasting Murder Karma power on flight, I could devote it entirely to combat, making the fight several times easier.

“First a eunuch, now an orphan… Impressive. How very noble. So noble it’s unbearable to look at.”

“KYAHAAAAAK-!”

Kudsedra let out a reptilian shriek and intensified its momentum.

– Whoosh!

It opened its mouth wide, roaring and spewing flames, then wrapped them around its entire body, becoming like a giant fireball as it charged at me.

Already meteor-like, now it truly resembled a meteor.

I see. Since its breath would just be neutralized, it’s wrapping itself in flames and going for a physical charge.

In that case…

– Crack!

Frosting drove into the ground like a stake.

I focused my consciousness on my left wrist buried in the ground, mentally visualizing tree roots penetrating the earth.

“Hagalaz!”

The power of destruction was released. The mana burst forth like a waterfall, spreading widely in all directions according to my will.

Downward. Downward.

As wide as possible.

– Rumble…!

The earth trembled like a belch. The spreading destructive mana weakened the ground for about a hundred meters in all directions.

The surface looked relatively intact, but underneath it became as weak and loose as a sponge… no, like a sandy beach.

And then.

“Let’s see if you can withstand this! If that flesh of yours can endure-!”

Just as the burning dragon’s massive body was about to crush me…

【Defying Fate】

With about two seconds of time stop, I kicked off from the only ground that maintained its strength and propelled myself backward.

So that the dragon’s body, which was trying to crush me upon landing, would sink much deeper than it had anticipated.

Two seconds later.

– KWAAAAAANG!

With a sound like a mountain collapsing, the fiery dragon landed like a meteor, vaporizing the already half-destroyed ground as it… no, submerged.

I had to call it submersion. It sank so deep that even its tail shooting upward couldn’t reach the surface.

“What…!”

A muffled cry of shock echoed like a shout from a subterranean cave.

Kudsedra, now like a beast caught in a trap, struggled with its body firmly embedded in the layer of earth, causing a small earthquake.

“How stupid. A body slam? Did you think I couldn’t dodge an attack like that?”

I drew my last crimson dagger and leaped into the massive crater before me.

Toward the dragon’s back, which was buried in the pile of earth and rocks like a fossil, trying to rise by melting everything with lava.

“Kuk, you dare-!”

A perfect opening.

Unlike moments ago when it freely flew through the air, Kudsedra was now buried in lava and earth, extremely vulnerable to attacks targeting its back.

Therefore.

“I’ll completely shatter your spine!”

Melsung

– Kigigigigik!

The crimson blade, wrapped in red lightning and screaming, plunged into Kudsedra’s back like a spear with a bomb attached.