The Dragon's Last Stand
The march stretched on for several days.
It wasn't just walking. Astonishingly, they used 'gates' that connected one space to another at intervals, so the actual distance covered was staggering.
During that time, they joined forces with other armies that had set out from different fortresses, causing the scale of this expedition to swell to insane proportions.
Thanks to that, Han Yujin could move about with considerable freedom without drawing anyone's suspicion and gather various pieces of information. The larger a group grew, the more numb it became to the finer details.
He even had the chance to observe the key figures leading this massive offensive from quite close range.
From what he could tell, there were six of them in total, and all were mages.
It seemed that in this world, no matter how strong a knight became, their upper limit was inevitably lower than that of a mage. It was much like how the body-refining soft techniques of the cultivation world had eventually fallen into obsolescence.
Anyway.
Those six mages were all called Archmages and masters of their respective mage towers. From what he could subtly sense, they each possessed power at least at the Nascent Soul Stage. According to the information he'd gathered, they were all remarkably young, around a hundred years old.
But there was a problem.
Why do they all look so ancient?
These individuals had seized power at the Nascent Soul Stage or higher in merely a century—a short time by any measure. Even by the standards of the cultivation world, they were undoubtedly peerless geniuses. Yet their appearances were so decrepit that it wouldn't have been strange if they collapsed and died at any moment.
It wasn't just their outward looks. Every movement and gesture radiated an unmistakable frailty that was painful to even watch.
Their bodies simply can't keep up with the power of their souls!
In the end, that was the only conclusion he could reach. How they had achieved such extreme growth was truly a mystery.
Once he identified the weaknesses of those six Archmages, the flaws in the so-called Grand Knights—who exuded auras that barely touched the threshold of the Core Formation Stage—also became glaringly obvious.
No matter how he looked at it, their souls seemed terribly fragile. He even took a slight risk and prodded them lightly with his Divine Sense, only to find them looking around in utter bewilderment like fools.
How can they possess such power and yet be this dull in the spiritual aspect?
Even though the soft techniques had died out in the cultivation world, they had never suffered from such a massive vulnerability. It was simply that advancing through the realms had been too difficult and offered no particular advantages.
Yet these so-called knights—even the Grand Knights among them—seemed like beings that Han Yujin himself, who had only reached the Dharma Soul Stage, could toy with at will using the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art if he so chose.
As he gathered a bit more information on the subject, he nearly slapped his forehead at the shocking truth he uncovered.
So this is the result of the so-called 'Dragon-Guided Magic Training Method' derived from the dragon race!
In other words, this grotesque growth could only be explained as a deliberate creation by the dragon species.
No wonder they would betray their original master and switch to a new one!
Now that he understood the circumstances, certain things began to catch his eye.
Whenever the army took breaks during the march, the Archmages would install some kind of large structure and fall into meditation beneath it.
The structure resembled a hemispherical tent with only its frame remaining. When the Archmages entered meditation, a mysterious indigo light would rise above it, and countless starlights would pour down from within.
The Archmages bathed in that starlight wore expressions of profound peace, and ever so slowly, they appeared to grow younger. The severe imbalance between their bodies and souls was gradually being resolved.
In the end, this 'War of Liberation' looked like the karmic retribution of the dragon race.
If they hadn't treated humans like mere livestock to be raised and consumed at their whim, but had treated them well from the beginning, how could humans have ever joined hands with those unknown external beings called Asterion?
Regardless, this presented an opportunity for Han Yujin.
The weaknesses of the Archmages and Grand Knights were problems shared by everyone in this army. That said, it was difficult to call the army itself weak. For one thing, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
Just what I've seen with my own eyes comes to around two or three hundred thousand.
Considering that even the weakest soldier emanated an aura equivalent to a D-rank hunter, and that there were almost no non-combatants in this army, it was truly a terrifying number.
While numbers were meaningless before a true powerhouse, that too depended on the situation.
Even if they couldn't directly contribute to a battle between the top-tier combatants, simply cleaning up the surrounding battlefield was no small help.
And the mid-tier forces weren't lacking either.
Just the disciples of the six Archmages and twenty-four Grand Knights included roughly a hundred high mages at the Core Formation Stage, while the number of high knights at the Dharma Soul Stage easily reached the four digits based on the knight orders they had formed.
Crucially, this entire army had gathered to face a single dragon. They had come to slay the evil dragon Casarnox, the tyrant that ruled over the Astra-dia continent.
Just watching how this turns out should be quite entertaining.
According to the information he'd gathered, they weren't far from reaching the wicked dragon's lair. Han Yujin moved among them, barely able to suppress the anticipation bubbling inside him.
The attack began the moment they arrived. Preparations for it had already been completed long before their arrival.
— Commence Attack —!!
One Archmage's command thundered across the battlefield like a peal of lightning. Majestic war horns blared from every direction as the great army began to move. They were coordinating their advance speeds to create a wide encirclement.
Their target was a lone mountain rising like an island in the middle of the Pyeongah Plains.
It was an exceptionally tall and beautifully shaped mountain. Artificial structures dotted its slopes, while all manner of buildings, ramparts, and spires had been erected around its base, giving it a splendid and imposing presence.
In the past, when the dragon race's rule had been absolute, it must have been one of the most sacred sanctuaries that no one dared approach...
But now, it was merely the tyrant's stronghold that had to be completely destroyed.
"These vermin...! How dare they betray our master's grace!"
In response to the attack, a reaction came from within the tyrant's stronghold.
First, the spires rising here and there flashed with light and fired sharp beams. However, just before those beams could strike the army, a blue protective barrier surged up to block them, successfully defending against the assault.
Next, from various points across the mountain, about a dozen massive spheres of light crackled wildly like lightning and shot forward in parabolic arcs. They left long trails behind them, distorting even the air itself—a truly threatening sight.
Oh, that's actually pretty impressive...?!
As Han Yujin watched in slight surprise and prepared himself, one of the Archmages soared into the air and extended a staff embedded with a jewel the size of a human head.
Immediately, an enormous flow of spiritual energy erupted. Brilliant light burst forth from the staff as its focal point.
Countless magical runes gathered to form nine overlapping rings of light. Then they created a phenomenon that seemed to warp the entire space before them.
Within that warping space, hundreds of razor-sharp beams of light appeared, each tracing colorful geometric patterns. They connected like a net, wrapping around each of the incoming projectiles one by one. Then, in a complete reversal, the projectiles flew back at even greater speed, fully under the control of the light formations.
So that's why they call it 9th Circle!
Han Yujin's mouth fell open.
He had estimated them to be at least at the Nascent Soul Stage, but the display just now had felt closer to the Soul Formation Stage. Moreover, the method was so intricate and refined that he couldn't help but admire it.
Though it didn't feel like a matter of preference or choice.
It felt as if they could only fight in that manner.
"Such petty tricks!"
From various points across the mountain, over a dozen figures leaped out to intercept the returning spheres of light. Once again, massive amounts of spiritual energy surged, lights flashed, and explosive booms shook the entire area.
The dozen or so figures that appeared had a strange hybrid form—half human, half dragon. With a pair of horns, wings, a tail, and scales sprouting across their skin, they looked much like the half-human, half-yao beings from the cultivation world.
In response, the disciples of the Archmages stepped forward.
Roughly a hundred high mages at the Core Formation Stage advanced with the Grand Knights at the forefront, bestowing all manner of beneficial blessings as they moved. From the defenders' perspective, it was a force that could not be ignored.
Meanwhile...
Bwoooooong—!!
Bwoooooooong—!!
With the continuous blaring of war horns, the hundreds of thousands of troops encircling the mountain from six directions let out earth-shaking war cries and launched their attacks in sequence. Considering their numbers, the speed and coordination were almost impossibly efficient.
The lonely mountain now looked like a fragile skiff adrift in a tidal wave of countless enemy soldiers.
That impression grew even stronger when countless flashes erupted from the vanguard of each of the six advancing armies. Arrows enchanted with magic rose into the sky with enough force to blot out the heavens.
Right at that moment.
One of the palaces at the mountain's peak shattered into pieces as a colossal dragon revealed itself.
—!!!
A roar that defied description swallowed every other sound on the battlefield and spread outward.
All the arrows that had been fired with such momentum were instantly repelled. Even the soaring blue protective barriers shattered spectacularly. The destruction was overwhelming.
To Han Yujin, the appearance of the dragon was truly beautiful.
Dreamlike violet light flowed from scales that reflected every image like mirrors. Its fully spread wings seemed to merge with the world itself, their boundaries indistinct as they fluttered, wrapped in clusters of light in every color.
Multiple pairs of horns steeped in condensed violet darkness emitted a faint halo that added to its majesty. The galaxy-like nebulae flowing from its vertical pupils inspired awe.
The dragon. A being at the Void Refinement Stage. The ruler of Astra-dia. Casarnox.
After appearing, the being said nothing. It simply swept its gaze over the army whose barriers had been destroyed and gave its wings a powerful flap.
A brilliant burst of light erupted, transforming into countless violet blades that seemed to cover the entire world as they shot forth.
And it didn't stop at once. The light formed into orbs that rose into the air and unleashed several more storms of blades.
Accompanied by deafening roars, terrifying destruction began to tear the entire area apart. The human army caught in the onslaught was ripped to shreds like rags.
If given enough time and leisure, it seemed this single dragon could slaughter all several hundred thousand human troops by itself.
"O Asterion Yezal—!!"
At that moment, the six Archmages rose high into the air. They activated something at their center.
It was a metallic structure that looked as if countless overlapping rings had been fused together. Clear blue starlight seemed to pour endlessly from the white metal. As it accepted the power of the Archmages, it shone as brightly as another sun.
In that instant, far above in the sky, the massive projection of a being that resembled a human yet was clearly something else was revealed.
Han Yujin only caught a glimpse of it, yet goosebumps erupted across his entire body and a shiver of awe ran down his spine.
It had four limbs like a human, a single head, and a bipedal frame, but its body was translucent like a jellyfish, with countless tentacles made of light that swayed in the air.
The countless twinkling starlights emanating from those tentacles all felt like some kind of gaze, instilling a sense of dread.
Wait, they're going to worship something like that as their new master...?
Rather than wondering if it was kinder than it looked, he found himself agreeing far more with the Void Refinement Stage dragon's earlier description of them as "disgusting Asterion bastards."
Regardless of his personal feelings.
The Asterion known as 'Yezal' extended both hands toward the dragon that had been unleashing overwhelming violence befitting the ruler of this continent.
A single sparkling light fell from those outstretched hands. It expanded into something resembling a birdcage and sealed off a certain space with terrifying speed.
Han Yujin made an instinctive judgment in that moment. He activated the Earth Concealment Technique and Wind Concealment Technique in succession and slipped inside.
It's probably a spatial restraint that suppresses the target's power and prevents escape.
Vulnerable to attacks from outside, but nearly impossible to break out from within. From the human army's perspective, it was a masterstroke that isolated spaces according to rank, allowing each group to fight with their best effort.
If he didn't enter, he wouldn't be able to observe the outcome at all.
As expected, his judgment was correct.
The moment he barely slipped inside, the spatial sealing restraint descended like a cage and completely cut off all light and sound from the outside world.
Thanks to that, the interior suddenly became extremely quiet and rather dark.
Excluding the small fry who had been accidentally caught up in it, the main figures in this sealed space were undoubtedly the six Archmages and the single dragon.
"You've prepared quite thoroughly."
The dragon's will resonated in everyone's minds like a voice. It was a beautiful, pleasant tone that sounded like that of a young man.
"So in the end, this is how my fate is to be settled..."
Surprisingly, the dragon showed no fighting spirit or rage whatsoever. It simply seemed calm, as if it had known this moment would come.
"Casarnox."
"Today we will kill you... and we shall be liberated!"
"I see."
The dragon Casarnox answered calmly as ever.
"Then give it your all, you worms."
"Only then will the 'liberation' you've struggled so hard to seize hold any value."
After the subtly mocking tone came to an end.
The six Archmages simultaneously extended their staves and began casting spells while the dragon opened its maw and unleashed a breath attack.
At the same time, Han Yujin activated the Earth Concealment Technique and burrowed deep underground.
If he were even grazed by their onslaught, his bones and flesh would literally separate.