Chapter 187
Twin Heavens (3)
A piercing shriek sliced through the air as a massive sword, lined with razor-sharp spikes, swung with deadly intent.
The blade aimed for his throat, its serrated edge wrapped in a dark, ominous energy. Under normal circumstances, he would have drawn his holy sword and met the attack head-on. But not today.
“Hahaha! Now this is getting interesting!”
The sudden assault from the side, a clawed strike from a dragonkin, forced him to hold back. Drawing the holy sword would only sap his strength further.
“Tch.”
Dalen clicked his tongue and leapt back. The relentless pursuit of the dragonkin’s claws and the demon’s sword tip was relentless, but he paid it no mind.
“Return to the Abyss.”
With a skill that transcended the ordinary, he slipped through the fabric of space, moving dozens of meters in an instant. Not even a demon lord’s sword could catch him so easily.
Crash! Boom!
The spiked sword cleaved through a shadowy silhouette and the unfortunate rubble beneath it.
“Running away with such skill… Have you abandoned all pride as a warrior, indulging in the same petty tricks as Enaxagus’s minions?”
The demon lord, clad in dark armor, muttered as he swung his sword. Dalen smirked, his lips curling in defiance.
“And you think it’s fair to fight two against one with a demon lord’s badge? Your god must be so proud.”
”…You dare insult my master? Do you have a death wish?”
“Aren’t we already trying to kill each other?”
The helmet of the dark armor trembled with rage. It was a provocation that would anger anyone in his position.
[We have discovered the body of the archmage summoned by the Sky Fortress.]
The demon, who had joined the battle as soon as the domain was opened, was Tur Aradun, a demon lord who had consumed the body of one of the transcendents.
Known as the Grand Duke of the Infernal Armory, he was famed for his unwavering loyalty among the six grand dukes under Suum.
“We must end this quickly, Lord Taalmad,” the armored figure said, addressing the dragonkin beside him. The dragonkin’s slit eyes gleamed as he replied.
“Why the rush? The hunt is just getting fun.”
“Our forces are surrounded. The east is held by the high orcs, the west by the paladins. The southern wall stands firm, and we have blocked the northern retreat.”
“That’s for the lesser demons to handle…”
“Remember, our master’s command is to bring down the royal road of Charina, not to indulge in the thrill of the hunt.”
”…Tch, you’re no fun.”
The dragonkin bared his teeth, unable to refute the armored figure’s logic.
The high orcs, who had been secluded in the mountains for millennia, had suddenly emerged, riding tamed snow wolves and sweeping through the battlefield.
The paladins, who had been slaughtering demons, were breaking through the western lines, seemingly to join the defense of the walls.
And the third wall, where the defenders’ magical forces were concentrated, remained out of reach, with a dwarf on a young dragon bombarding them from above.
It was clear that they needed to finish this quickly and lend aid elsewhere.
With that realization, the dragonkin’s eyes darkened. He raised his claws, a low growl rumbling from his throat.
“The enemy wields dragon’s blood. Bring out the hunting weapons.”
“Very well. It’s been a while since we’ve hunted dragons.”
The dark-armored figure shifted his sword to his left hand and summoned a long spear from the air. The spear was covered in spikes, from tip to shaft. Dalen frowned at the sight.
[Be careful. That spear carries the curse of dragon slaying.]
“I know.”
How could he not?
Tur Aradun was the demon lord who managed the armory of Suum’s Infernal Palace. Though he didn’t indulge in cannibalism, he had claimed the lives of several characters who had crossed him.
[Those two demon lords have a history of slaying the dragon god’s vanguard before he joined the infernal ranks. They were once known among demons as the dragon-hunting brothers.]
“I know…”
[I’m not speaking idly. Even if it’s not their true form, they pose a grave danger to you. Be cautious.]
I know, I know. Dalen couldn’t help but chuckle at the dragon’s concerned voice echoing in his mind.
“You’ve become quite the worrier. Are you afraid I’ll die?”
[…Enough. I offer advice, and you respond with nonsense.]
“Thank you for your concern.”
[Just keep your eyes forward.]
The dragon’s voice sounded slightly sulky. Dalen chuckled softly and lifted his head.
Being cared for by someone wasn’t such a bad feeling.
Regardless of their motives or circumstances, it meant there was one more person who cared for him.
And that also meant the weight of responsibility on his shoulders had increased.
As much as they sought to protect him, he too had more to protect.
Whether it was their lives, their hearts, or the hopes of an ancient dragon.
“Hoo.”
A long exhale, followed by a deep inhale.
His muscles and organs, pushed to their limits, surged with hot blood, invigorating his limbs as he squeezed out the last of his strength.
Since the battle with the gray specter beyond his mind, it had been a long time since he had wagered his life in a true fight.
Not one, but two demon lords.
Monsters who had honed their skills under Suum for millennia.
The dragonkin, who had piled up corpses to create a sea of blood in the infernal realm.
And the living armor, who crafted and managed the endless weapons of the Infernal Palace.
They wielded weapons capable of slaying true dragons, while he had no armor, not even a weapon.
Even for Dalen, the odds of victory alone were slim.
‘Considering the limitations of this avatar, unable to unleash its full power without the support of infernal creatures… the odds are less than thirty percent.’
His mind quickly calculated the odds, drawing from countless battles and hundreds of memories.
A fight he was almost certain to lose.
Yet, his body burned with exhilaration.
It wasn’t strange. This reaction was proof of the path he had walked.
Looking back, there hadn’t been a single easy battle.
Since falling into this world, his life had been a series of impossible struggles.
From the duel with the archbishop fused with a demon to defeating the witch of ashes and the azure scales of the rift.
After traversing the labyrinth and eradicating Kalkas along with its infernal realm, he thwarted the schemes of the vine witch.
Recently, he had ended the high orc civil war, vanquished one of Suum’s six grand dukes, and faced the specter of a previous cycle.
There had been countless battles where the odds were uncertain, and each was a gamble with his life.
Had he retreated even once, he wouldn’t be who he was today.
All he could do was maximize his chances in this gamble.
So there was no hesitation in taking the final step.
Boom—
Ripples spread from his footsteps.
The dormant storm clouds in the sky began to rumble once more.
Even as the fear of death flickered in a corner of his mind, he didn’t deny it. He simply transformed it into a suitable level of tension.
Opening a domain was a miracle, a transcendental act of imposing one’s world onto reality.
It was a challenge to the laws of the world, permitted only to those who had accepted their past and faced the present.
If he couldn’t face his own heart, he wouldn’t have made it this far.
Moreover, he was now in a position to grasp the future glimpsed by the sixth-rank transcendents, beyond the past and present.
Zap—
He lightly tossed a bolt of lightning toward the sky.
It was a technique he had perfected long ago, “Soaring Lightning.”
As he watched the bolt pierce the crimson storm clouds, he sent the searing flames beneath his feet into the ashen earth.
“Red Flow.”
Rumble…
The two skies began to weep once more.
Even as a fifth-rank transcendent who had crafted a grand domain, fighting with an open domain was a significant drain on his power.
Especially after expending energy in the early stages of the battle and now opening a double domain for the first time.
“I’ll take the vanguard. Finish it well.”
“Understood. So, we’re dealing with a true dragon in human form.”
Despite being a formidable archdemon, the warrior and the armored figure divided their roles with practiced ease. Dalen, watching them, prepared to unleash the power that lay beyond his mind.
Time was running out for both sides.
Using the lightning and flames from his true form as a trigger, he pushed the power of his open domain to its peak. This was the last chance to face the two archdemons.
“Domain Resonance.”
“The Sky of the Sealed Snow Mountain.”
“The Ashen Sky of the End.”
“Dual Heavens.”
If they retreated now, there would be no next time.
Dalen’s eyes glowed with three colors as he enveloped himself in armor of flames. At that moment, the two archdemons charged forward, as if they had been waiting for this.
Boom—!
The ground where the warrior and the armored figure stood exploded, scattering debris everywhere.
Their physical forms surpassed the speed of sound, closing the dozens of meters between them in an instant.
With a wave of debris behind them, a sharp spear tip lunged forward.
“Thunderous Surge: Resonance.”
In that instant, dark clouds unleashed dozens of lightning pillars, striking the spear tip and halting its advance.
Just because he lacked an axe or a holy sword didn’t mean he couldn’t block their weapons.
If he could draw out a power as strong as those weapons and wield it with precision, it was as good as having a weapon in hand.
Crackling—!
The lightning didn’t stop with one strike. It continued to fall in succession, blocking the archdemons’ momentum with beams of light.
As the keeper of the armory, Dalen deftly maneuvered, sending bolts of lightning to intercept the spear that twisted and sought out blind spots.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
It was less a clash of spells and weapons, more like the collision of two mighty war machines.
The shockwaves exceeded the realm of sound, pulverizing stone and reshaping the battlefield with each strike.
“Haah!”
Ominous runes flared across the armor, accelerating its speed even further.
The demon’s hands seemed to multiply, leaving afterimages in their wake, driven by a desperate will to pierce through the lightning’s resistance.
Yet once more, a barrage of lightning thwarted even this final assault.
“Divine Thunder Tree.”
Crackling—!!
It was a bizarre sight: a rain of thunder from the vast dark clouds converging on a single point on the ground.
It was as if a tree of lightning, rooted in the ashen earth, stretched its branches skyward, its tips adorned with leaves of storm clouds.
Even the archdemon’s mighty blow couldn’t penetrate this massive form and was forced to halt.
“Return to the Abyss.”
In the midst of this, a shadow flickered.
The next moment, Dalen emerged from the towering branches of the divine tree, shrouded in ashen shadows, and spoke.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Rumble…
The tree of lightning began to roar.