Chapter 3: The Battle of Fate

  Meanwhile, in the sky above.

  The once-fierce red dragon was now covered in wounds, moaning softly, her body scarred deeply, with a golden radiance seeping into her injuries, stantly corroding them.

  Her wing membranes were tattered like torn cloth, each fp making a whistling sound through the gaps, adding to the desote sight.

  Yet she only sidered this opporoublesome, not believing that they could pletely defeat her. After all, she was a red dragon, wielding Tiamat’s power, possessing scorg fmes, and having various mea unused.

  "Boom!"

  The red dragon struggled to nd on the mountain, causing the rocks to rumble and loose stoo fall.

  For the first time, hesitatio into her voice: "Half-elf, you are strong."

  "Uhose mortals, your power far surpasses theirs, so you are worthy of a rue dragon’s attention."

  "Bey vassal, and together we rule the Aa Wilderness!"

  But the half-elf padin did not respond, only slowly raising her silver sword, her gaze resolute. Her slightly charred silver armor still faintly glowed.

  "To pursue sworn foes or banish lesser evils, I vow to challenge greater wiess."

  "And to sworn ehere shall be no mercy."

  Rhea leaped lightly into the air, the silver sword in her haing a light akin to the glow of a setting sun.

  Though not particurly bright or inte carried a steadfast resilience, a light that would shine even in the darkest hours.

  This was the in of the wilight Bde."

  "Spirit of Vengeance!"

  With a clear shout, tless ethereal spirits appeared around the half-elf padin.

  They were children buro death in a fire, mothers crushed under colpsing homes, men who raised pitchforks to fight only to be turo ash by dragon fmes, warriors who stood against evil but were crushed by cadins burning with a will for vengeance.

  Rhea began to fly, ethereal bck wings sprouting from her back, making her resemble an avenging angel.

  At that moment, she was high above the mountain peak.

  "Roar——"

  Aria let out a furious roar, her absolute red dragon pride refusing to let any lesser creature dare look down on her.

  Now, the power flowing through her bloodline surged to its peak, unleashing primal, brutal physical strength, using the red dragon's specialty—close bat—

  She unched herself forward with unmatched momentum!

  "Boom!"

  The impending csh of two mighty forces caused the mountain to tremble and the entire Aa Wildero shake.

  This sight made Cassius, who was fleeing for his life, uo resist turning his head to sneak a g the terrifying se.

  "Holy Ssh!"

  Rhea gathered all her strength, gripping her silver sword and striking down, disregarding the red dragon’s ferocious, gaping maw.

  The silver longsword was cloaked in twilight’s radiance, slig diagonally.

  "Swish——"

  The sword sliced through the dragon’s scales, harder than armor, with ease, tearing through her searing, pulsing veins and flesh.

  The ethereal spirits around her formed a massive legion, r and charging at the red dragon’s wounded neck.

  Each impact drove the wound deeper by several feet.

  In immense pain, Aria threw her head bad let out a wail, but the reflexive movement only worsehe wound, sending hot blood gushing like a spring.

  "Aow——"

  The red dragon started with a painful cry, but once her throat was pletely severed, she could no longer make a sound.

  It all happened so fast.

  So fast that the red dragon didn’t have time to swing her mighty cws or sh her thick tail.

  She didn’t even have time to unleash her unmatched pranted by Tiamat.

  But the silver sword had mercilessly severed her throat.

  The red dragon, stretg dozens of meters ih, struggled mid-air before her wings went limp, and she fell heavily onto the mountainside.

  "Boom!"

  The earth trembled as her massive body rolled down the slope, bringing ao her evil and greedy life.

  Her soul might be cimed by Tiamat, or it might be shattered by the spirits of vengeance.

  But ohing was certain.

  This red dragon was dead.

  ………

  Meanwhile, at the foot of the southern slope of Cloud Peak.

  "An avenging angel with wings—a top-tier bight, truly terrifying."

  "Time to go, time to go."

  Cassius couldn’t help but sigh.

  Near-legendary level power, a top existence even in the 4.0 version of the previous life, with only a few hundred among tens of millions of pyers reag that level.

  And those who could step into the legendary path were even rarer.

  With this in mind, the young red dragon became even more determio escape, quickly using the ability of the Swift Mage's Ring he had swallowed to cast a spell on himself,

  "Grease the soles!"

  Instantly, his speed became even swifter.

  Cassius dashed like a red streak of lightning, sprinting toward the distant forest.

  As for flying?

  He dared not risk it now.

  If luck ran out and this near-legendary padin sensed him, he might be struck from hundreds of meters away with an anti-evil ssh, sending him directly to Tiamat.

  That was a near-legendary padin, after all.

  Having innate divine sense was only natural.

  Cassius was too busy with his frantic escape to think of anything else.

  He had no idea that the half-elf padin now stood atop the mountain peak, her body drenched iill-warm dragon blood, looking down toward the southern slope of Cloud Peak—

  —the very dire the young dragon was fleeing.

  A trace of doubt flickered in Rhea’s amber eyes.

  For in her perception of evil vision, the young red dragon in the distance was not cloaked in the bck aura representing the evil aligypical of red dragons.

  Instead, he bore the colorless aura representing the ral alig.

  "A ral red dragon? How could that be?"

  After a brief moment of thought, she raised her silver sword, pointing it in the young dragon’s dire, deg to iigate further.

  "Monster Hold!"

  As her silver sword pointed, a glimmer of magical light shot into the distance.

  If it hit, that young red dragon would be immobilized, uo move.

  But just as the light was about to touch the dragon's scales—

  An invisible barrier suddenly appeared around Cassius, blog the Monster Hold pletely, then shattering.

  【Spell Nullifying Barrier】

  Cassius was horrified, realizing that his Magiullifying Amulet could only be used once per day, and he had no sed ce.

  "Run!"

  Uhe pressure of life ah, the young dragon fpped his still-developing wings frantically, flying with all his might.

  He fled desperately, diving into the forest in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the dense woods, pletely vanishing from sight.

  Rhea gazed at the endless Bokara Forest, her brow furrowed, then she shook her head in resignation.

  A red dragon with a ral alig.

  Perhaps she had just created a fearsome future enemy, or perhaps this dragon would bring a positive ge to the world, or perhaps nothing would happen at all.

  Yes.

  She would not kill him merely for the potential of future evil, but if that red dragon itted monstrous crimes, Rhea was fident she could, as she did today—sy him entirely with her unmatched silver sword.

  This was the creed of the padin of the Vow of Vengeance.

  "To evildoers, no mercy."

  "Or perhaps... a ce frace to an old foe."

  The half-elf slowly removed her helmet, revealing a cold yet beautiful face, murmuring to herself.