Chapter 333: Crushed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 333: Crushed
Muen’s face was deathly pale.
Under the terrifying external pressure, the magic circuits and alchemy matrices on his back had begun to operate of their own accord. Prickling heat constantly stimulated his nerves, feeling as though he were being seared by glowing coals.
Yet, he felt no warmth. Instead, it was as if he were standing upon a frozen tundra lashed by bitter gales; the cold pierced him to the bone.
Ancient Dragon Heart Blood.
After racking his brain, the only thing he possessed that could possibly attract this Calamity was the blood of her own kind—blood that had been processed by Teacher Mela and integrated into his body as a core material.
Dammit!
Mela screwed me over!
Though being scammed by that old loli was a regular occurrence, Muen truly wished he could go back right now, grab her baby-faced cheeks, and vent his fury.
But that was contingent on him surviving.
Wait, that’s not right. Books say that dragons are extremely indifferent toward their own kind. Would they really be attracted by a kinsman’s blood?
Besides, Teacher Mela refined that Ancient Dragon Heart Blood to such an extreme degree. Why is there still a lingering scent?
Questions flooded Muen’s mind, but he had no leisure to ponder them. Those majestic golden pupils stared down at him like the most brilliant searchlights, seemingly intent on peering through his very soul.
—She was indeed searching for something.
Stay calm.
I have to stay calm.
Calamities were different from Evil Gods. Though they were magical beasts, beings of this level should be capable of communication.
If she only wanted to kill him to avenge a kinsman, she would have struck the moment she appeared. He would have had no chance of survival; there would be no need for this delay.
Muen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the terror in his heart. He didn't dare meet those golden eyes. Keeping his head bowed, he squeezed a low, respectful voice from his lungs:
"…Awe-inspiring Calamity, Dragon of Death-Calamity, the Honorable Lady Hamulein. May I ask—"
But before he could finish, Muen’s greeting was cut short by the sound of the wind.
It was no ordinary wind, nor was it the sound of the priest’s falling storm from before.
It was as if all the winds of the entire world had converged on this single point and were then brutally torn asunder. As they dissipated, they let out a sound like the world itself was wailing.
"What?"
Amidst the buzzing of the death warning in his mind, Muen looked up in shock. He saw a flash of mockery in the Calamity’s majestic golden pupils.
It was as if she were laughing at a mere ant for daring to speak a dragon’s name.
Then, the Calamity raised a hideous forelimb, made a loose fist, and extended a single finger… no, "claw" was a more appropriate term.
Then, this claw—which was still obscenely massive to Muen—pointed at the crown of his head and descended gently.
It was "gentle" only because the speed of the claw’s descent was incredibly slow—so slow that Muen felt he could count every single scale upon it.
But immediately, Muen coughed up a massive spray of blood. It felt as though an invisible mountain was slowly and hopelessly crushing every inch of his flesh, even every single cell, in a display of power that left him nowhere to run.
"Dammit!"
Muen’s expression turned distorted. He gritted his teeth, forcibly swallowing the blood rising in his throat.
He naturally wouldn't just sit and wait for death.
Even if the gap in power was despairingly vast, he still gripped his blade tightly.
Then, without hesitation, he swung!
Thunder roared!
Twenty-fold!
A brilliant blade light, carrying the full weight of Muen’s current peak power, slammed into the claw that was descending with such playful ease.
The alchemy matrix was pushed to its limit instantly, but it wasn't enough. Under Muen’s forced activation, the second alchemy core—which Teacher Mela had inscribed on his body and temporarily sealed—began to glow.
Like the brilliant Morning Star before the dawn.
Sixty-fold.
Seventy-fold.
Eighty-fold…
One hundred-fold!
A hundred-fold time dilation was unleashed without reservation.
Under the empowerment of a hundred-fold acceleration, that blade light became even more dazzling, like the Milky Way cascading from the heavens!
The blade light slashed through the invisible mountain with sharp precision. Muen was like an arrow notched on a bowstring, ready to fly. As long as he could carve even a small opening in the terrifying invisible pressure shrouding him, he would use his extreme speed to flee.
He wasn't stupid enough to actually fight a Calamity to the death.
But… it still wasn't enough. Even this, his strongest strike that had surpassed all his previous limits, could not budge that casually descending claw by even a fraction.
He couldn't even slow its movement.
The golden pupils remained full of mockery.
An even more terrifying pressure descended, and Muen was instantly soaked in blood.
"Holy Light Protection—"
Suddenly, a warm current surged through Muen’s body. Under the empowerment of that sacred power, the blade light—which had just begun to falter—erupted like fire meeting oil.
The invisible mountain pressing down was finally cleaved open by the blade light. Muen’s body felt a sudden lightness. Ignoring the joy of regaining his freedom, he followed his instincts and rolled wretchedly across the ground, finally dodging the descending claw at the very last second.
From the dragon’s perspective, she had only pressed a single claw down in a tiny arc.
But in front of Muen, a bottomless crater—as if struck by a meteorite—instantly formed. It was silent and profound; not even a speck of stray dust was kicked up.
Muen felt a chill run through his entire body. It was easy to imagine that if he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would have vanished into nothingness along with the earth and stone that had disappeared from that crater.
But he couldn't spare a thought for that. Instead, he looked to the side and asked in a hoarse voice:
"Why?"
Over there, the girl in the white dress held the Holy Light in her hands. Her body was trembling, and her eyes were filled with terror, yet they remained resolute.
"I… I don't want to run."
"It’s useless for you to stay! Go, now!"
"I know—"
The girl’s cute face was devoid of color, but facing the dragon who bore the title of Calamity, she did not take a single step back.
"Maybe I’m useless, maybe I’m weak, but… but… but I don't want to run away ever again! I am Liya Angel! I am the future Saintess!"
"And… and besides."
Liya looked at Muen with trembling, beautiful eyes and whispered:
"I…"
【Hmph.】
At that moment, a cold snort rang out. The black mist shrouding the area suddenly surged violently.
"Ugh…"
The sacred light flared brilliantly, but it was quickly suppressed and shattered. The girl let out a pained groan as if she had been struck in the chest by a giant hammer, and she was sent flying backward.
"Liya!"
Muen’s eyes nearly split from fury.
That stupid woman!
His expression turned feral. The World-Burning Flame, which hadn't even fully recovered, erupted from his body without reservation. Simultaneously, his figure blurred, appearing directly in front of the dragon in mid-air.
His furious gaze met those majestic golden pupils without fear. His blade, entwined with the World-Burning Flame of an Evil God, slashed down violently toward the being known as a Calamity!
The dragon stared at the ant lunging toward her. Her mocking gaze narrowed slightly; she seemed to recognize those flames, showing a hint of gravity.
Thus, the single claw became… three.
Three claws enveloped Muen like a cage, gradually… closing.
The crimson flames continued to burn, but they couldn't stop the claws from closing in. Countless low sounds erupted from Muen’s body, like the popping of bamboo in a fire.
In that single instant, an unknown number of his bones shattered simultaneously.
Agony tore at his nerves. No matter how furious or distorted his expression, he could clearly feel his strength being drained away.
He was utterly powerless to resist.
Is this… a Calamity?
Despair filled Muen’s eyes.
The dragon did not fully close her palm around him, allowing him to fall limply through the gaps between her claws.
In the final moment before his consciousness faded, Muen turned his head with great difficulty to look at the girl nearby.
Blood stained the white dress on her chest. The girl’s eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes trembling like the wings of a broken butterfly.
It seems… I’ve dragged her down with me after all.
Muen gave a tragic smile as his consciousness plunged into darkness.
*
The forest fell into a profound silence. Even the wind had ceased, as if afraid to commit the slightest transgression.
The dragon stood high above, looking down upon everything.
But her majestic golden pupils paid no mind to the girl who reeked of that loathsome, dense Holy Light. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on Muen.
She was waiting for something.
Muen was currently covered in blood. His internal organs and bones had been shattered into countless pieces. If not for those equally annoying flames supporting his last spark of life from deep within, he would likely have died long ago.
For Muen, this was a desperate situation.
And so, she waited.
Only a sufficient state of despair could force out the thing she wanted to find.
As for the faint, almost non-existent aura of an Ancient Dragon on his person, the black dragon had never given it a second thought.
Just a kinsman.
She had killed plenty of those herself.
It wasn't worth caring about.
But as time passed quickly, the sky began to darken.
Muen’s blood looked as though it were about to run dry…
Yet, still, nothing happened.
A flash of doubt finally flickered within the dragon’s golden pupils.
Could I… have guessed wrong?
Caw—
From not far away, an awkward crow’s cry rang out.
"…"
The dragon indifferently withdrew her gaze.
She prepared to leave, to end this boring farce.
But just then, as if she had suddenly discovered something, her icy gaze swept over Muen once more.
On Muen’s chest, through his torn clothing, a piece of paper was visible tucked into his inner lining. Despite having gone through such a violent battle, the paper remained without a single mark or wrinkle.
It was a letter.
A seemingly very ordinary letter.
The majestic golden pupils flickered. The endless black mist surged and retracted, wrapping around the massive dragon form and transforming into a giant black cocoon.
The world cleared. The light of day grew dim, but the stars shone brightly.
Then, from within the cocoon, the sound of footsteps echoed.
A tall figure stepped out from the cocoon.
A long black dress trailed on the ground, adorned with layers of exquisite thorn-like patterns. Crimson hair cascaded down like a maple forest burning in late autumn.
A few delicate scales were scattered across her bare shoulders and neck, making her fair skin appear even whiter. Her hands and bare feet, emerging from the black dress, shimmered with a faint, enchanting jade-like luster under the starlight.
Her face was obscured, save for a pair of eyes that, while no longer as blinding as the sun, still looked as if they were forged from molten gold, forcing the boundless night to submit in shadow.
It was a woman.
A "woman" crowned with the title of Calamity.
The woman walked to Muen’s side. Her majestic eyes didn't spare him another glance. She simply leaned over slightly and reached out toward the letter.
"That letter isn't for you, you know."
A childish, playful, and tender voice abruptly rang out through the forest.
The woman looked up, her cold golden pupils meeting a pair of clear, amber eyes.