Soul of Searing Steel

Heaven-shattering thunders overlapped every other sound in the air.

Any spectator would be able to see that a hill to the west of Gray Island of Aida was suddenly crumbling, the mud churning. A dim red-black light was pressing down on the atmosphere while gaining on altitudes while cutting through three huge swarms of dragons.

Where it passed, blood and countless dragon corpses splashed down like raindrops.

There was a localized earthquake at the western temple fortifications. The earth trembled, puppets as well as clergies felt a tremendous force that kept them off-balance.

The physical shockwave that could be seen by the naked eye spread with the red-black aura, while gales class twelve and above cut across the air and blew many flying dragons off-course or into their own kin. Spells and dragon breath were unable to touch the aura as it rampaged ahead.

In that split second.

All sorts of internal alarms rang inside the Supreme-tier Red Dragon Evian. It glanced behind to look where the ruckus was raised, when his vision dimmed.

A greataxe so black it appeared to devour all radiance was rippling through the air with a humming nice and streaking towards Evian's own head!

Not dodging it meant death!

A premonition of death flashed, but Evian ultimately was a Supreme-level giant dragon that has reaction speed augmented by magic. It was faster than your typical calculator—capable of making split-second decisions. Shaking its wings just before he was struck by the axe it quickly retreated behind and dematerialized, and other skills such as Fiery Scales and substitution techniques ready to go.

Meanwhile, pale red dots of light that were as numerous as the stars above spread from its wings, forming a crimson vapor ahead of it. The next moment, the rosy air detonated with the blinding radiance of a newborn star.

Evian quickly dashed away alongside the ensuing shockwave.

Earlier, the Supreme-tier dragons had come up with strategy against Joshua—and the gist of it was not to engage that monster in a melee. They could fire spells at him to guarantee their own safety as long as they keep their distance, but otherwise they would end up diced into several serving portions.

Everything happened within a third of a second. Right now, the red dragon's silhouette was quickly dissipating, the dematerializing spell giving it a form resembling that of an apparition. In front of him, fifty-seven different elemental spells were aimed at the heart of the explosion, plundering atomic energy of the air and charging, awaiting one powerful ejection.

However.

A black radiance flashed through the almost celestial eruption. The Giant Axe that was more than two meters long broke through the smoke, whirling in several folds the speed of sound towards the red dragon. It easily penetrated all sorts of magical shielding over Evian's body, stabbing into its half-physical chest.

"Raaaaawr!!!"

The agony materialized Evian at once. Outraged and prepared to strike back, its chest suddenly burned with another pain as the axe pulled itself off its chest as if guided, returning towards a man's hand who appeared from the center of the explosion.

Joshua glared at the dragon coldly, cruel and chilling killing intent condensing around him, probing for a weakness in the energies and shielding around his opponent's body. He then turned into a flicker again and cut towards Evian at blinding speed.

The warrior's aura was as unusually pure as he was. Apart from his Light of GLory and the capability to plunder the souls of those he defeated, all was left was pure heat and impact force. While it was simple it was not weak—and it was exactly because it was in Joshua's possession that the pure aura made him strong.

The horrific burst from behind the warrior, and he rushed forth at an inconceivable speed of rockets—or a thought—and struck Evian's chest as the dragon lost focus due to the sheer pain.

Evian thought it was like catching a meteorite or a rocket at full-speed, all balance knocked off its body as it fell in an unstoppable trajectory towards the earth. Before it had time to think, its body had already crashed down from the clouds thousands of meters above the ground, disintegrating dragons that happened across its path and slammed down painfully on the firm ground.

As if the lithosphere was shattered while impact force akin to earthquakes followed, forming a circular crater more than ten meters high. Dust and sand were sent flying in the air at the speed of bullets, striking colorful ripples on the barriers of many nearby temples.

Blotches of blood rivers then ejected out of the dragon's rough and sturdy skin, and it wailed in torment.

It all barely took seconds to happen. The other Supreme dragons started to make a dash in their comrade's direction even as the clergies started to cover Joshua. 

"Evian's down!"

"Send backup!" 

Having pinpointed the location through the smoke and dust kicked up by the shockwave, the Supreme-tier dragons did not have to fly in blindly. Instead, the dimensions rippled as more than five Supreme dragons prepared to warp around the crater and neutralize that serious threat known as Joshua.

"Your enemy is me!"

"My name is Keda Site'en—our last fight isn't over!"

"Freeze!" 

Nevertheless, the Church's Supreme champions did not sit idly by. War cries resounded—perhaps to inspire or simply a grand declaration—as holy luminescence extended across the air. Several clergies whose entire bodies were overflowing with indomitable energies also rushed out of the forts to meet the Supreme dragons.

At the vanguard was the silver-haired holy knight Robzek. As the commander of the Cross-hammer Knights, he had been ordered keep watch over the northwest region. However, he was already prepared the moment he saw what transpired at the skies above, knowing for certain that it was Joshua up there, fighting. 

Now, his target was a bizarre black dragon prowling nearby that possessed three eyes. Seven hundred and twenty pillars of Sacred Radiance were lit around him at his energy joints, and volcanic lifeforce mixed with the power of the divine formed the silhouette of a knight more than ten meters tall. Holding a giant hammer constructed of sacred light, its eyes burned with platinum light energy.

The proxy knight surged in pure brilliance, covering every clergy in the northwest zone with a layer of silver luminosity that greatly boosted their power and recovery. And though the knight appeared huge its was agile and quick. With a wave of its hammer, a strike of holy light blasted towards the three-eyed black dragon, raising an angry air current that whistled behind it.

That being said, it was Robzek himself venting his frustration after being knocked out in the battle against Mandagar.

As more than ten Supreme-tier champions traded blows, the resulting quiver swept away every obstacle as the waves of energies and forces collided in unimaginable mayhem. Even Legendary champions would not be able to tell what was happening at once.

But while the battle rages on, Evian was morbidly aware that it was facing death.

Up against a greatsword that desires to split its chest open, the dragon unleashed an infernal aura from its body to quickly eject that malevolent silhouette and slam it on the surrounding wall of rocks, allowing a brief moment to catch its breath.

How could the dragon even begin to imagine that itself who had been concealed deep within the horde and not even let its scent escape would be chased by that lunatic dragon slayer with such purpose? Compared to its cousins that had been rampaging arrogantly Evian did not even show a hint of enmity. What was worse, it had simply been wandering around, looking for suitable points to complete its 'mission'! 

Now was not the time for this, however. It had been thrown to the dirt and as such lost aerial superiority. The red dragon's colossal body was forced into a disadvantageous melee against Joshua. It had been torn up like Suralno in several breaths, with a gaping wound on its chest that poured blood like a fountain and baring the internal organs for all to see.

Evian certainly knew that its physicality had suffered heavy damage—the crash alone had injured its backbone. Its reflexes were slowed as the wide gash just outside its heart tugged at its nervous system from time to time. Although it could continue fighting through sheer will without losing that much combat ability, the incredible enemy he faced meant that a little weakness would quickly prove decisive!

In that second, around that circular crater, Joshua launched a second attack despite being launched into the wall just a moment ago.

Boom!

Crashing through and bursting away out of the stones, his footsteps thundered over the ground as the airflow around him tore through vacuum and unleashed an intense boom. The ear-shattering soundwaves even moved the crater that surrounded them, swaying it.

As the surface of the floor sunk beneath him, the warrior suddenly paused. His huge target had promptly vanished. Feeling the dimensions around him, he noticed that his opponent did not actually warp aware.

"Human transfiguration!" 

The warrior quickly realized in fractions of a second.

Before this, Black and Ying had evaded the brainworm's corruption by shifting their bodies and gain perfect mobility temporarily in return. That was why the red dragon thought of this—ultimately, its spellcasting prowess would not be weakened but its body as big as a dartboard would completely vanish. A smart move. 

Evian might have also used some dematerializing or concealment enchantment. Since human spells take no time at all, Joshua could not sniff him out. Additionally, he would need several seconds to concentrate and identify the scents—a luxury it did not have. Thus, being decisive, he inhaled deeply and bellowed.

The soundwave imbued with aura swept away the soot both had kicked up over the battle. Rolling currents shattered ground and flattened earth, and with the flow of aura Joshua quickly found an opaque outline of in a human. Kicking up a burst of power beneath his ankles decisively, he punched through the roaring winds and arrived in front of his opponent!

The body of Supreme warriors had virtually fused with their lifeforce. Their incredible aura would be making alterations to their flesh every moment, and if the users are willing they could rely on a gush of their lifeforce to attain strength, dynamism, speed and muscle sturdiness several times above their usual grade.

If it were an ordinary Supreme-tier individual, they would probably tread carefully around using such burst of strength in fear that their lifeforce was insufficient and treat it as last resort.

Still, Joshua was different. With the Azurite in him he tend to be trigger-happy when it came to using his abilities. Like a permanently operating machine, he always kept himself in such a status!

His red gaze turned into a straight line of crimson. As Joshua moved the earth caved deeply like water beneath his feet, and swung the sword at the red dragon, slashing the air with a sharp ring.

Quietly, the warrior mustered his full power and with his almost tidal aura pressure, the dimension around was locked and warp spells were disabled. Any other spell too could never match his sheer might, which in turn would dwindle its effect. 

However, Evian, who had gotten a brief moment of respite from the warrior's ambush, took out a red crystal that was churning with overflowing positive energy as if it was a shard from the Sun.

A small piece of Nuclear Star! 

The red dragon's human form was an ancient-white haired man. His eyes coolly stared at Joshua, pangs of pain of the flesh clearly whelming underneath.

All his hatred then condensed into a single word.

"Die!"

Blazing fiery light flashed. The little crater suddenly erupted as if it were a real volcano, ejecting the horrific radiance before shattering utterly from quick spreading cracks of red-gold.

Then, a fiery element dome appeared. A hundred fifty meters in diameter, every single flying dragon that had been caught within were turned into ash! 

BOOOOOM!!

The earth trembled, the mountains swayed!

A swift and urgent breeze quickly scorched the frigid Gray Island into a normal summer day. The heart of the explosion burned with dry heat over thousands of degrees Celsius, while the temple fortifications that were at least a few kilometers away were raised to sixty. 

"What happened?!"

"This destructive force is equal to a Supreme-tier Archdaemon initiating self-destruct!"

"Did Evian denotate an energy core to take that monster along with him?!"

Even as the Supreme-tier dragons became uncertain, the clergies of the Sacred Mountain too took a blow to their morale.

From Joshua's recent behavior alone most came to understand that the rumors about him were false. He may appear scary, but he was undoubtedly a champion of Order and a Legendary hopeful. If he died now, they probably would not be able to provide a sufficient explanation to the Empire, while dealing a huge loss too all mankind!

Robzek also quickly realized that the explosion had been exactly the same when he saw Joshua triggered the Nuclear Star to destroy the Bloodmoon Abyss that the demon-blooded dragons used as a warp portal. He almost believed for a second that Joshua may have retrieved a fragment and used it once more here, before reflecting that there was no need!

With his weapons and power, the warrior would never use such a terrible method against the likes of a Supreme dragon. He would win even if he fought cagily and simultaneously ensuring that no harm came to him.

On the other hand, it was the red dragons that loved to collect all sorts of treasures related to fire. With that line of thought, it was not all that unusual for a Supreme specimen managed to pick up nuclear star!

He sorely wanted to head for the crater and check out what happened—the three-eyed black dragon, however, was disinclined to let him go.

As flashing pillars carrying negative energy were leveled on him, Robzek was forced to return to his skirmish against his own opponent.

Above the crater now turned into a hole filled with lava, Evian was palpitating. The dragon in human form was virtually incinerated and its left arm severed in its entirety. Blood poured out from his missing joint without a hint of stopping, but he kept his hateful yet fearful gaze at the golden molten rocks beneath it.

By blowing up the nuclear star he had taken great lengths to find, Evian managed to free itself from the warrior's aural lock. He then slipped a binding spell on the warrior—by paying the price that was his left arm—and kept him fixed to the ground while he teleported with a spell prepared all along and away from the center of the explosion. 

Even so, despite the innate resistance red dragons possessed against fire, Evian suffered severe burns.

Nonetheless, he was thrilled. If he was that haggard, that terrifying warrior must be dead for sure?

All the same, bubbles started to surface on the lava and aura the color of blood broke through the boiling liquid.

The warrior, almost completely scorched, still clenched upon his weapons as he body emitted a burning Combat Aura shield and walked on the earth.

Blunt force trauma and high temperatures.

Such pure power, and yet the warrior survived.

He was almost a mirror of the red dragon with most of his skin turned to ash by the extreme temperatures. There was no sense of pain from this incredible torment because all his nerves were fried. It was thanks to the warrior controlling his body with his Combat Aura that he did not simply fall back into the lava.

Be that as it may, Evian's quick decision to blow himself up should be counted as having a good effect on a target. There would be nothing left if it were any other human—even for Robzek, it meant certain death.

However, the warrior's burnt windpipe seemed to be ringing in mocking laughter. Initially, it was a hazy murmur, but it eventually recovered into the warrior's usual cold tone. 

"Such determination. Have to admit, you are strong."

The Azurite on his chest now glinted in a warm glow, while the warrior's divine skeleton structure streamed with curious runic light.

With accelerated metabolism, new skin and flesh were quickly regrown within breaths. Most of his ashen skin peeled off and soon revealed the new skin beneath.

In truth, Joshua did not fail to dodge Evian's attack. He merely had a forethought to experience the destructive power of the Nuclear Star.

Knowing that his own defense and regenerative powers were able to take that attack head-on, the warrior's inhuman resolve made him stay put and touch the detonation of the Nuclear Star.

That sensation was starkly different from the explosion he triggered. Between the agony and the extreme heat, Joshua seemed to understand something from the incredible burst of positive energy.

"So that's how it operates before it blows up." The warrior muttered as shreds of fiery light appeared before his chest.

Red combat aura then condensed into a replica of a 'little sun' the size of a basketball. Joshua suddenly had a moment of inspiration that he just might be able to completely recreate that 'Scorching Sun Flash' attack.

At the same time, he confirmed that the Nuclear Star was not the trump card the opponent had used to blow up the entire temple fortification line. The destructiveness was simply lacking too much, it should be as big as the one he himself had once used.

Above him, the maimed red dragon gaped at the human standing on top of lava.

–What the hell was that?!

–Taking the full brunt of a Nuclear Star implosion?!

–What is this human… No, what is this monster?!

Shapeless fear began to rise one after in the red dragon as Evian felt a cold crushing force in his spine and spirit he never felt for a long time. He watched as Joshua's body revitalized, before conjuring a petrifying fireball that seemed to have the same charge as the Nuclear Star.

He had accounted for everything but accomplished nothing. An unfamiliar emotion seems to stuff the Red Dragon's throat, stopping it from saying a thing. There was now no telling if the intense emotion was of fear or heat, jealousy or shock. All he did was stare blankly, before an epiphany came.

–It is time to use that thing.

That was a potent tool that could only be used by the red dragons thanks to their bloodline that resonated with the inexhaustible element of fire. Obtained from the mysterious organization the Pentashade race collaborated with and handed to him collectively by the Elders as well as the Legendary plenipotentiary trio, it scared him to carry it around.

Evian's original plan had been to find an opening to use this tool for decisive victory so that he could clear a passage into the Sacred Mountain.

But now, he had no doubts that all would end here if he did not kill the warrior before him.

On the ground, Joshua's nervous system had completely regrown. As if he was a newborn now, he jerked his head to look upwards.

In the air, the red dragon in human form pulled out an extraordinary longsword from his dimensional storage space.

The weapon looked ancient yet majestic just like one of the ceremonial swords used inside temples. Its entire length was painted black, although its edge was disseminating a dim blaze that resembled earth's core. Unique patterns stretched along the flat of the sword, forming beautiful runes that would leave anyone awestruck.

At the sight of those runes, meanings such as 'Land', 'Lava' and 'Creation' would surface in the mind. It was like the sword was an incarnation of the Earth's Core, the heart of Mother Earth.

Legend says that after the flames of Creation had incinerated the void, the remaining ash coagulated into steel and thus gave birth to all life. The land was the rust of the steel, and beneath the land was the residual heat of the Fires.

The Initial Flame created all worlds, the Steel created all life. Upon the ash, Life multiplies.

[The Flame of Genesis—Longsword of the Ashlands]

Although it was a replica of the real divine artifact, the Longsword of the Ashlands still possessed infinite power.

Hovering and whirling in front of the heavily injured red dragon, the black longsword almost appeared to be crack directed deep beneath the heart of the earth. Under Evian's full-power, the patterns on the sword began unleashing rays of energy like the corona of the sun.

In an instant, the tip of the sword was directed to where Joshua was.

Impending death.

It was the first time, but the sensation of impending was genuine.

That was the only thought the warrior had when he saw that familiar sacred artifact.