Raon enveloped the edge of his Black Dragon Coat with the wind of Garunua. He soared towards the Black Dragon, appearing as if he had become an incarnation of the wind itself.
[How dare you!]
True to its nature as an ancient dragon, the Black Dragon quickly recovered from its momentary surprise and summoned ten dark, shimmering spears. These massive black spears, as large as the pillars of the Lord's Manor, rained down like beams of light.
-Those are the Spears of Deadly Poison.
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he watched the black spears falling like lightning bolts.
-Those black spears are coated with a deadly poison that can dissolve life force upon contact. If you focus only on their size, you'll die.
He lowered his voice, warning that even deflecting them with a sword would be dangerous.
'Then I'll just burn them away.'
Despite Wrath's explanation, Raon didn't back down. Instead, he increased his speed and ignited the flames of his Divine Sword towards the Spears of Deadly Poison. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Drive. Flame Dragon Strike. The flames enveloping the Divine Sword's blade split like the end of a ravine, then rose up in the shape of a dragon.
The heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, its power further enhanced by Transcendence, engulfed the black spears.
The high-level poison magic, the Spears of Deadly Poison, were consumed by the fire dragon before they could even release their toxic energy, disintegrating into nothingness.
'Now it works.'
Raon savored the sight of the poison energy melting away within the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
'I can definitely fight against that ancient dragon now.'
Glenn and Wrath had shown mysterious abilities to cut through or freeze powerful attacks imbued with the Willpower of Transcendent Warriors. At the time, Raon couldn't understand how it was possible, but now he knew. It was a skill unique to Transcendent Warriors who could utilize the mana of nature.
[W-What is this...]
The Black Dragon let out a faint groan. Its eyes trembled, clearly not expecting its high-level magic to be so easily dispelled. Raon leapt through the air, positioning himself at the same level as the Black Dragon. He pointed his Demonic Sword at the creature while maximizing the power of Glacier. The air resonated with the clash of energies.
Above the blue blade of the Demonic Sword, a frost-covered World Tree sprouted, bearing thousands of icy blossoms.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Drive. Fire Spirit. The cold energy of Glacier spread a multitude of fiery blossoms across the sky. It was a magnificent sight, like a constellation of frost flowers unfolding. The air vibrated with the intensity of the technique.
The Black Dragon narrowed its diamond-shaped eyes and unleashed high-level magic to protect itself. It created a Veil of Deadly Poison to prevent enemies from approaching and a Shield of Lightning Wheel to deflect attacks.
As Raon tilted his Demonic Sword, the frost fragments filling the sky rained down upon the Black Dragon. The aura waves generated by the Fire Spirit were both elegant and powerful, but the two shields created by the Black Dragon didn't break. Instead, they merely froze over, turning white.
[Raon Zieghart. You're more dangerous than I've heard.]
The Black Dragon, seething with anger, began to form a sphere of deadly poison that shimmered with a green hue. The toxic energy it emitted was even stronger than that of the Spears of Deadly Poison, causing Raon's head to throb despite the distance between them.
"Is this really the time to be preparing an attack?"
Raon smirked as he lunged straight at the Black Dragon. Wrapped in the wind of the Gale Wind Style, he extended both his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword simultaneously. Raon Zieghart Style Sword Technique.
Second Form: Layered Heavy Sky Cannon.
The Heavy Sky Cannon technique was simultaneously executed from both the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword (E/N: ie, layered). A gravitational force, as dark as a black hole, pulled the Black Dragon's massive body towards Raon.
[What is this!]
Just as the Black Dragon tried to spread its wings in confusion, Raon released the waves of heat and cold energy he had concentrated in the blades of his Divine and Demonic Swords. The frozen Veil of Deadly Poison and Shield of Lightning Wheel shattered simultaneously, and blades of fire and frost pierced both of the Black Dragon's wings.
[Grraaah!]
Startled by the sudden pain, the Black Dragon inadvertently dispersed the sphere of poison it had been forming.
"It's not over yet."
Seizing the opportunity, Raon held his Divine Sword upward and his Demonic Sword downward, tracing a diagonal path with his blades. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Flame and Ice Unification. Waves of fire and frost erupted into the sky, enveloping the Black Dragon's entire body.
[P-Protect me!]
Unable to cast a defensive spell in time, the Black Dragon hastily uttered a dragon word. The surrounding mana gathered around it, forming five shields. Though lacking in poison energy, these shields didn't break even under the onslaught of fire and frost blades. As expected of dragon word magic, its defensive capabilities were formidable.
"Let's see how long these can last."
Raon gritted his teeth. Maximizing the power in every muscle and his aura, he brought his swords down upon the Black Dragon's shields. The sword strike, imbued with his Transcendence-enhanced body, aura, and the martial prowess of Ten Thousand Swords, shattered all the mana
[B-Block it!]
The Black Dragon managed to erect a new mana shield to prevent its neck from being severed, but overwhelmed by Raon's power, it plummeted to the ground with its wings twisted.
[Shield! Shield!]
The Black Dragon tried to endure by continuously regenerating its shields, but it couldn't withstand Raon's power that exceeded human limits.
[Grooooar!]
The creature finally fell into the western Great Forest with only a thin shield remaining. As the massive dragon crashed to the ground, the earth shook, causing the entire Great Forest to tremble, and a brown dust cloud rose into the sky.
-What a brute...
Wrath frowned, seemingly dumbfounded.
-Can't you do it with a bit more finesse?
'Beating the crap out of a lizard like that is the best answer.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he approached the place where the Black Dragon had fallen.
'There's absolutely no value in keeping it alive.'
The Black Dragon had unleashed its Deadly Poison Breath towards Sepia without any warning. It had intended to kill all the humans and elves here, so there was no reason for Raon to spare its life either.
-Now you're calling it a lizard too.
Wrath chuckled, seemingly pleased.
-Well, after seeing the true ugly nature of these lizards, I suppose you can't help it. But don't hit it too hard. If you beat it too much, the meat gets tough.
He seemed to be salivating at the thought of dragon stew even now.
'Now I need to finish this... Hm!'
As Raon tried to approach where the Black Dragon had fallen, black particles burst out from the brown dust cloud. Though small, they were so toxic that even his fingers tingled.
"Of course."
Raon smirked as he erected a Fire Wall. The flaming shield burned away all the approaching toxic particles.
"A lizard that's lived for thousands of years wouldn't go down that easily, I suppose."
Raon nodded and lowered his hand, summoning a blue wind that blew away the swirling dust.
[Grrrgh.]
The Black Dragon lay there with scorched and frostbitten wings bent at odd angles, blood trickling from its mouth. Despite using dragon word magic, it seemed unable to fully absorb the impact and had sustained injuries.
[Raon Zieghart. I hadn't heard you were this strong...]
The Black Dragon's massive maw trembled, genuinely taken aback.
"It's good that you know now. Of course..."
Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword as he stepped into the Supreme Harmony Steps stance.
"It's far too late."
As Raon advanced to behead the Black Dragon in one swift move, the creature's mouth opened wide.
[Capability Reduction!]
The Black Dragon used a dragon word to cast an unknown spell. It was unusual, as dragons could typically create magic just by uttering simple dragon words.
'Is there something else?'
Sensing danger, Raon halted his steps. As he lowered his stance to assess the situation, a blue energy emerged from near the Black Dragon's throat. It was thin as a thread, but unlike before, it carried no killing intent. The air sizzled with energy.
Raon swung his Divine Sword at the approaching blue energy, but the Black Dragon's magic didn't burn in the flames and rushed towards him even faster.
'What is this?'
Seeing that it didn't burn in the flames, Raon quickly concluded it wasn't a physical spell. He made a swift decision and retreated using the Supreme Harmony's Third Step.
-Even I don't know what this is. Given that it's not affected by sword strikes, it might be a mental attack.
Wrath frowned, saying it was the first time he'd seen a visible mental magic.
'Then I should dodge first and... Hm?'
Raon tried to keep escaping, but the Black Dragon's magic moved faster than him and eventually seeped into his shoulder. He exhaled softly, examining his entire body.
'I don't feel any different?'
Despite being hit by the ancient dragon's magic, there was no impact, and he couldn't feel any changes in his body.
"What did you do to me?"
Raon glared at the Black Dragon while adjusting his grip on the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
[Kehehehe...]
The Black Dragon snickered, black blood trickling from its mouth. Due to its massive size, its laughter alone made the forest tremble.
[Now you're finished.]
"What? What do you..."
[Distort!]
As Raon was about to ask another question, the Black Dragon uttered its most powerful dragon word yet. Raon's vision went dark as if he'd been hit on the head with a hammer, then brightened again.
"What just happ..."
As Raon gasped, a black sphere shot by the Black Dragon flew towards his chest.
"I told you that won't work..."
He tried to swing his Divine Sword to burn it away, but instead of his shoulder and arm moving, his toes and ankle rotated. Raon was hit by the sphere of deadly poison and tumbled across the ground.
"W-What the..."
As Raon's jaw trembled in disbelief, a blade of deadly poison summoned by the Black Dragon fell towards his shoulder. He tried to push off the ground with his legs to dodge, but this time his elbow and wrist rotated instead.
"Gah!"
Raon was hit by successive spheres of poison energy and coughed up red blood onto the darkened ground.
"This is..."
[Have you figured it out now?]
The Black Dragon wore a long, mocking grin.
"My senses..."
Raon glared at the Black Dragon, furrowing his brow.
"You've altered them?"
When he tried to move his arm, his leg moved instead, and when he attempted to move his leg, his wrist rotated. His entire body's sensations were grotesquely distorted.
[Correct.]
The Black Dragon nodded with a deep laugh.
[Humans, especially swordsmen like you, rely extremely on their senses. Capability Reduction is an absolute magic created to counter humans who have reached Transcendence.]
It smacked its lips in satisfaction, saying the preparation was worth it.
"...Such magic shouldn't be possible just like that, right?"
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the Black Dragon.
'An unavoidable mental magic. And one that alters senses, at that...'
Was this the special ability of ancient dragons that the Central Martial Palace mentioned? Such absolute magic couldn't be possible without restrictions. It must have been created by imposing limitations using the realm obtained through Transcendence.
[You're right. This magic can only be used on one person, and the target of sensory alteration isn't just you.]
"Not just one person? Then..."
[Yes. My senses are distorted as well.]
The Black Dragon, seemingly convinced of its victory, provided an annoyingly detailed explanation about Capability Reduction.
-What a troublesome magic. It's the kind of thing a sly black lizard would come up with.
Wrath furrowed his brow, seemingly irritated.
'I need to buy time to examine my altered senses.'
As the lizard said, martial artists heavily rely on their senses. Even as a Transcendent Warrior, this hadn't changed, so Raon needed to quickly understand the changes to his body.
"Why did you develop magic to kill people?"
While speaking to the Black Dragon, Raon began memorizing each of his distorted senses one by one.
[Because you lot are no different from cockroaches infesting this world.]
The Black Dragon narrowed its eyes, spewing hatred towards humans.
"Did humans wrong you somehow? From our perspective, it seems like you're the ones picking fights first."
Raon exhaled wearily, lifting only his gaze.
[Do you live your life considering even the ants you step on?]
The Black Dragon twisted its mouth, referring to humans as insects.
[And there's no use in stalling for time. It's impossible for a mere human to break through Capability Reduction!]
As if knowing everything, it fired weapons made of deadly poison.
"Hm!"
Raon took a step back. While talking to the Black Dragon, he had already figured out most of his altered senses.
'First, from here... Huh?'
He tried to use the Supreme Harmony Steps to escape the area where poison energy was pouring down, but this time his aura in the energy center didn't move. His body froze as he felt a pain like his mana circuit had been twisted, and in that moment, a spear made of poison slashed across his waist and thigh.
"No way..."
Raon's blackened lips trembled as he looked at the Black Dragon.
"Even the mana circuit?"
[Correct.]
The Black Dragon nodded with a sneer.
[I've distorted your mana circuit as well. It'll take days to find the solution.]
It chuckled, saying that even if Raon found the solution, it would be in extreme agony.
[Though it's not revenge for the foolish Kaivar, I'll kill you as brutally as possible!]
The Black Dragon summoned a series of weapons made of poison, declaring it would kill Raon in agony. Black weapons oozing with killing intent rained down on Raon. He deflected the incoming deadly poison magic using only the flames of his Divine Sword and the cold energy of his Demonic Sword.
'This is insane.'
With his aura not moving in the upper dantian, there was a limit to how much natural mana he could draw. It seemed he wouldn't be able to escape this wave of deadly poison unless he could figure out the distorted sensations in his mana circuit.
For now, the only solution was to fend off the Black Dragon's magic with his Divine Sword, Demonic Sword, and swordsmanship while trying to identify the sensations in his mana circuit.
As he deflected the incoming blades of deadly poison, he heightened his concentration even further. He used the pain that surged whenever he misidentified a mana circuit as a stimulant to increase his focus. Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, resonating the Ring of Fire to its maximum.
'When it comes to endurance, I'm second to none.'
* * *
[It's pointless!]
The Black Dragon, acting as if the outcome was already decided, unleashed increasingly intense waves of deadly poison to pressure Raon. Black spots appeared on Raon's skin, and his arms and legs began to tremble like a drunkard's.
It was the typical appearance of someone poisoned by deadly toxins. Though he didn't show it, he must have been experiencing excruciating pain inside.
[I'll commend you for not screaming despite being poisoned by dozens of toxins. But now, it's over.]
As the Black Dragon declared this to be the end and stretched out its hand, a massive sphere of deadly poison, large enough to engulf all of Sepia, appeared above Raon's head.
[I'll melt you and the elves' sacred land to nothing.]
Muttering about showing a hell within hell, the Black Dragon unleashed its high-level magic, Realm of Solitude, towards Raon. Just as the enormous poison sphere was about to engulf Sepia, a red gleam appeared in Raon's eyes. The air crackled with energy.
Simultaneously, the flames from his Divine Sword and the frost from his Demonic Sword rose up, shattering the Realm of Solitude that was about to crush Sepia into dozens of pieces.
The fragments of deadly poison burned in the flames and froze in the cold energy as they fell to the ground.
[W-What is this!]
The Black Dragon gaped its massive maw, clearly not having imagined this turn of events. Seizing the moment of the Black Dragon's confusion, Raon executed the Supreme Harmony Steps.
[Gah! Get lost!]
The Black Dragon tried to push Raon away using a dragon word, but Raon shattered the dragon word using natural mana as he advanced.
[Eeeek!]
Raon cut through the hastily created wall of poison energy and absolute shield, pushing off the ground even faster.
[Graaaah!]
In what seemed like a final struggle, the Black Dragon gathered its Deadly Poison Breath. Though not at full power, it unleashed its breath attack.
"It's already too late."
Raon thrust the blades of his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword into the oncoming Deadly Poison Breath. A sword strike harmoniously blending gold and silver light sliced through the poisonous breath and tore apart the Black Dragon's scales.
The Black Dragon's neck twisted as if it might fall off, and its massive body lost strength and crashed to the ground.
[Gaaah...]
The Black Dragon let out a deep groan, its entire body trembling.
[H-How did you break my magic...]
It shook its head in disbelief.
"Your magic hasn't been broken."
Raon calmly shook his head.
[What? But how...]
"I memorized it all."
He shook his head, saying he had memorized all the changes in his body and mana circuit.
[T-There are thousands of changes! You memorized all that in such a short time?]
The Black Dragon groaned, as if this was even more unbelievable.
"It wasn't difficult."
Raon nodded as he raised his Divine Sword.
"I don't have a habit of toying with enemies, so I'll end this now."
[W-Wait! I'll neutralize the poison affecting you! Without me, you'll die too! If you spare me, I'll never appear before humans again and...]
"I won't die from a lizard's poison."
He snorted as he extended the flames of his Divine Sword.
[Move...Gack!]
The Black Dragon tried to teleport, but Raon disrupted the mana flow and slashed its throat.
[I... to a mere human...]
The Black Dragon's jaw trembled, seemingly unable to believe its own death even now, before the light faded from its eyes.
"Phew..."
Raon lowered his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, exhaling a long breath.
'Fortunately, it worked.'
As the Black Dragon said, it was impossible to memorize all the altered sensations in such a short time. So, using the concentration of his Forever Unrippled Mind, Raon entered his mental world, memorized all the changes in his body and mana circuit, and then came back out. While it was just a moment in the outside world, he spent quite some time inside.
However, due to the strain, his mind wasn't entirely clear. He felt like he could collapse and sleep right then and there.
-Honestly, that was insane behavior.
Even Wrath shook his head in disbelief.
-I have a lot to say, but first, deal with the poison. Being from an ancient dragon, it's no ordinary toxin.
'That's fine.'
As Raon shook his head and lowered his hand, the traces of poison energy that had permeated his body slowly began to disappear.
'I have Poison Resistance, and the Ring takes care of it automatically.'
The Ring of Fire, having reached completion, removes all harmful energies from his body even when he's idle. There was no need for an antidote.
-Damn that Ring! It's always the Ring!
Wrath gritted his teeth in exasperation. It seemed to remind him of past times when his anger was ineffective.
"Well then, next..."
As Raon was about to move to help Sterin, he heard the sound of applause from behind him.
"As expected of Raon Zieghart. You continue to evolve impressively every time I see you."