Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Facing the Great Ashurada
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Mazdari rose awkwardly from his seat as he listened to Basen Rak Orzan's words.
As Basen and the adventurers descended, Mazdari spoke up.
"As sorry as I am to say it, I'm not sure we can take down that monster."
Basen smiled and replied,
"It's a power we've never seen before. But we can definitely win."
Mazdari tried to think positively.
Thanks to the unheard-of magic that turned the heavens and earth upside down, no trace of the castle remained. Instead, there was only the upturned wet soil and debris, snapped trees, and the unlucky corpses of Rakshasa swept up in it all. Towering above them stood the great Ashurada, the dragon.
Fortunately, Ashurada didn't unleash a barrage of spells right away. It seemed due to the aftereffects of its body being flipped, based on its brief movements.
This house-sized black stag beetle was ready to charge at Ashurada at any moment.
Beside it stood Gordius—or more precisely, Gordius, who had seized the body of the divine beast Koprik, the black panther.
Gordius was the pivotal variable in this battle.
Gordius was still masquerading as Koprik, Ashurada's subordinate, to everyone except Basen, Mazdari, and the other creations of Yacheon: Hecap and Hilrov.
'But its true nature...'
A monster that seizes enemy bodies while they're still alive.
The reason Seong-un had Slatis send down Hecap was twofold: first, Slatis's level had risen significantly, consuming a lot of Faith; second, Seong-un's goal wasn't to kill Ashurada.
It was for Gordius to seize Ashurada's body.
Though hearing Gordius's true nature instilled fear, it was a relief that it was on their side.
To Mazdari, even that didn't look easy, but at least it felt like a fight they could win.
And on the opposite side stood Hilrov, who had caught Mazdari himself.
'All of them are guardians said to have been directly involved in Yacheon's creation. But...'
The great Ashurada was over 100 meters long.
In contrast, each creation was no more than about 20 meters at most.
Even accounting for more than half of Ashurada's length being tail and neck, considering sheer volume, all three combined were still small compared to it.
Of course, there were other forces besides these three guardians.
Basen and the adventurers.
Mazdari glanced back at the hill.
The assembled forces numbered around a hundred for now, but with Hilrov and Gordius's arrival, the main army should arrive soon.
'Even so, it's just a human army.'
Even if the dragon took damage from bullets as Basen predicted, a massive spell like the last one would sweep them away in an instant.
Numbers meant little against magic.
'Do the gods, does Yacheon, really believe they can take on that dragon with this?'
Mazdari glared at the sky.
As Ashurada and Hecap had said, the gods were surely watching from somewhere.
And as if in response, a blue butterfly fluttered in the air.
No one who knew Yacheon's omens would miss the meaning of that blue butterfly.
The adventurers who spotted it began murmuring.
'Believe, huh.'
Mazdari steeled himself and decided to trust.
As far as he knew, Yacheon had never lost.
If defeat was certain, it wouldn't even start.
Mazdari said,
"Basen."
"What?"
"I'm wondering if my magic reagents have arrived."
Basen shouted something, and two adventurers from the rear hauled over bags with grunts.
Mazdari slung one bag over his shoulder—the one without his staff.
Basen and the adventurers lit their matchlocks.
"Ready?"
"How to fight a dragon, first rule."
"I know."
Runda raised her hand at Seong-un's words.
Seong-un politely pointed at her with his hand.
Runda answered,
"Overwhelm with numbers."
Kramphus grumbled,
"No, of course numbers give an advantage. But Nebula meant something more strategic..."
"Correct."
"Knew it."
As Kramphus turned in disbelief, Seong-un shrugged as if to say, "So what?"
"Individually, it's the strongest. We should avoid one-on-one as much as possible."
As Seong-un said, the battle began during the repositioning.
As Hecap charged, the dragon clasped its hands together.
Everyone knew that was a bad sign.
Basen quickly ordered the adventurers to take cover.
But the spell didn't activate.
Faster than Hecap, Gordius used the black panther's body to target Ashurada's rear.
Ashurada canceled its unknown chant and snatched Gordius by the scruff with its hand.
Gordius had worried about being exposed, but fortunately, no major acting was needed.
As Gordius knew, Koprik had always rebelled against Ashurada in life.
Ashurada raised the edge of its other hand.
'Yes, kill me and sever my head with your fangs!'
But Ashurada tilted its head briefly, then slammed Koprik to the ground.
Hecap was in its path, slowing to catch Gordius.
Watching from afar, Mazdari thought something might be wrong but dismissed it as coincidence.
'Just a bit closer, and we'll be in matchlock range to hit Ashurada.'
That would be their chance.
The dragon clasped its hands again, but this time, Hilrov's spider silk tangled them.
Ashurada growled in anger, extending its long neck toward Hilrov, who retreated while raising its front legs threateningly.
Ashurada flinched as the blade-like legs neared its eyes and stepped back.
In that instant, Hecap rammed in, locking Ashurada's hands.
Ashurada inhaled deeply, puffing its cheeks.
Brilliant light leaked from its cheeks and the insides of its mouth.
Flames even rose from its nostrils.
Mazdari realized what Ashurada was attempting.
'A dragon's breath spell requires no gestures.'
Hecap pressed forward.
Ashurada didn't respond.
Because it wasn't aiming at Hecap.
It was targeting the most vulnerable to magic: Basen and the adventurers.
"How to fight a dragon, second rule."
Runda asked back,
"There's a second?"
"Yes."
Kramphus said,
"I get this one."
"What do you think?"
Kramphus pointed to one side of the screen.
"Cancel the chant."
Seong-un nodded.
"Correct."
Just before Ashurada exhaled its breath, Mazdari's staff moved.
'Breath spells are only possible for dragons who've lived long enough to etch them into their bodies. But because that process is so arduous, the spell structure itself is simple. It starts with inhaling—replacing the air. Easy enough.'
Mazdari raised his staff and altered the composition of the air Ashurada was inhaling.
Ashurada choked suddenly, coughing toward Hecap below it.
Red flames poured out, but they had no effect on Hecap.
Hecap shoved forward.
But Ashurada didn't yield to raw strength like before.
Before Hecap could gore it with its horns and fling it away, Ashurada vaulted over Hecap's body with surprising agility and flexibility for its size.
Ashurada uprooted a tree, gripping the base like a hammer head.
Then it swung upward at the charging Gordius.
Koprik's body arced through the air in a parabola.
Once the soil fell from the roots, Ashurada hurled the remaining tree at Hilrov.
Hilrov leaped aside, but the roots tangled its legs, sending it tumbling behind a small hill.
Ashurada grasped two more trees in its hands and declared,
Spinning around, it uppercut Hecap's jaw as it charged.
Hecap withstood the first blow, but the second lifted its front legs off the ground.
Basen shouted,
"The dragon's showing its back! Fire!"
The gunners, now in close range, fired at Ashurada's back.
Ashurada, about to kick Hecap, flinched, then spun and hurled the trees in sequence.
"...Down!"
At Basen's cry, the adventurers took cover swiftly.
But screams rang out from those directly hit by the trees.
Ashurada sensed dozens of bullets embedded in its body, some piercing its scales.
Wiping the blood trickling from its side, it growled,
Ashurada plunged both hands into the earth.
Mazdari hurriedly tried to dispel the spell.
'What magic? Change the soil composition first...'
The soil around Ashurada's probing hands turned blue instantly.
But only one hand.
From the right, Ashurada pulled something out.
'Is that... a sword?'
It was a sword made of grayish-white stone.
Rudely shaped and caked in dirt, it was about 20 meters long.
Sword-shaped but blunt, essentially a club.
But Mazdari's head spun at the thought of its weight swung by the dragon's power. Sharpness was irrelevant.
Worse, its reach.
The gunners thought they were still far, but Ashurada's swing proved otherwise.
"Aaagh!"
Several adventurers were smashed by the sword scraping the ground in an arc.
Others faced a hail of soil and debris blotting out the sky.
Basen yelled,
"Fall back!"
Ashurada sneered,
One stride closed the distance to the adventurers instantly.
Then Gordius lunged, wrapping around Ashurada's arm.
Ashurada slammed the sword into the ground and crushed Gordius beneath it.
Gordius tried to exit Koprik's body upon contact, but the impact dazed it.
While Gordius lost control, Ashurada stepped on the upper jaw and gripped the lower with both hands.
Ashurada yanked upward.
Flesh tears!
Flesh ripped with a wet sound as Koprik's body split from the lower jaw down to the chest and hide.
Ashurada jammed its claws between the exposed ribs and crushed them.
As if touching filth, it yanked its hand back and kicked the corpse aside.
Furious Hecap charged from behind, but Ashurada gripped the sword hilt again and somersaulted with its massive frame.
Upon landing, the ground cratered, sending up soil and debris.
Hecap pierced the wall of debris blocking its view with its horn.
What emerged was the great Ashurada, gripping the sword with both hands in a full-power swing stance.
Full swing connects
Indeed, Hecap's shell could withstand the attack.
But the rest of Hecap could not.