Catching his returning greataxe, Garde charged like a true crocodile tearing into its prey, rolling through the water. He launched a deathly assault against dozens of Nightzmora Knights.
The blazing giant's sword had carved a path forward, opening up the way for Garde as well.
The mechanical Nightzmoras weren't foolish enough to confront Surtr's flames head-on—flames that could melt steel itself. But as they scattered to avoid the inferno, Garde slammed into one of them.
Screech—
The sharp edge of his axe cleaved through the Nightzmora's weapon upon impact, and the high-speed collision sent the mechanical Nightzmora's body flying high into the air.
One inch! Two inches!
As the surrounding knights landed and charged at Garde, he had already pierced the chest of the mechanical Nightzmora before him, exposing the Nightzmora Bone within its torso.
At that moment, nineteen self-aware Nightzmora Knights launched an assault to drag Garde into a dreamscape.
No matter how strong someone was, once they fell into slumber, they became a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
But not even for an instant.
Garde never stopped.
"This is impossible!"
One Nightzmora Knight shouted in disbelief. Unless someone was devoid of self-awareness entirely, they could not resist the pull of their dreamscapes. Even if the resistance lasted only a moment, there should have been hesitation.
But Garde's actions showed that he was completely unaffected by their dreams.
"Kill him!"
If they couldn't subdue him in the dream, they would take him down in reality.
One Nightzmora Knight couldn't defeat Garde? Then two would. Or three.
For the mechanized Nightzmora Knights, death wasn't something to be feared—it was a form of liberation.
Not far away, the fiery giant raised its massive flaming sword again, ready to strike.
This time, the black dragon didn't just watch.
Its enormous body landed on a distant street. Though Garde could still charge in that short distance, the dragon casually tore an entire building from the ground with its claws.
Boom!
The entire structure was hurled toward the fiery giant.
Surtr was forced to turn her sword to block the incoming building.
Both Surtr and Garde were now held in place.
The ancient civilization's shelter, shaped like a massive coffin, was within reach, yet neither Surtr nor Garde could advance even a single step further.
"Roaaar—!"
A low, guttural growl rumbled from Garde's throat as a crimson glow erupted from his body. The same blood-red aura that once repelled Ascalon reappeared on his greataxe.
But the Nightzmoras surrounding Garde weren't like Ascalon—they had no intention of retreating.
Boom!
Several Nightzmoras were sent flying by Garde's strike, but they were quickly replaced by more Nightzmora Knights.
Not enough!
Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!
His rage wasn't burning hot enough. His strength hadn't fully erupted yet.
A Nightzmora plunged its weapon into Garde's body, the tough scales that once shielded him having melted during his battle with the black dragon's flames.
Agonizing pain coursed through his nerves, teetering Garde on the edge—either pulling him out of his wrathful state or driving him deeper into the crocodile man frenzy.
The black dragon, which had been watching Garde intently, finally showed a flicker of doubt in its eyes.
"This Adakrys… could it be that he can no longer unleash the same power as before?"
It made sense; in fact, it was only logical.
A seemingly ordinary Adakrys—without a resilient soul, without the backing of beings equal to the dragon's stature, and wielding a weapon that appeared unremarkable. On top of that, he was so young—barely reaching adulthood by Adakrys standards.
"He's just bluffing!"
The black dragon realized the truth. If Garde still had the strength to defeat it, why hadn't he unleashed it from the start?
If Garde had truly been capable of wielding such overwhelming power, the Nightzmora Knights blocking his path to the sanctuary would have been no match. He wouldn't now be pierced and pinned by their mechanical weapons.
Realizing this, the black dragon's rage boiled over.
It had been overly cautious, losing face before the terminal of a mere sanctuary. And the one it feared turned out to be a hollow threat—a silver spear with no edge.
With no further hesitation, the black dragon dismissed the flaming giant. Without Garde to balance the scales, the flame-wielding titan—capable only of absorbing fire—was nothing more than an obstacle easily crushed.
"I will tear you all apart!"
The black dragon's massive frame surged forward, accelerating explosively.
Initially separated by nearly a kilometer, it closed the distance in the blink of an eye. The dragon appeared before the flaming giant and lunged, its jaws snapping at Surtr perched on the giant's shoulder.
The dragon's incredible speed left the flaming giant with no time to counterattack. All it could do was raise an arm in defense.
Bang!
The flaming giant's arm disintegrated into countless fragments under the dragon's bite.
To protect its bearer, the giant prepared to use the last of its strength to hurl Surtr away.
But the black dragon, anticipating this, snorted disdainfully.
With a single swipe of its claw, it sent the flame-cloaked Surtr flying. She crashed into the distance, unconscious.
"Scout!"
With flames of rage and clarity battling in his eyes, Scout rushed toward the fallen Surtr.
At this critical moment, he was the only one free to act.
Meanwhile, Kal'tsit and the others, with Misery's help, had neared the sanctuary.
But standing in their way were over a dozen Nightzmora Knights, fully armed and prepared.
Misery spread his hands helplessly. Even he couldn't slip Kal'tsit and the others into the sanctuary under the watchful eyes of so many Nightzmora Knights.
Behind Garde, the black dragon charged forward in fury.
"Adakrys, how dare you deceive me!"
Garde turned, his cold gaze locking onto the dragon.
This time, the dragon didn't stop beating its wings.
"You can't scare me!"
How could a mere Adakrys defeat a being like it?
In this final moment, the red glow in Garde's eyes faded entirely, replaced by golden light.
But the golden brilliance disappeared in less than a second.
"You're right—I was bluffing!"
Garde poured every ounce of his remaining strength into his greataxe.
The dragon's claw smashed Garde into the ground.
For anyone else—even a Nightzmora Knight with a fully mechanical body—this strike would have turned them into scrap.
But Garde didn't die.
His axe severed one of the dragon's claws, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
"See? You're bleeding now."
Blood poured from the dragon's severed claw. Despite his situation being a hundred, a thousand times worse than the dragon's, Garde's face twisted into a grin.
A single point of golden light encased the dragon's blood, shooting off into the distance like an arrow.
Saria, this is my last act of reason.
Garde thought, grabbing hold of the dragon's claw.
An ominous premonition gripped the black dragon.
"Now—"
The crocodile man's rationality drained from his eyes, replaced by an intensifying crimson glow. His body began to swell, growing larger and more monstrous, until even the dragon's claw could no longer contain him.
"—It's my turn!"
<+>
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