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Raon wrapped the edge of his black dragon cloak with Garunua’s wind and soared towards the Black Dragon, as if he had become an embodiment of the wind itself.
[How dare you!]
True to its nature as an ancient dragon, the Black Dragon quickly recovered from its momentary surprise and summoned ten dark, gleaming spears. These enormous black spears, as large as the pillars of the Lord’s Mansion, fell like bolts of lightning.
-Those are the Deadly Poison Spears.
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he watched the black spears fall like lightning.
-Those black spears are coated with a deadly poison that can dissolve life force upon contact. If you focus only on their size, you will die.
He lowered his voice, warning that even deflecting them with a sword would be dangerous.
-Then I will burn them.
Despite Wrath’s explanation, Raon did not back down. Instead, he increased his speed and ignited the flames of his Divine Sword towards the Deadly Poison Spears. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Impulse. Fire Dragon Strike. The flames engulfing the Divine Sword’s blade split like the end of a ravine, then rose in the shape of a dragon.
The heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, its power further enhanced by Transcendence, enveloped the black spears.
The high-level poison magic, the Deadly Poison Spears, were consumed by the fire dragon before they could release their toxic energy, disintegrating into nothingness.
‘It works now.’
Raon savored the sight of the poisonous energy melting within the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
“Now I can definitely fight that ancient dragon.”
Glenn and Wrath had shown mysterious abilities to cut or freeze powerful attacks imbued with the Willpower of Transcendent Warriors. At that time, Raon could not understand how it was possible, but now he knew. It was an exclusive ability of Transcendent Warriors who could utilize the mana of nature.
[W-What is this…?]
The Black Dragon let out a low groan. Its eyes trembled, clearly not expecting its high-level magic to dissipate so easily. Raon leaped through the air, placing himself at the same level as the Black Dragon. He pointed his Demonic Sword towards the creature while maximizing the power of Glacier. The air resonated with the clash of energies.
Upon the blue blade of the Demonic Sword, a frost-covered World Tree bloomed, with thousands of icy flowers.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Impulse. Spirit of Fire. The cold energy of Glacier scattered a multitude of fiery flowers across the sky. It was a magnificent sight, like a constellation of icy flowers unfolding. The air vibrated with the intensity of the technique.
The Black Dragon narrowed its diamond-shaped eyes and unleashed high-level magic to protect itself. It created a Veil of Deadly Poison to prevent enemies from approaching and a Lightning Wheel Shield to deflect attacks.
As Raon tilted his demonic sword, the shards of frost that filled the sky fell upon the Black Dragon. The aura waves generated by the Spirit of Fire were elegant and powerful, but the two shields created by the Black Dragon did not break. Instead, they simply froze and turned white.
[Raon Zieghart, you are more dangerous than I have heard.]
The Black Dragon, boiling with rage, began to form a sphere of deadly poison that glowed with a green hue. The toxic energy it emitted was even stronger than that of the Deadly Poison Spears, causing Raon’s head to throb despite the distance between them.
“Is it really time to prepare an attack?”
Raon smiled as he launched himself directly towards the Black Dragon. Wrapped in the wind of the Gale Wind Style, he extended both his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword simultaneously. Raon’s Zieghart Style Sword Technique.
Second Form: Layered Heavy Sky Cannon.
The Heavy Sky Cannon technique was executed simultaneously with both the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword (E/N: that is to say, layered). A gravitational force, as dark as a black hole, pulled the Black Dragon’s massive body towards Raon.
[What is this!]
Just as the Black Dragon tried to spread its wings in confusion, Raon released the waves of heat and cold energy he had concentrated on the blades of his Divine and Demonic Swords. The Veil of Deadly Poison and the frozen Lightning Wheel Shield shattered simultaneously, and blades of fire and frost pierced both of the Black Dragon’s wings.
[Grraaah!]
Startled by the sudden pain, the Black Dragon inadvertently dispersed the poison sphere it had been forming.
“It’s not over yet.”
Seizing the opportunity, Raon raised his Divine Sword and lowered his Demonic Sword, tracing a diagonal path with his swords. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Unification of Flame and Ice. Waves of fire and frost erupted in the sky, engulfing the Black Dragon’s entire body.
[P-Protect me!]
Unable to cast a defensive spell in time, the Black Dragon hastily uttered a dragon word. The surrounding mana gathered around it, forming five shields. Although they lacked poisonous energy, these shields did not break even under the attack of the fire and ice swords. As expected of dragon word magic, its defensive capabilities were formidable.
“Let’s see how long these can last.”
Raon gritted his teeth. Maximizing the power of every muscle and his aura, he brought his swords down upon the Black Dragon’s shields. The sword strike, imbued with his Transcendence-enhanced body, his aura, and the martial prowess of the Ten Thousand Swords, shattered all the mana.
[B-Block it!]
The Black Dragon managed to erect a new mana shield to prevent its neck from being cut, but overwhelmed by Raon’s power, it fell to the ground with its wings twisted.
[Shield! Shield!]
The Black Dragon tried to resist by continuously regenerating its shields, but it could not withstand Raon’s power, which exceeded human limits.
[Gruaaaa!]
The creature finally crashed into the Western Great Forest with only a thin shield remaining. As the enormous dragon slammed into the ground, the earth shook, causing the entire Great Forest to tremble and a cloud of brown dust to rise into the sky.
-What a brute…
Wrath frowned, seemingly dumbfounded.
-Can’t you do it with a little more finesse?
“The best answer is to beat a lizard like this.”
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he approached the spot where the Black Dragon had fallen.
“There’s no value in keeping it alive.”
The Black Dragon had unleashed its Deadly Poison Breath towards Sepia without warning. It intended to kill all the humans and elves who were there, so there was no reason for Raon to spare its life.
-Now you’re calling it a lizard too.
Wrath chuckled, seemingly amused.
-Well, after seeing the true ugly nature of these lizards, I guess you can’t help it. But don’t beat it too hard. If you hit it too much, the meat gets tough.
It seemed that even now, his mouth was watering at the thought of dragon stew.
‘Now I need to finish this… Hm!’
As Raon tried to approach the spot where the Black Dragon had fallen, black particles erupted from the cloud of brown dust. Although they were small, they were so toxic that even his fingers tingled.
“Of course.”
Raon smiled as he erected a wall of fire. The blazing shield burned all the toxic particles that approached.
“I guess a lizard that has lived for thousands of years wouldn’t fall so easily.”
Raon nodded and lowered his hand, summoning a blue wind that dispersed the swirling dust.
[Grrrgh.]
The Black Dragon lay there with its scorched and frozen wings bent at strange angles and blood dripping from its mouth. Despite using dragon word magic, it seemed unable to fully absorb the impact and had sustained injuries.
[Raon Zieghart, I had not heard you were so strong…]
The Black Dragon’s enormous maw trembled, genuinely bewildered.
“It’s good you know now. Of course…”
Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword as he assumed the stance of the Supreme Harmony Steps.
“It’s too late.”
As Raon moved forward to decapitate the Black Dragon in a swift motion, the creature’s mouth gaped open.
[Ability Reduction!]
The Black Dragon used a dragon word to cast an unknown spell. This was unusual, as dragons could normally create magic by simply uttering simple dragon words.
‘Is there something else?’
Raon, sensing danger, stopped his steps. As he lowered his stance to assess the situation, a blue energy emerged from near the Black Dragon’s throat. It was thin like a thread, but unlike before, it had no murderous intent. The air crackled with energy.
Raon swung his Divine Sword towards the approaching blue energy, but the Black Dragon’s magic did not burn in the flames and rushed towards him even faster.
‘What is this?’
Seeing that it did not burn in the flames, Raon quickly concluded that it was not a physical spell. He made a quick decision and retreated using the Third Step of Supreme Harmony.
-Even I don’t know what this is. Since it’s unaffected by sword strikes, it could be a mental attack.
Wrath frowned, saying it was the first time he had seen visible mental magic.
‘Then I should dodge first and… Hm?’
Raon tried to continue escaping, but the Black Dragon’s magic moved faster than him and finally seeped into his shoulder. He exhaled softly, examining his entire body.
‘I don’t feel any different?’
Despite being hit by the ancient dragon’s magic, there was no impact, and he could not feel any changes in his body.
“What did you do to me?”
Raon stared at the Black Dragon as he adjusted his grip on the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
[Jejejeje…]
The black dragon chuckled, and black blood spurted from its mouth. Due to its enormous size, its laughter alone caused the forest to tremble.
[Now you are finished.]
“What? What are you doing…”
[Distort!]
As Raon was about to ask another question, the Black Dragon uttered its most powerful word yet. Raon’s vision darkened as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer, but then it brightened again.
“What just happened…”
As Raon gasped, a black sphere fired by the Black Dragon flew towards his chest.
“I told you that wouldn’t work…”
He tried to swing his Divine Sword to burn it, but instead of moving his shoulder and arm, his toes and ankle twisted. Raon was hit by the deadly poison sphere and fell to the ground.
“W-What the…”
As Raon’s jaw trembled in disbelief, a deadly poison sword summoned by the Black Dragon fell towards his shoulder. He tried to push off the ground with his legs to dodge it, but this time, his elbow and wrist twisted.
“Ah!”
Raon was hit by successive spheres of poisonous energy and coughed up red blood onto the dark ground.
“This is…”
Have you figured it out already?
The Black Dragon had a long, mocking smile.
“My senses…”
Raon stared at the Black Dragon, frowning.
“Have you altered them?”
When he tried to move his arm, his leg moved, and when he tried to move his leg, his wrist twisted. The sensations of his entire body were grotesquely distorted.
[Correct.]
The Black Dragon nodded with a deep chuckle.
[Humans, especially swordsmen like you, rely heavily on their senses. Ability Reduction is an absolute magic created to counter humans who have achieved Transcendence.]
He clicked his lips with satisfaction, saying that the preparation had been worth it.
“…Such magic shouldn’t be possible just like that, right?”
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the Black Dragon.
‘An unavoidable mental magic. And it alters the senses, too…’
Was this the special ability of ancient dragons that the Central Martial Palace mentioned? Such absolute magic could not be possible without restrictions. It must have been created by imposing limitations using the realm obtained through Transcendence.
[You are right. This magic can only be used on one person, and the target of the sensory alteration is not just you.]
“Not just one person? Then…”
[Yes. My senses are also distorted.]
The Black Dragon, seemingly confident of its victory, provided an annoyingly detailed explanation of Ability Reduction.
-What troublesome magic. It’s the kind of thing a cunning black lizard would come up with.
Wrath frowned, seemingly irritated.
‘I need to buy some time to examine my altered senses.’
As the lizard said, martial artists rely heavily on their senses. Even as a Transcendent Warrior, this had not changed, so Raon needed to quickly understand the changes in his body.
“Why did you develop magic to kill people?”
While speaking with the Black Dragon, Raon began to memorize each of his distorted senses one by one.
[Because you are no different from the cockroaches that infest this world.]
The Black Dragon narrowed its eyes, spitting out hatred towards humans.
“Did humans do something to hurt you? From our perspective, it seems like you are the one picking a fight first.”
Raon exhaled wearily, raising only his gaze.
Do you live your life taking into account even the ants you step on?
The Black Dragon twisted its mouth, referring to humans as insects.
[And there is no point in buying time. It is impossible for a mere human to overcome Ability Reduction!]
As if knowing everything, it fired weapons made of deadly poison.
“Hmm!”
Raon took a step back. While talking to the Black Dragon, he had already figured out most of his altered senses.
‘First, from here… huh?’
He tried to use the Supreme Harmony Steps to escape the area where the poisonous energy was spilling, but this time, his aura at the energy center did not move. His body froze as he felt pain as if his mana circuit had been twisted, and at that moment, a spear made of poison cut through his waist and thigh.
“No way…”
Raon’s blackened lips trembled as he looked at the Black Dragon.
“Even the mana circuit?”
[Correct.]
The Black Dragon nodded with a sneer.
[I have distorted your mana circuit as well. It will take days to find the solution.]
He chuckled and said that even if Raon found the solution, it would be in extreme agony.
[Even if it is not revenge for the fool Kaivar, I will kill you as brutally as I can!]
The Black Dragon summoned a series of weapons made of poison and declared that it would kill Raon in agony. Black weapons oozing murderous intent fell upon Raon. He deflected the incoming deadly poison magic using only the flames of his Divine Sword and the cold energy of his Demonic Sword.
“This is insane.”
As his aura did not move in the upper dantian, there was a limit to the amount of natural mana he could draw. It seemed that he would not be able to escape this wave of deadly poison unless he could decipher the distorted sensations in his mana circuit.
For now, the only solution was to defend against the Black Dragon’s magic with his Divine Sword, Demonic Sword, and swordsmanship while trying to identify the sensations in his mana circuit.
As he deflected the approaching blades of deadly poison, he further increased his concentration. He used the pain that arose whenever he misidentified a mana circuit as a stimulant to increase his concentration. Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, resonating the Ring of Fire to its limit.
“When it comes to endurance, I have no equal.”
* * *
[It’s no use!]
The Black Dragon, acting as if the outcome had already been decided, unleashed increasingly intense waves of deadly poison to pressure Raon. Black spots appeared on Raon’s skin, and his arms and legs began to tremble like those of a drunkard.
It was the typical appearance of someone poisoned by lethal toxins. Although he did not show it, he must have been feeling excruciating pain inside.
[I commend you for not screaming despite being poisoned by dozens of toxins. But now, it’s over.]
As the Black Dragon declared this was the end and extended its hand, an enormous sphere of deadly poison, large enough to engulf all of Sepia, appeared above Raon’s head.
[I will melt you and the elves’ sacred land into nothingness.]
Muttering about showing a hell within hell, the Black Dragon unleashed its high-level magic, the Realm of Solitude, towards Raon. Just as the enormous sphere of poison was about to engulf Sepia, a red glow appeared in Raon’s eyes. The air crackled with energy.
Simultaneously, the flames of his Divine Sword and the frost of his Demonic Sword rose, shattering the Realm of Solitude that was about to crush Sepia into dozens of pieces.
The fragments of deadly poison burned in the flames and froze in the cold energy as they fell to the ground.
[W-What is this?!]
The Black Dragon gaped its enormous maw, having clearly not imagined this turn of events. Seizing the moment of the Black Dragon’s confusion, Raon executed the Supreme Harmony Steps.
[Ah! Get lost!]
The Black Dragon tried to push Raon away using a dragon word, but Raon shattered the dragon word using natural mana as he advanced.
[Eeeek!]
Raon pierced through the wall of poisonous energy and the hastily created absolute shield, propelling himself from the ground even faster.
[Graaaah!]
In what seemed like a final struggle, the Black Dragon gathered its Deadly Poison Breath. Although it was not at full power, it unleashed its breath attack.
“It’s too late.”
Raon plunged the blades of his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword into the approaching Poison Breath. A sword strike that harmoniously combined golden and silver light cut through the poisonous breath and tore through the Black Dragon’s scales.
The Black Dragon’s neck twisted as if it were about to fall off, and its enormous body lost strength and crashed to the ground.
[Gaaah…]
The Black Dragon let out a deep groan, its entire body trembling.
[H-How did you break my magic…?]
It shook its head in disbelief.
“Your magic hasn’t been broken.”
Raon shook his head calmly.
[What? But how…?]
“I memorized it all.”
He shook his head and said he had memorized all the changes in his body and mana circuit.
[T-there are thousands of changes! Did you memorize all that in such a short time?]
The Black Dragon groaned, as if this was even more unbelievable.
“It wasn’t difficult.”
Raon nodded as he raised his Divine Sword.
“I’m not in the habit of playing with enemies, so I’ll finish this now.”
[W-Wait! I will neutralize the poison that is affecting you! Without me, you will die too! If you spare me, I will never appear before humans again and...]
“I won’t die from a lizard’s poison.”
He snorted as he extended the flames of his Divine Sword.
[Move… Ah!]
The Black Dragon tried to teleport, but Raon interrupted the flow of mana and cut its throat.
[I… to a mere human…]
The Black Dragon’s jaw trembled, seemingly unable to believe its own death even now, before the light faded from its eyes.
“Whew…”
Raon lowered his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, letting out a long sigh.
“Thankfully, it worked.”
As the Black Dragon said, it was impossible to memorize all the altered sensations in such a short time. So, using the concentration of his Everlasting Unperturbed Mind, Raon entered his mental world, memorized all the changes in his body and mana circuit, and then came back out. While it was only a moment in the outside world, it was quite a while inside.
However, due to the strain, his mind was not completely clear. He felt like he could collapse and fall asleep right then and there.
-Honestly, that was crazy behavior.
Even Wrath shook his head in disbelief.
-I have a lot to say, but first, take care of the poison. Being an ancient dragon, it’s not a common toxin.
‘Alright.’
As Raon shook his head and lowered his hand, the traces of poisonous energy that had permeated his body began to slowly disappear.
‘I have poison resistance, and the ring takes care of it automatically.’
The Ring of Fire, upon completion, eliminates all harmful energies from his body even when it’s inactive. There was no need for any antidote.
-Damn that Ring! It’s always the Ring!
Wrath gritted his teeth in exasperation. It seemed to remind him of past moments where his rage was ineffective.
“Well then, next…”
As Raon was about to move to help Sterin, he heard the sound of applause behind him.
“As expected of Raon Zieghart. You continue to evolve impressively every time I see you.”
-
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