Kyaaa!
A roar echoed once again, leaving no space for silence. The body of Dragon Sisko shot out. Spinning in the air once, she landed forcefully on the ground.
Thud!
Despite appearing as a light landing, the ground trembled strongly. Sisko, standing tall, stared straight ahead.
Sssrrr….
The water, still covered in melted white snow, hung like a curtain in front of Cale.
"..."
A slight tremor persisted around. Cale's gaze shifted towards the vibration.
- This is unusual.
Super Rock's voice came.
- She's using Mana as if it were Aura.
She's wielding Mana as if it were Aura. Aura wasn't exclusive to Swordsmen. Both Kwon-sa (권사) and Chang-sa (창사) could also form Aura. It could be said that Aura was the energy that bloomed within those who had reached the pinnacle of their respective martial arts.
PR Note:
Dear fellow readers, Translator of this novel didn't provide the meaning of those particular words Kwon-sa (권사) and Chang-sa (창사). So, I did some research on my own, but I also failed. So, I hope we can find the exact meaning of these two words in next chapters of this novel.
But if any of our readers know the meaning then please share with us. I will be thankful. Let's all put our minds together and figure this out.
Kwon-sa (권사): Could refer to a martial art style that emphasizes hand-to-hand combat or unarmed techniques. It might be similar to concepts like "Kung Fu" or "Karate". Chang-sa (창사): Might denote a martial art style that specializes in using a specific weapon, such as a spear or lance. It could be comparable to "Changquan" or "Naginatajutsu".
Therefore, the origin of Aura differed from that of Mana, the natural energy.
'But is that Dragon using Mana as an Aura?'
The reason was obvious.
It seems she wants to fight like a warrior.
The Goddess of Struggle, Sisko. She definitely preferred martial arts to magic.
She was a Dragon with a distinct color.
Listening to Super Rock's comment, Cale thought.
'Whether that's the case or not, it's not my concern.'
Clack.
Cale moved a finger, indicating for her to come closer.
"What are you doing?"
The indifferent voice conveyed no emotion. Because he realized it the moment they faced each other for the first time.
'It's worth a try.'
It didn't seem like he was going to lose. Therefore...
"Are you going to stand there doing nothing?"
Whoosh.
The wind swirled around Cale's feet. Using several Ancient Powers at once was no longer a difficult task.
"Then I'll come after you."
Pat!
The instant Cale lightly tapped the ground, his body shot forward at great speed.
Pssshk.
At that moment, a dark smile formed at the corner of Sisko's lips. She also stomped heavily on the ground.
Bang!
Unlike Cale, her steps resonated with a thunderous sound.
'Hm?'
And Cale's eyebrows slightly arched.
Wooooo...
A strange noise enveloping Sisko intensified, and her surroundings stirred. Like a wave, only her surroundings distorted strangely.
- It's the essence and characteristic of Dragon Fear.
Super Rock's comment came.
"Ugh!"
"Cough!"
Some of the onlookers involuntarily groaned or swallowed saliva. This happened regardless of whether they were enemies or not.
'It's chilling.'
Cale, advancing quickly, could feel his arm hair standing on end at that moment.
Sisko's Dragon Fear matched her characteristic.
Struggle.
Someone who never stopped and constantly fought. In line with that, she was extremely sharp. Her fierce expression wasn't fake, and the energy now manifesting stabbed in all directions indiscriminately.
"Ugh!"
A muffled groan was heard. It was familiar.
'Rosalyn.'
It was her groan. She seemed to be battling the red-haired Inquisitor and therefore seemed overwhelmed by Sisko's energy.
Of course...
'It has no restraints.'
The Dragons that normally surrounded Cale used Dragon Fear in moderation, taking others into account.
But this Sisko had no moderation. Simply, as if everyone around her, except her, were enemies, she released her energy recklessly.
Thanks to that, Cale could feel it.
Sisko was conveying her will with her energy.
'Let's all fight!'
To this Goddess of Struggle, nothing seemed to matter except being able to fight.
'She's crazy.'
And at the same time-
'But she wouldn't be the first lunatic I've had to deal with.'
Toonka, Clopeh Sekka. Those kinds of people.
'I know exactly how to handle them.'
There's no need to waste time-
'Simply-'
Crush them.
Uuuu-uuu...!
Sisko was getting closer.
The surroundings trembled.
'Didn't they say it's unaffected by any kind of energy?'
He heard that the Dragon Half-Blood, Jenyu, had this Attribute of Sisko's.
It definitely felt different from Jenyu, an upgraded version.
Similar to Rasheel but with a different Attribute.
Swoosh!
Cale's hand reached forward.
Suddenly, a water spear appeared in Cale's hand.
- Trust me.
Sky Eating Water spoke, and Cale released the water spear from his hand.
"Well."
Swoosh!
The water spear sliced through the air.
And the moment it touched Sisko's aura...
'!'
Swoosh!
The power of the water spear weakened.
Of course, it didn't disappear. However, it couldn't be denied that the water spear had weakened slightly upon entering her aura's domain.
'Don't tell me that Attribute-'
It's not simply countering any kind of energy like Jenyu, but-
'Weakens all enemy attacks?'
It needed to be verified a bit more.
Cale released the water spear several more times.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
More than a dozen white water spears flew towards Sisko.
Bang! Boom, boom!
And a series of explosions echoed.
Sisko destroyed one water spear after another with her fists and feet enveloped in aura.
Boom! Bang!
However, her view was filled with white snow water due to the continuous destruction of the water spears.
Despite being surrounded by the water spears, she calmly destroyed them all.
"..."
And she looked at her two hands.
"You've breached my domain."
Struggle.
Her ability was peculiar. It became even stranger when she started using Mana as an Aura.
What Sisko saw as the difference between mana and aura was that aura resembled the personality or characteristics of the caster.
Therefore, even if all mana were the same.
The aura would be different for each being.
Thanks to that, the mana Sisko used began to contain her personality and characteristics like an aura.
In other words, the attribute and the mana merged, and as a result, her struggle built a unique domain.
She used her power as much as she wanted to create a domain.
The proof of that is this aura.
The power entering this domain weakened if it was weaker or equal to the power she used.
'In a way, this power is like a curse.'
As Cale learned more about her, he realized that Sisko's power was a disadvantage for her enemies. Her ability to overwhelm her opponents on the battlefield was due to this unique trait.
"..."
A look of expectation crossed her face.
Cale.
This human is a good fighter.
At least, he possesses formidable power to rival her even when she was only using half her strength. Sisko's gaze, licking her lips with her tongue, gleamed with a dangerous light. Slowly, she turned around.
Cale wasn't in front of her. There was no doubt about that. She had already figured out his location.
While Sisko destroyed the water spears, Cale had moved behind her.
Swoosh!
Surrounded by countless water spears...
Cale didn't give Sisko any respite.
Numbness~
Sisko's palms began to tingle. She hadn't felt this sensation in a long time.
'He's an enemy.'
A real enemy!
A being who finally, after a long time, showed her hostility!
"Pfftt…"
Sisko laughed and headed straight for Cale.
'I also want to fight that old Dragon!'
But there are many others I want to fight!
First, let's take down this Human!
'It's fun!'
Full of joy, Sisko wanted to catch up to Cale.
And she wanted to beat him.
She loved punching, so that's why she chose martial arts.
Seeing the opponent's face distorted from her fists was always exciting.
But first, she had to deal with Cale's water spears.
Bang!
Kaboom!
And the moment Sisko destroyed the water spear that entered her domain...
!
Her eyes widened.
'Eh?'
For the first time, doubt reflected in her pupils.
'More-'
This water spear-
'Did it become stronger?'
The water spear had become stronger than before.
Kaboom!
She destroyed the next water spear that came.
'This one became stronger too!'
The power of the water spears was gradually increasing. Because of that, her body was pushed back.
"..."
Facing the increasingly stronger water spears, she realized.
The enemy, that Human, wasn't using his full power while fighting her, a Dragon.
Instead, he was throwing progressively stronger water spears as if to gauge her.
'Wouldn't it be fun to fight the world?'
It was Sisko who sympathized with the Dragon Lord's words and stood on his side.
She was a Dragon who could only grow if she could fight stronger enemies. She didn't care what she did or what happened around her.
Swoosh!
The final water spear pierced through her aura and entered the domain.
"..."
The water spear did not weaken at all.
That meant the spear was stronger than her domain.
Kaboom!
Her body, which had destroyed the last water spear, was pushed back.
Only then could she look around.
Sisko, who had been near the ice barrier, was now in a rather distant place.
Sisko raised her head and looked at Cale.
She could see others beyond Cale closing in on her.
Allies and enemies.
They were all moving away from her.
In other words, they were moving away from the area of influence of this battle.
"Ha."
Sisko felt embarrassed.
She thought she and Cale were in a brief preparation phase, measuring each other's strength.
But that was a mistake.
Cale.
What he had been observing also included how much it would affect his surroundings if he fought her, including her power.
Swoosh!
The wind blew.
The snow had already ceased.
At this moment, the rare clouds parted, and the sunlight shone through.
The only thing that existed in the wide white field around Sisko was Cale.
Everyone moved away from the two.
No, on the contrary, the two had moved away from them.
Sisko stared at Cale and then opened her mouth.
"Were you worried about others getting hurt?"
At that question, Cale opened his mouth.
"Stop talking nonsense and bring out all your power."
He knew he had nothing to worry about anymore, so he became even more irritable.
'The Dragon Half-Bloods and Elves, Eruhaben will take care of them.'
He would soon hear the sound of someone being beaten like dust.
So, let's end this and get out of here.
"Fine. I'll do it."
At that moment, Sisko responded calmly.
Crack-le!
It sounded like thunder.
- Cale, she's not playing.
The Dominating Aura spoke to him with a grave and urgent voice.
- Dragon Fear, mana, attributes! She mixed them all!
It was as he said.
The aura had changed.
Like the rumble of thunder before a storm.
The aura was no longer just smoke.
Clashing with each other, they spat out a roar resembling the sky.
Sisko should have been hidden by the collision, but her energy only extended around her. It didn't hide her.
Cale lifted his hand. Goosebumps appeared on his skin.
'It's real.'
It was a real Dragon's aura.
Combined with mana and attributes.
Sisko stepped back and prepared herself. Energy surrounded her. She looked like a warrior cloaked in lightning.
Craack, craackle!
Resonating with the sound of thunder, she lunged at Cale.
The reason was simple.
In the distance...
Kwaaang!
With a roar, the Third Bishop Horns shot up into the sky.
Saaa!
At that moment, the golden-colored dust touched the enormous-bodied Dragon Half-Blood.
No, to be exact, A dragon enveloped in golden dust grabbed Horns by the nape.
Bang!
And slammed him to the ground.
"I'll deal with you first, human, and then I'll fight that, Dragon."
A fun battlefield.
Sisko ran towards Cale filled with anticipation.
There was no fear or concern in her.
'I can't lose to this Human.'
Perhaps against that old Dragon. But I can't lose to a Human.
The human energy she felt for the first time made her uncomfortable.
But that was it.
Then...
In the midst of the thunderous sound that consumed everything.
Ssssh, ssssh!
The sound of waves was heard.
"!"
Sisko's eyes widened. Her pupils wavered.
Unknowingly, she looked down at the ground she stood on.
No, she looked at the snow.
The spread-out plain.
All the snow covering it.
- Cale, don't you remember?
The Sky Eating Water said.
- The chains that bound me.
When Cale first met the Sky Eating Water. At that time, she was sealed as Water of Judgment and bound with chains.
- It was very difficult to break those chains back then.
She said with a mocking smile.
- But now I can use those chains to my advantage.
Kwaaang!
The earth rose.
No, to be exact, a huge chain rose from the ground.
One, two, three, four... eight.
The eight chains were the same size as the ones that once bound the Sky Eating Water under the lake.
Those chains held the power of the God of War.
- I've imitated that power.
An Ancient Power daring to call itself an imitation of a God's power.
In addition to that.
- Cale.
The Dominating Aura pretended to be solemn as it spoke.
- Not even two Gods or a mighty dragon could outmatch our deception. Chuckle.
At that instant, the wind stopped.
No, to be exact, the Dragon Sisko felt as if everything in this world had stopped for a moment.
Of course, the world was still functioning fine.
Everything was the same.
However, she was different from before.
Craack!
Enveloping her rough aura as if she were wrapped in lightning, she raised her head.
Eight giant chains.
The water chains in front her was like eight snakes. And those chains blocked out the sun and cast darkness upon her.
"Haaah-!"
She gasped for breath.
She realized why she felt like the world was still halted. For the first time in a long time, no, the third time in her life, she felt this kind of emotion.
'Fear.'
And the power emanating from a being that is more than strong, overwhelming.
There is only one being that can do that.
"...God-!"
At those words that her frozen body could barely pronounce, Cale responded calmly.
"The Gods will freeze to death."
It seems that even the sound of a God's voice makes her tremble now.
Cale made a slight gesture with his hand.
"Grab her."
The eight chains began to move.
Sisko held her breath as she watched the sight.
The chains cast deep, ominous shadows, their darkness creeping closer.
She looked around. Around her domain. That wide plain. Everything was covered in eerie energy.
'Domain.'
The Domain ruled by the Human named Cale.
The moment she stepped into that place, she would have to bow down to that Human and be ruled.
That fear engulfed her.
This is more dangerous than Dragon Fear!
The moment she arrived at that truth...
A chain entered Sisko's domain.
The size of the enormous chain entered her sight.
"Ah."
The chain did not weaken at all.
On the contrary,
It headed towards her without hesitation.
- The Gods will freeze to death. Your power doesn't even reach the feet of a God! I am Sky Eating Water!
The moment Sky Eating Water's voice reached Cale's mind...
Kwaaang!
The eight giant chains broke Sisko's domain.
And headed towards her.
To bind her completely.
Cale watched this and thought.
'Wow.'
Have I become too strong?
Is this, okay?
She's supposed to be one of the Ten Mighty Dragons, but she was surprisingly easy to defeat.
The others in the group were becoming more powerful as they matured here. Unlike his companions, Cale was starting to realize just how much stronger he had become during this time.
"So-"
Dragon Lord.
The Leader of the Purple Blood Family, that guy too-
"Would he be a good rival?"
- Oh.
Super Rock swallowed hard.
- Cale, every time you think like that, don't you end up bleeding?
Cale remained unfazed by Super Rock's chilling words.
* * *
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]