Chapter 295: O Foolish and Pitiful One (2)
Chapter 295: O Foolish and Pitiful One (2)
The Lord had arrived.
Upon witnessing that devastating strike, the black mages shouted in unison.
"That’s the Lord!"
"Kill him!"
"Concentrate your fire!"
The black mages were not intimidated by the Dragon Lord’s appearance. On the contrary, they lunged toward him as if they had found an opportunity to claim a great prize.
"Insignificant pests," the Lord spat, drawing in a deep breath to unleash another blast.
As the surrounding air grew thin from the sheer force of his inhalation, the black mages cried out in panic.
"Don't let him fire!"
"Kill him before he does!"
Spells from the black mages and attacks from the demons rained down upon the Lord.
Boom! Crash! Rumble!
Terrifying flames, lightning, and blizzards engulfed the Lord. However, they couldn't even graze his body.
"Not a chance."
"Foolish creatures."
Other dragons stepped in front of the Lord, intercepting the black mages' onslaught. Their scales, harder than steel, were torn away, and the flesh beneath was shredded, yet they did not retreat. And then…
"Die!"
Once again, a terrifying torrent of light erupted from the Lord’s maw.
For the black mages, it was a fatal blow. The moment they were swept up in that radiant stream, none would survive.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
But it was then.
Something intervened, blocking the Dragon Lord’s majestic and destructive strike. The Lord’s Breath, which had been surging with the force of a waterfall, gradually lost its power as it hit the obstacle.
Seeing the figure that had revealed itself, the Dragon Lord bared his teeth and growled.
"A servant of the Outer God."
"It has been a long time, Leonis."
The one who had blocked the Dragon Lord’s strike was Jonsa, the leader of the black mages.
The Dragon Lord glared at him and spoke. "Foolish man. After all this time, do you still follow the Outer God?"
"Of course. My soul shall be with Him for eternity."
"Even those who crossed over into this world with the Outer God have accepted their defeat."
"They are losers. Disgusting cowards…"
"You were born and given life in this world, yet why do you serve the Outer God to the end? You fool!"
Despite the Dragon Lord’s terrifying roar, Jonsa replied with a nonchalant expression. "You are the foolish ones."
"What?"
"The ship already has a hole in it and is slowly sinking. Why do you insist on staying aboard until the very end?"
"Shut your filthy mouth."
"I am merely expressing my concern, wise Lord. Even now, if you change your mind—"
Boom! Crash!
Another Breath was unleashed.
However, compared to the full-power blast from before, its might was severely lacking. Jonsa was able to block the Dragon Lord’s attack simply by shrouding himself in dark mana.
"Hehehe… How tragic, Leonis. To think that you, who were once the strongest and most valiant on the battlefield, have fallen so far."
A sneer played on Jonsa’s lips.
Had it been the Dragon Lord of that era, Jonsa wouldn't have dared to face him head-on. The true power of the Dragon Lord was not something Jonsa could ever hope to match. Originally, the difference in their power was like that of an ocean compared to a puddle. But…
"Heh, indeed. There’s no way you’d be fine. Abandoned by your gods and left neglected for so long, there’s no way your past strength remains."
The current Dragon Lord was weakened.
In fact, the entire dragon race had been diminished. After the war with the Outer God, Yupinel and Kalaron had fallen into a deep slumber to recover from their wounds. This had dealt a severe blow to the dragons, who were created by the gods.
For the dragons, who were created to protect the world from the Outer God, it meant there was no one left to replenish their power. The dragons gradually lost their strength and eventually vanished from the world. That was the very reason they had to hide themselves behind barriers in this desolate, remote land.
"A dragon that cannot use magic is nothing more than a strong, sturdy lizard. Is that not so, Lord?"
"You dare…"
The Lord gnashed his teeth.
But he couldn't deny it. Currently, the clan’s power was not even a hundredth of what it had been in its prime. Only a few Ancient Dragons, including the Lord himself, could still use Breath. The younger dragons couldn't even manage that and had to rely purely on physical combat.
While dragons were still a powerful race even if they only fought physically, it was a different story when their opponents were black mages and demons from hell.
I must at least buy enough time for the children to escape.
Steeling his heart, the Lord shouted, "Warriors of the clan! Fight to the very end! We are the guardians of this world!"
The Lord’s roar ignited a fighting spirit in the hearts of the other dragons.
"Woooooah!"
"Let’s go!"
Even in the face of the pouring magic and the attacks of demonic beasts and demons, the dragons pushed forward, using their bodies as shields. They weren't fighting because they thought they could win. They were doing their best as the guardians of this world.
And the dragons, fueled by desperate resolve, were dangerous enough even without their magic. Among them, one figure stood out particularly vividly.
"Comrades, follow me!"
A black-haired warrior fought in a Draconian form—a middle stage between dragon and human—wielding a single sword. His blade was shrouded in a massive Aura Blade that extended over ten meters. It was so enormous that one might mistake it for the Overlord’s Lord of the Sword.
The difference was that while the Overlord’s sword flashed with explosive intensity for a moment, this man’s Aura Blade continuously emitted light, maintaining its devastating power. Every time he swung his sword, the black mages' attacks were shattered, and the demons of hell were repelled.
His name was…
"I am Arcana, the Sword Dragon!"
Arcana, the Sword Dragon.
An eccentric who, despite being a dragon, was fascinated by the blade and walked the Way of the Sword. He was the legendary dragon who first passed the Aura Blessing to humans and was known as the guardian deity of knights.
Though the dragons' power had waned due to the disconnection from the gods, the strength of the sword he had built through ages of training was his own.
"Uoooooh!"
A single flash created by the massive Aura Blade. It split a giant demonic beast that had crawled up from hell clean in half.
Countless spells from the black mages were concentrated on Arcana.
Boom! Crash!
However, Arcana’s sword formed an impenetrable barrier, blocking the attacks.
Sword Curtain.
Through long years of training, Arcana had independently realized this technique, which was specialized for defense, much like Patrick’s Dragon Scale Whirlwind.
"What a monster."
"What kind of dragon uses a sword…?"
The black mages frowned at the sight. But the level of swordsmanship Arcana had reached went far beyond this.
"Arrogant fools!"
As he swept his hand, countless Aura Blades were generated in the air. The black mages were terrified at the sight of thousands of Aura Blades floating in the void.
"This is impossible!"
"I thought they couldn't use magic!"
"How could—Gack!"
Before the stunned black mages could regain their composure, the thousands of Aura Blades Arcana had created flew toward the enemy. They caused a rain of blood to fall upon the skies of Dragon Island.
"Aaaagh!"
"Argh!"
Black mages, demons, and demonic beasts alike—no one could be seen capable of withstanding Arcana’s divine might. At this moment, without a doubt, this man was the strongest warrior of the dragon race.
"Support Arcana!"
"Repel the enemies!"
As the tide seemed to turn, the dragons began to surround and assist Arcana. Watching this, Jonsa remarked…
"I suppose even a fallen dragon is still a dragon. Tsk. First the World Tree, and now these lizards… nothing ever goes easily."
The Dragon Lord, though a shadow of his former self, was still a being whose very existence was power. The dragons, though they had lost their magic, still boasted powerful physical bodies. And then there was Arcana, who had gained power exceeding that of a dragon through his mastery of the sword…
It was certainly not an easy battle to win.
"Master, we shall step in as well."
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the direct disciples who had been protecting Jonsa stepped forward. If they joined the fray, they might be able to handle Arcana and the Lord. However…
"There is no need for that," Jonsa restrained his disciples. "I have a more certain method."
From the very beginning of this game, Jonsa had prepared a hand that he couldn't lose. He muttered as he looked at the corpses of the black mages scattered around, leaking demonic energy.
"Your deaths shall not be in vain."
And the moment he raised his staff…
"Stop him!" the Dragon Lord, who knew the nature of black magic well, shouted urgently.
A black mage is most dangerous at the moment of death. This is because they can summon a being so perilous that it would be impossible to call forth while alive, by sacrificing their own mana and soul.
In fact, the Lord had found it strange for a while now. Despite the many black mages who had died, including those killed by his Breath, why had things been so quiet? With such a sacrifice, they should have been able to summon a demon who held a seat as a Great Demon in hell.
They had been holding back until now. He didn't know what they were trying to summon, but whatever was called forth at the cost of so many black mages' lives could not be an ordinary demon.
The Dragon Lord took another deep breath. This would likely be his last Breath of the day. But he had to stop Jonsa’s summoning at all costs.
"Dieeeee!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa…!
A colossal stream of golden light, on a completely different level than before, surged toward Jonsa.
"Master!"
"It’s dangerous!"
Jonsa’s direct disciples hurriedly tried to block the Lord’s Breath, but even the defensive magic they unleashed with all their might was powerless before it.
Crack! Shatter!
The layers of the Breath destroyed the disciples' defensive spells one by one.
"Urgh…"
"Damn it… argh…"
The disciples suffered severe rebounds from the destruction of their full-power spells and fell to the ground one by one. Yet Jonsa remained unbothered, focusing solely on his casting.
Finally, the moment the last disciple’s barrier shattered…
"Master!"
At his disciple’s desperate cry, the corners of Jonsa’s mouth curled up.
"I was faster, Lord."
Then, three portals opened in front of Jonsa, and something emerged.
* * *
Vroom, vroom, vroom…
What is this? What is happening?
The Lord could not understand. The Breath he had unleashed with the greatest power of his life had pierced through the black mages and struck Jonsa directly.
But the moment he thought it had hit, the golden stream of light he had emitted neither exploded nor swept the enemy away. It simply…
Is it pooling?
Yes. That was the only way to describe it.
The light-attribute Breath he had unleashed was pooling and clumping right in front of Jonsa, growing larger and larger. Just as a massive golden sphere of light, looking like a small sun had descended to the earth, was formed…
Pop!
The sphere simply soared far up into the sky.
Having exhausted his breath, the Lord looked at Jonsa with a weary expression and asked, "Just what have you summoned?"
What met the Lord’s eyes were three Death Knights.
No, wait… could those things even be called Death Knights?
A typical Death Knight was armed with a longsword, black armor, and a helmet. But what were these three?
Their attire was unrecognizable, but it certainly couldn't be called armor, and they wore no helmets. One held a sword, but another held a saber with an oddly shaped blade. One didn't even have a weapon in his hands; he was bald, and nine dots were neatly marked on his head.
What on earth were they?
The very energy emanating from them was entirely different from that of an ordinary Death Knight. Even for the Dragon Lord, who had lived for ages, these were new enemies whose identities he could not fathom.
Jonsa reached out his hand and commanded, "Go."
At his word, the three Death Knights flew toward the dragons.
Only three. And they were just three ordinary-looking undead monsters that didn't seem particularly overwhelming. The dragons wondered what this was, but their doubt quickly turned into horror.
Boom!
The moment the bald, unarmed Death Knight thrust his fist forward, an Ancient Dragon was blown to pieces.
"Lord Santiash!"
"How can this be… he took him down in one blow?"
Santiash. He was the eldest of the White Dragons and a powerhouse who ranked among the top ten of all dragons. Such a being had been shattered in a single strike.
Only then did the dragons realize the situation was extraordinary and tried to fight back against the new enemies with everything they had.
"You monster!"
A massive Red Dragon lunged at the Death Knight holding the saber. As a Red Dragon, known for having the greatest physical strength among their kind, his body had fewer injuries than the other dragons. But…
Slash!
The moment the opponent’s blade flashed once.
"Wh-what…?"
The world was split in two. No, to be precise, what was split was…
"…Me?"
Thud!
With those final words, the massive Red Dragon fell, split perfectly in half.
The black mages on the same side were also struck with horror at the skill that had accurately halved a giant dragon with a single stroke.
"What is that?"
"Magic… no, that’s not magic, is it?"
"I knew they weren't ordinary Death Knights, but…"
Even they, who were on the same side, felt a sense of dread toward the three Death Knights Jonsa had summoned. This wasn't just the kind of fear one feels toward the strong.
It was the Unknown.
This was not something happening within the realm of their knowledge. Exploding a massive dragon with a bare fist and splitting one in half with a single swing? Such feats were far beyond the scope of the knowledge they possessed.
To those who think with their heads, like mages, the unknown manifests as dread and terror. Even if that unknown is on their side.