Chapter 622
Finally, I've met you again. (1)
Kaaaang!
As Arterion raised his hand, a transparent barrier formed in the air, blocking Ghislain's sword.
“Hm?”
Pajijijik!
The barrier shattered, and the sword pressed forward. Arterion leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
“Impressive.”
Murmuring a brief compliment, Arterion attempted to counterattack. However, the others had already begun moving.
Buuuuuuung!
With a terrifying expression, Parniel swung her massive mace toward Arterion’s head.
Ever since he had denied the Goddess, she had been contemplating only one thing how to crush this dragon’s head.
“Hoo.”
Arterion’s eyes widened slightly. If that attack landed properly, even he wouldn’t emerge unscathed. That was how overwhelming Parniel’s strike was.
But no matter how powerful an attack was, it meant nothing if it didn’t connect.
Swoosh.
Parniel’s mace sliced through nothing but Arterion’s afterimage. In an instant, he had used magic to reposition himself further away.
Paaak!
“Hm?”
Arterion flinched in surprise, scanning his surroundings.
Dozens of daggers were aimed at him from every direction.
“This technique…?”
A chill ran down his spine.
How was his old friend’s secret technique appearing here, now?
His gaze shot toward Belinda as he urgently questioned her.
“Who are you? How do you know this technique…?”
Before he could even finish his sentence, the daggers carved trails of light through the air and shot toward him.
Papapapapak!
Arterion continuously dodged, retreating.
Gillian and Tennant flanked him, swinging their weapons.
Buuung!
Their attacks failed as well. Arterion had once again leaped through space, appearing right before Belinda.
He had to know. Who was she? A descendant of his old friend? Or merely an inheritor of her legacy?
Kagagagagak!
As Arterion moved swiftly, his body suddenly faltered.
The energy of the world itself was restraining him.
“This is…?”
His movements abruptly slowed, as though time flowed differently in this space.
His mind was sharp, yet his body felt as if it were submerged in water, weighed down and sluggish.
And within this strange distortion of space and time Ghislain’s sword emerged.
A smile spread across Arterion’s lips.
"Fascinating. To think that even among the humans of this era, someone has reached this level."
This was the realm attained by the Hero, his companions, and the Apostles a thousand years ago.
Drdrdrdrk!
Watching the slowly approaching sword, Arterion murmured to himself.
"Impressive. But…"
A crimson glow burst from his eyes.
“You are still far too lacking to stand with the world.”
To Arterion, Ghislain had barely grazed the edge of that realm just the very tip of his fingers touching its surface.
Kwaaaaaang!
Ghislain’s eyes twitched as he thrust his sword forward.
Space itself was collapsing.
And before he could react, Arterion had already closed the distance, reaching out toward him.
Kaaaaang!
Ghislain raised his sword, blocking Arterion’s hand.
But Arterion disregarded him entirely and pressed forward once more.
Arterion was impatient. He wanted to seize Belinda and question her. He needed to know who she was.
“Why does the shadow still remain? Shouldn’t it have disappeared?”
Arterion laughed, speaking incomprehensible words.
At that moment, two swords came flying toward his neck.
Paak!
Kaor, who had been silently waiting for an opportunity, suddenly lunged.
“Look at this one?”
Arterion scoffed, pulling his head back while simultaneously extending his hand forward.
Kwaaaang!
“Keuk!”
Kaor hastily crossed his swords to block, but he was still flung backward.
It was an attack born from mere magical energy, yet its sheer power was overwhelming.
Paaak!
Belinda’s daggers blocked Arterion’s path.
But he swatted them aside one by one as he advanced.
Belinda kept retreating, continuously directing her daggers, yet Arterion effortlessly parried them all.
Then, Ghislain, Parniel, Gillian, Tennant, and even Kaor, who had regained his footing all of them charged at him simultaneously.
Only then did Arterion’s movements halt.
Kakakakakang!
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Arterion dodged and blocked the countless attacks.
Without using magic, he was holding his own against multiple Transcendents attacking him at once.
“What the hell?! Why is this dragon so good at fighting?!”
Kaor was astonished.
Arterion was a true master of combat.
His movements were precise, efficient, and devoid of any wasted motion.
Even if he weren’t in dragon form, he would still be one of the strongest beings in the world.
Arterion wasn’t just any dragon, he was a dragon that had fought Riftspawn for countless years.
His combat prowess had naturally been honed to an exceptional degree.
But the warriors facing him were also among the strongest on the continent.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantaged Arterion would become.
“Hm… You’re quite formidable.”
With several wounds now marking his body, Arterion took a step back.
No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't win against them in a battle of attrition.
Moreover, the two Saintesses(?) were constantly radiating divine power, healing and fortifying their allies.
The longer the fight lasted, the worse it would be for him.
So, he decided to use magic as well.
“Let’s see what kind of preparations you’ve made to face me.”
With a smirk, he flicked his hand.
Fwoooosh!
Dozens of massive fireballs ignited in the air.
His enemies were all melee fighters how would they respond?
As he prepared to unleash the fireballs—
Kuuuuuuung!
“Hm?”
A tremendous pressure descended upon the battlefield.
One by one, the fireballs started to dissipate.
For the first time, Arterion’s expression showed surprise.
“This is….”
A mana field had been deployed.
And it was powerful enough to seal even a dragon’s magic.
Arterion finally understood the purpose of the scattered structures in the distance.
“You gathered mages!”
Just how many had they gathered to be able to unravel the magic of a 9th-Circle dragon?
The humans had meticulously prepared for this battle against him.
Grit.
Arterion clenched his teeth.
To think they had sealed the magic of a dragon, beings hailed as the true masters of magic.
It was a severe blow to his pride, yet he had to acknowledge their level of preparation.
As he momentarily faltered in shock, the humans seized the opening and charged at him.
Kaaang! Kaaang! Kaaang!
Arterion found himself being steadily pushed back.
“These wretched… how dare you….”
A murderous glint began to surface in his eyes.
Until now, he had treated this as nothing more than an amusing game, casually swatting away insignificant pests.
But that was no longer the case.
These insects were actually threatening his life.
He could still use magic. If he found an opening, he could force it through.
However, its effectiveness would be significantly weakened.
The casting process would take longer as well.
With such limited magic, he wouldn’t be able to deal any meaningful damage to these surprisingly strong humans.
Kaaaang!
Arterion deflected Ghislain’s sword and widened the distance again.
Crack. Crack.
His killing intent grew denser. He clenched his teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter.
Fleeing from these beings was unthinkable.
Yet revealing his true form would be an even greater blow to his pride.
‘One by one… I’ll kill them.’
Even if it took time, he would eliminate them methodically.
Magic might be sealed, but he still possessed overwhelming power.
Like the arrogant dragon he was, Arterion decided to rely solely on his combat skills.
At least, that was the plan until he appeared.
Kaaaang!
Arterion broke through the encirclement, swatting away the incoming attacks.
He aimed his first counterattack at the weakest-looking one, the dual-wielding human.
Then—
He froze.
A chill ran down his spine, his entire body breaking into goosebumps.
‘What is this?’
He had no time to think.
His instincts moved his body before his mind could catch up.
Swish.
A faint sensation grazed his neck.
The moment he felt that slight cut, Arterion poured an immense amount of magic into his feet.
Kwaaaang!
In an instant, he created distance, forcing a brief lull in the battle.
He paid no attention to the warriors he had been fighting so far.
Slowly he turned his head.
His gaze locked onto a single man.
His hair was a deep, abyssal black, like the void itself.
His eyes held an unfathomable darkness, a depth that could not be measured.
His expression—
Colder than the eternal blizzards that enveloped Arterion’s own domain.
Not a single trace of emotion existed on his face.
Only an icy, razor-sharp rationality, like a frozen shard of steel.
‘That face….’
Arterion stared at Julien for a long time.
That appearance was too familiar.
It was as if a shadow from the past had taken form in the present.
A sigh, almost like a lament, escaped Arterion’s lips.
“…Ahh….”
Arterion knew.
He knew that face too well.
The face he had longed to see. The one he had missed so desperately.
And the attack just now—
A power that defied the very order of the world, ignoring the laws of reality. A force so transcendent that no ordinary being could possibly wield it.
A power that overturned the fundamental laws set by the Goddesses who created this world.
No being in this world should have been able to possess such power.
Not even a dragon like himself.
There was only one existence capable of wielding such might.
The one who bore the aura of the Demon God.
The one destined to drag this world into the depths of chaos.
Arterion’s eyes blazed with madness.
‘…Finally.’
‘…Finally, I have met you again.’
His thunderous roar shook the battlefield.
“Adversary—!”
Julien did not react.
He simply gazed at Arterion with indifferent eyes.
In contrast, Arterion burst into manic laughter.
“To think I’d find you so soon!”
“Today, I will erase you from existence!”
“Now let us end this wretched fate once and for all!”
Everyone froze at the sight of the hysterical dragon.
His reaction was beyond abnormal.
Worse than Ereneth.
What exactly was the Adversary to these beings that drove them to such an extreme?
Even Ghislain, who had glimpsed the past through dreams, found this incomprehensible.
‘This… isn’t just the gaze of someone looking at an enemy.’
It was understandable to despise an opponent you had fought for a long time.
But the emotions between Arterion and Ereneth couldn’t be explained so simply.
This was more than just hatred.
It was an obsession, an enmity so deep it teetered on the edge of love and loathing.
What had happened between them?
Why did Arterion react this way merely because Julien looked similar to someone else?
‘Is Julien… truly the Adversary?’
Ereneth chose to withhold judgment.
But Arterion had no such hesitation.
The deranged dragon had already made up his mind.
He would kill Julien.
There was no reasoning with a mad beast.
Julien began walking forward, slowly raising his sword.
His gaze locked onto Arterion as he spoke.
“That’s enough. As promised, I will settle things with this dragon. The rest of you stand down.”
Ghislain let out a short chuckle.
“Ah, don’t try to act cool by yourself.”
“……”
“Besides, I’m the one who will settle things with you. Not now, but eventually. A lot of people are curious about which one of us is stronger.”
“…Just assume you’ve won.”
Julien’s voice dripped with pure disinterest.
Ghislain burst into laughter.
It was an unexpected response.
That ice-cold bastard had changed a little after fighting alongside the Ritania army.
It was half a joke, but not entirely.
Becoming the strongest swordsman on the continent that had been his goal since his past life.
So when everything was over, the only person who would have the right to duel Julien… would be himself.
Julien just had to wait patiently(?) until then.
“Well then…”
Ghislain smirked, gripping his sword tightly.
Whether Julien was the Adversary or not no longer mattered.
The only thing that mattered was that he was their comrade. Their friend.
And against Arterion, the only ‘conversation’ left to have… was with this blade.
“Shall we begin the dragon hunt?”
Paak!
Ghislain was the first to move, and the others followed.
Without hesitation, Julien swung his sword.
Kaaaaaang!
Cuts began to appear all over Arterion’s body. His clothes tore, blood splattering into the air.
“Ha… Hahaha! UHAHAHAHAHA!”
Yet, he was still laughing.
His eyes burned with murderous intent, his mouth twisted into a maniacal grin.
Belinda no longer mattered.
His entire focus had locked onto Julien.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The relentless barrage of attacks rained down.
Arterion was being overwhelmed.
The shockwaves from their clash shattered the ground, splitting the earth and whipping up violent winds.
Trapped within the storm, Arterion’s entire body was soaked in blood.
“UHAHAHAHAHA!”
The unsettling laughter refused to stop.
The warriors' expressions hardened.
Arterion was unable to use magic.
The best strategy was to kill him before he could transform.
Yet, despite being pushed back, he was avoiding fatal wounds.
The surging power within him could be felt by everyone.
Drdrdrdrdr!
The mana of a dragon spread outward, pressing down on everything.
The attackers felt immense resistance.
The pressure grew stronger, as if gravity itself were shifting.
Even as they attacked, they were gradually being pushed back.
Drdrdrdrdr!
Arterion held nothing back.
He couldn’t use magic properly anyway.
And now that the Adversary had appeared, there was no need to conserve his strength.
He would use everything he had to kill the Adversary and wipe out these humans.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A tremendous force exploded from Arterion’s body.
Everyone instinctively took defensive stances—
Yet they were blasted backward.
Only Julien, who had been standing farther away, cut through the force and swung his sword.
Swish!
Julien narrowed his eyes.
He was certain he had landed a hit.
But the radiance was so blinding that he couldn’t see the damage.
Arterion’s aura intensified.
Getting too close would mean suffering wounds just from the sheer force alone.
With no other choice, everyone backed away.
Krrrrr…
As the blinding light faded, all heads turned upward.
A massive dragon with pure white scales had spread its wings wide.
A long gash ran across Arterion’s neck as he spoke:
“Adversary… Today, I will erase you from existence. You and the Saintess shall—”
He abruptly stopped speaking.
His eyes flashed red.
Then Arterion opened his massive jaw and lunged toward Julien.