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We still had at least a minute before impact. However, no one tried to run.

Feeling the sharp mana emitted by the sword of light, there was no one who couldn\'t tell: Escape was impossible.

Fifth blocked such an attack without batting an eye.

It was more than enough for me to realize the difference between us two.

My thoughts raced. What could I do in this situation?

Ravnyr or Baxtiel?

I made my decision swiftly.

Both

\'Activate Crown! Duration: 1 Second!\'

⟪ Grudges of Dead clings to your soul, tainting it further ⟫ 

[Physique]: 213.69 (E) → [Physique]: 27,144.69 (C)

"What!?" Ravnyr fumbled.

The burst of strength broke the shackles binding me momentarily. 

In that split second, with one hand, I stabbed my sword towards Ravnyr\'s heart and punched at the sword of light in the sky, using my other arm.

A white streak of pressurized air shot into the sky.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

The plaza surrounding me exploded from the shockwaves. The sonic barrier broke as the lump of highly pressurized air continued its ascent, crashing into the sword of light.

A bright explosion shook the sky. Its intensity forced others to close their eyes. 

The rapid change in the density of air caused the phenomenon called \'Distraction of light\'. With changing intensity, the colossal sword of light trembled.

It made the sword of light unable to maintain its shape, forcing it to detonate into another explosion.

Pellets of light rained over the Imperial Capital, causing never seen destruction in history.

In the plaza, which had been utterly decimated by the wind pressure, I rose to my feet with great difficulty.

My clothes were in tatters along with my body. 

I had covered myself and Jae-sung with my wings at the last second. It was the only reason we were still breathing.

It felt as if my body had turned into lead. My arms were heavy like they were soaked sandbags. 

Just breathing was causing vicious bouts of pain to ripple throughout my body. A small twitch of muscle was akin to peeling my skin.

"Sir Sol…? Where are we—ARghhhh!!!!"

Jae-sung roused and immediately went into hysteria from overflowing pain.

Ignoring him, I used Mana Sense and attempted to locate the Dragon King of Slavery.

He dodged my attack. However, he must\'ve been injured like us. I needed to end him before Baxtiel arrived.

A response came in my field of mana sense.

I covered my body in mana and forced it to move. 

Every time my feet touched the ground, an electrifying sensation surged through them and caused havoc inside my body.

"Haaah! Haah! Haah!"

I took one step at a time using my sword as support.

However…

"What the fuck was that? I could\'ve never predicted you were hiding an ace like that."

The dust cleared with a wave of his hand.

Ravnyr\'s clothes were in tatter too. Nevertheless, he had no injury. Slowly, his clothes also mended by themselves.

Looking at him, no one would think he was injured earlier.

At that moment, a soft voice boomed throughout the capital.

"You were the one to block my attacks it seems."

A woman levitating high in the sky appeared through the clouds. 

She wasn\'t wearing clothes. A long piece of white cloth floated around her figure, covering her privates. 

Our eyes met.

Despite the distance, I could see her clearly.

Her golden curls and bright yellow eyes revealed her identity. 

Dragon King of Light, Baxtiel.

She spoke again.

"You might\'ve defended twice by luck. But how many times can you, an insect, do that?"

As if saying, she had nothing else to discuss, she raised her hand and bought it down. With that simple gesture…

Ten colossal Swords of Light appeared.

Each was larger than the previous sword. They hung over the sky as if declaring Baxtiel\'s divine judgment.

Time seemed to slow down, stretching till infinity as the ten divine swords descended.

\'My Stellar Swordsmanship regressed to level 0 after leaving the dream tree. I also don\'t have Kill points anymore.\'

There had to be a way out.

I searched for it desperately.

\'Maybe Faena? Now\'s she is out she should be able to call upon the spirits.\'

\'It isn\'t possible. If Faena could help, Fifth wouldn\'t have blocked Baxtiel\'s first attack and started Coalescence.\'

Regardless of my intentions, the ten death continued to fall.

\'What if Fifth did that intentionally?\'

\'Either way, Faena should be greatly exhausted from earlier battles. She won\'t be of any use.\'

The Dragon King of Slavery stood on the ground while the Dragon King of Light floated in the sky.

Two enemies far more powerful than me were attacking without withholding.

\'Should I leave everything to Yula?\'

\'But it was Jared\'s orders to attack Imperial City. If so, Yula might have a hand in everything as a fellow Daemon.\'

A multitude of scenarios jumped into my mind.

\'Can I use Champions?\'

\'It won\'t work in the current situation. They are selfish and egotistical. Without proving myself worthy they won\'t move and even then I will have to become their eternal servant.\'

Time moved at a snail\'s pace. Yet, the conclusion I arrived at didn\'t change.

…I can\'t win.

Each of the ten colossal swords, larger than the skyscrapers from Earth, fell. 

Was waiting helplessly for demise my only choice?

Suddenly, a familiar voice entered my ears.

"Limit Break"

Booom!

Jae-sung, covered in white flames, attacked Ravnyr. His body was in shambles, covered in blood and injuries. I was in no better condition myself.

He must\'ve known the rank difference between the two of them. Not to mention, he had only 3 lives left to face an overwhelming enemy.

Yet, he attacked without cowering. 

I could feel his unshakable will to move forward.

"Sir Sol, I will hold the enemy on the ground! Please do something about the enemy in the sky!"

With the time flowing slowly, his voice echoed and stretched.

Do something about the swords? It was impossible for me. 

I wasn\'t even 3rd Mortal Awakening rank.

Nevertheless, Jae-sung jumped into the fray, placing his trust in me. His sword flashed with silver streaks as he shielded me from Ravnyr.

His will to continue was remarkable but it was useless…

\'Don\'t tell me…. we were… only ones who….. received orders… Smiling Tear\'

The snippet of thoughts I read from Ravnyr entered my mind.

Unknowingly, I re-analyzed the information and arrived at the conclusion.

\'Jared is responsible for the early awakening of Dragon Kings. He also ordered Qantal and Ravnyr to attack the Imperial Capital.\'

This time I made a new discovery.

Baxtiel wasn\'t working with them.

In that case, I knew what I had to do.

"Jae-sung, protect the capital city!"

I coated my body in layers of mana, forcing it to move through the onslaught of pain. My weight decreased considerably as I applied another layer of Stellar Mana on top of everything. 

"I will do so!" 

Jae-sung replied while coming back to life.

I crouched, unfurled my wings and flapped them with the maximum strength.

The air split apart as I continued my ascent, flying at a breakneck speed.

Below me, Ravnyr\'s invisible clutches attempted to bring me under control. However, I paid it no heed, leaving Jae-sung to hold him back. 

My skin burnt as my speed continued to increase. The [ Dragon Force ] inside my heart roared and the shape of my wings became more defined.

I finally met the ten swords in the air.

Leaving myself to my instincts, I maneuvered with great precision and moved away from the sword paths.

Blocking them wasn\'t solving the crux of the problem nor was I capable of doing that.

If I wanted to stop the City from being blown away I had to target the Dragon King of Light himself.

Twisting my mana and [ Dragon Force ] to its limit, I dodged all the swords. 

The silhouette flying in the sky was also looking down at me as I closed the distance between us.

What would Thirdth say to me in this situation?

Would he call me foolish for taking yet another gamble?

Or would he berate me for leaving the city defense to Jae-sung which he clearly wasn\'t capable of?

BOOOOOOOMMMMM!

The swords of light made contact with the ground.

In an instant, the air erupted with an ear-splitting blast, shattering the tranquility of the surroundings. 

A shockwave spread outward, creating a gust of pressure that could be felt within.

As the explosion occurred, a brilliant flash of light engulfed the area, momentarily blinding those who witnessed it. 

The searing intensity of the heat emanating from the epicenter scorched the very molecules that made up the atmosphere. It radiated outward, creating an expanding sphere of blistering temperatures that could incinerate anything in its path.

But I didn\'t look below. 

\'The city is safe. The protagonist would protect it. I have to do my part.\'

I repeated those words in my mind and stopped myself from lowering my gaze.

Instead, I stared at the heavenly being flying in front of me.

"Dragon King of Baxtiel, I challenge you to a duel."