The highest point of the Henituse territory.
Basen was still in the highest room of the castle tower.
“Hyu, hyung-nim!”
Basen's shout echoed out. He was holding onto the rails with one hand as if he was about to jump off the tower in order to rush toward Cale.
He was looking at the origin of the flash of light.
Basen Henituse heard a noise just as his sights returned.
Craaaaaaack.
The large sword that had received a crack prior to the attack.
That sword slowly cracked completely before disappearing into the air. A few of the wyverns that touched the specks of the disappearing sword instantly turned into ash. However, something else caught his attention before he could feel fear about what he had just seen.
He saw the shield.
The extremely small shield did not break. However, there was a crack where the sword had hit it, as if it was going to instantly break. In fact, the shield had cracks all over it.
It looked ready to break at any moment.
He then saw his hyung-nim, Cale Henituse.
Beeeeeep- Beeeeeeep-
The information communication room.
All sorts of emergency calls were flooding in.
There were especially a lot of calls from all over the northeast region.
Many video communication devices were currently connected to the Henituse territory.
They had seen the battlefield through the screen.
However, Basen could not hear any of those loud noises. All he could see was his hyung-nim who was barely managing to stand.
He could also see the black blood Cale was coughing up. The seventeen-year-old Basen felt the pain of war for the first time in his life.
It was at that moment.
Basen Henituse.
He heard crown prince Alberu's voice.
He had not heard it properly the first time, however, the significantly dry voice quickly brought Basen back to his senses.
What did your hyung-nim order you to do?
Basen raised his head.
He recalled what his Cale had told him.
He turned his head and looked around the information communication room. This was currently the center of information for the entire Roan Kingdom. Information was the most important factor in a war.
If you do not want to be embarrassed, no, if you do not want to regret this in the future, do not forget your task.
Although Alberu was saying this to Basen, he was saying it to himself as well.
Alberu’s face that was visible through the screen was bloodshot as he focused on what was going on in the Henituse territory.
He said one more thing to Basen.
The First Brigade of the Royal Knights and the Mage Brigade are currently heading toward the Henituse territory.
Cale Henituse had told him to wait.
However, the crown prince started to play his part in order to not be embarrassed or regret things in the future.
The Roan Kingdom's Mage Brigade took their first step to show themselves to the world for the first time.
Basen also started to order the knights responsible for the video communication devices.
“…We are going to start accurately relaying the information about the enemies to the entire Roan Kingdom.”
His brother had told him something three days ago, the same night as the crown prince’s proclamation.
‘We are the first line.’
His brother’s voice was clearly reappearing in his mind.
‘He said that the first line was extremely important. If people hear about how we survived and protected the castle, the morale of the Roan Kingdom would change.’
‘We need to etch the image of victory in the minds of the citizens.
That is the way for us to win the war.’
His hyung-nim had been his usual calm self as he said this.
‘That is the way for all of us to survive.’
The person who had said that was barely hanging on right now.
Basen gave an order to the mages.
“Let’s accurately relay how we win this battle.”
The morale of the Roan Kingdom will change positively from here onward.
Basen firmly believed that to be the case. He lowered his head to look toward the castle wall.
The mixed-blood Dwarf Rat Mueller was currently on top of the wall. He had opened his eyes after hearing a noise as well.
Craaaaaaack.
The castle walls.
There were cracks appearing on the castle wall.
‘The walls that I developed……!’
This cowardly yet prideful mixed-blood Dwarf Rat had an emotion other than fear in his eyes. However, he could only gasp as the Countess still had her hand on his neck.
“Gasp!”
He was flung aside. Mueller felt his body being flung to the side. He then heard a scream.
“Cale!”
Countess Violan was screaming. He also heard Count Deruth’s shout as well.
“Everybody focus!”
Mueller raised his head. The always calm and gentle Count's expression was extremely ugly.
The Count had veins popping out of his forehead as he gave the order.
“Activate the catapults right away!”
The Count took out his sword and approached the edge of the wall and looked down as he continued to speak. There was anger, sorrow, and uncertainty mixed in his voice.
“Don’t let even a single one live!”
Mueller heard something else at the same time.
Baaaaang!
The first thing he saw was a silver light.
It was not Cale's shield. This silver light that looked like the milky way continued to appear above Rain City.
It was a shield.
This shield that seemed to be imitating Cale’s silver shield was continuing to appear in the air.
One, two, three, four. More silver shields continued to appear as they covered the sky over and over again.
Although he was mixed-blood, the fact that he was a Dwarf allowed Mueller to know the source of that shield right away.
‘A Dragon.’
He knew only a Dragon could do this.
He thought about the young Dragon that lived in this territory.
The young Dragon had created these shields.
There was also someone Mueller was very familiar with standing by the shields.
Choi Han.
Choi Han was currently fighting against the helmeted knight. His black aura was viciously shaking as he fought. Although it was still dark with just a small speck of light, this aura was raging more angrily than ever before.
“Ha, haha-”
And then there was the sword that was easily blocking against that aura.
The helmeted knight was laughing as he used the sword-shaped ancient power to block Choi Han’s attacks. He did not look to be struggling even though the sword had been destroyed once already.
Baaaaang!
Their weapons clashed against each other.
Choi Han took a step back and stumbled.
Tap.
There were things helping to support Choi Han in the air.
It was the Flying Skeleton Brigade that had been running away.
They had come back, no, Mary had brought them back in order to create a path for Choi Han to walk in the air. Choi Han and the numerous white skeletons were fighting against the wyvern-riding helmeted knight. It was hard to see the two of them because of the number of flying skeletons.
However, there was someone who had a good view of all of this.
Mary.
She had dead mana covering her body as her hands continued to shake. Her problem was that she could see things too clearly.
“Cale!”
The Countess arrived to support Cale, who was just barely standing up. She held back another scream.
Cale had plopped down as soon as she supported him.
Black blood was seeping out of Cale’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Cale was coughing up so much blood that it looked as if he would have trouble breathing.
The Countess could feel Cale's body starting to turn cold. Her son's body was starting to turn cold.
She could see a doctor and a priest heading toward them from the distance.
“Cale, just a bit, hold on just a bit longer.”
She started to massage Cale's body and arms. There was so much blood coming out of him that she was worried that he would have no blood left.
She heard Cale's quiet voice at that moment.
“… I … I'm okay.”
‘What?’
Her pupils started to shake as she looked at Cale. The priest and the doctor that approached him flinched.
There was a voice crying in Cale’s mind right now.
Human, you are bleeding too much. Human, this is different than normal. Human, please, human. Please stop bleeding. I will not let him survive! I will kill him even if I have to die as well.
“Stay here.”
Cale’s hand moved to grab the air.
The Countess started to frown after seeing trying to grab the air. She thought that Cale was hallucinating. His mind must be damaged as well.
She finally calmed down after seeing the Count looking as if he was going to go crazy while looking at Cale. At least one of them had to think straight.
However, it was hard for her to control her emotions after hearing what Cale said next.
“…You'll get hurt if you go……”
The words he barely managed to say made it difficult for her to hold back her tears. The things that he was saying while coughing up blood, the things that he was saying even though his mind must be a mess.
Even during this moment!
It made her feel as if her heart was breaking.
Cale finally managed to speak again.
“… Stay by my side- cough!”
Cale coughed up blood again. He then started to bleed out once more.
Cale did not manage to say the remaining words out loud.
‘Kill him.’
Stay by my side and kill him.
Only one being understood his words. The bottom of Cale’s pants was getting wet by something other than blood even though it was not raining.
The existence that was wetting Cale's pants with his tears had understood Cale's words.
I will kill him.
Ruuuumble.
The cloudy sky started to roar again.
The sword that was like a natural disaster.
Although Raon could not recreate that sword, Dragon could do something similar.
It was not hard to imitate it.
That was why he was a Dragon.
A storm.
Hail.
The Dragon started to use his powers to sweep everything away. The sky was starting to turn black.
At the same time, Raon, the young Dragon, recalled something he had heard from the ancient Dragon. He finally seemed to figure out why Cale was acting like this.
The ancient Dragon, Eruhaben, had casually said something while teaching Raon.
‘Little kid, have you heard about the Dragon Slayers? They’re called Dragon Catchers sometimes too.’
Raon had not liked that word at all. How dare they capture the great and mighty Dragons?
‘Well, you will probably never have to deal with a Dragon Slayer trying to kill you. In fact, the Dragon Slayer would probably do all sorts of things to keep you alive.’
The ancient Dragon Eruhaben had thought that Cale had been a descendant of the Dragon Slayer household. He had not said that while imagining a day like today.
It was just common knowledge that he was sharing with Raon.
‘Dragon Slayers are unique individuals. They have overcome the limits of human beings. They are similar to nature.’
Humans who were similar to nature. Those words had made Raon respond back to Eruhaben.
‘Our weak human is similar to nature as well!’
‘That is why I'm saying that your weak human punk is a Dragon-! Well, I guess I should pretend not to know since he is trying to hide it.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘Nothing. Anyways, listen to me, little kid. If a Dragon Slayer comes after you, run.’
Raon had snorted at that warning, however, Eruhaben continued to speak in a serious tone.
‘Those bastards are humans who grow by eating Dragons.’
Each Dragon had different colors and attributes. Dragons were said to be the closest existences to nature. They needed to eat Dragons in order to become more like nature.
‘Young Dragons like you have to be especially careful. Your body has not grown up and you can’t use Dragon's Breath. Well, you have the unlucky punk by your side, so you’ll probably be fine growing up slowly.’
‘There is no way the great and mighty me will get hurt!’
Eruhaben chuckled as he responded back.
‘Little kid, there are no great and mighty existences in the world.’
Raon, the Black Dragon, finally realized that today.
‘I am not great and mighty.
I am still far from it.’
Raon looked at the hand that was holding onto his invisible paw. There was blood dripping from that hand. Raon put his emotions into his magic.
Drip, drip.
It started to rain.
The remaining wyverns continued to rush toward the silver shield. The Bears dodged the catapults and arrows as they charged toward the cracked castle walls.
The Tigers tried to hit the Bears from the back, however, there were at least ten Bears for each Tiger.
It was at that moment.
Rumble-
The rain started to change.
The rain turned into a storm and then into a hail storm as it started to roar.
Then a thunderbolt struck down from the sky.
Kiiiiiiiii-!
Tens, no, hundreds of thunderbolts fell toward the wyvern knights and the Bears. The thunderbolts aimed at the enemies without even a tiny bit of error.
These thunderbolts were like that sword from earlier, sharply trying to slash everything in their way.
However, there was a person who was able to easily slash away that storm and hail.
“This place is really fun. Is it a mage that is trying to copy me? Who is it?”
The helmeted knight.
He licked his lips as he cut through the hail and thunderbolts and looked around. The ancient powers that Raon had felt earlier.
The power that reminded him of natural disasters.
The knight’s sword that consisted of storms, hail, and volcanic eruptions easily handled the fake imitations.
The helmeted knight's gaze turned toward Choi Han. He chuckled while watching Choi Han spit out some blood. The black aura was rumbling in accordance with its owner's emotions.
The helmeted knight made eye contact with Choi Han.
“Maybe you'd have a chance if you had achieved pure darkness, but you are still far from it.”
The knight lightly swung his sword. The back of his hand was slightly bleeding.
The black aura had caused this injury.
However, the helmeted knight showed no fear. The Dwarves’ armor was protecting his body.
It was the creation of the Dwarves that wanted to kill Dragons.
It was good enough to be a Dragon Catcher’s armor.
‘I still can’t lower my guard around him.’
Clang!
The two swords clashed again.
The black aura that suddenly appeared in front of him made a small cut on his left cheek. At the same time, his volcanic ancient power slammed down onto the black aura.
Baaaaang!
The noise was loud enough to drown out the thunderbolts.
“I told you, you can’t win.”
The knight laughed and Choi Han clenched his teeth. Even Choi Han knew what the knight was trying to say.
‘If I managed to complete it……!’
The black aura. It would have been a better battle if he had completed the darkness.
‘Just what the hell is that sword?’
His aura could not win against the sword. It seemed to be at a completely different level. Choi Han stood on top of one of the few skeletons remaining as he tried to catch his breath.
He was having trouble breathing.
‘He is strong.
He is stronger than me.
Just one step.
I could have defeated him if I took just one more step forward!’
“Huff, huff.”
How long had it been since he had trouble breathing like this? He had not experienced this for over ten years.
Choi Han could not wipe away the blood that came out every time he took a breath.
After coughing up blood for the first time in a long time, it felt odd to him. He realized something at that moment.
Cale had always coughed up even more blood each time.
Choi Han started to frown.
This person is strong.
However, Choi Han did not have the thought of losing in his mind. Choi Han started to frown even more as the helmeted knight mockingly continued to speak.
“I came because they said that there was someone with ancient powers, but I didn't think he would cough up blood like they said he would. His body is weak. He doesn’t have the plate to support it, but he still gathered ancient powers?” [1]
The knight's comments were making Choi Han angry.
“Nature allowed that punk to gain access to ancient powers?”
The knight was speaking as if Cale had taken things that he should not have been allowed to take.
That was why Choi Han’s mind was in a mess right now.
Honestly speaking, Cale Henituse was the one that the helmeted knight found to be the most interesting.
Only people who had nature’s permission, the people with the plate to support them, could earn ancient powers.
Although the people of the world thought that you needed heaven's mandate to be lucky enough to find ancient powers, it was actually calculated by nature about who would get access to them.
That was why the knight could not believe that someone like Cale could have two ancient powers.
‘Why someone with such a small plate?’
The power of wood and regeneration.
Those were the powers that the helmeted knight realized as he clashed against Cale's shield.
Choi Han was the person he found to be the second most interesting.
This was someone whose plate was almost as large as his own. He found it weird that nature did not bestow any ancient power onto Choi Han.
Choi Han charged toward the knight who seemed to be thinking about something else. The two of their swords clashed once again.
Baaaaang!
The vibrations from the clash destroyed the surrounding skeletons and shook the air.
The half-transparent sword and black aura were pushing against each other as the two men stared at one another. Choi Han could see the brown eyes behind the helmet. The helmeted knight started to smile.
‘Danger.’
Choi Han tried to step back.
It had been a while since he had felt such a feeling.
It was something that reminded him of Eruhaben, the ancient Dragon. The helmeted knight’s eyes looked deep into Choi Han’s eyes. The knight then whispered to Choi Han.
“…You've also lived a long time.”
Those words made Choi Han flinch.
‘You too?’
That slight hesitation made the knight start to smile.
His arm started to move.
“Ugh!”
He had caught Choi Han by the neck. However, that was just the beginning. Mary's monsters quickly bit into the wyvern that the helmeted knight was riding on in order to help Choi Han out.
However, the knight stabbed his sword into Choi Han’s shoulder.
It dug into the wound like hail, rushed at it like a storm, and burned at it like a volcano.
The helmeted knight started to smile while continuing to choke Choi Han. Choi Han looked pitiful as the knight continued to choke him.
“This was fun. It was worth coming out for the first time in a long time. I'm sure I’ll see you again.”
The knight chuckled while looking at Choi Han’s frowning face. His face was full of anger and pain. The knight slowly let go while continuing to look at Choi Han.
However, he saw the emotion disappearing from Choi Han’s face at that moment.
Grab.
The hand at the bottom of the stabbed shoulder grabbed the helmeted knight’s hand. Choi Han’s other hand then grabbed onto the sword stabbed in his shoulder.
It all happened in a moment.
Siiiiiizzle-
Choi Han’s palm started to burn, as if he was touching lava.
Choi Han observed the helmeted knight with an emotionless expression for a split second.
This was Choi Han’s real face.
Choi Han, who had flinched on purpose, showed his true expression.
His true expression was one of no expression. His face had stiffened up after living for so long, such that it showed no emotion.
Kick.
Choi Han’s foot kicked at the wyvern’s neck.
He then jumped down with the helmeted knight and the sword in each of his hands.
The skeletons hesitated before quickly moving away. The wyvern that no longer had the knight was immediately hit with a thunderbolt.
Screeeech-! Boom!
The final wyvern fell to the ground.
The Dragon had killed the last wyvern. He then headed outside of the silver shield that he had created. The Dragon was the only one left in the air.
Choi Han was currently falling down together with the helmeted knight.
“Are you crazy?”
The helmeted knight kicked Choi Han and tried to move away. He then brought out even more of his ancient powers.
However, Choi Han’s hand that was covered in black aura had no intentions of letting the ancient power sword go.
The helmeted knight was not worried about the fall. That wasn’t the issue.
However, there was something that he was worried about.
Dead mana.
The antithesis of nature was gathering together in order to create a large orb.
There was a small monster skeleton at the center.
The helmeted knight started to frown at the power that was weaker than him but still continuing to gather together.
He felt it behind his back.
He felt a small arrow aiming for his back.
The necromancer was gathering her strength.
The dead mana surrounding the small monster was turning sharp like a sword.
There was also a power that was supporting the dead mana. It was the fake magic that was imitating his hail, storm, and volcano ancient powers.
The young Dragon remained invisible as he sent his powers to support the dead mana. The dead mana that had gathered together like a small sword had turned into an arrowhead, while Raon's powers turned it into a large arrow.
The helmeted knight could see the veins on Choi Han’s hands that were holding onto him. He saw the will to never let go in Choi Han’s eyes.
‘I’ll really get hurt like this.’
The knight started to shout as he frowned.
“Are you crazy? I will not die if I get hit by that. Only you will die!”
The arrow was accurately aiming for the helmeted knight’s back. It was slowly forming into a full arrow. That arrow looked as if it could easily pierce both the helmeted knight and Choi Han.
Choi Han, who was looking at the arrow, looked back toward the helmeted knight.
“I’ve been crazy for a long time.”
He had already been crazy.
It happened a long long time ago.
He had gone crazy inside the Forest of Darkness. How could you not go crazy after living for tens of years on your own?
Choi Han did not like how relaxed this knight was. He needed to see this knight getting hurt in order to suppress some of his anger.
A smile slowly formed on his emotionless face.
It was because he was thankful that Mary had understood his intentions.
People definitely were stronger together.
Raon started to speak in Choi Han’s mind at that moment.
You will definitely not die. Stupid Choi Han.
The arrow then flew forward.
“…Son of a…!”
Another loud noise could be heard outside the Henituse territory along with the helmeted knight’s shout.
Baaaaaang!
Cale snorted once more after seeing a blinding explosion occur once more.
“You unbelievable fools.”
The Vitality of the Heart.
The ancient power was working to get rid of all the blood on his body.
Cale slowly started to stand up. He had not fallen just yet.
1. Plate is being used to describe the body. For example, the bigger the plate, the more food you can put on it. So, to have a small plate or a weak plate means that the person cannot become very strong.