The black breath covered the sky. It was Arkbahar's ultimate technique, the 'Black Flame of Annihilation,' which had incinerated Cael and all his comrades in his previous life.
"Everyone, behind me!" Cael shouted, raising Dragonbane to the sky. But the breath was too vast. Absorption alone wouldn't be enough to protect all his comrades.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Memories of his past life flashed before his eyes. It was at this very moment that Leon had shielded him and died. Aria had fallen, never letting go of her sword until the end. Garon had burned to death trying to protect everyone with his shield.
'No. This time has to be different!'
Something exploded within Cael. The twenty years of suppressed rage, despair, and affection for his comrades merged into one.
[Urgent Situation Detected][Hidden Ability Awakening Condition Met][???]
Suddenly, question marks appeared in the system window. This was a phenomenon he had never seen, even in his previous life.
[True Power of the Dragon Heart Unleashed][Dragon Slayer's Awakening: Activated]
Dragonbane began to glow intensely. The light enveloped Cael's body, and a colossal barrier soon surrounded his comrades.
"This is..." Leon stared at Cael in surprise. A blue light flowed from Cael's eyes, and his hair fluttered in the wind, exuding a mystical aura.
ROOOOAR!
Arkbahar's Black Flame of Annihilation struck the barrier. But this time, it was completely absorbed.
"What?! Impossible!" Arkbahar was engulfed in shock.
[Black Flame of Annihilation Fully Absorbed!][Mana +200][Temporary All Stats Doubled!][Dragon Slayer's Fury: Activated!]
Cael slowly raised his head. Now, his eyes held an absolute certainty, different from his previous life.
"Arkbahar. Everything you stole... I'm taking it back now."
"That can't be... You're just a human!"
Arkbahar roared in fury and slammed a claw down. But Cael blocked the attack with a single hand.
Boom!
A shockwave spread in all directions, but Cael remained unfazed.
"Human?" Cael gave a cold smile. "Wrong. I am a Dragon Slayer."
In an instant, Cael grabbed Arkbahar's claw and hurled the dragon away. The colossal dragon flew through the air, crashing into a distant tower.
Crumble!
"GAAHHH!" Arkbahar let out a scream of agony. The situation had completely reversed.
Meanwhile, Victor seized the opportunity and lunged at Leon.
"Don't let your guard down!"
But Aria swiftly intervened. "Don't you dare touch Leon!"
Clang! Clang!
Aria's and Victor's swords clashed. But Victor, empowered by demonic might, slowly gained the upper hand.
"A little knight dares to face me?" Victor sneered, imbuing his demonic sword with dark energy. Aria was in a dangerous situation.
At that moment, Garon intervened with his massive shield.
"I'll protect Aria!"
Boom!
Garon's shield blocked Victor's demonic sword. In that opening, Leon aimed for Victor's flank.
"Now!"
The three-person coordinated attack began to press Victor. But Victor was not to be underestimated.
"Annoying pests!" Victor unleashed his demonic power, spreading dark waves in all directions. All three knights were pushed back.
Just then, Cael's voice was heard.
"Victor." Cael, even while fighting Arkbahar, turned his gaze towards Victor. "Your opponent is me."
Dragon Slash!
Cael unleashed a sword aura from afar. The blue sword aura, empowered by 5x its usual strength, flew towards Victor.
"No!" Victor barely dodged, but black blood flowed from his shoulder where the sword aura grazed him.
"How... from that distance..."
"Surprised? The real fight starts now." Cael continued to block Arkbahar's attacks with one hand while continuously unleashing sword auras with the other.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Victor desperately tried to evade, but Cael's attacks became increasingly precise.
Thud!
Finally, one sword aura pierced Victor's chest.
"GAAHHH!" Victor fell to his knees, spitting blood. His demonic shield had completely collapsed.
"This... this can't be..."
"It's over, Victor." Cael pressed Dragonbane against Victor's neck. "For all the people who died because of you in my previous life... vanish."
Thud!
Dragonbane pierced Victor's heart. Due to the Magic Nullification ability, Victor's last resistance was futile.
"Cael... Drake... What... what are you...?" Victor's last words were uttered as the kingdom's greatest traitor vanished from history.
[Victor Ashford Defeated!][Level Up! ][Current Level: 8][Revenge Quest Stage 1 Complete!]
But it wasn't over yet. Arkbahar let out a roar of pure rage.
"Victor! You'll regret killing him!"
Now, the true final confrontation was about to begin. The one-on-one battle between Cael, the awakened Dragon Slayer, and the enraged black dragon.
"Very well, Arkbahar. It's just you and me now." Cael smiled, pointing Dragonbane directly at the dragon. "What you did to me twenty years ago... I'm giving it back to you now."