Kaaang!
As Artherion raised his hand, a transparent barrier formed in midair, blocking Ghislain's sword.
"Hmm?"
Crackle!
The barrier shattered, and the sword came slashing through. Artherion leaned his head back to dodge.
"Impressive."
Letting out a short admiration, Artherion attempted to counterattack Ghislain. However, others had already begun to move.
Bwoooong!
With a terrifying expression, Parniel swung a massive mace toward Artherion's head.
Ever since Artherion had denied the goddess, she had been fixated on how to crush that dragon's head.
"Oh?"
Artherion slightly widened his eyes. He knew that if he took that attack head-on, even he would not be unharmed. Parniel's strike was that fierce.
But no matter how strong an attack, it meant nothing if it missed.
Swoosh.
Parniel's mace cleaved only Artherion's afterimage. He had already used magic to shift backward.
Paah!
"Huh?"
Artherion looked around in surprise. Dozens of daggers were aiming at him from all directions.
"This technique is..."
Goosebumps rose on his skin. How was his old friend's secret skill appearing here now?
Turning toward Belinda, he hastily asked, "Who are you? How do you know this technique..."
Before he could finish his words, the daggers shot toward him, leaving trails of light.
Papapapak!
Artherion continuously leaned back, evading the attacks. Gillian and Tenant closed in beside him, swinging their weapons.
Bwoong!
Their attacks also failed. Artherion once again leapt through space, closing in on Belinda.
He was curious. Who was she? Was she a descendant of his old friend? A successor, perhaps?
Kagagagagak!
Artherion, who had been moving swiftly, suddenly faltered. The world's energy was interfering with his movements.
"This is...?"
Suddenly, his movements slowed, as if time flowed differently in this place.
His mind was clear, but his body felt sluggish, as if submerged underwater.
In this alien time-space, Ghislain's sword suddenly appeared.
A smile spread across Artherion's lips.
"Interesting. To think someone in this era has reached this level."
This was a realm achieved a thousand years ago by the hero, his companions, and the apostles.
Drdrdrk!
Watching the slowly approaching sword, Artherion muttered, "Impressive. But..."
Red light flared from his eyes.
"You are still far too lacking to stand with the world."
To Artherion, Ghislain had merely grazed the surface of that realm.
Kwaaaang!
Ghislain's eyes twitched as his sword pierced forward.
The space crumbled. Artherion, now just a step away, reached out his hand toward him.
Kaaang!
Ghislain raised his sword to block Artherion's hand. However, he ignored him and pressed forward.
He was in a hurry. He wanted to capture Belinda and question her.
"Why does the shadow still remain? Was it not supposed to be gone?"
Artherion laughed as he spoke incomprehensible words.
At that moment, two swords flew toward his neck.
Paak!
Kaor, who had been waiting for an opportunity, suddenly charged in.
"Look at this guy?"
Artherion sneered, leaning his head back while thrusting his hand forward.
Kwaang!
"Ugh!"
Kaor crossed his swords to block but was flung backward. Simply releasing his mana carried overwhelming force.
Paaah!
Belinda's daggers blocked Artherion's path, but he deflected them all as he advanced.
Belinda retreated, continually controlling her daggers, but Artherion effortlessly struck them down.
Ghislain, Parniel, Gillian, Tenant, and Kaor, who had recovered, all attacked Artherion at once.
Only then did Artherion's movements come to a halt.
Kakakakang!
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Artherion dodged or blocked the countless attacks. Even without using magic, he held his ground against these superhumans.
"Crazy! Why is a dragon this good at fighting?"
Kaor was shocked. Artherion was truly a master of combat. His movements were precise and efficient.
Even without his dragon form, he could be called the strongest in the world.
Artherion was no ordinary dragon. He had battled creatures of the rift for ages, honing his combat skills.
But those gathered here were also among the strongest on the continent. The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for Artherion.
"Hmm, you're quite capable."
Artherion, now bearing several cuts, retreated. He realized that no matter how strong he was, he could not defeat them in this manner.
On top of that, the two saintesses(?) continued to emit holy power, providing defense and healing. Prolonging the fight would only worsen his odds.
So he decided to combine 'magic' with his attacks.
"Let's see what preparations you've made to fight me."
With a smile, he moved his hand slightly.
Whoosh!
Dozens of massive fireballs floated in the air. He was curious to see how these melee fighters would respond.
Just as he prepared to unleash the fireballs—
Kuuuuung!
"Hmm?"
An immense pressure descended upon the area. The fireballs began to disperse one by one.
For the first time, Artherion's face showed surprise.
"This is..."
A mana field unfolded, one strong enough to nullify the magic of a dragon.
Artherion finally understood the purpose of the scattered structures.
"You gathered mages!"
How many did they gather to cancel the spells of a 9th-circle mage?
The humans had thoroughly prepared for this battle.
Gritting his teeth, Artherion growled.
To think they would dare to seal the magic of a dragon, the master of spells.
Though it hurt his pride, he had to acknowledge their level of preparation.
The humans did not miss his momentary hesitation and charged in.
Kaaang! Kaaang! Kaaang!
Artherion was continuously pushed back.
"You bastards... How dare you..."
Killing intent began to rise in his eyes.
Up until now, he had treated this battle as mere sport, like swatting flies.
But now, everything has changed.
Those wretched insects were threatening his life.
He could use magic if he tried—find an opening, force it through, and manifest it somehow.
But even then, its power would be drastically reduced. It would take more time as well.
Such weakened magic wouldn't be enough to inflict serious damage on these 'fairly strong' humans.
Kaaang!
After deflecting Ghislain's sword, Artherion widened the distance between them.
Crack, crack.
His killing intent grew even thicker. He clenched his teeth so hard they seemed about to shatter.
Running away from such foes—or worse, revealing his true form—would be a massive blow to his pride.
'I'll take them down one by one.'
Even if it took time, he would kill them slowly and methodically. While his magic was hindered, his immense strength remained intact.
True to his arrogant nature as a dragon, Artherion chose to rely solely on his combat techniques.
At least, until that man appeared.
Kaaang!
Artherion broke through the encirclement after deflecting another wave of attacks.
He aimed to counter the weakest-looking one first—the dual-wielding man.
But suddenly, he froze.
A chill ran down his spine, and his entire body broke out in goosebumps.
'What is this?'
His thoughts didn't last long. His body had already shifted to the side.
Slice.
The faint sensation of his neck being grazed made Artherion pour an enormous amount of mana into his feet.
Kwaang!
In an instant, he widened the gap between himself and the others, creating a brief stalemate.
Without even glancing at his previous opponents, Artherion slowly turned his head.
His gaze locked onto one man.
His hair was black as the abyss, absorbing all light.
His eyes seemed to hold infinite darkness, their depths unfathomable.
The man's expression was colder and more ruthless than the eternal blizzard that engulfed Artherion's territory.
There was no trace of emotion—only sharp, ice-like composure.
'That face…'
Artherion stared at Yulian for a long time.
It was a face he knew too well, as if a shadow from the past had emerged in the present.
A sigh, almost a lament, escaped Artherion's lips.
"Ah…"
He knew.
He knew that face far too well.
The face he had longed to see, the one he had missed.
And the attack just now—
A transcendent power that defied the laws of reality and rejected the order of the world.
It was a force no ordinary being could wield.
A power that overturned the fundamental rules set by the goddesses.
No being in this world could possess such power—not even a dragon like himself.
Only one being could wield such strength.
A vessel of energy of demon god destined to plunge the world into chaos.
Artherion's eyes gleamed with madness.
…Finally.
…Finally, I've met you again.
Artherion's roar echoed like thunder.
"Adversary—!"
Yulian showed no reaction.
He merely stared at Artherion with an indifferent gaze.
In contrast, Artherion burst into wild laughter.
"To think I'd find you so soon!"
"Today, I will erase you completely!"
"Let's put an end to this wretched fate!"
The others stopped moving, stunned by Artherion's outburst.
No matter how they looked at it, he was far from normal—worse than Erenes.
What exactly was this 'adversary' that could provoke such rage in them?
Even Ghislain, who glimpsed the past through dreams, was puzzled.
'This isn't just hatred for an enemy.'
It made sense to hate someone after fighting for so long.
But there was something inexplicable about Artherion's and Erenes's reactions—something closer to obsession, perhaps even love twisted into hatred.
What had happened between them?
Why did Artherion radiate such killing intent just because of a resemblance?
'Is Yulian really the Adversary?'
Erenes withheld judgment, but Artherion clearly didn't.
The deranged dragon had already decided to kill Yulian.
There was no reasoning with someone so consumed by madness.
Yulian stepped forward, raising his sword.
Looking at Artherion, he spoke.
"It's time. As promised, I'll settle this with the dragon. Everyone, step back."
Ghislain smirked.
"Oh, don't act cool all by yourself."
"…"
"And by the way, I'm the one who'll fight you. Not now, but later. People are curious about who's stronger between us."
"…Just take the win."
Yulian's indifferent response made Ghislain burst into laughter.
It was unexpected.
That cold-hearted man seemed to have softened a little after traveling with the Lutania army.
Although partly a joke, his words weren't entirely empty.
Ghislain's goal of becoming the finest sword the continent had existed since his past life.
So, after everything ended, he would be the one to face Yulian in a duel.
Until then, he just needed to stay alive.
"Well then…"
Ghislain smirked, gripping his sword tightly.
Whether Yulian was the adversary no longer mattered.
What mattered was that he had fought alongside them—as a friend and comrade.
From now on, their only 'conversation' with Artherion would be through their blades.
"Let's start the dragon hunt."
Paak!
Ghislain charged first, followed closely by the others.
Yulian, too, wasted no time, swinging his sword decisively.
Kaaang!
Wounds began to appear all over Artherion's body.
His clothes tore, blood spilling out.
"Ha, hahaha! Wahahahaha!"
But he kept laughing.
Despite his injuries, his eyes radiated killing intent, and his laughter echoed endlessly.
Belinda was no longer on his mind.
His entire focus was on Yulian.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Powerful attacks rained down. Artherion was pushed back, unable to keep up.
Their clashes tore the ground apart, creating fissures and storms.
Artherion, surrounded by destruction, was drenched in blood.
"Wahahahaha!"
Yet his laughter didn't stop.
The others' expressions grew tense.
Without magic, the best strategy was to kill him before he transformed.
But Artherion narrowly avoided lethal blows while his mana surged.
Drrrrr!
Draconic Magic Power radiated outward, pressing down on everyone.
The pressure intensified, forcing them to retreat slightly with each attack.
Drrrrr!
Artherion unleashed all his power, no longer holding back.
He planned to destroy the adversary and annihilate the humans with every last drop of strength.
Kwaaaaang!
An overwhelming force erupted from him, pushing everyone back.
Only Yulian, standing farther away, cut through the pressure with his blade.
Slice!
Yulian gazed forward.
He knew he had landed a hit, but the blinding light obscured Artherion's condition.
The dragon's energy grew stronger, so intense it could injure those who got too close.
The others had no choice but to retreat.
Rumble…
As the light faded, they looked up.
A massive, white-scaled dragon spread its wings wide in the sky.
Blood flowed from a long wound on Artherion's neck as he spoke.
"Adversary… Today, I will erase you. You and the saintess…"
But Artherion's words trailed off.
His eyes glowed bright red once more.
Opening his massive jaws, he turned toward Yulian.