Chapter 69

Flinch!

Slow, who had been aiming for Theo, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He sensed something unsettling in Theo’s confident smile.

Kwaaa-rururung!

But by then, the Moon-White Sword was already tracing the Dragon’s Claw.

The beam of light, filled with the wrath of the griffin, passed Slow… and struck the ceiling with a deafening roar.

‘The ceiling?’

So, he wasn’t aiming for me?

Slow looked up abruptly.

A powerful shockwave had cracked the ceiling.

Creak—

And then,

It collapsed.

Crash!

“……!”

Seeing Slow buried under the falling debris like a mole, Theo smiled.

‘Controlling my magical power is so much easier than before. The density has deepened unbelievably, and the output is immense.’

The Purge Cleansing technique he had achieved after swallowing the Shadow Demon Poison had definitely caused significant changes to his body.

If his previous output was a 1, now it was at least 1.5.

He hadn’t realized it during training, but using it in real combat, he could clearly feel the difference.

At this level, he felt confident he could hold his own against a 3-star, no, even a 4-star swordsman.

It was a sign that he was finally being recognized as a true ‘swordsman,’ more than just a trainee.

Of course, he wasn’t satisfied with just that.

“……You!”

Erika approached, her face full of surprise.

She was astonished that Theo had defeated the swordsman who had made both Selperd and Arin tense up.

But.

“Step back. It’s not over yet.”

Theo stopped her.

Before Erika could even ask what he meant, the pile of debris exploded.

Boom!

“You damn brat!”

Slow’s eyes were burning red with fury.

His clothes were torn to shreds, and dust settled over his head, making him look like a beggar.

Fortunately, his sturdy physique meant he wasn’t seriously injured.

But the fact that he had been toyed with by a mere child who appeared to be nothing more than a trainee swordsman— that deeply wounded his pride.

If his comrades found out, wouldn’t he be mocked for the rest of his life?

“I’ll kill you…!”

However, Slow’s resolve didn’t last long.

Above his head, in front, to the left, and to the right.

Those cursed, thunder-infused black dragons had appeared, all four of them, clawing at him.

“Gah!”

Slow gritted his teeth and swung his warhammer fiercely.

It was a secret art, utilizing the sheer strength inherited from his ancient bloodline.

.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With a single sweep of his warhammer, Slow instantly crushed the heads of three of the thunder dragons.

However, one of the dragons, skillfully slipping into his blind spot, slashed his left shoulder as it passed.

Flash—

“I hope you haven’t forgotten that we’re your opponents?”

Selperd, now sneering, had approached Slow while unleashing a barrage of sword strikes.

On the opposite side, Arin moved in.

Front and back.

Sword energy rained down from both sides!

It was sharp.

Slow instinctively knew it would be difficult to block both attacks at the same time.

So, he unleashed a large portion of his magical power all at once.

A transparent shield made of magic formed, deflecting the sword energy.

Boom!

Screech—

Slow took advantage of that opening.

His warhammer tore through the air with a menacing sound.

“Die!!”

His fighting style had no special technique.

He relied solely on his overwhelming strength to crush his enemies in a single blow.

And that alone had been enough to pulverize not only opponents of similar skill but also stronger ones.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

However, Selperd and Arin weren’t going to fall that easily.

They were swordsmen who had crossed countless battlefields and escaped death time and time again.

They had experienced situations like this too many times.

Without directly clashing with the warhammer, they deflected it to the side and only targeted its openings.

Because of the weapon’s weight, every time the warhammer swung, Slow’s defenses were left wide open.

When Selperd faced him head-on, Arin attacked his blind spot, and when Slow moved to follow Arin, Selperd would dart behind him to exploit another weakness.

Their coordination, like interlocking gears, was flawless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

“You cowardly bastards! Fight me properly!”

Slow’s frustration was at its peak.

According to the original plan, he should have killed the rescue team and rejoined his comrades by now.

Instead, he was stuck here, held down.

Worse, while none of his attacks were landing effectively, his own injuries kept piling up.

The numerous small wounds were causing him to lose so much blood that he was starting to feel dizzy.

“Who cares about being ‘cowardly’ in a battle?”

Selperd snorted dismissively.

Slow’s face twisted in anger.

“If you’re a warrior with honor, you should face me head-on…!”

“That so-called honor, you can keep it for yourself.”

“You! Don’t you have any pride, calling yourselves the Dragons of the North?”

“Yeah, none. Winning’s all that matters.”

“That’s such a vile—!”

“If you want a fair fight, offer something worthwhile.”

“What?”

“We have no reason to follow your orders when there’s nothing in it for us, right?”

“What kind of bullshit are you spouting…!”

“Asking us to do something for free? You sure like handouts.”

Selperd casually glanced up and down at Slow’s bald head, then nodded as if realizing something.

“Ah, that’s why you went bald, huh?”

“You bastard, are you trying to die!?”

Listening to Selperd’s constant taunts, Slow felt like he might just die from sheer rage before anything else. Selperd kept poking at his insecurities, jabbing at his complex over and over.

At the same time, Slow desperately searched for a way to turn the situation around.

Then, his eyes landed on the debris from the ceiling he had broken through earlier.

‘Use the terrain…!’

An idea flashed in Slow’s mind as he raised his warhammer and slammed it down onto the floor with all his strength.

Kwaaaang!

Rumble—

In an instant, a cloud of dust billowed up, concealing Slow from view.

Whoosh!

Selperd’s sword cut through the spot where Slow had been standing.

But Slow wasn’t there anymore.

“Damn it!”

Instead, there was only a collapsed floor and a gaping hole leading to the level below.

Selperd immediately realized what Slow was planning.

“Arin! Move!”

“……!”

By the time Arin turned around, Slow was already emerging from the hole in the floor like a mole, aiming directly for her.

“If I take out one of them, things will get a lot easier!”

Slow’s warhammer shattered Arin’s sword, and he aimed to take off her head in the same strike.

“Shave that head.”

“……?”

Out of nowhere, a voice transmitted directly into his ears.

“Oh, wait, you can’t shave it, can you?”

“……!”

For just a brief moment, Slow’s movements halted.

The voice was similar to Selperd’s but slightly different.

And in that brief opening, something heavy collided with Slow.

Kwaaaang!

“Gah!”

Slow gasped as he was thrown back, crashing into the opposite wall.

Thud—

“I heard bald men are supposed to be strong, but I guess not?”

The one who had sent Slow flying was Theo.

He had charged in and landed a shoulder attack just before the warhammer could strike Arin.

‘Looks like Selperd’s taunts worked even better than I thought.’

“You…?”

Arin was dumbfounded. How could Theo, with his slim build, muster enough strength to send Slow flying like that?

“He’s mine.”

“……?”

What did he mean by that?

“I was fighting him first.”

“……!”

“So,”

Theo raised Drake’s Blade high.

“Please do not interfere with my fight.”

Thump, thump, thump, thump—!

His heart pounded wildly.

The sound of his heartbeat, resonating as his Dragon’s Heart and dantian synchronized with his magical power, echoed through the room.

It was like the sound of a war drum, signaling the start of battle.

‘If I use this guy, I can find out Balmung’s location.’

Theo sharpened his focus again.

「Erika, Holcus. While I buy time with the seniors, get the hostages out!」

He sensed the flinch from the Erika siblings, but there was no time to convince them.

‘He’s coming!’

Boom!

The ground in front of Theo crumbled as Slow appeared.

His face, now covered in blood from a wound on his forehead, was twisted in a furious roar.

“Yeah, you! The brat! I’ll feel a lot better once I crush you!”

Theo swung Drake’s Blade, now darkened by black lightning, in a rough arc.

The Three Fangs of the Dragon.

The first fang.

Clang!

Slow flinched as his warhammer was blocked for the first time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘How can he… with that small frame…?’

He had felt the same shock when Theo had knocked him back earlier. He couldn’t comprehend the overwhelming strength Theo was displaying.

This time, Theo didn’t even stumble. He wasn’t being pushed back.

Their strength was nearly equal.

But Slow’s astonishment didn’t end there.

The next movement of Drake’s Blade was even faster.

Screech—

The second fang aimed for his neck.

Clang!

Slow barely blocked it again.

Crack!

But the sheer force was so immense that cracks began to form in his warhammer.

Then, the third fang gleamed.

The target was Slow’s heart.

Slow brought his warhammer down vertically.

The two weapons crossed, and a tremendous shockwave burst forth.

Both Theo and Slow were knocked back slightly.

Then,

Crackle—

Fragments of Slow’s shattered warhammer flew into the air.

“……!”

Theo’s Moon-White Sword slashed across Slow’s stunned face.

It was the fourth fang.

Kwaaa-rururung!

The black lightning exploded.

The deafening sound of thunder filled the room, echoing like the roar of a griffin.

Splat—

A fountain of blood filled the air,

Flash!

as Selperd and Arin delivered additional strikes.

A dozen sword strikes rained down on Slow’s head like bolts of lightning.

Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!

The ceiling collapsed once more, burying Slow under the rubble.

Fsss—

One arm stuck out from the pile of debris, trembling for a moment before falling limp.

A pool of blood slowly spread outward.

“Hah… hah… I thought… I was dead…”

Selperd exhaled heavily, panting from the exertion.

Slow had definitely been a tough opponent.

“Thanks, rookie. You saved me back there.”

But the person who played the most significant role in this victory was Theo.

“It was nothing.”

“Don’t be so modest. Hey, this is when you’re allowed to brag a little. Are you really a Ragnar?”

“He’s definitely a Ragnar.”

Arin chuckled lightly as she approached.

“Didn’t you hear what he said? He told us not to interfere with his fight.”

“Ha! Yeah, that was bold as hell.”

Theo scratched his cheek awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise from his seniors.

“By the way, where are the hostages? I haven’t seen them since earlier.”

“I asked Erika and Holcus to take them to the fortress.”

“Good job. While our primary mission was to annihilate the enemy, rescuing the hostages is just as important. You were more considerate than us in thinking about that.”

Selperd genuinely liked Theo. He was the kind of subordinate who did his job well without needing constant supervision. How could you not appreciate that?

Theo gave a silent smile as he glanced around the wreckage.

‘It seems like the mission was almost a success… but isn’t this too easy?’

Of course, fighting Slow hadn’t been easy.

Theo himself had nearly died.

But the overall strength of Black Skull was far weaker than expected.

Was it really possible that this group had killed Trainer Isben and the dozen other skilled members?

At that moment, Theo’s eyes fell on a fragment of the shattered warhammer.

‘This should give me some answers.’

He picked up a piece of the warhammer and activated his skill.

[Skill: Hatchling Synchronization has been activated. You read the lingering thoughts in the item.]

This was why Theo had been excited the moment he first encountered Slow.

If he could read the thoughts of a high-ranking member, he might be able to track down Balmung’s whereabouts.

Additionally, it could solve many of the questions surrounding Black Skull.

‘They must have moved throughout the fortress. Now I don’t have to search the entire place myself.’

But then,

‘…Nothing.’

No matter how thoroughly he searched the remnants of Slow’s thoughts,

Balmung wasn’t anywhere in the fortress.