Chapter 38 : The Dead Dragon

"I’m going in, Valentin," I say, my tone betraying a hint of anxiety as I approach the massive doors of the cathedral. They look imposing, massive, but I push them slowly, almost effortlessly thanks to my strength. Valentin watches me with a resolute expression, then, without another word, he draws his sword and points it at the door, ready to cover me in case of danger.

"I’ll protect you, focus on opening it," he says with a reassuring smile. Encouraged, I quicken my pace, relieved to feel that he’s keeping an eye on my back. The door gradually opens, revealing a vast stone hall as dark as the outside of the city. The atmosphere is heavy, almost suffocating, and the silence that reigns here feels alive, like an invisible entity.

"It’s... frightening," I murmur to myself, observing the interior of the cathedral, which is as empty as it is immense. An emptiness that makes this place even more sinister, almost oppressive.

"There’s probably something to find here, let’s go," adds Valentin, his confidence intact. His hand is firmly gripping his sword, ready for any eventuality.

We advance into this immense hall, scrutinizing every detail. On the walls, richly adorned frescoes tell the story of an ancient people. A clearly advanced society, now gone, their art and architecture being all that remains. I wonder if I’ve ever known these people, perhaps when I was Aleystria...

"This hallway is incredibly long," I say, my eyes fixed on what seems to be an endless path.

"It must be a time distortion, a trap to keep intruders stuck," replies Valentin, his tone slightly graver. "It seems we can't go any further like this."

But before he can finish, I strike the ground with all my strength, my blade creating a powerful shockwave. The wall cracks, the ground trembles, and the time barrier shatters under the impact.

"That should solve the problem," I sigh, relieved. The infinity of the hallway suddenly disappears, revealing a grand room at the end of the corridor. It resembles a church, but its size far exceeds anything I’ve seen on earth. It’s a space for prayer, but everything here is monumental.

"You’re really something, Aley... but at least it works," says Valentin, an amused smile on his lips. He starts running toward the grand room, and I follow closely.

Upon arriving, I notice several benches lined up, all facing a large podium. Above the podium, majestically resting, is a sword of breathtaking beauty, protected by a strange glass case. The blade seems a blend of light and darkness, and its black hilt is engraved with enigmatic symbols.

"It’s beautiful..." I whisper, almost hypnotized by its beauty. It looks a bit like my mithril sword, but this one is imbued with a unique aura, a mystical glow that makes it irresistible.

"It’s true that it’s stunning," Valentin agrees, his eyes also riveted on the weapon. There’s nothing abnormal about admiring such a majestic sword, right?

"Valentin, go explore the surroundings, I’ll handle the podium," I say with a deceptive smile, pretending to be indifferent. He suspects nothing and responds with a sincere smile and a thumbs-up before heading off to examine the room.

As soon as he turns his back, I activate Quick Step, propelling myself at breakneck speed toward the sword. The shockwave caused by my movement lifts the benches into the air, sending them flying across the room. Valentin turns around immediately, sensing the magic radiating from me. He understands instantly what I’m doing and, without losing a moment, he reacts.

His gaze hardens, and all at once, his speed accelerates phenomenally.

— Access granted: Valentin has learned Quick Step.

The voice echoes throughout the room. In a flash, he surpasses my speed and catches up with me in no time. The sword is almost within reach for both of us.

Who will grab that damned sword first?!

My finger is just a few centimeters from the glass protecting the sword. Come on, just a little more... I touch the glass before him!

"Valentin, I touched first! It’s mine!" I shout triumphantly, turning to him as he also touches the glass a split second after me.

"Traitor..." he growls, disappointed.

Without wasting time, I punch the glass, shattering it into a thousand pieces, and seize the sword. It’s mine now. I’m going to call it Kuroiua, a reference to a song I liked in my old world. It deserves such an elegant name.

I fasten it to my belt with pride while Valentin, clearly annoyed, mutters to himself.

"Aley, look on the ground," he suddenly says, drawing my attention. I look down and notice a huge magical circle engraved on the floor, illuminated by a strange glow. It’s the access to the next area.

"We found it!" I shout, jumping for joy, but a question suddenly strikes me.

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"How do we activate it?" I ask, perplexed.

Suddenly, a deafening scream echoes throughout the dungeon, shaking the walls. Monstrous, powerful, resonating like a sinister echo. Perhaps our "key" has just manifested… hoping it’s not another one of those gigantic monsters…

A massive gust of wind suddenly shatters the stained glass windows of the cathedral. I draw my mithril sword without hesitation. The source of the earlier cry emanates an unimaginable power. This thing... No, this being surpasses everything I could conceive.

"This concentration of magic... How can such a small dungeon contain such force?!" shouts Valentin. The wind is so violent that we can hardly hear each other; the situation is critical, yet we still don’t know the cause of this chaos.

"This dungeon is hiding something, that’s for sure! I hope Elvie and Alfira are okay!" I shout back, my voice getting lost in the gusts resonating through the cathedral.

Then, gradually, everything calms down. Silence settles.

"It seems to have calmed down," I whisper, relieved.

"No," Valentin replies, his face serious, "it hasn’t calmed down. It’s just become quieter."

His response prompts me to focus on the magical aura surrounding us. Indeed, the oppressive presence is still there, lurking in the shadows, but it hasn’t disappeared.

"Let’s search for the origin and find Elvaria and Alfira," Valentin declares. I nod in agreement. It’s clearly the best course of action.

We move toward the shattered stained glass windows, our fastest escape route.

"Valentin, didn’t you recently gain a movement skill?" I ask, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Yes, the same as yours, Aley," he replies with a knowing wink.

"Perfect. Get ready; we’re going to rush through this floor, find that key, and our companions," I say, a wicked smile on my lips, ready to push him to the limit. But, against all odds, instead of his usual nervous look, Valentin sports a grin just as sinister as mine.

"Whenever you’re ready, Aley. Quick Step," he says before unleashing a shockwave so powerful it destroys the ground beneath our feet. He leaps out of the cathedral through the shattered window.

"Getting new skills seems to make us a bit crazy?" I sigh. Now alone in the building, I look up and see a golden light shining in the sky — Valentin, flying carelessly, testing his new ability.

"Quick Step..." I murmur to myself before disappearing in an instant. I dash through the air at breakneck speed, bouncing in the ravaged sky, my senses alert for Elvie and Alfira. Valentin, meanwhile, seems to be just having fun.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoes: "GAH—" Alfira's voice resonates from below me. Below, an immense crater stretches out. In the center, Elvaria and Alfira lie injured.

"Valentin, get back here!" I yell at Valentin, still far behind, before diving down towards the ground.

I descend at a dizzying speed, finally reaching the bottom of the crater. Elvaria, breathless, leans on her sword to avoid collapsing. Alfira is on her knees, gravely injured.

"What happened?!" I shout, panicked.

"Aley... You arrive just in time," murmurs Elvie, exhausted.

Then suddenly, a terrifying aura emerges from the ground. The earth trembles, and claws tear through the pavement. A column of magical energy shoots toward the sky, distorting the horizon in the process.

And there, in a sinister flash of light, a shape rises from the depths.

It’s the key.

A skeletal dragon floats in the sky, not even flapping its wings. Only the most sordid necromantic magic can control such a creature. This phenomenon has only occurred once, during the Holy War, and even then, no one ever discovered the identity of the necromancer behind the act.

"Aley... Take this thing down for us; we still have so much to explore... Since the moment I laid eyes on you, that flame, that Will to Live radiating from you... it burns brighter with each moment," whispers Alfira before collapsing, unconscious.

"Can you fight, Elvie?" I ask, casting one last glance at Alfira.

"Always, Aley," she replies, despite her visible injuries.

I look up at the sky, drawing Kuroiua, my second sword. Elvaria brandishes her blade, a daring smile on her lips.

And at that moment, Valentin finally appears, in a flash so bright that he resembles a comet streaking across the sky.

A blinding explosion illuminates the area, like a solar eruption.

Valentin charges at the dragon with Quick Step, a wave of light bursting around him. The dragon sustains minimal damage but is visibly irritated. It attempts to crush him with its claws, but Valentin, instead of dodging, chooses to parry each blow with inhuman speed.

“He’s always been extraordinary... He just needed wings to reach the skies,” I murmur to myself.

“Let’s go, Aley,” Elvie calls, gripping her blade with determination.

Without wasting a moment, we soar into the sky. I brandish my two swords, infusing them with Will to Live, and I charge at the dragon while Valentin continues to draw its attention.

My blades slice through the air at breakneck speed, striking the monster in a burst of energy. I don’t slow down, continuing to whirl around it, as it turns to unleash its deadly magic in my direction.

But just as it turns its head, Elvie appears, delivering a kick so powerful it redirects its trajectory, sending it straight for Valentin.

Seeing the creature charge at him, Valentin raises his sword, and with superhuman strength, he strikes down at the dragon, sending it plummeting to the ground at an incredible speed. Already weakened from its battle against Alfira and Elvaria, the dragon crashes violently, creating a second crater even larger than the first.

The dragon tries to rise, but I dive at such speed that the space around me seems to warp. My swords pierce its skull with a deafening crash.

What follows is sheer carnage. We’re not exactly sure how to kill a dead dragon, so we strike, over and over again, with unprecedented ferocity.

Elvaria, like a comet, crashes into the dragon with divine force, triggering a devastating shockwave. Valentin attacks relentlessly in close combat, parrying each of the dragon's attempts to rise before launching his own destructive strikes.

As for me, I calmly sit next to Alfira, feeling the end approaching.

“A skeletal dragon...? It requires divine magic to deal with it,” Alfira murmurs as she awakens, unfazed.

Ah, yes. Divine magic.

“Wings of God,” I whisper. Two enormous golden wings appear on my back, and I feel light, invincible. I charge at the creature, my swords ready. One simple blow is all it takes.

The space rips apart. The dragon is literally sliced in half. Elvaria and Valentin watch me, stunned, their faces reflecting the frustration of having let me ruin their fight.

The dragon’s body disintegrates into a shower of sparkling particles, and the key appears in its place.

“Alright, that’s settled. This dungeon is dragging on, and I want to explore Verdesable. I love oases and desert cities,” I say with a satisfied smile.

Valentin shoots me a furious glare, clearly angry that I stole his prey. Elvaria crosses her arms, sulking as well.

Too bad. If they wanted to have fun, they should have thought about using divine magic too. Let’s finish up with this dungeon.