Chapter 628
Come Find Me. (3)
Puhwak!
Ghislain spewed blood from his mouth as he was thrown backward.
Having pushed his body beyond its limits by using amplified power alongside the Power of Will, he could no longer withstand the strain.
“Kuaaaahhh!”
Arterion let out a pained scream as his Dragon Heart was destroyed.
Until now, even with his entire body covered in wounds, it was the one thing he had managed to protect. But in his already exhausted state, he could no longer defend against Ghislain’s final strike.
As Arterion writhed in agony, everyone, though utterly drained, rushed toward him.
Among them, one person reached Arterion faster than anyone else.
“Adversary…!”
Even in pain, Arterion raised his claws, intending to kill Julien, who was swiftly closing in on him.
And then he saw it.
For the first time, Julien’s eyes, which had never revealed a single emotion, gleamed with a chilling light.
“You…”
Sgak!
Julien struck at Arterion’s Dragon Heart once more.
Even after being pierced by Ghislain, the Dragon Heart had barely maintained its form, with its fragments desperately pulling together.
A Dragon Heart, the source of a dragon’s power, did not easily disappear. It had been gathering every last ounce of lifeforce in an attempt to regenerate.
But Julien utterly pulverized it into dust.
Paaaah!
A blinding light erupted from Arterion’s chest. It was the unmistakable sign that a dragon’s life had come to an end.
“Krrr…”
With weary eyes, Arterion gazed at Julien. His massive body, now unable to support itself, slowly collapsed.
Kuuuuuuung!
Even so, his breath did not cease entirely. His vitality was truly terrifying.
Struggling to his feet, Ghislain staggered toward the panting Arterion.
The dragon’s eyes were vacant, there was no longer any killing intent or madness in them.
Ghislain narrowed his eyes at the sight.
‘They’ve cleared.’
Arterion’s gaze, as if staring into a distant void, had taken on a deep, lucid azure hue.
It was the kind of gaze a sage would have the kind only those who carried the wisdom of the ancient ages could possess.
A stark contrast to the bloodshot, frenzied glare he had first displayed.
As if all the madness that had been lurking inside him had drained away.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Ghislain raised his sword. He had to behead him and end this for good.
Even so, he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
“What… exactly are you?”
There were too many things that didn’t make sense.
A rage and bloodlust that vanished only at the moment of death.
A madness that reignited in a desperate situation, only to suddenly fade again.
It was nothing like the wisdom a dragon was supposed to possess.
Which was why the only question he could ask was: “What are you?”
Arterion’s fading eyes slowly shifted to Ghislain. The light of life was draining from them.
Then, in a soft voice, he finally spoke.
“…Ah… I have dreamed for so long…”
"A Dream?"
"Yes... my dear friends... my kin... the world we fought to protect..."
Ghislain fell silent. He could guess who Arterion was referring to.
Arterion seemed to wear a gentle smile.
"But who is there to blame now... It was all my greed, my mistake..."
"What do you mean? What exactly happened in the war a thousand years ago?"
"...You even know about that..."
"Tell me. Why did you fight us? If the Adversary was threatening the world, why didn’t you stand with us?"
Arterion slowly closed his eyes and opened his mouth again. His voice was growing fainter.
"We… to protect this world…"
Sgak!
Kagagagagak!
Arterion’s words never reached their end. Before he could finish, Julien’s sword swung through the air severing his massive head clean off.
With his Dragon Heart destroyed, Arterion could no longer resist. His head was cut off in an instant.
Ghislain turned in shock.
Julien stood there, gasping heavily - an unusual sight. He was always composed, never showing signs of exhaustion.
"Julien, you just…"
Arterion had clearly been about to say something.
Perhaps they wouldn’t have been able to hear everything, considering how close he was to death, but there had been no need to silence him before he could even finish.
But Julien had already taken his life.
Julien pressed a hand to his forehead, his eyes shut. He looked… disturbed.
Ghislain asked again.
"Are you… alright?"
"…Yes."
He didn’t look alright at all. Even as he stepped back, he staggered slightly.
Ghislain studied him closely. This wasn’t just fatigue from battle or injuries. It was something else, something had shaken him.
The lingering essence from Arterion’s body had seeped into Julien. That had to be the cause.
Ghislain considered asking about that energy but hesitated.
‘Wait, in my past life…’
They had defeated Arterion at the cost of countless lives. What had happened at the very end?
—Humans… you all…
Back then, Arterion had tried to say something.
At the time, they had assumed he was either acknowledging them or cursing them in his final moments. They hadn’t given it much thought.
Because no one had heard his last words.
‘Julien beheaded him back then, too.’
Julien had decisively cut off the dragon’s head.
Everyone had accepted it without question. Among those who had fought Arterion, Julien had been the least injured.
Someone had to deliver the final blow, it hadn’t mattered who.
But this time was different.
They were exhausted, but they had the time to hear the dragon’s final words.
At that moment, a sudden thought flashed through Parniel[a]’s mind, and he shook his head vigorously. He must have overexerted himself fighting the dragon, his mind had briefly gone blank.
"Waaaaaah!"
From the fortress, the cheers of the mages echoed.
Most of them had already collapsed exhausted, but a few still had some mana left.
"We survived! We made it!"
"We actually stopped a dragon!"
"Help the fallen first!"
They rejoiced as they hurried to cast healing spells on their fallen comrades.
They had been forcibly conscripted and had spent their days in terror. Yet, against all odds, they had defeated a dragon with no casualties. The plan had worked perfectly.
Of course, if they left things as they were, people would start dying. The fortress that had withstood the dragon’s breath was in especially critical condition.
"Hurry! Use every last drop of mana!"
"Call the priests as well!"
"Over here! This way!"
Mages and priests rushed in, tending to the wounded. Their eyes shone with deep reverence as they looked at Alfoi.
"How did he do it?"
"I heard he was only a 5th-Circle mage?"
"He accomplished something impossible."
No matter how skilled a mage was at controlling mana, there was always a limit to how much they could handle. Yet, Alfoi had exceeded those limits.
The mages were desperate to uncover his secret. Carefully, they cast healing spells on him and moved him with the utmost care.
The priests also rushed in, releasing their sacred power over the fallen.
"Phew."
Only after hearing that the mages were safe did Ghislain finally feel relieved.
He glanced to the side.
Julien was sitting on a boulder, head lowered.
Whether it was due to fatigue or deep thought, Ghislain couldn’t tell.
‘Hmm… Is he thinking about that energy?’
Ghislain studied him for a moment before turning back to the others. Now was not the time for deep contemplation, it was a moment to celebrate their victory.
They needed to savor this before preparing for what came next.
- - -
As Ghislain had guessed, Julien was deep in thought, trying to comprehend what had happened to him.
‘Something from Arterion’s body… entered me.’
He hadn’t even had time to react.
It had flowed into him as naturally as breathing.
Yet, he couldn’t comprehend what it was.
Even more unsettling, he had no idea how that energy was moving inside his body.
For someone like Julien, who had absolute control over his own body, this was unthinkable. That was precisely why he needed to understand what this energy was.
Julien continued to focus inward, trying to trace the unknown force.
Then—
His mind was suddenly engulfed in black mist.
‘…’
Julien’s eyes twitched.
For a moment, he thought it was trying to control his mind.
But it didn’t.
Instead, it settled quietly and began to show him something.
‘This is…’
From within the darkness, he saw a woman.
She was smiling.
He couldn’t tell who she was, her eyes and hair were veiled in shadows.
Yet, beneath that, her uncovered face revealed a gentle, knowing smile.
A smile that was both sorrowful and joyful, a bittersweet, enigmatic expression.
This was not normal.
This vision had manifested on its own, outside of his will.
‘…Who are you?’
Julien focused his mind, demanding an answer.
There was no way an unfamiliar woman’s image would appear in his thoughts without reason.
This had to be the work of the energy that had entered him.
The woman’s lips parted, her smile unchanged.
— "…You are not here to save the world."
[a]Julien's? Ghislain's?