Dragons Tremble Before the Hunter
“Kwaaaak—!!!”
A scream echoed from inside the Baekagwi tribe's building.
“Impressive. The chief's son, after all. Not bad, huh? I thought you were just some worthless punk, but dodging my sword?”
“My eyes…! My eyes!!!”
Blood streamed down a diagonal gash from his forehead to his cheek. Kelop clutched his left eye and bellowed.
“Wh-what have you done!!”
Skutum's voice trembled with obvious panic.
“Why? It's the answer to your question. You asked if I'm afraid of dragons. So I'm showing you.”
Adel gripped his lowered sword without a hint of hesitation and spoke.
“Is there any reason I should be afraid?”
“……”
“But you lot have plenty of reason to fear.”
Whoosh—!!!
In that instant, flames erupted around the wind enveloping Nazas's blade.
“A God's Blessing…? No, that's magic?”
As a lesser dragonkin inheriting dragon blood, he knew how to sense mana. But even he was bewildered because the energy pouring from Adel's sword wasn't mere mana.
Crackle…!
Craaaackle…!!!
Black currents mixed into the flaming sword wind, and like thunderclouds, purple lightning flickered to life.
What the hell is that?
Skutum, with his wealth of battlefield experience, had clashed with humans plenty of times. In his judgment, humans fell into two categories: those who strutted around relying on a god's blessing, and those who acted arrogant on magic's power.
But human blessings were powerless against dragons unless it was a high god, and human magic was helpless before dragon scales.
Mana laced with divine power.
Gazing at Adel, he suddenly felt parched. That thirst made him realize he was tense.
Am I scared?
“……”
He shook his head.
No.
Divine power and mana—forces that should never coexist. Feeling both at once had just thrown him off a bit.
It's not impossible to wield both. Just a matter of balance. Using them together probably means half-assed results in both.
His subordinates' defeat proved the guy's skills were no joke.
But he's still human in the end.
What he truly trusted was Adel's age.
Blessings or magic—either way, they take time to master.
No matter how much of a genius, a child not yet of age would lack the years needed.
Clank—
Skutum assumed his stance.
“You're overthinking this.”
“……!!!”
By the time he registered it, Adel's sword was already at his throat.
Clang—!
Clang—!!
Clang—!!
Skutum hastily raised his greatsword's handle, blocking with the flat of the blade.
“Kuh?!”
The blessing-infused strike was menacing. Even with his solid muscles, Adel's blow shook his body.
Whoooosh…!!!
But unlike the other warriors, he twisted with the recoil, swinging his greatsword in retaliation.
A blast of wind pressure exploded outward.
“……Aura?”
In that moment, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Divine power and mana weren't enough—he's got aura too? What the hell is this human?
Disbelief flickered in his wavering gaze.
Pop—
But such reactions were old news to Adel by now. Even elves who'd lived centuries were shocked, so a lesser dragon who'd only seen a few decades had no business staying calm.
“Kuhk!!”
Skutum barely blocked Adel's thrust at his gut. He had wounds here and there, but those were from the wind blades rising off Nazas's edge, not Adel's direct hits.
Boom—!!
Craaackle… Craaackle…
A deafening roar erupted as the two swords clashed.
“Just one question. Why's a high-ranking dragon rider like you playing lackey for trash like this?”
Kwaaaang—!!!!
Instead of answering, Skutum shoved Adel's sword away.
“……”
But Adel didn't fly back. Instead, he used the rebound to close in even tighter.
“No answer, huh? Guess I can assume whatever I want then. It's famous gossip that Baekagwi's third son is a dimwit. You said he's not your lord anyway.”
Skutum's greatsword was no ordinary weapon either; even locked with Nazas, its teeth only chipped slightly without snapping.
“Means you came here on orders, not for that punk.”
But seeing the blade's saw-like gashes, he stared at Adel with a stony face.
“Means that fool's irrelevant. You came blindly because daddy gave the mission and you liked it.”
“Wh-what did you say? You bast—…”
Kelop, bandaged around his bleeding eyes and propped up by his men, growled at Adel's words.
But when their eyes met, Kelop awkwardly looked away.
“He's just a figurehead for legitimacy. To show the chief's son showed up. But the real one sent by the Baekagwi chief is someone else.”
Adel pushed forward with his legs, slowly driving his sword hand ahead.
Crack… Craaack…
Nazas's blade began inching into the greatsword's edge.
“And that's obviously you. The Baekagwi chief's a sly bastard. No way he'd risk a phoenix egg just for collecting.”
Adel eyed Skutum and asked lowly.
“What are you planning with the phoenix egg?”
“None of your business.”
“Wrong. I need to know. Can't have Ulan territory tainted by your schemes.”
“Figure it out yourself.”
Adel smirked at the reply.
“That's what I'm doing. Gotta ask the guy who knows best—you.”
“Think you'll get answers from me?”
“Of course. Lucky for you. Hero or scum, I treat anyone who comes at me the same.”
Adel said.
“I don't let anyone who messes with me walk away.”
Shiiiing—!!
In that instant, Adel hurled his wind sword with all his might.
A sharp whoosh pierced the air as the blade targeted Skutum.
Clang—!!
But as if expecting it, Skutum batted the incoming sword aside with his greatsword.
“Pretty words, but all you've got is a cheap ambush.”
Tat-tat-tat—!!!
Skutum charged without losing speed after deflecting.
Grrrrr…
Amid the ferocious sword wind's growl came the quiet twang of a bowstring.
“……A bow?”
He knew the guy had one slung on his back. He hadn't let his guard down. Ulan hunters always carried bows—it was a given.
Drawing it at point-blank range with swords locked was suicide.
Thwiiing—!!
Just before the greatsword reached Adel's head, the arrow flew.
Desert Archery — Spin Kill.
Skaaaang—!!
If Skutum's greatsword boomed like shattering wind, Adel's arrow roared like tearing space itself.
“Ku… Kwaaaak!!!”
The arrow pierced Skutum's leg. Despite hitting the thigh, it didn't slow, punching straight through.
Clang…
Skutum dropped his greatsword and collapsed to the floor.
“Hahk… Hahk…”
The entry wound on his thigh was a small hole, but the exit was a massive, spiraled crater like it'd been drilled out.
“The sword's not my main. This is.”
Adel picked up the fallen Nazas, sheathing it as he spoke.
“Kuhk…”
“A dragon rider gasping like that? Game hasn't even started. Don't lesser dragons heal fast? It's not severed, so you're fine.”
“Kwaaaak—!!!!”
He stomped his mangled leg. The hulking Skutum, twice Adel's size, thrashed his head in agony, screaming.
“Watch closely. With dragon blood, you'll get it.”
Sizzle…!!!
Adel placed his hand over Skutum's wound.
“Now tell me why I should fear dragons.”
Thick black mana rose like black flames, cauterizing the wound.
The foul stench of burning flesh filled the room.
Sha… Shan's mana?!
The lesser dragonkin in the room felt crushing pressure that choked their breath.
No way… Rumors said the black dragon died recently. It was true?
A black dragon killed by a human…? Impossible.
Shan's an ancient dragon, stronger than our white dragon Bashif… Did this guy really take him down?
How it happened didn't matter. What did was that the wielder of Shan's mana stood before them.
No doubts it was fake. With dragon blood, they instinctively feared superiors.
“Kwaaa!!!”
Skutum gripped his greatsword's handle with all his strength, swinging at Adel.
But with one leg wrecked, Adel had no reason to take the hit.
“Hahk… Hahk…”
Adel almost admired the willpower to attack while half-conscious.
But instead of praise, he drew an arrow from his quiver and planted it in the other leg.
“Kwaaaak!!!!”
Skutum screamed but never took his eyes off Adel.
“Wasted potential, rotting under an idiot like Kelop.”
“Shut… up…”
He barely spat the words.
Damn… We picked the wrong fight. A dragon hunter, of all people!
Kelop, bandages wrapped tight around his head, watched Skutum get pummeled one-sidedly and grimaced.
Shouldn't have come here… Shit, everything's gone to hell.
His eyes darted frantically. His subordinate was dying, but his mind raced only with escape plans.
“Kelop.”
“Y-yes? Yes, yes!!!”
As if reading his thoughts, Adel called him. Kelop yelped hastily.
“Why do you want the phoenix egg?”
“Th-that's…”
“You don't know?”
Suddenly inspired, Kelop's eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously.
“R-right! I know nothing. Like you said, just here on father's orders, I…”
Thuk—!!!!
In that instant, a small throwing knife shot from Adel's sleeve.
It was the hawk knife from Kasla, a Gal Black Crow memento.
Drip… drip…
Kelop didn't even close his eyes, tilting his head down in bewilderment.
“……Gurk!”
Dark red blood gushed from his mouth. He clutched his throat with both hands, trying to stem the blood leaking from the knife's edge.
“Kuh… Kek!!”
But that only drove the blade deeper. Even for lesser dragonkin, the poisoned edge was merciless.
Thud.
Kelop slumped lifelessly.
His men stared at the sudden, pathetic death, speechless.
“Useless? Then die. I need valuable intel. Anyone who can't answer from now on dies next.”
Gulp.
Only the sound of someone swallowing pierced the silence.
“……”
That alone showed how warriors who'd triumphed in dragonkin wars were overwhelmed by a single boy.
“……Stop.”
Skutum's voice trembled from the floor.
“We messed up. We admit touching someone we shouldn't have.”
“Doesn't matter if you admit it. Just tell me why Baekagwi needs the phoenix egg enough to eye Ulan land.”
“I don't know the details. Dragon riders just follow the chief's orders. But something was off.”
“What?”
“Before we were sent to Zen Kingdom, someone visited the chief. Don't know what he promised, but…”
Skutum spoke lowly.
“After he left, the chief gave us this mission.”
“Who was it?”
Adel stared at him.
“Face was masked, no standout features. But the animal with him was weird. Stuck in my mind.”
“What kind?”
“Looked like a dog, but no tail. Legs were mismatched, bulky like glued on. Face had a muzzle like the guy's mask.”
“……!!”
Adel's mind flashed to one person.
“Brlan Hamel…”
The beast tamer Brlan, follower of the Forgotten Ones. The summoner who controlled bone dragons, the link Adel had missed in Ruinxen. He'd never expected to pick up the trail here.
“Fits. That's a corpse. He drags around chimeras stitched from monster bits.”
“……What?”
“Doesn't matter what he drags. Phoenix egg's not the priority now. Head back to your tribe. Soon.”
“What're you talking about?”
“Your chief. When he gave you the mission.”
Skutum felt a primal chill.
“He might've already been dead.”