『I-I-I-I. Ibu-ru-ru-ru!』
With one wing severed, the golden dragon soared. To be precise, it leaped so high with terrifying jumping power that it seemed to be flying. The massive body and explosive acceleration, combined with the hard scales, cracked the ceiling of the sanctuary in a resounding crash, leading to its collapse.
But the golden dragon didn’t stop there. It forcibly pushed through the crumbling stone walls and continued to ascend towards the ground from the underground sanctuary. Khan, who couldn’t dismount in time after cutting off its wing, could only cling to its scales and brace for the impact.
‘This crazy bastard…!’
He had already deployed the “Mark of the Abyss” shield at the first collision. Fortunately, the recharge rate had recently improved, leaving him with some reserves. The issue was the golden dragon, which kept ramming its body upwards.
Boom!
Khan, following the endlessly ascending golden dragon as if gravity acted in reverse, was at risk of being crushed to death at any moment. Even though Khan possessed a physique different from ordinary humans, there were limits.
‘At this rate…!’
Desperately hoping the “Mark of the Abyss” wouldn’t run out before the ceiling collision ended, he curled his body to minimize the shield’s area and endured. Finally, the golden dragon, which had completely destroyed the underground of the citadel, burst through to the ground. Luckily, there was still some energy left in the “Mark of the Abyss.”
Relieved, Khan tried to move to assess the situation, but the golden dragon defied logic once again.
『Dah-dah-dah! Come with me!』
The dragon unleashed a psychic wave as it vigorously flapped its lone remaining wing, taking off with explosive acceleration that left Khan’s vision blurred. It was as if the dragon was mocking him, saying the severed wing was irrelevant.
Rumble…
A strong wind hit Khan’s face as he retracted the “Mark of the Abyss.”
Holding tightly onto the dragon’s scales with both hands, he looked down to see the entire view of the castle. No matter how superhuman, there was no way to survive from such a height. While a mage might find a way, a barbarian had no such option.
‘After dealing with this beast, I need to get a flying artifact.’
But first, he had to figure out how to handle the golden dragon.
He knew this moment was the best chance to hunt the golden dragon. If missed, the fully empowered transcendent creature could ravage the entire continent. Yet, the overwhelming sense of uncertainty was inevitable.
He knew he had to take it down, but how? Even if using an A-rank skill could yield substantial results, he couldn’t waste it without certainty. Setting up a definite plan to finish the beast with a skill was the proper approach. The problem was that the task seemed dauntingly far off.
‘Does it not feel pain?’
Despite having an entire wing sheared off, it didn’t react much. In fact, it soared higher as if wings were unnecessary. Unlike the cases in the eighth act where destroying parts of draconic monsters limited their flight patterns, this one showed significantly different behavior.
『The body is merely an empty shell. No matter how devoid of reason it may be, an ancient dragon is still an ancient dragon. If the goal is to disable its flight ability, the only thing to do is to cover the sky with a veil of spells.』
‘You’re talking nonsense….’
『It was possible, which is why that thing died and was resurrected into its current state, isn’t it?』
Well, if they experimented by capturing transcendent beings with non-transcendent bodies, nothing would be impossible. It wouldn’t be fair to classify the ancient grand mages and current grand mages as equals. Even Alpha, who had become a minion of the void, had remarked on the decline of mages’ standards.
‘Regardless, if it’s possible, that would be the surest method.’
The problem was whether there was a mage capable of such a feat in this remote kingdom. Even with Witch of Loren, Ludmilla, it wouldn’t be an easy task. If there was any possibility…
‘If it’s Tilly’s magic, there might be a chance.’
The only possibility Khan could think of was shockingly Tilly, who had just been crushed to death under the golden dragon’s foot. Even though he had clearly witnessed her death, he was convinced Tilly was still alive.
Judging her dead was the obvious and reasonable conclusion. The Tilly who had been in the sanctuary was not some magical clone but a definite physical entity. However, Khan had encountered the “draconic mage” from the future.
‘There’s no way she’s dead.’
Compared to ordinary drakes, Tilly was markedly different. It was likely the result of mastering something different from the spells used by current mages—possibly ancient spells. The Tilly he had partied with before, and the true form of the draconic mage Tilly Ashanumos, were entirely different entities.
However, practically relying on her help was difficult. And he shouldn’t.
‘You never know when she might stab me in the back.’
Her true intentions were still a mystery.
Even her approach had been vague with talks about fate and such. Until he could accurately grasp her motives, he couldn’t afford to send even a shred of trust her way. Seeking help from the very person who caused this chaos was just nonsense.
In the end, as always. When pushed to the ultimate limit, the only thing one can rely on is one’s own strength.
In the brief moment, Khan, who had pieced together the fragmented information in his mind to derive the best move, slowly began to stand up while holding onto the scales with one hand.
‘It might not work, but….’
There’s no other choice.
To survive-.
***
The seemingly endless ascent came to an abrupt end right after the golden dragon unleashed a bizarre psychic wave. The creature, which had been repeatedly broadcasting the phrase “I I I”, finally completed an almost perfect sentence.
『Indeed… majestic─!』
As the golden dragon’s head turned and it adjusted its balance, Khan staggered but managed to stand firm on both feet, utilizing the barbarian’s unique sense of balance.
Considering he was in mid-air, holding onto a scale with one hand and the cursed sword with the other, his balance was indeed superhuman. There was no logical reason to endure such a precarious position, but Khan did it anyway.
‘Piercing its heart is difficult.’
Swinging his sword in this state wouldn’t yield its full power. Even at full strength, it would be challenging, and piercing its heart without both feet on the ground was impossible. However, there was a single vulnerable spot that could be targeted even in this situation.
Among the dragon scales that protect their body, there is a core where an extraordinary amount of energy is concentrated. The “reverse scale” often featured in fantasy media is exactly that. Although it was a dragon reborn in an incomplete state, the general structure would be akin to other dragons, even if its size and strength were different. Naturally, it would also have a reverse scale.
‘I’ve noted its location.’
Khan had observed the presence of a uniquely substantial and tangible scale before the golden dragon fully regained its physical form. He was convinced that the large chunk the Argon royal family possessed was the reverse scale.
‘If I can target the reverse scale while it’s distracted…?!’
As Khan slowly aimed to move towards the golden dragon’s head, he noticed the flow of troops gathering inside the royal castle. The previously panicked soldiers were now converging in an orderly fashion. In the center of it all, Delphina, with an aura markedly different from before, was looking up at the golden dragon dominating the sky.
And then he realized. The meaning behind the golden dragon’s repeated words.
‘Damn it…!’
If the golden dragon descended now, it would be an absolute catastrophe.
Whether they could stop it or not was secondary; what mattered was preventing this half-formed lizard from heading towards Delphina’s vicinity.
‘The golden dragon plans to absorb Delphina’s transcendent gene!’
If that happens, the already monstrous creature will become even stronger, and that’s crystal clear. Naturally, it must be stopped. But how? No matter how you think about it, the dragon reaching Delphina is faster than Khan heading towards the beast’s reverse scale near its maw. And redirecting the massive creature by force seemed impossible.
Though overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness, Khan’s eyes lit up with determination.
‘If the mind doesn’t work, use the body.’
Instead of moving forward aiming for the reverse scale, Khan crouched securely on the dragon’s back. The rapidly descending golden dragon still did not react to Khan’s movements, entirely focused on reclaiming its “transcendent gene.”
Khan had personally experienced how sturdy the dragon’s body was. His existence might be no more than a slightly annoying bug or mosquito to the golden dragon. That thought brought a dry chuckle to his lips. Despite growing strong enough to fight demonic incarnations, he was still insignificant against true transcendents.
‘Yeah, this is what a Midland quest is about.’
Midland quests were notorious for making players overcome extreme power inflation with sheer skill, a hard-core gaming style. Even for veteran players, keeping up with the enemies’ growth was nearly impossible.
Although he thought he had grown stronger by overcoming various trials, it was far from enough. Khan felt this deeply. If he failed to return to Earth, he would endlessly face such monsters in the future. Ultimately, he would have to battle great demons descending through the grand demonic realm.
Whirr-whirr-whirr!
The harsh wind made it seem as though his skin was stretching. The dragon’s flight speed defied common sense, and if it were at its peak, it would probably be even faster.
‘Not yet.’
However, it couldn’t maintain this speed indefinitely.
The golden dragon’s goal was to fully absorb Delphina’s transcendent gene to regain its strength. It would inevitably maintain altitude and glide horizontally at some point to secure her safely. It wouldn’t want to crash into the ground and crush everything.
Khan’s opportunity lay in that very moment.
‘Just a bit more.’
The faces of people that had appeared tiny as dots were now distinguishably close. But it still wasn’t enough. To achieve the best result with a single action, he had to endure until the last possible moment.
Pashantu screamed something. As the soldiers formed a formation and drew closer, the guards scattered in frantic retreat. Knights, resigned to unwanted deaths, showed a glimmer of despair. Their ever-changing visages in those fleeting moments felt like watching a grand tableau.
Until then, Khan endured.
‘Almost…!’
And then, the awaited moment arrived.
Rising from his crouched position, he momentarily released his grip on the scales. In the seemingly elongated stretch of time that keenly heightened his senses, he fully controlled his body being pushed backward and activated his skill.
There was just one chance.
With this single attempt, he would thrust the ancient dragon that once ruled the skies into the muck!
『Surging Strength』
A strength surpassing even that of superhumans surged through his entire body, and the flames awakened by the blood magic flared up in response, growing even fiercer. A power so immense it made him uncertain if he could control it.
He poured all that power into a single lunge.
Crack──!!!