Chapter 121: The Breath of a True Dragon

The first to recover their movement within the artificially reproduced Dragon Fear were those close to dragons—Jeokpung, Cheongbin, and even Nightmare, who had consumed the dragon heart.

Though they were quite far from the two Dragonbloods and couldn’t fully grasp the situation nearby, the blazing heat and biting cold that spread from a distance confirmed that the three were still going strong.

Pheewheeeeeng!

Nightmare rampaged even more fiercely.

Dashing through the pitch-black darkness, he scattered crystal shards everywhere, sweeping away the surrounding beastkin in an instant.

“G-Guh…”

I approached a snake beastkin who was groaning with a pale expression.

In that moment—Crunch!—the beastkin swung his sword.

Thick blood trickled from his lips. It seemed the fear of Dragon Fear had been drowned out by intense pain.

We exchanged a few light blows. The sharpness of the snake beastkin’s attacks was nowhere near what it had been before.

Naturally so—Dragon Fear triggers the primal fear engraved into living beings.

Even if pain allowed him to move again, the surprised, tightened muscles couldn’t exert proper strength.

“Shyaaaah!”

As if in a final act of desperation, the beastkin charged while vomiting blood.

I let out a soft breath, waiting for him to come.

As my breath flowed, mingled with starlight, the moment he entered my range, the blade in my hand moved smoothly, tracing seven stars.

Slash!

The stars passed, and all that remained was the corpse of a snake beastkin who had lost both arms.

He collapsed with a pale face, seemingly unaware that his arms had been severed.

Through Dragon Fear, I had revealed my presence.

Whether sooner or later, those who had overcome the fear would turn their attention to me.

Jeokpung and Cheongbin, especially sensitive to dragon energy, were no exception. I could feel the two of them approaching.

Just then, a dark shadow darted in from the entrance at extreme speed.

Its shimmering, wavering form resembled that of the snake beastkin I had just defeated—but it was faster, stealthier.

A sign of someone far more skilled.

Its target was clear. I widened the distance and pointed my sword toward the darkness.

Hssss…! Hssss…!

As the gap closed, the sound of a snake’s hiss grew louder.

In the moment the flickering shadow flashed, it leapt toward me, crossing a vast distance.

Clang!

I swung my sword to block the attack, but I was the one pushed back in terms of strength.

As I slid slightly across the icy floor, the figure melted smoothly into the darkness again.

—“You’re not from the Jeokryong Clan…”

A voice echoed from all directions. It was clear that they were manipulating mana to control the direction of their voice.

“You know the Clan Head?”

I asked, just in case, but received no reply.

His ability to hide his presence was impressive.

Even with my physical and sensory abilities greatly enhanced by dragonization, I couldn’t easily grasp his location.

At that moment, flames fell from the sky—like a sun crashing down.

Whoooosh!

“Ah!”

The one descending, wrapped in fire, was Jeokpung.

Following him, Cheongbin landed, scattering cold energy.

He looked at me with a surprised expression and said,

“Ran… What are you doing here…? Don’t tell me you’re here for the Ice Crystal too…?”

Conflicted gazes tangled in the air. I furrowed my brows and spoke to the two of them.

“There’s a snake-like guy hiding nearby. He seemed to know the Clan Head…”

“He’s the Sect Master of Irongate. That guy’s ability to conceal his presence is incredible.”

Just as Jeokpung finished speaking, a faint shadow emerged from the darkness and swung a blade toward me.

Clang!

I had already heightened my aura, so I wasn’t slow to react.

I quickly parried the attack, and Jeokpung and Cheongbin unleashed blazing flames and freezing winds at the Irongate Sect Master.

But before the attacks could land, the Sect Master vanished once again.

Upon closer inspection, Jeokpung and Cheongbin were covered in blood.

Their tattered clothes suggested they had fought fiercely at the entrance.

—“Two young Dragonbloods and one fledgling. Today, I shall claim your hearts and Ice Crystals and become a true dragon.”

“I’m no longer the heir of the Jeokryong Clan. That title belongs to Jeokrin now.”

Hssss… Hssss… The voice mixed with a snake’s hiss echoed eerily in all directions.

“Claim our hearts…?”

“That’s a common myth… that consuming a Dragonblood’s heart grants the power of a dragon…”

—“A myth, you say? I consumed a Dragonblood’s heart and gained this power. Don’t deny the truth.”

“That’s nonsense.”

What do you do when you have to fight an enemy you can’t see?

His stealth was too effective—I couldn’t guess his location at all.

I looked down at the bow slung diagonally over my shoulder.

Tracking arrows only worked if the target’s position was at least somewhat known. Right now, they were useless.

Just then, a forgotten spell came to mind—a small starlight that had once shimmered in the desolate desert.

I snapped my fingers.

Snap!

With a soft sound, a light sparked and formed a star in midair. The tiny star shot forward like a dart.

The Guiding Star illuminated the darkness.

It reveals the path ahead even in total blackness, showing the caster the way forward.

“That way!”

As the tiny star shone and dispelled the darkness, the outline of the blurry shadow became visible—it was the Irongate Sect Master.

The three of us charged at him.

—“Damn…!”

The enemy let out a panicked voice and tried to flee again.

As he began to vanish, the Guiding Star clung to him.

Once the star locked on, hiding was no longer an option.

—“You…!”

Realizing I was the one who conjured the star, the Sect Master sent a chilling glare my way.

But all he could do was flee desperately from our combined assault.

He was quite nimble—dodging the three of us with minimal injury. This wouldn’t be an easy fight.

I immediately pulled out my bow and launched the sword I had been holding like an arrow.

Boom!

If Nightmare had been nearby, I could have replenished my arrows. But he was too far now.

I slung the bow back over my shoulder and charged after the Sect Master.

He put up a fierce resistance, but he couldn’t stop our teamwork.

My sword, shot like an arrow, pierced his thigh from a blind angle.

Jeokpung’s and Cheongbin’s swords pierced his lower abdomen and chest respectively.

—“Ugh… h-hah…”

An instant kill. The life faded from his eyes as his body began to go cold.

I walked up and pulled my sword out of him.

Slick—

…Slick?

The sensation as I pulled the blade was oddly light. No blood came out either.

I frowned, puzzled.

The Sect Master’s body collapsed.

“A shell…?”

“A shed skin…”

Could it be that, as a snake beastkin, he had shed his skin?

What lay scattered across the cold ice was a hollow, empty shell.

“Ran! Can’t you use that light from earlier again?”

Jeokpung’s urgent voice rang out.

I immediately summoned a new Guiding Star.

As the tiny star rose, I used it to track the Sect master of the Irongate who had darted away and vanished.

Following the light with my eyes, I spotted a long, black tail. It was him.

“Damn…!”

I kicked off the ground and dashed forward. The direction he was headed—Nightmare and Wendy were there.

The circle spun rapidly, and mana burst forth like an explosion.

My crimson robe fluttered wildly as if caught in a storm.

Shhhraaak—!

As mana spread wide and engulfed the area, the Irongate master slashed Wendy across the chest, leaving a massive, gushing wound.

Wendy opened her mouth in shock, unable to even scream.

Nightmare, startled by the sudden attack, conjured crystal shards around himself, but the master had already vanished.

Only the tiny star trailed behind the fading shadow.

I blinked over to Wendy’s side immediately.

“Guhk…”

Wendy collapsed slowly, crimson blood spilling from her mouth. I caught her and began channeling mana into her body.

The wound was deep, but manageable with my skills. As the rapidly spinning circle altered the mana’s properties, a swirl of gold and green mana enveloped her.

“S-Seris…”

“You’ll be okay soon. Just hang in there.”

“M-my bag… He took our frost crystals…”

“The bag…?”

I frowned and looked behind Nightmare.

Neither the box we’d found in the ice sculpture nor my own bag were there.

“No way…”

“Ugh…”

Frowning, I followed the Guiding Star with my eyes.

Next to the shimmering light stood a naked man, holding a pure white box in front of him and raising the horns of a mountain goat high into the air.

“I’ll be right back. Stay here and rest.”

“S-sorry…”

Wendy forced a weak smile at my words. I stood up and gripped my sword.

The emergency treatment would keep her out of danger for now.

As the widespread mana began to dominate the area, the scattered weapons on the ground floated up into the air.

With dozens of weapons accompanying me, I charged toward the Irongate master.

Just then, he drove the mountain goat’s horn down into the white box. As it smoothly slid into place, a massive storm of cold air erupted from inside.

Shhhrrraaaaah!

“Ghh…!”

The air around us began to freeze. I frowned and summoned Kalvain’s flames.

Whoooosh!

–H-hahahaha! The frost crystal! It’s mine now! The power of the dragon is in my hands…!

His ecstatic voice rang out from within the storm of cold.

I immediately launched every weapon I had with me. Even the sword in my hand was flung.

The sword, imbued with mana, became a crimson flash. But then—

BOOM!

A violent blast shattered the icy storm, and every weapon I’d thrown broke apart.

The shards of mana-laced steel sparkled like starlight.

–This power… I have become a true dragon.

What emerged from the storm was the Irongate master, now in a twisted form of dragon blood.

His body unstable, black and blue mana mixed wildly.

Long, twisted horns, sharp claws, and even a tail sprouted from his back—a grotesque mockery of a dragon.

Jeokpung and Cheongbin charged at him, spewing mana, but were blown back by another wave of the icy storm.

–You’ll be the first whose heart I devour.

My brow twitched as I began concentrating the mana spread around me.

The mana that had once held the weapons still lingered in the air. I gestured toward it.

A silver river made of thousands of shards surged at the enemy.

KRAAAK!

–Ghhh…!

As the starlit river scraped against his body, countless wounds opened up.

Crimson blood spilled across the steel shards, tearing off his scales.

Devour my heart?

His claim of becoming a dragon annoyed me deeply.

He was nothing more than a fool drunk on dragon mana, wielding power he couldn’t control.

No different than the other half-baked dragonbloods.

–I’ll show you the true power of a dragon!

Just then, he leapt back and began summoning an immense amount of mana.

The cold in the area stirred in response, rushing toward his mouth.

His chest puffed out, and he looked down at everything with an arrogant gaze.

I could guess what he was feeling. The intoxication of absolute power made him believe the world was beneath him.

I quickly reclaimed the mana drifting nearby. The river of steel shards flowed behind me, forming a massive circle in the air.

An external circle designed to simultaneously wield two elemental manas.

The newly-formed circle spun, beginning to absorb the surrounding cold.

Vmmmmmm!

At the same time, the circle within my heart spun and ignited with intense flame.

Kalvain and Kashpa—the mana of both dragons surged through me.

Arrogance threatened to consume my mind. My blood boiled hot, but my head remained ice cold.

“Pheww…”

I drew in a deep breath, gathering both manas below my chest.

The Flame of Ruin, strong enough to burn everything, was wrapped in icy blue.

Lowering my torso, I planted my clawed fingers firmly into the frozen ground.

I extended my thick tail behind me to brace myself.

KRRAAAAAK—!

At that moment, the half-blood hybrid that failed to become a dragon exhaled a torrent of blue frost.

Because he failed to focus it, the breath spread across a wide area.

A ridiculous sight. I frowned and released the breath gathered below my chest.

VMMM!

The flame, cloaked in blue, fired in a straight line. As it shot forward, the incoming frost shattered.

BOOM—!

The Emperor’s Breath didn’t stop.

It pierced through the massive wave of cold, blasted apart the hybrid’s upper body, and struck the massive ice wall behind him.

KWAANG—!

A portion of the thick ice wall—and the mountain itself—blew apart.

Through the newly pierced opening, brilliant sunlight and a haze of snow poured in.