Chapter 136 : Chapter 136

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

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Chapter 136 – The Cloud Bridge (4)

A deafening roar tore through the air.

Then came a wave of earth—unstoppable soil, stone, and thick roots surging like a storm. It was as if a piece of the forest itself had been summoned into the sky. The dragon, Tom, and Seol Yoon—all were caught in the flood of Gaia’s power. The name Spirit King was no exaggeration; not even the mighty dragon could escape the chaos born from the Spirit King of Earth, Gaia.

“Wh–what—”

Even the dragon, flapping its wings in panic to flee upward, couldn’t break free. The enormous wings tangled in vines, and the earth crashed down like a tidal wave, dragging it to the ground. Its furious roar was swallowed by the avalanche of dirt and stone.

The others—?

Tom had taken the brunt of the debris but was unharmed. The armor of a Sword Expert wouldn’t be pierced by mere soil and rock.

Seol Yoon—dazed—had managed to rise again, Wings fluttering weakly. Her Mana Shock hadn’t fully healed, but she’d recovered enough to move. Thin, delicate Wings—easily damaged, but just as easily healed.

No need to worry, then.

Tom and Seol Yoon weren’t helpless. They weren’t burdens to be protected, but comrades who stood on their own feet. So, there was only one thing for me to do—to draw my sword.

“Human… how could a creature like you wield the Mysteries of a spirit—”

“I stole them from the Spirit King herself.”

And with that, I turned to greet the winged lizard properly.

***

The sound was like a mountain collapsing. A storm of earth that had appeared in midair poured down, echoing with a thunderous crash! as beasts fled in terror. I groaned, forcing my aching body upright amid the soil.

That… worked better than expected.

By all logic, I should have been shattered to pieces. Even superhuman strength wouldn’t save me from a fall that high. Yet apart from sore muscles, I was unharmed.

A gift from the Spirit King of Earth. Just before I hit the ground, the power within my sword had activated once more—the fall slowed, and the earth felt soft, like a cushion beneath me.

「You carry a fragment of the Spirit King. The spirits of the earth have mistaken you for their ruler and protected you. As long as you hold that sword, the earth will never harm you, young descendant.」

Indeed—the ground itself had saved me. As expected… equipment was everything.

And those without it?

“Ghh… rrr…”

They suffered.

“Haah… cough…”

The dragon’s voice was labored. Even a mighty dragon couldn’t fall from such a height without taking damage. The wave of earth had pinned its wings, denying it any chance to soften the crash. Its enormous body had been a boon in flight—but a curse in the fall. The impact must have been brutal.

Brutal… or fatal?

The earth shifted— and the dragon’s head burst through the soil. Pebbles and dirt tumbled off as its body emerged, revealing only a few scratches. Its scales still gleamed like jewels. So much for being fatal.

“So much for a winged lizard…”

What kind of lizard could fall from the sky and walk away with a few scuffs, Master? I cursed Liam silently, but the dragon wasn’t entirely unscathed. No blood, no holes—but a very visible wound.

「Indeed. A winged lizard.」

“……”

「And now—one without wings.」

Its wings were broken.

“I will not… forgive this. What trick did you use? Why… Why do the spirits not heed my voice, but yours? What are you—are you a Spirit King yourself?”

“Indeed. I am Gaia, Spirit King of Earth.”

“You filthy human! You dare mock me—!”

My proud little joke fell flat. Furious, the dragon shook off the dirt and glared. Honestly, it terrified me. Even wingless, it still looked capable of crushing me in an instant.

Environment check.

But fear was no excuse to freeze.

Dense trees. High brush. A forest? The Cloud Bridge connected Cloud Garden to the Sky Empire. If we fell midway… then this had to be the Sky Mountains, not the Great Forest.

The Great Forest was where the World Tree raged, according to Audrey.

Anyone but elves or beastkin would be annihilated by its storm of Mana.

I studied the air.

The Mana here isn’t wild. It’s calm… astonishingly calm—and rich. Feels like swimming through a sea of pure Mana.

Between Cloud Garden and the Sky Empire, there was only one place like that. I glanced upward. The sky seemed closer— not just a feeling.

The Sky Mountains. Definitely.

I’d pinpointed the location. The terrain matched too. Mana this abundant empowered dragons, true—but it also strengthened swordsmen. My sword would be sharper here. My movements are quicker.

A mountain, but more like a forested slope. I’ll have to mind the inclines. Even the plants are huge—grown fat on the Sky Mountains’ Mana.

My instincts sorted the data fast. Now, only one subject remained— the dragon.

I couldn’t gauge how tough its scales were, but I was certain my sword couldn’t pierce them.

Even Tom’s blade hadn’t left a mark. Even if I used every skill and the power of Steel, tearing off those scales was impossible. So—fight another way. A human’s way.

“Do you think you’ll live to regret not dying in the sky?”

“……”

“You thought coming down to earth gave you a chance? Making me angry was your mistake. I’ll tear you apart until you beg to die. This is our land. Do you think a human can defeat a dragon in the Sky Mountains!?”

With a thunderous roar, the dragon charged— no longer soaring elegantly, but bounding on all fours like a beast. Ridiculous to watch, perhaps—but not funny. Even running, dragons were fast— so fast no human could hope to outrun them.

But—

『Snow fell.』

I still had one gift left.

『The end of the night turned white.』

White Night.

From another of my ancestors— the first female Swordmaster of the continent, Aria Karavan— a single piece of her teaching.

“You cannot yet bear even a fragment of my sword. So I will give you one thing only— the way I run across the world. The way I race through the white night.”

Footwork.

The world around me turned white. Within that white world, black dots appeared—paths of motion. In the monochrome vision, I stretched my Path between those dots. The moment the Paths connected, I moved— Wings spreading, speed bursting.

The descendant retraced the steps of the ancestor.

As my feet moved, my sword sang through the air.

“──!”

I slipped past the dragon’s sight, circling into its blind spot. The tip of my blade traced a line across its scales— no cut, but a scratch. That was enough.

My sword was harder than its scales.The young dragon’s body was weaker than Gaia’s gift.

My lacking strength was balanced by the steel I held.

“You—!”

The dragon whipped its head around to strike again— and in that instant, I saw a Path. I swung through the empty air, invoking the mystery of 「Gale」— distorting the direction of force.

The dragon’s balance faltered, and Gaia’s power surged once more.

The ground beneath its claws crumbled, its huge body slamming into the earth again.

Its scales were hard, yes— but its bones, its flesh, its organs— those were softer.

Its broken wings had already proven that.

「After the juvenile stage, a dragon’s scales harden—but to manifest their full powers and inner resilience, it must reach adulthood. Only as a complete adult does a dragon become flawless.」

The dragon’s head slammed against the ground with a choking sound. At once, the power of the earth rose again— soil and stone tightening around its neck. As it thrashed, I caught a vine hanging between trees with one hand and raised my sword with the other.

A vertical strike. The First Steel—Forging.

“GRAAAAHHH—!”

The tip of the blade struck its crown. The scales didn’t break, but the impact rang out with a piercing clang, the shock rattling through its skull. At the same time, the Flame of Doubt leapt from my sword— igniting the dragon’s body.

A fire that devoured Mysteries themselves.

It roared, thrashing wildly. The flames consumed it completely— a fire that devoured all the world’s Mysteries.

Then—

Crack!

My eyes widened.

The blade had sunk into its scales. Closer inspection showed the scales melting— no, disassembling under the flame.

So that was it.

「A dragon’s scales are woven from all elements and the purest Mana. They are a skin of Mystery—different from any living creature’s flesh. That’s why they’re the hardest in existence.」

“……”

「And because they are a mystical skin, without physical form, your flame devours them, young descendant.」

The dragon froze, its reptilian eyes shaking.

「As I thought—your power is dangerous, young descendant. It drags those who dwell at the summit of the world down into the mud, makes them taste the filth of the earth.」

With a thunderous crash, the dragon’s arm struck me, throwing me back.

I twisted midair and landed hard, raising my head at once.

The dragon was—

“…That bastard…”

「Of course. The arrogance of dragons comes from the belief that they are absolute. Once that belief breaks, no creature is more cowardly.」

—running. Turning its back and fleeing, clumsily dragging its broken wings.

「It felt like your blade pierced its scales. It felt the chill of steel against its flesh. You don’t understand what it means for a dragon to feel threatened with death, young descendant.」

“What a comfortable life they lead.”

「Indeed. Ridiculous creatures. So—what will you do?」

The massive body stumbled forward. Wings dragging, tail cutting grooves in the soil.

Chase it—or let it go? It was time to choose.

And then—

『The Empire once said: every being has the right to dream.』

A strange memory surged into me.

『Then why was my son denied that right?』

『Why did my son, who dreamed of the heavens, lose his clear, brilliant mind and end up trapped in a broken shell?』

『My pride. My son. My Icarus.』

『The extraordinary genius born in the city of the lowly, who yearned for the sky.』

The memory of the sword.

『Why was my genius preserved only as an empty husk, stuffed into a decaying body?』

The memory whispered.

『Because I could not accept it, I sought an answer.』

『To find that answer, I had to reach the sky.』

『To question the dragons at the very summit.』

.

.

.

『O heavens—cruel, merciless heavens.』

The memory urged me—to chase the fleeing dragon.

『Do you know the genius who became a specimen?』