I Pulled Out the Excalibur

Chapter 116

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Stonehenge (2)

Stonehenge, the tomb where the dragons are sealed.

The subjugation team gathered at Stonehenge were tending to their weapons, waiting for the time to come. The sun had long since set, and the night grew deeper. As darkness began to settle, the knight order shot light cannons into the sky.

Blazing.

The light orbs shot high into the sky illuminated the darkness. With light sources from the cannons in the sky and the luminous stones on the ground, the vicinity of Stonehenge was as bright as midday, despite the deep night.

How much time had passed like this?

Rumble…

In the deep night, just past midnight, the ground began to shake. The stone pillars lined up on the hill started to tremble, and the shaking grew stronger as time passed. The subjugation team gathered at Stonehenge sensed it. The moment had finally arrived.

-Ten seconds to go.

Merlin whispered to Najin.

As she started counting down from nine, cracks began to form on the stone pillars comprising the sealing ceremony.

-Eight.

The cracks spread. They spread and spread until one of the stone pillars collapsed. The sight of the collapsing pillar made the subjugation team frown.

This was not something they had expected.

In history, there had been moments when Stonehenge’s seal weakened, but never had the pillars completely collapsed like this. A sense of unease swept through the knights. Something was different. They instinctively knew.

-Seven.

The stone pillars collapsed one after another.

Thud, thud… with a dull sound, the pillars fell, and cracks spread across the ground. Dust rose, and the ground began to split.

-Six, five, four…

Nearly half the pillars had fallen. Beneath the violently shaking ground, something pulsed. It was different from the tremors that shook the earth. The sound of life stirring echoed through Stonehenge.

-Three.

Whoosh!

From beneath the shaking ground, something surged up. What erupted from the tomb was a skeletal hand. But the moment it touched the air, red flesh and blood filled the white bones.

It all happened in an instant.

Before even a second had passed, flesh and blood covered the skeleton, and scales grew over it. It was more like turning back time than regeneration. The claw of a dragon, reversing a millennium, slammed into the ground.

-Two.

Rumble!

The ground shook. The remaining stone pillars collapsed, and the sealing ceremony was destroyed. The ground, crisscrossed with cracks, sank down as dust rose into the air.

And then.

Piercing through the rising dust.

-One.

Two dragons soared into the sky.

The moment the two dragons, which had shot up vertically, spread their wings in the sky, a gale blew. The rushing wind swept away the dust in an instant. The knights stepped back, shielding their faces as they looked up at the sky.

The Red Dragon, covered in red scales.

The White Dragon, adorned with pure white scales.

The two dragons looked down at the ground from the high sky. The subjugation team instinctively knew that these were different from the dragons recorded when they had shown themselves through the gaps in the sealing ceremony centuries ago. The wounds that should have remained according to the records were not present on these dragons.

Their wings had no scars. No scales were missing. Neither of their eyes were gouged out, and there were no sword marks digging halfway into their necks. This meant only one thing.

Complete revival. Total restoration.

The monsters of the mythic era had appeared, reversing a millennium. To announce this fact, the two dragons opened their jaws wide and let out a roar.

————————————!

A roar that shook the air. The bellow of the sky beasts reverberated through the air. The humans standing on the ground instinctively shrank back, but there were those who did not retreat.

“Fuck.”

Red Eyes, Roselin Ascalo.

“Are you kidding me? Were they supposed to be weakened?”

“Apparently not. Given that the sealing ceremony has completely collapsed.”

“I agree.”

“That’s how it seems to me too.”

The remaining three White-rank adventurers responded to her grumbling. It was a startling development for them as well. What they had heard was different. The presence they felt from the fully revived dragons was extraordinary.

“Hey, rookie. You…”

Only one did not respond.

The boy known as the New Star. The White-rank adventurers turned their eyes to where Najin was supposed to be standing, but Najin was not there.

Thud.

He had already kicked off the ground and started running.

While everyone was overwhelmed by the dragons’ presence, only Najin moved faster than the others. Seeing the running Najin, Roselin burst into laughter.

“Ha, look at him go.”

Roselin, gripping her twin swords, also began to run.

After all, she was a White-rank.

White-rank was the pinnacle of Cambria, the City of Opportunity. And the motto of Cambria told its adventurers.

Take risks. Chase gold. Seize opportunities.

Success always lies within danger.

Led by Najin, the White-rank adventurers began to run. To bring down the dragons flying in the sky. To achieve great deeds by taking risks.

Dragons had always been distant beings.

In the records of the old era, humans regarded dragons as distant, celestial beings. Like the rising and setting of the sun, they considered dragons a part of natural phenomena. The reason was simple.

They couldn’t reach them.

How could they get close to dragons flying high in the sky? How could they wound their bodies? How could those living on the ground defeat the beings of the sky?

Thus, humanity feared dragons.

They were seen as mysterious and fearsome beings.

But time passed. Many suns rose and set, and several eras disappeared into the annals of history. The primordial flames died out. The primordial era, which began with dragons and giants, was buried in the abyss, and the mythic era ended with Arthur.

Thus began the era of humanity.

In the era opened by King Arthur, human civilization developed endlessly and finally found a way to hunt the beings of the sky. A method to hunt dragons, even for those who weren’t exceptional or transcendent. The knights of the Empire lined up at Stonehenge were showcasing this method.

Creek, creak…

The knights of the Empire, in groups of five, drew the strings of giant bows.

In ancient times, it was the giants who hunted dragons.

Emulating the weapons used by those giants, the strings of the giant bows held harpoons, each over 3 meters long. They were too large to be called arrows, but they had to be this size to pierce dragon scales.

“Fire!”

At the command, the knights released the bowstrings. With a thud, five harpoons shot into the sky. Dragon hunting began with lowering their altitude.

Whoosh!

The arrows pierced through the air.

And the dragons began to move. Dragons were inherently arrogant beings. Simply flying high and repeatedly evading didn’t suit their nature, so the two dragons dove toward the ground.

One arrow scratched the scales of the White Dragon, but the White Dragon ignored it and charged. The massive weight and momentum from its charge were indeed threatening, but…

Boom!

Even for the Sword Seekers, it wasn’t a challenge.

Facing the charging White Dragon, the former knight commander, White-rank adventurer Richard Polsen, planted his great shield into the ground. As mana wrapped around the shield, the White Dragon collided with it.

The great shield, deeply embedded in the ground, was pushed back, tearing up the earth, but Richard managed to withstand the White Dragon’s charge. Just as the White Dragon opened its jaws, ready to spew fire in frustration…

Slash!

White-rank adventurer Grisel Paramelt leaped from the White Dragon’s flank, swinging their halberd to strike the dragon’s jaw. The dragon’s jaws snapped shut, and its breath attack failed. Realizing that the enemy was not to be taken lightly, the White-rank adventurers cooperated, and the same was true for the Red Dragon.

“Let’s play with the red one.”

Red Eyes, Roselin Ascalo.

Former Inquisitor, Bashen Corte.

The two of them took on the Red Dragon, with the royal knights assisting them. Arrows flew. Weapons gleamed with mana… but none of them were effective. They simply bounced off the dragon’s scales.

It took a proper strike to deal any damage. Unless it was a fully powered blow, it wouldn’t harm the dragon. Each calculated the moment to deliver a decisive blow while drawing the dragon’s attention.

The White Dragon flapped its wings.

Seeing the White Dragon attempting to rise again, the subjugation team clicked their tongues and prepared for impact. But then, something wrapped around the dragon’s claw with a rattling sound.

‘Chains?’

The subjugation team only had a moment to wonder before the White Dragon soared into the sky. But this time, it wasn’t the White Dragon alone. The chains wrapped around the dragon’s claw clattered and shook violently…

Thud!

Someone had leaped off the ground. Twisting his body in midair, he used the chain’s momentum to propel himself higher. It was almost like an acrobatic performance, but the result of that feat was no joke.

The boy holding the chain, Najin, climbed onto the dragon’s claw. He had reached the dragon flying beyond reach. Not stopping there, Najin began to climb the White Dragon, stepping on its scales.

Using the chain and a single sword, Najin climbed the dragon’s rapidly flying body. The experience he had gained hunting wyverns proved useful. In an instant, Najin reached the dragon’s back and caught his breath.

Then, he raised his sword high.

The sword aura, resembling a constellation, enveloped Najin’s sword, glowing white. Raising the sword skyward, Najin swung it downward.

Slash!

For the first time since the battle began, dragon blood spurted into the air.

Dragon scales indeed had gaps.

Especially for the White Dragon, those gaps were significant. Merlin had been right. Though the White Dragon’s scales appeared dense, the gaps became visible when Najin focused.

Najin wedged his sword into one of those gaps.

Splat, blood sprayed. Though small compared to the dragon’s massive body, it was still blood. A smile spread across Najin’s face. It worked. His sword pierced through. That meant he could cut it.

Najin gripped his sword tightly and began running along the dragon’s back. Following the gaps between the scales, Najin’s sword raced. Though the gaps were small, Najin’s sword accurately pierced those gaps, slicing the dragon’s flesh.

Splurt!

Blood spurted out. This time, the wound was large enough that the White Dragon couldn’t ignore it. Realizing someone was on its back, the White Dragon twisted its body in the air, flapping its wings wildly.

But Najin, with his sword deeply embedded in the dragon’s back, used it as a support to withstand the White Dragon’s rampage. No matter how much the White Dragon twisted, Najin didn’t fall off.

Once you’re on, never fall off.

The dragon’s back is the safest place.

That was Merlin’s teaching, and Najin adhered to it faithfully. Moving with his sword buried in the White Dragon’s scales, Najin’s eyes were fixed on the wing connected to the dragon’s spine.

‘Arthur tore the dragon’s wings off.’

In that case, I will…

‘I’ll cut off the dragon’s wings entirely.’

So it will never fly again.

Mutilating its back wouldn’t be enough to kill the dragon. To kill a dragon, you had to decapitate it or pierce its heart. To do that, he first needed to bring the dragon down to the ground.

‘That’s when the real fight begins.’

With his sword embedded, Najin moved towards the White Dragon’s wing base. He had to tear off the scales, rip the flesh, and break the bones. This was a challenging task even for a Sword Seeker.

Dragons had high resistance to mana, and their bones couldn’t be damaged with ordinary attacks. Even if you cut their flesh, it would regenerate quickly.

But Najin had a way. Balancing on the rampaging White Dragon, Najin raised his sword. Taking a deep breath, Najin glared intensely. His heart pounded, blood flowed quickly, and his sword aura flickered.

Crunch!

One strike. He wedged his sword into the gap between the scales. Immediately, Najin twisted his wrist and lifted the embedded sword upward. Scales of the White Dragon flew into the air.

Next, a second strike.

Slash, Najin’s sword tip cut through the dragon’s flesh. Blood sprayed, and a gash formed. Staring intently at the gash, Najin held his breath. And he never exhaled.

Ka, ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!

Najin’s sword swung, leaving afterimages. Dozens of strikes per second. Just like when he fended off thousands of the witch’s fire arrows, Najin swung his sword without even breathing.

Scales scattered.

Blood spurted.

Flesh was torn apart.

And what was revealed was the bone leading to the dragon’s wing. Najin struck the bone as if mining. It was the “bone-cutting strike” he learned from the chain unit. Najin had learned from wyvern hunting that this method was more effective for cutting bones.

Najin’s sword was faster than the dragon’s flesh could regenerate. While the flesh regenerated an inch, Najin’s sword cut ten inches.

『———————————!』

The White Dragon roared and flailed madly, but Najin’s strikes never stopped. Using the embedded sword as a pivot, Najin regained his balance every time the dragon twisted.

Finally, one of the White Dragon’s wings stiffened. Losing the balance in its wing beats, the White Dragon’s altitude rapidly dropped. As Najin descended with the White Dragon, he glanced at the Red Dragon.

Something was wrong.

According to the plan he discussed with Merlin, and the scenario he had envisioned, the Red Dragon should have interfered by now. But there was no interference. Why?

As he glared at the Red Dragon.

Najin and the Red Dragon locked eyes.

The Red Dragon was also looking at Najin. Even while dealing with Roselin and the White-rank adventurers, the Red Dragon’s gaze was fixed on Najin. The moment he met the beast’s eyes, Najin’s intuition rang out.

Something…

Something was wrong.

An inexplicable sense of unease overwhelmed him.

Before Najin could ponder the reason, the Red Dragon roared. With a roar that shook the heavens and earth, the Red Dragon soared into the sky.