The Mad Dragon Igreet

Thump. Every time Igreet took a step, I couldn't help but shrink back. To see his face, I had to tilt my head back so far I was practically staring straight up at the sky. Looking at him made me feel utterly insignificant. And the heat radiating from his scales was so intense that sweat poured down my forehead, the bridge of my nose, and my temples. My uniform was already completely drenched.

"Are we sure we can actually kill that thing?"

"Well, we won't know until we try," Jeral Schuhartz replied.

A shadow fell over Jeral Schuhartz's face. His eyes burned with the intensity of a gladiator facing his final battle.

"I am going to cast a Transcendental Magic spell! Buy me some time!"

Placing his trust in us, Apel Cloud began drawing a massive magic circle. Right then, the Paladin's blessing washed over us.

"I told you not to take the lead earlier, but the situation has changed. Tell me, boy, do you know how to support?"

"No. I've never fought in tandem with anyone before."

"Haha, I suppose that's true. Who could possibly keep up with you at your age? Very well, I shall support you. You take the vanguard. Unleash everything you've ever wanted to try."

Jeral Schuhartz and I stood side by side before Igreet. Though I had felt utterly insignificant just moments ago, standing next to Jeral washed all those doubts away.

Screeech! Jeral Schuhartz's blue Aura flared to life with a sharp, ringing sound. It was so brilliant that it became the sole beacon of blue light in the dark, blood-red ruins of Garhirst.

Following his lead, I summoned my seven stars. A pure white Aura flowed along the hilt of Aeterna in my hand. My Aura resonated with Jeral's, casting a brilliant, iridescent glow into the sky.

"Pure white sword qi... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You are a righteous man."

"Is that so?"

"I have never seen such a pure Aura in all my life. I imagine the first Emperor of Elowis must have possessed something similar."

As we exchanged light banter, Igreet let out a deafening roar.

"ROOOOOAAAR!"

We all covered our ears and squeezed our eyes shut.

"Insignificant insects," Igreet spoke, his voice echoing in our minds.

"The contamination stems from her screams."

Thud. Igreet took a step forward with his forepaw.

"That, too, is a part of her world. It is the fate of this world."

Igreet spoke in riddles, as if he knew some hidden truth. But that was a question for later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was whether we would make it out of here alive.

I slowly stepped forward. Splash. Splash. The filthy water pooling on the ground splattered around my boots. I kept my eyes wide open, focusing entirely on my target. Thanks to the Eye of Clairvoyance, countless sword trajectories came into view—lines of slash that could cleave through Igreet.

"Let's begin."

Dash! The moment the words left my mouth, Jeral Schuhartz and I lunged at Igreet. Instantly, a red trajectory line flashed before my eyes. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the path of a forepaw slam.

"He's going to raise his front paw!"

I intentionally closed the distance. An enemy's attack was always their greatest opening. As I drew closer to Igreet, the blistering heat felt like it would melt me on the spot. Even so, I gripped my hilt tighter.

Then, BOOM! Igreet slammed his forepaw down.

Turning into a black shadow, I glided up Igreet's leg. I channeled my Aura into my triceps and swung with all my might.

Clang! A harsh, screeching sound erupted as Aeterna clashed against Igreet's scales. The sheer recoil deflected my blade. I quickly scanned my surroundings, only to find myself surrounded by countless red lines. It was Igreet's counterattack. But before they could strike, those red lines were instantly erased by a wave of sword qi unleashed by Jeral Schuhartz.

"You know magic as well?"

"...Just a little."

"Haha! My, what a multi-talented Swordmaster."

Jeral Schuhartz and I unleashed a flurry of strikes at Igreet, but we couldn't leave so much as a scratch. Just then—

Apel Cloud's magic circle flared to completion. The mana gathered in his hands shot into the sky, forming a massive sphere. The sphere plummeted directly onto Igreet's head, bursting into a swirling vortex of water. It was a violent, raging deluge.

Sssssss! The blistering heat reinforcing Igreet's red scales rapidly cooled under Apel Cloud's magic. The crimson glow faded from his hide, leaving behind only dull, dark scales.

"Our attacks will work now! I will prepare the next spell immediately!"

No sooner had he spoken than Apel Cloud's hands began moving frantically again, drawing yet another magic circle. Judging by its sheer scale, this next one was bound to be an even grander Transcendental Magic spell.

Whoosh. Jeral Schuhartz swung his sword through the air, pointing it directly at Igreet.

"Now, I shall show you the blade of a Great Swordmaster."

Leap! Jeral Schuhartz vaulted high into the air. His sword, radiating a brilliant blue light, slammed down onto ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Igreet's head.

BOOM! Though he didn't cleave through the skull, he successfully forced the beast's head to crash down. Jeral Schuhartz didn't give Igreet a moment to recover. He relentlessly carved heavy, devastating lines with his sword. It didn't even look like swordplay anymore; it was like he was bludgeoning the dragon with a massive blunt weapon.

I don't think trying to copy those trajectories would do me any good.

As Jeral Schuhartz's blade continued to hack away, Igreet snarled.

"Accept your fate, you insignificant insects!"

Igreet's burning eyes were filled with boundless hostility and malice.

Jeral Schuhartz dodged Igreet's lashing forepaws with nimble footwork, continuously pressing his counterattack. What started as minor scratches soon escalated to a fountain of blood. Yes—the Great Swordmaster had successfully wounded Igreet, drawing blood.

Drip, drip. A dark, crimson mixture of filthy water and dragon blood washed over my protective barrier. Covered in that blood, I lunged at Igreet. Countless sword trajectories revealed themselves through my Eye of Clairvoyance. I took the stance of the Flowing Water Sword.

Closing the distance with Yin-Shadow, I executed an upward diagonal slash to the upper left. I followed it immediately with a downward slash to the lower right. Finally, a bone-shattering thrust. Flowing (), Water (). My sword was no different from the flow of water. It never stopped, and each strike seamlessly connected to the next without interruption.

As I carved up Igreet's arm, the onlookers gasped.

"Is that the new Swordmaster? Incredible..."

"Is that the Edelian family's swordsmanship? No, it's different. He's using a highly unusual style."

While everyone was marveling at my swordsmanship—

Whoooosh! A colossal, flaming boulder tore through the dark clouds shrouding the sky, hurtling straight toward Igreet's head.

Just as Apel Cloud's magic was about to collide with Igreet, we were warped to a safe spot in the sky.

"How much mana do you have left?"

"Not much. I haven't had time to replenish my mana since casting Advanced Teleport and receiving treatment."

Apel Cloud bit his lip.

"For now, I shall bestow another blessing upon you."

Flash! Countless golden lights seeped into our bodies. The magical footholds Apel Cloud had created in midair dissolved, and we descended back to the ground.

Judging by Igreet's ragged breathing, Apel Cloud's magic had dealt a devastating blow. The sword trajectories shown by the Eye of Clairvoyance had also multiplied. This was proof that the beast had weakened.

"He's much weaker now."

"Indeed. Seeing him so exhausted, it seems Lord Cloud's magic hit him right where it hurts."

"Now, I shall bring about your demise!" Igreet roared at us.

Not caring in the slightest what he said, Jeral Schuhartz and I nimbly dodged Igreet's stomps, hacking away at his flesh.

Then, flap! Igreet beat his wings, conjuring a violent tempest. Swept up in the storm of the dragon's wrath, we were blown away like dust.

"Ugh—"

"Are you alright?"

Apel Cloud rescued us using Teleport.

"Good grief. This is a harsh opponent for an old man. I'd like to finish this quickly and have a cup of tea. I hear Eastern tea is quite the trend these days," Reinhardt said with a bright smile.

"Forget tea, let's have a drink instead. We must welcome our new Swordmaster, after all."

"Hmm. Alcohol, you say? I've actually quit drinking..."

Are these people seriously cracking jokes right now? There's a literal mad lizard whipping up a storm right in front of us. But I didn't say it out loud. I could hear the echo of tension in their chests—the rapid, pounding beat of their hearts. They were likely just talking to ease their stiffened bodies.

Just then, Igreet, who had taken to the sky, began to swell at the throat. It was a Breath attack.

"Igreet is preparing his Breath!"

"Damn it, my mana has been sealed! I can't use Teleport!"

"My divine barrier might be able to hold it! I should block—"

Without a word, Jeral Schuhartz stepped forward.

"Old man?"

"Lord Schuhartz?"

"I will do it," he said quietly.

"You young people have bright futures ahead of you. It is only right that I step up in a moment like this."

With a look of grim determination, Jeral Schuhartz raised his sword.

"A hero is not defined by surviving for hundreds of years or achieving countless feats. A hero is the one who delivers the moment everyone desperately needs, right when they need it most."

Jeral Schuhartz's Aura flared to its absolute limit. The light was so blindingly bright that it felt as though the pitch-black sky had reclaimed its blue hue.

"I shall be your hero."

The Black Rain poured from the heavens. Blood dripped from Igreet's massive body. Standing before us, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the old man's back looked broader than anything else in the world.

"I am a Great Swordmaster. I must live by the sword. That is my motto. Thus, I shall meet my end as a Great Swordmaster."

Leap! Jeral Schuhartz vaulted into the sky. He unleashed a colossal wave of sword qi, slashing straight through Igreet's swollen throat.

"GRAAAAH!" Igreet shrieked.

Having taken the hit to his throat, the Breath he unleashed was unstable. A massive, spiraling vortex of flame erupted. Landing back on the ground just in time, Jeral Schuhartz began to cleave the imperfect Breath in half.

"Hngh!"

Jeral Schuhartz's hands began to tremble. His legs shook. He grit his teeth, his face contorting in agony. His Aura flickered. At this rate, we would all die.

"Everyone, help him!"

I placed my hand on Jeral Schuhartz's shoulder, transferring my Aura to him.

"I'm breaking the mana seal! Just a little more, just a tiny bit!"

"Lord Helmut, grant us your divine blessing... Sacred Bind!"

Reinhardt reinforced the barrier while simultaneously strengthening our Aura with his blessing. Apel Cloud also began drawing a magic circle. Everyone rallied around the Great Swordmaster, pouring in every ounce of support they could muster. But even with our combined efforts, it wasn't enough to completely block Igreet's colossal Breath.

BOOM! The massive shockwave of the Breath exploded. We were all blown away, scattered in every direction. I didn't know who was alive or who was dead. In that moment, the only thing still flowing was my own breath.