Extra in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 135
135 – Legend (4)
Slash!
Blood gushed violently from Kahim’s body.
It was a wound that was clearly not ordinary.
However, the one responsible for that wound, Baran, wore a puzzled expression.
“Hmm? This is unexpected. I thought this strike would be the end….”
Baran swung his sword with the intent to cleave Kahim in two.
Yet, despite sustaining a fatal injury, Kahim was still very much alive.
It was all thanks to Kahim’s instincts.
His instincts, more developed than those of his equally skilled peers, warned him of the danger, and right after, he trusted his instincts and pulled his body away with all his might.
“Well, it doesn’t matter, I suppose. It would still be meaningless.”
But Baran did not feel regret.
It was merely a small question. Just that much.
Nothing would change because Kahim had survived.
The end was already predetermined.
“Then let’s truly bring this to a close now.”
With his sword lowered, Baran slowly began to walk toward Kahim.
However.
In the midst of that, he had to stop.
Whoosh!
Due to the sudden appearance of a shadow.
“Oh dear.”
Feigning exaggerated surprise, Baran took a step back.
And at that moment, someone brushed past him.
“Well, well, this is a familiar face.”
—
Baran spoke as he looked at the white-haired woman who had suddenly appeared before him.
“…….”
The woman’s identity was none other than Pana.
Blocking Baran’s path, she gazed at him with eyes that seemed even deeper than usual.
“Your gaze is fierce. If you’re not careful, you might just kill someone with that look alone.”
In response to her gaze, Baran shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly and feigned nonchalance.
“Well, I suppose I can’t just stand by while my brother is suffering. There must be some bond of blood between us.”
Baran nodded as if he understood, but soon stopped and met Pana’s gaze head-on.
“However, I must tell you this: it’s meaningless. You will only end up dying alongside me.”
Calmly and serenely, Baran revealed the truth.
“After all, I’m someone who still has feelings. Though brief, we’ve journeyed together as comrades. I don’t want to be the one to take your life.”
“…….”
Yet, despite Baran’s words, Pana did not move an inch from her spot.
Instead, her gaze toward Baran only grew sharper.
“Oh dear, how unfortunate. In the end, I must kill you with my own hands.”
Shaking her head as if in regret, Baran’s expression did not truly reflect that of someone genuinely sorrowful.
Rather, a smile crept onto his face, as if he found this situation oddly pleasing.
“Anyway, dragging this out any longer wouldn’t do us any good… so let’s bring this to a swift conclusion.”
With that, Baran began to walk slowly toward Pana.
Watching him, Pana gritted her teeth.
She had rushed in without a second thought upon seeing her brother Kahim in trouble, but she was also an exceptional warrior and knew.
She could never defeat Baran.
No, she wouldn’t even be able to hold him back.
Thus, if she were to block his path, the future was all but predetermined.
Yet, even knowing this, Pana remained rooted in place.
If she stepped aside, her brother would surely lose his head.
In the end, she was bracing herself for death, teeth clenched.
Thud─
A heavy weight settled on her shoulder.
At the same time, a voice echoed.
“Hey, move aside.”
A voice that was all too familiar, rough and coarse.
With a swift motion, Pana turned her head sharply to look back.
What she saw was her brother, his complexion pale at a glance.
“What…!”
What was he talking about in this situation?
Pana, who was about to question whether he truly intended to die, soon fell silent.
She realized that his gaze was deeper than she had ever seen before.
Having known him for so long, she could roughly tell what Kahim was thinking just by looking into his eyes.
Usually, the emotions that surfaced in those eyes were anger, boredom, or passion.
But this time was different.
There was a calm and heavy gaze, as if looking into a deep lake.
It was a look Pana had never seen in Kahim, despite all the years they had spent together.
The transparency and weight of that gaze made her stop questioning him.
“…Are you okay?”
Instead, she asked quietly.
In that question lay an undeniable concern.
“Yeah.”
Kahim nodded without hesitation.
“I think I can see something now.”
In his eyes, there was a glimmer of certainty.
*
“I guess I need to aim for the head.”
The silver knight, surveying the area around Arminanon, reached that conclusion.
Arminanon’s defense was beyond imagination.
It had withstood a serious attack from a ten-sword level warrior without any protection, only sustaining minor scratches on its scales.
If that was the case, attacking other parts would be meaningless.
Even if they struggled to pierce the scales, given its size, it would only result in superficial wounds.
Therefore, they had to aim for a vital spot.
A part that could lead directly to a fatal injury by piercing the scales.
And if we were to talk about vital points, it would undoubtedly be the head.
“That makes sense.”
Bloodfire agreed with that thought.
In that instant, they reached a consensus, and the two sprang into action.
Then, they began to climb up the shimmering body of Armiannon, which glowed with a muted light.
The impossibly smooth scales offered no foothold, but that posed no problem for the two of them.
After all, they were capable of walking even on water if they wished.
The massive, unwieldy form that would take ages to traverse by mere movement was traversed by the two warriors at a speed like a flash of light.
And finally, they were able to reach the summit of the towering mountain.
“I’ll get there in one go!”
“Understood!”
Given the situation and their physical condition, the longer they maintained the fight, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.
Knowing this better than anyone, they summoned their full strength in an instant.
They drew forth all the magical energy and willpower from their bodies to pour into their weapons.
And with that immense power now contained within their weapons, they swung them toward the approaching head of the dragon.
An attack infused with the full power of two of the continent’s mightiest warriors.
That attack plunged down toward the black dragon’s head.
KWA-BOOM!
With a sound like a massive explosion.
For the first time, Armiannon showed a reaction.
That enormous head moved for the first time.
One would think they would be pleased with such an achievement.
“…Damn it.”
The silver knight spat out a curse.
It was because he had seen it.
That Armiannon’s head was still intact.
It had certainly been an all-out attack.
Yet, once again, they failed to pierce its scales.
The head had moved, but that was about it.
Despite delivering a full-powered strike, it ended with just a slight movement of the head.
It was a desperate situation where one could not help but spit out curses.
“Is this… the monster from the legends…?”
Standing atop Armiannon’s head, the silver knight cast a vacant gaze.
“…Pull yourself together. If it doesn’t work, we just have to keep trying until it does.”
Bloodfire bit her lip and tightened her grip on the sword.
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Yet even in her voice, there was a clear lack of energy.
She too felt a deep sense of futility.
“…If we give up, it’s all over.”
If they gave up here, they would die.
Not just themselves, but all those people faintly visible down below would perish as well.
And the real problem was that it wouldn’t end there.
“This monster must not be allowed to go outside.”
If Armiannon, who had killed everyone here, were to step out of the grave and start attacking people…
A hellscape would surely unfold across the continent.
This dragon, this monster, was far beyond any standard.
Even if dozens of calamity-level monsters appeared simultaneously, none would possess the destructive power of this creature, Bloodfire was certain.
It was so shocking that one could think this single monster might bring the continent to the brink of destruction.
That was why Bloodfire could not stop here.
“…That’s right.”
The silver knight understood this fact as well, and ultimately rose to her feet again.
“…If we keep pounding away, we’ll eventually find an answer.”
Even knowing that the possibility was truly slim, the two moved their bodies.
“Then I’ll go again.”
“Yes.”
Just as they were about to summon their strength once more.
Crackle—
Suddenly, the sound of electricity crackled in the air.
Finding its source was not difficult.
It was not far away.
Crackle—
Black lightning was crackling.
From none other than the massive horns of Armianon.
The moment they realized this, the Silver Knight and Bloodfire did everything in their power to shield their bodies with magic and will.
And then.
Flash!
The black lightning erupted, coloring the surroundings.
Its power was so immense that, for a brief moment, the lightning seemed to cover the entire sky.
The starlight, conjured by magic to illuminate the fields, momentarily faded in brilliance.
After what felt like a short eternity, the lightning finally began to subside.
What came into view was.
“…Cough.”
“…Ugh.”
Two warriors, utterly battered and broken.
They had taken every possible precaution the moment they saw the lightning.
However, that was far from enough to completely fend it off.
If they had had some distance, they might have evaded it altogether.
But this was the head of Armianon.
There was simply no time to escape.
Even if they had been in perfect condition, the situation would have been better than this.
They would have been able to mitigate the damage from the lightning more effectively, reducing the impact significantly.
Yet, in the end, both failed to block the lightning and suffered devastating injuries.
They were alive, but one could say their bodies were in tatters.
Even more despairing was the fact that.
Crackle—
The black sparks began to erupt once more.
“……Hah.”
“…….”
Seeing that sight, the Silver Knight and Bloodfire sensed their impending doom.
They no longer had the strength to withstand the lightning.
And if they were struck by it in their current state, they would surely die.
—
In that moment, the two were staring at the black lightning with eyes heavy with despair.
Boom!
A thunderous sound shook Arminanon’s head.
Yes. It wasn’t that he moved; he swayed.
For the first time, Arminanon did.
In the sudden tremor, a voice reached the ears of the Silver Knight and Bloodfire, who were struggling to maintain their balance.
“Well, it seems I’ve arrived at quite a dramatic moment.”
With a calm voice, a man appeared.
His clothes were tattered here and there, lacking any sense of dignity.
A tall man with unkempt hair and a beard that looked like it hadn’t been groomed in at least a few days stood out at a glance.
His attire and appearance were utterly mismatched for this place and situation.
Yet, the Silver Knight and Bloodfire did not point that out.
They merely stared at the man with wide eyes, unable to trust him.
After all, they knew the man’s true identity.
“Not a good look, is it?”
The man, who met their gaze with a playful smile, was none other than—
“Tu-Gwi…?”
The one of the Ten Blades, Tu-Gwi Ethan Bertrand.