Chapter 363: Battle with the Platinum Dragon (2)

[You dumbass! Don’t charge at him...!!] Allen shouted in disbelief, but it was too late, for Karyl had already lunged at his foe.

[Shit...! Duaat, lend me more power!]

Knowing he couldn’t stop him, Allen gathered all the mana he could muster. As always, his role was to clear the path for Karyl to move forward.

Shraaah...!!!

A curtain of black mist fell, seemingly to shield Karyl from the Platinum Dragon’s magic.

“I don’t know how much this will help...”

Crack...!! Crackle...!!

The black mist sparked and sizzled the moment it made contact with the mana surrounding the Platinum Dragon. Allen’s wall vanished akin to a burning curtain, leaving a faint wisp of dark smoke.

It had lasted a second, perhaps even less.

Flash—!!

But in a fight of this caliber, a split second was plenty of time.

Thud, thud, thud...!!

Karyl leapt into the air, using the long wooden branches that had just grown around the Platinum Dragon to propel himself upward, and brought his elbow crashing down on the dragon’s head.

With a heavy thud, the Platinum Dragon’s head jerked downward.

Bang!!

Crash...!!

Karyl kept up the relentless assault. Planting his right foot on the dragon’s shoulder, he leapt up and spun, delivering a powerful kick to his face. Then, landing gracefully after a backflip, Karyl instantly surged back forward, his speed greater than before.

Colorless Air Sword: The Second stance

The Platinum Dragon flapped his wings and backed away slightly, lashing out with his tail to put some distance between them. However, Karyl ducked, letting the tail sweep over him as he slid across the ground with his palm brushing the earth.

Woosh!

Having infiltrated the dragon’s defense, Karyl swung his blade upward with all his might, slashing his thigh. Using the hand on the ground to pivot, he leapt up again, slashing fiercely as he ascended.

“Graaaahhh...!!”

His blade carved through the dragon’s brilliant scales, sending them crashing to the ground in a spray of crimson. The Platinum Dragon roared, baring his fangs and lunging at Karyl to bite him.

Crunch!!

At that moment, trees were uprooted and hurled at the dragon’s head. The sturdy trunks snapped apart on impact, shattering to pieces, but more followed, firing like bullets toward the dragon.

Bang! Bang!! Crash...!!

Each time Allen waved his hand, the wooden pillars sharpened and struck the Platinum Dragon.

“...Unbelievable,” Python unwittingly muttered under his breath. Though he was a young dragon who hadn’t participated in the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, he had still lived for over hundreds of years. And in all his long life, he had never witnessed such a fierce battle.

When he first heard that his ancestor, Riseria, had been hunted down, Python dismissed it as nonsense, thinking the old dragon had just met her natural end. But now, seeing the Platinum Dragon in action, Python realized just how far beyond his reach this battle was.

Then... What’s with that human...?

Karyl wasn’t the only one surprised to discover that Neil Blanc and Narh Di Maug were two separate entities. Python was just as confused, and the other two dragons would likely have the same reaction.

The powerful draconic mana radiating from Neil Blanc was undoubtedly the same as the Platinum Dragon’s.

Draconic mana comes directly from a dragon's heart. You can’t possess such mana without possessing a dragon’s heart...

Python’s expression stiffened as he watched Neil Blanc.

In order to wield the Platinum Dragon’s power, one would need his heart. So how can the two of them coexist?

It made no sense. Aside from the fact that Karyl had known from his past life what appearance the Platinum Dragon would take, it made no sense for those two entities to share the same draconic power and exist simultaneously.

“...”

Python grew suspicious of the Platinum Dragon, although for a different reason.

Could it be because...?

In a moment of realization, a thought flashed through his mind, making him shiver. His gaze locked onto Neil Blanc.

Perhaps... that man is not human?

CRASH!!

The thunderous clash broke Python’s train of thought. He hastily spread his wings to take flight.

Narh Di Maug glared at Python as he retreated, disregarding his orders by leaving Neil Blanc behind. Yet Python kept flapping his wings to ascend higher, not looking back.

“Python!! What do you think you’re doing...?!”

“Aaah...!!”

Neil Blanc, who had been cowering under Narh Di Maug’s protection all this time, screamed and stumbled backward in fear. Karyl seized the opportunity and swung his sword with all his strength.

“Kaahhh...!!”

Narh Di Maug quickly slammed his massive tail onto the ground, putting a wall between Karyl and Neil Blanc.

“You foolish creature...!!”

The ground cracked beneath the weight of the heavy tail, scattering dust and rocks in every direction. The impact hurled Neil Blanc off his feet—and just as he was about to hit the ground, he suddenly stopped, suspended in the air.

“...!!!”

Startled, Neil Blanc looked ahead.

“This way, sir.”

A calm voice cut through the chaos, belonging to a handsome man who stood unperturbed even in the midst of the dragons.

“We’ll escort you. It’s dangerous out here, Sir Neil Blanc.”

The man, with his distinctive azure hair—a feature incredibly rare on the continent—wore a robe adorned with the swirling emblem of the Imperial Academy. Placing a hand over his chest, he bowed slightly to Neil Blanc.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He was Repin Serga.

Despite his youth, he had ascended to the rank of a 7th Class Great Sorcerer, becoming the second Great Sorcerer of the empire. The Serga family had a peculiar tradition of passing the family name to the head of the house—an uncommon practice among noble families.

While most would inherit the title upon the death of their predecessor, Repin’s father, Juan Serga, had passed the Serga name to his son while still alive, recognizing his exceptional rise to the 7th Class.

Repin had made his inherited name synonymous with excellence, spreading it across the continent more than any of his predecessors, and thus fulfilling his father’s expectations.

“...”

He stared at Karyl and the Platinum Dragon with a detached expression.

So that’s the one my master spoke of. How many on this continent could fight a dragon single-handedly like that...? I may have reached the 7th Class, but compared to him, I’ve been living in a bubble.

Until now, Repin had viewed the Mana Blades wielded by knights as the crudest, most unseemly use of mana. To him, mana was a blessing, a gift—the one thing that truly embodied the worth of an imperial. He carried a deep sense of superiority, considering even Sword Masters beneath sorcerers.

However, that belief had just been shattered. Having seen Karyl clash with the dragon, Repin found himself questioning whether he could wield mana in such a way. The sight made him wonder if he had been mistaken all along.

He’s a swordsman, and yet his mana is beyond the 7th Class. I always thought that swordsmanship and magic were incompatible... But there are no absolutes in this world, and there are always exceptions.

Repin Serga, an extraordinarily talented individual, had never found a true rival. But in this moment, something welled up inside him—a fervent desire to go against Karyl and test his own limits.

But... he’ll probably die here anyway.

Repin clicked his tongue and turned away. “Inform the rear units. From now on, we focus on breaking through the frontlines with full force. Prioritize rejoining the main force as quickly as possible, and all Academy units should focus on protecting the supply units above all else.”

“Yes, sir!”

The sorcerers in matching robes behind him bowed in unison at his command.

“Let’s go.”

Repin cast a shield spell around Neil Blanc.

...Hmm?

He tilted his head for a moment, as if something felt off, but he quickly turned back and guided Neil Blanc away.

Afterward, he cast a projection spell, and soon, the sorcerers—including Repin and Neil Blanc—vanished from sight.

Serga... So he was here after all.

Karyl sensed the disappearance of the two. He couldn’t shake the frustration of not being able to kill Neil Blanc because of Narh Di Maug’s interference. Worse still, the one who had rescued him was none other than Repin Serga—a most sinister individual, despite his refined appearance.

There’s nothing I can do about it now.

But there was no time to chase after them, not with the Platinum Dragon still towering over him.

Karyl tightened his grip on his sword and surged forward, his speed even greater than before.

Whoosh—!!!

As he raised his palm toward the sky, the blade of Lakna extended and spun. Then, with a flick of the sword, flickering flames scattered like will-o'-the-wisps.

“Ptuh...!” Karyl spat out a blood clot and then launched himself forward. With each step, blue smoke dispersed, as though his feet scorched the earth.

The Fifth Stance: Spirale Serpent Posture

Boom!!!

But the Platinum Dragon had been waiting for this moment, slamming his massive paw onto the ground. Rocks and towering trees shattered, leaving only a spray of blackened, charred soil.

Crash!!

Subsequently, the impact caused the ground to collapse, leaving a massive crater as though a massive earthquake had struck.

“...!!”

Despite the fierce onslaught, the Platinum Dragon raised his head in alarm, realizing Karyl was no longer there.

Thud—!!

Karyl zigzagged up the airborne rock fragments, and before long, he had maneuvered around to the back of the Platinum Dragon.

“Huff...!”

Karyl took a deep breath and steadied himself midair. The blue serpent coiled around Lakna’s blade, its edge dripping with something sticky.

“At last...! It has haunted me all this time... the fact that I couldn’t slit your throat when you betrayed us in the Great War...” Mael hissed with grim satisfaction.

Shrrkk—!!

With all his might, Karyl drove Lakna deep into the Platinum Dragon’s neck.

“KRAAAHHHH...!!”

This time, it wasn’t a roar of rage, but one of agony that erupted from the dragon’s maw.

In that moment, a blinding light enveloped the Platinum Dragon, and dozens of magic circles emerged around him, as if to protect him from further harm.

“You...”

Sensing the strange power, Karyl’s expression hardened.

“Just as I thought.”

While the Platinum Dragon writhed and struggled, Karyl flashed him a knowing smirk, as though his assumption had just been confirmed.

“You possess two kinds of mana.”

As if trying to silence him, the magic circles shifted, their focus now directed at Karyl. He quickly pulled the sword from the dragon’s neck and leapt backward.

“Huh...”

“Kroaaaaarrr...!!”

Narh Di Maug let out a sharp roar, his massive jaws snapping wide open.