- Human, are you cold?
Cale noticed somewhat surprised Raon's words, who seemed to be aware of his current state.
- Human, do you want me to use magic to increase your body temperature?
But at Raon's following words, he slightly shook his head. At that moment, Cale had asked Raon and Rasheel not to use magic.
"Hmm..."
No. How about you just use a bit of support magic for body temperature? Cale thought for a moment. Of course, his eyes were still directed at the five Dragon Half-Bloods who remained on their knees, not thinking about anything else.
"..."
And Bailey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, couldn't articulate a single word at the sight of that scene.
'Surely-'
Without a doubt, a moment ago, Bailey was struggling to stand under the pressure of the Force emitted by Jenyu and the Dragon Half-Bloods awakened by that energy.
Especially, Bailey's aged body was more vulnerable to Force than others. If it hadn't been for the mental strength, she had accumulated over a long time dealing with diplomacy in this weak kingdom, something bad would have happened.
'But suddenly-'
Suddenly, an enormous energy arrived like a wave carried by the wind. That energy didn't oppress her. However, she could clearly feel the immense energy passing over her head. If a Dragon had flown over her head, wouldn't she have felt something like this? That's what she thought.
'And that energy eliminated all the Force.'
No, to be precise, at the moment that energy encountered the Force surrounding the Eradication Team, it self-destructed.
'And, and-'
The Dragon Half-Bloods released their weapons one by one and sat back in their places. Jenyu didn't let go of his weapon, but he knelt on one knee. Bailey had never seen such a scene in her entire life.
"Ah..."
Cold sweat ran down her face. If that energy had pressed the Dragon Half-Bloods to that extent, she, an ordinary and elderly person, would have suffocated or fainted the moment she faced it. Her eyes turned to the red-haired man.
'Is that person a Dragon?'
She paused to think. But what kind of dragon could break through the oppressive force around the people of the Har Kingdom and challenge the Dragon Half-Bloods?
'Oh.'
Suddenly, she remembered a rumor. There was a solitary Dragon somewhere on the continent. This Dragon roamed the entire continent, saving the Beast People and helping those who suffered from Temple raids. But Bailey had never discovered its true identity and dismissed the rumor as mere speculation.
'Then, is he that Dragon?'
No. Bailey's intuition told her.
'He is not that Dragon.'
That person's strength was clearly different.
'Ah!'
Their eyes met. Bailey, unconsciously, averted her gaze from Cale's indifferent and calm gaze.
'Oh no.'
And realizing her mistake, she raised her head.
"Urgh!"
"Hmm."
The Dragon Half-Bloods were still not recovering. She observed attentively the fear in their eyes. An unknown courage surged within her. She lifted her head forcefully. And then, she looked at the red-haired man. She wanted to engage in a conversation with him. Decades of experience as a diplomat told her that she should capture that man.
"!"
Bailey's eyes widened.
'Of course, he is Jenyu after all.'
Jenyu, the Dragon Half-Blood, was slowly getting up, holding his sword.
"…"
He didn't even groan once.
Although his legs trembled, he stood up slowly.
The expression of surprise soon returned to his original cold expression.
However, Jenyu's eyes were red, congested, and about to burst.
"..."
In his pupils, which didn't utter a word, many things were reflected. Jenyu stood up and looked around with difficulty. He saw the Dragon Half-Bloods sitting around him. He had no intention of blaming those subordinates.
'As if my heart is sinking.'
The immense energy enveloping him made it difficult for him to breathe, and he felt like his heart could explode at any moment. No, he felt as if they could rip his heart out at that very moment. Although he knew that something like that wouldn't happen, Jenyu imagined that situation for himself.
It was terror.
This energy whispered to him.
Submit.
Surrender even the slightest superficial breath.
Or else, you will die.
That's how it whispered. Jenyu had experienced this sensation several times in his life.
'Dragons.'
When he faced a Dragon, he experienced this fear for the first time. Although he seemed to have become a great being by inheriting the Dragon's Blood, the fear from that moment was clearly engraved in his body like an inscription.
Dragon Fear.
You must not rebel against it at all.
However, even when facing this energy now, Jenyu stood up. He had no choice but to do so. He could feel it clearly since he inherited the Dragon's Blood and could use the Force.
"Who are you?"
That power wasn't Force.
It wasn't even Dragon Fear.
It wasn't the power of Dragons.
"Me?"
Cale answered honestly.
"I am Human."
A first-generation Dragon, who barely lifted his head beside him, shouted.
"Lie!"
A human cannot use this kind of energy! It was nonsense. There was no one else who moved as freely as Jenyu, but the Dragon Half-Bloods, although oppressed by that energy, began to regain consciousness one by one. Of course, only the first generation, who had experienced the Dragon's momentum several times, could take practical action, while the third generation still struggled to lift their heads.
'It's not as terrifying as Dragon Fear.'
The Dragon Half-Bloods who had experienced Dragon Fear many times came to that conclusion at that moment, and their leader, Jenyu, said:
"...It's not a lie."
What?
The first-generation Dragon Half-Bloods stopped. Their leader was saying that the red-haired person was Human.
"It's impossible..."
The Dragon Half-Bloods, who had said it was a lie a moment ago, were about to say this, but soon closed their mouths.
'If it's not Human, then what is it?'
That question arose. Elf? Dwarf? Beast People? Whatever it was, he made it clear that it wasn't a Dragon. It was different from the power of Dragons, although he didn't know in what way. Jenyu realized what the difference was.
'I feel repulsion.'
Although Dragon Fear was terrifying, he didn't feel repulsion. He wanted to submit to that power. But when faced with this energy, he instinctively felt rejection and contempt. Therefore, it caused even more fear.
'I need to eliminate that Human, or rather, that monstrosity, so that we can survive.'
His instinct warned him constantly. He didn't know why it was giving him this warning, but he couldn't ignore this intuition.
'According to Pope's words, something is happening near the Erghe Mountains.'
That could also be something that endangers the Holy Empire.
Drops of sweat ran down Jenyu's face.
In the calm around him, he remembered the chaotic days from over 200 years ago when he fought to stay alive on the battlefield, dodging various life-threatening attacks and dangers.
Buzz~
A buzzing sound resonated in his ears. Suddenly, his body straightened on its own.
B-Buzzzzz~
Force seized the hand holding the sword. As the buzzing echoed in Jenyu's ears, his body gradually freed itself from fear.
"Oh."
Cale whispered in admiration.
"Is it an Attribute?"
As if in response to his question, a black aura emerged again from Jenyu's sword.
A very dark and elegant black, different from Choi Han's.
- Cale! Let's use more of our strength! I've only used less than half of my strength, so why not use about half of my strength to properly put those guys on their knees?
Cale ignored the Dominating Aura's voice. Instead, he stared intently at Jenyu. Because he answered Cale's question about whether it was an Attribute.
"Yes. It's an Attribute."
Drip~
Drops of black tears flowed from Jenyu's eyes.
"May I ask what ability it is?"
As Cale asked the question, he remembered the Dragon Half-Blood residing in the Black Castle and the Light that the guy who turned into a Bone Dragon used, a Light that almost led them to death on several occasions.
'It was powerful.'
It was really strong.
'Is this guy called Jenyu equally strong?'
Cale soon got the answer he was looking for.
- Oh?
'Oh.'
Both Cale and the Dominating Aura exclaimed in admiration.
"My Attribute is..."
Jenyu answered calmly.
"Combat."
A black aura rippled around Jenyu. As he approached Cale, Cale's Dominating Aura disappeared, or rather, it was pushed back.
"..."
Jenyu exhaled. He took a light step forward.
Thud!
The ground trembled.
"From now on, this is the battlefield."
Combat.
From the moment Jenyu acknowledged himself as on the battlefield, his physical abilities increased dramatically. Moreover, he could move freely in any debuff situation, especially an ability that allowed him to escape the Dragon's aura.
Thanks to that, he could take the position of Commander among the Dragon Half-Bloods with exceptional abilities.
'Nothing can stand in my way.'
Still, black tears kept flowing down his cheeks.
There was a time limit to using this ability.
'I must get rid of him quickly.'
And if that's not possible...
'Let's create an opportunity to escape.'
If at least one of the Dragon Half-Bloods could return to the Empire, they could rely on the Empire to handle the rest. Jenyu glanced to his side for a moment, and although it was fleeting, the first-generation Dragon Half-Blood who received his gaze nodded slightly.
Being the most skilled in magic among them, he would surely escape if presented with the opportunity.
Thud. Thud.
His heart was about to burst. Dragon's blood flowed violently through his body.
Splat.
Force seized the hand holding the sword.
Slash-
The black aura surged again like an explosion, and his body lunged forward.
Towards the red-haired person.
He headed towards him.
"I will get rid of you without fail."
Jenyu expressed his wish. The stronger the will, the more powerful the ability became.
Undoubtedly, he would win in this Battlefield. His firm belief filled the area.
Thud. Thud.
His heart beat forcefully.
At this moment, Jenyu feared neither the Whale Tribe nor the other swordsmen. Not even the red-haired man in front of him.
Jenyu the Berserker earned his nickname through his actions in battle. The name perfectly fit his fierce reputation.
Crack~
The armor opened. His body grew in size. His aura became larger. The Force became over 10 times stronger. The energy around him seemed to take on a massive form.
He looked like a beast that had gone completely mad.
Anyone.
Anything.
'If you come close, I'll kill you!'
The powerful will he had built while crossing countless battlefields was unleashed.
In a few steps, he met the red-haired person and pronounced a verdict.
"You can't stop me!"
Drip~
At the moment black tears fell again and dragon's blood spread throughout Jenyu's body, releasing tens of times more force than before.
"Hmm."
Cale opened his mouth.
"Why should I stop you?"
Saying that, he let out a mocking laugh.
"Ah!"
Jenyu could see the one blocking his way. Indeed, that man appeared suddenly. And then—
"Ah, this is annoying."
He extended his fist.
Baaang...!
A roar echoed.
"... What is this?"
The opponent easily blocked Jenyu's force. A moment when the question was about to burst from his mouth.
"Slap!"
The opponent slapped him. Yes, he slapped him directly. It wasn't any refined form of martial art.
"Slaaap!"
He simply slapped him.
"I really can't sit and listen to you."
Baang!
Jenyu's body rolled through the snowfield. It was caught by the neck while rolling awkwardly on the ground.
"!"
He could see the elongated pupils looking down at him. It was a Dragon. A man with short, gray hair smirked maliciously.
"Hey, let me hit you a little more."
And then he hit him again.
"Thud, thud!"
He kept hitting the same spot. Jenyu couldn't block the man's punches, even with his special powers. His strengthened body just kept getting more and more sore.
'How is it possible for me to hurt this much?'
Even Dragons using their abilities couldn't hurt him this much. As someone with a firm will to fight, he shouldn't feel pain when taking a hit.
'But why?'
Jenyu, full of questions, was interrupted.
"What are you thinking? Do you think you can think right now?"
He was right; he couldn't think of anything while the Dragon laughed and hit him.
"Argh!"
It hurt. It hurt too much. Despite having the strength that turned him into a berserk warrior, the strength that made him immune to any restraint, now it was useless.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The Dragon, Rasheel, hit over and over again. Moreover, he only hit where it hurt.
"Why, even though I have the will to fight...?"
At the moment Jenyu let out the question unable to contain his groan.
The Dragon stopped. And the Dragon holding Jenyu's neck looked around. He looked at the Dragon Half-Bloods and Jenyu's eyes. Then, he opened his mouth.
"What are you looking at? These idiots, don't they care about anything?"
He had not a trace of dignity.
"Am I in a bad mood now? Huh? What are you guys pretending not to see?"
However, the immense energy emanating from him was clearly Dragon Fear.
While the bodies of the Dragon Half-Bloods and Jenyu trembled, the gray-haired Dragon Rasheel turned his head.
And looked at Jenyu.
"Is your Attribute Combat? So what?"
He raised his fist.
"I am Indomitable, you damn bastards!"
Rasheel's Attribute is Indomitability.
Indomitability, someone who doesn't give in to any difficulty.
Using that ability, Rasheel easily took down Jenyu, who was struggling in pain after getting hit hard.
"These bastards. If they have inherited the blood of the dragons, they should behave properly!"
Pow!
"What? Dirty blood? So what? Get rid of Cale Henituse?"
Pow!
"Damn bastards! No, what happened to the Dragons in this damn world?"
Pow, pow!
"Cough, cough."
"Especially, why are Dragons Gods? I'm sick of it! I like Dragons more than Gods! Why act like a boring God?"
Pow!
"And why do you make me do useless things? That old man!"
Dodori and Raon are young, and Eruhaben and Mila have things to do.
Rasheel, the Dragon with the Attribute of Indomitability, was very annoyed to have to deal with Dragon Half-Bloods entrusted by the orders of the Ancient Dragon Eruhaben during his free time.
He never thought he would have to do something like this in his leisure time.
"Ah, this is annoying!"
Pow, Pow.
And Jenyu, who was receiving blows, fainted.
"Hey, it looks like he's still alive, check on him."
Cale thought for the first time in a long time about the words Rasheel said while throwing Jenyu in front of Cale.
'A response befitting a Dragon.'
A shameless, arrogant, and unrestrained Dragon.
Rasheel was a Dragon who fit that description perfectly.
He turned to the Dragon Half-Bloods who were bowing their heads.
"What's wrong? Are you going to use magic? Are you going to run away? Do you want a beating too?"
Tap.
One of the Dragon Half-Bloods made an involuntary surprised sound.
And Cale clapped unconsciously.
Clap, Clap.
"What's wrong?"
When Rasheel looked at him with an annoyed expression, Cale calmly responded.
"You're truly someone reliable."
Hmph~
Rasheel frowned and sealed the corner of his lips with disdain.
* * *
If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.
Thank you for reading!
[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]
[Translator – Anowa]
[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]