Chapter 218: Black Horn

In the eerie valley, the fierce battle raged on—but the fight belonging to Nebular was nearly over.

“You will all be judged by the Master!”

Nebular leaned on his longsword like a cane, barely standing, yet his voice spewed words that made no sense.

Ronin carefully observed the severed leg—the wound did not bleed; apart from impairing movement, it seemed to have no other effect.

“Who is your Master, Elliot?”

The Flaming Blade crackled with fire as Ronin advanced step by step. “Why have I never heard that name before?”

“Hahahaha! Ignorant human—how dare you not know the name of Lord Elliot!”

Nebular’s expression twisted into madness, as if a fanatic gazing upon his divine deity.

“She is the Great Divine Messenger, the Sacred Incarnation, the Perfect Queen!”

He glared at Ronin with wild, unblinking eyes: “Watch now—even if I die today, none of you shall escape the Master’s judgment!”

Ronin frowned at the sight.

Such fanaticism—could only be bred by some cult from the pages of a novel?

Yet, as far as Ronin knew, this world was ruled by petty and great lords alike—there were no powerful churches to speak of.

Who, then, was this Elliot, to forge such fanatical followers?

But regardless of who Elliot was, creatures that fed upon humans were abominations—and every last one of them in this cave must die.

“Before your Master judges me, accept my judgment, Nebular!”

Ronin lunged forward, delivering a brutal slash.

Nebular raised his blade to block—but the force shattered his balance, sending him stumbling backward.

“It’s over!”

Ronin closed the distance in a sprint, positioning himself behind Nebular, and drove his sword straight through the knight’s heart.

As his aura surged into the wound, the Silver Knight let out a agonized scream—then, like the Bronze Knight before him, exploded into dust.

【“King of Slaughter” achievement unlocked. Attribute points +300. Energy Essence +600】

This was the reward for slaying a Level Five transcendent unit—granting Ronin a substantial boost in both attributes and essence.

He turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

Macken had already slain the high-ranking knight, freeing Clami and Babulin, who immediately joined Horn, Jenny, and the others in surrounding and annihilating the patrol squad—clearance was imminent.

Meanwhile, the white-haired knight Natalia faced the combined assault of Riedal, Elron, and Macken.

Elron seized every opening to cast Light Bind, restricting her movement—even a second’s hesitation was enough for Riedal and Macken to strike.

Gold-ranked was one tier above Silver—but that did not mean Gold Knights could not be slain by Silver ones.

Setting aside prodigies who could defy levels, even under equal skill and experience, a Gold Knight could barely hold off three or five Silver Knights—more than that, and they risked being overwhelmed.

Now, Riedal and Macken’s combat experience surpassed hers, and with the relentless Light Mage added to the fray, Natalia was already stretched thin.

And with Uthan and Nebular dead—one after the other—her composure shattered.

“Shhh!”

Riedal’s blade grazed her wrist, slicing through delicate flesh. No blood spilled—but where the aura cut, her skin burned as if seared by flame.

Natalia screamed wildly, her disheveled hair whipping like a madwoman’s, desperate to break free—but Macken blocked her retreat.

“Damn you!”

“You all deserve to die!”

Her swordwork grew frenzied, faster—but her footwork became erratic, chaotic.

Plop!

Shhh!

Sssss—

Her body was pierced repeatedly by blades, the burn marks multiplying across her skin. Had her wounds bled, she would have been drenched crimson.

“She’s going to fall.”

Ronin approached slowly, sword in hand. Had Riedal and Macken not held back, one of them would have already pierced her through.

They fought this way only to reserve the final blow—for Ronin.

Somewhere along the line, Ronin had developed a habit: he always wanted the kill.

Natalia’s senses were sharp. Though engulfed in chaos, she sensed Ronin drawing near.

Combined with his earlier slayings of Uthan and Nebular, she realized—this Ronin was also Silver-ranked.

If she was surrounded by these three, plus the mages outside—she would have no escape.

“Master… this is the hour of despair!”

Natalia erupted with dense energy, using the force of her clash with Riedal to thrust herself backward.

Even as Macken charged from behind, she ignored him—grabbed his sword with her bare hand.

Squelch.

The blade tore through her palm—but she did not pause. With a leap, she surged up the slope.

“You forced me to this!”

She discarded her sword, yanking a black horn from her belt—and blew it with all her might.

Ooooh—

A low, haunting note echoed across the battlefield, thickening the air with dread.

Ooooh—

From within the cave, the same deep roar answered, and the earth trembled beneath them.

Natalia blew the horn again—faster, louder, more desperate.

“Stop her!”

Riedal and Macken sensed danger—rushing forward to seize the horn—but a tidal wave of flame erupted from the cave, severing them from her completely.

Ronin focused his mind, peering through the inferno ahead—he knew: the creature from the cave had emerged.

Though the flames warped vision, reigniting frozen logs and thickening the smoke into choking blackness—

Ronin could still make out, behind the fire and smoke, a colossal figure smashing through the cave mouth, stepping slowly into the light.

Ooooh—

The low, guttural roar sent chills down every spine, as if it pressed upon the very blood.

All combatants turned toward the cave entrance—and their scalps prickled.

“By the Seven Gods—what is that?!”

The youngest, Grado, staggered backward and collapsed onto his rear.

Clami, Jenny, and the others trembled uncontrollably.

Their psychological resilience was actually quite good, evident from the battle they had just endured.

But that did not mean they were immune to fear.

The scene before them was enough to strike terror into their hearts.

Luoning had shifted position, his view no longer blocked by the sea of flames—he finally saw what had emerged from the cave.

“This is...”

Standing at the cave’s mouth was a colossal creature, nearly nine meters in length, its massive body sheathed in hard, ice-blue scales that glinted with the sheen of steel;

its wings, even when folded, remained enormous—no one could guess the span they might achieve when fully extended;

but most chilling of all were its eyes—large as bronze bells, icy blue, devoid of any emotion, and meeting their gaze filled one with unease and dread!

Luoning’s heart skipped half a beat.

“This is... a dragon?” (End of chapter)