Chapter 341: Crimson Edge (IV)
"Counterattack! We must counterattack—otherwise, our fate is death!" Dekks Flamegold gritted his teeth, his voice raw with desperation, addressing his last two companions.
But Klein didn’t answer. His blue eyes held a phantom clock spinning silently within, its hands moving with deliberate rhythm. His expression grew heavier, more solemn with each tick. Sweat beaded across his brow, cold and sharp.
Meanwhile, Ingrid seemed paralyzed by fear, clutching her staff like a lifeline, whispering weakly to herself:
"No… we can’t win.
Stop, Dekks.
Please…"
Dekks shook his head slightly, a flicker of disdain crossing his face.
Ingrid had only joined Crimson Edge for a year—she was no warrior forged in the wilds like them. A priest raised in comfort, her battles had been one-sided victories, not the brutal trials of survival.
"I will not end like this!"
"Revenge Vow!"
With a furious roar, Dekks Flamegold unleashed his wings and launched himself into the sky, racing toward the enemy.
"Blade of Purging Light!"
He raised his golden longsword high, swinging it in a sweeping arc through the air. A crescent-shaped beam of radiant light split the atmosphere, cleaving through the earth beneath with a thunderous crack.
This was the Go All Out technique of the Revenge Holy Knight.
Swish—
But Kai Xiusu merely let out a soft, disdainful whistle. Around him, star-like energy scales shimmered into existence, effortlessly blocking the entire slash.
Yet Dekks did not falter.
Transformed into the Avenging Angel, the Paladin surged forward, wings beating the air as he skidded across the ground in a desperate dive. In moments, he hovered above the Red Dragon, teeth bared, eyes blazing with fury.
"Evil Dragon!"
"The great Dragon Slayer, Dekks Flamegold, shall claim your head!"
But before the monstrous red beast—thirty meters long and impossibly vast—Dekks was but a speck, a reckless knight charging a windmill. He looked absurdly small.
"Revenge Soul!"
Dekks roared, and his longsword flared with divine authority. The spectral forms of Grom, Rano, and others materialized around him—ghostly warriors born of vengeance, ready to siege the seemingly invincible foe.
Yet in an instant, a scorching gust of hot wind tore past him.
The Red Dragon had already vanished—reappearing behind him.
All his efforts—Channeling Divine Power, summoning the Soul of Vengeance—were crushed under the crushing, tangible presence of Dragon Might.
He flailed his wings desperately, trying to create distance, slashing at the air with his golden blade. But it was useless. The enemy’s speed was incomprehensible.
Sky was the domain of the Avenging Angel—but it was the Dragon’s realm, absolute and unchallenged.
A massive, jagged claw seized him mid-air, clenching like a fist around a fragile bird.
"Got you."
Kai Xiusu spoke calmly.
Dekks poured every ounce of strength into raising his sword, aiming to impale the claw in one final, defiant strike.
But the Red Dragon only flexed its grip.
Dekks’ armor crumpled inward like paper. His body twisted, mangled beyond recognition. Blood welled from his eyes, and thick, viscous crimson poured from his mouth.
For the first time, Dekks Flamegold felt true terror—the crushing realization that his life was now in another’s hands, at the mercy of a single, crushing decision.
The unshakable fire in his eyes flickered.
Fear.
He was afraid.
He wanted to live.
"Stop… stop!"
"Sir, I—I don’t want to die!"
Kai Xiusu lifted him closer, tilting his head, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. His golden eyes locked onto Dekks’ with chilling calm.
"Why should I spare you?"
"You are the Great Dragon Slayer, after all. If you chose this path, and failed to slay a Dragon—then you must be slain by one. It is only natural."
"I—I…"
Dekks’ lips, tinged purple with strain, trembled.
He never imagined that the words he’d spoken just moments ago—his bravado—would become his death sentence.
After long silence, his gaze fell to the emblem on his sword hilt.
And then, a final thought struck him.
"I am not to be killed! I am the Divine Chosen! I am the messenger of Amanata!"
Hahahaha!
Kai Xiusu burst into laughter—deep, resonant, shaking his massive wings. The ground trembled beneath him as he laughed, pounding the earth with his clawed foot.
"Did you see that old silver dragon glowing from head to toe? The one with the artifact? That’s what a Divine Chosen looks like."
"But you? You—a beggar with not a single legendary item on your body—dare call yourself the Chosen?"
He paused, his voice lowering, eyes narrowing.
"Besides…"
The silence stretched, thick with menace.
He stared into Dekks’ eyes, the golden irises now glowing with a feral light, a wave of Dragon aura spilling forth like a storm.
Dekks felt his soul plunge into an ice cavern.
Only one sentence reached his ears:
"I hate liars."
Before he could react, fire erupted from the claw—molten, searing, consuming.
"NO—!"
"I still… don’t want to die!"
His scream was swallowed by the inferno.
The shrieks, the agonized wails, the flesh burning—faded into ash, scattered on the wind.
All that remained in the Red Dragon’s grasp was a set of ornate, heavy armor, and a golden longsword, still gleaming.
"Oh?"
"Missed my mark. A genuine legendary item… though low-tier. And clever—spelled to conceal its true power."
Kai Xiusu casually shook the ash from his claw, idly brushing through the remnants of Dekks’ gear, his tone now tinged with genuine surprise.
But there was no doubt.
The famed Dragon Slayer of the Fadalan Empire—leader of Crimson Edge, Dekks Flamegold—was dead.
Slain by a Dragon.
This was the fate of most Dragon Slayers.
Some faded into riches and glory, stepping away before their end. Others marched blindly toward self-destruction.
There were no heroes at the end of the path. Only ruin and death.
"Q-Qu—Captain…"
Ingrid stared, frozen in horror, as her comrade fell. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but a choked gasp escaped.
She was helpless. The Dragon’s presence radiated an anti-magic aura, so potent that even her divine spells barely stirred. Ordinary magic was useless.
Klein stood motionless, his face ashen.
The phantom clock in his eyes—his Focus Future ability—had shattered.
A Time Mage’s power: the ability to glimpse possible futures and subtly guide one toward reality, ensuring a desired outcome.
He had already prepared the teleportation spell. He was ready to escape.
But when he forced himself to see his future, every path revealed the same grim truth: no matter what, if he cast the spell, the result would be catastrophic.
And worse—there was no future to see for the Red Dragon.
Klein tried to peer into fate itself, but the Dragon Prince was veiled in a hazy silver mist, beyond even his sight.
Impertinence!
A titanic force struck his mind—something ancient, colossal. It felt like a thousand-meter-long dragon roaring in the depths of his soul.
"No… no… impossible…"
Klein stood trembling, tears of blood sliding down his cheeks.
(End of Chapter)
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