Thwack!
Ghislain spewed blood from his mouth and was flung backward.
Having pushed his strength to the limit and even used the power of his will, his body could no longer endure.
"Graaaah!"
Artherion, whose Dragon Heart had been destroyed, let out a scream of agony.
It was the one part of his body he had protected even while being covered in wounds. But, already completely exhausted, he could no longer withstand Ghislain's final blow.
Dragging their battered bodies, everyone charged toward the writhing Artherion.
Among them, one person reached Artherion faster than anyone else.
"Adversary...!"
Even in pain, Artherion raised his claws, aiming to kill Yulian, who was darting toward him.
And at that moment, he saw it—
The usually emotionless eyes of Yulian gleaming with a chilling light.
"You..."
Slice!
Yulian's sword struck Artherion's Dragon Heart once more.
Though pierced by Ghislain earlier, the Dragon Heart had barely maintained its form, its shards drawn together.
The Dragon Heart, the source of a dragon's power, was not easily destroyed. It had been trying to restore itself, gathering the remnants of its life force.
But Yulian shattered it completely into dust.
Fwoooosh!
An immense light burst from Artherion's chest—a sight that signified the end of a dragon's life.
"Grhh..."
Artherion, his eyes now dim, gazed at Yulian.
The massive dragon, now devoid of strength to sustain its form, slowly collapsed.
Boom!
Yet even then, Artherion's breathing did not completely cease. Such tenacity was terrifying.
Ghislain, barely able to stand, staggered toward the gasping Artherion.
The dragon's eyes looked hollow, devoid of malice or madness.
Seeing this, Ghislain frowned.
'He came to his senses.'
Artherion's pupils, gazing into the far distance, glimmered with a deep, serene blue—
The eyes of a sage, reflecting ancient wisdom.
It was a stark contrast to the bloodshot, frenzied gaze he had before—
As if the madness that had lurked within him had finally drained away.
'It doesn't matter.'
Ghislain gripped his sword. He had to behead Artherion to be sure it was over.
Yet, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"You... What exactly are you?"
Too many things didn't add up.
Rage and malice that vanished only at the moment of death.
Moments of madness suddenly flaring even as he tried to retreat.
It was behavior that didn't suit a wise dragon.
Thus, Ghislain could only ask, "What are you?"
Artherion's dimming eyes slowly turned toward Ghislain.
In a soft voice, he spoke.
"Ah... I dreamed a long dream..."
"A dream?"
"Yes... of the friends I missed... the friends I longed to see..."
Ghislain fell silent. He could guess who Artherion meant.
Artherion's expression seemed almost peaceful.
"But who can I blame for this outcome... It was my greed, my mistake..."
"What do you mean? What happened in the war a thousand years ago?"
"You... even know about that...?"
"Tell me. Why did you fight us? If the Adversary threatened the world, couldn't you have joined us?"
Artherion closed his eyes and spoke again. His voice grew weaker.
"We... to protect this world..."
Slash!
Crash!
Artherion's words were cut short. Yulian's blade swung, severing the dragon's massive neck.
With his Dragon Heart destroyed, Artherion had no strength to resist.
Ghislain turned sharply, startled.
Yulian, visibly exhausted, was breathing heavily—an unusual sight.
"Yulian, you..."
Artherion had clearly been trying to say something.
While he may not have been able to finish, there was no need to kill him before he even had the chance.
Yet Yulian had already ended him.
Yulian pressed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, looking troubled.
Ghislain asked again.
"Are you... okay?"
"...Yes."
He didn't look okay at all.
Even as he stepped back, Yulian stumbled slightly.
Ghislain studied him closely. This wasn't just from battle fatigue or injuries.
It was something else—
Artherion's lingering energy had seeped into Yulian's body. That much was clear.
Ghislain opened his mouth to ask about it but stopped.
'Wait, in my past life...'
They had slain Artherion at great cost. How had it ended?
— Humans... you...
Even then, Artherion had tried to say something. At the time, Ghislain had brushed it off as either recognition or a curse.
Because he never heard the full sentence.
'And Yulian beheaded him back then, too.'
Yulian had decisively severed the dragon's head.
Everyone accepted it as natural—Yulian was the least injured among them.
It didn't matter who killed him as long as he died.
But this time was different. Though exhausted, they had enough time to hear Artherion's last words.
And yet, the same thing happened.
Most troubling was the fleeting moment Yulian had met Ghislain's eyes—
'It must've been the same in my past life.'
Yulian had likely felt the dragon's energy entering him back then too.
Yet, he remained silent about it.
This meant he was deliberately hiding it.
Ghislain closed his mouth. Yulian, still holding his head, seemed lost in thought.
'Not yet... Not yet.'
He was keeping this secret. Asking him now wouldn't get a straight answer.
For someone as strong as Yulian, forcing it out of him wasn't an option either.
The answers likely lay in the Saintess's dreams. It was better to gather more information before confronting him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, the superhumans collapsed around the dragon's corpse.
Ghislain surveyed the area.
Everyone was exhausted, but their faces glowed with triumph.
It had been their hardest, most dangerous battle yet.
It had required more preparation than ever before.
And now, at last, they have defeated the dragon.
Kaor was the first to toss aside his weapon and shout.
"Shit! We won! We actually won! I killed the dragon!"
The others heaved sighs of relief.
Piote, still on the ground, wiped away tears.
"Ugh..."
Parniel, leaning on her mace, struggled to stand.
Ghislain, who had been sitting down a while ago, said.
"Just sit down and rest. It's over now. The dragon is definitely dead."
"There's someone who spoke blasphemy... They need to be punished right away..."
"..."
It was directed at Alpoi. Ghislain gave an awkward smile.
"Let it slide this time, okay? We're all alive because of him. He's always been like that."
"Haa..."
Parniel let out a few deep breaths and then collapsed to the ground. In truth, she didn't have the strength to stand anymore.
"Saintessss!"
The priests rushed toward Parniel, tears streaming down their faces, pouring out what little divine power they had left.
The light emanating from them was no more than a faint glow, as they, too, had exhausted their divine energy.
Even so, the priests extended their hands toward Parniel, weeping tears of joy.
"You really slew the dragon!"
"As expected! Truly, you are chosen by the goddess!"
"Amazing! This feat will be recorded in the chronicles of the Order and passed down forever!"
"The influence of the Church will grow even stronger!"
With the dragon defeated, the goddess's glory would spread far and wide. Not only the priests of the Moriana Order but also those of other orders rejoiced.
In particular, the priests of the Juana Order, to which Piote belonged, wore smiles so wide they looked as if their faces might split.
Parniel quietly sighed as she observed them.
Priests obsessed with worldly fame and power. It reminded her how far they still had to go.
'Maybe that blasphemous fool...'
For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed her mind, and she shook her head violently. She had exhausted too much strength fighting the dragon and must have momentarily lost focus.
"Wooooooah!"
Cheering erupted from the fortress, where the mages were stationed.
Though most were collapsed, a few who still had magic left joined the celebration.
"We're alive! We survived!"
"We actually stopped the dragon!"
"Help the fallen first!"
They quickly began casting healing spells on their injured comrades.
Forced to fight in terror, they had never imagined they'd truly defeat the dragon—let alone emerge with minimal losses. It was a flawless victory.
Of course, if they left things as they were, casualties would occur, especially at the fortress, which had taken the brunt of the dragon's breath attack.
"Hurry! Pour out every bit of remaining mana!"
"Call the priests!"
"Over here! This way!"
The mages and priests swarmed toward the wounded, checking their conditions.
When they reached Alpoi, their eyes were filled with awe.
"How did he even do it?"
"I heard he's only 5th Circle."
"He really achieved the impossible."
No matter how skilled he was at manipulating mana, there were limits. Yet Alpoi had surpassed those limits.
The mages were desperate to uncover his secret. Carefully, they cast healing spells on him and moved him with the utmost care.
Priests also rushed to heal the wounded with what little holy power they had left.
"Whew."
Only after hearing that the mages were safe did Ghislain finally relax.
He glanced over.
Yulian was sitting on a rock, head bowed.
Whether from exhaustion or deep thought, he couldn't tell.
'Hmm, is he thinking about that energy?'
Ghislain looked at Yulian for a moment before turning back to the others.
Now wasn't the time to get lost in complicated thoughts.
It was time to enjoy their victory—
To gather the strength they'd need for what lay ahead.
Just as Ghislain predicted, Yulian was immersed in thoughts about what had happened to him.
'Something from Artherion's body has entered me.'
It was unstoppable. It flowed naturally into his body, like breathing.
He couldn't identify what it was.
Nor could he grasp how it moved within him.
For someone of Yulian's caliber, not being able to comprehend his own body's condition was unthinkable—
And that made him all the more curious about the energy's nature.
He continued to examine himself, trying to trace the unknown force.
That's when his mind was suddenly shrouded in black mist.
"....."
Yulian's eyes narrowed.
For a moment, he thought it was trying to affect his mind.
But instead, the energy settled quietly—
And began showing him a vision.
'What is this...?'
In the darkness, he saw a woman smiling.
He couldn't see who it was.
Her eyes, hair, and entire figure were shrouded in shadows.
But the lower part of her face, which wasn't hidden, revealed a smile—
A subtle, bittersweet smile, as if both happy and sorrowful.
It was far from normal.
This vision had appeared unbidden, beyond Yulian's control.
'Who... are you?'
Yulian focused his mind and asked.
There was no way this mysterious figure had appeared for no reason.
It had to be connected to the energy that had entered him.
The woman kept smiling faintly, then slowly opened her mouth.
— ...It's not about saving the world.