Chapter 623
Finally, We Meet Again (2)
Kwooooooo…….
From deep within Arterion’s mouth, a blue light began to radiate.
At first, it was faint, but it grew stronger, pulsing along the dragon’s throat.
Like ice crystals forming, the blue glow became clearer, expanding in size.
Paaaaaa…….
The surrounding temperature plummeted. Frost instantly formed on the ground, and every breath people exhaled turned into white mist.
“This is bad.”
Ghislain let out a troubled chuckle. A dragon’s breath attack couldn't be blocked by magic seals.
Of course, a breath attack couldn’t be used repeatedly, so as long as they dodged and endured, they could survive. However, Arterion didn’t seem to have any intention of holding back.
“He's going all out to kill him.”
Kwaaaaaaaa!
Even though he was already capable of unleashing the attack, Arterion continued gathering energy. His murderous intent toward Julien was unmistakable.
Dodging wouldn’t be easy. The dragon’s head would follow Julien’s every move.
Charging in to attack now would be even more dangerous. According to the plan, they had to endure this first strike.
Ggggggggggg…….
The moisture in the air froze instantly, turning into shimmering ice particles. A silvery mist began to rise around Arterion.
At that moment, a wave of blue light rippled from the dragon’s neck down its back. Like electricity coursing through its body, the light danced along its scales.
The power he had been gathering finally reached its peak. Arterion’s eyes flashed, emitting a dazzling glow.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!
A blindingly bright, blue-white breath attack erupted. A massive storm of ice tore through the sky and rained down.
Though it was aimed at Julien, its sheer size made it impossible for anyone else to escape.
Ghislain unleashed his mana and shouted.
“Block it!”
Paaaaaaak!
Standing at the front, Parniel poured every ounce of divine power she had into resisting the attack. Behind her, Piote transferred his own divine power to Parniel.
But it wasn’t enough. A dragon’s breath attack wasn’t something mere humans could block.
From within the fortress, golden light shone from Jerome’s eyes.
“Absolute Barrier.”
Ziiiiing—!
A 9th-circle absolute defense spell, created by pooling the mages’ collective mana, unfolded.
The immense magic was drawn into Jerome’s spell.
It was unbearably heavy. Controlling such an enormous amount of power alone was nearly impossible.
Vanessa assisted him, ensuring he could channel the magic properly. She focused entirely on stabilizing the gathered mana so it wouldn’t spiral out of control.
Thanks to their combined efforts, the 9th-circle spell was successfully cast.
Paaaaaaaaak!
The barrier shielding their allies and Arterion’s breath attack collided head-on.
As expected of a 9th-circle spell, the barrier withstood the breath attack.
However, the real problem was that Jerome wasn’t actually a 9th-circle mage. He knew the spell’s formula, but his level of mastery and enlightenment had yet to reach that stage.
Because of that, the barrier was merely an incomplete 9th-circle spell, created by forcefully injecting mana into it.
Drdrdrdrduk!
Cracks began to form on the barrier. Blood trickled down from Jerome’s nose.
Even if the amount of mana was similar, the density was entirely different.
On top of that, a dragon’s breath attack was its innate power. It could be unleashed without any interference, making it inevitable that Jerome would be overpowered.
Drdrdrduk!
Kwaaaang!
The trembling barrier could no longer withstand the breath attack and finally shattered.
“Guhh!”
Jerome coughed up blood and staggered. Seeing this, Vanessa immediately cast another spell.
“Great Shield.”
Papapapak!
Layers of shields spread out to protect their allies. Although they shattered one after another, the dragon’s breath attack had also weakened compared to its initial force.
And finally, after breaking through all the shields, the breath attack clashed against Parniel’s divine power.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Urgh…!”
Parniel’s body trembled violently, and for a brief moment, she coughed up blood. However, in the end, she managed to block it.
The aftermath of the breath attack spread outward. The ground beneath them froze solid, and frost instantly formed on everyone's bodies.
Kaor chattered his teeth and muttered.
“D-damn… s-shit… it’s freezing….”
Even those who had reached the level of Transcendents felt the chill. That’s how powerful the breath attack was.
But they had endured it.
Arterion’s eyes gleamed with even more murderous intent.
“You… insects….”
He had poured his full power into that breath attack, confident that he could kill the Adversary in one strike.
Yet, it had failed.
The humans’ preparations were more thorough than he, had anticipated.
And their counterattack came swiftly.
Paaaaak!
Hundreds of glowing daggers appeared in the air. Arranged in a zigzag pattern, they looked like a silver staircase cutting through the sky.
Ghislain leaped onto the daggers in an instant, then swung his massive Aura Blade.
Kagagagak!
“Grrraaahhh!”
Arterion, startled as his chest was slashed, flapped his wings furiously to retreat.
Sukak!
But at that moment, Julien’s sword flashed, slicing deep into one of Arterion’s wings.
Belinda’s daggers were scattered all around the dragon. Moving as if they had a will of their own, they continuously shifted positions, providing stepping stones for the Transcendents.
There was no need to worry about falling. Whenever they did, Belinda’s daggers would appear beneath their feet, supporting them.
They ignored gravity, freely soaring through the air, relentlessly attacking the dragon’s massive body.
Arterion let out a furious roar, his voice laced with both frustration and rage.
“You lowly, insect-like wretches…!”
“Time to see what it's like to be killed by bugs.”
Ghislain grinned fiercely as he swung his Aura Blade without hesitation.
A dragon’s breath attack, while immensely powerful, consumed an enormous amount of energy. Arterion had gone to an extreme, gathering more power than necessary. Until he could recover to some extent, he would be left defenseless.
This was exactly why Ghislain had planned to endure the first breath attack head-on. It allowed them to drain their opponent’s strength before the real battle began.
Sure enough, Arterion faltered under the relentless assault of the Transcendents.
“Y-You insects…!”
No matter how weak humans were compared to a dragon, their Aura Blades were not to be taken lightly.
After all, they were capable of cutting through dragon scales.
As Arterion retreated, he instinctively attempted to cast a spell in desperation.
Fssssss…….
Yet, no matter how much he tried, the magic failed to manifest properly. The moment it was cast, it dispersed into nothingness.
Grrrr…….
Arterion let out a low growl of frustration.
He tried to unleash another breath attack, but it wasn’t easy. Having already exhausted a significant amount of energy on the last attack, he was in no condition to use another one so soon.
With such a powerful ability that couldn’t be used repeatedly, he needed to be more cautious. He had to eliminate the Adversary here and now.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Left with no other choice, Arterion resorted to using his own body as a weapon. He swung its massive tail mercilessly.
Kwaaaang!
Tenant, who had been attacking Arterion’s flank, took a direct hit. However, contrary to the dragon’s expectations, Tenant survived.
Just before the tail struck, a powerful divine shield had appeared in front of him. On top of that, divine protection still enveloped his body.
The shield shattered instantly, but Tenant, pushing his mana to the limit, barely managed to endure the blow.
Crack!
Though his bones and organs were crushed, it didn’t matter. A flood of divine energy surged into his body, instantly restoring him.
Kaaaahhh!
Arterion roared furiously, his cry shaking the air itself.
Kwaaaang!
His massive claws slashed through the sky, but the Transcendents dodged effortlessly, moving like the wind. When evasion wasn’t possible, they detonated their mana to propel themselves downward.
And whenever an opening appeared, Ghislain’s Aura Blade would flash like lightning, slicing across Arterion’s massive body.
With each strike, dragon blood splattered through the air.
The amount was growing by the second.
“You miserable little gnats!”
Arterion thrashed wildly, swinging his tail and claws. However, Belinda’s daggers constantly rearranged themselves, providing the Transcendents with new footholds.
They moved freely through the air, almost as if they were dancing, keeping their distance when necessary before closing in for attacks whenever an opportunity arose.
Among them, Julien’s attacks stood out the most.
Sukak!
There was no need for him to take risks by closing in. From a safe distance, he continued slicing away at Arterion’s wings, little by little.
“Grrr….”
Arterion groaned in agony as his wings were gradually torn apart.
However, being a dragon who had experienced countless battles, he quickly regained his composure.
His attacks grew sharper and more precise as the battle progressed. The Transcendents, who had been relentlessly pressing him, were now forced to widen the distance, searching for openings instead.
Even as wounds accumulated on his body, Arterion carefully observed his enemies’ movements.
And when an opportunity arose, he never let it slip.
Kwaaaaaang!
His tail abruptly changed direction, whipping toward Gillian. Reacting instantly, Gillian raised both arms and unleashed a surge of mana. At the same time, a divine shield materialized before him.
Crunch!
Both his arms were shattered, and he was sent flying. But he survived. The others launched an immediate counterattack, preventing Arterion from following up with another strike.
Drdrdrduk!
Gillian’s broken arms healed in an instant, thanks to the overwhelming divine power of Parniel and Piote.
Arterion had been watching everything unfold.
“If only my power were intact…”
If that were the case, he wouldn’t be struggling like this. Even a mere graze from his attacks would have killed them before they had a chance to heal.
But there was no point in lamenting. He couldn’t afford to drag this out. The longer the battle lasted, the stronger the Adversary would become.
Even so, these humans were remarkable.
Not even a thousand years ago had there been humans capable of pushing a dragon like this.
‘They were thoroughly prepared.’
Their coordination was near flawless.
The daggers constantly shifting to create footholds, the divine power ensuring survival as long as they weren’t instantly killed, the mages sealing his magic, and the Transcendents who trusted their allies enough to throw their bodies into battle without hesitation—
These people knew exactly how to fight a dragon.
Just as Ereneth had said, that human ruler, Ghislain, was truly exceptional.
Yet beyond their sheer skill, Arterion felt something unsettlingly familiar.
‘It’s as if they’ve fought me before.’
No human alive should have ever fought a dragon. There shouldn’t even be any proper records of such battles.
And yet, they were hunting him down without a single misstep. Even the level of magic suppression was flawless.
It was far too meticulous to have been prepared based purely on speculation.
‘Did Ereneth tell them?’
No. That was impossible. She and he were bound by fate itself.
Ereneth would never want to fight him. While she had revealed information about him to the humans, she had not appeared here herself that was proof enough.
It meant they had reached all these conclusions and prepared entirely on their own.
‘I have no choice but to acknowledge it. You truly are extraordinary.’
But that was all.
In the end, he would still emerge victorious.
He was the last dragon, the one who had won battles far more grueling than this.
Kwaaaang!
Arterion’s tail struck Kaor this time. Yet, even Kaor did not die.
Instead, he recovered almost instantly and rushed back up the daggers, climbing toward Arterion once more.
Despite his growing wounds, Arterion remained calm and assessed the situation.
To these humans, he was nothing more than a massive, powerful, and resilient monster.
It was inevitable.
With his magic sealed and his enormous size presenting countless weak spots, he was nothing more than a giant target.
If this continued, he would be the one to tire out first.
Arterion’s eyes narrowed.
Fighting the Transcendents up close in his current state was meaningless.
‘The daggers, the divine power, and the mages.’
These three elements were the pillars holding their strategy together. If even one of them collapsed, they would be unable to handle him.
‘The shadows.’
Arterion subtly turned his gaze.
The woman controlling the daggers was positioned far from the battlefield. She hadn’t participated in the attack even once.
Her sole focus was supporting her allies, allowing them to fight freely in the air.
Then, he looked downward.
‘Divine power.’
The Saint of Battle, the strongest among them, was dedicating all her efforts to healing and defense.
It was an ill-fitting role for someone of her strength, but in this situation, it was undeniably effective.
On top of that, the fake saint (?) possessed astonishing divine power. In some aspects, it was even purer than the Saint’s.
Arterion shifted his gaze toward the small fortresses built in the distance.
‘The mages.’
An overwhelming amount of mana was still suppressing him. This wasn’t just a simple, widespread mana field.
If multiple mages had each been attempting to disrupt his spells individually, his magic wouldn’t have been so cleanly dispelled. Instead, it would have been torn apart in a chaotic manner.
It was clear that their mana had been gathered and was being controlled by a singular, exceptional mage.
He had to find that mage and kill them or at least disrupt their control, even for a moment.
‘Did they predict even this?’
The fortresses were deliberately spread apart, making it nearly impossible to trace the flow of mana.
Their preparation was infuriatingly meticulous.
Grrrr……
Even as he continued attacking the humans before him, Arterion’s thoughts were elsewhere.
He couldn’t target all three at once. He had to choose one and relentlessly hunt them down.
If even one of those pillars collapsed, the tide of battle would shift in his favor.
Half of his pristine white body was now stained red with his own blood.
And at that moment, Arterion made his decision.
His eyes gleamed ominously.
Spreading his wings wide, he suddenly pulled back—
Kwaaaaaang!
—then shot straight toward the ground.