Kael sprinted forward, running toward the pseudo dragon.
His sword was clenched tightly in his left hand as he reached the place where the Alpha wolf had been defeated. The massive crater from which the wolf's body had been swallowed still gaped open.
Kael looked down into the darkness for a moment.
Then he jumped in.
Julian saw what Kael had done and sighed.
"Of course you did…"
Without hesitation, he jumped in after him.
As Julian descended into the gaping crater, he thrust one of the blades of his chain weapon into the tunnel wall. The metal screeched against stone as sparks flew. The blade dragged across the rock, slowing his fall as the chain tightened.
Hanging from the chain, Julian slid downward as the blade carved a long scar into the wall, reducing his speed.
When he finally reached the bottom of the tunnel, a faint golden glow illuminated the darkness.
Julian looked up.
His eyes widened.
Mana crystals.
Heaps of golden-colored mana crystals filled the cavern. They grew from the ground and walls like natural pillars. Their glow bathed the entire cave in warm light.
From their purity and density alone, Julian could tell they were incredibly valuable.
Perhaps even A+ grade.
As he stared in amazement, he noticed Kael crouched behind a massive crystal formation nearby.
Kael wasn't looking at the crystals.
His gaze was fixed on something deeper within the cavern.
Julian quietly approached and crouched beside him.
Following Kael's line of sight, he saw it.
The dragon.
It had a serpentine body like a giant snake, but its head resembled a hybrid between a dragon and a serpent. Its scales were deep navy blue with orange accents running along the sides of its body.
The creature lay coiled in the center of the cavern.
Sleeping.
Yet even in its sleep, golden streams of mana flowed from the surrounding crystals into its body.
Kael whispered,
"It's a wyrm."
Julian frowned slightly.
"A wyrm?"
Kael nodded.
"It broke through its limits by absorbing mana from these crystals. That's how it became a pseudo dragon."
He studied the creature carefully.
"But we're lucky."
"It doesn't seem like it has been a pseudo dragon for very long."
Julian looked closer.
The wyrm was still absorbing mana from the crystals surrounding it.
As if recovering from something.
Recovering from the immense energy it had used to change its body and reconstruct itself.
Kael leaned back against the crystal they were hiding behind and rested a hand on his chin.
He thought for a moment.
Then suddenly,
A smile appeared on his face.
"I've got an idea."
Kael stepped out of hiding.
The moment he entered the range of the wyrm's senses,
The dragon's eyes snapped open.
It released the same heart-clenching roar that had shaken the cavern earlier.
But this time...
Kael did not flinch.
With a smirk, he spoke calmly.
"Others may see you as a titan…"
"But to me, you're nothing more than a wriggling worm that got the chance to become a snake."
He lowered his stance.
|Raging Steps|
In the next instant,
Kael vanished.
A sonic boom echoed through the cavern as he launched forward at terrifying speed.
Yet even while moving that fast, his eyes remained locked onto the wyrm.
He raised his sword.
|Heaven Slaying Blade|
He had stolen this technique from the Dephlien family.
Kael thought to himself,
'Ha… this truly is a magnificent sword art.
What a shame it now belongs to those gutless cowards.'
Mana surged around his blade.
Even at fifty-five percent of its true potential, the air began to distort.
As he swung his sword, memories flashed through his mind.
The moment he had first witnessed the technique.
The moment he had decided to recreate it.
He had trained endlessly.
First copying the stance.
Then attempting to recreate the mana flow.
He failed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But each failure brought him closer.
Each mistake showed him the right path.
Eventually...
After two months of relentless training,
He succeeded.
The day he recreated the Dephlien family's signature technique through pure effort alone, his cold and calculating expression had broken into genuine awe.
That moment had reminded him why he loved swordsmanship.
Not the goal.
But the process.
Now,
With a confident smile
He struck.
The wyrm instantly gathered mana throughout its body, forming a thick barrier around itself.
But Kael's smile never faded.
When the warping mana of his blade touched the barrier,
It dissolved.
The sword cut through.
The wyrm's armored scales cracked.
Its massive head snapped slightly to the side.
But the dragon was far from defeated.
It retaliated instantly.
Mana gathered inside its mouth.
Then,
A beam of destructive energy erupted toward Kael.
The pressure alone pushed him backward.
The beam slammed into him, sending him crashing into the cavern wall.
Rocks around him were vaporized by the blast.
Dust filled the air.
When it finally settled.....
Kael was still alive.
Kneeling on one knee.
Using his sword as support.
His right hand extended forward.
Blood ran down his face from a wound on his head.
Yet his smile remained.
His eyes were clear.
|Law Breaker|
Laughing, Kael shouted,
"Haha! Do you really think I'd go down that easily?!"
He had used Law Breaker, a technique that had fascinated him after his fight with Lucian.
The mana beam had been too powerful to neutralize entirely.
So Kael had neutralized only the parts necessary to survive.
He slowly stood up.
His legs trembled slightly from the damage he had taken.
But his will did not waver.
He inhaled deeply and circulated mana through his body.
Then he began moving backward.
Luring the enraged wyrm.
Finally....
Kael stopped.
He looked directly at the dragon and shouted,
"JULIAN, NOW!"
Julian appeared behind the wyrm.
At the same time...
Another figure emerged from the opposite side.
Dorian.
His eyes burned with fury.
Kael smiled.
All three attacked simultaneously.
Julian roared,
"Great Family Advanced Chain Art!"
|Berserk Chain Flower|
Chains burst outward like a blooming metal flower, shooting across the cavern.
Dorian raised his axe.
Mana surged through it as glowing runes ignited along the blade.
|Mountain Slaying Hit|
His axes fused and expanded into a massive spectral weapon capable of cleaving mountains.
Dorian roared as he swung.
Kael raised his sword.
|Dragon Execution|
Now at sixty percent of its full power.
The wyrm gathered mana again, forming a thick barrier around its body.
Kael laughed.
"You dumb snake."
"We weren't aiming for you."
The cavern shook violently.
Their attacks were aimed at the ceiling.
Earlier—
Kael had studied the cavern carefully.
The crystal veins.
The tunnel structures.
Then the realization struck him.
"This part of the cavern is weak," Kael explained while huddled with Julian and Dorian.
"There's a dungeon above it. The crystal veins here lack proper support."
"If we collapse the ceiling, the falling mana ores will pierce the wyrm's scales."
"We'll form a triangle formation."
"Me in front."
"Julian to the right."
"Sir Dorian to the left."
"And we attack simultaneously."
Dorian frowned.
"But how do we lure the wyrm here?"
Kael replied calmly,
"I'll be the bait."
Before they could object,
Kael had already stepped into the wyrm's sensing range.
Julian and Dorian could only facepalm.
With no other choice, they moved into position.
Back in the present—
The ceiling collapsed.
Massive crystal veins rained down.
Dorian immediately sprinted forward and grabbed both Kael and Julian.
|Unstoppable Charge|
Mana surged through his legs as he leapt upward toward the dungeon tunnel.
They barely reached the upper level,
Just as the cavern continued collapsing behind them.
The dungeon floor itself began breaking apart.
Dorian dropped them.
All three sprinted toward the exit.
Then,
They burst out of the dungeon.
The dragon's mana barrier had vanished.
Fresh air filled their lungs.
They collapsed onto the grassy ground outside.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then.....
They laughed.
For a moment, the three of them simply lay on the grass, breathing heavily.
The cool night air filled their lungs.
After everything they had been through, the feeling of being alive felt almost unreal.
Then Julian began laughing.
Dorian chuckled.
Kael also let out a quiet laugh.
They had done it.
They had survived.
But the laughter didn't last long.
The ground trembled.
At first it was subtle.
Then...
The earth exploded.
Dirt and shattered stone burst upward as a massive figure tore its way out from beneath the ground.
The wyrm.
It was still alive.
Its navy-blue scales were cracked and broken. Several crystal shards were embedded deep in its flesh, and purple blood poured down its massive body.
But its eyes burned with pure rage.
The creature raised its head and released a deafening roar that shook the surrounding forest.
All three of them froze.
Shock spread across their faces.
For the first time since the battle had begun
Kael looked genuinely stunned.
And for the first time in a long while…
He cursed.
"…Fuck."