Chapter 58 – Dragon (5)

At Daniel’s words that it didn’t matter, the man clicked his tongue. 

“Tsk, if you react like that, it’s no fun. No fun at all. I guess I’ll just have to do what I was planning to do.” 

Snap! 

The man lightly snapped his fingers. 

“Even if they’re trash, it wouldn’t be fair if the numbers don’t match up.” 

“You called the guardians.” 

At Isabel’s words, Daniel raised his sword. He planned to attack the man before the guardians arrived. 

“No good. Won’t work. If you kill me, the dragon will wake up. Can you handle that?” 

“Dragon?” 

“That’s right. He’s a spawn of Black Dragon Darksore. If he dies, the dragon will awaken.” 

The reason the man could control the dragon’s guardians was precisely this. He was the same as Isabel. 

Loud sounds began coming from a large passage that opened to one side of the plaza in the distance. The guardians were rushing over. 

“Well, they seem to be coming, so shall I begin too?” 

When he tapped the ground with his foot, a magic circle appeared beneath his body and a translucent barrier appeared around him. It seemed to be a defensive barrier he had prepared in advance. 

After that, the man extended his hand toward Isabel. 

“Stop. Time. Sleep. Body. Freeze. Mind…” 

As incantations flowed from his mouth, a magic circle floated around Isabel’s body and soon her body began gradually hardening from her feet. 

It looked as if her body itself was freezing. 

After continuing to point his hand at Isabel, the man began taunting her. 

“It would be good for you to be trapped in there and sleep. I’ll make good use of your guardian.” 

His goal seemed to be the guardian. It appeared he was targeting guardians who could be commanded instead of monsters that became uncontrollable after contamination. 

After looking at her legs that were hardening, Isabel also raised her hand to cast magic. 

“Try to block it if you can. In the meantime, all your trash will die to the guardians. And you’ll be finished right away too.” 

But the incantation that came from Isabel’s mouth was not a defensive spell. 

“Stop. Time. Sleep. Body…” 

“Ha! Are you planning mutual destruction? As if that would work.” 

The man mocked Isabel when he saw her using the same sealing magic. 

The man was already in a fully defended state. Moreover… 

“What will you do about the guardians?” 

At his words, Isabel smiled. 

“There’s someone else to stop the guardians.” 

Through the spacious passage that seemed to have a diameter of over 30 meters, giant monsters were approaching the plaza. 

Multi-headed monsters they had seen before, hairy spiders several times the size of humans, and giant bipedal beasts bulging with muscles. 

Dozens of monsters that each looked as strong as wyverns were rushing over. 

“I don’t know if it’s luck or if he even predicted this. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.” 

Sun-woo was standing in front of the passage, loosening up his body. 

Knowing the guardians were rushing over before anyone else, he had hurried to run to the front of the passage. 

The walls and ceiling of the passage the guardians were rushing through were all made of rock. 

“Collapsing the walls and ceiling would be too much.” 

Fortunately, the floor was not made of rock. Like the plaza floor, it was large marble stones fitted together. 

Sun-woo ignored the rushing monsters and spread his legs wide, then took a deep breath. 

“Whoo.” 

The peak-level <Revolving Divine Demon Art> began circulating through his body, and shortly after, tremendous energy gathered into his right arm. 

Sun-woo’s fist, containing massive internal energy, struck down toward the floor. 

Kuaaaaaang! 

A tremendous sound that drowned out the sound of the guardians rushing over swept through the underground plaza. 

Starting from the floor Sun-woo struck, the floor panels rippled like waves and the fitted floor panels came apart and flew out. 

The destruction that began from Sun-woo’s fist overturned the entire entrance to the passage. 

And the earth that had been under the stone panels revealed itself. 

“Preparation complete.” 

Through Sun-woo’s arm buried up to the wrist, the power of earth sorcery began spreading out. 

Kwakwakwa! 

Earth pillars and walls shot up, breaking through the shattered panels. 

The rushing monsters increased their speed in surprise, but the speed at which the walls were being created was faster. 

The monsters’ forms disappeared behind the earth wall, and eventually the passage was completely filled with earth walls. 

After confirming the passage was blocked, Sun-woo sat against the earth wall with a tired expression. 

Thud. Thud. Thud. 

The sound of guardians pounding the wall came from behind Sun-woo’s back. 

After taking a deep breath for a moment, Sun-woo opened his mouth toward Isabel who was looking at him from afar. 

“I blocked it, but it won’t hold for long.” 

Sun-woo’s voice was transmitted to her through Isabel’s magic. Isabel was greatly impressed by what Sun-woo had done. 

“You’re truly amazing.” 

“What the hell is that guy?” 

Unlike the impressed Isabel, the man looked at the blocked passage with a bewildered expression. 

“He’s one of the trash you mentioned. And the other trash is here.” 

Daniel had somehow approached in front of him. 

Clang! Clang! 

Each time Daniel’s greatsword was swung, the defensive barrier the man had created sparked, but the barrier seemed completely unchanged. 

But Daniel’s sword didn’t stop. 

Tendons began bulging from Daniel’s arms. His face turned red and even his sword seemed to be heating up. 

Daniel had pushed his <Body Enhancement> ability to the limit. 

Crack! 

Cracks began forming in the previously intact defensive barrier. 

“Crazy! He’s breaking the barrier with a sword?” 

Eventually the man had no choice but to change the direction of his hand that had been pointing at Isabel. Both his hands began strengthening the defensive barrier. 

“I told you the dragon will wake up if I die!” 

He urgently tried to stop Daniel with words, but… 

“According to what you said, I just need to not kill you.” 

Daniel ignored his words and just continuously struck the defensive barrier. Daniel looked like he wouldn’t stop until he at least severed an arm or leg. 

When he turned his incantations to defense, Isabel’s seal stopped at her waist. 

But Isabel’s incantations didn’t stop. As time passed, the man was frozen from his waist up to his chest. 

“Damn, what is this!” 

The man gritted his teeth at the absurd situation. At this rate, only he would be sealed. 

“Damn! Damn! Damn…!” 

But he couldn’t find a method at all. Though he said all constraints were broken, all his past brilliant wisdom had also disappeared, making him no different from an ordinary human. Eventually, he reached the conclusion an ordinary human would make. 

“Graaah! Let’s all die together!” 

He pointed both hands that had been strengthening the barrier back at Isabel. 

But the incantation that flowed from his mouth was not a sealing spell. 

“Die!” 

With a scream-like shout, black light poured from his hands toward Isabel. 

“Danger!” 

Startled Daniel tried to block it, but it was too late. 

The black light swept across Isabel’s upper body before he could block it. 

“Ah…” 

Isabel’s body where the black light had passed was devastation itself. Her left arm had disappeared from the shoulder, and her side was half cut away with blood flowing out like a waterfall. 

“Isabel!” 

Daniel’s expression contorted as he ran toward Isabel. 

But Isabel’s expression remained unchanged from before. She continued pointing her remaining hand at the man and was eventually able to finish all her incantations. 

And the man turned into an ice sculpture with his face contorted. It was the moment one dragon’s incarnation was sealed. 

“If you get treatment quickly, you’ll be fine. Mr. Sun-woo!” 

Daniel, who had arrived in front of Isabel, desperately called for Sun-woo. 

But Isabel shook her head. 

“It’s okay.” 

Isabel lowered her hand and this time placed it on her own body. 

“Stop. Time. Sleep…” 

She began casting the sealing spell on her own body. The seal that had stopped at her waist began climbing up her body again. 

“What are you doing! You can be healed. With the potions Mr. Sun-woo has, you can be completely healed!” 

When Daniel tried to forcibly stop her, Isabel shook her head. 

“No. I planned to do this from the beginning.” 

The seal was now passing her chest. 

“Don’t tell me you planned to seal yourself from the start?” 

Sun-woo, who had approached beside them, asked her with a stiff expression. 

“Yes, that’s right. Eventually she will wake up as time passes, but if I accidentally die, she might wake up at an unexpected time. I needed to seal myself to prevent that from happening.” 

“That’s ridiculous. I’ll protect you. I can make it so no one can even lay a finger on you!” 

At Daniel’s shout, Isabel smiled. 

“It sounds like a marriage proposal. I’d like to accept, but the age difference is too great.” 

After showing a happy expression for a moment, she continued speaking. 

“And I don’t have much time left either. Before long, I too will change.” 

She had already experienced contamination several times. Moreover, in a situation where she had continuously moved within this contaminated area. No matter how powerful a mage Isabel was, it was hard for her, who was not summoned, to endure for long. 

“That can’t be.” 

Daniel looked at Isabel with a half-dazed expression. 

“Still, I’m glad I got to meet you two at the end. I had no way to get news to the outside, but it seems my wish was granted.” 

Isabel looked at Sun-woo and continued speaking. 

“I’ve seen someone wearing similar clothes in other regions. You’re from another dimension, right? Please explain this matter well to others.” 

Sun-woo nodded with a stiff expression at her words. 

She seemed to have already figured out Sun-woo’s identity to some degree. 

“Daniel. Thank you. For liking me until the end. It feels like I’ve had really good dreams all this time.” 

After greeting Daniel as well, she pointed her hardening hand toward the two men. 

“This is a gift for you two who worked hard.” 

Red light rose from her hand, then split in half and seeped into Daniel’s and Sun-woo’s swords. 

Simultaneously, the seal that had reached her shoulders instantly covered her face. 

She too had been sealed. 

The underground plaza seemed as if time had stopped. Daniel continued looking at Isabel who had turned into a crystal sculpture, and Sun-woo watched that scene from behind. 

But they couldn’t continue like this forever. 

Thud. Thud. 

The wall Sun-woo had blocked was gradually about to crumble. 

“It seems we need to leave.” 

At Sun-woo’s words, Daniel nodded. He gripped his sword that still flowed with red light tightly and began walking toward the secret passage they had emerged from. 

Sun-woo breathed a sigh of relief when Daniel moved. Fortunately, he seemed to have pulled himself together. 

And the two men stood in front of the passage and looked back one last time. 

“I’ll return.” 

Daniel spoke quietly while looking at Isabel’s figure standing in the plaza. 

“I’ll use whatever method necessary to unseal her and save her.” 

Sun-woo said nothing to his words that seemed impossible. 

With his words, the two men disappeared into the passage. 

When the two disappeared, the plaza became quiet. The guardians who had been breaking through the wall also turned away when the presence disappeared, and inside the plaza now only the last words Isabel had left for Daniel seemed to linger. 

‘I love you.’