Frozen air puffed white from its beak with every ragged breath. It seemed to accept its fate—or perhaps it simply yearned for release from the agony wracking its frame.
"I’m sorry."
Ren had no way to save a Steel-Eating Gargoyle. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to walk away from a creature dying in such visible pain.
He drove the Iron Magic Sword through its chest, halting its breath instantly. In the monster's eyes as it faced its end, he glimpsed a flickering sense of relief and gratitude—the look of a soul finally set free from torment.
As he touched the remains, mastery surged from the magic stone into Ren’s bracelet.
The Shield Magic Sword had leveled up.
Ren’s mood remained heavy. No matter that it was a monster, he couldn't shake the memory of its final gaze. He shook his head, forcing his focus back to the task at hand.
"I’m coming... I’ll save you now."
Lashing his leaden legs into motion, he turned toward the cluster of crystals where Fiona was held. He took a single step forward, but stopped dead as a voice rang out.
"I... have been waiting."
The sound emanated from the crystals. They pulsed with a violent crimson light in response.
An overwhelming pressure flooded the cavern, pinning Ren’s feet to the ground and seizing his consciousness. He didn't need a premonition to know he was on the brink of death. His body trembled involuntarily as cold sweat broke out across his skin. The voice seemed to vibrate within his very soul, making his breathing ragged.
"I have called out many times... beckoning this black girl, the one who awakened my power, to come to my side."
Ren knew whose voice it was immediately. Between the incident at the suspension bridge and the gruesome ends of Kai and Meidas, it would have been stranger not to recognize it. Listening to the frantic thudding of his own heart, Ren realized his total helplessness before the mere sound of the entity's presence.
"I can remember nothing else. Why I am here... who I am... all of it is lost."
Ren had never seen the actual Asval in the game, but recalling the inferno he’d seen outside, the truth was obvious. This cluster of crystals was the magic stone. It had likely been hidden here from the very beginning.
Ren deduced that Marquis Ignat must have discovered the Star Agate Underground Path and attempted to move Asval’s stone. All that remained was the mystery of Fiona’s power. Since she had influenced a legendary dragon without a resurrection ritual, it had to be a Unique Skill.
Ren summoned every ounce of his courage. To save her and escape these mountains, he had to speak.
"You are the Red Dragon, Asval. A proud king."
"Ah... I am Asval. The proud leader of the fire dragons... and one who hungers for battle."
The voice resonated with a heavy, rhythmic thrum. Each vibration shook the air and Ren’s chest alike.
Everything was connected. Ever since the bridge incident, Asval’s mana had been seething through the Baldur Mountains. The flames generated by that mana had awakened the dormant volcano, terraforming the range in an instant. The girl named Fiona was the catalyst. He understood now that her repeated physical collapses were the result of Asval’s influence. Meidas and Kai’s plan had been doomed from the moment she arrived.
"I must fight. I must slay the evil Demon King and await an even stronger foe."
As the dragon's tone shifted, the cavern began to scream. The Star Agate path groaned and buckled. A blinding red light filled the magic stone as the crystals detached from the floor, hovering in mid-air. The dancing flames in the chamber were sucked into the stone and vanished.
"Wait! The Demon King is already dead! Hero Ruin, the one who slew you, defeated the Demon King as well!"
"Speak not such nonsense. I am not dead. My presence here is the only proof I require."
In this distorted state, Asval would not listen. It was using the strange, special power Fiona possessed to manifest its physical form. Red light began to leak from the stone, growing so bright Ren had to shield his eyes. An instinctive terror welled up from his gut.
Determined to shatter the stone before the resurrection was complete, Ren forced his frozen feet to move. He leaped with all the physical strength he could muster. But a crimson wind and a shockwave of light blasted him back, slamming him against the far wall.
"O weak one. If you intend to interfere with me, you shall never forget the cost."
The silhouette forming within the light was terrifyingly real. Asval manifested its four-legged frame, its long neck and tail whipping in the joy of rebirth. Hellfire erupted from its maw, calcining the Star Agate walls and floor. The chamber had become a grand stage of destruction set within the heart of a volcano.
Lava began to weep from the walls and floor, covering the footing in molten rock. When the light finally faded, the dragon’s eyes locked onto Ren.
"Before you stands the King of Flames. Know that this body cannot be consumed by any flame that does not surpass my own."
It stood more majestic than any lion. Cloaked in red light, it looked divine, yet horrific. The crimson scales covering its body were peeling off in patches, revealing the putrid, rotten flesh beneath. One of its powerful eyes was clouded and crushed. Its tail was severed halfway, and its wings were riddled with holes.
Asval had returned as an undead. It was an incomplete manifestation, pulled into this world using Fiona’s power as a crude medium. Floating inside the partially exposed magic stone at the dragon's chest was Fiona, curled in a fetal position.
"I am Ren Ashton, the son of a knight! Please, listen to me!"
Ren knew it was a fool's errand. But Asval suddenly paused its wings.
"Ashton?"
Flames leaked from the corners of its mouth as it spoke with newfound doubt.
"Why... that name carries a strangely nostalgic resonance."
"You... you know my family name?"
"I remember nothing... and yet..."
Suddenly, Asval was seized by a mindless fury. It gathered flames in its throat, shaking the foundations of the cavern. Arching its neck like a bow, its single intact horn began to glow with a malevolent red light.
"It displeases me that a weakling like you should even utter that name."
With a violent twist of its neck, the dragon unleashed its breath. In this volcanic heat, flames that surpassed human comprehension swept through the air. The fan of hellfire rushed toward Ren.
Ren felt the world slow down. Remarkably, he remained calm. He took a deep breath as the wall of fire approached.
"How long are you going to keep dreaming, Red Dragon!"
He swung the Wooden Magic Sword overhead, using vines grown from the ceiling to haul himself off the ground. Sparks cascaded from Asval’s body as a superheated gust accelerated toward Ren. Every movement the dragon made was a legendary catastrophe.
"How comical. Scuttling like a winged insect."
"Which of us is comical? You, reduced to a stone and kidnapping a girl just to fight again, or me? Tell me, which of us is the pathetic one!"
The air shimmered before Ren as he leaped. The overwhelming heat threatened to incinerate him.
"I don't have the luxury of playing fair against you! Call me a coward if you want!"
Ren thrust out his hand, summoning the power of the Shield Magic Sword. The primordial flames roared as they struck. Ren swallowed hard, his nerves taut.
Just hold for a second! That’s all I need!
The mana wall held. It didn't shatter instantly, as Ren had feared. Using the vines and roots as footholds, Ren sprinted along the vertical wall, closing the distance.
"Now... I can reach you!"
Asval was sluggish, perhaps due to its size or the fact it had only just awakened. Ren wanted to plunge the Iron Magic Sword into its head, but the heat radiating from the beast made him click his tongue. Instead, he threw the Iron Magic Sword with every ounce of his strength.
The blade avoided the sturdy scales and sank deep into the rotten flesh beneath. It was tiny compared to the dragon’s bulk, but Ren’s strength drove it deep, the shock vibrating through the beast’s scales.
"You insect... you dare insult me?"
Ren knew that undead were generally weaker than their living counterparts, but "legendary" strength was still beyond normal limits.
To maintain this form, she alone isn't enough power, Ren realized. While current Asval was terrifying, the legends said the dragon should be far more powerful—something Ren shouldn't even be able to stand against. He concluded that Asval was an incomplete undead.
Inside the chest stone, Fiona clutched herself in pain. Her mana was being siphoned away.
There's no time.
Asval spread its tattered wings. The sight was a terrifying blend of majesty and rot. It flapped once, creating a wind pressure that nearly tossed Ren aside.
"Return to ash."
The dragon gathered an explosive fire in its maw.
"Sorry, but I don't plan on dying yet!"
Ren re-summoned the Iron Magic Sword and threw it again, aiming straight for Asval’s eye. A voiceless roar scattered the flames, but the heat intensified, melting Ren’s sword into slag before it could connect.
Ren slammed into the Star Agate wall, his hands trembling as he gripped the vines. Asval let out a cruel, amused laugh.
"I find myself quite fond of this. Seeing a weakling break himself against me is almost endearing."
Asval was regaining its senses. Every second that passed made it more dangerous. And within the stone, Fiona writhed.
(Wait... there’s a chance.)
Asval, who was siphoning power from Fiona, suddenly wobbled. Scales fell away. Rotten flesh liquefied, defiling the dragon's body.
Its body can’t contain its own power, Ren realized. Asval was legendary, but it was currently a vessel made of scrap.
(If she’s the only thing holding it together... then it’s unstable.)
Ren took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to play defensive. Fiona was in danger, and Ren would collapse soon if the heat didn't kill him first.
"My body refuses to obey— Gha!?"
Asval spat out a mouthful of jet-black blood. But the dragon wouldn't stop. It had lost its pride and its mind; it would fight until its body was nothing but dust.
"You Ashton-claiming fool. Do you still intend to show your face?"
"Call me whatever you want. I’m taking her back. I'll fight you to the end for that."
Ren locked eyes with the dragon.
"I can't stand to watch you defile your own legend anymore."
Ren didn't have time to ask how the dragon knew his name. He just needed to figure out how to kill it. If he got too close, the heat would incinerate him. If he stayed back, he had no way to attack.
"I don't dislike your lack of fear, weakling."
The sound died away. A dense mana that distorted the air filled the cavern, leaving only Asval’s figure in sharp focus. Molten rock dripping from the ceiling stopped in mid-air and began to flow upward.
At that moment, the single intact horn on Asval’s head began to glow with a brilliance that surpassed everything else. That horn was the source of its heat. If he could shatter it, the heat might dissipate enough to reach Fiona.
Asval sneered.
"Die as if in a dream."
The sound returned as the mana exploded into a crimson shockwave. A storm of fire and lava rippled out, filling the cavern. Ren had no place to hide. He doubted the Shield Magic Sword could take a hit of this magnitude.
But suddenly, the air around Ren froze. A brilliant, lapis-lazuli ice encased him, shielding him from the crimson wave.
"This is—"
When the ice melted, the scalding steam was neutralized by a follow-up chill. Ren looked at the stone in Asval’s chest.
Run... please...
He felt as though her eyes had opened for a split second. Her gaze pleaded with him.
"I’m not leaving you behind."
Asval's body spasmed.
"Ghu... what is... happening...?"
The dragon wailed as its rotten scales scattered. Ren sprinted along the walls, dodging lava to return to the ground. Fiona was still conscious, resisting from within.
(But what do I do?)
Ren racked his brain. Could he use the Thief's Magic Sword to steal her? No, that was probability-based, and taking her would be like stealing an organ—it wouldn't work on a living target within a host.
(I have to hit the horn.)
The horn was surely sturdier than anything else. A normal strike would just be repelled. He needed something that could suppress the heat and actually cut.
(Wait... I have it.)
Ren possessed a power that would work perfectly on an undead legendary dragon. He reached for his waist.
Asval swung a massive arm down, but Ren dodged with a roll. From its arched neck, the dragon unleashed a direct breath attack. Ren used Nature Magic to grow vines, swinging through the air to change his trajectory in a blur of motion.
"Kuh..."
A gust of heat grazed his cheek, causing visceral pain. The dragon gouged the earth, scattering molten stone. Every fragment was a lethal projectile. Ren pushed forward through the inferno. Crimson flashes erupted from Asval’s wings.
"Gu...!"
The heatwaves blocked his path while lava surged behind him. Ren’s footing was gone. He took a deep breath, though the superheated air scorched his lungs.
"What can you do but wait for death?"
"I'll show you!"
Ren swung the Iron Magic Sword with a desperate surge of strength. The pressure of the swing cleared the heatwave, and as the blade struck the ground, the impact split the lava flow in two. Ren dove into the path. He downed a potion and threw the bottle aside; it melted before it hit the ground.
Vortexes of fire surged toward him. Ren bet everything on a split-second opening from his Shield Magic Sword. Asval flapped its wings and lifted its head.
"Crawl upon the earth and burn. Not even your shadow shall remain."
A fan of hellfire poured from above. Ren didn't retreat. He accelerated straight toward the dragon.
"How foolish. You only know how to move forward."
"Foolish? I'm just getting started!"
Retreat meant death. Dodging was impossible. If he was going to be erased anyway, he had to take the gamble. He blocked with the shield and used the iron sword to create wind pressure.
"Accept your end, weakling."
Ren grinned.
"I can tell you're protecting yourself."
He’d seen it. Asval was nursing its broken body, refusing to move from its spot. Another breath approached.
"You're the one going to sleep! This time, for good!"
Ren poured his remaining mana into the Shield Magic Sword. He gained less than a second of protection. The hellfire incinerated his shield almost instantly, but it was enough.
Ren kicked off the floor, sprinted up Asval’s leg, and leaped. At that moment, the heat around the dragon’s head softened. A sudden cold air stole the heat.
Ren plunged into the heatwave to reach the head.
"Licia's power should work on an undead like you!"
He drew the Warding Dagger from his belt and drove it into Asval’s horn.
A cry of agony, fundamentally different from before, shook the cavern. The Saintess's mana sealed within the blade began to eat away at the defiled body. As Ren suspected, the horn was the dragon's primary mana organ.
"Guo...!? How can such a... dull blade... harm my horn..."
Asval thrashed its head. The red wind died down, and its scales began to crumble like ash. Every time the dragon slammed against the walls in its throes, Star Agate debris rained down. Ren held on, unafraid.
"More...!"
Using the dagger as a handle, he strained his muscles to the breaking point. The heat was weakening. But the pain on his skin was still visceral.
Asval tried to grab him, but its movements were clumsy. If not for Licia’s mana, Ren knew he wouldn't have even scratched the beast. He twisted the dagger, gouging the horn.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Red-black fluid sprayed from the horn as the dragon screamed. It dove toward the lava, trying to submerge Ren.
"Just a little... more!"
The neck lashed like a whip. Lava surged. But finally, the horn cracked.
"HAAAAAAAAAH!"
Cracks webbed across the horn, and a crimson flash erupted alongside the blood. The horn shattered at the base. Ren was thrown into the air along with the broken fragment as the light blinded him. At that moment, the dagger’s mana was spent.
Asval collapsed, its massive weight causing a tremor. Black mist rose from its body. But the dragon wasn't finished. Driven by fury, it began to rise again.
Ren reached the exposed stone. He summoned the Iron Magic Sword.
"Not yet!"
He ignored his screaming muscles and hammered the blade against the stone holding Fiona. Asval released a wild, unfocused breath. Ren struck again and again.
Two strikes. Three strikes—he saw Fiona was alive. Four strikes—he didn't let up. On the fifth, the Iron Magic Sword shattered, but so did the magic stone.
Asval’s roar tore through the space. Lava surged, and the cavern began to collapse. Mana from the broken stone coiled around Ren’s arm, searing his skin. He groaned as his arm was burned a raw reddish-black. His bracelet began to glow.
Flame Magic Sword (Level 1: 1/1)
Ren ignored the pain, scooped up Fiona, and fled. She looked up at him, her eyes barely focused.
"Adventurer...?"
"I’m sorry I’m late."
Sweating from the pain, Ren carried her away from the dragon. The chamber went eerily quiet, but Ren’s instincts screamed at him to run.
"I’m... sorry," Fiona whispered against his chest, tears falling.
"Don't be. It’s not your fault. You saved me plenty of times."
Fiona used her remaining mana to press her cold hands against his burns, easing the pain. Ren thanked her and headed for an exit.
Asval was still there, but it had lost what little intelligence it had. It was rotting faster now, its eyes a solid, ghostly blue. Its breath had turned to a foul miasma. Even with its magic stone gone, the undead legend refused to die.
"I have to get out..."
Fiona managed to stand, leaning on Ren's shoulder.
"I've shown you such a pathetic side of myself," he muttered.
"No. I don't know anyone braver than you."
Fiona was recovering her strength as Asval weakened. But Ren’s legs gave out, and he stumbled. Fiona caught him. His vision was darkening.
"Escape..." he whispered.
Fiona didn't listen. She dragged him forward. Asval was crawling after them on four legs, a horrific shell of a legend.
"Don't come near us!"
Fiona cast an ice wall, but Asval broke through it as if it were paper. The dragon struck the ground, sending shards of Star Agate flying. Fiona protected them with a thick dome of ice, but the impact sent her tumbling. Her cheek was cut, and her blood—unnoticed by her—turned from red to black the moment it touched Ren.
"Lord Ren... no, Mr. Adventurer."
Fiona sat with Ren’s head in her lap.
"I'll protect you. I’ll stop that dragon so you can go home."
She wiped his forehead, whispering her gratitude for his protection. The ice wall was groaning under Asval's blows, but the dragon was fragile now.
"Thank you for everything at the fortress. For that one year... I finally felt like a human."
Fiona smiled through her tears.
"Goodbye... Lord Ren."
Ren found himself walking down a corridor of black marble. Stained glass windows lined the walls, looking out into a void. A grand chandelier lit the way to a massive carved door.
The door wouldn't budge until he heard a voice.
“Even though you went to such lengths to make that promise... I’m sorry.”
A click. The door opened.
Inside was a cylindrical room with even more magnificent glass. At the center stood a pedestal with a jet-black longsword.
Ren walked toward it. The door closed behind him.
“Thank you so much for caring about me at the fortress.”
Fiona’s voice felt both close and worlds away.
“For that one year... I finally felt like a human.”
Ren reached for the sword.
“Goodbye... Lord Ren.”
His bracelet glowed.
???? (Level 1: 1/1)
It was the same as the sword from the battle with Jelkku. Ren grabbed the hilt. A surge of power flooded him, mending his spirit and filling him with an incredible sense of fulfillment. The sword vanished.
The door behind him opened to a blinding light. He knew he was going back.
"Come forth... Flame Magic Sword."
In the hand that had held the black sword, a blade of fire appeared.
Flame Magic Sword (Level 1: ■/1)
As he walked toward the light, the sword evolved. The silver hilt turned to pure gold. The blade lengthened.
Flame Sword Asval (Level ■: ■/1)
The power of the black sword was being consumed by the fire. He felt the pain return—the burns, the exhaustion, the headache. But he had the golden sword.
"Whatever this is... I'll win."
He stepped into the light.
Fiona was at her limit. Asval’s arm was swinging down to crush her.
But she didn't die.
"Eh...?"
Ren had pulled her close. The golden sword in his hand repelled the dragon’s strike with a burst of fire.
"Lord... Ren?"
"Yes. I’m sorry for the delay. My name is Ren Ashton."
Fiona smiled through her tears.
"I knew it. I knew you were Lord Ren since the fortress."
"How?"
"You never told me the medicine used monster materials... I asked a knight for your name."
"I see. I was careless."
"No! Because of that, I got to know you. I knew you were looking out for me."
"I'll apologize for the secrets later. For now, let me keep my promise."
Ren stood tall. Asval flew into the air, screaming. It gathered a massive sphere of crimson light, siphoning the heat and lava from the chamber. It was a legendary attack that would collapse the entire mountain.
"This ends now."
Ren raised the Flame Sword Asval. His arms shook from exhaustion, and the sword felt incredibly heavy.
A pair of white, trembling hands joined his on the hilt. They were Fiona’s hands, scarred and burned just like his.
"Thank you, Lady Ignat."
"It's Fiona. Please, just call me Fiona."
"Then let's finish this, Fiona."
The crimson sphere expanded. Ren and Fiona swung the golden sword together.
"You said it yourself—nothing but a greater flame could consume you. Sleep now. Forever."
The golden inferno swallowed the crimson sphere and spiraled upward, piercing through the ceiling of the mountain.
Fiona woke up on Ren’s back.
"Lord... Ren!?"
"Morning. We're almost down."
Fiona blushed, realizing she had been carried. She tried to insist on walking, but Ren pointed out her swollen ankle.
"I feel... lighter," she whispered. "The black power in my body... it's mostly gone."
"Fiona?"
"My skill, the Black Priestess. I'm sorry for keeping it secret."
She explained that she was essentially a 'Saintess for monsters,' a power that accidentally revived Asval. Her mana used to be a constant, painful pressure in her chest, but now, that feeling was gone.
Ren realized that when their blood mixed and he entered that void, he had absorbed a portion of her power into his Magic Sword Summoning.
"I don't think the Cult will come for you as much now," Ren said. "They didn't even know you had this power. And now that the pressure is gone, you might not even have that 'Black Priestess' aura they look for."
In the distance, the roar of engines reached them. Magic ships from the Imperial Capital were approaching.
"Fiona, I have two favors to ask."
"Anything, Lord Ren."
"First, don't tell your father my name yet. Just say a wandering adventurer saved you. I need time to think about everything that happened."
Fiona agreed, though she felt a bit lonely at the thought.
"And second... that title. 'Lord' is a bit much. Just 'Ren' is fine."
"I can't do that to my savior! How about... Ren-kun?"
"That works."
"Then you have to stop calling me 'Lady.' Just Fiona."
"That's... difficult."
"I won't take no for an answer!"
Ren chuckled and pulled a fragment of Star Agate from his pocket.
"A souvenir. So you have at least one beautiful memory of this place."
Fiona took the glowing stone.
"I have more than one beautiful memory," she whispered.
Shouts echoed from the trees. The Clausel knights had found them. Fiona stood on her own, leaning on Ren for support as the magic ships descended through the clouds.
"Ren-kun. Thank you for saving me. Twice."
She gripped the Star Agate fragment.
"Will we meet again?"
"Of course. Your father invited me, after all."
Fiona smiled brightly.
"Then I'll host you! I'll practice my tea every day until then! I promise!"
"I look forward to it. Though your tea was already perfect."
Ren smiled, and Fiona’s heart raced.
"It’s a promise, then."