Chapter 117

“Aaaagh!”

“S-save me…!”

“Why is the mystery killing us! Why?! Why us!”

Thud— Thud—

Bang! Boom!

It was chaos. Utter pandemonium.

To Drew, it was exactly how everything appeared.

The members of the Gang Brotherhood were dying like flies.

Some were pierced through with bone spears, while others were riddled with arrows.

The ground beneath them was soaked, sticky with their blood.

Where had it all gone wrong?

They had only come to avenge their fallen brother.

As residents of the Floating Archipelago, they also believed they held the rightful claim to Kriemhild’s power.

“Kriemhild…! Oh, great ancestor, why have you given us such trials…?”

Drew muttered to himself in a daze, yet only deep confusion lingered in his words.

Thud!

Swish— Swish—

“Well, then.”

Theo saw the bone spears and arrows aimed at him, so he quickly wrapped himself in a whirlwind of air.

It seemed his presence had been detected as well.

Chirp! Chirp!

Creak! Creak!

What were they saying?

Were they giving orders to seize the intruder on sight?

Wind Thunder God Technique – Gust Steps

Swish— Swish— Swish—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each branch Theo dashed over was narrowly missed by a bone spear lodging into it.

Frustrated by losing sight of him, the dragon infantry stomped and growled before racing in the direction he had run.

‘They may look like they’re charging wildly, but their formation remains completely intact.’

The sight of spearmen, shield-bearers, archers, swordsmen, and knights moving in precise unison was almost like a finely tuned work of art.

Boom! Boom!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

On top of that, the attacks from hidden mages within their ranks were piercingly accurate.

Theo deflected each spell with the blade of Drake’s weapon, quickly pinpointing their locations.

Thunder Calling

Rumble! Crack!

Lightning bolts selectively struck the mages.

Some, taken aback by Theo’s unexpected magic, were destroyed on the spot. But as time passed, three or four shield-bearers would rush forward to form a protective barrier, rendering his efforts futile.

‘As I thought, this won’t be easy. They have too many forces. Which means the only option is to break their formation.’

No matter how many dragon infantry he took down, the overwhelming numbers made little difference.

So, he had to strike at the head—to shatter their command structure.

Theo’s gaze instinctively turned in one direction.

Far ahead.

There was a dragon infantry soldier clad in dazzling armor, mounted on a horse armored in iron plates.

The size of the soldier was three times that of an average dragon infantry.

From beneath the helm, blue flames in its eyes seemed to stare straight at Theo.

– I’ll take him down first.

Swish—

Theo bolted forward, putting all his strength into his legs and shooting towards the soldier like an arrow.

At that moment, four knight infantry guarding the commanding officer raised their swords and leaped into the air.

Clang!

In midair, Theo abruptly twisted his body, raising the blade of Drake’s weapon edge-first, deflecting two of them.

At that exact moment, two more went for his blind spot.

One of them was pushed back as Theo used telekinesis to draw out all four Death Beater swords.

The other was instantly cut down as Theo unleashed the Moon-White Sword with a flash of sharp energy.

Crash—

“That’s one down.”

Theo didn’t stop running.

Death Beater spun counterclockwise, unleashing a burst of lightning. A thunder dragon emerged, its scorching breath exploding the heads of two knights.

Then, Theo closed in on the last knight, who was still trying to regain his balance after Theo had repelled him.

“Last one.”

Flash!

The Dragon’s Claw erupted.

Crack—

The knight’s sword and helmet shattered into dust and scattered away.

Bone spears and arrows poured down, but Theo easily deflected them with the thunder dragon, encountering no real difficulty.

Now, nothing stood in Theo’s way.

At that moment, he had the eerie sense that the commander’s lips curled into a smile beneath the helmet.

An unusual expression for a skull without facial muscles.

Screech!

For the first time, Theo’s strike, aimed at cleaving the commander’s head in half, was blocked.

Apparently, the commander not only led the troops but also possessed considerable skill, as he deftly overcame the crisis without dismounting his horse.

Tack!

Just as Theo landed after a somersault, the commander urged his horse forward, attempting a Lance Charge.

A technique that amplified the force of the lance by adding the acceleration of the charging horse!

Thud, thud, thud—

“Gh!”

Boom!

Theo raised Drake’s blade as a makeshift shield, bracing himself for impact. The collision felt as though he’d been struck with a hammer, rattling his entire body.

He was thrown back, his body skidding far across the ground.

This was the first time he had lost in a contest of strength since gaining both [Mighty Strength] and [Spiritual Essence].

‘No… this isn’t normal. It feels like something is forcibly suppressing the flow of my magic power…!’

Thump, thump, thump!

He squeezed the Dragon’s Heart with all his might, and his dantian resonated in sync, generating a surge of magical power.

Gritting his teeth, Theo flicked the lance upward, then drew the Moon-White Sword with his left hand, slicing through the lower body of the warhorse.

“Oh-ho.”

Amused by Theo’s boldness, the commander released the lance he was holding and, instead, drew a broadsword from the saddle, striking down with it.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite clashing repeatedly with the Moon-White Sword, the broadsword didn’t budge at all.

As if displeased, the griffin let out a wild cry, recklessly drawing out the energy of the Moon-White Sword, yet the broadsword also unleashed a formidable killing aura and aura force, deflecting Theo’s blade.

No, it even began to press him back.

‘This suppression of my magic—so it was real!’

Theo could feel that the peculiar magic wielded by the commander suppressed not only his own power but also the energy within the Moon-White Sword.

With every clash of the swords, a stinging pain resonated throughout his body.

At that moment, the warhorse began advancing again.

Neigh!

Vrrr, vrrrr—

Each time the Moon-White Sword let out a cry, the broadsword responded even more violently.

Vrrrring!

[‘Skill: Lesser Drake’s Fear’ is being disrupted by the opponent’s Dragon Slayer trait.]

[The Moon-White Sword cannot fully display its abilities.]

“Dragon Slayer!”

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

Here was the realm of Kriemhilt, embodying the mysteries of the Dragon Slayer Sword.

In this place, it wasn’t unusual for nature and even the Dragon Bone Soldiers to exhibit the traits of Dragon Slayer.

On the other hand, Theo was a companion of dragons, armed with relics of the Ancient Dragon.

It was as if he had willingly walked into the jaws of his own predator.

Yet, Theo mustered his magical power, refusing to falter.

Countless Dragon Bone Soldiers still remained here.

If he couldn’t even handle a single undead born from mere essence—

‘Then I don’t deserve to be called the Guardian Dragon’s companion.’

In his right hand was the Drake’s Blade. In his left, the Moon-White Sword.

He swiftly crossed the two swords.

[Activating ‘Skill: Fairy Buff’ to maximize strength boost.]

[Activating ‘Skill: Worm Eater’ to increase attack power.]

[‘Fairy’ and ‘Worm Eater’ seek to consume the opponent’s Dragon Slayer trait.]

As the earrings and ring shimmered more brilliantly than ever,

Flash!

A blinding gale and thunder erupted from the crossing swords, sweeping away everything around them.

Boom—

Whrrr, whrrr, whrrr…!

With the broadsword shattered, the skull of the undead horse burst into pieces.

[The Dragon Slayer trait is negated.]

The commander was startled, kicking off the saddle and leaping high to escape the blazing storm.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

With a cold smile, Theo scattered the fiery storm in all directions.

Shh-shh-shh-shing—

Drake’s Blade moved in its own direction, while the Moon-White Sword moved in another. Fourteen streams of light intersected and intertwined, forming a whirlwind within moments.

This was a sword technique Theo had never unleashed before.

The Path of the Sword.

The ancient rival’s nameless remnant, passed down to him by Kyle, drove Theo into a state of ecstatic trance.

It was the subconscious path crafted by an endless obsession with the sword.

Crunch!

The commander, unable to withstand the whirlwind, was shredded to pieces. When the winds finally subsided, only a single femur remained, lying on the ground.

Thud!

“Hah… hah…!”

Theo gasped for breath, then picked up the bone.

[You have successfully retrieved a portion of Kriemhilt’s remains. (1/206)]

“Hah… Seriously… hah… it’s like a treasure hunt…”

Apparently, the commander’s unusual strength hadn’t come from his rank but from possessing a part of Kriemhilt’s remains.

Then, suddenly—

[‘Skill: Hatchling Synchronization’ has been forcibly activated, revealing a fragment of a memory.]

Whoosh!

Theo’s vision shifted dramatically.

* * *

A sandy beach, with waves gently lapping the shore.

A young girl was observing a strange creature washed ashore by the waves.

The creature, which looked like a dragon, was dying, overwhelmed by an unknown curse and deadly poison.

– Stay away from me… This is a curse from an ancient time… a disgraceful god, forgotten by all… There’s nothing an ordinary human like you can do… Leave before it endangers you… Go…

It wasn’t god of death, but god of disgrace.

Though the dragon’s desperate cries included words beyond understanding, the girl didn’t leave its side.

To the girl, who had lived her entire life facing discrimination and oppression, the dragon was her only friend.

Thus, she did everything she could to heal it of its curse.

And, indeed, the dragon gradually began to overcome the curse, regaining its strength.

However—

– Did you hear there’s a dragon hiding here? Is it true?

– Yeah, definitely. You know that slave working at the butcher shop?

– Oh, that creepy-looking one?

– Yeah. Every night, she sneaks over here with bags full of stuff. Kant happened to see him once.

– Oh-ho, if there really is a dragon here…

– Then we’ve hit the jackpot. Hehehe.

As always, misfortune arrived without warning.

In that moment, Theo’s consciousness quickly returned to reality.

“The dragon must be the Sea King… and the slave girl is Kriemhild?”

Theo murmured as he quietly observed Kriemhild’s femur.

It seemed that the relationship between Kriemhild and the Sea King was more complicated than he had initially expected.

[Successfully read a fragment of thought.]

[A part of Kriemhild’s will has been imprinted.]

At the same time, a small symbol glowed and etched itself onto the back of his right hand.

[Resistance to dragon-slaying has been acquired.]

Drawn only with a simple curve, it was hard to discern its meaning, but it seemed to contain a portion of Kriemhild’s power.

Perhaps, as he continued to collect her remains, the symbol would grow in size.

“So this means I need to keep hunting these commander-level Dragon Warriors… but how on earth am I supposed to hunt them all?”

Theo stroked the symbol on his hand and then glanced over the forest edge.

With the commander absent, the formation of the Dragon Warriors had weakened, and many were swarming in his direction.

Even with resistance to dragon-slaying, it was still impossible for him to face them all alone.

‘Should I use Garuda’s Heart now?’

For a moment, he considered the heart of the dragon’s nemesis that Hilda had given him.

‘No. Garuda’s Heart is a last resort.’

He shook his head, quickly discarding the thought.

Then, there was only one option left.

He would have to alter the terrain in his favor to make the hunt easier.

They were in a forest.

And there was only one way to turn the situation around.

A fire attack.

[Expanding the domain of ‘Skill: Hatchling Synchronization’ to search for the artifact left by the Pyromancer.]

The Gray Gang.

If he could tap into the memories of the one in the Gang Brotherhood who had wielded flames, he might uncover a clue to fire magic.

Fortunately, he was able to locate the site nearby where the Gang Brotherhood had been annihilated.

The problem was, it was right in the center of where the Dragon Warriors were gathering en masse.

“Well, no choice but to give it a shot.”

Theo planted his feet on the ground, gripping Drake’s Blade and the Moon-White Sword in each hand.

Swoosh-

Ahead of him, the Death Beat soared through the air, transforming into a thunder dragon and exhaling a scorching breath.

Boom!

Rumble-

.

.

A few hours later.

Crackle!

A small spark that had ignited somewhere deep in the jungle spread uncontrollably, growing into a raging inferno that consumed everything in its path.