Chapter 132
The Knight of True Flame unwittingly realized an inevitable outcome.
If he were to be struck by that pale violet mana, his body would be mercilessly torn apart.
A forceful, fatal injury would descend upon him, and in the end, it might surely result in instant death.
'We must not fight. That is mana that extinguishes my very existence.'
Strictly speaking, it should be called a power that eradicates the source of evil.
From that faint, pale violet glow, a will to annihilate wicked darkness seeped out.
Thus, it sought to erase, through death, the dragon that intended to destroy this world.
'I feel it clearly. Brillie has steeled herself.'
Because of this, the Knight of True Flame had no choice but to retreat.
He had intended only to leave Brillie with minor wounds, preventing her from continuing the fight.
But Brillie would come at him with the intent to annihilate, and he could not simply ignore that pale violet aura.
He was certain: this was a fight he had to avoid at any cost.
'Only if I was given more power would I be able to withstand that mana.'
Staring blankly at Brillie, the Knight of True Flame then spread his flames wide.
Then, after hiding his presence, he immediately withdrew from the scene.
Megarexor started to pursue right away, but then immediately recalled the presence of the dragon.
"... Let's go back. The dragon must be subdued first."
"Yes. We should resolve that side first."
While keeping her guard up, Brillie belatedly withdrew her pale violet mana.
Megarexor turned his back and began to hurry back as well.
'I've never seen mana like this. Or rather... can it even be called mana?'
Megarexor, lost in thought, glanced at Brillie from the corner of his eye.
For a brief moment, Brillie had infused her entire blade with pale violet mana.
Previously, she had only ever manifested blue-colored mana; why had the hue suddenly changed?
'It is mana, but not mana. Isn't it too unfamiliar?'
Megarexor was feeling a sharp alienation from Brillie's mana.
Though he had never studied magic, as a swordsman he could distinguish the basic characteristics of mana.
He had witnessed mana wielded by countless knights, but never had he come across such a bizarre phenomenon.
'That guy ran away as soon as he saw that mana. There must be something I don't know.'
By virtue of his years and intuition, Megarexor had grasped the truth.
This battle had certainly favored the Knight of True Flame.
Only Brillie and he had intervened, while the great mage and the next great mage had to deal with the dragon.
Of course, the two could lend assistance at their discretion, but they could not put decisive pressure on the Knight of True Flame.
'I knew the Sword Flower's talent was outstanding. But in this respect, even I can't properly gauge it.'
Megarexor was purely evaluating Brillie's ability as a swordsman.
He was only more skilled in swordsmanship than Brillie, but could never match her in innate battle instincts or density of mana.
If even a bit more time passed at this rate, Brillie would soon surpass even the title of Sword Saint.
'... If it's Sword Flower, she might even be able to cut down a dragon.'
* * *
Ru the Luminescent was observing the battle being waged by Mwin the Thunderstorm.
Surely, it was an attack on humans targeting the very root of this world.
Given the source of information, it was most likely Lailnetia the Devouring had intervened.
'Lailnetia... you know far too much.'
Of course, that sentiment was understandable.
No one would want to be played by predetermined endings.
But the cycle of the world—the law of the universe—was solidified as an unyielding fate.
'The more you try to defy fate, the more you become bound by its flow. So in the end, you too... hmm?'
Ru the Luminescent suddenly caught sight of something and his golden eyes flashed.
A power that denied malevolent darkness was faintly manifesting.
But above all, it was a human who harbored that power, which was surprising enough in itself.
'I did think this was unusual... Is she of the Sacred Radiance Lineage?'
Ru the Luminescent watched Brillie, reading her aura.
A noble and subtle pale violet glow was faintly radiating from her body.
It was the unquestionable color of the Radiance, and a fragment of a celestial body born from the cosmos.
'The Radiance touches darkness. That is why it can sever darkness.'
Countless stars and worlds exist beyond the universe.
The world of Hazlodein was but a small part of that, subsumed within the concept of the universe.
Thus the Radiance, and the relativity of darkness, always culminate in the fate of annihilating malevolence.
'If she is of the Sacred Radiance Lineage, she can eradicate dragons.'
Not even a dragon can shatter the law of nature of the universe.
The Radiance breaks through even immense mana, shattering inner darkness.
Thus, even a dragon cannot escape death.
'Lailnetia, the same goes for even you.'
Lailnetia the Devouring transformed her body in order to destroy the world.
Thus, ordinary attacks were useless, and only by annihilating the root of her mana could one finally bring her death.
But with the power of Radiance, perhaps even that devouring darkness could be severed.
'You must have sensed your final moments. But you cannot intervene in the process leading to the conclusion.'
If life is born, there will someday come a time for it to end in death.
Thus, an ending is prepared for each being, and none can escape that cycle.
But Lailnetia the Devouring was rejecting the fate given to her.
'I can see that process. You will be destroyed by the Radiance.'
Ru the Luminescent suddenly looked at Alter Radiant and remembered Tiksa the Frostbane.
The descendants of Tiksa, alongside the Sacred Radiance Lineage, once slew the dragons.
Perhaps the seven dragons of Hazlodein were destined to meet their end in this world.
'I will watch to the end. My own fate has yet to conclude.......'
Ru the Luminescent would not leave this world until the remaining dragons had been annihilated.
Even if he himself were swept away by the Radiance, he would accept it humbly.
That was his duty and destiny.
'In order to destroy this world, I must first be restrained. But what can you do, Lailnetia.......'
* * *
Alter was suppressing the lightning alongside Alraune.
Mwin the Thunderstorm soared through the sky, manifesting the attribute of thunder, and as a result, endless currents flashed forth.
Had any soldiers been nearby, they surely would have died instantly from electrocution.
"Society Head, is it all right to launch an offensive now?"
"I will hold him off, so focus on your breath."
Alraune layered up earthen walls, trying to track the direction of the lightning strikes.
The earth attribute excelled more at defense than offense, making it difficult to respond to flying enemies.
Thus, while protecting both himself and Alter, he was seeking an opportunity to counterattack.
"Still, if I use my breath, wouldn't it be better to dodge instead?"
"Don't worry. I've already set up the coordinates."
"Coordinates... are you planning to distort space?"
"With two of us, we can cast it quickly."
Before the battle began, Alraune pre-assigned coordinates for a spatial distortion spell.
Spatial distortion magic consumed a massive amount of mana, but could perfectly evade enemy attacks.
At the same time, it would force the enemy to waste mana and create psychological pressure.
"Are you trying to confuse him?"
"The dragon underestimates us. If we make him think we can avoid his breath, he won't use it so freely."
"But it's difficult to hit a target moving through the air like that. Don't we first need to bring him down to the ground?"
"That's exactly the problem. How can we bring him down?"
Alraune narrowed his brow, glancing around.
Mwin the Thunderstorm was unleashing thunder attributes unilaterally, also neutralizing the attacks from both himself and Alter.
Since they couldn't match his mobility, they needed to restrain him by any means and finish it in one blow.
"He never gives us enough time to freeze him... it's very difficult."
"Even when an attack lands, he breaks free right away. We can't do a thing like this."
"Shouldn't we target the moment he uses his breath?"
"Hm... it's quite risky, but I suppose there is no other way."
Alraune reluctantly agreed and spread a mass of fire wide.
This meant they now had to induce Mwin the Thunderstorm to use his breath first.
If they then attacked his wings, he would be unable to withstand the shock and fall immediately.
"If only he can't fly......."
Alter suddenly sensed a change in mana and turned his gaze.
The Knight of True Flame had concealed his presence, and Brillie and Megarexor were approaching.
Could it really be that those two had managed to repel the Knight of True Flame?
"Did you sense it too? Seems it ended well."
"It could have been a ruse, could it not?"
"The possibility isn't small, but if we withdraw now, the dragon will concentrate its attack on us. Unless he has betrayed Mwin, he must have retreated."
"Betraying now could also be a strategy. Doesn't he need to steal the dragon's mana?"
"But for that, the situation is still......"
Alraune, feeling the familiar oppressive aura, fixed his gaze on Mwin the Thunderstorm.
Mwin the Thunderstorm was suspended in the sky, condensing mana.
He was surely preparing a breath attack in their direction.
"Will you attack first?"
"Yes. I will make sure to hit."
"Understood. I'll wait for your signal."
Trusting in Alter, Alraune delayed the use of the spatial distortion spell.
If he cast the spatial spell first, Mwin the Thunderstorm would react immediately.
Additionally, a sudden change in the environment would throw off his aim.
In other words, after Alter froze the wings first, they had to escape from the area of the breath attack.
"Haaa......."
Alter conjured an ice horn and ice wings, closing one eye.
At the same time, a magic circle appeared and the direction was meticulously aligned.
If he failed to bring the dragon down at this point, the situation would become unfavorable and a prolonged battle would ensue.
'If I can bring him down and launch a joint attack right after.......'
Acting as he thought, Alter fired a highly compressed burst of cold air.
A brilliant yellow beam shot down straight from the sky.
Cold and electricity intertwined, each spreading toward their target.
"Grr!"
Alraune wrapped the area in mana, hurriedly distorting space.
He could not tell if Alter's attack had hit.
Right now, he was simply doing everything he could to evade and survive.
'That mana is.......'
Even amidst transitioning his body, Alter could not take his eyes off the scene.
His breath had hit Mwin the Thunderstorm, the left wing gradually freezing.
From the opposite side, a pale violet sword aura surged forth, severing the right wing.
'This is a mana I've never seen before. Could it be Brillie who used it?'
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Teamwork makes the dream work...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】