Chapter 54: Chapter 54

[translator - night][proofreader - gun]

chapter 54: entering the black dragon’s body (1)

in front of the dragon’s lair.

the size was so massive it couldn’t simply be called a cave.

it seemed large enough to fit 1,000 people comfortably.

is it because dragons need space to come and go?

with 1,000 members of the apostle command unit, diana and i stood before the lair.

[‘invade the lair of the black dragon arkardian’ quest has been cleared.]

[you have earned 1,000 sp.]

the reward is ridiculously meager.

to get to arkardian’s lair, we had to break through the fortress, destroy the black dragon forest, and eliminate two other strategic points—yet we only get 1,000 sp?

this is the same reward i got for dismantling the orc vanguard in the past.

[pollux says it can’t be helped because the difficulty was reduced.]

still, this is just too much…

will you give me at least 100,000 sp interest, pollux?

[pollux says it’ll soon be resolved, so just wait a little longer.]

wow!

might as well tell me to wait until level 100.

sigh.

anyway, the dragon comes first.

“no one’s here, just as the dragonkin said.”

“and the magic circle is destroyed too.”

inside the pitch-black cave.

diana and i, leading the vanguard, lit the way with the flames of our fiery chariot.

everyone spread out as we advanced.

it was a formation to avoid the dragon’s area magic and to target the magic circle.

[so you’ve finally arrived.]

not far in, the dragon appeared.

it was enormous.

unbelievably enormous.

the black beast crouched, its legs tucked beneath its massive body.

its folded wings loomed over a blood-red magic circle etched into the floor.

on its back, a large sword made of light was impaled.

the dragon’s head, previously bowed to the ground, slowly rose.

its enormous, glowing yellow eyes shone eerily.

[i command you in dragon tongue: perish.]

what?

my entire body lost strength, and my hands moved on their own.

my weapon, yeoui, extended and was pressed against my neck.

as if possessed by a ghost, i couldn’t do anything.

is this how i die?

[athena’s mental protection activates.]

whoa.

strength returned to my body.

blood trickled from where yeoui had nicked my neck.

a moment later, i would’ve been dead.

what about the others?

i looked back to see everyone stabbing their necks or setting their bodies on fire, harming themselves.

“damn!”

i ran to stop them, but one by one, they turned into light and vanished.

not a single exception.

completely annihilated upon entering.

i expected the dragon to be strong, but…

“it’s a relief you’re safe!”

ah, diana survived too.

like me, her neck had a shallow cut.

did she regain control of her body just before death?

diana quickly summoned the spirit of wind.

“we must deploy reinforcements immediately!”

[halt, spirits.]

at the dragon’s words, sylphid froze in place.

it tried to move, but it wouldn’t budge.

is this dragon tongue magic?

“ugh… the fallen will soon return. dragon words is an ultimate spell and cannot be used consecutively. we should focus our attacks on the angelic sword embedded in its back.”

“got it. let’s go!”

right.

if there’s already an open wound, we should dig deeper.

i drove the flame chariot forward.

[you insignificant insect!]

as soon as we took off, my vision turned red, and my body burned painfully.

i pushed the chariot forward faster, but the sense of danger didn’t subside.

[kaaaaah.]

[master, danger!]

the dragon lightly opened its mouth.

green smoke poured out and spread in all directions.

the phoenix flew in and set itself ablaze, igniting the smoke.

wow.

is this some kind of poison gas?

[a phoenix…? that apostle must be more important than i thought.]

for the first time, arkardian showed a hint of curiosity, but soon it faded into disappointment.

[you’re too weak to fully wield the beast’s power. freeze in ice.]

[krrrrk…!]

at those words, the phoenix froze in place.

the surrounding area froze as well, encasing the phoenix in ice.

freezing a phoenix with ice?

wow…

no time to be dumbfounded.

we must strike while it’s buying us time.

“enlarge!”

driving the chariot up the dragon’s back, i extended yeoui.

the target: the area around the angelic sword.

the wound caused by the sword hadn’t healed, and blood still trickled out.

[halt.]

mana constricted me.

it felt like i was pinned beneath a massive boulder, unable to move.

ugh.

if this continues, i’ll die without accomplishing anything.

even if i die, i have to land at least one hit!

“concentrated amplification. mana release.”

boom!

i released mana at its maximum intensity.

the air binding me shattered, and i could move mana again.

yeoui, enveloped in thunder, extended as i charged toward the dragon’s back.

diana had already leapt onto its back, dual swords in hand.

good.

at least one of us will succeed!

[burn… hm?]

arkardian faltered mid-sentence as he was about to cast another spell.

taking advantage of the moment, both diana and i struck the open wound.

yeoui crackling with lightning.

the twin blades shining like the sun.

this has to work!

clang!

“ugh!”

i was flung back at the same speed i had charged.

as i was hurled away, i saw a blue mana barrier protecting the flesh around the sword.

a shield?

it’s too powerful.

i should prioritize the magic circle over attacking the dragon directly.

“explosion.”

the faint outline of the magic circle peeked out from the dragon’s body.

i immediately cast an explosion spell toward it, but nothing detonated.

[using magic in front of a dragon? such foolishness.]

arkardian sneered at me.

is magic completely ineffective?

fine, i'll use something else then!

“thunder god!”

a bolt of lightning crackled and shot out from my fingertips.

it was just a single streak, but it carried immense power, charged with all my mana.

too bad i couldn’t use concentrated enhancement since it was on cooldown.

crackle.

the lightning struck the magic circle directly.

electricity flickered for a moment before dissipating.

but when i quickly checked my stats, the experience points had increased.

the attack landed some damage!

“attack the magic circle!”

diana, leading a flame chariot, charged toward the magic circle.

i matched her pace, steering my chariot, and launched another bolt of lightning from my hand.

[annoying pests. begone.]

at the dragon’s words, the flame chariot vanished instantly.

“fly.”

i tried using a flight spell, but magic was still sealed.

i landed on the ground instead.

thud.

i fell from a considerable height, but my enhanced physical stats made it bearable.

fine.

i’ll just run on foot.

i propelled myself forward, stomping the ground beneath me.

the black dragon watched me intently.

[so this is why i sensed the mana of a neutral god... you carry the blessing of the goddess of the earth.]

arkardian spoke with curiosity rather than madness.

[where are you from?]

“where am i from?”

[if you're human, are you from helbraim? azaz? or perhaps... earth?]

“earth? you mean earth? yes, i’m from earth.”

[earth, is it? then do you know this?]

“know what?”

the dragon, instead of attacking, initiated a conversation. i decided to stall for time until reinforcements arrived.

[translator - night]

[proofreader - gun]

[a god symbolized by a cross. do you know of such a being?]

a cross?

a cross...

images began to form in my mind, but the words didn’t come out right away.

ah, yes.

there are temples with crosses back on earth.

most of them worship zeus, the supreme deity.

“do you mean jupiter?”

i mentioned jupiter, and arkardian's expression twisted.

[tch... so you’re from the east? do you know the jade emperor?]

“what’s that?”

[then what about odin and thor?]

“odin? thor? i know them from movies... they’re part of norse mythology.”

when i said i knew odin and thor, arkardian suddenly rose.

the entire cavern trembled as the dragon stood.

[to remember only jupiter and odin... still daring to persist...! hades, how long must we wait?]

green smoke spewed from the black dragon’s mouth.

ugh!

that toxic gas again.

“shield. fire wall.”

a dense barrier formed around me, and a wall of fire burned away the poisonous gas.

i was ready to retreat if my magic failed again, but this time, it worked.

“enlarge. thunder god.”

i expanded my staff and infused it with the thunder god spell.

amid the poisonous gas, i aimed for the magic circle and drove the staff straight into it.

yellow lightning surged from the staff, spreading in all directions.

this was the moment.

i had to pour all my mana into this.

crackle.

[you have leveled up.]

was it because i had landed such a powerful attack?

my level increased instantly.

diana, too, had dashed beneath the black dragon and was driving her twin swords into its body.

thud-thud. thud-thud.

“we’re entering, second squad!”

a thousand awakened soldiers charged into the cavern.

the sound of galloping hooves signaled that they had summoned their mounts from the start.

but arkardian simply sneered at the sight.

[numbers mean nothing to me.]

haaaaah.

as the dragon opened its mouth, toxic smoke billowed toward the awakened soldiers.

“use fire magic!”

still holding my weapon against the magic circle, shouting commands was all i could do.

“gaaah!”

“my body... ugh...”

“i’m melting... melting away...”

screams of agony erupted behind me.

the few brave soldiers who managed to charge near the magic circle met the same fate, succumbing to the noxious smoke before they could strike.

this was just enough to distract the dragon for a moment, but nothing more...

“third squad, enter!”

oh, reinforcements arrived quickly this time?

they waited for the gas to dissipate before the third squad surged forward.

[annoying insects.]

the dragon spread its wings. sёarch* the nôvelfire.nёt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

the colossal beast lifted itself slightly into the air before slamming back down onto the awakened soldiers.

crash!

“gaaah!”

“scatter!”

many were crushed instantly, but this time, the soldiers managed to spread out, avoiding total annihilation.

mounted on their spirit horses, they formed a wide formation and charged again.

diana, i, and hundreds of awakened soldiers surrounded the magic circle, continuing our relentless assault.

before long, arkardian stood at the cavern entrance, simply watching.

it felt as though the dragon was waiting for us to gather around the magic circle.

damn it.

i’ve got a bad feeling about this.

should i dodge?

“just a little more!”

“the size has shrunk significantly!”

the magic circle, which was massive at first glance, had now shrunk by 50%.

as more awakened joined the effort, the speed of its contraction accelerated.

just a little more, and we can destroy it!

“focus reinforcement. thunder god!”

i enhanced thunder god to amplify its firepower drastically.

the magic circle shrinked further, and my level rose once again.

alright.

whatever the dragon is scheming, we’re close to breaking it now.

if i die, i’ll just revive once more!

[with your souls, i shall open the gate of chaos.]

a massive surge of magic swirls through the air.

when i shift my gaze, i see arkardian with its mouth wide open.

inside, green flames are swirling violently.

“it’s a dragon breath! warriors near the magic circle, retreat immediately! if you die on the magic circle, it’ll regenerate!”

despite diana’s urgent shout, no one could move.

“my feet… won’t move!”

“the magic circle is holding our ankles!”

the blood-red magic circle, which had been taking hits silently, had turned into a swamp, gripping the warriors’ ankles.

damn it.

it just keeps pulling tricks.

before the breath lands, let’s destroy it even a little more!

[disappear.]

the once-dark cave suddenly brightened.

the dragon hasn’t even released its flames yet, but hephaestus’s armor is already melting.

my world is already crimson, and my whole body stings.

the danger sense is firing off stronger than ever, but there’s nowhere to escape.

one second, two seconds…

as time ticks by, the pain starts.

“ahhhhhhh!!”

it’s hot.

it’s excruciating.

i feel like i’m going insane.

the already-melted armor pressing against my skin burned anew, and my skin turned black, charred by the heat.

there’s no avoiding this.

i can’t survive this.

the awakened around me are already incinerated, leaving no screams, no ashes.

diana, engulfed in flames, is nowhere to be seen.

grrrrgh.

am i enduring this because of my physical abilities and the sun god’s blessing…?

honestly, i envy the awakened who died instantly.

if i’m going to die like this…

“thun… der god!”

i break the magic circle just a little more.

i’ll finish this completely when i come back to life.

i poured out every last bit of mana i had!

[master!]

suddenly, phoenix flew toward me.

as it spread its wings before me, the pain disappeared as if it were a lie.

[i shall enter your body!]

the phoenix was absorbed into my forehead.

my body felt lighter, and i couldn’t feel the heat anymore.

it felt like i’ll survive.

though the moment the dragon breath truly unleashes, i’ll die anyway, i’ll destroy this thing as much as i can!

the magic circle, which had grown quite large with all the deaths, shrinks once more as i prepare to plunge yeoui back into it.

but then, the green glow suddenly stops.

[phoenix. did you save the apostle? well… perhaps this is better. apostle, i invite you.]

my body is abruptly pulled backward.

the dragon is now opening its mouth wide.

the flames that had once filled its mouth are now gone.

[come inside.]

[translator - night]

[proofreader - gun]