Lucian felt an uncontrollable surge of adrenaline in the face of the Dragon's terrifying gaze. His body was on high alert, every muscle tense, as if time had stopped and the entire world had focused on this moment between these two beings.

The Dragon opened its massive mouth to unleash its freezing breath, and Lucian had no time to flee. His only option was to defend or attack, but from such a close distance, defending against the dragon's icy breath was impossible. The only option left was to strike.

"Even if I cast a silent spell, there's no way I can stand up to a dragon at my current level. I have to buy time for the others so they can take it down. I could make a sneak attack using the dust cloud, but what if they sense my aura? Damn it... All or nothing!"

Lucian shifted his weight onto his right foot and silently prepared a fire spell, imbuing the flames into his right fist. He twisted his body, aiming a strike under the dragon’s head, and with a deep breath, he roared, "Time to heat things up!" as he threw a fiery uppercut straight at the dragon's chin.

The impact caused a massive explosion and shockwave. While it wasn’t enough to kill the dragon, it was enough to close its mouth and stop the icy breath. The sparks from the fiery punch ignited the dust in the air, causing a larger explosion that sent Lucian flying in the opposite direction of the Ice Dragon.

Lucian’s body was thrown through the air, disappearing into a chaotic swirl of dust and flames. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air, but his mind was still in a state of alarm. The dragon’s breath may have been interrupted, but it would take much more to fully neutralize the enormous creature.

Lucian groaned in pain as he slowly rose to his feet. He quickly scanned his surroundings; the other warriors were still holding their positions. He had managed to buy them time, but this was only a temporary victory. He needed a plan before the dragon could recover.

Marki Arthur looked at Lucian and said, "Well done, Lucian. Leave the rest to me."

When Marki Arthur raised his massive sword towards the sky, it felt as though the entire world revolved around him. The blade was surrounded by a glowing aura, not just a reflection of metal but a manifestation of power. Lucian could feel the immense energy emanating from Marki’s aura. Each breath felt like a struggle under the oppressive force, and his heart raced irregularly. The other soldiers were similarly affected, their eyes betraying a mix of awe and fear.

As the dragon shook its head, trying to regain composure, it let out a savage roar aimed at Marki Arthur. But Marki stood still, like a statue, unwavering and resolute. His eyes carefully tracked the dragon’s every move. And when the moment came—the moment everyone had been waiting for—Marki Arthur swung his sword with incredible might.

The motion was so fast and powerful that it seemed to warp time itself. The tip of the sword emitted a brilliant energy, cutting through the air. Lucian could feel the air molecules cracking as the blade passed. The sword descended swiftly toward the dragon’s head, leaving a glowing trail of pure energy behind.

Suddenly, when the sword connected with the dragon’s head, a massive energy burst occurred. The force of the strike created an explosion of sound and light, shaking the ground, sending clouds of dust into the air, and turning everything into chaos. The combination of light and sound pierced the sky like a thunderbolt.

When the dust and fog cleared, the scene was utter devastation. The Ice Dragon’s body had been split in two, and all the surrounding paths, ice mountains, and structures were obliterated. A massive chasm stretched for miles in the direction of the sword's strike.

After the victory, Marki Arthur lowered his massive sword to the ground and turned his back, walking through the ranks of the soldiers. The troops erupted into cheers, while Lucian slowly got back to his feet, exhausted and out of breath. It was hard to believe the battle was over, but the two halves of the dragon's body lying before him were undeniable proof.

The soldiers gathered around Marki Arthur, celebrating him for their victory. Lucian, however, took a step back, still processing the life-or-death struggle he had just experienced. Deep down, he felt proud that he had managed to stand up against the dragon, but he also knew that without Marki Arthur and the others, he wouldn't have survived.

Marki Arthur sheathed his sword and looked directly at Lucian. His eyes were a mix of gratitude and admiration. "Well done, Lucian. We won this victory thanks to you," he said in a deep, resonant voice. Lucian smiled slightly, still catching his breath. Those words meant the world to him.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Everyone was rejoicing in the victory, except for one person:

Marki Arthur said, "It's too soon to celebrate. The sound of that explosion and the disappearance of the Ice Dragon's immense mana will attract demons to this area again. Since this is one of their breeding grounds, we don't know how many demons will come. Now it's your time to shine, my soldiers! Or are you going to let a mere child take all the glory for himself!?" he said, glancing at Lucian.

The soldiers were motivated. The troops quickly reformed their lines and took battle positions. Thanks to Marki Arthur's strike, the mountain pass now had two entrances, so the forces were split in two, each group guarding one of the entrances. Marki Arthur and Lucian waited in the center. Shortly after, Serenna arrived, carrying a massive black egg.

Serenna knelt before Marki Arthur and said, "Marki."

“You can speak freely; no one can hear us right now."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Serenna stood up. "Father, I found the egg the dragon was guarding, but it doesn't look like an Ice Dragon egg," she said, handing the egg to Marki Arthur.

Marki Arthur examined the egg and said, "You're right. This isn’t an Ice Dragon egg, but I'm not sure what it is. I've never felt energy like this before." He turned to Lucian.

"Lucian, this egg is rightfully yours. We defeated the dragon thanks to you."

Despite his pain, Lucian's surprise overpowered it, and his expression changed. "B-But you were the one who killed the dragon, Marki."

“If you hadn’t created the opening for me to gather my strength, I wouldn’t have been able to make the final blow. Besides, I don’t sense a strong mana from this egg. Considering how tough your first mission was, this will be a good reward for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said, taking the egg. “I can’t believe I got an actual dragon egg as a reward! For now, I should store it away.” Lucian channeled mana into the ring on his finger, and the egg vanished.

Marki Arthur noticed the ring and said, “That’s quite the valuable gift. Sagar must have liked you.”

“I’m grateful to Sensei...” Lucian suddenly blacked out, about to fall to the ground when Marki Arthur caught him.

"I’ll take Lucian back. Command is yours, Serenna,” he said, placing Lucian on the back of his horse.

"Yes, sir."

Marki Arthur mounted his horse and rode toward the Wintergate Marquisate. As he traveled, he noticed a horde of hundreds of demons heading toward the site of the battle with the Ice Dragon. However, without altering his course, he continued to ride through the mass of demons. His aura was so overwhelming that the lower-level demons didn’t dare approach him.

Marki Arthur entered Wintergate Marquisate, where the servants, led by Cynthia, welcomed him. Marki Arthur took Lucian in his arms, dismounting his horse, and when Cynthia saw Lucian in that condition, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

Marki Arthur said, “He’s just unconscious. He needs rest. Take care of him,” and handed Lucian over to Cynthia. She brought him to his room, changed his clothes, treated his wounds, and left him to rest...

…

Lucian slowly opened his eyes and groggily muttered, “Where am I…” After gathering his senses, he realized he was in his own room and sighed in relief. He sat up and began to think.

“That flaming uppercut was awesome! I’d thought about doing it before, but I never tried it. Since the fire spell worked, does that mean other spells will too? I have to try them out immediately. Just thinking about throwing flaming hooks is making me excited,” he said, clenching his fist. “Oh yeah, that egg…”

Lucian channeled mana into his ring and retrieved the egg. “What is this egg, anyway? I can’t feel any mana coming from it, but that dragon was pouring mana into it like crazy. It even hunted all the nearby demons and would’ve attacked us too if we hadn’t forced it to fight while guarding the egg. Thanks to Marki, we won. Anyway, I’ll show this to Sensei when I see him again. For now, let’s put it away,” he said, storing the egg back in the ring. “I wonder if Marki noticed I was using aura? There’s no way he didn’t. Anyone else wouldn’t focus on such things in the heat of battle, but he’s Arthur Wintergate; there’s no way he missed it,” Lucian thought as the door to the room opened and Cynthia entered.

Seeing that Lucian was awake, Cynthia ran over and hugged him.

"You're finally awake, sir!" the maid Cynthia exclaimed, hugging Lucian tightly.

"I-I can't breathe..."

Cynthia, still holding onto Lucian, continued to speak. "You've been asleep for two whole days! While you were out, Lady Serenna and the troops have already returned, and since you defeated the dragon, there will be a grand feast tonight! All the Wintergates, including the branch families, will be there!"

Lucian was on the verge of suffocation and had to start using his aura just to stay alive. Cynthia suddenly released him and said, "Oh right, you must get ready at once, Master Lucian! There's only a few hours left until the feast begins."

As Lucian struggled to catch his breath, he thought, "Is this woman really a maid? Maybe she’s a reincarnated wrestler or something."

He then asked, "I'm really tired, can't I skip the feast?" In truth, all he wanted was to escape the event and try out his new flaming fist technique.

Cynthia firmly replied, "Absolutely not! All the Wintergates, including the branch families, will be there. This is a great opportunity for you to introduce yourself as the master who returned victorious from slaying the Ice Dragon! Also, the lords from other regions will be here to thank us for defending the border!"

"In other words, it's going to be a real hassle..." Lucian sighed deeply. "So the branch families, huh? Tonight's going to be quite... entertaining."