026. The Dragon with Three Heads 2
Clang!
Cerberian's massive fangs collided with Bin's Shabest. Despite the frigid chill, the beast didn't so much as flinch.
So this level of cold doesn't faze it?
On the other hand, Bin grimaced under the force of Cerberian's push.
No wonder it's a 2nd-grade monster . . .
That was when it happened.
Swoosh.
Cerberian's central head appeared before Bin, jaws gaping wide.
"Human, I'll swallow you whole!"
Its enormous maw could gulp him down in one bite.
Right then, Codic—merged with Gust's body—materialized inside the beast's savage mouth.
"How dare you bare your stinking jaws at my liege!"
Codic mimicked Cerberian, opening his own mouth to spew crystals.
"Gaaah!"
The crystals flew like machine-gun fire, hurtling toward the depths of Cerberian's throat.
But Codic's assault only stoked the beast's rage further.
"A monster aiding a human? Disgusting."
As the crystals closed in, Cerberian's second head parted its jaws. Crimson flames soon filled its mouth and erupted outward.
"Fwoooosh."
The heat was so intense it scorched the floor. The blaze engulfed the crystals in an instant, melting them into black slag.
Swoosh.
Seeing the breath weapon barreling toward him after incinerating the crystals, Bin's eyes flashed.
A breath attack . . .
The signature exhalation of dragons—one of their hallmark assaults.
Bin knew at once that taking it head-on would leave him with nothing but ashes.
The elongated flames sliced through the air, racing toward Codic. Still locked in combat with the first head, Bin swiftly retreated.
"Can't let that happen."
His right arm, gripping Shabest, moved, conjuring a wall of ice.
Crack!
The thick ice barrier rising from the floor met the extended flames. As searing fire clashed with frozen solid, white steam billowed up.
Hiss.
The flames didn't just melt the ice wall into water—they vaporized it entirely before fading. Even that substantial barrier had been half-consumed.
Without Shabest, blocking it would have been unimaginable.
Bin wiped sweat from his brow and caught his breath.
"Hoo . . ."
Before he could recover, Cerberian's third head lunged at him.
Swoosh.
But Codic wasn't about to stand idle.
"As long as I draw breath, none shall touch my liege!"
Codic thrust out a massive arm, interposing himself before the beast's eyes.
Yet the incoming head gradually overpowered him.
"D-Damn it. Without legs to brace myself . . ."
Overwhelmed by sheer force, Codic was hurled away, slamming into the wall.
Thud!
With Codic gone, all three massive heads fixed on Bin.
Even one would have been a headache. Three made it a nightmare—wide field of vision, endless fangs, unpredictable strikes.
No openings anywhere . . .
Lost in thought, Bin still faced a relentless barrage.
"Human, I'll kill you!"
The beast, seething with fury and grudge.
Thud! Thud!
Dodge the first head, and another slammed in before he could breathe.
But Bin had anticipated it. He switched Shabest to his right hand and swung the black-glowing blade at the approaching head.
Slash!
A dark sword wind tore through its jaws, ripping them apart.
Drip. Drip.
Black blood splattered the floor.
". . ."
One side of its maw hung limp, flesh sagging as if it might fall off at any moment.
Bin allowed himself a small relief.
"I'll shred the other side soon enough."
The corner of his mouth curled upward. His first hit had landed true, sparking hope.
But that relief was short-lived. Astonishingly, the third head's torn jaws began regenerating on the spot.
Bin's eyes widened.
High-speed regeneration?
A trait common in monsters above 2nd-grade. With potent breath attacks, tough hide, and regeneration, it was no fluke it ranked so high.
As Bin reeled, flames erupted from another head.
"Human, I'll burn you black to the bone! Fwoooosh!"
A groan escaped Bin as the flames lanced out.
"Urk . . ."
Black blood poured from his right elbow.
The fire had seared through his arm in a flash. His black right arm, now severed from his body, hit the floor.
Thud.
Codic, watching from behind, cried out in shock.
"M-My liege!!"
". . ."
Bin stared unwittingly at his fallen arm.
The black limb lay abandoned on the ground, yet its hand still clutched Shabest tightly—testament to his unyielding will to fell the beast.
Gazing at it, Bin's mind went dark.
* * *
This was on another level.
Nothing like the monsters before . . .
All that effort, and it ends like this again.
Was I doomed to never escape this one-armed curse . . .?
Was this my fate?
Memories flashed before Bin's eyes like a panorama.
Billy and Shirley stuffing a frog into his one-armed self.
"Eat it if you don't wanna die! This is all to cure your curse!"
"Hahaha! A pure Bascon bloodline, one-armed? Tell anyone we're siblings and you're dead!"
Willie tossed a small dagger at Bin.
Thud.
"Better to die than live like this. Don't take it personal—I'm helping you."
Slice. Slice. Slice . . .
Blades tore into Danel's body, blood spraying. But young Bin fled, ignoring her anguished face.
Fallen Danel bled from her mouth, still searching for him.
"B-Bin . . ."
He ignored her, running away.
"This isn't running. A one-armed weakling has no choice . . ."
Suddenly, past-Bin screamed.
No!! Being one-armed is just an excuse. I was weak—that's why I lived like that.
In a eat-or-be-eaten family, it was inevitable.
Realizing this, Bin clenched his fist.
I need to get stronger. Far stronger than now. Strong enough to overwhelm any foe . . .
He needed real power. To never see his mother's cold corpse again.
Bin gritted his teeth.
If one arm's gone, use the other. If that's severed too, bite with teeth if I must. I'll survive no matter what. I won't die here!
Thump. Thump.
As his heart raced, a black flame appeared before him—shaped like a dragon's head.
It spoke to him.
"Struggling against a wretch like that . . .? Pathetic, you damned Bascon brat."
Stunned by the sudden apparition, Bin spoke.
"Bellatan . . ."
One thing irked him: it had called the 2nd-grade Cerberian a "wretch."
Bin addressed it.
"What do you want from me?"
Bellatan laughed as if it were absurd.
" . . . Hahaha! Me appearing to you?"
Then it continued.
"Listen well, Bascon brat. You're the one coming to me."
Bellatan's flustered words hit Bin like a hammer to the skull.
". . .!"
It pressed on.
"Frustrated you can't kill that thing?"
Bin had no retort.
". . ."
Bellatan smirked at his silence.
"Then surrender your body to me."
With that, black flames surged into Bin's body.
Agony tore at his chest like it was being ripped apart. Clutching it, he screamed.
"Ughhh!"
* * *
Deep in the Royal Tomb.
Bin, head bowed, faced off against Cerberian. Black blood poured from his half-remaining arm.
Drip. Drip.
A small pool had formed on the floor . . .
Cerberian, scenting the blood, charged in excitement.
Swoosh!
As it closed in, Bin raised his head.
His aura had changed utterly. Black mist rose from his body, and his right eye had become reptilian.
Those sharp pupils brimmed with nothing but killing intent.
But Cerberian had no time for such shifts.
"A mere human daring to mimic a monster?!"
Swoosh!
As it lunged to devour him, multiple layers of shadow erupted from Bin, effortlessly evading the strike.
Swoosh.
Codic's eyes widened.
"Mana of Agility . . ."
Yet Cerberian's assault didn't end there. The second and third heads followed in rapid succession.
"Don't get cocky from dodging once!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Fangs stabbed into the floor.
Even as all three heads struck in sequence, Bin slipped away unscathed amid swirling shadows.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Codic could scarcely believe it.
"M-My liege . . .?! Dodging a 2nd-grade monster's attacks so casually . . .!"
Still, Cerberian pressed on.
"This human's really getting on my nerves."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Such a composed foe felt alien. Cerberian almost mistook Bin for an illusion.
Finally, the third head unleashed a prolonged breath in frustration.
"Fwoooosh!"
Scorching flames hurtled forth.
But even the breath changed nothing—hitting only empty shadows.
Frustrated at being blocked, the third head sprayed flames at the ceiling.
"Fwoooosh!"
A tantrum of sorts.
As it lunged again, the unbelievable happened.
Another arm sprouted from Bin's half-severed stump.
Codic's eyes flashed.
"High-speed regeneration . . ."
It matched the previous arm's black hue, but now it was covered in snake-like scales.
Yet to Cerberian, he was still just human.
Swoosh.
As a head dove in, a chilling voice echoed.
"Annoying."
The voice pierced like a needle.
Bin soared above the third head, swelling his right fist before smashing down on its crown.
BOOM!!
The impact rang like an explosion. The area quaked, dust billowing.
When it settled, Codic was speechless.
". . ."
The floor cratered like a meteor strike, Cerberian's third head sprawled at the center, vomiting blood.
"A 2nd-grade monster . . . in one hit . . .!"
Cerberian was just as stunned, freezing at the unprecedented sight.
"H-Human? No, monster . . .?!"
Bin approached, wreathed in black aura, his gaze that of a starved predator sighting prey.
Clack. Clack.