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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I didn’t want to see you like this.”
A simple sentiment, yet the emotions it contained were quite complex. He had spent most of his life filled with hatred for Kaitel.
He sometimes wondered if it was strange, but since Kaitel was the one who had killed him, wasn’t it natural to feel this way?
He had hated him. He had hated him so much that he had thought countless times about plunging a sword into his throat the moment he saw him.
He had imagined decapitating him instantly upon meeting, and he had often fantasized about making Kaitel suffer all the pain he had endured. He had thought that rage would consume him the moment he saw Kaitel’s face.
“I should have investigated a little more. Foolishly, I didn’t think he’d be inside himself.”
“What does it matter now? Kaitel is gone.”
Kaitel was dead.
Truly, annihilated without a trace of his soul remaining. Knowing that, he felt a slight sense of emptiness. He had so many things he wanted to say, so many memories he had experienced.
A strange pity bloomed for the soul that had been tormented by the Four-Winged Dragon for centuries.
Of course, he knew it didn’t matter now, so he didn’t bother dwelling on those feelings. He focused on the sensation in his hand, on what he saw with his eyes, and simply faced the dragon.
Since everything would end if he killed the dragon here, he would simply swing his sword and cut it down.
The dragon seemed to realize this as well. It closed its mouth, which had been about to speak, and stared intently at him. Its crimson eyes were different from Miragen’s.
A scarlet close to the color of blood. Afraid of being tainted by the madness within them if he looked any longer, he slowly raised his sword and slashed through the air.
Kiiiigiiiik-
The power he gained from the mental space was indescribably potent. Faster and stronger than when he called himself a Sword Saint.
The ceiling of the Imperial Palace, already crumbling and destined to collapse, was cleanly sliced through. The dragon’s eyes, fixed on the falling debris, flickered with a strange light.
It seemed impressed by human prowess, as if observing something quite intriguing.
“I sometimes wondered. If a single life form held infinite potential, could it one day rival me?”
“Is that why you appeared here?”
“I don’t exist simply to kill. Rather, hmm. It’s better to explain it this way.”
The smiling face, borrowing Kaitel’s body, was quite grotesque. He had certainly seen that familiar face smile like that several times, but because the personality within was different, he couldn’t help but feel a completely different impression.
“The reason for my existence is to break the balance between the gods. For example, if there is a Moon Goddess and a Sun, my purpose is to eliminate a god by destroying the Sun.”
Crack.
The debris lightly crushed underfoot instantly blackened and burned. The dragon’s power wasn’t limited to space and time. It controlled all aspects of death, a power usurped from a god that once existed.
The dragon flicked its tongue and chuckled, reminiscing.
“The reason I want to kill the gods is simple. It is simply to stand above all things. Death, the sun, the moon. And even space and time. Most of the elements that make up the world were mine, and once I find the moon, everything will finally be mine.”
Swish.
Following the dragon’s finger as it sliced through the air, the already fractured Imperial Palace crumbled further. However, unlike his own clean cut, the destruction was less precise. Slightly surprised, the dragon added,
“The reason I killed humans is simply because I considered them accessories of the world. Do you care about the ants you step on when you pick up a stone? It’s like that. To be precise, that’s what humans were.”
The mana circulating within him grew denser, and the deepened mana flowed into his sword, forming a shape. The sword that cuts all things. The sword, given only a hilt, held infinite possibilities depending on the wielder’s power.
As if bothered by this, the dragon blocked the radiating energy with its own magic and smiled wryly.
“It seems you’re not amused. Judging by your expression.”
“There’s no reason to be.”
Perhaps because his expression darkened considerably, the dragon sighed softly and drew a sword from its own hand. A bone-white sword.
It looked more sculpted than forged, and he could clearly sense it was a flawless masterpiece.
“…And so, facing you, my thoughts have changed slightly. After encountering Robert Taylor, that thought shifted a bit. Since you are the only human who can find value, if I erase you, there will probably be no one left to hinder me.”
Hum-
The finely trembling magical power was intense and overwhelming. He had thought the dragon hadn’t fully recovered its strength, but even this much… He had reached a certain level of mastery, so he could face the dragon’s power objectively. This was dangerous.
“It’s simple. If you kill me, you will achieve what you desire. And if not…”
“If not?”
“I don’t know why you ask when you know very well.”
What he desired—he hadn’t thought about it clearly yet, but what he had to do here was extremely simple. Kill the dragon.
Somehow.
With that thought, he thrust his sword forward. It took only an instant for it to be blocked in mid-air.
Kiiiigiiiik-
Kwaang!
The wind, unable to withstand the speed, exploded, and a strong tremor resonated. The dragon couldn’t transform into its dragon form yet.
Then, he would finish it before it could. With that judgment, he lunged again, his attack seemingly close to the mark. The dragon, with a troubled expression, furrowed its brows slightly, and a faint red light flickered from its mouth.
“…Oh dear. I didn’t expect you to attack like this.”
“You should have been more careful.”
The twitching eyebrows returned to normal, and the dragon, wearing Kaitel’s characteristic sly smile, moved its lips. It twirled the sword that had blocked the attack, returning its point to its original position.
Confirming that it was back at the starting point, the dragon slowly gripped the sword.
“It can’t be helped.”
Suddenly, he saw the illusion of his face being pierced. He desperately tilted his head to dodge, and the pillar behind him exploded.
Was the sword something that caused explosions? He barely had time to glance at the cleanly round hole before the next attack came, and he slowly raised his sword to block.
The trajectory wasn’t complicated. If he responded calmly, he could block it.
The problem was that the force behind the attacks was steadily increasing, and the dragon’s intentions were clearly revealed through the sword.
Unskilled, yet quickly adapting swordsmanship was noticeable. Did that mean it was learning human swordsmanship? He frowned slightly, his breath misting in the air. If possible, he needed to move quickly.
Nothing had changed in the goals he had set for himself. He swiftly darted between the dragon’s raised sword.
Half a step.
The distance between the swords wasn’t that great, so even that small gap was enough to plan something. It wasn’t for nothing that footwork was considered crucial in swordsmanship. One breath, one beat.
If he could just take one step faster than the one swinging the sword in front of him, the opportunities he could create were endless.
Talent.
When he finally encountered what he believed he lacked, he realized something. He could read so much in a single moment that his crude senses couldn’t process it all, so he had simply assumed he lacked talent.
The blink of an eye, the brief moment before sweat dripped to the ground. The information he could read within that time was vast. He felt as if time slowed down as he processed it. The direction of the dragon’s sword, its intent. Its power, and whether he could deflect it.
‘Deflecting is unlikely.’
He assessed what he could currently achieve, how much damage he could inflict if he thrust his sword forward. Amidst the storm of information flowing like an electric current, the thought that arose was simple.
One syllable: Possible.
As soon as he made the judgment, the flow of time returned to normal, and he thrust his sword towards the dragon, who was pulling back.
Kiiiigiiiik.
It wasn’t an illusion, the dragon’s skin was as hard as scales. He was trying to cut not a human, but a dragon, so it was only natural. Therefore, the only way was to explode his mana, concentrating everything on the tip of his sword.
For a moment, the mana flowing through his body surged outwards. Like wings, the exploding mana propelled him forward.
“Ugh-”
Grrrrumble.
Even if it didn’t tear, the impact was certainly there. The force penetrating beneath the compressed skin would definitely take its toll. His body, constantly pushed back, tore through the Imperial Palace, through the buildings in the street, and continued to destroy everything in the Imperial City.
Kwaang!
The distance he was pushed along the extended road was considerable, but still, the dragon’s toughness remained unbroken. He couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.
Supreme hardness.
Well, a dragon should at least be this tough. The corners of his mouth twisted.
For a moment, admiration for the dragon flickered, but then the memory of what the dragon had done flashed through his mind, turning the admiration into rage.
The mana that bloomed like wings accelerated him further. The speed amplified to the point of tearing the air, and once again, the mana concentrated at the tip of his sword.
He realized that a small amount of blood had spurted only after the dragon’s expression hardened slightly.
Shock, and bewilderment.
Seeing the supreme being with such an unfamiliar expression brought a smile to his face. So it could make such a face after all.
“…So, facing you with a sword was arrogance.”
A sudden wave of energy enveloped his body.
The dragon, covering its bleeding body, silently wiped its face and slowly rose from the shattered debris. Fragments rained down. The debris falling from its skin and onto the ground piled up high enough to cover the surroundings.
Hundreds of meters from the Imperial Palace, after being hit by a blow that pierced and destroyed everything in its path, all it suffered was a few drops of blood. The thought of how to kill this thing made his head throb.
He was about to grasp his sword and attack again when—
“My power hasn’t fully returned, but it seems I underestimated you. I commend you. You are the first being since the Goddess to wound me.”
Crack.
Wings began to emerge from between its grotesquely twisted spine. The human-shaped body shattered, the skin tearing, spilling blood and spinal fluid. It was losing its human form. That meant… it meant he was facing the scenario he least wanted to see.
A dragon.
A creature that existed only in legends and myths.
A ferocious and cruel being, said to be so powerful that no one who saw it ever survived. The moon hanging in the sky was completely obscured. The dragon’s massive body blocked the little light that remained, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
Finally, he could only sigh at the sight of its majestic form.
“…A dragon.”
The Four-Winged Dragon, now fully transformed, met his gaze.
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