Chapter 865
Whoooosh!
Raon wrapped Garunua’s wind around the tip of his Black Dragon Robe. Like the incarnation of wind itself, he soared toward the Black Dragon.
[How dare you!]
The Black Dragon, true to its status as an ancient dragon, erased its momentary panic in an instant and summoned ten black spears that rippled with darkness.
Enormous black spears rained down like pillars from the great hall, descending as streaks of light.
– Venomous Spears.
Wrath narrowed his eyes at the black spears falling like thunderbolts.
– Just touching those spears will dissolve your life force—the poison on them is extreme. If you only focus on their size, you’ll die.
He lowered his voice, saying even deflecting them with a sword would be dangerous.
‘Then I’ll just burn them.’
Despite Wrath’s warning, Raon didn’t back down. Instead, he accelerated and unleashed the flames of his divine sword at the Venomous Spears.
[Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame: Flame Dragon Break]
The flames clinging to the divine sword split like the edge of a canyon and then soared up, taking the form of a dragon.
The power of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, heightened by reaching transcendence, devoured the black spears.
Kuwaaaaa!
The high-grade poison magic, Venomous Spears, didn’t even have a chance to unleash its full toxicity before it was devoured by the flaming dragon and disappeared.
‘Now it works.’
Raon licked his lips as he watched the poison melt within his flames.
‘I can fight even against an ancient dragon like this.’
Glenn and Wrath had both shown mystical feats in the past, cutting down or freezing massive attacks empowered by transcendents’ will.
Back then, he hadn’t understood how it was possible, but now he did—it was the art of transcendents, who could draw on the mana of nature.
[W-what is this…?]
The Black Dragon let out a thin groan. Its eyes trembled in disbelief that even high-level magic could be erased so easily.
Ssssss!
Raon leaped into the air and stood level with the Black Dragon, aiming the demonic sword and operating Glacier at full power.
Fwaaaah!
On the blue blade of the demonic sword, a world tree of frost sprouted, blooming with thousands of flowers.
[Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame : Frost Lotus]
A field of frost lotus flowers unfolded, filling the sky with a spectacle like a constellation of ice flowers.
Wooooooong!
The Black Dragon narrowed its diamond-shaped eyes and summoned advanced defensive magic to protect itself: a Venom Annihilation Barrier to ward off enemies with poison, and the Wheel Shield to repel attacks with lightning.
Raon tilted the demonic sword, sending the frost shards that filled the sky raining down on the Black Dragon.
Kugugugugugu!
The waves of aura from the Frost Lotus were both graceful and fierce, but the two shields conjured by the Black Dragon didn’t shatter; they simply froze white.
[Raon Zieghart. You’re even more dangerous than I heard.]
The Black Dragon seethed with rage and began to mold a sphere of poison, shimmering green.
Even from a distance, the poison seemed stronger than the Venomous Spears—it made Raon’s head throb.
“Is now really the time to be preparing an attack?”
Raon twisted his lips into a smirk and charged straight at the Black Dragon, wrapping his swords in Light-Style wind.
[Raon Zieghart Swordsmanship – Form Two: Midair Cannon].
The pull of gravity, operated from both the divine and demonic swords at once, drew the Black Dragon’s massive body in like a black hole.
[What is this!]
The Black Dragon tried to spread its wings in alarm, but Raon released the heat and cold stored in the blades.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The Venom Annihilation Barrier and Wheel Shield, frozen stiff, shattered simultaneously, and blades of flame and frost pierced the Black Dragon’s wings.
[Gaaah!]
Startled by the sudden pain, the Black Dragon lost control of the poison sphere it was forming.
“It’s not over yet.”
Raon didn’t miss the opening—he traced a diagonal path with the divine sword raised and the demonic sword lowered.
[Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Flawless Sea of Flames.]
A wave of fire and frost rose above the sky, wrapping around the Black Dragon’s entire body.
[P-protect me!]
The Black Dragon didn’t even have time to cast a proper shield, instead uttering an urgent dragon chant. Mana from the surroundings gathered, forming five shields.
Crackle!
The shields didn’t contain poison, but even the blades of fire and frost couldn’t break them. As expected of a dragon chant, their defense was exceptional.
“Let’s see how far they can last.”
Raon gritted his teeth, pouring all his strength and aura into striking down the shields the Black Dragon had raised.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
With a body and aura further strengthened by transcendence, the might of his sword strike shattered all the mana shields the Black Dragon had conjured.
[S-stop him!]
The Black Dragon quickly generated another shield to avoid losing its head, but Raon’s power twisted its wings, and the beast plummeted to the ground.
[Shield! Shield!]
The Black Dragon desperately tried to regenerate shields to hold out, but it couldn’t withstand Raon’s power, which far surpassed human limits.
[Krooooo!]
In the end, it crashed into the western great forest with only a single thin shield left.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
When the enormous dragon struck the earth, the ground twisted, the entire great forest shook, and a brown dust cloud soared into the sky.
– What a brute…
Wrath narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
– Can’t you do it with a bit more finesse?
‘For a lizard like that, brute force is the answer.’
Raon clicked his tongue and approached the spot where the Black Dragon had fallen.
‘There’s no reason to let it live.’
The Black Dragon had unleashed Venomous Breath on Seiphia without warning.
It meant to kill every human and elf here, so there was no reason to spare it.
– Now you’re calling it a lizard, too.
Wrath giggled, clearly pleased.
– Well, after seeing what those lizards are really like, it makes sense. But don’t overdo it—if you beat it too much, the meat will get tough.
Even now, he was thinking about roasted dragon.
‘Time to finish—hm!’
As Raon moved toward where the Black Dragon had fallen, black pellets shot out from the brown dust cloud. They were small, but the poison was so strong it stung his fingers.
“Of course.”
Raon smirked and raised a wall of flames. The flaming shield incinerated all the incoming poison pellets.
“A lizard that’s lived for thousands of years wouldn’t go down that easily.”
He nodded and lowered his hand, letting a blue wind blow away the swirling dust.
[Krrrgh.]
The Black Dragon, its wings scorched and frostbitten, was coughing up blood.
Even after using dragon-tongue magic, it hadn’t absorbed all the shock and was badly wounded.
[Raon Zieghart… I hadn’t heard you were this strong…]
The Black Dragon’s massive jaws trembled, genuinely shaken.
“It’s good you know now. Of course…”
Raon planted his feet in Supreme Harmony Steps, both swords raised.
“Though it’s a bit late.”
Just as he rushed in to behead the dragon, its mouth opened wide.
[Disruption of Perception!]
The Black Dragon chanted an unknown dragon spell.
For dragons, even a simple chant could create new magic, but this one was different.
‘Is it something else?’
Sensing danger, Raon stopped and lowered his posture. As he did, a blue energy surged from the dragon’s throat area.
It was thin as a thread, but unlike before, he felt no killing intent from it.
Fwoooosh!
Raon slashed with his divine sword at the oncoming blue energy, but the dragon’s magic didn’t burn; it surged even faster.
‘What is this?’
Since it didn’t burn, it didn’t seem physical.
He quickly made a decision and retreated using Supreme Harmony Three Steps.
– I don’t know either. If it’s immune to sword slashes, it’s probably a mental spell.
Wrath frowned, saying he’d never seen a visible mental-type spell before.
‘Then for now, just avoid—huh?’
Raon tried to keep dodging, but the magic overtook him and seeped into his shoulder.
Hoo.
He exhaled and checked his body.
‘Nothing…?’
Even after being hit by an ancient dragon’s magic, he felt no shock or changes in his body.
“What did you do to me?”
He gripped his swords tighter and glared at the Black Dragon.
[Kehhahaha…]
The dragon, blood dripping from its mouth, grinned. Its huge laughter made the forest tremble.
[Now you’re finished.]
“What? What does that—”
[Distort!]
Just as Raon tried to ask, the Black Dragon uttered the strongest chant yet.
Thunk!
It felt like being hit on the crown with a hammer—his vision went black, then cleared again.
“What just happened…?”
He gasped, then saw a black sphere the dragon had fired flying toward his chest.
“That won’t—”
He tried to burn it with his sword, but his toes and ankles twisted instead of his arm and shoulder.
Thunk!
The venomous sphere struck Raon, sending him tumbling across the ground.
“What… what the…?”
He stared in disbelief as venomous blades rained down on his shoulder.
He tried to push off the ground with his legs to dodge, but this time his elbow and wrist twisted.
“Urgh!”
Raon was hit repeatedly by venom spheres and coughed up blood onto the blackened ground.
“This is…”
[Finally noticing?]
The Black Dragon sneered at him.
“You changed… my senses?”
Raon frowned, glaring at the dragon.
“My arm moves, but my legs react; my legs move, but my wrist turns. My senses are twisted.”
[Correct.]
The dragon nodded, grinning widely.
[Humans—especially swordsmen like you—depend heavily on their senses. This Distortion spell was designed to fight transcendent humans.]
She licked her lips in satisfaction, saying it was well worth preparing.
“…Magic like that can’t be possible so easily, can it?”
Raon bit his lip, glaring.
‘An inescapable mental spell that distorts senses…’
Was this the unique power of ancient dragons that the previous patriarch had warned about?
No absolute magic like that could exist without a price. It must use some restriction gained through transcendence.
[You’re right. This spell can only be used on one target, and the sensory changes aren’t just for you.]
“Not just one? Then…”
[Correct. My senses are twisted as well.]
The Black Dragon, convinced of her victory, even explained the spell in detail.
– What a pain. Such a sly black lizard trick.
Wrath frowned in irritation.
‘I need to take time and figure out the changes.’
Like that lizard said, martial artists rely on their senses.
Even as a transcendent, that didn’t change—he needed to quickly analyze how his body had changed.
“Why’d you make magic just to kill people?”
Raon spoke, trying to memorize each twisted sensation.
[Humans are no different from cockroaches infesting this world.]
The dragon’s eyes narrowed in hatred.
“Did something happen to you? From our side, it always looks like you start things first.”
Raon looked up with a weary breath.
[Do you worry about the ants you step on with your shoes?]
The dragon sneered, calling humans bugs.
[No matter how long you stall, it’s useless. A human can’t break Distortion!]
She fired more venomous weapons, sure of her victory.
“Mm!”
Raon stepped back. But while talking, he had already identified most of the twisted senses.
‘For now, from here… huh?’
Raon tried to escape the poisonous zone entirely with Supreme Harmony Steps, but this time, his dantian’s aura wouldn’t move.
Thunk!
A pain like his mana circuit had been twisted froze his body, and a venomous spear sliced across his waist and thigh.
“No way…”
Raon’s lips trembled, now tinged black, as he looked at the Black Dragon.
“My mana circuit too?”
[Correct.]
The Black Dragon nodded with a mocking grin.
[I’ve twisted your mana circuit as well. It’ll take you days to figure out the answer.]
She laughed, saying he’d only find that answer in excruciating pain.
[It’s not like I’m avenging that fool Kaibar, but I’ll make sure your death is as miserable as possible!]
With that, the Black Dragon summoned a barrage of poisonous weapons.
Fwoooosh!
Black weapons dripping with malice poured down toward Raon.
Kyaaaang!
Raon used only the divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost to fend off the torrent of venomous magic.
‘What a mess.’
Without upper dantian aura movement, there was a limit to drawing on nature’s mana.
Unless he figured out the sensation of his twisted mana circuits, he wouldn’t be able to break free from this poison wave.
For now, his only option was to fend off the Black Dragon’s spells using only his swords and swordsmanship while he searched for the sensation of his mana circuit.
Chiririring!
Blocking the onslaught of venomous blades, he focused even harder.
Each time he got his mana circuit wrong, the pain became an awakening stimulant, further sharpening his concentration.
Kugugugugu!
Raon set both swords, resonating the Ring of Fire to its peak.
‘No one’s better at enduring than me.’
—
[It’s pointless!]
The Black Dragon, convinced the outcome was already decided, conjured ever greater waves of poison to press Raon.
Crackle!
Black spots rose on Raon’s skin, and his limbs began trembling like a drunk’s.
It was the typical look of someone poisoned. He didn’t show it outwardly, but he was surely in severe agony inside.
[Not screaming despite being poisoned by dozens of toxins is worthy of praise. But now, it ends.]
Saying this was the end, the Black Dragon raised her hand. A massive venomous orb hovered over Raon’s head, threatening to engulf all of Seiphia.
[I’ll melt you and this elven sanctuary together.]
She muttered about showing him a hell within hell and brought down her ultimate magic.
Crack!
Just as the massive poison sphere was about to consume Seiphia, a crimson gleam flashed in Raon’s eyes.
Craaaaack!
The divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost simultaneously soared, shattering the venomous orb into dozens of fragments before it could crush Seiphia.
Kugugugugu!
The fragments of poison burned and froze, falling harmlessly to the ground.
[Wh-what is this!]
The Black Dragon’s massive jaws dropped in shock.
Thump!
Raon didn’t miss her confusion and launched into Supreme Harmony Steps.
[Krrk! Begone!]
The Black Dragon tried to push him away with dragon-tongue, but Raon shattered the spell using nature’s mana and advanced.
[Eek!]
She desperately conjured walls and absolute shields of poison, but Raon cut them down, moving even faster across the ground.
[Kraaaaaa!]
As if making a last stand, the Black Dragon gathered one last Venomous Breath—not at full power, but still released it.
“You’re too late.”
Raon thrust both blades toward the oncoming breath.
Kuwaaaaaang!
The harmonious strike of gold and silver split the breath, shredding the Black Dragon’s scales.
Thunk!
The Black Dragon’s neck twisted as if it would snap, and her massive body lost strength, crashing to the ground.
[Kkeeegh….]
She let out a deep groan, her whole body trembling.
[How… how did you break my magic…?]
She shook her head in disbelief.
“Your magic wasn’t broken.”
Raon shook his head calmly.
[What? Then how…]
“I memorized it all.”
He declared that he’d memorized every change in both his body and mana circuits.
[T-thousands of changes? You memorized all that in this short time?]
The Black Dragon let out a pained groan, finding that even harder to believe.
“It wasn’t difficult.”
Raon nodded, raising the divine sword.
“I don’t have the hobby of tormenting enemies. I’ll finish you cleanly.”
[W-wait! I’ll cure you of the poison! You’ll die if I don’t! If you spare me, I’ll never appear before humans again—]
“I won’t die from lizard poison.”
Raon sneered, extending the divine sword’s flame.
[Telepo—Kkeeegh!]
The Black Dragon tried to teleport away, but Raon disrupted the flow of mana and severed her neck.
[I… by a mere human…]
Her jaw trembled in disbelief as the light faded from her eyes.
“Hoo…”
Raon lowered both swords, letting out a long breath.
‘It worked.’
Memorizing all the changed sensations in such a short time was impossible for a normal person.
So he’d used the clarity of Mind Like Still Water, entering his inner world to memorize every change in his body and mana circuits, then returned.
It was only an instant outside, but inside, he’d spent quite a bit of time.
But pushing himself so hard left his mind in tatters. He felt like he could collapse and sleep right there.
– Honestly, that was insane.
Wrath shook his head in disbelief.
– I’ve got a lot to say, but handle the poison first. It’s not ordinary, coming from an ancient dragon.
‘It’s fine.’
Raon lowered his hand, and the traces of poison began to fade from his body.
‘With poison resistance and the Ring of Fire handling it, I don’t even need an antidote.’
At the peak, the Ring of Fire would purge any harmful energy on its own.
– Damned ring! It’s always the ring!
Wrath ground his teeth, recalling all the times his rage had failed to affect Raon.
“Well then, next…”
As Raon prepared to move to help Stehrin, applause sounded from behind.
“As expected of Raon Zieghart. Every time I see you, you’re even more incredible.”
* * * * * * * *
(T/N: i apologize for the super delayed chapters, baby time was so rough. baby is currently on a sleep regression phase. good news though, i should be back to our regular release rate (or even faster) by the end of this month. we’ve got everything arranged, so we’re all set. )
