“He fought with such a terrifying monster.”
Muller’s words and deeds were rather light as he clicked his tongue.
The burning desert and the unconscious Biban—Muller didn’t show any signs of nervousness despite witnessing the situation on the battlefield.
Yet on the contrary, this was actually evidence that he was nervous. This was a common trait among the lone heroes who protected the world alone. They had a habit of trying to keep their surroundings from being agitated.
[You have suffered the ‘fracture’ abnormal condition.]
In the meantime, Kraugel was restoring his completely smashed right hand. It was the aftermath of using Space Sword.
Muller’s condition was much more serious. Therefore, Saintess Ruby’s healing skills were focused on him.
‘Both arms are broken. He suffered a bigger backlash since he aimed for the vital point.’
The Space Sword that ‘cut anything’ was the ultimate technique that led to the judgment that the Sword Saint was superior. No matter the target, they were almost always cut in half.
However, it asked if this caused instant death—this actually wasn’t the case.
Beings that couldn’t die easily due to the setting or the story, or terrain features that shouldn’t disappear, would either have the damage done by the Space Sword completely repaired or they were completely immune to it.
This was the protection of the system. A representative example was Garion, the God of the Earth. This meant that a dragon would never die after being cut by the Space Sword. It was right to say that it was the worst compatibility with the Sword Saint.
‘I should’ve advised you to aim for the arm or tail.’
It would’ve achieved significant results if Muller had wielded his Space Sword and aimed for Trauka’s limbs or other non-life-threatening body parts. However, Kraugel and Muller aimed for the head and the heart respectively.
Kraugel had the intention of slashing the Breath while Muller had the intention of killing Trauka. As a result, Muller wasted his Space Sword.
He couldn’t be blamed. Anyone could see that Trauka’s current state wasn’t normal. To add a bit of exaggeration, it wouldn’t be strange if he died right away. He was covered in wounds. His red and beautiful scales were all dented like broken mirrors.
If Kraugel wasn’t a player—if he hadn’t ‘recognized’ the absolute power of the system, he would’ve wielded Space Sword while aiming for the Dragon Heart.
Just then, a loud noise echoed from all parts of the airship. It was the sound of the tower members, apostles, and members of the Overgeared Guild jumping down. The one in the lead was the gray-haired Martial God Zeratul. Their expressions were determined as they rushed into the battlefield without any delay.
Kraugel’s expression was the same. He took a potion to help him recover from his broken bones. Then he followed his teammates while having a hunch: Hayate and Biban had sacrificed themselves in succession today—if they couldn’t kill Trauka, they would never get another chance to kill him…
***
Braham Eshwald—he moved to the East Continent after Grid and was ordered to guard a city. This caused him to waste quite a bit of time.
A huge magical force was raised to build a protective barrier throughout the city, but some people were still unaware of this fact and committing strange acts. These same human beings plundered and killed human beings under the cover of the disturbance. It was purely to satisfy their petty greed or fleeting pleasure. It was done without any guilt, so Braham felt a certain sense of alienation.
However, it was a waste of time to figure out the identity of this sense of alienation. He simply burned and killed all the worms who weren’t even worth discussing. It was only then that he followed Grid’s trail and arrived at where he was now…
“……”
Braham, the strongest of the apostles, was practically treated like an Absolute. It was because he could become an Absolute at any time if he got the opportunity. He was a great magician who created new magic and was a god with two modifiers. He was the master of a great myth and even possessed the power of a direct descendant that he inherited from Beriache.
Arguably, any transcendent was humble in comparison to Braham. Therefore, Braham was nervous. He couldn’t tolerate that he remained a transcendent despite being fully qualified.
‘I think it won’t be long now.’
Braham wore layers of stealth magic and watched the battle between the Martial God and Old Dragons with bated breath. His expression gradually darkened. It was because he was acutely aware of the gap between them and himself. He believed that he wasn’t far away when he was inspired by the Sword Immortal and imitated an Absolute, but it seemed he was still a long way from achieving the realm of an Absolute.
“Shit…”
The sky was obscured by starlight due to the swirling magic power.
Pitch-black Breaths were raining down against the dark sky. Each one of them had the power to extinguish the soul, but they were dodged at a distance that was as thin as a sheet of paper. It was truly a phenomenal movement that was hard for Braham to imitate no matter what he did.
However, that didn’t mean anything against Raiders.
Braham clearly witnessed it. The moment Chiyou tried to counter Nevartan, Chiyou’s time was rewound and Nevartan fired a new Breath in the gap. This time, Chiyou’s reaction was late. By the time he came to his senses, he couldn’t completely avoid the Breath that was in front of him and his limbs flew away.
A few similar things were happening over and over again. Chiyou must’ve sensed the unusual situation from the beginning. This was no way he didn’t notice that the truly dangerous enemy was Raiders, not Nevartan.
Nevertheless, he completely ignored Raiders. His sword never pointed at Raiders. It was like he was having a one-on-one match with Nevartan.
It was easy to figure out what was going on in his mind. Chiyou’s wish was to be extinguished. He was deliberately avoiding doing anything that would increase his odds of survival. The originally rigged fight was blocked by Chiyou’s power to induce a ‘fair competition,’ but it was difficult to see it as a match manipulation.
It was true that Nevartan’s Breath was also a threat. The attack that could inflict fatal wounds on Chiyou was Nevartan’s Breaths. Chiyou aiming at Nevartan first didn’t cause his power to malfunction.
“It is contradictory in many ways,” Braham opened his mouth. He wasn’t talking to himself. There was someone listening by his side. It was Sariel, who came to take Braham away, but ended up being tied down here with him.
Braham spoke leisurely to her, who was afraid that the stealth magic would be released, “He wants to die but he has to fight as hard as he can in order to die… Chiyou is a mass of contradictions. He is completely out of touch with common sense. He can only be seen as a lunatic in the eyes of a third party.”
“Righ… t?” Sariel replied roughly. The senses of the Martial God and Old Dragons were absolute. They were so focused on combat right now that they didn’t notice Braham’s stealth magic, but it wasn’t unusual to be spotted at any time. There was no reason to watch the battle unless they were suicidal.
Moreover, it was now an emergency. They intended to defeat Trauka on the mainland. Braham had to join them right away.
“…I am the same.” However, Braham seemed oblivious to the urgency of the situation. He dragged out the time by talking nonsense. “There is a resemblance between me and Chiyou.”
“……?”
Braham’s attitude of comparing himself to Chiyou, who was the strongest among the Absolutes, was very bizarre. It was beyond shameless. What’s more, doing it in this situation?
‘Is he saying that he is similar in that they are both crazy?’ Sariel was seriously thinking this, only to suddenly see something conspicuous in Braham’s red eyes.
Braham finally smiled. “This contradiction isn’t a defect.”
The proportion that bloodline played in Braham’s pride was surprisingly small. His true pride came from his own achievement of becoming a legend despite the power of his great lineage being sealed. Of course, he never showed it outwardly.
Bragging about the results of his tireless efforts? He thought he was bringing himself down to the same level as the fools who lacked natural talent.
That’s right—as Beriache’s direct descendant, Braham had the sense of being the chosen one. He believed he was special. He was sure that he had to be special. The results of his efforts gave him a sense of pride. While he respected Grid’s efforts, he concealed his own efforts.
He was a contradictory existence. Braham himself was aware of this.
Thus, he seriously thought about it one day. Why couldn’t he become an Absolute even though he was fully qualified? Maybe it was because he was a contradictory being. An Absolute must be perfect, so there should be no contradictions. He wondered if this type of providence ruled the world…
He was mistaken. Chiyou was proving it right now.
Braham got the perfect answer.
“There is only one thing I am lacking.”
His qualifications were sufficient. Contradictions weren’t a defect. There was only one reason why he didn’t become an Absolute.
“Achievements. I am slightly lacking in terms of this.”
Of course, Braham had left behind a number of accomplishments. He worked as a legendary magician, slaughtered several Great Demons and half-gods, and killed the Hydra to engrave his name on a giant myth. Above all, he was the teacher who taught magic to Grid, who would later become an Only One God.
He had performed countless great things, such as instilling magic into Grid’s exclusive mineral and briefly competing with an Absolute like King Sobyeol. His imprint remained everywhere in history and mythology.
But it was a bit lacking. He was one step short of becoming an Absolute.
The answer was simple…
“I will stay here and fight these monsters.” Braham’s declaration was shocking.
Sariel’s eyes were stunned for a moment.
Braham continued explaining, “In any case, we need someone to monitor and control this place. The moment the Old Dragons detect Trauka’s crisis and leaves to help, won’t the possibility of the main force killing Trauka disappear?”
“Who knows? Isn’t it right to focus on firepower on Trauka now that they can’t help him?”
“You fool. The magic of a dragon manifests the moment they want it to. If Nevartan uses Teleport when Raiders reverses Chiyou’s time, Chiyou will be forced to miss Nevartan.”
Braham’s expression was serious. “I will stay here to block the variables. Additionally, I’m going to contribute to their deaths.”
There was no chance for Sariel to convince him. It was because Braham released the several layers of stealth magic.
“Um…?”
[What?]
Even though they were a considerable distance away, Chiyou and the Old Dragons immediately recognized the presence of the uninvited guest.
Terrifying gazes fell on the two of them.
Sariel looked like she had lost her soul, while Braham didn’t lose his nobility.
“Braham, the apostle of Grid, has come to kill you.”
The Old Dragons and Chiyou tilted their heads. Braham’s declaration was so absurd that it was hard to understand. To put it simply, it was similar to the barking of a dog.
Sariel just gave up. Braham’s inability to be controlled was too famous. There was no need for her to panic. Additionally…
[Grid’s number one apostle and angel are here… does this mean that Trauka didn’t clash with Grid’s subordinates?]
[There are no special variables. There is no chance Trauka will experience a crisis.]
The response of the Old Dragons was strange. It seemed they were completely mistaken about something. Could it be that Braham’s absurd choice worked to their benefit? Was this in the realm of Braham’s calculations? Sariel had such a ridiculous thought.
‘No… It isn’t ridiculous. It is definitely within the realm of calculation.’
The Old Dragons were perfect beings. It was inherently impossible for humans to hunt them. It was a natural connection of accidents that caused the Old Dragons to judge that Trauka was safe based on Braham’s emergence. Braham’s aim was right here.
Chiyou opened his mouth, “Braham, I will allow you to stand by their side. If you ever try to help me, I will get rid of you first. Don’t forget to keep that in mind.”
“Bah…”
[……?]
If Braham hadn’t snorted and stood awkwardly on the Old Dragons’ side, Sariel might’ve thought that Braham was very cool.