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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the middle of the familiar forest.
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed, my eyelids felt heavy, and my body felt like it was being pulled down by gravity. Even the situation was the same. The same place where I had seen the black-haired woman.
No birdsong broke the silence of the dense forest. I didn’t bother looking around and simply walked forward. If the place and the situation were the same, then what I had to do was also the same.
Climb the rocky mountain. I left the forest, and the towering mountain came into view. I took a deep breath and began climbing.
The climb wasn’t as difficult as before. I was in much better shape. I didn’t know why, as my physical condition hadn’t changed.
Crash!
Violet lightning, more powerful than before, ripped through the sky. This time, I reached the summit without gasping for breath. As if she had been waiting, the woman stood there.
The only difference was the large horn protruding from her head. One of her two horns had been broken off.
I stared at her, speechless, then awkwardly started a conversation.
“Where… where am I?”
Her response was completely unrelated to my question, even insulting. I was annoyed, but I didn’t react.
“What are you talking about? Near death?”
The black-haired woman spoke, her triangular teeth catching my attention, but…
…it was the unfamiliar words coming from her mouth that truly captivated me.
Words I couldn’t understand, despite clearly hearing them. A strange language. I tried to repeat them, but my mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
Using this strange language, she conjured a circular portal in the air. The training grounds were visible beyond it.
“Deron? Deron!”
Adele frantically channeled healing magic into me.
“How much longer can you hold on?”
“…Two minutes, at most.”
Agnes and Professor Akdin desperately fought to hold back Morax, who had absorbed the Blood Orb.
“Cough! Ugh… o-one…”
“Don’t talk! You’re reopening your wounds!”
“My… my blood… it’s… red.”
Erina coughed up blood, her face pale, while Lee Han struggled to staunch his bleeding wounds. The chaotic scene of the training grounds filled the portal.
“….”
As I lowered my head, the woman closed the portal and spoke.
I already knew. I was near death, and we needed at least two more professors to stand a chance against Morax, empowered by the Blood Orb. She continued describing the situation, their conditions, and she even cursed at me.
Annoyed, I glared at her and asked,
“Why are you telling me this?”
Her eyes blazed once more, molten fire and draconic power burning within them.
“Ugh…”
An intangible aura emanated from her, the aura of a dragon, something I had only read about in books.
Facing it directly, my body trembled uncontrollably. My mind, forgetting the pain, was consumed by terror. Confusion reigned.
Why was a dragon here?
“Gasp! Cough!”
The moment she withdrew her Dragon Fear, I gasped for breath, my lungs desperate for air.
She continued speaking, oblivious to my state.
“Your… your core?”
I desperately racked my brain. Black hair like obsidian. A fiery personality and a dark aura. And the core fragment I had consumed…
“Archxius?!”
“You’re… a woman?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? A dragon with those eyes, with that personality… it could only be the Black Dragon.
While I berated myself, Archxius looked up at the sky. The intensifying violet lightning was fading.
The dark clouds were streaked with… blood. She silently watched the changing sky, then gripped my shoulder tightly.
“…?”
“I’m still going to die soon.”
My eyes widened at Archxius’s words. A way to escape this hopeless situation?
“My entire lifespan?”
“Can that power defeat the demon?”
Archxius nodded firmly. It was a confident affirmation. Even a high-ranking demon was no match for a dragon.
“…What exactly do you mean by ‘consumed’?”
“Then if I could replenish that life force…?”
She said it was impossible, but I knew a way to survive.
By killing Morax.
I accepted Archxius’s offer.
“Do it.”
“Do we have time for this? You’re giving me a choice, when you clearly intend for me to choose this.”
Archxius said, gripping my jaw tightly.
Before I could react, her lips pressed against mine. Her tongue invaded my mouth, our saliva mixing. At the same time, a violent energy surged through my body.
I instinctively recognized the Black Dragon’s mana. Not a partial sacrifice of lifespan, but a complete one. The full power of the dragon, inherited.
She pulled away, wiping her mouth, and muttered those words.
That was the last thing I saw.
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Morax’s roar filled the training grounds. The demonic energy swirling in the air coalesced into spears that rained down.
Adele raised a shield with one hand to block the projectiles. Her other hand desperately clutched at Deron’s wound.
It was an injury that could have been easily healed with divine power, but Deron’s body rejected it completely. She had no choice but to tear off a piece of her clothing and use it as a makeshift bandage.
She gritted her teeth. Deron had told them to retreat, but not everyone had escaped unscathed. Erina had a wound on her abdomen, and Lee Han was injured on his arm.
Fortunately, she had treated them with divine power, but complete healing was difficult in this environment, thick with demonic energy. She had only managed to stabilize their injuries, preventing further bleeding and pain.
Adele looked towards the demon. After consuming the red orb, Morax’s aura had intensified significantly. As if toying with them earlier, the creature now unleashed its full power, each blast of demonic energy a deadly projectile.
They could barely defend themselves, let alone counterattack. Professor Akdin and Agnes were holding their own, but they were nearing their limits. Blood trickled down the professor’s arm; he hadn’t managed to completely avoid the blast.
A desperate situation, devoid of even a glimmer of hope. Adele cried out to the gods, begging for their intervention. But the gods remained silent, unresponsive to her pleas. Tears streamed down her face.
As her tears landed on Deron’s skin, his eyes snapped open. His black eyes now held an unfamiliar intensity, an inhuman power, like that of a dragon.
The aura caught Morax’s attention, and the demon roared, charging towards Deron and Adele.
Adele tried to defend them, but she knew it was futile. She desperately tried to conjure a shield with her remaining divine power, but…
“There’s no need.”
Deron stopped her. He gently took her hand and pushed it away, then stood up. The wounds on his body had vanished.
Deron stared at the approaching Morax and tightened his grip on his sword.
Shing
The sound of his sword leaving its scabbard echoed through the room. Black mana, radiating from Deron’s body, stained the surroundings. Similar to demonic energy, yet distinctly different.
Morax hesitated, faltering for a moment under the pressure of his aura. And Deron seized that opportunity.
Slice
A clean, swift cut. Deron’s sword moved with unnatural speed.
Thud
Morax’s head fell to the ground. A flawless strike. A single, decisive blow that sent chills down the spines of everyone who witnessed it.
“How…?”
Adele stared at the severed head, about to speak, but her words died in her throat.
As Morax’s head hit the ground, Deron collapsed.
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yumm…..
This development is ironic considering he called the og protag a monster with simplistic swordsmanship. Or maybe not cause it was the black dragon who fought? Depends on who was in control of the body when the demon got bodied.