Chapter 136: Cloud Bridge (4)
Chapter 136: Cloud Bridge (4)
A violent explosion erupted.
What followed was a tidal wave of earth—an irresistible surge of soil, rock, and thick roots. It was as if a piece of the forest itself had been summoned into the sky. The dragon, which had been proudly spreading its wings, was swept away along with Tom and Seol-yoon by the Authority of Earth. The title of Spirit King was no empty boast; no one could escape the havoc wrought by a fragment of Gaia, the Earth Spirit King.
"Wh-what—"
The dragon, frantically flapping its wings to escape higher into the sky, was no exception. Its massive wings were ensnared by vines, and the cascading earth became a crushing wave that dragged the beast toward the ground. The dragon’s roar was buried under the thunderous impact of the landslide.
And the others?
Tom took the brunt of the rushing earth and rocks, but he didn't have a single scratch. The armor of a 「Sword Expert」 would not be pierced by mere natural debris. As for Seol-yoon? She was pushing herself up with a dazed expression, spreading her wings. Though she hadn't fully recovered from the Mana Shock, she seemed to have regained enough strength to move. That was the advantage of her thin, soft wings—they were easily damaged, but they recovered just as quickly.
I don't need to worry about them.
Tom and Seol-yoon weren't people I needed to protect. They weren't damsels in distress; they were my reliable companions. There was no need for useless concern. My task was already set. I only had to raise my sword.
"How... how could a mere human use the Mystery of Spirits like this—"
"I ripped it off the Spirit King."
It was time to finish my greeting... with that winged lizard.
* * *
With a sound reminiscent of a collapsing mountain, the wave of nature that had manifested in midair poured down helplessly. A thunderous roar echoed, and wild beasts scattered in all directions. I barely managed to push my aching body up from the dirt.
This is actually quite useful.
Normally, my body should have been shattered or at least broken in several places. Regardless of my superhuman strength, I had fallen from a massive height without any resistance. However, aside from my muscles feeling a bit stiff, I wasn't injured. It was thanks to the gift left behind by the Earth Spirit King. The Authority of Earth dwelling within the sword had activated once more just before I hit the ground. The speed of my fall had slowed noticeably, and the earth had felt as soft as a cushion.
「Since you carry a fragment of the Spirit King, the earth spirits here recognized you as their king and protected you. As long as you hold that sword, you will never be harmed by the earth, young descendant.」
Right. The earth itself had saved me. As expected, it really is all about the gear.
And for the one without gear?
"Ugh."
He was going to have a hard time.
"How... dare you..."
The dragon's voice was thick with strain. No matter how great a dragon might be, falling from that height so abruptly was bound to cause damage. Since the wave of earth had prevented it from flapping its wings, it couldn't offset the impact of the fall. It must have been nice flying with that massive body, but falling with that same heavy frame meant the impact was incomparably more fatal than mine.
Fatal... is it?
Rustle.
The dragon abruptly thrust its head out from the pile of dirt. As soil and rocks fell away, the dragon's body was revealed; aside from a few scratches, there were no visible injuries. The scales covering its body still shimmered brilliantly, as if this level of damage was nothing.
"You called it a winged lizard..."
Master, what kind of winged lizard falls from that height and walks away with just a few scratches? I felt a surge of resentment toward Liam, but the dragon wasn't entirely unscathed. It wasn't bleeding or riddled with holes, but there was one glaring injury.
「Indeed. It is a winged lizard.」
"..."
「And now, it has become a lizard without wings.」
Its wings were broken.
"I will not... let you live. You bastard, what kind of trickery did you use? Why... why do the spirits listen to you instead of me? Are you... are you some kind of Spirit King...?"
"Yeah, I'm Gaia, the Earth Spirit King."
"You! This damn human! Are you mocking me?!"
My heartfelt joke didn't land.
The enraged dragon shook off the dirt and glared at me with murderous eyes. To be honest, it was terrifying. Even without wings, it felt like it could crush someone like me far too easily.
What about the surroundings?
I couldn't afford to freeze up just because I was scared.
Lush trees and undergrowth taller than me. Is this a forest? The Cloud Bridge we were crossing connected Cloud Garden and the Sky Empire. If we fell because it was cut midway... is this the Great Forest? No, it's not. They said the World Tree in the Great Forest is singing of its wrath. Audrey said that if anyone other than an elf or beastman entered, they'd be swept away by a terrible torrent of mana.
I began to gather information about my surroundings.
The mana here isn't raging; it's surprisingly calm. Moreover, while calm, it's insanely abundant. To the point where it feels like I'm swimming in an ocean made of mana.
Between Cloud Garden and the Sky Empire. A place where the mana in the air is this rich, excluding the Great Forest... there wasn't much to debate. It wasn't hard to reach a conclusion about where we were. I glanced upward. The sky was closer than I remembered. It wasn't just a feeling; I truly felt closer to the heavens.
The Sky Mountain Range.
I identified the location and assessed the environment. In a place rich with mana, blessed races like dragons become stronger, but at the same time, swordsmen become stronger too. My sword would be sharper than usual. My movements would be faster.
It's a mountain, but the environment is closer to a forest. I need to be mindful of the slopes as I move. The plants are also much larger than what I'm used to. Well, it's only natural for plants growing on the mana of the Sky Mountain Range.
My Doubt-driven intuition organized the information in an instant.
A picture began to form in my mind. The final target was the dragon. I didn't know how hard its scales were, but what was certain was that I couldn't pierce them with a normal strike. Even Tom's sword hadn't left a mark. Even if I mobilized all my techniques and utilized the Authority of Steel, peeling off its scales would be impossible.
Therefore, I had to fight differently. It was foolish to fight an enemy with such a massive weight class in a straightforward manner. I had to fight the human way—my way.
"You will regret not dying in the sky."
"..."
"Human, did you think you had a chance once you reached the ground? Making me angry was your mistake. I will tear your body apart until you sob for death. This is our land. Did you think a human could defeat a dragon here in the Sky Mountain Range?!"
With a thunderous shout, the dragon began to approach. It didn't appear in a flash with elegant wingbeats like before. It charged at me, crawling on the ground like a wild beast. It looked unsightly, but it wasn't laughable. The dragon, called the 'greatest race' among the seven, was fast even when running on all fours. It was so fast that no matter how much I ran, I wouldn't be able to escape.
However.
『Snow fell.』
What I gained in Cherny... still remained.
『The end of the night turned white.』
White Night.
My other descendant. The first female Swordmaster on the continent. A single fragment of the teaching Aria Caravan had passed down.
At your level, you cannot endure even a single piece of my blade. Therefore, there is only one thing I can pass on to you. The way I run through the world. The way I sprint through the white night.
Footwork.
The world I looked upon was dyed white. In the next moment, I saw points being dyed black within the pure white world. In this monochrome world, I extended and connected 「The Path」 to the pitch-black dots. Immediately after connecting them, I spread my wings. Simultaneously, acceleration began. The path walked by a distant ancestor was being summoned back into the world by the last descendant. Along with the steps, the sword was swung gracefully.
"—!"
I walked into the blind spot, slipping out of the charging dragon's field of vision. As I moved, the line drawn by the tip of my sword scraped against the dragon's scales. I couldn't knock the scales off, but I could at least leave scratches. My sword was clearly harder than the dragon's scales. This young dragon's body was weaker than the gift from Gaia, the Earth Spirit King. My lack of strength and hardness was compensated for by my weapon.
"You—"
The young dragon quickly turned its head, twisting its snout to aim for me again. At the moment its center of gravity shifted, I saw 「The Path」. The moment I saw the path, I swung my sword into the air. The mystery of 「Gale」, which twists the direction of force, flared up.
The moment the dragon's balance faltered, the Authority of Gaia activated once more. The ground the dragon stepped on collapsed, and its massive frame slammed into the earth again. Its scales were hard, but its internal bones, muscles, and organs were softer—a fact proven by its broken wings. No matter how intense the damage from the fall was, it wouldn't be more powerful than the blade of Tom, a 「Sword Expert」. Yet, it took damage from the fall while remaining unharmed by the blade. After doubting the situation, there was only one answer: it possessed absolute defense against external damage, but it was relatively vulnerable to impacts caused by falls or its own body weight.
「A dragon's scales are completed right after its juvenile period. However, to manifest various authorities and achieve internal hardness beneath the scales, it must become a full adult. It means one must be an 'adult' to be reborn as a great race without flaws in every aspect.」
The dragon's head hit the ground as it stumbled and fell. A choked sound escaped it, and the Authority of Earth manifested, as soil and rocks constricted the dragon's neck. The moment I saw it struggling, I grabbed a vine hanging between trees with one hand and raised the sword in my other. A vertical slash from top to bottom. The first steel, 'Forging.'
"Keeeeek!"
The tip of the blade struck the dragon's crown.
It didn't pierce the hard scales, but with a sharp clack, a powerful shock shook the dragon's head. Simultaneously, the Flame of Doubt transferred to the dragon and began to burn it. The flame that incinerates mysteries. I didn't know if this power would be meaningful against something that had fought only with its physical body until now, but I decided to burn it anyway.
"What! Tricks! Do you keep playing?!"
The dragon struggled, flailing its claws. In the midst of that, the Flame of Doubt completely swallowed the dragon's body. As the fire blazed fiercely, an anomaly began to occur.
Kagak!
"..."
The blade sank into the dragon's scales.
Looking closely, the dragon's scales were melting away due to the flames. To be precise, they were being dismantled. Were these scales a collection of mysteries?
「A dragon's scales are formed by the intertwining of all elements and the purest mana. They are a mystical skin, different from the scales or hides of other creatures. That is why they are more durable than the body of any other living being.」
"..."
「And because it is such a 'mystical skin,' a body without true substance, it is being gnawed away by your flames, young descendant.」
The dragon's body came to a sudden halt. At the same time, its reptilian eyes shook violently.
「As expected, your power is dangerous, young descendant. Is it not a power that drags those at the top of the world down to the bottom to be covered in pathetic mud?」
With a thud, the dragon's arm violently pushed my body away. Barely protecting myself, I spun in the air and landed on the ground. I immediately looked up.
The dragon was...
"That bastard, right now..."
「It is only natural. The arrogance a dragon displays stems from the conviction that it is an absolute being. The moment that conviction is shattered, there is no coward quite like a dragon.」
It was actually showing its back and running away. Quite pathetically.
「Right now, that young dragon must have felt your blade piercing through its scales. It must have felt the chilling sensation of the blade touching its flesh. You do not know what it means for a dragon to feel a 'threat to its life,' young descendant.」
"What a carefree race."
「Indeed, they are ridiculous things. So, what will you do now?」
A massive body. Dragging its broken wings, the dragon was moving away. To pursue, or to let it go? It was time to choose.
And then.
『The Empire said: Every life has the freedom to dream.』
An unfamiliar memory flowed in.
『But why did my son have to be broken?』
『Why did my son, who dreamed of the sky, have to lose his clear and brilliant mind and become a being trapped within a ruined body, with only a shell remaining?』
『My pride, my son, my Icarus.』
『The extraordinary genius born in the city of the lowly, who yearned for the sky.』
The memory of the sword.
『Why did my genius have to be emptied out and stuffed into an old body?』
That memory spoke.
『Because I could not accept it, I craved an answer.』
『To find the answer, I had to reach the sky.』
『I had to throw my questions at the highest dragons.』
.
.
.
『O Sky. O harsh Sky.』
It told me to chase the fleeing dragon.
『Do you know the genius who became a stuffed specimen?』