Chapter 38: The Thirteenth Form
The people on the city wall, who had been frozen in terror, couldn't help but erupt in a deafening cheer when they saw this scene.
"He... he did it!"
"It bled! The Dragon is bleeding!"
Just moments ago, neither His Majesty the King, with his sacred-forged sword, nor the kingdom's 'Sword Saint' Arthur, nor any of their heroes, could even scratch the purple-haired youth. But Ren's attack had wounded him.
They finally understood. They understood why that monster, who had arrogantly tanked every other attack, had been so scared and had retreated so frantically when facing Ren's first, simple slash.
There's still hope! Humanity has hope to defeat the Giant Dragon!!
The King stared at the scene before him in utter disbelief, his hands trembling.
"He can wound a Giant Dragon... without using Dragon Slayer Magic?" he whispered, his voice cracking. "This... this is too incredible!! It's impossible... This defies all known magical laws!"
"As expected of Yoriichi... no, Mr. Ren!" Arthur, the Sword Saint, was incredibly excited, his eyes glued to Ren's form. He was witnessing his entire understanding of his life's work being rewritten. "His swordsmanship... it has reached a peak I didn't even know existed. It's not magic... it's... it's perfection."
"What a monster..." Clay could only describe him as a monster at this point. He had personally attacked that creature's neck with all his might, and his own sword had shattered.
Yet, facing Ren's attack, this dragon had no choice but to block, and even in blocking, it was grievously wounded.
Down in the ruined forest, the purple-haired youth looked at his bleeding arm. The wound was not closing. His draconic regeneration, which should have sealed the cut in seconds, was struggling. The wound burned. It sizzled with a heat that felt like the sun itself, a pain that was utterly alien and terrifying.
His expression twisted from shock into a mask of pure, murderous rage.
"Brat... you've... really... made me angry!!"
"ROAR ————!!"
Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the purple-haired youth's body began to change. His body violently expanded. Bones snapped, cracked, and reformed at an impossible rate. His skin tore open as glistening, deep-purple scales—each the size of a shield—burst forth, covering his body.
Dragon horns, twisted and malevolent, erupted from his forehead. A massive, leathery pair of wings sprouted from his back, tearing his clothes to shreds and casting a shadow that blotted out the sun. A long, spiked tail whipped out from behind him, pulverizing the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the arrogant youth was gone. In his place stood a purple Giant Dragon, dozens of meters tall, its eyes burning with golden, reptilian hatred.
"AUNG ————!!"
The purple Giant Dragon spread its wings to their full, immense span and roared up at the sky.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom ————!!
A terrifying shockwave of pure sonic force and magic pressure exploded outwards from the purple Giant Dragon's position. It was not just sound; it was a physical blow.
The ground shattered inch by inch and was overturned. All the surrounding trees for hundreds of meters were not just broken; they were pulverized into dust by the shockwave.
The monsters still lingering in the Demon Beast Great Forest, who had been hesitating, now fled in abject terror.
The immense impact made the entire ground tremble. Everyone on the city wall was thrown to their knees, desperately clinging to the ramparts to avoid being blown away.
Looking at the terrifying, sky-obscuring body of the Giant Dragon, an emotion called 'despair' once again crushed the hearts of the humans.
Just a roar... just the sound of its voice... could cause such terrifying destruction. How could humanity possibly defeat such a powerful monster?
In the center of the devastation, Ren stood, his red haori flapping in the gale, his expression as serene and unmoved as ever.
"Stop yelling," Ren said calmly, his voice cutting through the fading roar. "Has anyone ever told you that your yelling is very unpleasant?"
"HUMAN BRAT!" the dragon's voice boomed, a deep, guttural sound that shook the stones of the city. "I WAS CARELESS JUST NOW! IT ALLOWED YOUR PATHETIC ATTACK TO WOUND ME! NOW THAT I HAVE RETURNED TO MY ORIGINAL BODY, YOUR ATTACKS WILL BE USELESS AGAINST ME! DIE!!"
The purple Giant Dragon, Alazam, opened his massive maw. A vortex of violent purple energy gathered in his throat. He then spewed out a terrifying, purple Dragon Breath.
It was not a simple flame; it was a roaring torrent of pure, unadulterated magical destruction, wide enough to engulf a dozen houses, and it rushed at Ren to erase him from existence.
Ren gripped the sword in his hand tightly. He took a single, deep breath.
Hoooo...
He swung his blade. A single, perfect, vertical slash, wreathed in roaring solar flames.
Swish ————!!
The fiery slash emanated from Ren's sword, colliding with the Dragon Breath. It did not explode. It did not falter.
The solar-flame slash cut the Dragon Breath in half.
The torrent of purple energy split cleanly, erupting harmlessly on either side of Ren, carving two new, massive trenches in the earth behind him.
"WHAT?!"
The purple Giant Dragon looked at this scene in disbelief. And the slash, having cleaved his ultimate weapon, did not stop. It continued, striking his chest.
"OW ————!!"
The Giant Dragon let out another cry of pain. A long, shallow wound appeared on its chest, sizzling and smoking. The wound was not deep, but the burning pain was agonizing, far worse than the cut itself.
"YOU FELLOW... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Alazam roared, his eyes wide in a mix of disbelief and dawning fear. "HOW CAN A MERE HUMAN'S ATTACK BREAK THROUGH THE DEFENSE OF MY DRAGON SCALES?!"
This guy... he not only split his Dragon Breath in half, but he also wounded him again. He could clearly feel that the other party was not a Dragon Slayer Mage. To be able to harm a true dragon without Dragon Slayer Magic... this was simply incredible. This should not be possible.
"Don't keep calling me a mere human," Ren said, his calm voice easily reaching the dragon's ears. "Wasn't your Giant Dragon race wiped out by the 'mere humans' you speak of? What right do you have to look down on humans?"
"As for how I broke through the defense of your dragon scales?" Ren tilted his head slightly. "What? Do you think your defense is very strong?"
"BASTARD! DIE FOR ME!!"
Enraged beyond reason, the purple Giant Dragon raised its massive dragon claw, a limb as large as a building, and swatted it down towards Ren like a man crushing a fly.
Boom ————!!
The dragon claw slammed into the ground. The earth exploded. Large sections of the ground collapsed, as if the sky and earth were rending apart, sending a shockwave of rock and debris flying.
"Sun Breathing, Fifth Form: Fire Wheel!!"
[Akarin's Note: Fifth Form: Fire Wheel (Kasha - Fire Wheel) is a technique where the user leaps behind the opponent in a rolling, somersaulting motion, slashing them with a circular wheel of fire.]
Ren's figure had already vanished. He had used the wind from the claw's descent to propel himself, flipping in a perfect circle through the air, landing behind the dragon's massive leg. As he tumbled, he swung his sword in a circular, blazing sun slash.
Pfft ———!
"OW ————!!"
The purple Giant Dragon roared again. Ren's attack did not cause serious damage, only a slight scratch on the thick scales of its leg, but the burning effect that came with the attack... it was simply too painful!
The purple Giant Dragon quickly turned, its massive body clumsy and slow compared to its opponent.
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form: Resplendent Sun Halo!!"
[Akarin's Note: Tenth Form: Resplendent Sun Halo (Kiki Onkō - Resplendent Sun Halo) is a high-speed twisting, spinning slash that creates a vortex of fire, capable of cutting multiple foes at once.]
As the dragon turned, Ren's body rapidly descended from the air, performing a high-speed spiral slash as he fell, like a living comet of fire.
"UGH AH AH AH AH!!"
The purple Giant Dragon was cut with a long, burning wound from its chest down to its belly. It hurt! It was simply too painful! The pain was shallow, but constant, as if the sun itself was searing his flesh. It hurt so much that it couldn't help but let out pained screams.
The purple Giant Dragon endured the pain and lunged at Ren with both claws, intending to grab this bastard bug and torture him to death little by little.
"Sun Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Crimson Mirror!"
[Akarin's Note: Third Form: Blazing Crimson Mirror (Retsujitsu Kōkyō - Blazing Crimson Mirror) is a defensive technique where the user unleashes two powerful, symmetrical slashes to deflect attacks.]
Ren swiftly unleashed two sharp, symmetrical slashes, meeting the two descending claws.
Bang!!!
The purple Giant Dragon's claws were both violently repelled. The force of the parry, concentrated by the burning blade, was more than the dragon's own strength. A deep, sizzling wound appeared on each of its palms.
"WAAAH AH AH AH AH!! BASTARD!!" Alazam shrieked, retracting his burning hands.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Scorching Bone Sun!"
[Akarin's Note: Sixth Form: Scorching Bone Sun (Shakkotsu En'yō - Scorching Bone Sun) is a powerful, rotating defensive slash that burns the opponent on contact.]
Ren's attack was relentless. He swung his sword, releasing a large, rotating, blazing sun slash that struck the purple Giant Dragon's abdomen.
Rumble ———!
The purple Giant Dragon's huge body was blasted backward, its feet tearing trenches in the ground as it slid for dozens of meters.
The purple Giant Dragon endured the pain and, in a blind fury, quickly rushed towards Ren. It imbued its fist with pulsing, dark purple Dragon Power and smashed it towards Ren.
"Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Solar Halo Thrust!!"
[Akarin's Note: Seventh Form: Solar Halo Thrust (Yōkatotsu - Solar Halo Thrust) is a single, devastating, high-speed thrust with the tip of the blade.]
Ren met him without fear.
Boom ————!!
The Giant Dragon's massive, building-sized fist and Ren's tiny, human-sized sword tip met.
Pfft ————!!
The sword tip, wreathed in solar fire, deeply pierced into the purple Giant Dragon's fist. But the length of the sword was nothing to the Giant Dragon's massive body. The sheer, overwhelming force behind the punch was on another level.
Ren's body was sent flying backward like a cannonball. Competing in pure, brute strength with a Giant Dragon was somewhat overestimating himself.
Seeing Ren being sent flying, the purple Giant Dragon's face revealed a ferocious, triumphant expression. It flapped its wings, a gust of wind tearing up the earth, and quickly flew up, charging forward to finish the human.
After flying for a hundred meters, Ren stopped his body in mid-air, flipping to face the oncoming dragon.
"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Solar Halo Dragon Dance!!"
[Akarin's Note: Eleventh Form: Solar Halo Dragon Dance (Nichiun no Ryū Kaburimai - Solar Halo Dragon Dance) is a high-speed, flowing, and twisting attack that makes the user look like a flaming dragon. It's designed to decapitate multiple enemies.]
Ren moved at high speed. He did not retreat. He charged forward, his body and blade weaving through the air, creating a flowing, twisting afterimage like a blazing Japanese Dragon. He passed right through the purple Giant Dragon's massive, charging body.
Pfft pfft!!
Dozens of wounds appeared all over the purple Giant Dragon's body as Ren's attack passed.
"UWAAAH AH AH AH AH!! YOU DAMN BUG!!! YOU INSECT!!!"
The purple Giant Dragon frantically attacked Ren, swiping its claws, biting with its jaws, and lashing its tail. It pulverized large sections of the surrounding trees and ground, throwing up clouds of dust and debris.
At this moment, as Ren dodged a wild claw swipe, he landed on the ground and whispered, "It should be about time now."
A Giant Dragon's hearing is inherently very strong. Although Ren's voice was low, it was still heard by Alazam. About time? What was about time?
A bad, fatal premonition suddenly surged in the dragon's heart.
Ren gripped the long sword with both hands, his crimson eyes becoming sharp and serious. Accompanied by a powerful, deep breathing sound, Ren's body seemed to burn with raging flames, and his red Demon Slayer Mark glowed.
Magic Dragon Alazam looked at Ren like this and immediately felt a fatal danger. The same danger he'd felt from that first slash, magnified a thousand times.
No. He couldn't let this guy attack.
"EARTH SHATTER!!"
The Magic Dragon gathered all its magic power in its claws, then slammed them hard onto the ground.
Boom —————!!
The heavens and earth trembled. The entire battlefield—the ground within hundreds of meters—exploded. It didn't just crack; it disintegrated, turning into countless fragments and boulders that shot into the sky.
Ren's feet were planted on a large piece of ground, which was now flying upward, flipping over until he was hanging upside down in the sky, high above the chaos.
Facing this situation, Ren's expression remained unchanged. His gaze was fixed on the dragon far below, not wavering in the slightest, as he concentrated his spirit. The flames on his blade burned with the intensity of the sun.
He had performed all twelve forms in succession. Now, it was time for the final one.
"Sun Breathing... Thirteenth Form."
[Akarin Note:
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