Chapter 409: Don't Move
"Who the hell are you people?" Skullion demanded, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the three women standing alongside Selene. The oppressive magical aura rolling off them made it abundantly clear—these were no ordinary mages.
"Moonlight Beauty God, Mimi," the heavily muscled woman facing Madmole declared, her voice a deep, resonant rumble that vibrated through the air.
"Moonlight Beauty God, Youko," the fox-eared girl facing Kyria chimed in, a sly, predatory smile stretching across her face.
"Moonlight Beauty God, Hakune," the final woman murmured. She stood opposite Skullion, coyly raising a flowing sleeve to obscure the lower half of her face, her eyes holding a deceptive innocence.
"Slaughter them all," Skullion ordered, his voice dropping to a glacial chill. While the Dark Dragon Slayer Knights might harbor reservations about facing one of the Five Dragon Gods directly, they held absolutely zero fear of mere subordinates. To capture the Moon God Dragon, they needed to clear the board. Eradicating these women was the first step to ensuring Suzaku had a clear path to Selene.
"Underworld King-Style Battōjutsu: Underworld Fall!" Suzaku drew his blade in a blinding flash of crimson light. The sheer kinetic force of his swing cleaved straight through the swarm of moon-fire butterflies, splitting the ethereal flames in two. The shockwave carried forward, bypassing even the Moon God Dragon's defenses. A thin, red line appeared on Selene's flawless cheek, a single bead of crimson blood welling from the shallow cut.
Watching from the sidelines, Ren raised an eyebrow. The attack was fascinating. It was not mere physical swordsmanship; the strike carried the heavy, unmistakable density of high-tier magic, smoothly woven into the steel.
Selene reached up, lightly touching the blood on her cheek. Her golden eyes locked onto Suzaku. "That scent... Kurnugi? You..."
"I am a Dragon Slayer," Suzaku answered, his tone perfectly level as he shifted his stance, the tip of his blade angled for a lethal thrust. "I am the one who devoured Kurnugi. Through his flesh, I claimed this power—the Dragon Slayer Magic of the Sword Saint Dragon."
"Devoured... the Sword Saint Dragon, Kurnugi." Selene fell silent, the air around her growing unnervingly still. A moment later, a dark realization washed over her features. "I see. You steal the power of a dragon by consuming its flesh. A mere human, standing before a god. Tell me, do you intend to eat me as well?"
"No," Suzaku replied flatly. "I will subdue you and present you to my Guild Master."
A low, melodic chuckle bubbled from Selene's throat, escalating into a chilling laugh. "How amusing. It has been an eternity since I last laid eyes on a human so utterly dripping with arrogance. Very well. For the first time in an age, I shall grant you a glimpse of my true power."
The atmosphere shattered. A suffocating, catastrophic wave of magic power erupted from Selene's body, warping the very air and crushing the gravity around the mountain.
Meanwhile, across the dimensional boundary in Earth Land, within the borders of Ermina Town.
"This is impossible!" The local hotel owner gripped the wooden railing of his balcony, his face pale with sheer terror. He stared out at the violently churning ocean, the massive tidal waves threatening to swallow the coastal town whole once again.
A townswoman named Mersha stood nearby, bracing herself against the howling wind. "Calm down! It is not like we have never survived a flood before!"
"How can I be calm?!" the owner shrieked over the crashing waves. "Lord Water God already regained control of his magic! Why is the tide rising with such monstrous force again?!"
Panic spread like wildfire through the flooded streets, the townsfolk scrambling for higher ground as the ocean roared like a wounded beast.
High above the chaos, Karameel looked out the window, her hands clasped tightly together. "Lord Mercphobia, what is happening?" she asked, turning to the Water God Dragon with deep concern.
Mercphobia stared out at the raging sea, his expression grim. "It is Selene."
"The Moon God Dragon?" Karameel blinked in confusion. "But I remember you saying she resides in an entirely different world. Can her magic truly affect Earth Land from across dimensions?"
"Yes. The dimensional walls mean nothing to her," Mercphobia replied, his voice heavy with respect and caution. "Such is the unfathomable power of a dragon who bears the title of 'God'."
Karameel's eyes widened. "Could it be... is she fighting Sir Ren?"
"I cannot say for certain, but it is highly likely," Mercphobia mused. "It is exceedingly rare for anyone to push Selene to the point of unleashing this level of magical output."
"I pray Sir Ren remains safe," Karameel whispered, looking up at the turbulent sky.
She had only met Ren briefly, but the young man had saved Mercphobia. She knew Ren had began the legendary Hundred Year Quest to seal the Five Dragon Gods. The fact that he possessed the compassion and judgment to spare a dragon he deemed good, rather than blindly slaughtering them all, proved he was a man of deep kindness.
Mercphobia had confessed to her how he was slowly losing his mind to his overflowing power. It was Ren who had stepped in, neutralizing and sealing that catastrophic magic without taking Mercphobia's life. Ren was their savior. Because he had saved the man she loved, he had saved her as well.
No matter how she looked at the situation, she could not bear the thought of Ren falling in battle.
Mercphobia offered a gentle, reassuring smile. "Do not worry, Karameel. That man is far from ordinary. When we clashed, I could clearly sense that he was holding back a terrifying amount of power."
"He was holding back?!" Karameel gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "You mean he defeated you without even fighting at full strength?!"
"Ah... well, yes, something like that," Mercphobia coughed, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. While it was the absolute truth, hearing it said aloud made it sound as though he had been swatted aside like a nuisance before Ren even broke a sweat.
He quickly cleared his throat to regain his dignity. "The Five Dragon Gods possess roughly equal levels of power. If he could handle me so easily, Ren will be just fine."
Back on Elentir, atop the jagged peaks of Black Moon Mountain.
Selene raised a pale, slender hand, aiming her palm directly at Suzaku.
"Waning Moon, Swift as the Wind," she chanted softly. "Moon Shadow Blade."
With a graceful flick of her wrist, a torrential barrage of crescent-shaped magical slashes tore through the air, screaming toward the swordsman.
Suzaku's eyes widened in genuine shock. He swung his blade in a frantic blur of steel, sparks flying as he desperately deflected the incoming arcs of lunar energy. The speed of her assault was so overwhelming that his arms burned, his pristine footwork faltering as he was pushed to the absolute brink just to parry.
"Dance, human," Selene mocked, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "Lose yourself in the miracle of the moon and dance for my amusement."
Standing a short distance away, Ren's mouth twitched. 'Did she just steal my line?' he thought, crossing his arms with a dry sigh.
Refusing to be overwhelmed, Suzaku planted his back foot, cracking the stone beneath him. "Underworld King-Style Battōjutsu: Underworld Reincarnation!"
Selene did not even flinch. "Moon Shadow Palm."
A deafening explosion rocked the mountaintop as their attacks collided.
"Guaaaah!" Suzaku coughed violently as the kinetic shockwave slammed into his chest, sending him skidding backward across the dirt. He dug his heels into the earth, carving deep trenches into the ground before finally stabilizing his stance.
He wiped a smear of dirt from his chin, his breathing slightly ragged. "A formidable foe. I never imagined your strength would be this immense, Moon God Dragon."
Only now did the Dark Dragon Slayer Knight truly comprehend that the legendary title of the Five Dragon Gods was not born of mere rumor or exaggeration. The gap in their raw magical weight was staggering.
Selene lowered her hand, her gaze turning distant. "The flash of your blade is deeply nostalgic. It feels exactly like sparring with Kurnugi. However, my next strike will erase you from this world."
She tilted her head, analyzing him coldly. "I have grasped the limits of your power. For a human, you stand at the absolute pinnacle. Yet, no matter how skilled you are, I find it impossible to believe that you possessed the strength to slay Kurnugi."
"Your assessment is correct," Suzaku admitted without a shred of hesitation, his loyalty absolute. "The one who truly defeated him was my Guild Master. The true Dragon Eater, Lord Georg Reizen."
"Oh? Is that so?" Selene's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "It seems there is another insect I need to settle a score with."
Suzaku tightened his grip on his hilt. "A question. What exactly was your relationship with Kurnugi?"
Selene looked down at him with chilling indifference. "What does it matter to a dead man? But I suppose I do not mind telling you. Kurnugi was one of my sons."
Suzaku froze, his pupils contracting. He had never anticipated that the Sword Saint Dragon he had consumed was the biological child of the Moon God Dragon.
Even Ren was rendered speechless by the revelation. He had not expected such a deeply personal connection. Her own son had been butchered and eaten, and one of the men responsible for consuming his flesh was standing right in front of her. He could not even begin to fathom the apocalyptic wrath of a grieving mother.
Yet, at the same time, Ren frowned in confusion. Selene was visibly holding back. Her magical aura was vast, but it lacked lethal intent. If she truly unleashed her full, unbridled fury as a Dragon God, Suzaku would not have survived more than a few seconds. Why was she playing with him?
A sudden, blinding flash of magic interrupted his thoughts. Selene unleashed a localized magical detonation right at Suzaku's feet.
"Guaaaaaah!" Suzaku roared in pain as the blast launched him into the air.
Twisting his body mid-air to regain his balance, Suzaku glared down at the Dragon God, his eyes burning with fanatical resolve. "I will offer no apologies! Dragons are the eternal enemies of humanity! We of Diabolos will devour every last one of your kind!"
He gripped his sword with both hands, channeling every ounce of his remaining magic into the steel. "Underworld King-Style Battōjutsu: Abyss!"
"Underworld: Purifying Black Slash!"
Suzaku became a blur of crimson and black. He blitzed past the Moon God Dragon in a fraction of a second. His blade transformed into a manifestation of the dark abyss, carving a chaotic, overlapping web of pitch-black slashes directly into Selene's body.
A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
"Wuaaaaaah!" Selene let out a piercing scream, her body crumpling under the devastating force of the sword technique before she collapsed heavily onto the rocky ground.
"Huff... Huff..." Suzaku landed gracefully, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. That final, desperate assault had been incredibly taxing, draining nearly all of his magic power. He looked back at the fallen Dragon God, a wave of relief washing over him. Fortunately, he had managed to strike her down. Now, he just needed to bind her and drag her back to the Guild Master.
But just as he took a step forward, a calm, authoritative voice echoed through the clearing, freezing him in his tracks.
"Don't move."
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