“What, this...?”

Kubartos couldn’t take his eyes off Kraugel’s sword.

A red aura resembling the flames of the Fire Dragon, legitimately hot, rising from a mere human’s sword. It was a flame that could turn most things to ashes.

Kubartos recalled a disgraceful memory. He remembered the red dragon that had dared look at him with the eyes of a predator. The pain of having his scales burned by the fire released by him was still vivid. Even now, he sometimes felt a portion of his soul burning. Every time this happened, the concept of death became clearer to him, and he experienced the feeling of turning into something small, insignificant.

Kubartos asked a question that even he found absurd. “Are you Trauka’s illegitimate son?”

It was Bunhelier’s fault. Back when he’d gone insane, he’d set the precedent of mating with a human and giving birth to a child. This had left Kubartos dumbfounded for a while.

Kraugel cocked his head. He was relieved to learn that Biban’s escape had become easier thanks to Kubartos’ interest in him.

‘A dragon is making a joke?’

Kubartos recovered a bit and corrected his question. “How do you have those flames?”

Kraugel didn’t want to hand him the answer easily. Looking closely at the face of the blond-haired man, who was so handsome that he might as well have been born to be loved by everyone, Kraugel determined that Kubartos’ curiosity was authentic.

“Who knows...”

A dragon was born to rule and control. They even said that there was nothing they didn’t know. Now, one was showing signs of panic on his face, which was unusual. If Kraugel maneuvered this situation well, he might be able to buy more time than expected.

“Is the achievement of defeating Trauka the one that brought you enlightenment? No, it is too great to interpret it that way.”

Kraugel’s expectations lowered.

“Is it a function of the sword itself? Is it because of Trauka’s bones and scales? That might be the case if the heart was used as a material... However, it is impossible to recreate the energy of an old dragon to this extent, even with Grid’s skills.”

Kubartos didn’t wait for Kraugel to answer. He asked a question and answered himself with very quick thinking.

“It is a sword that has grown with you.”

Finally, he got the answer himself.

“After slashing Trauka’s Breath a few times, a magical effect was imbued in the sword... Saving the elemental world was a wonderful move for you. Who guided you to enter the elemental world? It shares a deep connection with the World Tree and the Peach Blossom Spring. The elves must’ve been the daoist immortals that degenerated over generations...”

Kraugel let out a sigh.

The only path leading to Grid. He remembered the scene of the mountain of corpses piled up at the entrance of Trauka’s lair.

The top dragon Kubartos, whose modifier hadn’t been revealed yet, was one who knew how to take advantage of other dragons. He must’ve searched through the vast amount of knowledge allowed by the system when necessary and easily obtained results.

He was unlikely to make a mistake. He was a difficult enemy who used his strength and skills in the right time and place.

Kraugel whispered to Yura and Jishuka.

[Whisper from Kraugel: Have you changed your sniping location?]

The two women were more than 15 kilometers away and concluded that their safety could be guaranteed.

[Whisper from Kraugel: Don’t let your guard down. This guy’s Breath will surely reach you.]

Maybe because they had always been on the front lines together, Kraugel was no longer shy. He revealed his true personality without hesitation to his like-minded colleagues. He’d become infinitely kinder and gentler, the same way he was with his mother.

[Whisper to Kraugel: Yes, I’ll be as agile as I can.]

[Whisper to Kraugel: Yes~ Oppa.]

Kraugel was a bit relieved after checking his colleagues’ answers, but his expression was still dark.

‘I’m worried about Grid.’

The atmosphere in the media today was unusual. The rumor that Grid was the reason why the dragons had formed an organization and had become hostile to humanity was spreading rapidly. Since both the Overgeared Guild and the forces cooperating with the Overgeared Guild were so large, information control wasn’t properly implemented. Maybe the S.A. Group had leaked the information on purpose.

There must have been quite a few people who were unhappy with Grid’s choice.

If the Overgeared Guild suffered devastating damage today, as it did yesterday, and all the dragons remained unharmed... The media would never miss the bait. They would stir up public anxiety and place all fault on Grid.

A melodious voice caught Kraugel’s attention immediately. The voice asked him, “Is your mother calling you?”

Thanks to this, Kraugel came to his senses, narrowly avoiding Kubartos’ attack.

Huroi spoke again. “You don’t seem to be able to concentrate.” He had just arrived at the scene after climbing the mountain, his whole body drenched in sweat.

The huge mountain range was very harsh and ragged since no human had been here for years. Many of the colleagues who had come over using the warp gate were having difficulty climbing the mountain itself. The altitude was so high that it was difficult to rely on a pair of shoes infused with flying magic. Very few people reached max level in the climbing skill, which was considered a minor skill among common skills.

At the same time, an announcement popped up in the guild window, letting everyone know that they had to practice climbing daily for at least two hours. Lauel’s tone was colder than it needed to be, but it was perfectly reasonable. Most of the dragons’ lairs were in the mountains.

Kraugel said, “I’d rather you didn’t mention my mother...”

“I only asked because I was worried...”

Huroi looked like he thought Kraugel was being unfair to him. There was no sincerity to his words. He had the same expression on his face when asking Kubartos how his parents were.

Kubartos wasn’t bothered by those words at all. The embarrassed Huroi let out a splurge of profanity, but the result was the same.

“He seems to have a strong mentality among the dragons. Give up on debuffs and focus on buffs.”

“Yes.”

Huroi faithfully carried out Kraugel’s order.

Kraugel–the man recognized by Huroi’s lord. Huroi had witnessed his ability to play a leading role in major battles on several occasions. Grid and Lauel had also urged the Guild members to support Kraugel well. It was natural to trust and follow him.

Of course, there was no guarantee that his expectations would be met even if they were motivated.

“Cough!”

As proven by his quick climb up the mountain, Huroi was an accomplished player. However, his opponent was an Absolute. He nullified the debuffs that Huroi was most confident in. After drawing the aggro by giving a buff to Kraugel, he received a large cut on the chest. This allowed Kraugel’s Meteor Sword to bombard Kubartos. Heavy sword energy, reminiscent of flaming meteorites, rained down from above.

Kubartos seemed unwilling to allow Kraugel to attack. Instead of dealing a follow-up attack to Huroi, he took flight without hesitation and escaped from the range of the blast. Because of this, he was hit by Yura and Jishuka’s sniping.

After purifying and evolving hell, the Demon Slayer’s bullets could now deal additional damage to transcendents and Absolute. Instead of bouncing off Kubartos’ skin, they plunged into it slightly, causing a powerful explosion that exposed his weak points.

Jishuka’s arrows struck those weak points over and over again, causing Kubartos to bleed, though they didn’t deal much damage. Kubartos’ health gauge was still solid. However, it created an opportunity for Kraugel.

“Storm Sword.”

Sword energy reminiscent of a fire tornado engulfed Kubartos, who released polymorph, his golden scales immediately burned in several places.

Kubartos talked carelessly and shot a Breath at Huroi.

[I’m going to burn down all your cities. If civilization crumbles, your growth will stop for a while.]

However, Kraugel had activated the Blue Dragon’s Boots the moment Kubartos’ neck swelled, entering a state in which both mind and body acted at very high speeds. He calculated the path of the Breath and stood in front of Huroi, swinging his sword, which was surrounded by both flames and lightning, and aimed at the Breath that was right in front of him.

However, he only cut through the air.

The blast was so loud, it was as if the atmosphere was screaming.

The Breath’s trajectory was repeatedly changing, bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong ball, hitting the mountain peak beyond the clouds, aiming right for Yura and Jishuka’s sniping position.

A single Breath managed to crush the mountain that had lasted for countless years.

The climbing Overgeared members paused in their tracks for a moment. They couldn’t close their mouths and mourned their colleagues who must’ve died instantly.

They didn’t know that one of the people on the mountain was Yura.

Yura was currently in hell after using the Hell Leap skill. Once she returned to the surface, she found herself on a mountain peak north of Kubartos. Her position was diametrically opposed to where she had been before.

Tatang!

[Ten thousand more people like this...?]

Kubartos muttered as he was hit by another sniper shot. At first glance, he seemed like he was taken aback, but the people watching must have been mistaken.

There was no time to waste. The situation was rapidly changing.

Kubartos started repeatedly firing his Breaths. Kraugel attempted to cut the attacks, but Kubartos’ Breath kept changing its trajectory. It pushed Kraugel back and bombarded the entire mountain range.

Landslides occurred everywhere. Some people were done for as soon as they were hit by the Breath, some were crushed by the pouring rocks and turned to ash, and others fell to the distant ground and then turned to ash.

“Hey! Get behind me!”

Of course, highly skilled tankers like Vantner and Toban had been able to block the falling debris. The nimble ones jumped over the rocks on their own, while outstanding swordsmen like Peak Sword and Chris cut down through the landslides.

The ones who had been hit directly by the Breath were the ones who suffered the most serious damage. They died in high numbers, regardless of their skill.

Magicians like Laella tried to provide support from above, but there was no way that a wide-area shield could fully handle a top dragon’s Breath.

Only the quick-witted Euphemina succeeded in protecting the most important people by stacking single shields on them.

Kubartos had a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. He reloaded the Breath, targeting the humans who survived the landslides. The previous bombing had merely been a test to distinguish between talented people.

Huroi’s earnest cries were contained within a book of his. The page containing a blessing was torn out and attached to Kraugel’s sword like a talisman.

Kraugel immediately took flight using his sword. He flew up, stopping when he was at eye level with Kubartos. He held his sword in his hand and took a stance. He had no intention of using Space Sword yet.

He was different from Grid. It wasn’t easy for him to prove that he was capable of killing an opponent stronger than himself. Unlike Grid, who used his ultimate skills without hesitation, Kraugel often saved them until the most critical point.

He was determined to cut apart the Breaths.

To Kubartos, it seemed like terrible arrogance.

[Yes, let’s see how much you can handle.]

It was easy to avoid Kraugel and shoot the Breaths. He didn’t even need to use Shunpo. He could just link the Blinks.

However, in Kubartos’ eyes, the present day Sword Saint had quite a lot of power. He had nothing to lose by killing him first. Therefore, Kubartos pretended to fall for the provocation, firing a burst of Breaths.

Kraugel cut down the first and second Breaths with relative ease. The third Breath was also neatly cut, though it caused Kraugel to grit his teeth.

Just then, he felt the skin from his hands being torn off.

If it hadn’t been for an increase in status and physical ability as a reward for defeating Trauka, he would’ve been hurt right from the first Breath. Of course, cutting a Breath was possible, but it was never easy. The rebound was much more severe compared to hitting a hard rock with an iron bat, and it sent a shock all the way to his fingertips.

After cutting the fourth Breath, Kraugel felt several muscles being torn from his forearms and shoulders. Physical abnormalities occurred, and his muscle strength decreased.

After cutting the sixth Breath, his left wrist finally broke. He had no choice but to cut the seventh Breath using only one hand. But after cutting the eighth Breath, his right wrist let him down as well. The muscles of both arms were torn, going limp.

The miracle of his sword ‘transcending’ like when he’d slashed Trauka’s Breath didn’t happen. If such miracles were to happen one after another, Kraugel’s sword would eventually contain the energy of all dragons. This wasn’t reasonable. This was Kubartos’ judgment, and this judgment wasn’t wrong.

In the end, Kraugel couldn’t wait for the ninth Breath. He relied on a ‘skill’ that produced results only when the operation was completed with sufficient resources.

“Space Sword.”

With two trembling hands, he barely lifted the sword and swung it helplessly. Only because this was a skill that it was barely completed. Such was the privilege of a player.

The sword that cut through the world reached Kubartos’ swollen neck. Kraugel found it beautiful, a sword energy that turned gold as soon as it touched Kubartos’ scales.

It felt like he was witnessing the birth of the most beautiful metal in the world.

‘...What??’

Even if Space Sword was a sword technique protected by the setting of the game, he didn’t dare expect it to behead a dragon. Still, Kraugel thought it would pose enough of a threat. This was why he had saved up on this ultimate skill. At the very least, he thought it would at least plunge into Kubartos’ scales and skin to stop the Breath.

However, it didn’t have any effect.

Kubartos’ neck only blackened as if it had been burned. His swollen neck was still intact and his mouth was eventually filled with a golden sphere.

[After destroying all the cities, I will pursue you most persistently.]

Along with these significant words, the ninth Breath was fired.

Just before it reached Kraugel, the trajectory changed and it flew toward the ridge where the most skilled people were gathered.

The attack would be fatal.

Kraugel’s face paled. The name of the sword dance, which shouldn’t have been heard here, echoed.

“Revolve.”

“Grid?”

Did he finally die and come back to life?

As it turned out, their support was late, the Overgeared members thought. Just then, a sword collided with the Breath.

There was no trace of a sunset divinity.

The Breath also didn’t return to Kubartos. The trajectory was only slightly twisted.

“It’s Damian!”

The people were starting to feel relieved. Thanks to Damian’s sacrifice, there was one way for these powerful people to survive. They were already scattered in all directions, and had narrowly escaped the blast range of the Breath. There were some people who were critically injured, but at least they were still alive.

Damian’s dazed voice was heard from the summit. “I’m over here?”

Everyone’s faces paled, overtaken by shock.

Then who did it?

The ridge was collapsing.

The man who stood against the Breath and was caught in the explosion alone was revealed as he fell.

It was Prince Lord.

The people present were stunned. There were many who relocated to save Grid’s son. All types of magic and skills were cast at the same time, filling the area with colorful lights, reminiscent of the stars belonging to the night sky.

Lord opened his mouth as he stopped in the air by making perfect use of the boots his father had worn in the past.

“Calm down.”

His clear and upright voice, that was like his mother’s, conveyed clear meaning to thousands of people.

“Just move forward.”

Kasim rose from the shadow of the rock and pulled Lord with him. The strongest knights of the empire, including Asmophel and Singuled, ran past them and up the mountain.

His fierce eyes that resembled Grid were fixed on Kraugel, who seemed to have a lot to say. He smiled, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled.

Lord arrived at the summit by taking advantage of Damian’s shadow.

“Let’s rescue His Majesty.”

For the first time in many years, the prince, who had been silently following in his father’s footsteps, stood on the same battlefield as his father.