Chapter 628
Chapter 628 Come Find Me (3)
Puhwak!
Ghislaine fell back, blood pouring from her mouth.
With the amplified power and the force of will, her body could no longer endure.
“Kwaaaak!”
Arterion, whose Dragon Heart was destroyed, let out a torturous scream.
It had been the one part he desperately protected despite being covered in wounds. But now, exhausted to the limit, he could not withstand Ghislaine’s final strike.
Everyone rushed at the battered Arterion, dragging their weary bodies towards him.
Among them, one person approached Arterion faster than anyone else.
“Adversary…!”
In pain, Arterion raised his claws. He aimed to kill Yulien, who was desperately charging towards him.
And he saw it.
Yulien’s eyes, which had shown no emotion until now, were burning with a chilling light.
“You…”
Suk!
Yulien struck Arterion’s Dragon Heart once more.
Though it had been stabbed by Ghislaine, the Dragon Heart still struggled to maintain an unstable form, the fragments pulling towards each other.
The source of the dragon’s power, the Dragon Heart, was not easily extinguished. It was trying to gather all remaining life force to restore itself.
But Yulien completely turned it to powder.
Paaah!
In an instant, a tremendous light erupted from Arterion’s chest. It was a sight that signified the end of the dragon’s life.
“Krrr…”
Arterion looked at Yulien with weary eyes. No longer able to support his massive form, the dragon slowly fell.
Kuuuung!
Nevertheless, Arterion’s breath did not completely cease. Such was his terrifying vitality.
Ghislaine, barely able to stand, moved towards Arterion, who was gasping for breath.
Arterion’s gaze was hollow. No longer could intent to kill or madness be found in his eyes.
Seeing this, Ghislaine frowned.
‘It’s cleared.’
Arterion’s eyes, as if staring far away, bore a deep and clear blue hue.
It was the gaze that befits a sage. A light that could only emanate from one who possessed ancient wisdom.
It was completely different from his earlier bloodshot appearance.
As if all the madness lurking within him had dissipated.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Ghislaine raised her sword. She needed to behead him to ensure peace of mind.
Yet, hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
“What… exactly are you?”
There were many suspicious points.
The rage and intent to kill that would disappear only upon reaching death.
The madness that suddenly erupted while attempting to flee from an unfavorable situation.
He did not appear to be the wise dragon he claimed to be.
Thus, she could only question, ‘What are you?’
Arterion’s gaze slowly moved to look at Ghislaine. The dragon’s eyes were losing their light of life.
Soon, he spoke in a gentle voice.
“Ah… I’ve had a long dream…”
“A dream?”
“Yes… Of friends I wish to see… Of my kin… Of this world we protected…”
Ghislaine shut her mouth. She could guess who he was talking about.
Arterion seemed to wear a warm smile.
“Who could I blame for how things turned out… It was all my greed and my mistake…”
“What do you mean? What on earth happened in the war a thousand years ago?”
“You knew… even that…”
“Just tell me. What was the meaning of our fight? If the adversary threatens the world, shouldn’t we stand together?”
Arterion slowly closed his eyes and spoke again. His voice was growing ever quieter.
“We… to protect this world…”
Suk!
Kakakakakak!
Arterion’s words came to an abrupt end. Yulien had swung her sword, severing his massive neck.
With the destruction of the Dragon Heart, Arterion offered no resistance and lost his head.
Ghislaine turned in shock.
Yulien, apparently exhausted, was gasping for breath. It was a sight rarely seen.
“Yulien, you right now…”
Arterion was clearly trying to say something.
In a state of impending death, he probably couldn’t say it all, but there was no need for him to finish.
Yet Yulien had already ended Arterion’s breath.
Yulien pressed her forehead and closed her eyes. She seemed to be in some kind of confusion.
Ghislaine asked again.
“Are you… okay?”
“…Yeah.”
She certainly didn’t look okay. Yulien staggered back as if she was losing her balance.
Ghislaine quietly observed her. This wasn’t fatigue from battle or injuries. It seemed she had suffered from something else.
The energy from Arterion seeped into Yulien’s body. It was clearly a side effect.
Ghislaine hesitated, about to ask her about that energy.
‘Wait, in my past life…’
Countless sacrifices were made to bring down Arterion. What was the last moment like back then?
– Humans… you…
Back then, Arterion had also tried to say something. At that time, she merely assumed he acknowledged them or cursed them.
Because she hadn’t heard his words till the end.
‘Back then too… Yulien beheaded him.’
Yulien resolutely severed the dragon’s neck.
Everyone thought it was only natural. Among the ones who faced the dragon, Yulien was the one least affected.
Since they had to kill it, no one cared who did it.
But this time was different from her past life. Everyone was tired, but they had the leisure to hear the dragon’s last words.
Yet the same situation unfolded as in her past life, leaving a sense of unease. Crucially, Yulien made brief eye contact with her.
‘This must have happened in my past life too.’
Yulien would know that the energy coming from Arterion had penetrated her body. But she had chosen not to say anything.
This meant Yulien was trying to hide that fact.
Thus, Ghislaine kept her mouth shut. Yulien still had her eyes closed, pressing her forehead.
‘Not yet, not yet.’
This was a problem she tried to hide herself. Even if she asked, she wouldn’t answer honestly. It would be difficult to pry the truth out of someone as strong as Yulien.
Answers might lie in the saint’s dream. It would be better to gather a bit more information before creating an opportunity to talk.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
One by one, the superhumans surrounding the dragon collapsed.
Ghislaine looked around. Everyone was exhausted but wore expressions of overwhelming relief.
It was the toughest and most dangerous battle of all. The preparation required was more immense than ever.
Having overcome all that difficulty, they had finally triumphed over the dragon.
Kaor was the first to throw down his weapon and shout.
“Shit! We won! I caught the dragon!”
Others also let out their sighs of relief. Piote sat down, tears glistening in his eyes.
“Guh…”
Parniel leaned on her mace, trying her best to stand.
Ghislaine, who had been sitting, said,
“Just sit and rest. It’s okay now. The dragon is definitely dead.”
“Someone said something blasphemous… They need to be punished right now…”
“……”
She was referring to Alfoy. Ghislaine forced a smile.
“Why not let it slide this time? Because of that guy, we all survived. That was just how he was.”
“Hoo…”
Parniel took a few deep breaths and finally slumped down. In truth, she no longer had the strength to rise.
“Saint!”
The priests rushed to Parniel, tears streaming down their faces as they infused her with divine power.
The light emanating from them barely reached the level of fireflies. They too were running low on divine power.
Still, the priests desperately reached out to Parniel, tearing up with joy.
“I can’t believe you caught the dragon!”
“Of course! You truly are the one chosen by the goddess!”
“You’re amazing! This achievement will be recorded by the church for eternity!”
“The church’s prestige will rise even higher than before!”
Having captured the dragon, the goddess’s might would surely become widely known. Not only the priests of the Moriana Sect but those from other sects expressed their joy.
Especially the priests from the Juana Sect, to which Piote belonged, were grinning from ear to ear.
Parniel sighed secretly as she watched them.
That the priests were so fixated on worldly fame and power was concerning. It felt like they were still far from understanding the essence.
‘Rather that blasphemous guy…’
In a moment, a thought flashed through Parniel’s mind, and she shook her head vigorously. It seemed she had exerted too much energy fighting the dragon and momentarily lost her senses.
“Waaah!”
Cheers from the wizards could be heard from the fortress.
Most were down, but there were still some wizards with remaining mana.
“We’re alive! We’re alive!”
“We held off the dragon!”
“Let’s rescue the downed first!”
They rejoiced and immediately cast recovery magic on the collapsed wizards.
Having been dragged here, they had trembled in fear all this time. But they had really captured the dragon. There had been no casualties. It was a perfect operation.
Of course, if left as is, there would be deaths. Particularly, the Control Fortress, which had endured the dragon’s breath, was in a perilous state.
“Quick! Pour all remaining mana into this!”
“Bring the priests too!”
“This way! Over here!”
The wizards and priests gathered to check on the fallen wizards. Especially when it came to Alfoy, everyone’s eyes were filled with awe.
“How on earth did he do that?”
“I heard he was merely 6th Circle?”
“He has truly accomplished the impossible.”
No matter how excellent one might be in mana manipulation, there were limits to how much mana one could handle. Yet Alfoy had transcended that limit.
The wizards were eager to find out his secret. They diligently cast recovery spells on Alfoy and carefully moved him.
The priests hurriedly approached, infusing the fallen with their meager divine power.
“Ugh.”
Ghislaine felt relieved only after hearing that the wizards were okay.
She casually turned her head.
Yulien was perched on a rock, her head bowed.
It was hard to tell if she was exhausted or lost in thought.
‘Hmm, is she contemplating that energy?’
Ghislaine looked at Yulien and then turned back to the people. Now was a time to celebrate victory rather than dwell on complicated worries.
That’s how they would gain the strength to tackle the next issue.
Just as Ghislaine anticipated, Yulien was indeed in deep thought about what had just happened to her.
‘Something came from Arterion’s body into mine.’
She wasn’t even able to prevent it. It slipped into her body as naturally as breathing.
She couldn’t discern its identity at all. She couldn’t even guess how the energy was moving within her body.
For a powerhouse like Yulien to be oblivious to what was happening to her own body was utterly absurd. This only heightened her curiosity about the energy’s nature.
Yulien continued her introspection, attempting to uncover the identity of the mysterious energy.
At that moment, her mind began to cloud with dark mist.
‘……’
Yulien’s gaze flickered.
She realized it was trying to impact her mental state.
But it suddenly settled quietly, showing her a certain shape.
‘This is…’
In the darkness, a woman appeared. The woman was smiling.
She couldn’t discern who it was, as her eyes and hair were shrouded in darkness.
Yet beneath the obscurity, looking at her uncovered face, it was apparent that she bore a delicate smile.
A smile that seemed both sorrowful and joyful—a nuanced smile indeed.
This was not a normal situation. It was an image that arose without her will.
‘……Who are you?’
Yulien focused, asking. The image of a woman, unknown to her, shouldn’t randomly appear in her mind.
Clearly, the energy that had penetrated her body was affecting her in some way.
The woman continued to smile enigmatically and slowly opened her mouth.
― …It’s not about saving the world.
