Chapter 131
Alter and Brillie crossed the western lands and arrived at the region where the battle had taken place.
Not only was the terrain twisted, but scorch marks from lightning strikes were scattered all about.
Nearly every tree in the forest had been incinerated, and water no longer flowed from the riverside.
Not only beasts, but even humans had been swept away by electric currents, transformed into pitch-black corpses.
"Did it really have to go this far? They could have just passed by..."
"They probably didn't want to leave any enemies behind. Or perhaps it was a display of power."
"To frighten everyone?"
"That way, it'll be easier to invade. If they're overwhelmed by fear, no one will even think of resisting."
Alter surmised generally and examined the soldiers.
With such carnage laid out before their eyes, the terror of death would be imprinted upon them.
Some, having survived a dragon's assault, would surely be spreading fearful rumors by now.
"So, should we see this as more brutal than other dragons?"
"In the end, it might appear that way... but I doubt it's very different. Did Benelrode the Incandescent or Grafden the Deep ever try to spare humans?"
"I can't imagine they'd go out of their way to save them."
"It's just that Mwin the Thunderstorm happens to be in a more favorable position. Mwin isn't wounded, nor are they slow-moving."
Alter evaluated Mwin the Thunderstorm with calm clarity.
All dragons were probably similar in raw strength, and their temperaments wouldn't differ much either.
Of course, Ru the Luminescent and Lailnetia the Devouring had to be considered separately, but until he met them himself, they remained just a hypothesis.
"If it attacks from the air... it's going to be hard to respond."
"Even if the soldiers shoot arrows, it'll be hard to hit. We might have to give up on close combat altogether."
"Still, with no other monsters present, we can focus solely on the dragon."
"That's certainly an advantage... but it's not as if there are none at all."
"It's because of the Knight of True Flame, isn't it?"
"Yes. At any moment, it could intervene. But I doubt it'll try to fight directly, like last time."
"He'll want to avoid clashing with you, Alter."
"Fighting us isn't a good choice. If he just intends to take the dragon's mana, he'll want to conserve their energy."
"They'll probably look for the moment our strength is spent, so they can swoop in later, right?"
"That's the usual tactic. They can just leave it up to us."
"It's tough. I don't know what we should do."
"..."
Alter, too, couldn't bring himself to offer a solution.
There was no clear weakness to exploit in Mwin the Thunderstorm, and the Knight of True Flame remained a persistent threat.
Simply facing one of them would be difficult enough; how should they even formulate a tactic?
"We'll have to watch a little longer. Not everyone's gathered yet, right?"
"Yes. Maybe a better approach will present itself."
Gazing forward, Alter muttered quietly.
In the not-so-distant distance, the mana of a dragon was being detected.
And it didn't seem like it ended with just a single presence—his suspicion grew deeper.
'Looks like the Knight of True Flame arrived first.'
He had crossed swords with the Knight of True Flame often enough to instantly recognize their mana.
It was similar to Benelrode the Incandescent's, yet subtly altered.
Why was Mwin the Thunderstorm allowing the Knight of True Flame to do as he pleased?
'Don't tell me... are they working together?'
Inadvertently, Alter conjured up the worst-case scenario.
The Knight of True Flame would not have forgotten that previous defeat.
Moreover, since he had failed to absorb mana from Grafden the Deep, perhaps he'd switched up his whole strategy.
'They might betray one another along the way, but it won't be easy.'
The Knight of True Flame had once attempted an ambush when Benelrode the Incandescent was weakened.
He had tried a similar tactic with Grafden the Deep, but were forced to retreat after interference.
If that mindset hadn't changed, the Knight would act independently at any moment.
'I can't predict what they'll do. Their objective could change at any moment...'
If he truly allied with Mwin the Thunderstorm, he would inevitably threaten humanity.
Perhaps it was just a means to an end, but fundamentally, it would require committing atrocities.
Perhaps, unconsciously, he craved power above all.
'If it comes to this, I can't blame Brillie as the cause. There might be another reason.'
The Knight of True Flame—Lang Couster—was a fearsome monster and a decisive variable.
He seemed to still harbor human emotion for now, but had not let go of his innate malice.
In truth, he was tangled in an unstable flow, and might one day carry out something extreme.
'Lang Couster... Just what did Brillie mean to you? Did you ever truly care for her?'
Alter even doubted the affection Lang Couster once harbored.
Disappointment from rejection could twist a person, but it shouldn't shatter one's identity as a human altogether.
Yet Lang Couster had thrown everything away, becoming a monster, isolating himself more and more.
'How far will you go before you're satisfied? What exactly are you trying to achieve?'
* * *
The Knight of True Flame had managed to persuade Mwin the Thunderstorm, entering a temporary alliance.
Though still facing suspicion, he found himself approaching it from a similar perspective.
Depending on the situation, Mwin could even attack first and inflict a fatal wound.
'What is there for me to do, if not risk my life?'
Since the moment he chose to become a monster, the Knight of True Flame no longer clung to life.
He considered himself a flame that could sputter out at any time.
Yet, since he once blazed passionately, he kept stoking that fire within, using himself as fuel.
'Even if I'm scattered as ash... wouldn't traces of my blaze remain?'
When a tree is completely incinerated, only blackened ash remains.
It means the tree has fulfilled its purpose, and can serve no further use.
Having exhausted all its flames and warmth, it's doomed to be discarded as residue.
'I've already become a wretched being. I must be outcast—my deeds are only fit for retribution.'
From the moment he attacked humans with mana granted by a dragon, his fate had been sealed.
He had wounded his master and illustrious clergy.
He'd even tried to strike down the woman who never returned his love, someone unfit for him in the first place.
Lang Couster now possessed not a trace of mercy.
'Yet the Sword Saint couldn't reach me. Nor could the holy apostles or the Sword Flower. They simply couldn't withstand the dragon's power.'
The Knight of True Flame was obsessed with surpassing Alter Radiant.
He had forsaken his humanity, yet Alter Radiant possessed the power of a dragon as a human.
For him, such an injustice could only be rectified by overwhelming strength.
'I can't be wrong. I must be right. Otherwise, I—...'
The existence of Alter Radiant disturbed him to his core.
Alter had everything Lang could not, and even bested him in might.
Therefore, he had to absorb the dragon's mana and twist that truth.
'I am not giving this up. Only through strength can I prove myself!'
Void, the Knight of True Flame cried out in anguish, crushing his own heart.
Alter Radiant would never understand.
To not be chosen, unable to seize what one desires, and to be cast aside without appeal.
But if his own strength was denied as well, could he really bear the weight of all he'd done?
'Isn't this enough already? What more will you take?'
Slowly, the Knight of True Flame gripped his sword hilt and drew it from its sheath.
The distance between him and the others was shrinking.
The silent sky had begun to roar with thunder. How could he claim what he wanted, without interference?
'Brillie... Are you going to fight me again, even knowing defeat awaits?'
* * *
Brillie stood alongside Megarexor, each holding their blade ready.
The dragons flying above would be handled by the great mage and the next great mage.
That meant she and the Sword Saint had to confront the traitor drunk on power.
"... Sword Flower."
"Yes."
"We were lucky last time. We can't rely on that again. The two of us will have to fight him."
"I know. I won't let us get beaten this time."
Brillie fixed her grip on the sword hilt, gazing at the foe wreathed in flames.
Her once-frozen arm had healed completely, and her dragon's mana had hardly diminished.
To fell such a monster, she would need to employ special power or technique.
'What's meant to be unleashed? How can I become stronger?'
Immersed in tension, Brillie recalled Alter's words.
She still didn't understand, but held onto a modest hope.
To defeat the Knight of True Flame, she would need overwhelming strength.
'I must win. There are things I have yet to achieve.'
Recalling her resolve, Brillie let her mana surge.
Lightning struck from all directions, but none could touch her.
With the great mage and next great mage restraining the dragons, this area was safe from interference—for now.
Therefore, she had to strike down the Knight of True Flame and hurry to rejoin her allies.
"..."
The Knight of True Flame seemed to hesitate for a moment, then stepped forward.
Though entangled with the past, he quickly suppressed it.
No matter the regret, if one blocks his path, he will cut them down.
"... Here he comes!"
Megarexor, having taken a defensive stance, lunged with his sword.
Brillie followed, focusing on the flame-imbued blade of the Knight.
Fierce flames erupted anew from the Knight of True Flame, but retreat was not an option.
'I must protect them. Only I can do this.'
Clad in firm intent to kill, Brillie swept aside the crimson flames.
Regardless of who the Knight of True Flame was, or his intentions, it no longer mattered.
She would cut him down as nothing more than an enemy who had to be defeated.
'Everything that threatens you must disappear.'
Icy air began flowing from her dagger, soon enveloping Brillie's blade.
The Knight of True Flame acknowledged the cold, but calmly suppressed it.
If he'd not obtained the dragon's strength, he might have been vulnerable—but now, even this cold could not extinguish his flames.
'Without you, I—...'
Brillie, wreathed in fire, held her ground.
At first, she'd seen him as a sickly nuisance; now he was a chosen companion to spend her life with.
He had already burrowed so deeply into her heart that release was impossible now.
So, she had to press on, determined, for her fiancé.
'You are everything to me. So...'
An alien aura began to flow from Brillie's sword, consuming the flames.
Violet-forged mana surged forth endlessly, making even Megarexor stop short in surprise.
The Knight of True Flame, glimpsing the violet light, instinctively leapt back.
"This is..."
Seized by fear, the Knight of True Flame quickly widened the gap between them.
An emotion beyond rational control sent shudders down his spine.
His very core, his dragon's mana, refused even to touch that violet power.
'That's not Brillie's mana. No... That's a power no human should possess. What in the world has she done?'