Chapter 1172

Chapter 1172
Chapter 1172

With a faint clicking noise, Raon returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard and lowered his eyelids.

‘Exactly as I anticipated.’

He easily could have dispatched Azgoros through a sudden strike, much like he did with Igni Serpang, the head of the Red clan, but he chose instead to endure every bit of spellwork and dragon breath Azgoros rained down before delivering the final blow. Ultimately, the outcome was virtually identical.

His current martial foundation had reached a point where he could slay even dragon leaders—reputed to be the ultimate beings in the world—with a single stroke. Beyond his current threshold of mastery, he could sense just how terrifyingly his combat prowess had grown.

‘No, on second thought, that wasn’t even my maximum capability.’

Although he had struck using the entirety of his active strength, he still possessed his Sword Domain. If he were to unfold the Divine-Demonic Harmony Sword Domain to amplify his force, he could exhibit a tier of swordsmanship even higher than this.

-Hmph!

Wrath emitted a disdainful snort.

-To be astounded over slaying a single oversized lizard, that is precisely why you remain an absolute novice!

He shook his head, implying that Raon still had a immense path left to travel.

-When dealing with reptiles like these, the question isn’t how to kill them, but in what fashion you prepare them!

Wrath smacking his lips, asserting that genuinely powerful beings operated on a completely different thought process.

‘In what fashion you prepare them?’

Raon tilted his head slightly as he observed Wrath.

-Indeed! Decapitation like you just performed is acceptable, but pulverizing or freezing their internal organs produces far superior results. Because then…

Wrath narrowed his eyes as though he were about to impart the ultimate secret for slaying dragons.

-The meat becomes vastly more tender when it comes time to consume it!

‘Sigh…’

Raon opened his eyes and released a heavy breath.

‘I entertained a brief hope, yet it turned out as it always does.’

He had wished for genuine tactical advice, yet once again, everything revolved entirely around eating. He was growing weary of this glutton’s perpetual whining.

‘Still, even with that…’

Raon let out a soft smile while watching Wrath grumble about how appetizing Azgoros’s carcass would taste.

‘He only speaks like this because he trusts my capabilities.’

Wrath was not one to act foolishly at all times. In moments of real peril, he became more somber than anyone else, leading Raon to feel that his growth had finally progressed enough to dispel Wrath’s underlying worry.

-Nonsense! This King is being entirely earnest!

Wrath snorted again, adamantly denying the notion.

‘Ah, naturally.’

Raon closed his eyes once more, reflecting on potential refinements for the Azure Sky Sword form he had just executed.

“Ha! Witnessing that leaves us with no choice but to step up our game!”

Martha flared her aura to its limit, looking as though she too was eager to hunt a dragon.

“Let’s move right now!”

She took a step forward, unable to contain her impatience any longer.

“Three of us against a single target?”

Burren bit down on his lip, visibly energized after observing Raon’s blade work.

“If that’s the setup, it isn’t an overly daunting assignment.”

He gave a firm nod, acknowledging that the conditions were highly favorable for securing a victory.

“I-I’m still terrified, though…”

Dorian shivered with anxiety despite having just watched Raon dominate and destroy Azgoros, the head of the Blue clan. Yet despite his timid words, he positioned himself beside Burren and Martha with his blade drawn.

“B-but who is going to handle the other two?”

Dorian darted his eyes around, wondering who would deal with the remaining pair of dragons while they handled theirs.

“I cannot.”

Bartius shook his head while extending his palm toward the fallen form of Azgoros.

“I must extract the core key needed to unseal the dimension and keep it stabilized.”

He closed his eyes, explaining that he was unable to assist because he had to retrieve the dimensional key from Azgoros.

“I’ll claim that one.”

Sirtiren pointed directly at Saphiren, the Blue Dragon who had been bickering with her prior to Azgoros’s arrival.

“We have long-standing grievances to settle.”

She brushed off her hands, announcing her intention to settle old debts.

“Hey, Saphiren. Come play with me.”

Sirtiren shifted back into her true form, shedding a radiant blue light. While not quite as massive as Azgoros, her scales carried a more vibrant cerulean sheen, and her mouth exhaled an ethereal blue mist.

“Damn you!”

Saphiren cursed loudly as she abandoned her human disguise. She assumed a draconic shape similar to Sirtiren’s, though her mana signature was noticeably weaker. A profound tremor reverberated outward.

The Blue Dragons plunged down into the ocean, their native domain, initiating a fierce clash. Even as they traded high-tier magic and brutal physical strikes deep below the surface, the vibrations echoed all the way up to the shoreline.

“S-so will the Lord assist us with the last dragon?”

Dorian cast a desperate look back.

“No.”

However, Raon took a step backward with folded arms, making it abundantly clear he had no intention of stepping in.

“T-then perhaps the other dragons maintaining the barrier can offer us a hand…”

Dorian turned his watery gaze toward Bartius.

“My apologies, but the others are equally unable to move.”

Bartius shook his head with half-closed eyes.

“If we lower the barrier, the surviving dragons might take the opportunity to flee.”

He shut his eyes again, stating they could not dissolve the barrier until those three dragons were eliminated and the clean-up was finished.

“Urgh…”

Dorian looked back and forth, his jaw trembling nervously.

“Shall I take care of one?”

The voice belonged to Evelyn. She offered a cheerful grin as she stepped up alongside Dorian.

“Huh? Yes! Please do!”

Dorian nearly jumped with delight as he looked at Evelyn. He pressed his hands together in relief, viewing it as a miracle that Evelyn—who was even more unpredictable than Raon—had offered her aid.

“Oh, no.”

Evelyn shook her head, placing a hand over her lips.

“You two tackle one, and the two of us will handle the other.”

Her red lips curved upward as she proposed that Martha and Burren engage one dragon while she and Dorian took charge of the second.

“I can’t stand her, but the suggestion is sound.”

Martha gave a crisp nod of agreement.

“That is certainly preferable. If three of us charge at once, our movements might get in each other’s way while evading magic.”

Burren adjusted his blade slightly, concurring that Evelyn’s division of labor was practical.

“Eh…?”

Unlike Burren and Martha, Dorian’s chin quivered in disbelief, clearly unable to process Evelyn’s arrangement.

“You miserable worms!”

“What do you take us for!”

The Blue Dragons, thoroughly enraged by Azgoros’s death, revealed their true forms in fury at being treated like mere beasts by human fighters. A deafening roar shattered the air.

Though smaller than Bartius or Sirtiren, both Blue Dragons had unambiguously entered the stage of fully mature dragons, capable of manipulating the ocean at will while radiating suffocating pressure.

“Let’s begin!”

Martha let out an eager shout as she bounded toward the Blue Dragon with the damaged horn.

“Sigh, give me a warning next time.”

Burren exhaled a sigh but advanced rapidly using swift footwork, shifting into position to cover Martha.

[Die!]

The Blue Dragon with the damaged horn launched dozens of razor-sharp ice projectiles. The frigid energy infused within the spell was so potent that even a Grandmaster could not afford to take it lightly—it was undeniably advanced magic.

“I’ll clear the way.”

Burren stepped out ahead of Martha and thrust his sword forward. In days past, he would have meticulously deflected only the strikes directed at himself, but now he exhaled a burning breath and outright obliterated every ice projectile in front of him.

“Nicely done!”

Martha rushed through the corridor Burren had carved with his blade and brought her weapon down in a violent arc. Her posture remained identical to her form prior to entering the Training Ground, yet her brown-shimmering sword now bore a staggering weight and force that was previously absent. A tearing sound echoed through the air.

Martha’s heavy blow sliced cleanly through the scales of the Blue Dragon with the damaged horn, utterly shattering its leg.

[GRAAAAA!]

The Blue Dragon with the damaged horn shrieked in agony, releasing a torrent of advanced magical strikes targeting Burren and Martha. The earth shuddered violently. Yet Burren’s defensive wall proved entirely unbreakable. He severed every incoming spell, allowing none to interrupt Martha’s all-out assault. The surrounding atmosphere crackled with raw power.

Sustained by Burren’s protection, Martha focused exclusively on offense. Her brutal sword strikes drove straight through the dragon’s defensive barriers, inflicting fatal injuries.

[S-stop!]

The Blue Dragon with the damaged horn attempted to plunge back into the sea to buy precious time, but Burren and Martha refused to give it room. They locked onto its throat and heart region, completely shutting down any route of escape.

-Not bad whatsoever.

Wrath offered a subtle nod of approval at the coordination between Burren and Martha.

-That reptile is no hatchling, yet they’ve thoroughly dominated it by dividing defense and attack roles.

‘It’s also sharp of them to deny it access to the sea and keep it from firing its breath.’

Raon narrowed his eyes slightly, agreeing with Wrath’s commentary.

‘The single true hazard to those two right now is the creature’s breath attack.’

The present Burren and Martha could easily dismantle the spellcraft of a mature dragon. So long as they kept the creature out of the ocean and suppressed its breath, securing a victory would be straightforward.

‘Furthermore…’

Raon allowed a faint smile to form as he observed the shimmering energy coating Burren’s blade.

‘This is about to grow even more fascinating.’

The essence of the Sword Domain emanating from Burren’s weapon was rapidly solidifying. It seemed they might actually witness his Sword Domain manifest very shortly.

‘Now, as for that side…’

Setting those thoughts aside, Raon shifted his attention toward the confrontation involving Evelyn and Dorian.

“Huh…?”

His mouth hung open slightly at the bizarre sight. The fully transformed Blue Dragon stood completely rigid as though bound by invisible chains, while Evelyn held her palm extended toward it.

“What do you think? This is my newly refined magic for mana manipulation. Against anyone weaker than myself, I can directly seize their internal mana flow and lock them down entirely—even a Transcendent. I could even cause them to burst from within.”

Evelyn beamed brightly, explaining that she had seized hold of the Blue Dragon’s Dragon Heart using her newly created spellcraft.

[Grrrk!]

The Blue Dragon could only gasp powerlessly, completely helpless, akin to a stray kitten gripped by the back of its neck.

“Go ahead and finish it.”

Evelyn nodded toward Dorian, instructing him to decapitate the target.

“Just strike a bit above where the Dragon Heart rests.”

“Ah…”

Dorian’s sword hand shook uncontrollably, appearing far more terrified by Evelyn’s nonchalant demeanor than by the beast itself.

“Ah…”

-Hmph…

Both Raon and Wrath let out heavy sighs at the embarrassing display of the dragon. This was certainly not how a draconic battle was meant to unfold.

—

With a resounding crash, the two remaining Blue Dragons perished as their Dragon Hearts were forcibly extracted, and Sirtiren returned from the depths onto the land, carrying Saphiren’s lifeless form between her jaws.

“Urrrgh…”

Dorian’s lips continued to quiver as though he had not yet recovered from the shock, though he nevertheless stowed the remains of Azgoros and the three other dragons inside his dimensional pouch.

“What in the world is that bag made of?”

Sirtiren let out an amazed whistle at Dorian’s pouch, which still possessed ample room after housing five dragon carcasses, including two ancient specimens larger than a fortress.

“I have successfully stabilized the second key as well.”

Bartius gave a firm nod, resting his hand against his chest.

“Is it truly your intention to wrap everything up today?”

He inquired while glancing up at the sun, which remained far above the horizon.

“Without a doubt.”

Raon met Bartius’s gaze with his hand rested on Heavenly Drive.

“As you are aware, the Dragon Lord is a treacherous opponent. We must act before he catches wind of our movements.”

He stroked his chin, adding that he still retained plenty of stamina.

“I am glad we aligned with you. Or perhaps it was you who chose us.”

Bartius offered a faint smile as he joined his palms together.

“Our next destination is the woodland where the head of the Black clan resides.”

As he parted his hands, a brilliant golden dimensional rift expanded. Accompanied by a low vibration, Raon stepped through the portal Bartius created without a moment’s hesitation. A rushing wind followed.

Just as Bartius had noted, the domain of the Black clan leader was an immense woodland. Thick canopy cover and towering trunks shut out the sky, creating a pitch-black atmosphere.

“Hmm?”

Raon tilted his head upward slightly.

‘Where is the head of the Black clan?’

Unlike their prior locations, he failed to pick up any draconic presence within this forest. Rather, he could tell a dragon had previously frequented the area, yet he could not pinpoint its present location.

“This is…”

Bartius knitted his brows, clearly picking up on the same anomaly.

“It appears the head of the Black clan has fled.”

His fingertips twitched slightly as he stated that the Black clan leader, who was supposed to be present in this woodland, was nowhere to be found.

“Dariauran!”

Valasiur, the Red Dragon, whirled toward Dariauran and shouted.

“I-I am equally clueless. Where on earth could he have gone…”

Dariauran of the Black clan also frowned deeply, caught entirely off guard by the development.

“We’re completely finished.”

Bursiarabi, the White Dragon, let out a tired sigh as though he had anticipated such a setback.

“There is no reason to panic.”

Raon calmly shook his head.

“He managed to slip away, but he couldn’t have traveled very far.”

He narrowed his gaze as he peered deep into the dark forest, seemingly detecting a faint trace that even the dragons had failed to notice.

“Not far enough that we’ll have any trouble tracking him down.”