Chapter 168 (2/2)
The moment he called out, Miru tore through space and emerged beside Su-hyeun.
Gya-ong-!
…With its mouth still biting into the Cintamani.
Miru’s sudden entrance shocked Karne slightly. But then he began glaring murderously at the Cintamani in the young red dragon’s maw.
-It’s all because of you two.
Grrrrr…
An enraged roar exploded out from Karne’s maw.
-You ruined everything!
Ruuuumble-
An incredible wave of killing intent enveloped everything along with the dragon’s roar.
The scorching heatwave flooded the surroundings. Su-hyeun hurriedly raised his hand and shielded his face from the heat.
“Hey, this isn’t even a case of anger management issues, so what gives? What are you suddenly getting angry at us for?”
Of course, it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand Karne’s motivations. Well, Karne did lose everything he had built up for centuries because of their actions, after all. But the matter being understandable didn’t automatically make it justified, either. Also, there was no real reason to understand it, either.
“You know the saying, you reap what you sow? That’s exactly what’s happening here.”
Slash-
Clang-!
Su-hyeun swung his sword downward, but the sword energy stretching out was blocked by the several layers of barriers protecting the area around Karne’s body.
“Hey, Miru.”
Gya-ong-
“Fly up and keep your distance, okay? Don’t stick too close but still support me from the rear with your Breath and buffs. You get it, right?”
Gya-ong-!
“Alright. Well, then….” Su-hyeun said, his eyes locked on Karne, currently amassing an incredible amount of magical energy inside his mouth. “Let’s go.”
Paht, flap-
Su-hyeun and Miru moved simultaneously. At the same time, a massive Breath attack shot out of Karne’s mouth.
Ruuuumble-!
For a moment, the whole world was dyed a golden color.
Su-hyeun leaped up high in the air and observed the ground below. A small hill near his original position was vaporized in an instant. As far as destructive power was concerned, that Breath was the real deal.
<< Even so… so slow. >>
Gu-woooo-
But the attack didn’t end there. Su-hyeun’s flying figure was suddenly suppressed by an oppressive feeling. He began tottering while raising his arms and lost his balance. In the meantime, Karne unfurled his wings and was about to fly up again.
It was a gravity-type magic. He must’ve been planning to restrict Su-hyeun’s movements first and then fire another round of Breath.
<< Even then, if it’s only this much…. >>
[Leap.]
Su-hyeun stepped on the air once more. His body felt several times heavier, but that didn’t really matter to him.
<< I can still move. >>
Ruuuumble-
The Breath soared by in front of him.
<< Dragging this fight on won’t do me any good. >>
Karne was a completely different type of opponent than the Titan Turtle.
When you fought a Titan Turtle, you had to fight for a long time, gradually shaving down its ridiculous defenses. Karne was the type of opponent armed to the teeth with hundreds, if not thousands, of different magic spells as well as a powerful weapon called Breath.
Even if Su-hyeun’s magic resistance was on the high side, he didn’t know how well that would stack up against an opponent of Karne’s caliber.
More importantly, if the fight was taken to the air, Su-hyeun would suffer from an overwhelming disadvantage. He made up his mind quickly, having already witnessed the power behind Karne’s Breath.
<< I’ll break through it. >>
Giiii-iiiing-
Magical energy began gathering on his sword.
[Explosion Style.]
The magical power coalescing in one point began expanding, as if to shatter the blade at any second.
[Indomitable Body.]
[Armor of the Mage.]
[Sky King’s Feather.]
Su-hyeun even enveloped his body with specialized anti-magic skills, as well. Although these skills didn’t see much use when battling against monsters, they sure came in handy when he was fighting against a dragon.
Skills that weren’t very effective against physical attacks were now just about perfect for the situation.
Not only that…
[Dragon God’s Protection.]
[Reflect.]
Miru’s skills were overlaid on top of his.
<< This is more than enough. >>
There was no more need to hesitate. Su-hyeun dashed straight into the Breath fired by Karne.
Kwa-aaaaaaht-!
The huge Breath swallowed Su-hyeun up. Karne, firing the attack with everything he had, looked flustered.
<< Is he trying to kill himself?? >>
For a moment there, he even thought something preposterous, too.
But, soon enough…
Split-!
He realized how utterly wrong his thoughts were.
Kyah-aaaaaah-!
Because, Su-hyeun broke past the Breath, penetrated the barriers protecting Karne’s body to dig deep into the dragon’s front. And, while in that position, he swung the sword in a big arc, slicing up Karne’s scales from his shoulder down to his belly.
“Miru!!”
Su-hyeun didn’t skip a beat and shouted. Miru, preparing for this moment when he had entered Karne’s barriers, finally released its own version of Breath.
Ruuuumble-
[High Breath.]
Miru’s Breath definitely didn’t lose out to Karne’s. Such a powerful attack rained down on the orange dragon staggering from Su-hyeun’s sword strike.
Kiiiaaaaaaah-!
Karne writhed violently from the pain before he curled up into a ball. He urgently spread out protective barriers around his body, but they were just not enough. Miru’s Breath melted the barriers down, pushed past the scales and began scorching the flesh underneath.
It was hard to believe that a Breath of this magnitude came out of such a small body. The attack’s power managed to exceed Su-hyeun’s expectations once more.
But he thought he knew why Miru’s Breath had suddenly gained a power-up like this.
<< Could it be because of the Cintamani? >>
The Cintamani was supposed to strengthen the power of the dragon race. And only the red dragons, the descendants of the dragon king, could control the mysterious red marble.
Miru getting stronger after gaining the Cintamani made perfect sense, in a way.
<< Well, we still won’t see the end with just this much, so… >>
No matter how powerful Miru’s Breath had gotten, in the end it was still a power based on magical properties. Meaning Karne, boasting an excellent resistance against magic, wouldn’t lose his combat capabilities from Miru’s Breath alone.
<< As I thought, this is the best one-shot kill method. >>
Su-hyeun grabbed the spears tied to his back.
Jiiii-iiiing-
The moment he gripped the tightly-fastened spear, the weapon suddenly let out a keen, angry howl.
[Dragon Slaying Spear.]
The weapon passed down from ancient times, designed and crafted solely for the purpose of killing dragons. Three such throwing spears Su-hyeun used often in his previous life were now held firmly in his hand.