NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
*
Dragon Kill. That’s actually a misnamed technique.
Because it’s more about indicating a clear kill on a specific opponent.
I concentrated all the nerves in my body and recalled the memories from the past.
“Actually, Master’s ultimate move, Dragon Kill, isn’t Dragon Kill! My disciple!”
“What do you mean, Master Drake?”
“To be precise! It’s a technique that literally kills the ‘concept’ of the opponent, like hitting a magic circuit!”
It was something my master once told me while I was carelessly cutting through a giant boulder.
“In my case, it’s called ‘killing a dragon,’ so it’s Dragon Kill!”
“So… does that mean it can be applied to other targets too?”
“Exactly! You truly are my only disciple! Your understanding is admirable!”
It was fascinating. I had always thought of it as a good ultimate move limited to dragons in games. I stopped swinging my sword and started paying attention.
“Specifically, it’s pouring every stance of the Drake Style into the concept of ‘death’ just like against the Demon Kings! I suspect it would work on them too!”
“If I don’t have the Holy Sword… Ah, since it’s an ultimate move, it might be possible. So how do I learn it?”
“It’s simple!”
Then a cheeky smile broke out on my scarred face. The Grand Sword Master proposed something ridiculous.
“66 days of fasting, 66 days without sleep, and for 66 days, swing your sword with the resolve to kill the opponent without a single drop of water!”
“..Have you lost your mind?”
“Wahaha! Normally you’d endure with magic, spirits, or divine power, but Licht, you must do it barehanded!”
Then what did the Drake do? Did he just chug potions while training? A wave of dizziness hit me. I was starting to wonder if it meant giving up humanity.
“..Eventually, you’ll understand, Licht.”
At that moment, his hand encouragingly rested on my shoulder. Drake continued with a serious expression.
“There will definitely come a time when you need to use all Drake-style swordsmanship. To realize the will to absolutely kill your opponent.”
Seeing him shed the facade and truly reveal the visage of the Ten Heroes made me think. He must have cut through many demonic realms with this.
“..In the end, it’s a technique for me to kill my opponent before I die. Master.”
“That’s right. You got it, my disciple.”
That’s what I understood. If I were to actually use this skill in the game, my character would have a timer like—
“Once you can do that. No, the moment you must do it will definitely come. It’s an inevitable fate for a swordsman, just like it was for me.”
Failing to defeat my opponent in time would lead to game over. It felt like a self-destruct mechanism.
“…”
Then it seemed like it’s about crossing the line and exceeding the physical limits to reach a state of being. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such insane conditions attached.
“At the moment when you must fight even with your life at stake, pour everything you have into swordsmanship! My disciple.”
Hearing those words from my past, I felt a sense of certainty.
“Yes, Master Drake. I understand.”
This was the only way for my weak self to catch the Demon King.
*
A brief flashback passed. Could I really do it now?
“I need to quickly take my lord away now. I can’t resist that burning gaze..!”
The Magic Hat trembled, wrapping its arms around its shoulders. What a strange Demon King. Why is she acting like this?
“..Disgusting.”
“Aw, come on! You like it!”
She performed the motion of removing her black hat. The action was large, suggesting she was going to use a mighty technique. A pattern in the game that had long attack and recovery times.
“Tada~ What will pop out of this empty magic hat?”
A move known as Rabbit Punch among players.
“Hmm, a white rabbit, I guess?”
“Correct! My lord! You really know me well!”
A giant white rabbit, resembling a snowy mountain, sprang out of the magician’s hat. Its massive body reached out a fist towards me.
─Whoooooosh!!
The sound of slicing through the wind enveloped my vision in white. It really is huge.
But,
“..Thanks for the attack.”
Now was the opportunity. For ultimate moves, I needed to mix three stances, which ultimately had to start from the counter.
「Demon King Kill.」
I invoked the first stance.
Three actions, Wing Flow.
A punch flew in, causing a burst of air. I used the approaching speed and force against it, dodging to the side. I focused all my strength into supporting my body.
Kugugugugugu!!
I merely deflected it, but the ground where I stood was caved in. The giant rabbit from the hat staggered back and almost toppled over.
‘The rabbit makes it hard to approach. I need to find the best path to get closer.’
I took my next stance. The opponent’s strength was imbued in the action now, and I couldn’t afford to miss a moment’s gap. The pain in my ribs pierced my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
The agony wrapped around my whole body, but I used the second stance, Reverse Scale Stab.
I flowed into the movement like water and found the opponent’s weakness. With a gap opened in the line, I mixed in Wolf Fang. I executed a series of strikes, raising my sword in preparation to charge.
The wounds that had been bleeding were widening, and the red blood stained the ground.
“Uh, where did you go, my lord?”
Right in front of you, ya little brat! I rushed towards the Magic Hat faster than Shine Advance could. Now I just had to cut down as is. The opponent couldn’t react.
“Kuh.. Hah…”
It was then. Every muscle in my body exploded, and my grip on the sword loosened slightly.
The hilt slipped. The Holy Sword of Light seemed to be escaping my grasp. This couldn’t happen.
Just a little more.
I had to catch that thing before I died, to protect our Saintess.
I must kill the Demon King. Lee Soo-hyun.
I couldn’t let it end like this. Move, please!
“Ughhhhh─!!”
I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t even scream properly due to the pain.
I barely managed to hold onto the sword. The pain felt like my body was breaking apart. If I fell like this, there would be no getting back up.
My legs stiffened, filled with strength like stone. Cold sweat poured down like a flood. Endure. Strengthen your will.
Three actions, Void Slash.
With the sword raised high to the sky, I concentrated the wind pressure in both hands. It felt like mere moments hadn’t even passed, yet the Magic Hat’s pupils were sluggishly trying to follow my movements.
The wind gathered. The air condensed. The weight was loaded onto the sword blade. The blade trembled. I gripped the hilt tighter. Be careful; otherwise, the lethality would dwindle.
─Scrape.
I swung the sword down with great force vertically. And just before the tip touched the ground,
‘I must kill the Demon King.’
The final link. I invoked the first stance, Shadow Slash.
“Uh?”
The Magic Hat exclaimed a word of surprise. But the technique had already landed perfectly.
Wing Flow, deflecting the opponent’s strength and speed to use it against them.
Reverse Scale Stab, targeting the weakness and pouring in a series of strikes.
Void Slash, focusing on cutting power.
As Shadow Slash landed with a strike to the essence,
The ultimate technique of Drake-style swordsmanship, Dragon Kill,
Transformed into Demon King Kill through my will.
*
Boom! Crash! With an explosion, the storm engulfed the Magic Hat’s body. The sharp black blade vertically cleaved her in two.
‘Oh no, my lord.. what are you doing right now?’
She reached out her hand, desperate to escape the predicament, but failed. The Demon King of Truth was shredded without a chance to even scream.
‘No, it can’t be, I’m really going to die. This will even harm my original body…’
The white-haired woman felt pain for the first time in decades. She needed to escape. How could she be taken down by such a technique?
This isn’t truly Dragon Kill either. Just a shabby technique forced from the Drake Style forms. She had some familiarity with it. Yet, how could it wield such power…
‘Does that mean my lord is really trying to… kill me?’
This scenario indicates that the will of this man named Licht was immensely formidable.
As that thought crossed her mind, she wore a twisted smile. Her heart thumped like a hammer.
“Wahihihih.. My lord… I’m sorry… It looks like it’s time for us to part!”
The Magic Hat struggled in agony and released all the cards from her bosom. They spiraled up into the air, caught by the wind.
“You’re… trying to escape?”
Like magic, an immense number of card bundles expanded rapidly, becoming her last remaining escape route.
Final magic. Distracting attention and flying off into space.
“Not so fast.”
Then, once more, the Black Knight’s sword swept horizontally. This time, I slashed the trapped woman horizontally. The path drawn was circular.
“Too bad! That’s a fake!!”
The attack was slower than before. This time the real her wasn’t hit.
With a wicked grin, the magician exchanged positions with the floating cards. Yet, the reaction of the Black Knight, donned in a helmet, was lukewarm.
“I already know.”
“Huh? If you can’t come up here, my lord will never catch me… then…”
Suspended in the air, she felt a chill. Why? Why did she feel so anxious? The height difference between them was massive.
At this distance, even the Demon King Kill I executed earlier couldn’t reach, and if she flew off into that dark space…
At that moment, Licht fixed his gaze on her, still soaring high in the air.
「Decision of Icarus.」
He activated a skill using the Holy Sword. Dark wings sprouted from his back.
Now that I think about it, he was a Demon King too. She forgot this vital piece of information when her life was threatened.
“I was… wrong. You… truly are amazing!! My lord!!”
As the Black Knight soared toward her, she spread her arms wide, offering admiration. Pure awe and affection were directed at him,
“…”
But under the helmet, Licht was dripping blood everywhere, remaining silent. It was as if he intended to end their untouchable conversation.
“Wahih.. My lord, see you soon!!”
A blade was thrust toward her neck once more. Scrape, the sound of the blade sliced through the air. It was the moment the Magic Hat was defeated.
*
I succeeded in capturing the Magic Hat.
Truthfully, I didn’t manage to kill her properly. But I would have inflicted significant wounds. Even if she was a fake, I struck the original using Shadow Slash.
‘I protected the Nameless Saintess…’
Because of that, I was now plummeting down. The darkness of the blade had completely faded from the Holy Sword. It had returned to the artifact, just as it was when Kainel wielded it.
Proof of completely derailing the Corruption Route. The dark space shattered like glass. The devilish wings crumbled into dust.
There was no way to rise again.
At this height, falling would definitely mean I couldn’t guarantee my life, and my body was a wreck. Even staying still would lead to death.
The Holy Sword would soon return to its original owner, so I wouldn’t mind, would I? It would just leave behind the sword without me.
“…”
I’m sure they would be saddened. Even if they were game characters, they were really kind people.
No matter how much I struggled, the fall didn’t change. Amidst it, I pulled out a card from my bosom.
“Finally got this back…”
It was the card I snatched just before, twirling down from the sky.
Queen of Hearts.
With this, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of his parents being taken hostage.
And Queen Bellin Grancia would be freed from her power when the Magic Hat dies.
“..What’s happening?”
Time slowed as I fell towards the ground.
‘Everything should be alright now…’
Something felt off in a corner of my heart. I had dealt with the Magic Hat’s ambush well, protecting Kainel, Ariel, and Mardol, and now I believed the Nameless Saintess would be safe.
‘Why… do I have so much regret?’
I was sure I achieved everything I wanted. I had done everything I could after possessing the game.
But the bitter feeling continued stabbing my heart like a sword.
Oh, could it be that?
‘I wanted to see our Saintess at least once after being reincarnated.’
It was only when I was on the verge of death that I truly felt my belief that I was unworthy due to the scar on my face.
“..I see, I liked our Saintess.”
Ultimately, the vision blurred as I bled out too much.
“A bit too much.”
And just like that, I lost consciousness.
*