Chapter 39: The Light(2)

A chilling, ominous sound drilled into everyone’s ears.

“What… what is that…?”

The battlefield, once a storm of chaos, fell silent in an instant.

The Dragons who had been struggling for survival.

The Knights who had been thrusting their spears and swords with reckless fury.

Even Gide, who had lost himself, stood frozen.

“Ugh… ugh…”

In the halted battlefield, only Adele’s pained, trembling voice echoed.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the sky.

Since when—

Since when had that blue sky been fractured?

“Wh-why is there already a Rift…?!”

Richard recognized ‘that.’

And as far as he knew, this was a disaster that should never have occurred now.

His heart plummeted.

-Uuuuuu…

A deep, eerie wail reverberated through the world.

Beyond the Rift, a single, massive crimson eye appeared.

The presence behind it was so vast, its true size was unimaginable. Its gaze swept beneath the heavens.

It was as if that eye was savoring the world—unpleasant, sticky, oppressive.

A twisted, suffocating energy began to flood the land.

“Ah!”

Knights dropped the weapons from their hands.

Their legs trembled, cold sweat pooling beneath them.

The blue sky was now stained black by the Demonic Energy spilling from that thing.

It was as if it was declaring its intent to claim the entire world as its own.

“Insane…”

Richard’s voice shook.

No—his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Had he dropped the Crown of Ice during the fight?

He managed to raise his hand and touch his head.

A cold sensation.

The Crown of Ice, made entirely of frost, was still on his head.

At that moment, the monstrous eye, which had been scanning the world with predatory intensity, halted.

“Eh—”

Richard’s eyes met the creature’s.

***

-Uuuu…?

The blue sky, with the Rift at its center, was now pitch black.

The massive red eye stared unblinkingly at Richard.

Richard forced himself to look away and shouted,

“Everyone, snap out of it!”

But the Knights’ gazes were fixed on the Rift, unable to move.

Their minds were being devoured by the terror-inducing Demonic Energy.

And the crisis did not end there.

“Gide…”

Thud—

Gide collapsed to his knees.

The time of tempering had finally run out.

His skin, once glowing red-hot, faded away in an instant, becoming light.

He was so close.

If this change hadn’t occurred, everything would have gone according to plan.

Richard dashed to Gide and checked his condition.

The body that had been radiating intense heat was now rapidly cooling.

“Adele!”

He had to feed Gide the Fruit quickly.

Even the Fruit of the World Tree couldn’t resurrect the dead.

But despite Richard’s desperate cry, Adele remained dazed.

As the foundation of the world itself, the World Tree seemed to have been deeply shaken by the Rift.

Richard, carrying Gide on his back, rushed over to Adele.

“Adele!”

“Ah… Daddy…”

“Get a hold of yourself first.”

Faith began to glow from her hands, which were cradling the fruit.

“Please, save Gide!”

At Richard’s urgent plea, Adele finally nodded, regaining her senses.

“I-I’ll bear the fruit right now. I will save him… no matter what…”

“I trust you.”

Leaving Adele behind, Richard turned to face the Rift.

The enormous, blood-red eye was still staring at him.

His breath caught in his throat. A chill ran down his spine.

But Richard forced himself to move.

In a battlefield where everyone else had cowered and shrunk away in fear, only he moved.

‘First, I have to kill the Dragon.’

The Rift wasn’t large.

The barrier between the world and the Demon Realm had not yet fully collapsed.

In fact, the Rift was slowly beginning to close.

Whatever that eye was, it was certain the world wouldn’t end right this moment.

‘If that’s the case, then I have a job to do.’

Trembling—

Richard lifted his sword, the gaze of the red eye pressing down on him.

Just being looked at threatened to drive him mad.

If not for the power of the Crown of Ice and Faith, he would have collapsed instantly.

“Krrrr…”

The Dragon, head pressed to the ground, crouched low.

Its tightly curled tail showed just how terrified it was.

-Uuuu…

As Richard approached, a bizarre wail rang out once more.

“Damn it.”

A sense of foreboding made him look up, and a curse slipped from his lips.

He quickly leapt back.

Splat—!

A torrent of blood fell onto the crouching Dragon.

Tears of blood poured from the eye beyond the Rift.

K-KRAAAAGH—!

The Dragon, drenched in blood, howled in agony.

Something was wrong.

That couldn’t be ordinary blood.

“Third Knight Division! Get a hold of yourselves!”

Richard screamed desperately, but it was futile.

The Knights fell to their knees, clutching their heads.

Even Aaron and Huger were no exception.

“Damn it… this is insane.”

Richard looked at the Dragon.

Its green scales were now stained a dark, bloody red.

The color of the Light Dragon’s symbol—crimson-black.

Chains rattled as if about to snap.

The Dragon, as if it had never been afraid, let out a ferocious roar and charged at Richard.

It was dangerous.

The gaze from beyond the Rift threatened to drive him insane, and now the Dragon, breaking its own chains, was going berserk.

Richard summoned every ounce of Faith.

‘Think. I have to find a way.’

The Crown of Ice trembled atop his head.

“There are no Knights left who can fight…”

He looked around.

Terror. Confusion.

Everyone had lost their will to fight.

Their bodies were so stiff they could barely stand.

The stifling energy pouring from the Rift was pure Demonic Energy.

And not just any Demonic Energy—this was the most vicious kind.

No one here had any immunity to it.

…###-!

The Light Dragon’s scream echoed across the battlefield.

Just moments ago it had been unable to move, yet now, drenched in bloody tears, the Light Dragon snapped its chains in an instant.

Becoming a Light Dragon had made it even stronger.

Its gaze was murderous as it stared Richard down.

“KRAAAAGH!”

Richard barely dodged the Dragon’s swinging claws, biting his lip.

KAM—!

His attacks still did nothing.

Still, Richard could not retreat.

“Aaron!”

He called desperately for Aaron.

Then for Huger, Polk, and Jack in turn.

No answer.

The Dragon’s tail struck Richard, sending him flying.

He rolled across the ground several times before stopping beside a Knight.

“Cough!”

Richard spat blood as the Light Dragon advanced.

At this rate, even the nearby Knights would be caught up.

“Hey, get out of here, now!”

“It’s the end… the end times…”

A senior Knight mumbled deliriously.

Richard swore and forced himself to his feet.

“Ch…ha…!”

He forced his trembling legs to move, making his way to a spot as far from the others as possible.

That was the only thing Richard could do now.

KRAAAGH!

Rng—Kong—

The Dragon charged at Richard.

Its eyes gleamed with madness.

Khh…

A spine-chilling laughter echoed down from the sky.

Richard closed his eyes.

He wanted to live.

To die here would be too pointless.

Bang!

He barely managed to block the Dragon’s descending claws.

Richard rolled across the ground once more.

“Ughhh”

He groaned, then forced himself up again.

“Y-young master…”

Had he been thrown near Aaron this time?

Turning his head, he saw his loyal personal Knight.

Richard grabbed Aaron’s hand and poured Faith into him. S

lowly, a faint light of reason returned to Aaron’s eyes.

Aaron surveyed the situation, his face quickly hardening.

“Aaron. You should run.”

“I-I’ll buy you time.”

“Don’t say—”

Aaron didn’t listen to the rest.

With trembling hands, he gripped his spear and charged at the Light Dragon.

KAK—!

His spear scraped along the Dragon’s scales.

Dodging the Dragon’s wild attacks by a hair’s breadth, Aaron shot Richard a look.

Run, please.

As if to atone for having lost himself, Aaron fought desperately.

But the tip of his spear trembled.

The fear he’d barely suppressed was plain to see.

“Chiiik!”

At that moment, Huger joined in.

He had stabbed his own thigh with his axe to force himself awake, the wound still fresh.

KWA-DUDUK—!

A massive tree root shot up, stabbing the Light Dragon beneath the jaw.

Adele had fed Gide the fruit and was now supporting them.

“Sorry for being late.”

“Please, get to safety now.”

Someone brushed past Richard’s shoulder.

It was Polk and Jack.

A handful of them had managed to regain their senses.

Those few now stood in the Light Dragon’s way.

“No! Don’t—!”

Thud—

Jack was struck by the tail and sent rolling across the ground.

Jack, like a puppet with its strings cut, did not move again.

Smash—

Huger was smashed by the Dragon’s claws, his body going limp.

“Ah…”

Polk and Aaron quickly followed.

The Light Dragon lunged at Aaron, its jaws gaping.

That sight burned into Richard’s eyes.

Staggering, Richard moved toward them.

“Stop!”

He was terrified of losing them.

He wanted to protect them.

But if asked whether he would give up his own life for them—he couldn’t say yes.

Richard was selfish, and a bit of a hypocrite.

To him, the most important thing was always himself.

But now, something was different.

“My comrades…”

He felt like he was finally starting to understand these Knights, a people he’d never truly grasped before.

Each of them held their own beliefs.

Something that Lee Ji-hoon never had.

“Don’t touch what’s mine.”

The worst, most despairing situation.

An overwhelming foe he could not possibly face.

Yet Richard did not break before the ordeal.

Even knowing it was impossible, he raised his sword.

Not for himself, but to protect others.

And at that moment—

[All conditions have been met.]

[Trial Engraving is now unlocked.]

Suddenly, light flared on the back of his hand.

The hexagonal engraving vanished, replaced by a cross-shaped (+) Divine Mark.

[Lone Swordsman’s Sword Star – Activated.]

The sword in Richard’s hand floated up.

Dragon Tooth became its core.

Faith surged along the blade.

KUGUGUK—!

A star was born from the completed sword.

Unlike with the Death Knight, this time the form was perfect.

A light incomparable to anything before burst from the star.

Uuuuu…

The eye that had been gazing down at the world widened.

Even the Light Dragon, mad with frenzy, froze.

The terror blanketing the battlefield was slowly being dispelled by the Sword Saint’s light.

“This is…”

At last, the Engraving had awakened.

Richard, who had been standing in a daze, gripped his sword.

“Power… is overflowing.”

There was no time to bask in it. Faith was being consumed at a terrifying pace.

#####-!

The Light Dragon, sensing the change, abandoned everything and charged at Richard.

KANG!

The Dragon’s gaping jaws clashed with the star-forged blade.

A powerful shockwave swept the surroundings.

KADUDUK—!

Richard parried the Dragon’s claws as they came swinging in.

The force sent him sliding backwards.

Kh…!

If this dragged on, it would be bad for him.

His battered body could not maintain the Sword Saint’s power for long.

Just one moment.

He had to stake everything on that instant.

Richard kicked off the ground.

Time seemed to slow as his focus sharpened to its limit.

He dodged the Dragon’s lashing tail. He slipped past the claws that threatened to rip through space itself.

At last, he saw it—the Dragon’s exposed lower jaw, now its weakness.

The spot had been completely shattered by focused attacks.

Now!

Richard raised his sword with all his might.

The star shone as it pierced upward.

Flick!

The Dragon let out a scream of agony.

The star, having pierced its lower jaw, did not stop.

It cut through the roof of its mouth, surging upward.

KWAJIK!

And at last—

The star reached the Light Dragon’s brain.