Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Crazy.

I was certain that taking a direct hit from that would mean instant death. From the start, the range was too wide for escaping to be a viable option now.

‘The other siblings will manage to survive on their own.’

Lux Winterbell, Lin Winterbell, and Marian Winterbell weren’t people I needed to worry about. They were monsters who would survive no matter what danger came their way.

But the people on my side didn’t have that kind of ability.

Cecil had skills beyond what I had expected, but whether she could survive in that hopeless sea of flames was uncertain.

Ron Winterbell wasn’t in a normal physical state to begin with. Even if he were in perfect condition, he’d still be doomed.

Just look at those flames.

That’s not something a swordsman at the 6-star level could block.

【Ran Winterbell! Feed that bastard to me! Then my power will grow stronger in an instant!】

Even in this situation, the white whale who had no sense of the mood was asking me to feed the rampaging red dragon to him.

‘I’m about to burn to death here... Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, wasn’t Behemoth a magical beast from the Mythical Age that symbolized gluttony?

If it was Behemoth, who grew stronger by eating anything, then maybe it could even eat fire?

‘Is that possible?’

【...I’ll try.】

‘If you fail, forget sealing or anything — we’re all just dying here.’

【If I were in my original form, I could’ve devoured those flames easily... But in this current state...】

Ugh, whatever.

Just eat!

I swung Behemoth toward the torrent of flames pouring from the sky. The small white whale that emerged from the sword opened its mouth wide and began sucking in the fire.

‘Yes! That’s it! Good! Keep eating! More!’

It devoured a considerable amount of fire, but the flames didn’t decrease—in fact, they had grown even more.

【I can’t eat anymore. I’m too full.】

Behemoth let out a loud belch, and flames burst from its mouth. This was no time to be conserving power.

First, I had to survive—then I could take revenge, achieve my dreams, and do everything else.

“Manifest.”

Shhhrrrrrrrk!

I gathered the blue magical energy blooming across my entire body and condensed it at the tip of my sword. As the chill wrapped around the blade, ice crystals scattered in all directions.

“...Still not enough.”

I squeezed out every last bit of my remaining focus to materialize the concentrated magic power.

At last, the entire sword began to emit a radiant light, and the scattered ice crystals merged into the shape of a blade.

Ssshhhaaak!

The aura blade, imbued with cold energy, slashed through the flames. But I, the one swinging the sword, could feel my magic power being drained in real time.

‘Damn it! No matter how much I cut, it doesn’t end! When is this going to stop?!’

This was happening because I still didn’t have enough magic power to freely manipulate aura.

Can’t be helped.

I bit down hard on my lip. Then I closed my eyes and imagined a rectangular wall.

A searing pain like my brain was burning pierced through me. But I had no choice but to endure it.

If I died here, everything would vanish into nothing.

The left eye, engraved with a cross-shaped sigil, began to glow. I materialized the transparent wall I had imagined in my mind through Makina.

Sssshhhhaaaa!

The nature overseen by EtMaler was creation and void.

My breath caught in my throat, and blood trickled from my left eye. I couldn’t suppress the stabbing pain, and a groan escaped through my lips.

“Gghhh!”

The flame current, carrying intense heat, struck the transparent wall and vanished without a trace.

“Haa… haa…”

Completely drained, I collapsed to the ground. I had already pushed my power to the limit.

I was certain that if I kept using Makina in this state, my body wouldn’t hold out and would collapse.

The cost of wielding power that didn’t suit the vessel, so to speak.

I was acutely aware now that in order to freely use the power I held, I would have to raise the level of my physical body.

‘At the very least, I’ll need to reach 8-star just to be able to breathe.’

There were problems with how I was operating Makina too. My stamina was one thing, but the toll on my focus was far too severe. It felt like my brain was overheating and about to cook from the inside.

If I couldn’t get used to this, I’d lose my head before I even had a chance to use Makina in real combat.

I still had a long, long way to go.

“Still, I’m satisfied just being alive for now.”

Cecil and Ron Winterbell approached me from behind.

“Young Master, please open your mouth.”

When I opened my mouth, Cecil pulled out a blue potion from her coat and placed it into my mouth.

Gulp.

The exhaustion that had engulfed my entire body began to fade little by little. As I slowly lifted my upper body, Cecil pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from my face.

“Thanks, Cecil.”

“I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t blocked it, Lord Ron and I would’ve been reduced to ashes.”

Ron Winterbell, hearing that, awkwardly added,

“I’m always indebted to you... this debt...”

I was tired of hearing lines like that, so I cut him off quickly.

“Don’t just say it. Pay me back directly.”

“I will.”

“What about the others?”

“They’re still fighting. Looks like the Sword Demon and the Witch are far stronger than I expected.”

I turned my gaze toward where Lux Winterbell was. Just as I expected, the Flame of the Light Dragon hadn’t been enough to consume them.

I hadn’t seen exactly how they dealt with it, but even in a place reduced to ashes, Lux Winterbell and the two sisters only had their clothes slightly singed.

“So you’re the half-blooded one they say is Arkan’s second child, huh! How can a child with golden hair be born from Winterbell blood!”

“……”

“It must have been your mother, or perhaps Arkan himself, who caused some scandal! With that level of talent, you surely would’ve been next in line to become Patriarch... but your bloodline holds you back! What a shame! Such a shame!”

Unlike the Sword Demon, who never stopped flapping his mouth, Lux Winterbell didn’t say a word as he fiercely swung his sword.

Watching a battle between high-level powerhouses was awe-inspiring in itself. With every clash of their blades, the surrounding terrain crumbled.

‘They said he was 9-star level… So the rumors were true?’

According to Lux Winterbell’s explanation, the Sword Demon was a fairly infamous swordsman within the Empire. His skills were top-tier, but what truly made him notorious was his distinct cruelty.

He acted on impulse, without any pattern, and if something didn’t please him, he killed first and didn’t ask questions later. That was the kind of man the Sword Demon was.

The fact that he had survived for over ten years while evading the Empire’s pursuit said enough about how monstrously powerful he was.

His swordsmanship was violent, fierce, and brutal. In contrast, Lux Winterbell’s sword was clean, smooth, and harmonious.

There was a gap of over twenty years between the two, yet Lux Winterbell was bridging that gap as if to prove whose blood he carried.

To my eyes, it even looked like Lux Winterbell wasn’t fighting with full power.

Despite being in his twenties, Lux Winterbell held the 18th rank in the Winterbell Ducal Family.

‘What he’s shown so far has just been a taste.’

Beside him, Lin Winterbell was swinging her sword at the witch and shouting furiously.

“You filthy bitch! Stop running around like a damn coward and fight me head-on!”

“……”

The woman, who appeared to be a dark mage, was fending off Lin and Marian’s attacks alone.

Normally, a mage would be at a heavy disadvantage in close combat, but she held a surprisingly composed demeanor, as if denying that common logic.

“Ignorant northern bitches.”

“What? Ignorant? You fucking whore, want me to rip that filthy mouth of yours open?”

Despite her threats, Lin couldn’t easily close the distance due to the Death Knight and waves of skeletal soldiers summoned by the woman.

‘She’s summoning that fast, even for a dark mage? Is she a no-chanting caster?’

A 9-star swordsman paired with a dark mage capable of no-chant casting—this was a level of force rarely seen anywhere on the continent.

Then it happened.

“Sword Demon! This way!”

“…Tch. Fine! Count yourselves lucky, you Winterbell maggots.”

The Sword Demon, having deflected Lux Winterbell’s sword, kicked off the ground and flew through the air, landing instantly at the woman’s side.

“The Red Dragon King is about to go berserk. It has to be now.”

“Got it.”

At the same time, the woman pulled a scroll from her robe and tore it in half. In an instant, the two of them vanished.

“Haa… A teleportation scroll? What a damn joke.”

“Sis. Are you hurt?”

“This? Spit on it and it’ll heal.”

Lux Winterbell approached with a stern expression.

“Brother. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I tried to take off his arm in the first exchange, but the Light Dragon’s breath interrupted me.”

It sounded like he would’ve been able to sever the arm if not for the dragon’s interference.

“Heat energy got into my side, so I’ll have to focus on recovery for a while. Should’ve finished him here…”

“They even had a teleportation scroll, so there was nothing we could do.”

Lux Winterbell gave a nod.

Mages who deal in spatial attributes were rare enough to count on one hand across the continent.

Naturally, scrolls imbued with space-type magic—crafted by such mages—were traded at incredibly high prices.

‘Now what do we do…’

I lifted my head and looked up at the sky.

The Light Dragon was circling above, letting out roars and breathing bursts of flame, a display of overwhelming rage. Sometimes it would swoop down and tear through the trees, then flap its wings and rise back into the sky again.

Either way, it was clear—just like its name implied—that it wasn’t in a sane state. At this rate, even a stray mutt could tell that if it went into a full rampage, not just this mountain but the entire Winterbell territory would suffer devastating damage.

【It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a dragon that far gone. If it’s left alone, this whole mountain will turn to ash. And every magical beast in the area will charge toward Winterbell’s lands.】

‘Is it really possible to suppress a Light Dragon with the forces we have here?’

【Didn’t you say Aslan and the current Patriarch each took down a dragon at your age?】

‘Those two aren’t exactly fair comparisons, are they?’

【Honestly, I’m not sure. If you were to use that damned power of yours, then maybe. But judging by the state of your body now, I doubt you can.】

‘Lux Winterbell?’

【That one... hasn’t shown his full power yet, I’m sure of it. But even so, he’d struggle. He might have to stake his life. Red Dragons possess far greater strength than other dragons. Especially those consumed by madness—those are disasters. Though, of course, not quite on my level.】

‘Behemoth. Can you understand dragon speech too?’

【“Papa! Papa! Where are you!” “Why did you abandon me?” “Papa! I’m scared!” That’s what it’s screaming. Seems the reason it’s gone mad has to do with its parents… but I don’t get it.】

‘What don’t you get?’

【Dragons don’t have parents.】

Since Lux Winterbell was the one responsible for this mission, it was ultimately up to him to make the final decision.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I’ll hold it off. You all return to the estate and call for reinforcements.”

“The hell you will. You’re seriously planning to take on that crazy dragon alone? You’ve lost your damn mind.”

“…It’s impossible. Big Brother.”

At that moment—

Thud!

With a booming sound, the entire ground beneath us shook. There was a cliff in front of us, and behind us…

A Red Dragon, massive as a fortress, was staring directly at us. The overwhelming heat radiating from its body engulfed everything around.

Lin Winterbell muttered in resignation as she looked at it.

“Sht. What backup? We’re all gonna die here.”

Lux Winterbell tightened his grip on his sword and began drawing in mana as he spoke.

“…If I create an opening, the rest of you get down the mountain.”

“Are you seriously gonna keep spouting this bullsht?”

Lux raised his voice.

“Just listen to me!”

I stood up, walked past my siblings, and stepped toward the Light Dragon. Lux and Lin, in the middle of arguing, saw me and shouted in alarm.

“Ran! What are you doing? Get over here, now!”

“That, that—! That crazy bastard’s lost it! Hey! Where the hell are you going?!”

Cecil’s voice followed after.

“Young Master!!”

But I ignored all of them and stood in front of the Red Dragon, whose size dwarfed mine many times over. Every time it exhaled and inhaled, intense flames surged forth.

I lifted my head and met its eyes.

Its burning gaze, like it held fire within, somehow looked… sorrowful.

I reached out my hand toward its foreleg and spoke carefully.

“Artica.”