Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Woosh—

Ian felt an immense resistance in his grip. Gritting his teeth, he reached out as far as he could.

Crack!

With a feeling of something breaking, the light in his eyes exploded like fireworks. The divine energy that had been building up and couldn’t escape all burst out at once.

Ian could not withstand the backlash, resulting in him being flung backward.

Roar—

Tahumrit’s furious scream burst out with its breath, rushing toward Ian as he rolled across the ground.

Crunch!

The platinum wing slammed down onto the ground in front of it, blocking the breath. The breath shattered and froze against the wing, while golden magic flickered brightly beyond the shoulder blades, deflecting both the breath and roar.

The moment Archeas’ eyes narrowed,

Boom!

A violet shockwave erupted from Tahumrit’s entire body, pushing Archeas’ massive frame back. The swirling magic in the sky flashed brightly.

Ian was also flung further away.

How far am I going to be pushed back...?

Gritting his teeth, he swung his left arm down like a stake.

Crack!

The edge of his Force Field Shield embedded itself into the ground. Ian’s left arm stayed firmly attached to the shield, as if anchored by a powerful magnet.

It looked like he was hanging off a cliff. Despite his shoulder feeling like it was going to tear apart, Ian grabbed the Sword of Judgement in reverse and plunged the blade into the ground.

Scratch-scratch-scratch—

The shield and sword ground against the earth as he slid back.

He could feel the magic in the runes depleting. Ridiculously enough, he was consuming more magic now than when he’d been fending off or smashing the undead. But at least his shoulder pain and sliding speed were decreasing.

When Ian’s feet touched the ground,

Thud.

Archeas crashed down not far away. The earth shook, and the shockwave swept across Ian’s force field shield.

Ian, now on one knee, trembled all over.

Grr...

However, Archeas didn't even look in his direction because Tahumrit, who had unleashed its magic, spread its wings wide and fixed its burning violet eyes on the swirling magic in the sky.

He then soared up.

Archeas opened its wings right after. However, it didn’t take off immediately. Instead, it glanced back with a furrowed brow.

“Phew... phew...”

Because it felt like a human climbing up, jumping onto the tail, and making their way up its body.

Ian did not avoid Archeas's gaze. Rather, as if challenging it to find a better way, he even let out a brief sigh. Archeas did not rage at the human who dared to tread on its body, nor did it demand accountability for this disrespectful act.

Instead, as if amused, it slightly revealed its massive fangs and slightly raised the scales on its body, to make it easier for him to climb.

At the same time, a faint golden light shimmered throughout its body. The scales that had fallen off its entire body all grew back in an instant. The scales between the shoulder blades grew in several layers and rose upward.

In the meantime, Ian, who had almost crawled up like running, inserted his left arm tightly between the many layers of scales that had grown up to below its chest.

“....!”

At that moment, Archeas sensed the magic waves shimmering within Ian’s body. It was a faint power of the void and clear divine energy.

The two dragons collided in midair. Unlike before, they did not fall. The magical wings clearly played some role. The aerial battle continued, filled with roars, magic, and breaths. They struck each other's jaws, spun their bodies to dodge breaths, and emitted fields and shock waves to neutralize the magic.

In this dizzying fight, where up and down lost their meaning, anyone watching from the fortress would feel as if they were witnessing a scene from a myth. And during it all, Ian was, surprisingly, not troubled.

Amidst the clash, not only the Blessing of Battle but also the dragon's magic augmented Ian's capabilities.

How many buffs have been stacked on me exactly?

As he thought this, Ian calmed his breathing. The Sword of Judgement had turned a brilliant white, as if he was wielding a Sword of Light rather than lightning.

The dragon's magic possessed the power to amplify magic, and Ian had mixed in chaos power as well. He did this not only to further amplify his magic but also because he believed it would deal a greater blow to Tahumrit, who was now using the magic of the void.

Chaos power was deadly even to other beings of the void, a fact Ian knew from experience.

If I corrupt my character, it must be like this, fighting the corrupted ones.

Ian thought he could endlessly amplify his magic now. He hadn't done so because he was afraid the Sword of Judgement wouldn't withstand it.

Despite being jokingly called a steel magic wand, the sword's primary purpose was not to cast spells. Using it for magic greatly reduced its durability, even if it was a robust relic-to-be.

Even now, Ian could feel the essence of sanctity inside the sword wobbling, likely a repercussion of constantly drawing upon its sacred power to its limits.

Just a little more. Just a bit longer...

Fortunately, the right moment came before the sword could no longer endure the magic.

Roar—

Tahumrit, entangled in Archeas's front paws, suddenly lunged its head forward in a surprise attack. Its maw, filled with violet magic, gaped open as if to tear Ian apart.

This will sting you a bit as well.

Ian, facing Archeas, thrust his Sword of Light straight into the fray. Not even the dragon's breath could outpace lightning. A massive white bolt pierced through Tahumrit's maw.

With a crack, the oscillating violet magic shattered.

Between the bones of the corrupted dragon, white light flashed, and a stream of white lightning covered its body.

ROA-AARRR—

It seemed the impact genuinely shocked Tahumrit. The dragon's magic and chaos power had clearly pierced through its formidable resistance.

Seems like my magic has transcended human capabilities.

As Ian pondered this, Archeas didn't miss the opportunity.

With a crunch, despite the risk of harming itself, Archeas bit deeply into Tahumrit's shoulder. Simultaneously, it slammed its golden-magic-laden front paws into the center of Tahumrit's ribs. Magic clashed and shockwaves flashed.

With a crackle, Archeas's' claws crushed the corrupted dragon's chest.

Groaning in agony, Tahumrit bit deeply into Archeas' neck. Archeas had apparently allocated all available magic to offense, not defense. Platinum scales crumbled, and dragon blood surged, instantly vaporizing into a golden magical mist.

With a series of snaps, Tahumrit's chest continued to crush under the pressure.

Even with its neck deeply bitten, Archeas exerted more force. Its immense body conveyed this power even to Ian. Archeas gradually lifted Tahumrit upward by spreading its front paws wider apart, elevating them. The connection at Archeas's neck tore, and a cloud of golden blood formed a dense mist.

Finally, Tahumrit, its mouth full of Archeas's flesh, tilted its head back—a cry mixed with pain and hatred. Soon after, it spat out the flesh and savagely tore at Archeas' neck. Archeas? bit into what remained of Tahumrit's neck.

Ian's focus was silently directed towards the space between Archeas' raised front paws, instead of the entangled heads of the two dragons. The shattered chest of Tahumrit was splitting open, revealing a large, dark mass at its center—the condensed magic within. The exposed dragon's vulnerability allowed another dragon to attack its unprotected heart, which was not shielded by layers of bone and magic.

With a tear, Ian withdrew his left arm from the scale. He then quickly moved to stand at the end of Archeas's shoulder.

Gripping the Sword of Judgement, he felt the power return to the sacred energy, flickering dangerously but now burning brightly again

“...”

Ian glanced below. From this height, everything below looked trivial, like toys. The valley and the Bellium Fortress, covered in flames and ash, lay amidst a dense darkness, echoing with the cries of the tormented.

A slight smirk crossed Ian's lips.

...I’d probably die if I fell from here.

The next moment, he launched himself toward the heart, sword raised high, ready to deliver the final blow.