The Ancient Dragon.
A term that refers to the most formidable predator that inhabits the upper layers of the tower.
[The Ancient Species ‘???’ has manifested!]
With a burst of red sparks, a massive dragon revealed itself.
“Kraaaagh…!”
The dragon’s low roar alone made the atmosphere tremble.
The thick dark clouds that had covered the sky were now split apart to either side.
The oppressive magical energy that had engulfed the area vanished as if it were a lie.
By the will of a more powerful being…
…the existing forces were being erased.“Kraaaaah!”
The Azure Dragon let out a sharp cry.
Its sound was closer to a desperate plea not to be disturbed than an intention to fight.
The one thrown into disarray was Samaja, too.
“This is impossible…”
It had taken decades to awaken the Azure Dragon from its slumber.
An unimaginable amount of wealth and manpower was spent on the formation technique to subdue the awakened Azure Dragon.
And such a feat was possible only because he stood as the second-in-command of the Demon Cult. If not for him, it would have been an extraordinary achievement that no one else would even dare to attempt.
After putting in tremendous effort…
He had finally obtained a divine beast as powerful as an entire faction.
Be it the Martial Alliance or even toothless demons.
Nothing should have stood in his way anymore.
Now it was time for all his plans to finally bear fruit.
But it should have been…
‘The emperor’s movement alone wasn’t enough… and now there’s a dragon so preposterously powerful under his command.’
This had crossed realms beyond what an individual should be capable of.
He wanted to curse out loud, but even that was a luxury at this point.
He needed to respond.
By any means necessary.
“Kill it! Now!”
Samaja concentrated his energy.
[The Forbidden Technique ‘Cage of Agony’ activates!]
Woooom!
“Kraaaaagh!”
The Azure Dragon’s pupils flooded with red as it lost its reason and blindly followed the commands.
Even if the opponent was a superior predator, with this forbidden technique, it could still be forced to fight.
Terrifying magical power surged from the orb held between its claws.
Crack!
Zzzt!
Yellow sparks flew from the split dark clouds, just at that moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky, aimed precisely at the Ancient Dragon’s head.
However…
[The Ancient Species ‘???’ uses the Lv??? ‘Words of the Ancient Dragon’!]
The falling lightning dissipated into a wisp of smoke, as if the very fact that they had been activated was denied.
“Even if they are of the same origin, the difference between the Words of an Azure Dragon and an Ancient Species is as vast as heaven and earth.”
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth, facing Samaja, who now wore an almost tearful expression.
“If you wish to fight with that worm using only one orb, you are greatly underprepared.”
“Kraaaagh!”
Goguma, as if answering, spread its wings.
It seemed as though it could no longer bear the sight of the Azure Dragon looking down from the sky.
Woooom!
Soon after, the enormous body soared high into the heavens.
“Kraaaaaah!”
“Kraaaagh!”
High above the clouds, the two dragons met.
What followed was a struggle to sever each other’s breaths.
The relatively agile Azure Dragon moved rapidly, looking for an opening.
Its flexible body was exquisite at riding the winds.
Meanwhile, Goguma aimed to snatch the Azure Dragon with its center firmly set.
If caught even once…
The slender body of the Azure Dragon would be split in two.
“Keeeeh!”
The Azure Dragon, narrowly evading Goguma’s claws, grasped the back of its enemy.
One of the factors that determine the power of a dragon’s breath is the casting time.
The amount of energy gathered influences the destructiveness of the attack.
Naturally, the one to secure a position first has a clear advantage in firepower.
Whoooosh!
The Azure Dragon, having collected energy to its limit, released its magical power first.
Following that, Goguma too unleashed its azure flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two breaths collided in the air.
Their trajectories skewed, and Goguma’s breath veered toward a mountain behind the Azure Dragon.
Boom!
A small mountain vanished with the impact.
However, the fight had only just begun.
＊＊＊
As the dragons waged their war.
Samaja stood alone, his veins bulging with fury.
“This accursed meddling is infuriating. What could possibly be your reason? You’re just a player whose goal is to climb the tower. If you had just joined me, you could easily move on to the next floor… What could possibly be the reason that you’re meddling so deeply in the affairs of the martial world?” 𝖗₳Ν𝘰ВĘṦ
A reason…
Sure enough, one could fulfill the conditions to ascend the tower’s next floor even by siding with Samaja.
According to him, that path would have been easier and less troublesome.
But the thing is…
“Life isn’t always about efficiency.”
He had met his master.
To uphold what he believed in, even when their clan was falling, even when his lord had lost all power…
He did not abandon his sovereign.
He had met the Heavenly Demon.
He fought to protect his world, to preserve the martial world for the sake of martial arts, even though he might not be remembered.
Even if the end was tragic, he had no regrets.
“I can let a lot of things slide, but I cannot bear to watch trash like you, who betray those who believed in you and commit mass murder without any regard for means, rising to success.”
That’s not how I climb the tower.
The view from the top… would surely be different from the past.
The peak of the Tower of Trials was not meant for such beings.
“And now that we’re here, are you still planning on dragging out this banter? If you’re a leader of a power, you should fight yourself rather than relying on your subordinates.”
Jinhyuk extended his sword forward.
Vooom!
The sword traced an elegant curve, and a purple mist rose along its path.
“Indeed… If I hesitate to do what’s necessary in this fight, I could end up dead. So, I, too, will stake my life on this battle.”
Swhoosh.
A white gem emerged from Samaja’s robes.
An indescribable light emanated from the magical stone—no doubt, the top-grade orb known as the ‘Orb of White Flame’.
With it, not only could one command the weather as dragons do, but…
‘Using the orb… even the creation of new dragons is possible.’
[Samaja summons the Lesser Dragons.]
Woooooom!
A strange magical power rose along the ground.
“I never thought I’d need to use this, but now that it’s come to this, I have no choice.”
Dragons covered in blue scales appeared by Samaja’s side.
Different from the Azure Dragon fighting Goguma, these were far smaller, and the orbs held in their claws had only a negligible amount of magical power.
“These are imitations created through forbidden techniques. They are a tenth of the size and power of the original.”
Yet…
Even that was enough to easily kill any top martial artist.
And now, not just one but a total of seven Lesser Dragons stood before Jinhyuk.
“Grrrr…”
“Kyeeek!”
Surrounded by the Lesser Dragons, Jinhyuk seemed unphased.
“Pretty impressive. I honestly didn’t expect this. You held onto such an orb for so long without using it? You kept it hidden until now?”
“Those were my trump cards to destroy the empire. I’m pained to have to use them against a creature like you, but now there’s no other way.”
Even if the Ancient Species was overbearing the Azure Dragon, it would still take time to finish it.
In other words…
There was no one to aid Jinhyuk now.
But…
Jinhyuk’s expression revealed nothing of his true intentions as he simply kept his cool gaze on Samaja.
“That attitude of yours is starting to be repulsive. You should be begging for your life. I’m well aware that you’re terrified.”
“Well, I wonder if that’s necessary.”
There was no need for fear.
No reason to feel dread.
Especially when it came to the dragonkind…
In this moment, throughout the entire Tower of Trials, he possessed the ultimate advantage.
Jinhyuk infused his sword with power.
Let’s make it clear.
The winner of this battle was already decided.
Fzzzzt!
The dormant Dragon Slayer Sword reminisced about its past eons of slumber.
[The special ability of the sword has been used.]
[Lv5 ‘Choose Battlefield’ is activated!]
[Recreating myth.]
His vision turned black.
Even Samaja, with murderous intent in his eyes, and the Lesser Dragons trying to absorb the ambient energy to unleash their breaths…
Everything faded from his senses.
And when his eyes opened again…
Everything before his eyes had completely changed.
＊＊＊
There lay the now skeletal remains of Fafnir, and…
The place where the myth of Siegfried rested.
This was ‘The Tomb of the Dragon’.
“It’s impossible that we moved elsewhere in that brief instant. Could this be some kind of spell?”
Samaja glanced around in disbelief.
Thrust into an alien space quite suddenly, he was naturally bewildered.
The Lesser Dragons growled lowly, unsettling their nerves.
Instinctively, they felt it.
That every second spent in this place was fatal to them.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk’s heart pounded furiously.
The memories of a great hero merged seamlessly into his bloodstream.
‘Indeed, the mightiest is mighty for a reason.’
A wave of excitement and exhilaration overwhelmed his entire body.
He was stirring with the memory of having slain a dragon.
Alright.
Jinhyuk used the ‘Sword Dance of the Demon King’.
With the wind, his figure vanished.
Thunk!
He reappeared amidst the Lesser Dragons.
As if housing two souls in one body, a similar yet alien sword technique unfolded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A raging storm ensued.
“Kyeeek!”
The body of the closest Lesser Dragon was sliced in half.
“Gasp!?”
Shock tremored through Samaja’s pupils.
That the Dragon’s scales, infused with the layers of wind’s strength, could be cleaved in one fell swoop was inconceivable.
Not even a Heavenly Demon, who had reached the transcendent state of demon-subduing, could slice them with one strike.
Which meant…
“That’s beyond… Are you saying you’re above those levels?”
Beyond even the Heavenly Demon.
Merging with Siegfried’s spirit.
For as long as the skill lasted, about three minutes…
‘I transcend the Heavenly Demon.’
He wouldn’t restrain his surging magical power.
Jinhyuk quickly thrust his sword forward with both hands.
Thump!
Another Lesser Dragon’s upper body vanished.
With no time to scream or dodge.
With two dragons dead in an instant, the remaining ones converged in one place.
“Kraaagh!”
The dragons readied their ultimate inherent scream.
‘Breath.’
Vroom vroom vroom!
Five Lesser Dragons simultaneously opened their mouths to form a massive orb of magical energy.
The elements of rain and wind condensed toward a single point.
“Then let me bring out something worthy of that.”
If dragons had Breath.
Siegfried had a sword that could slice through Breath.
The noble relic of purple grade.
The Demonic Sword that had slain a dragon.
Once again, roared fiercely.
[The limited ability ‘Dragon Slayer’ activates!]
A sword specialized exclusively to slay dragons.
And with that sword, a stroke that could enforce the outcome.
From the tip of the blade…
A white line as pure as snow cut through the space.
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