Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Revenge Belongs to Those Who Seek It... (4)
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[Pure One! I have seized control of the Jade Seal!]
The Unicorn's shout rang out, and at the same moment, the magic circles spread across the Jade Seal froze in place all at once.
But that wasn't the end of it. All they had stopped was the Jade Seal's magic meant to erupt the volcano—the dragon was still alive and well.
'Still, that clears stage one. On to the next.'
Yeomyeong set his stick down atop the Jade Seal and plummeted straight toward the dragon.
He lacked Pasun's skill at flying about, but he could ride the massive mana flows pouring from the Jade Seal.
[Go forth, Pure One! Only you can halt the dragon's madness!]
Mana burst from the Jade Seal, shoving at his back.
His vision flashed bright, and countless sensations stabbed into Yeomyeong's body all at once.
The Jade Seal's mana, the hilt's glow, the Unicorn's will, and... the dragon's rage.
[How dare an Earthling touch the dwarves' mark!!]
The dragon swung its foreclaw at Yeomyeong as he fell toward it.
The instant its scale-covered massive hand lashed out to strike him, mana rippled from Yeomyeong's sword.
[Graaaah!!]
The scales on the dragon's right hand split open, blood spraying. A miracle born of the mana amplified by the World Tree Crystal and his blood flow acceleration.
But the price for slashing the dragon's hand midair was not light.
The immense mass he couldn't fully block with his sword battered Yeomyeong's body, sending him plummeting to the ground.
Boom!!
Dust erupted from the valley floor beneath the dragon's foot.
Yeomyeong, slammed into the earth, first checked his body's condition.
'...Three cracked ribs and my entire left arm. Worse than expected.'
Fortunately, his leg bones were intact. Thanks to deliberately concentrating mana in his lower body.
Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet. Looking up, the massive dragon's eyes glared down at him.
Reptilian eyes burning with vengeance. Yeomyeong met them with calm ones of his own.
Lost direction in vengeance, a sense of kinship.
The two pairs of eyes exchanged brief emotions. Then the dragon spat an incantation.
[Thief's accomplice.]
Whoosh!!
A massive fireball plunged down over Yeomyeong's head. Blazing flames exploded, the valley screaming as dust rose belatedly.
From the thick haze of dust, Yeomyeong burst forth.
Clutching his broken arm, he broke into a run down the valley.
[Filthy thief, how did you obtain that mark?]
Spells chased after him in the wake of the dragon's words. Deadly magics where even one direct hit meant no guarantee of survival.
[Stealing? Or was it grave-robbing? Blaspheming the dead blinded by greed and snatching even their final treasure?]
But none touched Yeomyeong as he deployed his Ghost Step. Baring its teeth, the dragon drew up mana.
[Answer me, worm! What filthy, sordid method did you use to defile the golden bloodline's relic!]
The entire valley trembled with the dragon's mana, and just then, an enormous mass of flames engulfed it.
"Hey! Lizard! Am I invisible or something?"
Clang!!
Pasun smashed his fist into the dragon's face. The dragon's head snapped back from the punch packed with dark red mana, its gathering spells scattering at once.
[Insolent fly!]
The dragon's teeth rattled and its red scales rippled, but it quickly regained its stance in midair.
"Cough up your dan and drop dead!"
Pasun swung his fist again, and the dragon prepared for close combat instead of spells. Claws, feet, and even its massive tail.
Fwoosh!!
As the dragon, the size of a skyscraper, actively moved its body, a tremendous wind swept through the valley.
The gusts fanned the flames it had unleashed moments before, swelling them larger. Some flames escaped the valley, spreading into the mountains.
Clang!!
Thus, as the dragon and Pasun clashed in the sky and wildfires began spreading around the valley...
Yeomyeong encountered the Saintess rushing toward him.
"Yeomyeong!"
The Saintess said nothing like she'd known he'd return or that she'd believed in him.
Instead, she tossed aside the rifle she held and unleashed healing light from both hands.
"Ah, seriously! How am I supposed to handle you wrecking your body like this every fight!"
Contrary to her prickly tone, she scanned Yeomyeong with a worried face.
Skin reddened and blistered with burns, left arm dangling loosely.
Despite the evident agony, Yeomyeong replied with his usual expression.
"I've neutralized the Jade Seal. Manju won't be destroyed by a volcano anymore."
"...What? For real?"
"You think I'd lie? But without the Jade Seal... it's still a dragon."
Yeomyeong looked up at the battle between the dragon and Pasun. Due to the size difference, Pasun was barely holding on.
"Unless we take it down, the outcome won't change much. Whether it erupts the volcano itself or just rampages spewing fire... To eliminate the threat, we have to fight the dragon."
"...What do I do?"
The Saintess asked, gazing at the same spot.
"The blessing you cast on me against Kahal Magdu. Can you do it now?"
"Yeah. With the mana I have left... I could force three times."
"And on weapons?"
"Three times Lord Redox's red blessing. So about nine?"
That was plenty. Yeomyeong confirmed the sensation slowly returning to his left arm and said,
"Six on the weapons, one on my body. That'll take down the dragon."
Take down the dragon? The Saintess, who had expected him to just buy time until the army arrived, swallowed hard.
"...You can do that, right?"
"If I couldn't, I wouldn't try."
Words brimming with certainty. For some reason, more trustworthy than any prophecy.
***
Pasun, battling the dragon, was in agony.
Even squeezing every drop of qi from his body with Reverse Blood Demonic Art, his physical limits held him back.
Against a lizard he could normally kill with a few gestures, he couldn't even counterattack—barely dodging and stalling was exhausting.
The dragon's hands and tail blotting out the sky were manageable, but the sporadic spells were the problem.
'When the hell is that guy coming?'
Pasun gritted his teeth, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt grazing overhead.
Thinking of Yeomyeong's face, who'd said a few minutes would bring an opening, filled him with irritation.
'No way he bailed. Nah, impossible.'
There was no reason to flee after coming this far. After defeating the dragon, maybe, but right now they needed to combine forces.
As his thoughts dragged on, mana gathered in the dragon's maw.
Breath. The dragon's ultimate technique, stronger than any spell.
Kwaaaa!
Flames poured from the dragon's mouth. Blindingly intense fire spread in a fan shape, engulfing Pasun.
"This is insane."
One hit and he's dead. Following his instincts, Pasun raced through the air.
A comet-tail of dark red mana trailed the speeding figure pushed to his limits.
Thanks to squeezing his qi? Pasun barely escaped the breath's range. But no respite was allowed.
The dragon flapped after him. And as the distance closed, it wove spells without warning.
Flame rings and fiery shackles blanketed the sky, raining toward Pasun. Not overwhelmingly powerful, but purposeful.
To bind his legs and prevent escape.
[Now die, fly!]
As Pasun's feet tangled in the spells, the dragon finally closed to inescapable range and opened its maw.
Gooo— The breath's flames rose up its throat.
"Damn, using the divine art here is kinda..."
As Pasun considered his final move and the dragon was certain of victory.
Red light surged from the opposite cliff.
The dragon forgot its breath entirely, eyes stolen by the light. It had no choice.
Pure red mana. Mana symbolizing a deity from beyond the dimensional gates, not Earth.
[Lord Redox...?]
Staring incredulously at the cliff, the dragon spotted a familiar human in its view.
The Earthling who, moments ago, had used the Uragan bloodline's mark to seize the Jade Seal.
The deity's red light rippled from that one's body.
Unbelievable. A blessing from the divine on an invading Earthling.
[How dare you, how dare you, HOW DARE YOU! An Earthling mimicking a god's light!!]
The dragon denied the reality before it. An Earthling blessed by a god? What worse joke existed?
No, it had to be illusion magic. A vile trick to blind him.
The deity would never bless Earth, communism's birthplace—let alone an Earthling.
Earthlings were all heretics. Spouting curses that religion is the opium of the people, brazenly scorning gods.
How many temples did Stalin burn? How many sacred relics did communists defile? How dare they, HOW DARE THEY!
[Blasphemy!]
The dragon spasmodically gathered mana, preparing breath to erase the profane wretch from existence.
But the Earthling showed no fear. Did not flee.
Instead, he drew a blue dagger from his bosom, held it in both hands lowered, ready to confront him.
To face the dragon's flames? Orse Tabul sneered at the arrogance and spat fire. Or tried to.
Bang!
The instant the dragon drew its final breath, someone behind him fired a bullet.
A white bullet, just like the one that pierced its eye.
Reflexively clamping its mouth shut, the dragon raised a hand to block. The bullet merely scratched its scales and ricocheted.
But that cost it the initiative.
The Earthling mimicking divine blessing had twisted his waist and swung his sword.
The iron sword in his right hand and dagger in his left sliced the air simultaneously.
Shiiiing!
Red blessing trailed the sword path, stars bursting forth.
Comet Sword. Flashing sword qi shot toward the dragon's wing like a beam of light.
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