I Pulled Out the Excalibur

Chapter 117

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The Battle with the Red Dragon (1)

Suddenly, the Red Dragon took flight.

Despite the fierce attacks from the White-rank adventurers and the knight order that stripped its scales, the Red Dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky as if it had been waiting for this moment all along.

“……!”

Najin, who had been dismantling the White Dragon’s wing, widened his eyes. A chill ran down his spine. His intuition was ringing alarm bells, and in such situations, Najin knew it was usually right to follow his instincts.

Crunch, crack!

Najin twisted the sword deeply embedded in the White Dragon’s wing socket clockwise. The flesh tore apart, and the exposed white bone of the White Dragon ground with a grating sound.

『———————!』

With a scream of pain, the White Dragon thrashed, but with one wing immobilized, it couldn’t maintain balance. The White Dragon’s struggles only slightly slowed its fall, but that was enough for Najin.

Slash!

Najin pulled out his sword from the wing socket.

Amidst the gushing blood, Najin flung himself behind the White Dragon’s wing. Using the wing as a shield, Najin once again drove his sword in and hid behind it.

It turned out to be the right decision.

The Red Dragon, having soared into the sky, spewed flames from its wide-open maw. Dragon’s breath, also known as Breath, possessed the power equivalent to at least a 6-circle spell. The flames burst forth from the Red Dragon’s mouth, sending waves of heat and fire.

The inferno and the scorching wind, along with the surging flames.

The Red Dragon unleashed its Breath towards the White Dragon without hesitation, attacking its own kind and ally. Najin didn’t understand the reason, but understanding wasn’t as important as grasping the situation.

Whooosh!

Crouched behind the White Dragon’s wing, Najin endured the heat. Had he taken the full force of the flames, he would have melted. However, the White Dragon’s wing absorbed most of the impact, allowing him to barely withstand it. The heat that penetrated the wing burned Najin’s skin with a sizzling sound.

The White Dragon’s screams.

The sound of its flesh burning.

The flames crept into the wounds Najin had inflicted. While the White Dragon’s scales could withstand the fire, the flames seeped through the gaps Najin had torn open, setting the White Dragon ablaze.

-What… Why?

Merlin’s voice rang with confusion.

Even she hadn’t expected this situation.

Najin realized something had gone awry. In such cases, he had to trust his instincts. Moving as his senses warned him, Najin knew:

‘The Red Dragon wasn’t aiming for me.’

It targeted the White Dragon, not me.

The Breath wouldn’t be the end. The flames alone couldn’t finish the White Dragon. What comes next? The flames were diminishing.

Using the rebound of his body, Najin adjusted his stance. He stood on the still-hot back of the White Dragon. The residual heat alone melted the soles of his shoes, but there was no time to worry about that. Squinting through the heat haze, Najin saw it.

‘This is insane.’

Najin saw the Red Dragon diving towards the White Dragon, jaws wide open. The Red Dragon swiftly closed the distance and extended its claws. The Red Dragon grabbed the White Dragon’s neck, weakened by the Breath.

Then, crunch.

The Red Dragon bit into the White Dragon’s neck. Dragon teeth shattered dragon scales. Scales scattered, and blood spurted. As the White Dragon thrashed in pain…

Screeeech!

The Red Dragon, biting into the White Dragon’s neck, began descending.

With both its wings intact, it started a dive towards the ground. If it continued, both would crash into the ground. Even a Sword Seeker couldn’t survive a fall from such height and speed without breaking bones.

“Damn it.”

Najin clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t understand the situation, but he had to act.

Clang.

Najin threw the chain towards the Red Dragon. The chain wrapped around the distracted Red Dragon’s arm. Testing the tension in the chain, Najin ran along the White Dragon’s back.

Amidst the plunge towards the ground, Najin ran, pulling himself up the chain against the wind. He leapt from the White Dragon’s back onto the Red Dragon’s head.

‘Why they suddenly started attacking each other, I don’t know.’

Najin gripped his sword in reverse.

‘Anyway, I planned to take you down next.’

Najin plunged his sword into the Red Dragon’s neck.

Gripping the deeply embedded sword, Najin braced himself for impact. The entangled White and Red Dragons crashed into the ground. With a tremendous crash, dirt and debris flew up.

Thud, crash, rumble!

The two dragons, plummeting to the ground, skidded and tore up the earth. Dirt flew up, and the collapsed stone pillars shattered into pieces. The ground shook with the impact, causing the knights to stumble.

“Fall back!”

“Retreat, retreat!”

Knights in the path of the sliding dragons shouted and ran. Those who fell and couldn’t escape were helped by the White-rank adventurers. The giant bows installed on the ground shattered as they collided with the dragon’s bodies.

Crack, crash!

The two dragons finally came to a stop after skidding for a while. Through the dust rising to the sky, a sound was heard. Crack, crunch… the sound of a beast tearing into its prey.

“What…?”

“What the hell…”

As the dust settled, the subjugation team was horrified by what they saw. The Red Dragon was tearing into the White Dragon’s neck, devouring its flesh and blood.

The White Dragon and Red Dragon. Weren’t they originally a pair? There were no records of them fighting each other. Instead, there were countless records of them protecting each other.

In the sudden turn of events, as the subjugation team watched in shock, they noticed the eyes of the Red Dragon. Eyes swirling with crimson. Eyes filled with menace. The dragon tearing into its own kin had eyes that were strangely twisted.

“…Shit.”

Only one person recognized those eyes.

Eyes exactly like the swirling dragon’s, Red Eyes Roselin Ascalo. She felt a sense of foreboding. The witch’s soul, which made up half of her own, was trembling.

And then.

An anomaly occurred.

Thud.

The first to notice the anomaly was Najin, perched on the Red Dragon’s neck. As the Red Dragon focused on the White Dragon, Najin prepared to cut its neck. His body suddenly stiffened.

A vast and ominous presence.

An incomprehensible, overwhelming presence weighed down the area. The entire subjugation team, including the knights and White-rank adventurers, were paralyzed. Only Najin was free from the pressure. He had felt this kind of pressure before.

His first encounter with Merlin.

The scene Merlin had shown him.

Najin had experienced this exact feeling before. Freed from the restraints, Najin instinctively looked up. Reflexively, he gazed at the sky. In the vast, expansive night sky, the source of this immense presence was there.

Amidst countless stars, there was a void.

A place usually pitch-black and invisible… a star was there. Although Najin had been watching the night sky every day since escaping the underground city, this was the first time he had seen this star.

A star that shouldn’t be visible.

A star that shouldn’t exist.

A broken star beyond the laws of nature.

It was different from ordinary stars. Unlike the platinum-colored stars, this one was red. A constellation of dark red stars was nestled in the void. And that constellation, like Arthur’s, was composed of thirteen stars.

-The Witch…?

Merlin’s startled voice echoed in Najin’s ears. Her eyes were shaking. Only then did Najin realize what the constellation was.

The Ominous Star, Camlann’s Star.

The constellation of the Witch of the Abyss.

The most feared constellation that had brought down countless stars and ended many great heroes. That constellation scattered an ominous light. A flicker. A momentary glow. The constellation, which had appeared for a brief moment, soon vanished into the darkness.

But the light it scattered remained.

『■■, ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!』

The Red Dragon roared. An incomprehensible, soot-laden voice reverberated through the area. The gusts from the roar sent Najin flying through the air. Thrown off the Red Dragon’s body, Najin tumbled to the ground.

Crunch, splat… crack.

The Red Dragon’s swirling crimson eyes shone with malice. It crushed the White Dragon’s neck and tore the flesh. It shattered the White Dragon’s ribs and pulled out the dragon’s beating heart.

Then, chomp.

The Red Dragon bit into and swallowed the White Dragon’s heart.

In that moment, the Red Dragon’s body transformed. Bones twisted. Muscles tore and swelled. Amidst the grotesque sounds, the Red Dragon’s frame changed and grew larger.

Crack, crack, crack!

More scales sprouted, wings grew larger, and its being transcended to another level. All of this happened in an instant.

Ascension of its rank. From incomplete to complete.

The dragons, originally one and split into two, became whole again by devouring the other. As the White Dragon crumbled, the Red Dragon’s head turned. Its blood-dripping jaws opened, and its eyes fixed on Najin.

The White Dragon was dead.

And the closest being to the now complete dragon was Najin. Seeing the constellation of white and gold stars entwined around Najin’s sword, the Red Dragon’s pupils slitted.

White and gold. Platinum. Stars.

The reverse scale of dragons.

With a roar, the Red Dragon lunged at Najin.

As the Red Dragon struck the ground, the earth shook. Spreading its wings wide, the Red Dragon charged at Najin. Utilizing its massive frame as a weapon, the dragon’s charge was overwhelming. Najin took a sharp breath.

There was no time to get disoriented.

Najin’s mind raced. There was no place to dodge. He had to either block or deflect this attack. His sword, infused with the constellation’s power, glowed brightly. Compressing the energy to its limit, Najin was about to swing his sword when—

The Red Dragon planted its limbs on the ground.

Then, pivoting. Maintaining its charging momentum, the dragon spun in place. Tearing up the ground, its tail lashed out like a whip.

Crack, crack, crack!

The tail whipped through the air, churning the earth and splitting the air. Najin swung his sword at the oncoming tail. At that moment, he recalled a passage from history.

‘The tail of a dragon can shatter even the greatest of walls. Before the beasts of the sky, all human creations are futile.’

Najin’s body was flung into the air. His fingers snapped with a cracking sound as they tried to grip the sword. He had hoped to use the rebound from his sword, but the dragon’s scales disrupted the energy, making it impossible.

“Ugh!”

The impact was severe. Bones twisted, and muscles tore. The tail, swinging with the force of a whip, easily knocked Najin away like a missile.

Thud, crash, rumble!

Najin crashed through the collapsed stone pillars, rolling until he was embedded in the debris. He was struck down by a single blow. Blood flowed from his head, having struck the stone. His vision turned red from the blood streaming down his forehead.

“…, …!”

“……!”

“………!”

The subjugation team shouted something, but their voices didn’t reach Najin’s ears. All he could hear was a ringing sound.

Crunch.

Najin gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand. His head felt heavy. His vision wavered. Wiping the blood from his forehead with the back of his hand, Najin exhaled.

‘Merlin. Can you hear me?’

-……Yes.

Merlin’s voice was clear. It wasn’t heard through his ears but through the resonance of their souls. Steadying his breath, Najin raised his sword. His right hand, gripping the sword, trembled from broken fingers.

Crunch, crack!

Najin wrapped his left hand around his right. It was either the sound of bones breaking or resetting. He couldn’t tell. Regardless, his hand stopped trembling.

Najin lifted his gaze.

There it stood.

The Red Dragon, Ddraig Goch.

Staring down the completed dragon, Najin pushed aside the rubble and took a step forward. The dragon roared at the sky, shaking the ground, but Najin took another step towards it.

“That damned lizard.”

Najin spat out his words.

“I’m definitely going to beat you down.”

After all, achieving a star shouldn’t be easy.

This level of difficulty was fitting for earning an achievement.

Brushing back his blood-soaked hair, Najin readied his stance.