Chapter 157: The Act Ends

Gaon watched the incoming magic and prepared his own spell.

It was not magic meant to intercept the dragons’ spells.

It was magic meant to kill the dragons.

He planned to block their magic with a protective shield while striking them down.

Soon the dragons’ spells reached right in front of him, and Gaon cast his spell.

The instant he cast it, a one-meter-long ink-black spear appeared.

The ink-black spear, formed of Pacheonki and infused with perfection, wove through the dragons’ spells and advanced.

Boom! Boom! Crack! Swoosh!

The dragons’ spells slammed into the protective shield, and thunderous roars erupted.

Gaon paid them no mind.

The dragons had not used full power, and the hastily cast spells could not pierce the shield.

Instead, he focused entirely on the ink-black spear.

Soon the spear reached a dragon that was just about to unleash its Breath.

Because it had been on the verge of breathing, the dragon could not dodge. The ink-black spear pierced straight through it.

The dragon that had been run through could not release its Breath and met death on the spot.

Naturally, the nearby dragons were thrown into panic at their kin’s death.

But that lasted only a moment.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The dragons that had finished preparing their Breath began releasing it one after another.

The Breaths reached the protective shield in an instant, far faster than magic.

Speed was not the only difference.

They were incomparably stronger than magic.

It was not for nothing that they were called the dragons’ ‘authority.’

Gaon could feel the protective shield weakening in real time.

Of course, if he poured in more energy there would be no problem.

So Gaon did not add energy to the shield.

Because it needed to be pierced.

Soon a hole opened in the shield from the Breaths.

Swoosh!

It struck Gaon’s body directly.

Gaon frowned.

Not because the Breath was stronger than expected.

Honestly, he felt nothing.

It was only a slight sting.

The frown was purely acting.

And Gaon immediately retreated backward.

As if he could not endure it.

Then the second Breath struck, and Gaon frowned again and retreated just like before.

He dodged the third Breath.

As if he could no longer hold on.

As if dodging was the only option.

The fourth was the same. After dodging several Breaths like that, when the final Breath flew at him, Gaon blocked it with his body as though he no longer had the strength to evade.

At the same time, he launched one more ink-black spear.

The spear pierced the closest dragon, and naturally the pierced dragon met death.

“Haa… haa…”

Gaon began breathing roughly.

At his reaction, the dragons said nothing.

They simply stared at him with confused faces.

Two of their kin had died.

And so futilely.

Yet Gaon looked extremely exhausted.

Of course he was not actually tired, but at least that was how he appeared to the dragons.

It was then.

“Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!”

Pagrann shouted.

“Are you going to let Peos and Karmin’s sacrifice be in vain? Don’t give him time to recover!”

The moment he finished shouting, Pagrann began preparing his own Breath.

Gaon frowned as if displeased at Pagrann’s shout and thought.

That one… I’ll have to kill him as late as possible.

“Will it really be fine like this?”

Askra asked in a voice full of worry.

“Hmm……”

Ferbeng let out a groan.

Tron stayed silent and watched the two of them.

“Shouldn’t we set out even now……”

When Ferbeng remained quiet, Askra spoke again.

Ferbeng smiled faintly and answered.

“You seem worried about Gaon.”

“Yes, of course I am. No matter how much perfection he has obtained……”

“You don’t need to worry. You’re not thinking that the power Gaon showed in his spar with me was everything, are you?”

“…I know that.”

She had watched the spar between Gaon and Ferbeng.

The spar had been a huge shock to Askra.

Who was Ferbeng?

Even including those who had abandoned mana, he was among the top three strongest.

She had thought that no matter how much perfection Gaon had obtained, it would still be a difficult fight.

But the result had been completely different from her expectations.

Ferbeng had been pushed back far too easily.

Of course, Ferbeng had not gone all out.

If he had, he would not have been pushed back so easily.

Still, the fact that he had been pushed back at all meant the outcome would have been the same.

The gap had been so obvious it was painful to watch.

“But facing all of them alone……”

Askra trailed off.

Right now Gaon was heading toward the base of the kin who had abandoned mana.

The base did not contain just one or two.

Except for a few, they would all be there.

In other words, he would have to face dozens of dragons at the same time.

Not one or two, but over fifty kin simultaneously?

Even with perfection, could Gaon really win?

“Hahaha.”

At Askra’s words, Ferbeng laughed out loud.

Askra made a puzzled face at Ferbeng’s laughter.

Tron, who had been watching, also looked at Ferbeng with a puzzled expression.

Soon Ferbeng stopped laughing and spoke.

“Gaon isn’t strong only in power.”

Gaon usually tried to solve things with strength.

But the reason he solved things with strength was because it was the easiest, fastest, and most efficient way.

Ferbeng had spent a lot of time talking with Gaon.

So he knew.

Just how intelligent Gaon was.

The Gaon Ferbeng knew was not a fool who relied only on power.

“If they all appear and he still tries to kill them without running……”

Ferbeng trailed off and thought for a moment.

Then he smiled faintly and continued.

“It means he can kill them all alone.”

“…Pardon?”

Askra asked back with a disbelieving face.

“No matter what……”

“That would be the case. Even I don’t think Gaon will face them all at once.”

He had spoken of a hypothetical.

Even Ferbeng did not believe Gaon would face them all simultaneously.

“Ah……”

Askra let out a sound of understanding.

Ferbeng continued.

“And if something like that actually happens, we won’t need to worry about the demon world anymore.”

If Gaon possessed the power to face over fifty kin at the same time?

Then there would be no need to worry about the demon world they were currently concerned about.

Because with just a little support, driving out the demon world would become an extremely easy task.

Something’s strange……

Bestas frowned.

Gaon was exhausted.

And it had been for a long time.

There were two problems.

The first was that he kept looking exhausted.

He looked as if he would collapse at any moment, yet he did not collapse.

The second problem was that even in that exhausted state, Gaon had killed many of their kin.

No matter how I look at it……

Because so many of their kin had died, he had no choice but to bring up the uncomfortable truth he had been pushing aside.

“It was acting!”

Bestas gritted his teeth and shouted.

Gaon could not be tired.

He could not be injured.

Everything must have been acting.

That explained why he did not collapse and why their kin kept dying.

At Bestas’s shout, the dragons flinched.

And they began to be wary.

Gaon, who had been breathing roughly, forced a smile and said.

“You noticed? How about running away now? Then at least some of you might survive, right?”

The forced smile and the suggestion to run.

Because of those two things?

Several of the wary dragons lowered their guard again.

And they prepared to attack.

However, it was only several.

Bestas, who had spoken first, did not let go of his suspicion.

Instead, he became certain.

He felt ‘awkwardness’ from Gaon.

If only I had noticed from the beginning……

Bestas sighed inwardly.

If he had realized Gaon was acting from the start?

This many of their kin would not have died.

“Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!”

Bestas shouted.

The dragons who had been preparing to attack began to be wary of Gaon again.

Hmm.

At the dragons’ reaction, Gaon let out an inward groan and thought.

Should I stop now?

It seemed acting would no longer work.

Gaon checked the remaining dragons’ condition.

Only ten remained.

And their condition was not good either.

They had used so much magic and Breath that their strength had been drained.

Yeah, this should be enough.

Judging by their numbers and condition, acting no longer seemed necessary.

From now on, he could hunt openly.

Having finished his thoughts, Gaon immediately changed the atmosphere.

He discarded the exhausted look and exuded a perfectly calm aura.

At the sudden change in Gaon’s demeanor, Bestas made a face that said just as I thought, while the other dragons were greatly shocked.

Gaon smiled faintly and cast his spell.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Three ink-black spears—the same ones that had killed the dragons in a single strike just before—appeared.

They immediately flew toward the three targeted dragons.

That was not the end.

Gaon took out a sword from his pocket.

And he charged toward Bestas.

Gaon had no intention of hunting the dragons with magic alone.

He wanted to confirm how much strength and time it would take to hunt with the sword alone.

At Gaon’s charge, Bestas made a flustered face.

What trick is this?

A mage like Gaon was running at him with a sword?

He could not understand what Gaon was thinking.

Still, he could not just stand still.

Bestas wrapped mana around his entire body to strengthen it and thought.

Is he really trying to fight me in close combat?

Gaon had obtained perfection.

But it was perfection obtained through ‘magic.’

Gaon was human, and the difference in physique between him and Bestas went without saying.

In close combat, it was impossible for Gaon to win.

Maybe he’s trying to lure me into letting my guard down and then suddenly use magic? But is there any need for that?

While Bestas was feeling puzzled, Gaon stopped fifty meters away.

And he swung his sword through the air.

Bestas could not help but be flustered at what followed.

Riiiiiip!

When Gaon swung his sword, space split apart.

Naturally, it was not only the area around the swing that split.

The split continued onward.

Bestas looked at the approaching cracked space and thought.

Swordmaster?

The first thing that came to mind was Swordmaster.

No, even a Swordmaster……

But even a Swordmaster could not split space like this.

Because of perfection?

There was no way a mage like Gaon had deep knowledge of the sword.

The current situation was most likely related to perfection.

And honestly, Gaon’s sword skill level was not important right now.

The cracked space would arrive soon.

He had to decide whether to dodge or block.

Dodge is impossible.

It seemed like it would chase endlessly.

Blocking seemed better.

Having decided, Bestas immediately cast magic.

Countless spells struck the cracked space, slowing its advance.

Yes, this much……

He could fully block it with a protective shield.

Bestas created a protective shield and looked at Gaon.

His face was extremely calm.

It did not look like he had expended much strength on the previous attack.

In other words, there was a high chance he could use such an attack again.

Bestas looked around to call for help.

……Huh?

And he was flustered.

He had tried to call for help, but the situation did not allow it.

His kin were waging war against the three ink-black spears.

The ink-black spears moved as if they had a will of their own.

Of course they did not actually have a will.

Gaon was clearly controlling them.

While facing me at the same time……?

Bestas was dumbfounded.

And at that moment the cracked space struck the protective shield.

Craaaaack!