Two Hearts (1)

Two of the five generals responsible for maintaining the continent's balance arrived at the Legion execution ground.

A man wearing a gorilla mask, clad in steel armor from head to toe, and a girl with a fox mask, covered entirely in fox fur.

They watched the vast battle unfolding before them, swallowing hard.

'Can this really be called a human battle?'

Valentine, slicing through the air with her angelic wings as if she were an angel herself.

And the black dragon she was facing.

"That, that's a dragon, right Wendy?"

The muscular man called 'Clark' asked the girl.

"…Probably."

Wendy, as she was called, couldn't give a proper answer.

The dragons she knew were legendary monsters, beings beyond human control.

And one of these creatures had suddenly appeared above Legion? And right when they were visiting.

'Moreover.'

The one fighting this dragon was one of the top ten strongest on the continent.

Valentine de Strange, the adjudicator of the most powerful swordsmanship family, strong enough to change the balance of the continent.

Clark and Wendy could only watch the battle, hesitant to intervene recklessly.

But they could immediately tell who their enemy was.

"The dragon."

"The dragon."

Clark and Wendy said simultaneously.

They exchanged quick glances, nodding slightly to signal each other.

No words were exchanged. Clark leapt towards the dragon, and Wendy, wrapped in her fur, bounced like a ball towards Valentine.

Thump, thump, thump!

"Valentine!"

Valentine, who was facing the dragon, turned her gaze.

"…Wendy?"

"We're here to help!"

Valentine didn't question why one of the five generals was here.

She was just relieved that their chances of winning this fight had slightly increased.

"The enemy is strong."

"That's why we're here."

"We?"

"Yes, the gorilla over there is one of the five generals. He's Clark, known as the Pirate King of the West."

Valentine raised an eyebrow, recognizing the name.

It made sense; Clark, the Pirate King, was known for storming Glazier Castle alone and killing two 7th circle mages.

Though his fame and achievements couldn't compare to Valentine's, he was still a recognized powerhouse on the continent.

Clark, armored in steel, beat his abdomen with his fists like a drum.

Thump, thump, thump!

His fists grew as large as cannonballs, emitting a powerful aura.

Pa!

"You damned lizard, how dare you turn the sacred land of Legion into this!"

Clark leapt high.

He soared towards the dragon and struck its head with his massive fists.

Boom!

The black dragon's head jerked back from the impact. But that was all. It didn't seem to suffer any critical damage, only nodding its head as if greeting them before grabbing Clark's body with its massive hand.

Crack.

Clark froze as he met the dragon's black eyes, devoid of whites.

Unable to withstand the chilling terror, he averted his gaze.

Grrr-

Black flames leaked from the dragon's mouth.

The intense heat ready to erupt began to surround them.

Valentine, noticing this, quickly flew in.

"Cross Slash."

She unleashed a cross-shaped sword strike.

Slash!

It didn't pierce the skin.

But it was strong enough to make the dragon release its grip on Clark.

Thud!

Clark landed on the ground and shouted loudly.

"Thank you!"

Valentine, keeping her eyes on the dragon, replied.

"Its weak point is its belly."

"The belly?"

"Yes."

There was no time to question.

They had to quickly understand the situation and prepare for the enemy.

The black dragon resumed its attack, seemingly unfazed by the previous strikes.

This time, Wendy, with her nine-tailed fox spirit, took the lead in blocking the dragon.

"Nine Thorn Technique."

The nine tails separated from her body, forming spikes, and spun rapidly towards the dragon.

Whoosh-

Thud, thud, thud!

All nine tails struck the dragon's abdomen.

It was a perfect hit on the weak point.

'However.'

-Grrr!

The dragon wavered only momentarily before regaining its balance and flying swiftly through the air.

"V-Valentine."

"Your attack was perfect. The dragon is just strong enough to withstand it."

"Then what do we do if our attacks don't work…?"

Valentine didn't have an answer.

She had only read about dragons in books, never having faced one in battle.

In this era, dragons were legendary monsters, with no beings comparable to them.

All she remembered were ancient texts stating, 'Dragons cannot be defeated by human power.'

"I'll handle this. You two evacuate the citizens of Legion."

Wendy and Clark asked simultaneously.

"Are you sure?"

"Can you handle this alone?"

Valentine responded with an icy cold expression.

"Don't ask twice. We don't have time, hurry."

With this, Valentine and the black dragon resumed their battle.

Before long, an overwhelming aura was felt above Legion.

People who saw the sky above Legion from afar that day reportedly said,

'Two suns rose in the sky.'

Whoosh-

A massive fireball, the size of a fortress, spun with intense heat.

The black dragon searched for its target from within.

'Valentine.'

No matter what, it would kill this woman.

Not just that, but every living being bearing the name of Strange must be killed.

This is my destiny, reborn as an Apostle.

"Disappear, Strange."

The enormous fireball, swirling furiously in the sky, began to descend towards Legion.

Rumble.

Valentine tried to block the dragon's flames, but even getting close was impossible due to the intense heat that melted her armor and wings.

'This is bad.'

If this continues, the sanctuary of Legion will be destroyed.

This is a crisis that could plunge the entire continent into darkness.

In this moment when no one knew how to respond, a blond boy with a red cloak fluttering leapt high into the air.

"Burn."

Swoosh, Boom!

* * *

'Where did that dragon come from?'

Yuda, who accompanied me in this battle, answered this question.

"To witness the birth of a new Apostle firsthand, what a sight."

He clapped his hands in delight.

'A new Apostle?'

So that dragon was once a human?

This question was answered even before I asked it.

'Monestier.'

It's definitely him.

I could faintly feel his murderous intent from the dragon's aura.

"Yes, a new Apostle. I don't know who he is, but he's here to carry out the will of the gods!"

"So, attacking Legion is the will of the gods?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know. That's the Apostle's wish."

The will of the gods is the Apostle's wish.

I could find the answer in the 'fragments of memory' of the Apostles I saw in the tower.

The reason Monestier, who turned into a dragon, was attacking Legion was likely a vow to carry out his unfulfilled wishes and his anger at not achieving them.

'…Strange.'

But why did he become an Apostle now?

No, was Monestier an Apostle in his previous life? I couldn't know. I hadn't reached the top of the tower, and asking Brunhilde or Siegfried wouldn't help since their climb was a thing of the past.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

The biggest problem now isn't why Monestier became an Apostle.

It's why he appeared here and now.

"Damn it."

'A dragon is a being that humans cannot deal with.'

This is a statement left by a legendary knight who came to Legion before the tower was built in the continent's center.

In my past life, I admired his story and wondered deeply, 'If he couldn't defeat a dragon with his power, how can anyone?'

'He was strong.'

His aura was so great that the barrier he placed around Legion during the Anti-Magic War still remains.

If even he couldn't win, can I claim victory against a dragon?

This question was answered when I became an adult.

By the man above me now, casually picking his nose.

The legend of my family, Siegfried de Strange.

"Hmm? You want to know how to slay a dragon?"

"Yes, hurry up. There's no time!"

"Are you yelling at your master?"

"No, I'm not yelling."

"How dare you to your master!"

Ha-.

'This damned old man.'

I pointed to the raging fireball above Legion.

"If you don't want to see your disciple die, tell me how to slay a dragon."

"That's not a dragon, so why do you need to know how to slay a dragon?"

"Not a dragon?"

"Yeah, can't you tell?"

It's clearly a dragon.

I know because I've faced one in my past life.

A powerful black dragon that can devastate the area with its flames.

Even just looking at those abyss-like eyes without whites, I can tell its identity.

'What nonsense is this old man spouting?'

He's not one to joke in such a dire situation.

"It's a hatchling."

"A hatchling?"

"Yes, it can't be called a dragon yet."

A hatchling means a baby dragon, right?

I looked at the black dragon again. Its size was similar to the red dragon I faced in the past.

Then what made Siegfried judge it as a hatchling?

'No way.'

Upon closer inspection, I noticed one difference from before.

Two protruding horns on its head.

Their length was significantly shorter than those of the red dragon I fought in my previous life.

"I understand, Master."

"Now, what you need isn't to learn how to slay a dragon. It's how to use your abilities."

He said the same thing in my past life.

Back then, I thought he was crazy and got angry, but now I understand what he means.

Seeing Brunhilde quietly observing indicates he's not wrong.

"Do you think I can defeat that hatchling?"

"Absolutely."

"Absolutely?"

"Yes, remember the Aura Blade technique I taught you?"

"Yes."

"That's one of the key techniques to slaying a 'dragon.' And you use it better than I do, so you can win."

Siegfried confidently assured my victory.

'The Aura Blade is the key to slaying a dragon.'

If what he says is true, I can face the hatchling that even my powerful sister Valentine couldn't defeat.

'I'll trust the old man.'

I gripped my sword tightly, focusing aura in my right hand and mana in my left, then leaped.

'Today, I will slay you.'

"Burn."

Swoosh—

'And become the strongest swordsman of this era.'

"Burning Blade."

Boom.

And become the continent's only dragon slayer.

"Monestier de Strange."

Crash!