Chapter 79 – Extinction, The Coming (9)

Grasping the crimson-bladed sword, a small breeze stirred. It swept lightly through my disheveled hair and worn clothes, only to intensify into a fierce gale.

I let my body follow its instinct, my steps moving on their own. Liv’s voice faded quickly behind me as I passed the soldiers igniting their fighting spirit, heading toward the desolate field where the meteor shower raged.

BOOM!

I swung the sword at a falling meteor above me, cutting through its shroud for a brief moment. Beyond the veil, there were too many enemies to count—too many that needed to die.

The white-haired mage caught sight of me, hiccupping in surprise. Around us, all eyes—friend and foe alike—focused on my arrival.

Noise, explosions, heat, madness. The battlefield’s atmosphere was as unforgiving as ever.

But with the sword in my hand, an unparalleled calm settled within me, deeper than the ocean’s floor.

My grip tightened on the leather-bound hilt, nearly crushing it, as I focused on my target.

Carbius the Annihilator.

The last surviving dragon of the Empire’s hunt and a loyal ally of the Demon King, his gaze locked onto me.

BOOM!

A massive storm erupted from my sword, scattering the demons who hesitated to approach.

The weapon—known as the Severing Blade, Mordred—was proving its worth. I muttered softly to myself and waited. Waited until he emerged from the storm and stepped onto the blood-soaked earth.

Through the haze of sand and dust, a pair of massive black wings unfurled, blotting out the sky.

His overwhelming size and otherworldly presence suffocated the air around us. Even standing still, his aura sent waves of panic that echoed beyond the mountains.

Glowing yellow eyes fixated on me, and the air trembled as his voice reverberated.

[Foolish human… You…]

“‘Your insignificant strides are but the dying throes of mortal futility.’ Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. Even Terra laughed herself sick recording your monologues with magic. Too bad I can’t play them at your funeral—it’s so embarrassing you’d burst out of your coffin.”

[What are you?]

“Don’t recognize me?”

Carbius wouldn’t have expected me to be here, not when I should’ve been swept away with the canal operation.

But we had faced him once before at this point in the timeline.

We lost. No surprise there—none of the Four Worst Evils had ever been defeated on first encounter.

“Hero.”

[Hero?]

His reptilian eyes narrowed, glinting with amusement. His derision was palpable.

[Foolish indeed. Even with five of you, you fled. And now, you dare stand before me alone?]

“I know. But what can I do? The others are busy.”

From the moment I entered Baldur’s Nightmare, I knew this would be my biggest challenge.

Unlike the past battle, I had no companions to rely on.

No Wiblet’s sword to guard my flank.
No Terra’s magic to suppress the enemy.
No Nova’s incantations to bolster my spirit.
And, most of all, no Eris to heal my wounds.

“It’s fine. I knew it would come to this.”

And so, I resolved to push myself beyond my limits. Just as before, I had prepared a way to face him.

Becoming a Hero isn’t an impossible feat. It simply requires a certain level of resolve. One of the three unique magics granted to me by this body came to life.

“Even if I die here…”

<Unique Magic: Draconic Transformation ⌜Dragonborn⌟>

“You’ll die by my hand. Again.”

***

Few know it now, but dragons were once considered invincible. Their power lay in their very nature.

A dragon’s words were not calculated spells but expressions of pure will, reshaping the world around them. With a single word, mountains could be overturned, and lightning could rain from the sky. Humanity’s attempt to channel this magic into their realm of thought birthed our magical arts.

Yet their thick, scale-covered hides granted them absolute resistance to magic.

Since the dawn of time, no human mage could truly defeat a dragon.

“Unbelievable…”

Lehel stared at the raging storm, her mouth agape. Louis was fighting with all the traits required to kill a dragon.

Black wings sprouted from his back, and his enlarged arms were covered in gleaming dragon scales. When his massive tail collided with Carbius’s limbs, the earth itself shook.

Lehel squinted through the chaos, spotting the magical inscriptions etched into Louis’s body. Amid the deafening battlefield, she muttered:

“Insane… How the hell did Terra even make that…”

Magic that imbued the characteristics of a dragon—comparable to the techniques used by the Skirmisher scouts.

“This is closer to alchemical transmutation… Did they actually use dragon parts to infuse Louis?”

Indeed, Louis was holding his own against Carbius. His sword carved flawlessly through the dragon’s scales, even slicing through the air above.

“Now! Fire!!”

“Knights, hold formation!”

Meanwhile, the battlefield was utter chaos. Demons that had breached Lehel’s magical onslaught clashed with soldiers determined to defend the canal at all costs.

Knights charged into battle, while large-scale magic rained down in support. Curses spread through the air as corpses rose to fight again.

Amid the confusion, Liv caught sight of the green-haired girl she had noticed before.

The smoky air, her father’s shouts directing troops—it all felt distant, surreal.

“Don’t get lost in the illusion.”

Dominic’s final warning echoed faintly in her mind.

***

Mordred’s blade plunged deep into Carbius’s body, driving through the dragon’s scales and into his flesh. His scales repelled most magic, but his interior was far less invulnerable. As I twisted the blade, whole chunks of his insides were torn apart.

Simultaneously, countless invisible blades struck at me. Blood sprayed from my arms, legs, and torso where the dragon scales hadn’t reached.

The first of my unique magics enhanced defense and mobility, but it couldn’t shield me entirely from Carbius’s magic-infused assaults.

I didn’t plan on emerging unscathed. Gritting my teeth, I lunged forward and grabbed one of his massive wings.

With a sickening snap, I tore it clean off, sending his enormous body tumbling to the ground.

[KRAAAAAAHHHH!!]

His deafening roar burst my eardrums and ruptured capillaries. Magic from above began raining down, intensifying the chaos.

As I staggered back, I saw Carbius gathering an immense amount of Karma into a singularity before him.

“Hah… You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Carbius aimed his devastating breath at the canal. If it evaporated the magic circle carved into the riverbed along with the water, the spell would be undone.

It was the same attack that had annihilated those who had remained in Greenwood Forest.

When we defeated Carbius in the past, Wiblet had been the one to stop this attack. This time, the burden fell on me.

Taking a small, steadying breath, I raised my sword. As the pitch-black dragon unleashed its breath, I activated my second unique magic.

<Unique Magic: White Bloom ⌜White Rust⌟>

Everything the blade touched was reduced to nothingness—light, heat, sound—all vanished into a void.

This was the unique magic of the White Knight Wiblet. It turned sight, sound, and even thought white-hot, erasing all distractions in complete serenity.

But that was fine. The sword had no need for thought.

With a single step, my heel raised a hill behind me. A single punch shattered Carbius’s once-impenetrable scales into fragments.

I snapped his delicate wings before he could take off, tore off his massive horns, and crushed them in my grasp.

Then I struck. Blow after blow. Strike after relentless strike.

Ignoring the fracturing blade in my hand and my crumbling body, I kept swinging.

Even when one of his massive claws crushed my arm, or his breath scorched my skin, I dragged the once-mighty beast—this mountain of a creature—down to my level.

Crash! Boom! BOOM!

The noise of the battlefield dulled in my ears. I didn’t register the distant cheers, the sunrise breaking over the horizon, or the dwindling sounds of combat. All that remained was my duel with Carbius.

At last, I prepared to drive the final blow into his heart.

Snap.

The Severing Blade broke in my hands. For a mere artifact to have lasted this long was a miracle in itself.

[This… cannot be… How… can a human…]

The words were familiar, ones I had heard before. Yet this time, it was clear I could not finish him with what I had.

No matter how sharp my strikes or how precise my aim, I could not sever the life of this beast with scales as hard as its heart.

If only I had the Holy Sword.

[I… will not… die… like this…]

Carbius, gasping in defiance, drew one final, shuddering breath. I could feel the gathering Karma, a growing singularity centered near his heart.

Helplessly, I turned my gaze to the canal beyond, its waters rippling with power.

Then, with the end of my magic, I released the first unique ability that had always been active.

Crack.

Something snapped within me—something important, though I wasn’t sure what. But I had enough strength left for one final act.

<Unique Magic: Mind Sword ⌜Mind Blade⌟>

Pierce!

From the tip of my outstretched hand, an invisible blade materialized and plunged forward. It passed through Carbius’s impenetrable scales, through bone, and into his heart.

The dragon beneath me trembled violently.

Once again, I had killed a dragon.

Pulling my hand free, I stumbled forward. The crowd around me parted like the Red Sea as I dragged myself through them. I briefly bumped into a familiar black-haired girl but didn’t stop.

Step, step.

I made my way toward the canal. If I threw myself into its waters, I would reach my companions.

Then, perhaps this time, I could change the future. That was the only thought keeping me moving.

“…Ah.”

A small sigh escaped my lips.

“Eris…”

As my body leaned forward, about to fall into the water, someone grabbed me firmly from behind.