Raon felt his throat go dry as he focused on the shimmering golden celestial body drifting through the void.
'That isn’t a natural star...'
It was the Dragon Lord. The sovereign of dragons wasn't hiding in some distant corner of the cosmos; he had coiled his massive frame, using his own brilliance to masquerade as a radiant sun. It didn't appear that this camouflage was meant for concealment from foes, however.
Just as Bartius had warned, the curled form of the Dragon Lord was pulsating with a terrifying surge of mana, as if he were weaving an incredibly complex incantation.
'That energy is lethal.'
The sorcery the Dragon Lord was manifesting was unlike anything seen before—a primordial force that transcended the boundaries of mortal understanding. Though its exact nature remained a mystery, Raon’s senses, sharpened by countless life-or-death encounters, were screaming a constant warning of imminent doom.
-This monarch concurs!
Wrath scowled, his gaze fixed on the Dragon Lord, whose luminosity was reaching a blinding intensity.
-It appears that lizard patriarch is concocting something exceptionally bothersome!
The King of Essence lowered his voice, visibly unsettled by the sheer pressure radiating from the Dragon Lord.
"L-Lord!"
Valasiur, the Red Dragon, gestured toward the colossal, writhing star.
"For the mana currents to be this turbulent..."
Sirtiren, the Blue Dragon, let out a hollow, breathless laugh of pure shock.
"I cannot fathom the spell's purpose, but its lethality is unmistakable."
Bursiarabi, the White Dragon, etched a deep frown into his features.
"If we hesitate to strike, we're all as good as dead, aren't we?"
Dariauran, the Black Dragon, coiled his muscles, preparing to shed his human guise and return to his draconic state.
"Raon Zieghart."
Bartius exhaled a ragged breath and pointed toward the golden star that was the Dragon Lord.
"The Lord is still immersed in his mental landscape. You must strike immediately!"
He spoke with desperate urgency, clearly wishing he could lead the charge himself if not for his total exhaustion.
"I'm aware."
Raon gave a short nod and unsheathed Heavenly Drive.
'Under different circumstances, I would have offered a formal challenge, but...'
Current events allowed no such luxury. While he craved a fair duel against the Dragon Lord, the magic currently being channeled was far too perilous. The best course of action was to execute him while his defenses were lowered by his concentration on the spell, or at the very least, deliver a crippling blow. The very atmosphere vibrated with lethal intent.
Raon lunged into the dark expanse. He tore through the absolute shadows, pushing the Supreme Harmony Step to its absolute limit in an attempt to decapitate the Dragon Lord.
'The gap is wider than it looked.'
Because the Dragon Lord occupied the very heart of this dark dimension, even the most perfect execution of the Supreme Harmony Step would require significant time to bridge the distance. A low, heavy vibration shook the void as the Dragon Lord began to peel back his heavy lids, likely alerted by the distortion of the Dimensional Gate.
It looked as though he was pausing his magical preparations to prioritize waking from his meditative trance.
-The timing on this is going to be incredibly tight, isn't it?
Wrath licked his lips in grim anticipation, seemingly eager to see the collision.
'No, I'll make it.'
Trusting in his own capabilities, Raon poured every ounce of his will into closing the distance to the Dragon Lord.
'Just a few more meters!'
He integrated the spatial properties of the Void Slash into his movement, granting the Supreme Harmony Steps the ability to warp the fabric of the universe. In that heartbeat, a refined version of the Supreme Harmony Steps was born—a stride capable of crossing the vacuum between worlds. With a thunderous boom, Raon launched Heavenly Drive just as the Dragon Lord’s massive form began to unfurl. The blade cut a screaming path through the air.
The essence of Whispering Wind surged around the soaring Heavenly Drive. The blade, now an avatar of the gale, vanished into the gloom only to manifest directly in front of the Dragon Lord’s throat.
'There is only one target that matters.'
The Dragon Heart! It was the engine of a dragon’s existence. More than just a vital organ, it served as the reservoir for the staggering mana required to sustain such a titanic form. If the Dragon Heart were shattered, the Dragon Lord’s spell would fail, and his overall strength would be halved instantly.
With a high-pitched hum, Raon extended a finger to steady the trajectory of Heavenly Drive as it shuddered against the wall of mana. The razor-sharp edge of Heavenly Drive plummeted toward the Dragon Lord’s neck. Amidst a world-shaking roar, the Dragon Lord fully awakened and tried to contort his body to evade the strike, but the sword had already buried itself deep into his flesh.
Even the scales and skeletal structure of a dragon, famed as the most durable substances in existence, crumbled before the sheer might of the Whispering Wind.
[KROOOOOO!]
A pained shriek erupted from the Dragon Lord as he reared up, his body wracked with agony.
"Hmm..."
Raon pressed his lips together as he caught the returning Heavenly Drive, now slick with the Dragon Lord’s crimson lifeblood.
'What went wrong?'
A massive wound gaped in the Dragon Lord’s neck, yet his internal mana remained largely stable. He was wounded, certainly, but it wasn't a killing blow.
'I am certain I targeted the exact coordinate of the Dragon Heart.'
There was no possibility of a technical error in his aim. He had struck precisely where the Dragon Heart should have been seated, leaving him baffled as to why the core remained intact.
[That was a close call.]
The Dragon Lord seemed to stabilize, his pupils glowing with an intense golden fire.
[Had I not relocated my Dragon Heart to another part of my frame, that would have been the end of me.]
He let out a breath of relief, admitting he had only survived by shifting his core away from its standard position in the neck.
[To think a mere human would manage to reach this sanctum and strike at my throat.]
The Dragon Lord let out a dry, mocking huff, clearly surprised by the turn of events.
[And to do so with the betrayal of my own kin.]
He shifted his frigid gaze toward Bartius and the four other dragons.
[I assume all the Ancient Dragons who held my seals have perished?]
The Dragon Lord stared at Bartius, seeking confirmation for what he already sensed.
"That is..."
"Correct."
Raon moved to the front, shielding Bartius.
"I am the one who ended them."
He spoke with calm conviction, acknowledging the deaths of the three Ancient Dragons: Igni Serpang of the Red Clan, Azgoros of the Blue Clan, and Trosowr of the Black Clan.
[Raon Zieghart, was it?]
The Dragon Lord locked onto Raon, baring his mountainous fangs.
[I truly should have extinguished your life during our first encounter!]
He ground his teeth with such violence that the surrounding space began to warp, filled with the regret of letting Raon live.
"I've heard that particular regret from so many people I've lost count."
Raon gave a nonchalant shrug, cleaning the Dragon Lord’s blood from his blade with a quick flick.
"The problem is, none of them actually succeeded."
He let a smirk play on his lips, signaling his belief that the Dragon Lord would be no different.
"So, what kind of spell were you cooking up while hiding in here like a cornered rodent?"
Raon looked up at the Dragon Lord with a mocking grin.
"Was it something designed to wipe out the human race?"
Though he spoke with a light tone, he had hit upon a motive the Dragon Lord was very likely harboring.
[...]
The Dragon Lord remained silent, merely venting plumes of gray vapor from his snout in a clear display of irritation.
"...Are you serious?"
Raon let out a sharp, incredulous laugh at the Dragon Lord’s silence.
"You were actually planning a genocide? For what possible reason?"
The sheer absurdity of the plan made him instinctively clench his jaw.
[Because the humans of this era are nothing but a parasitic blight.]
The Dragon Lord’s breath turned icy.
[The only path forward is to purge them and begin anew. Perhaps it is better if the concept of humanity is erased from the world entirely.]
He spoke these horrific words—words a supposed neutral arbiter should never utter—with cold, calculating eyes.
"Lord!"
Bartius bit his lip and stepped toward the Dragon Lord.
"How could you fall this far? No matter the flaws of humanity, it is not within our right to seek their annihilation!"
He pleaded with his leader, insisting that such destruction was a violation of their sacred duty as mediators.
"I agree completely!"
Valasiur, the Red Dragon, ground his teeth.
"There are plenty of humans I’d like to tear apart, but a mediator cannot commit such an atrocity!"
He scowled, echoing Bartius's confusion over the Lord’s descent into madness.
"Lord! I beg of you, reconsider this path!"
Sirtiren, the Blue Dragon, pressed her palms together, showing her reluctance to raise a hand against her sovereign.
"It’s a waste of breath. The old lizard has completely lost his mind."
Dariauran, the Black Dragon, let out a weary sigh as corrosive energy began to swirl around him.
"I suspected it would come to this from the start. Diplomacy was never an option."
Bursiarabi, the White Dragon, clicked his tongue and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
[I will grant you one final opportunity.]
The Dragon Lord lifted his head, looking down at Bartius.
[Submit to me now and execute these humans. Do so, and I shall absolve you of your treachery!]
Despite the offer of mercy, he exuded a bloodlust so thick it suggested he might slaughter them regardless of their choice.
"Raon Zieghart."
After a long silence, Bartius shifted his eyes toward Raon.
"I am placing my trust in you."
He gave a resolute nod, signaling his absolute refusal to obey the Lord’s command.
"Just watch."
Raon offered a faint, confident smile and walked forward.
"You’ve truly gone off the deep end."
He shook his head slowly, meeting the Dragon Lord’s frozen stare.
"Let’s put an end to this messy history before you sink any lower."
He unsheathed the Wooden Ring Sword as well, preparing for a full-scale battle.
"I’m fairly certain I can take your head this time."
[Cease your arrogance.]
A lethal spark ignited in the Dragon Lord’s eyes.
[Had your strike actually shattered my Dragon Heart, the resulting explosion would have erased every living soul in this dimension.]
He scoffed, claiming he had only permitted the Whispering Wind to land because he had moved his core.
[I shall cease the cultivation of 'that magic' and focus every bit of my power on your death!]
As the Dragon Lord roared the word "power," the dark dimension buckled as if it were about to implode. A tidal wave of mana erupted, so dense and oppressive it made the skin crawl.
'So this is the true shadow of the Dragon Lord...'
Raon felt a shiver run down his spine at the sheer weight of the Lord’s presence.
'This is terrifying. In a straight contest of raw energy, I still haven't caught up to him.'
Feeling it firsthand made the reality clear. As the legends suggested, the Lord occupied a realm of power far beyond any other dragon.
'But that doesn't matter.'
Because his arsenal wasn't limited to just sword techniques. And...
'That opening gambit wasn't a total failure.'
The Dragon Lord was putting on a show of absolute dominance, but his mana flow had a subtle tremor. The Whispering Wind must have left a hairline fracture on the Dragon Heart.
With a gaping throat wound and a damaged core, the Dragon Lord wouldn't be able to maintain his peak performance for long.
"Time to start."
Raon leveled both Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword toward the void. With a bone-shaking rumble, the dimension boiled over as a golden sun and a silver moon ascended into the dark sky. Bathed in that celestial light, Raon confronted the Dragon Lord, wielding a sword of divine fire and a blade of demonic frost. The universe itself groaned under the pressure.
The Divine-Demonic Harmony, which Raon was utilizing for the first time since his emotional breakthrough, filled him with a sense of limitless authority. A casual swing of the Divine Sword carved through the fabric of the dimension, leaving a trail of solar fire like a comet's tail.
[Keuuuh!]
The Dragon Lord grunted in surprise, clearly shocked by the extent of Raon’s evolution. Man stood against dragon. Despite the staggering difference in scale, Raon’s presence didn't waver for a second. If anything, his sheer resolve to emerge victorious was the more overwhelming force.
[KROOOOO!]
The Dragon Lord let out a roar and unleashed a beam of golden energy—a concentrated, lethal manifestation of the Heavenly Drive breath.
"You’re far too loud."
Raon blurred forward, shattering the sound barrier, and brought both blades down. The dual strikes, wreathed in the power of the heavens and lightning, collided with the divine light. A cataclysmic explosion tore through the silence of the void.
