Chapter 737: Spire Ascension (VIII)
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It’s never been wise to piss off mothers. Especially ones who are truly protective over their cubs.
This applies to everybody regardless of species.
And as luck would have it, Cedric managed to do just this to a dragon. What happened next was entirely his fault, and he would admit to it wholeheartedly.
The dragon didn’t attack him right away. Instead, it sent away its children first. Where? Cedric couldn’t tell, and he doesn’t care because he’s about to fight a pissed-off dragon.
With its eggs gone, the last shackle that was limiting the dragon from going all out was gone. Of course, what came next was predictable.
Boom! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire nest shook. All the stones and crystals previously there were leveled by the sheer fury of the beast. The skies darkened even further, and the appearance of lightning became more pronounced.
Extreme power radiated off of the dragon. It grew larger in size, and its features became deadlier. Its eyes were locked onto Cedric, not even letting a single twitch of his muscle go unnoticed.
Facing this dragon felt like facing the wrath of the world. And it certainly did not feel good.
Then, the dragon leaned forward. Its large wings unfolded from its back before it swiftly turned into a streak of lightning that pierced the skies and disappeared into the sea of dark clouds.
Cedric kept his eyes up. A few seconds later, the corners of his lips twitched as he muttered:
"Is this really necessary?"
As soon as he said that, a large comet fell, heading towards the nest with him as the sole target. The appearance of the comet blew away the dark clouds, replacing the dark and gloomy atmosphere with a world-ending sight.
BOOOM!
The comet fell onto the nest, destroying it entirely. The branch of the gigantic tree it’s perched upon was also severed, unable to bear the weight of the giant rock falling to it.
As the nest fell to the earth, which was tens of thousands of miles down, the silhouette of the raging dragon reappeared. Its large wings clad with cosmic might and lightning beat behind its back, its snout released plumes of flames, and its predatory eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for the traces of the intruder.
It couldn’t find him, making it think that he’s dead. But just as it was about to conclude there, the intruder made his presence known.
He was safe even after all that. He stood in the air as if it were solid ground. His hand clutched that piece of sharp metal that’s still releasing wisps of light, and he was looking at it from where he stood.
That comet sure was excessive, but it’s far from enough to take him down.
To prove that, as the comet fell, it was separated into two, sliced cleanly in half. The burning remains of the nest, too, were sliced as well.
The dragon’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She realized that this wasn’t some recklessly stupid intruder, as she initially assumed.
However, she was too angry to even consider that she could be defeated by him. All she cared about was to make this intruder pay for trying to hurt her unborn children.
Her anger as a parent was all too consuming; therefore, she won’t stop until the very last traces of this intruder are gone.
Calling upon the Great Laws, the dragon summoned all kinds of elements to blast the intruder to pieces. Fire, water, earth, wood, metal, lightning...all of these turned into their most harmful state and were poured down on Cedric in attempts to erase him completely from existence.
And as if waging a war against them with nothing but him and his swords, Cedric stood his ground and met her in the middle.
This is where, for the first time since the tournament started, the audience gets to witness just how phenomenal Cedric’s mastery of the sword was.
His image left an impression of heroism and invincibility as he took on the wrath of a world-commanding beast by himself.
He danced with the sword in his hand, performing an elegant yet very simplistic sword art that seemed to move the world with him.
Each time he swung his blade, an element that’s trying to kill him would be dismissed—not disappear or be destroyed, just be dismissed. It’s like he sliced the strings that turned them into puppets, reverting them to how they originally were in the first place.
Doing this negated any hostility and possible damage he might get from them. Therefore, as he sliced them, they would just pass by his body, not harming him in the slightest.
The broadcast was focused on every move he made, and his sword art was so fascinating that even the talkative hosts, Paul and Lisa, were struck speechless in awe and could only watch his performance until the end.
Cedric’s flying swords also danced with him. They flew like needles sewing the threads of laws together. Some pinned themselves into space, reinforcing something that’s invisible.
Although Cedric’s performance looked elegantly simple, all swordsmen who watched him knew that what he achieved was far from that.
Contained in that simplicity was the broad and overwhelming profundity and might of sword laws used to its most efficiency even in its rawest form.
Cedric showed what real sword mastery looked like to everybody and why every swordsman dared to pursue this path even if it meant their end.
Because achieving this state of mastery, this oneness with the sword, was more than worth it. ’Twas a realm that many dreamed of but could never reach.
The dance wasn’t done. With flying swords as pins, Cedric placed down his foot on the concept laws, more specifically, the laws of space. He reinforced the surroundings, preventing the dragon from leaving the vicinity, caging it with him. Also, by reinforcing space, Cedric took away the dragon’s ability to fly and challenged its sovereignty over space laws.
Cedric didn’t display his abilities to wield space laws yet. He just showed that he could also affect other elements through his mastery over the sword, displaying what a real swordmaster could achieve at his level.
With her escape routes sealed, her ability to fly severed, and her command over space laws challenged, the dragon had no choice but to see this confrontation to the end.
She’s still reeling at the fact that the intruder remained alive and strong enough to retaliate from what she did, but she had no time to remain shocked. The intruder was attacking her, and even though she couldn’t sense a fatal threat from him, his eyes sent chills down her spine.
With a surprising burst of speed, Cedric charged. At first, the dragon was able to follow him, but just as quickly, she lost sight of him.
Seconds later, a pained growl involuntarily escaped from her mouth. The pain came from her hind legs. Blood gushed out from the calves of her hind legs, and it affected her ability to remain standing.
Before she could even pinpoint his location, she felt another piercing pain, this time coming from the base of her spine, removing her control over her tail and her hind legs.
He crippled her just like that.
Normally, this wouldn’t be permanent. A dragon’s vitality was strong; injuries like this wouldn’t be enough to pin it down for long. But the problem is that Cedric was a swordmaster and a sword immortal. The wounds he left on her body were practically impossible to heal since they’re laced with intent and sword laws. Plus, Cedric also left shards of flying swords in the wounds he left to her.
Each of those flying sword fragments was pumped full of sword intent, enough to tear planets apart. They were incredibly tiny compared to the size of the dragon, making it impossible for her to extract them on her own. And so long as these fragments are left in the wounds, they will keep them open.
Cedric’s dragon-slaying actions continued. After he essentially crippled the dragon, he proceeded to slice off its wings, shave off its scales, sever its horns, stab its eyes, and pierce its throat to prevent it from making a noise ever again.
The more injuries she suffered, the deeper her fear became. Alas, it’s too late now. She couldn’t flee even if she wanted to; this frightening intruder made sure that didn’t happen.
As she was dissected piece by piece, her consciousness blurred. Her last thoughts were of mourning and regret. It’s clear that she wouldn’t be there to see her children break out of their shells.
Fortunately, she made a wise decision to send them away to a place where she knows they’d be safe. This intruder won’t reach them there, ever. She also wasn’t afraid that they wouldn’t survive because as soon as they hatched, her children would become the strongest creatures in that place.
They would be able to feed themselves and grow in peace. Once they reach maturity, they can explore more of this world.
She won’t see it, but she knows it’s going to happen. And that’s more than enough for her.
"Yeah, that would’ve been nice. Alas, you’re not real."