Chapter 542
“Mogiiiii!”
A roar both familiar and alien.
As the barrier shattered, Goguma revealed himself.
Having already received an immense amount of mana from Nanoleaf, his belly was swollen to the point of bursting.
Fssssshhh!
The red and white flames building up in his mouth grew larger with every passing second.
“You…”
Pendragon’s gaze turned toward Goguma.
The greatest reason he came here was to confirm the presence of another ancient dragon and bring him to his side.
If he could lead him to true freedom—not subjugation under a mere human…
If he could help him understand that meaning, he was certain Goguma would join him.
“Wait! Listen to me first…”
Pendragon hastily raised his voice.
But—
“Mogiiiii!”
Goguma’s breath was faster.
In an instant, a blinding light tore through the space.
Followed by a storm loud enough to rupture eardrums.
KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA!
“Graaagh!”
The destructive force overwhelmed even the shield formed by Dragon Tongue.
The ancient dragon’s breath completely engulfed Pendragon.
—
Ssshhhk!
Thick steam surged from the scorched area.
As expected of an ancient dragon’s breath, even the residual mana was on a different level.
However—
“Grrgh…”
Pendragon had taken the full brunt of the attack and still survived.
His entire body was scorched, smoke rising from his scales.
But that was all.
His blazing eyes had not lost their light.
No, if anything, they were now filled with fury.
‘Even that wasn’t enough, huh.’
Jinhyuk licked his lips.
Even with Nanoleaf’s mana infusion, Goguma’s hatchling form was still lacking.
“I’ll accept your little prank up to this point. You didn’t know any better—it was just a mistake.”
“Mogi?”
“As you can see, even among ancient dragons, there’s a difference in class. It’s not too late. Kill that human and join me. If you want, I’ll even give you this without hesitation. You know what this is, don’t you? Magic crystals—the best nutrient of all?”
Clatter.
Thick magic crystals poured from his hand.
Not ordinary ones, but nearly works of art processed by dwarves.
“Mogiii…”
Goguma’s eyes sparkled.
He was always sincere about magic crystals. Saliva dripped from his mouth instinctively.
“I’ll give you more than just magic crystals. Whatever you want. Such treasures mean nothing to me.”
Pendragon exercised extreme patience to persuade Goguma.
All of this was to build up for facing Destia.
Of course—
From Jinhyuk’s perspective, Pendragon’s desperate efforts were just convenient.
‘He’s practically begging to get hit.’
Now was the perfect moment to strike from behind.
Jinhyuk gripped Balmung once more.
If that’s how it was, he just needed to buy more time.
As the [Heavenly Divine Art] unfolded, Balmung’s blade split into dozens.
The black sword auras riding each blade shot several meters into the air.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, [Domain of Wind] and [Primordial Flame] obscured his vision.
From the smoke, the sword strikes rained down.
“Yes. Don’t you want this magic crystal… guh?!”
Even [High-Speed Sword] was activated, allowing countless hits to land in less than a second.
KWA KWA KWA-BANG!
THWACK THWACK THWACK!
Deep wounds tore across Pendragon’s body.
Blood oozed out thick and heavy.
The only reason it didn’t end worse was because he’d deployed a shield. Otherwise, the blades would’ve pierced deep into his body.
“Damn, dragon hide really is tough.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
On the other hand, Pendragon wore a face contorted with pain and rage.
“You bastard… I’ve let it slide long enough. Can’t you see I was in the middle of a conversation?”
[Pendragon activates ‘Black Flame Rain’!]
Black rain poured from the sky.
Fssshhh!
Dark lightning mercilessly struck the ground.
KWA KWA KWA-BANG!
Though less powerful than [Meteor Strike], its speed and quantity were overwhelming.
Jinhyuk mixed [Dimensional Phantom Step] with [Demonic Sword Heavenly Spirit Steps] to keep moving frantically.
Even while fleeing, he didn’t forget to provoke with words.
“Hey now. Why’d you lose focus in the middle of a fight? I wanted to just watch quietly, but your openings were way too obvious. I couldn’t help myself. This is 100% your fault.”
“You disgusting worm… spewing filth just because you have a mouth.”
He had taken considerable damage from the sneak attack while distracted by Goguma.
Pendragon had fought countless opponents wielding aura blades before, but never someone who exploited gaps to this level of frustration.
Seeing him dodge around while spouting nonsense made Pendragon’s blood boil.
Either one of them had to die.
They couldn’t live under the same sky.
Fwoosh!
A massive black flame gathered in Pendragon’s mouth.
The strongest sacred technique allowed only to dragons—
[Breath].
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Plague’ is activating!]
The breath took the form of a long whip.
The black flames capable of incinerating anything they touched surged through the entire cavern.
Sssshhh!
As the air burned, the black flames multiplied.
Suddenly, Jinhyuk’s body staggered.
As oxygen vanished, his vision began to blur.
And just then—
Jinhyuk sensed something.
The black flames burning in the air were forming another whip, aiming to snatch Goguma.
…Now!
BOOM!
Jinhyuk leaped from his spot.
Directly toward where Goguma was.
At the exact moment the whip tried to seize Goguma, Jinhyuk jumped between them.
“Watch out, Guma!”
“Mogi?”
Thud!
A strange, alien sensation pierced his body.
He had mentally prepared himself, but the searing fire ripping through his flesh was still excruciating.
Even more so, since it was the breath of an ancient dragon.
A long wound ran from his right shoulder to his left thigh.
Even at a glance, it was clearly a fatal injury.
“You cruel bastard… I didn’t expect you’d try to kill my Guma with such a sneak attack… Cough! Still… I’m glad. You’re not hurt.”
Jinhyuk tightly embraced Goguma.
Warmth seeped through the scales and into his heart.
“No, I wasn’t trying to kill him… I was going to kidnap him. You’re the one who got in the way—”
“Shut up! Then it is what it is. Cough… Guma, I think this is it for me. You must survive. For my sake…”
Jinhyuk discreetly placed a water droplet made from [Glacial Sculpting] near his eye.
A jewel-like tear rolled down his cheek.
“Mogiiiiii!”
Goguma’s pupils trembled violently.
At the same time—
The air shifted drastically.
A massive gate appeared.
And from the twisted space beyond…
[Ancient Species ‘???’ manifests!]
Once again, the world was overturned.
⁕⁕⁕
An enormous body.
The murderous aura and mana radiating from it were enough to stop one’s breath just by being near.
Who could possibly see this form and think of a tiny dragon?
Only the lustrous black scales and golden eyes hinted that this was Goguma’s true form.
‘Still no access to his true name.’
Jinhyuk had thought they’d met all the conditions by deepening their bond.
But it still wasn’t enough to learn his true name.
Even so, summoning Goguma’s true form now was good enough.
Using [One Second Invincibility] to block the whip at the moment it struck his heart was crucial.
Letting himself be wounded added a dramatic effect with significant blood loss.
“Rroooaaar!”
Rage over his master being harmed.
Goguma’s roar thundered.
“You human bastard… Calm down! Your master is fine! It just looks bloody—he’s not in danger!”
Pendragon, realizing the situation, shouted hoarsely.
He had to persuade him somehow, but a rampaging Goguma would hear none of it.
[Ancient Species ??? summons Unique Holy Spear ‘Sword of Judgment’!]
In response to Pendragon’s [Plague], Goguma drew his own Unique Holy Spear.
There was no avoiding the fight now.
“…So this is how it’ll be.”
Pendragon, sensing fate, began gathering all his mana into one point.
And then—
Whrrrng!
Fssshhh!
The two fully charged [Unique Holy Spears] clashed.
KWAARRRRR!
With the first impact, the cave’s pillars shattered like twigs.
“Hiiieek!”
Nanoleaf screamed, clinging to the few remaining pillars.
The chains used to bind had long since broken.
Every last drop of mana had already been passed on to Goguma.
All he could do now was desperately pray for their victory.
KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA!
The streaks of light pressed and pushed in a deadlock.
“Graaaagh!”
“Rroooaaar!”
The sight of two ancient dragons unleashing their full power was truly a spectacle never to be seen again.
The cave crumbled, debris rained down.
Mana ran rampant, sparking in all directions.
But that only lasted briefly.
Pendragon’s beam began pushing back the [Sword of Judgment].
Unlike Pendragon, who could fully utilize his base mana, Goguma had been forcefully brought into his true form—his limits were clear.
“You’re stronger than I expected. If this had been a proper fight, I might’ve lost.”
Pendragon redistributed his remaining mana to completely overpower his opponent.
This would decide the outcome—
…Had no one else intervened.
“Wow, this is the perfect timing to land a good hit.”
Jinhyuk stood up, patting the dust off his body.
“You honorless fiend! This is a sacred duel between ancient dragons! And yet you dare to interfere?!”
“Am I an ancient dragon?”
“What?”
“I mean, like you said, I’m a dishonorable lowlife without pride. So why should I play along with all this dragon this, ancient that?”
The only truth that exists in the Tower of Trials is survival of the fittest.
The strong rise. The weak fall.
That’s all there is.
Jinhyuk stood beside Goguma.
Whrrrng!
A warm energy spread out.
Mana resonated with mana.
[Unique Ability ‘Shared All Things’ is activating!]
[Ancient Species ‘???’ summons ‘Sword of Judgment’!]
The blazing sword revealed itself.
And then—
To Goguma’s [Sword of Judgment]…
Another breath was added.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The twin beams of light surged toward Pendragon’s heart.
“This… this is impossible. How can a mere human… how can a human use breath, something only dragons can…”
Pendragon screamed in disbelief.
It could only feel like a nightmare.
The knowledge and common sense he had built over tens of thousands of years—
All of it was crumbling to dust.