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Ian focused his mind as he faced the steadily growing violet light.

At that moment, unbelievably, the intricate magic formula that composed the spell began to pour into his mind.

It was a phenomenon too difficult to comprehend.

He didn’t have any knowledge of magic, so while he could see the structure of the spell, fully analyzing it was beyond him.

Yet, within the otherwise solid structure, he spotted a relatively weak point.

A weakness.

If he could aim for that, it seemed like he’d have an easier time blocking the attack. It wasn’t certain, but it was worth a try.

Ian tightened his grip on the spear and prepared a technique he had only ever learned in theory.

It was his first time using it in real combat, but somehow, he felt more confident than ever. Fueled by this baseless confidence, he thrust the spear forward.

[Bane of Evil Fourth Style: Flame Dragon Fang.]

The spear, now engulfed in crimson light, shot forward with intense momentum, moving with the speed of light itself.

─────!!!!

Leaving behind a trail of red as it tore through the air, the spear struck precisely where Ian had aimed within the violet light.

Baaang!

A powerful shockwave erupted, and the magic was instantly destroyed. The violet light vanished from sight, as if a balloon had popped, leaving the area clear.

Ian had poured a significant amount of magic into the attack, but the result exceeded his expectations.

Not only that, but the spear, which hadn’t lost its momentum, continued its path directly toward the Lizard.

“Huh?”

The Lizard’s eyes widened in surprise as the flaming spear closed in on him, forcing him to move at the last moment.

It worked!

Ian thought the Lizard had reacted too slowly, but he was wrong.

Though the Lizard had previously rested the blunt weapon on his shoulder, in what seemed like an instant, he had gripped it with both hands, fully prepared to swing.

What?

It was as if time had stopped and then resumed.

The Lizard grinned, showing his sharp teeth, and swung the blunt weapon upward without hesitation, striking the flaming spear.

However, the moment the spear’s form collapsed from the external force, the compressed heat and flames within it exploded outward.

Boom!

The power was enough to shake the very ground. Ian, unable to react to the sudden shockwave, lost control of his body.

His feet lifted off the ground, and he was thrown backward.

He thought he needed to regain his stance, but at this rate, he was definitely going to crash into the ground.

But someone caught him from behind, stabilizing him. It was Abella.

Soon, laughter rang out.

“Hahaha!”

Damn it, Ian frowned. Amid the dying flames, the Lizard stood unscathed.

He checked for any damage, but the immense amount of magic surrounding the Lizard had protected his body, leaving him completely unharmed.

There wasn’t even a burn or a single scorch mark on his scales.

“That was impressive, so flashy and beautiful! Hmm, maybe dreaming of becoming a Flame Dragon wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

The Lizard straightened his slightly hunched shoulders, and as he did, a strong force radiated out, dispersing the remaining flames that had enveloped him.

The fire around him extinguished as if blown out by a fierce wind. Watching that scene left Ian feeling utterly helpless.

Though Ian had put his full strength into the strike, he couldn’t believe it hadn’t caused even a scratch.

“You handle fire with such skill… You must be a descendant of the Giant Slayer, right?”

The Giant Slayer—this was also an alias for the founder of Berger’s lineage.

“Huh?”

As if pressing for a response, the Lizard asked again, and Ian nodded.

“If that’s the case…”

“Do you know this? Dragons have never been on good terms with giants since ancient times. In many myths, the two races often clash. Maybe that’s why… thinking of you as the descendant of the Giant Slayer, I feel a strange sense of familiarity.”

“Then maybe you could take that as a sign and leave us alone.”

The Lizard was resolute, replying without a moment’s hesitation.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that. However, I can at least show you the mercy of ending it without pain.”

Apparently done with conversation, the Lizard raised his blunt weapon.

Ian wondered if he could block one more strike like before, but as he saw what followed, he immediately discarded that thought.

Wuuuuung!

A heavy wave of magic resonated, and dozens of magic circles appeared in the air simultaneously. They were miniature versions of the spell Ian had seen earlier.

The sheer number of magic circles occupied a vast area, exuding a pressure that felt as though he was facing a fully armed legion.

Ian gritted his teeth.

There’s no way I can block that.

If it were just one or two, he could dodge, but with dozens of them, even thinking about it was futile. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.

His only hope now was Abella. He glanced at her, wondering if she had any options left, but her confused expression dashed any expectations he had.

“In your next life, be born as one of my kin.”

Just as violet light began to radiate from the magic circles—

Beeeeeeep!

A piercing sound rang out, accompanied by a strange vibration that rushed down from above. Suddenly, the world turned gray, and all sound vanished.

Is this what it feels like to face death? Ian wondered. No. Having experienced death firsthand, he could confidently say—

This was far from natural.

Then, someone descended from the sky—a knight in worn-out armor.

He made no sound. Though he wore armor, there was no clanking as he moved, and even as he drew the sword from his waist, it was utterly silent.

The knight raised his sword above his head and slashed downward.

The violet light, which had been surging forward, was crushed and completely erased, and the world, which had turned gray, returned to its original state.

The knight spoke.

“The Hero descends.”

The Lizard’s face lit up with joy.

“Well, well, Gailgron!”

“The High General of the Ten Thousand Demons War.”

“You’ve come to see me!”

“No, I’ve come to execute you.”

“You say that, but… considering how quickly you found me, I suppose you still hold onto the gift I gave you? Otherwise, how could you have tracked me down so fast? You love me, even if you pretend not to, right?”

Listening to their conversation, Ian was bewildered.

The words didn’t seem to fit the situation at all, but as the conversation continued, it became clear that he hadn’t misheard.

Gailgron let out a dry laugh.

“Unbelievable.”

Despite Gailgron’s blunt and hostile tone, Lizard responded gently, as if he were not hurt at all.

“Are you denying it? Well, that’s not bad either. Slowly, realizing my love will be quite sweet.”

“Wake up, Ollak. Unless you appear as a human, that will never happen. My tastes are quite firm.”

“So picky. But that’s okay. Someday, if I become a dragon, transforming into a human form will be a piece of cake. I’ll become that ideal type you spoke of. But if you still make excuses and reject me then, I won’t let it go.”

“How did you know? That’s exactly what I was thinking. Then you must already know what I’ll do next?”

“Hmm, confess?”

Gailgron swung his sword as if to tell him to stop with the nonsense.

It was a simple slash, an incredibly light one. Yet the ensuing result was the complete opposite.

Ka-bang!

Brilliant golden light spread in a fan-shaped area, pushing everything within it away.

The remnants of trees reduced to ashes, as well as deeply embedded boulders, were sent flying.

Yet amidst this chaos, Lizard, who was called “Ollak,” remained leisurely standing within a circular barrier he had formed.

“Oh, really. Let’s not do this. There’s no reason for us to fight. Not yet, anyway.”

“Why not? I’m the hero of the Pantheon, and you’re a servant of the Pandemonium. Just that is more than enough reason for us to clash.”

“So narrow-minded. That’s a good thing, but sometimes it can be too frustrating. Sure, it can’t be helped. They say in love, the one who loves more tends to give in, right?”

“Nonsense.”

“This time, I’ll back down again. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to earn your hatred either. Ah, when will you realize my feelings?”

“That will never happen.”

“You’ll see. Until next time.”

After bidding farewell, Ollak gripped his heavy weapon with both hands and swung it.

Whoooosh!

A fierce wind uprooted the ground, sweeping up dirt and debris.

Ian squeezed his eyes shut. He had no time to lose himself in thoughts of where the attack might come from.

He kept his guard up, drawing his holy sword, but no attack came until the wind died down.

Did he leave?

He calmly watched Gailgron.

For a moment, he fixed his gaze in a specific direction before letting out a small sigh and sheathing his sword. Then he turned and walked over.

“Are you okay?”

“Thanks to you, yes. Thank you.”

Abella replied, slightly bowing her head.

“No problem. In this harsh world, we need to help each other. It’s a good thing I arrived in time; we could have faced a serious crisis.”

“That’s true.”

“I know I say this every time we meet, but be careful. Next time, I might not be able to save you like this.”

“I’ll do my best to grow quickly so that won’t happen.”

“But don’t overdo it.”

After watching Abella nod, Gailgron turned his gaze back to Ian.

“And you… no, we’re already acquainted.”

“You remember.”

“It hasn’t been long. We met at the ruins occupied by the Dark Mage, didn’t we? We even took down some monsters together.”

“That’s right. I’ve received your help once again this time.”

This was the second time Ian had survived thanks to Gailgron’s assistance. Should he call this good luck or bad luck?

Gailgron let out a chuckle.

“Right. If it weren’t for me, you’d have been dead long ago. So when you visit the Pantheon later, make sure to offer a donation to Lord Damrak. Be generous with your gratitude, after all.”

“If you keep saving me every time I’m in danger, I’d be willing to make regular donations.”

Would that be all? If he wanted to build a temple, he’d find a way to gather funds. But unfortunately, it seemed Gailgron had no intention of that.

“That’s an unrealistic suggestion, so let’s pretend I didn’t hear it. By the way, what were you fighting Ollak for?”

Ian shrugged.

“We’re not sure either. He said he came to fetch a junior, but it looks like he was venting his anger since that junior has already died in our hands.”

Describing it as venting anger was somewhat ridiculous. Ollak, the Lizard, had unleashed magic on them like someone mindlessly squishing an ant crawling on their desk.

Gailgron raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“…Junior?”

Ian intended to point to the cold corpse of the lizard, but it had vanished without a trace.

Well, it would have been astonishing if it had still been intact after all that chaos. He had no choice but to give a simple explanation.

“Aha. So it seems you received a revelation and came here.”

“…Revelation.”

“Yeah. Just as the lords of the Pantheon give us revelations, it seems the foreign gods of the Abyss also bestow revelations upon their followers. I’m not entirely sure since I heard it by chance, but otherwise, how would he have made it this far? Ollak has a tendency to obsess over his kind, so he probably thought it was good to come here.”

“I’ve been curious since earlier—do you know that Lizard?”

Gailgron paused for a moment before answering.

“We have some connection. Let’s discuss that later. For now, how about we take care of the dead?”

He shifted his gaze. The lifeless forms of the knights lay strewn before the fallen Lizard.

Ian turned to Abella. She nodded with a gloomy expression.

———