Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Mad Dragon Sword's True Master
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Hesitation.
Helena's feet faltered unconsciously, her face drained of color.
In stark contrast, Esther's expression twisted like a vengeful demon's.
The emotions they harbored were vastly different, but they led to the same conclusion.
Killing intent.
The impulse to murder pounded in their hearts.
The death of a loved one.
The death of a rival they respected.
The deaths of comrades, kingdom knights, and more—all swirling together, ultimately coalescing into rage and hatred.
Yet Esther and Helena could not move recklessly.
Kallias's death was undoubtedly tragic, but they were kingdom knights and church paladins.
They had witnessed countless deaths of those close to them, and though it fueled their anger, they never lost their composure.
'The heart was pierced.'
'No chance of survival.'
In that case, their best course of action was to protect the defenseless queen.
The imperial knights who had charged in alongside them were already rushing toward the queen.
Kallias's death was heartbreaking, but it was unavoidable.
They were knights.
Knights protected themselves and, above all, the nation.
Protecting the queen, who was Carpe incarnate, was only natural.
"Esther!"
The imperial knights began to move.
They too had grasped the situation and were charging to cut off Carpe's lifeline.
"I know!"
Crunch!
With Esther's powerful step forward came a chilling wave of dread that rippled outward.
Strangely, the advancing imperial knights halted abruptly.
They twitched as if paralyzed, their eyes locking onto Esther in unison.
"Blue Moon."
At that moment, Esther's sword gleamed like blue moonlight.
With the eerie flash of her blade, her movements became extraordinary. She leaped into the midst of the enemy in an instant, darting with erratic steps to brush past an imperial knight.
As if her physical abilities had surged dramatically.
"Red Moon."
Her murmured words were followed by blood spraying from the knights' bodies.
Splatter!
But Esther was crying.
Tears streamed down her emotionless face, conveying her profound grief.
As the knights charged again, Esther gripped her sword once more.
"White Moon."
Thirty-four sword beams shot from Esther's blade in a flash.
The pristine white beams arced like crescent moons, thin and sharp as glass.
"Such feeble sword strikes...! Ack!?"
The imperial knights, who had dismissed her beams, lost arms along with their spears or had their torsos cleaved.
She wiped away her unrelenting tears.
Esther unleashed her final technique.
"Black Moon."
Her blade beams, now mingled with various hues and turned black, emanated a ferocious aura.
The knights who had sought to kill the queen hesitated.
They flinched, sensing Esther's sharpened aura.
"Helena...?"
Helena stared wide-eyed at one spot.
There.
Crunch.
Kallias gripped the Mad Dragon's hand and sword tightly.
Blood trickled from his mouth, trembling on the brink of death, but he spoke clearly and precisely.
"Three Realms' Reverence for Humanity."
Divine Canon.
That was when it happened.
Splatter!
Silver chains of light erupted from Kallias's heart, lashing out in all directions.
They pierced the ground and sky, while the rest bound Kallias himself and the Mad Dragon.
"!!"
"Divine spell!"
Moreover—Three Realms' Reverence for Humanity, Divine Canon!
A divine spell that only high-ranking holy alchemists like Sullivian could wield, its difficulty reaching the pinnacle.
No matter how mighty the Mad Dragon, being bound so perfectly left it helpless.
"Ah...."
With a sword in his heart, instant death would have been no surprise.
Yet he had chanted such an advanced holy incantation. His willpower was truly awe-inspiring...!
'I will never let your death be in vain!'
Esther's sword turned toward the empire once more.
* * *
'...It hurts.'
His chest burned like it was being seared with a branding iron. He wanted to scream, but he lacked even the strength for that long ago.
The Mad Dragon Sword embedded in his chest.
How many seconds until consciousness faded?
Death was certain, yet despair did not cloud Kallias's face. Rather, he had hoped for this very situation.
'Everything up to here was as planned.'
The Mad Dragon Sword was a peerless blade beyond imagination.
A sword that had achieved a high soul rank, its Mad Dragon master healed ordinary wounds in moments.
A dragon's regenerative power.
Thus, Kallias had carefully accumulated damage before deploying the Tyrant Sword's sanctuary to execute Moonfall.
The Mad Dragon, turned into a single moon, plummeted and suffered massive damage.
Yet it still charged at Kallias and thrust its sword.
Of course.
This was all part of Kallias's strategy.
'I drained its strength, so I could guide it.'
He had ensured the blade struck his heart precisely.
On top of that, the divine spell.
Three Realms' Reverence for Humanity—Divine Canon, Sullivian's ultimate binding technique.
Contrary to its name meaning "revere humanity," Divine Canon meant "teach the law."
The highest divine spell, used to restrain those unworthy of being human.
Thus, even after stabbing Kallias's heart, the Mad Dragon couldn't easily withdraw its sword.
That was Kallias's intent.
The Mad Dragon Sword.
A peerless sword forged by slaying the mad dragon that attacked Carpe.
Those who wielded it all went insane or were dominated by the dragon's aura, slaughtering all humans.
Only the founding king had used it, mastering the proper method to resist the madness.
And Kallias.
He was the only one on the continent who knew the Mad Dragon Sword's true usage.
He had taken the reverse scale for that reason.
With his [Glutton] and [Soul Fusion] constitutions, his body was already prepared to accept the dragon when he absorbed the reverse scale.
His optimized body accepted it effortlessly, strengthening his mind and flesh further.
And now that the Mad Dragon Sword was pinned in his heart.
There was nothing to fear.
"Give... me the sword...."
He vomited a mouthful of blood. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, blood trickling from his mouth.
Yet his gaze shone with unprecedented clarity.
The true way to wield the Mad Dragon Sword.
It was a method he had devised himself, absurdly simple.
The Mad Dragon Sword was not meant to be gripped in the hand.
'It was meant to be thrust into one's own heart.'
That was why Kallias had made so many preparations to drain the Mad Dragon's power until now.
A misaimed thrust could mean real death, demanding utmost caution.
The rampaging Mad Dragon was faster and stronger than Kallias.
Predicting its trajectory was difficult, hence the need to weaken it first.
'Even I think it's...'
The difficulty was brutally high.
Was this punishment for his idea?
It hurt like death, but rather than anger, Kallias felt incredulity even now.
But he couldn't stay like this forever.
Left as is, he would die all the same.
With a sword in his heart, inaction meant death.
Now, he had to seize true ownership from it.
Only then could he escape death.
And claim the Mad Dragon Sword for himself.
No time to delay.
Crunch.
Kallias gripped the Mad Dragon Sword again, tensing his hand.
He immediately unclasped his bracelet.
Roooar!
All stored holy power unleashed.
Controlling the surging holy power scorching his body, he wrested ownership of the Mad Dragon Sword from his heart.
* * *
"Grrr!!"
Trapped in the Divine Canon of holy power, the Mad Dragon thrashed but couldn't move freely.
It thought it had killed its foe, but the enemy had bound both itself and the sword in some bizarre ritual.
Startled, the Mad Dragon tried to escape, but the foe clung like he wanted them both to die, grinning with madness.
Chills ran through its body.
Yet at the same time, the Mad Dragon sensed something wrong with the sword.
Instinctual realization.
The aura of the Mad Dragon Sword embedded in the enemy's heart was being drawn toward him.
From that moment.
The tug-of-war between the Mad Dragon and Kallias began.
Regrettably, the victor in this prepared battle.
Was Kallias.
A dominance struggle with a beast? Unnecessary.
The Mad Dragon Sword itself deemed Kallias's meticulously honed body superior to its long-held flesh.
Crack, crash!!
The chains shattered.
With a surge of power, the Mad Dragon's body tore away.
Thud.
The fallen Mad Dragon glared at Kallias with its vertically slit eyes.
"Grrr...!"
The sword in its heart was gone. Through his torn clothes, his healed chest and engraved pattern were visible.
A dragon-shaped tattoo gleamed as Kallias's eyes opened.
[You have become the new master of the Mad Dragon, Baramut.]
[Baramut has been properly integrated into your body. All physical abilities awaken, and skills are enhanced.]
[Permanent stat increases occur from Baramut in your heart.]
[Soul Fusion boosts stat increases by an additional 30%.]
[The Mad Dragon's power perfectly heals all wounds on your body.]
[You have experienced the霸道 dragon's might. You comprehend Dragon Power.]
[You have gained the Mad Dragon's power. You are now hated by all dragons on the continent.]
Vitality flooded his body, which had teetered on death moments ago.
The reverse scale bolstered resistance to the dragon's influence, and the queen's ruby pearl fully blocked the madness.
Moreover, he could now wield the Mad Dragon's power perfectly, with all physical stats permanently enhanced.
On top of awakening. Silver chains scattered as Kallias's aura spread everywhere.
* * *
Whoosh-!
The domineering Mad Dragon aura commanded knee-bending awe.
The beast, robbed of what was once its own.
Its power stolen, raged in fury.
"Raaaagh!!"
A madness-possessed husk.
Grand Duke Cloy wailed like a child robbed of its toy, slashing with claws.
Boom-!
"Due to long-term erosion, remnants of the Mad Dragon aura and demonic energy linger, I suppose."
Even without the Mad Dragon Sword, Grand Duke Cloy remained formidable. The influence of wielding it for so long.
Dragon scales still protruded across his body; mere remnants, yet dragon power lingered.
Cloy lunged at Kallias's throat with unchanged speed.
To reclaim his strength.
Slash!!
Sharp claws raked his neck.
Swish.
But it was an afterimage.
"!"
Kallias's form vanished like a ghost. Startled, the Grand Duke scanned around—only for his throat to be gripped.
"Gack!"
Immense power.
Incredible strength unbelievable from a mere human seized him.
Crunch, crackle!
"Grrrrr....!"
Cloy couldn't budge, throat crushed in Kallias's grasp.
Having properly integrated the Mad Dragon, Kallias was in an awakened state with explosively grown stats.
His ash-gray pupils slit like a dragon's, exuding overwhelming might.
Escape was impossible.
An unprecedented gap in power.
Fear flickered in Cloy's reptilian eyes.
"A fitting opponent for a test."
Swoosh.
Kallias released the Grand Duke's throat, summoning the Mad Dragon Sword, Baramut, into his hand.
Power boiling throughout his body converged into the blade.
Then, in one swift swing, he intoned.
"Dragon Claw."
Chilling.
The Grand Duke leaped away instantly.
Boom!!
A massive quake-like roar echoed everywhere.
Mind reeling.
Was this destruction possible with a sword!?
After the earth-shaking tremor.
Where Cloy had stood gaped a massive sword scar, as if clawed by a dragon.
Gulp.
Instinctual fear consumed him.
No time for thought.
Cloy fled on all fours as instinct demanded, not looking back.
Undignified, yet blindingly fast.
But then.
Swoosh.
Kallias appeared mockingly, slashing down.
"Dragon Roar."
Roooaaaaar!!
Kallias's Mad Dragon Sword, materializing before him, unleashed a roar evoking a dragon's breath.