Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Dragon Lair
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BOOM—!!!!
My Winter Fang clashed against the Dragon Soldier's greatsword in midair.
At the same moment, a deafening roar that felt like it would burst my eardrums erupted, sending shockwaves rippling outward. The entire altar shook as if struck by an earthquake.
"Ngh…!"
The power struggle didn't last long. I barely deflected the bone-shattering impact with my aura and was the first to pull back my sword, retreating.
'This guy's insane.'
His raw strength defied imagination.
The Kaltstein swordsmanship emphasized both power and speed from its foundation, so I shouldn't have been pushed back in a contest of brute force. But this monster's power was on another level entirely—utterly ridiculous.
If we were comparing pure strength, I was a middle schooler going up against a gym rat who could bench 500 kilos without breaking a sweat.
And yet, that's exactly what made this fight so exhilarating. I quickly readjusted my stance and charged at him again.
Shing—!
The tip of Winter Fang slithered like a serpent toward the gap in his armor.
But the Dragon Soldier twisted his greatsword with a reaction speed that belied his massive bulk, batting my blade away.
Clang!
"Haha! As expected of an ancient weapon!"
His absurd maneuver drew a hollow laugh from me as I swung my sword once more.
Blood burst from my wounded left shoulder, soaking my shirt and uniform, but the adrenaline surging through me drowned out any pain.
No, that pain was actually sharpening my senses even further.
And no matter how formidable this Dragon Soldier was, even he couldn't completely overcome the limits of his weapon.
The more he swung that greatsword, the clearer its trajectory became to my eyes, making it easier to evade.
Yet interspersed among those brute-force smashes were strikes honed by centuries of guarding this lair—subtle, refined, and deadly.
A normal knight would have met their end after just ten—no, five exchanges.
But I was the youngest Sword Master on the continent.
Facing a battlefield like this Dragon Lair—one I'd likely never experience again.
Teetering on the boundary between life and death, my aura didn't wane; it blazed fiercer than ever.
Krraaaang!
-GRRROOAAAR!!
"Swing it faster!!"
Dozens of clashes flew by in an instant.
The altar floor was already shredded to rags by sword ki, and the air reeked of iron, blood, and even the acrid scent of burning mana.
And as time passed, as our exchanges multiplied.
The Dragon Soldier's movements began to change. No longer mechanical swings to repel an intruder, but the fluid motions of a true warrior craving battle.
His red eyes glowed deeper, and his sword strikes began to carry denser mana.
Woooong—!
Pure white aura coalesced on his greatsword, an intensity that didn't match his armor at all.
"Yes! That's it! Now that's worthy of the title 'legendary weapon'!"
I shivered in excitement.
This was it.
This was the fight I'd been craving!
An enemy who could kill me.
A foe so strong I had to pour everything I had into reaching him!!
I regripped Winter Fang with both hands... no, just my right one.
My left arm had gone completely numb.
But it didn't matter.
One hand was enough to hold a sword.
Even without hands, I'd grip it with my feet or teeth—as long as I could swing it, that's what it meant to be a swordsman!
"Fifth Form: Eye of the Storm."
A vortex of blue aura whipped up around me.
The Dragon Soldier sensed my intent for a frontal clash and didn't retreat. Instead, he raised his greatsword high.
White mana exploded outward.
BOOMMMM!!!
The two aura storms collided in midair once more.
Altar pillars crumbled, and chunks of magical stone rained from the ceiling like a storm.
In that cauldron of chaos, Roselia stood frozen, forgetting even to cast her spells.
The flame magic gathered at her fingertips had long since fizzled out.
'…….'
From the very first clash, she hadn't been able to track either of their movements.
That's how she instantly realized there was no place for her in this clash of monsters—and so she took no action.
Or, more precisely, the real reason she stood entranced, watching the two beasts duel...
'He's... smiling.'
Even as his arm hung in tatters and his body was drenched in blood.
Noxion von Kaltstein, the duke swinging his sword like a madman, wore an expression of pure ecstasy.
That cold, impassive display she'd glimpsed in the training grounds after her rude question—it had only been the tip of the iceberg.
His true face was a asura, thirsting for blood and strife, reveling in the battlefield itself.
Roselia felt terror at the sight of such a man, yet an inexplicable awe bloomed alongside it.
'Beautiful.'
Beautiful? A blood-soaked slaughterfest? Had she lost her mind?
No, that couldn't be.
Anyone witnessing this fireworks display of blue aura entwining with white mana would react the same way.
BOOM!
Even as Roselia lost herself watching the fight, the two continued their relentless swordplay.
At the final clash, we locked blades and fell into a contest of strength.
"Grraah…."
Blood trickled from my mouth.
Sparks flew from the gaps in the Dragon Soldier's helmet.
A sign that we had both reached our limits.
BOOM!
Our sword ki exploded in the final struggle, hurling both me and the Dragon Soldier backward.
-!!!
"Hah… hah."
I could see the red glow flickering unstably through his helmet slits.
Deep gashes scarred his entire body, and his joints creaked from overload.
Even an ancient weapon, the dragon's guardian, couldn't endure this ferocious battle unscathed—its whole frame screamed in protest.
Of course, I was in the same boat.
I wasn't even sure if my left arm was still attached, and my right felt numb beyond use.
Blood loss was blurring my vision by the second.
Confirming each other's states, we both knew it for certain.
The next strike would end this fight.
'What a shame.'
I could feel that sentiment radiating from him.
After centuries buried in this underground lair, guarding it dutifully, he'd finally met a worthy opponent.
The regret of a warrior—not a bound soldier—watching that sole moment to burn everything away come to an end.
So, with a genuine smile, I spoke.
"Thank you, Dragon Soldier. Thanks to you, I feel like I'll surpass another wall."
-….
Once this battle ended, I'd undoubtedly stand taller than before.
"Here I go!"
I raised Winter Fang overhead.
I drew forth the last drop of aura from the depths of my dantian, pouring it all into the blade.
Woooong—!
A blue sword beam surged beyond the blade, towering toward the lair's ceiling.
The Kaltstein secret technique, passed down through generations—an ultimate sword art that manifested differently depending on the wielder.
Sky-Piercing Slash.
The Dragon Soldier laid his greatsword horizontally.
At the same moment, the white mana enveloping his body condensed to a single point on the blade. Soon, as if devouring all the mana in the lair, a sword of blinding light took form.
"…."
-….
Thud!
We locked eyes for a brief moment, then kicked off the ground simultaneously.
In that split second, it felt as if time halted for everything but us.
BOOOOOOM——!!!
Sword met sword, aura clashed with aura, and the world turned white.
In the explosion of light that drowned even the roar, I saw it clearly.
My blade cleaved through his white sword ki, shattered the sturdy greatsword, and finally sliced straight through the core hidden inside the helmet.
Clang!
Fragments of the bisected greatsword flew through the air.
At the same moment, the Dragon Soldier's red eyes went dark.
Thud.
The colossal steel giant dropped to one knee, then collapsed forward.
"…I won."
The moment those words left my lips, the taut thread of my consciousness snapped.
The world spun.
'At this point… I can truly say I've surpassed Father….'
I glanced one last time at Roselia, who had quietly watched the battle from behind, before darkness swallowed my fading vision.
"……."
How much time had passed?
A sweet fragrance tickling my nose slowly drew my eyes open.
"Nngh…."
The first sensation was the return of feeling in my left arm, which had been completely numb.
The arm I'd thought might need amputation was there, prickling with faint pain.
The bleeding had been perfectly stanched, and a basic healing magic circle was etched over the bandages.
It seemed Roselia had stabilized the wound with emergency care and healing magic.
'I survived.'
Relief at still being alive washed over me briefly.
But soon, the unfamiliar yet soft sensation against the back of my head made me tilt my head in confusion.
This definitely wasn't the hard stone floor.
Warm, soft, and cozy….
'…No way?'
Cautiously, I lifted my gaze.
"……."
Roselia's face was right there.
Leaning against the wall, she had dozed off while giving me a lap pillow, her head nodding gently.
Her long lashes trembled faintly, and her red lips parted slightly as she breathed softly.
Her disheveled golden hair from the battle's aftermath and the dirt-streaked hem of her dress spoke volumes of her ordeal.
"…."
Who knew? I'd pegged her as just a timid, immature princess.
For her to nurse my collapsed body with such devotion.
A strange feeling stirred in me, and I silently gazed up at her sleeping face for a moment.
'But why a lap pillow of all things… I haven't even gotten one from Seria yet….'
Once we returned to Kaltstein and I had to explain the journey to Seria...
I might end up telling more lies than I thought.
As I shuddered at the thought of future troubles, Roselia's head suddenly drooped, bonking my forehead.
"Nng…? Ow, my forehead…."
She jolted awake.
Her eyes met mine, staring up at her with a hint of realization dawning.
"……."
"……."
Silence.
As she processed the situation, her face flushed crimson, like a ripe apple.
"Kyaa, kyaaak! Y-You're awake?!"
She scrambled to pull back but caught my head carefully, worried it might hit the floor.
Her flustered panic was so adorable that I couldn't help but chuckle.
"You let me rest well… but the lap pillow might've been a bit much."
"I-I just wanted you to be as comfortable as possible…!!"