Chapter 119
Chapter 119
No one answered those words.
They simply waited for the battle to begin, each one brimming with mana.
The Knight of True Flame stood still for a moment, then finally took a step forward.
"... So it comes to this after all."
The Knight of True Flame glared at the Sword Saint and holy apostle, then immediately shot out flames.
No doubt the Sword Saint and holy apostle intended to engage him at close range.
Two would buy time, Sword Flower would assist, and the next great mage would launch an attack.
Given each person's traits and experience, it was inevitable that the battle would be structured like this.
'I'll have to neutralize the cold with my flames to protect my body. But I won't focus on defense alone like last time.'
In the eastern territory, he had only been pressured by the next great mage's frost.
But now, after absorbing the dragon's mana, he could respond more calmly.
However, first he needed to overcome the condition of having to face four opponents at once.
'We can't approach like this. One of them needs to be brought down first.'
The Knight of True Flame switched between defense and evasion, casting his gaze between the two.
The Sword Saint and holy apostle held firm with support from Sword Flower and the next great mage.
A flanking maneuver or sudden attack wouldn't work; he would need to force a direct confrontation.
'The most dangerous opponent for me is... Alter Radiant.'
Among the four powerful foes, the Knight of True Flame was especially wary of the next great mage.
Of all the opponents he had faced, she alone had shaken his mana.
She had even neutralized a dragon's breath, placing her on an overwhelmingly higher level in many ways.
'But she won't be easy to take down.'
The Knight of True Flame subconsciously glanced at Sword Flower.
Sword Flower would surely resist to protect her fiancé.
Unless he left at least a minor wound, they would barely be able to drive her away.
'It seems I have no choice but to make a decision...'
Wrestling with inner conflict, the Knight of True Flame unleashed a torrent of fire.
He could not achieve results without paying a suitable price.
How long did he have to keep suppressing himself, bound by the past?
'Even if I regret this moment later, I will not abandon myself.'
At last, the Knight of True Flame gripped his sword hilt and swung rapidly.
With every precise sword strike, flames rained down.
Megarexor was briefly pushed back by the ferocity, but soon countered with his blade.
"Hup!"
Megarexor tried desperately to parry the onslaught, but mana etched into his sword was already beginning to fade.
Even as he coordinated attacks with Megarexor, Ronit unconsciously recognized the overwhelming difference in strength.
'He's this strong...?'
Ronit beat back the surging flames and kept punching.
But the inferno never waned, and—within moments—a sharp sword strike came flying at him.
Despite fighting four powerful opponents, the Knight of True Flame maintained an impregnable stance.
'His skill in swordsmanship is truly advanced...'
Ronit briefly lost the flow of the attack and instinctively sensed peril.
In that instant, a flame-streaming blade drove inward.
At this rate, his left leg would be cut through.
"Huu...."
Brillie Illenat barely managed to twist her blade aside and block the attack.
If she had moved any later, her ally would have been wounded.
Perhaps Megarexor had foreseen this situation and left the support role to her.
"..."
The Knight of True Flame immediately withdrew his sword and traced a new arc.
With each strike, brilliant red light surged forth ceaselessly.
With practiced swordsmanship augmenting the dragon's flames, he exuded sheer overwhelming power.
"This... only makes things more complicated."
The Knight of True Flame shifted stances rapidly, then struck his blade into the ground.
A torrential blaze erupted from his sword, engulfing the area.
Megarexor and Ronit quickly unleashed their mana, but the Knight of True Flame was already charging.
'He's powerful, but... a human, after all.'
The Knight of True Flame swung his sword repeatedly, masking enemy vision with fire.
Even his flames could not be lightly deflected, and his resolve was set.
By giving up his humanity, he had reached a realm more transcendent than any other.
"Grrk!"
"Hngh!"
Megarexor retreated rapidly, a fresh wound on his right shoulder.
Ronit saw blood seeping from his gauntlet and struggled with a sudden sense of crisis.
"You're next. If you don't want to die, get out of the way."
The Knight of True Flame turned his sword toward Brillie Illenat.
Brillie was tense, but had no intention of yielding to a mere threat.
'Can I endure this...?'
* * *
Alter recognized that the situation had become quite unfavorable.
Though not seriously wounded, two comrades were already under severe threat from the Knight of True Flame.
Moreover, the flames now blocked even her own frost; no effective counter came to mind.
'It's not like before. Has he really grown stronger thanks to the dragon's mana?'
Alter was seized by the impulse to unleash her Breath.
If she fired a breath attack, even the Knight of True Flame would likely be fatally wounded.
But if he evaded, or regenerated a wounded area, even that might prove useless.
'The Frost Witch replaced her severed parts with ice. Then, perhaps the Knight of True Flame could do something similar...'
She was not certain, but it was a clear possibility.
Tiksa the Frostbane and Benelrode the Incandescent were both classified as dragons; their inherent mana likely shared similarities.
Moreover, while the Frost Witch had committed evil while consumed by madness, the Knight of True Flame remained rational.
On the contrary, if he willingly abandoned portions of his body and fought fearlessly, she and Brillie might be completely overpowered.
'If we keep fighting, there'll only be more injuries.'
Already, the Sword Saint and holy apostle had been wounded.
For now, the damage was minor, but it could soon escalate to serious injuries.
In the worst case, they might die—and she would lose her strength to oppose the enemy.
'Brillie... she might die, too.'
Alter, unable to calm her emotions, looked at Brillie Illenat.
She had survived countless battles and even a dragon's breath.
Yet now, with two powerful fighters suddenly pushed back, a vague terror loomed in her mind.
'I can't tell her to run. She can't, and she mustn't.'
As the next great mage, Alter stood here in place of the current great mage, carrying an official mandate as one of the continent's strongest.
Brillie, having inherited the title of Sword Flower, also could not retreat.
If they survived while leaving the foe behind, they would face scorn not only from the royal family but from commoners as well.
'If only I were stronger...'
For the first time, Alter recognized her own weakness.
Maybe it was because she'd long suffered a curse, or lacked enough time to train magic, or never realized her draconic heritage.
Whatever the excuse, nothing would change the outcome.
Only the disparity between strength and weakness grew, and victors and losers diverged.
'What am I supposed to do now...?'
"Ugh..."
Brillie Illenat, driven onto the defensive, met her enemy's attack head-on.
Megarexor and Ronit had returned to the fray, but could not regain their previous balance.
Embraced by fire, the Knight of True Flame steadily pressed his advantage.
"This is your final warning. It ends with my next attack."
"You think I'll lose to the likes of you?"
Brillie poured mana into her blade and unleashed a wave of sword energy.
But the Knight of True Flame crushed even that and raised his sword high.
"You only realize the truth by experiencing it."
With cold fury, the Knight of True Flame brought the blade down.
The Sword Saint and holy apostle surged in from either side, but flames already kept them at bay.
As the next great mage's frost continued to be neutralized, no one could interfere.
"..."
Brillie Illenat moved with all her strength—but sensed she could not dodge.
Even the cold pouring from her dagger couldn't block that sword strike.
She had to minimize her injuries and prepare for the next engagement.
'Alter...'
Brillie Illenat, almost unconsciously, thought of how she would appear to her fiancé.
Her hands were already rough and callused; now there would be scars somewhere on her body.
Would her betrothed, Alter Radiant, accept those scars?
'As long as I don't die...'
"Ugh... aaargh..."
The Knight of True Flame suddenly flinched and staggered back.
It lasted only an instant, but a powerful surge of mana clearly fired in from behind.
Megarexor and Ronit could do nothing but watch in startled confusion.
"That was surprising."
"So that's why she was sent instead of the great mage."
"..."
Brillie Illenat, still silent, regarded the Knight of True Flame.
Somehow, the arm he had raised was now entirely frozen solid.
Not even fire could thaw it, and cracks slowly spread as time passed.
It looked as if not just the flesh, but the very soul inside had been frozen.
"As expected... you..."
The Knight of True Flame withdrew all flames and turned his gaze to Alter.
Alter conjured a magic circle and released concentrated frost at her enemy.
An icy horn now protruded from the left side of her head, and a single icy wing had sprouted from her right shoulder blade.
"Haa... haaa..."
Alter panted heavily, her eyes grave and resolute.
She hadn't even thought of a particular spell to use.
She had simply given form to her mana, driven by the single aim of saving Brillie.
'This is... Breath. I sense the dragon's mana.'
Certain now, the Knight of True Flame looked up at his right arm.
Draconic energy seeped from the frost encasing his limb.
It wasn't quite as potent as a real breath, but its outward form was unmistakably similar.
'So she possesses a dragon's power, too? I'd suspected as much...'
After hesitating a moment, the Knight of True Flame moved his left hand.
He then shattered his frozen right arm and tossed it away.
With the outcome decided, continuing the fight would only put him at a disadvantage.
Now, he had to worry more about his own safety than the dragon's power.
'I have to give up. I can't face all four of them in this state.'
The Knight of True Flame spread fire to confuse the enemy's vision, then slipped away unseen.
Alter, left somewhat exhausted, ended up on one knee.
'It's not easy to handle. I don't even know how I did it.'
Conscious of the horn on her forehead and the wing on her back, Alter grimaced.
These were characteristics of dragons.
Could it be that her draconic lineage had unlocked some of its potential?
'... Can I become even stronger than this?'