Chapter 95
When an earthquake occurs, you must quickly shut off the gas and electricity and move to an open space free of falling objects.
If you cannot leave the building, protect yourself by hiding under a sturdy table or similar structure.
In case of a fire, loudly alert others and cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel, then evacuate while staying low.
Da-eun also had a general idea of what to do in other scenarios like typhoons, tsunamis, avalanches, and even in the event of war.
Some of this she had learned because she was curious and looked it up herself, while other things she learned through safety training.
However, she swore she had never received any training for a situation like this.
Of course, that was natural.
There was no way there could be guidelines for what to do when a dragon attacks on Earth.
‘Actually… if I search for it, there might be something.’
If there were guidelines for how to act in the case of a zombie outbreak, it wouldn’t be too surprising if there were something similar for this.
Considering that stories about Hunters have been popular lately, there might even be someone who has written about such things.
But would reading that really help?
Da-eun was doubtful.
“R-run away!”
“Ahhh!”
Every time its giant wings brushed by, buildings crumbled, and the flames it breathed down scorched the ground. It was hard not to think such things.
The searing heat brushed against Da-eun’s cheek, snapping her back to her senses.
“Run, I have to run….”
But where to?
The buildings are crumbling like flimsy straws.
“Just move, anywhere…!”
If she stayed in the empty clearing, she’d just be an easy target.
So far, it hadn’t paid her any attention, but she couldn’t count on that continuing.
Thus, Da-eun began to move.
‘There’s no way Kana lost. We just got separated, that’s all.’
Ignoring the ominous thoughts that crossed her mind.
As she proceeded, a scene of utter chaos unfolded before her eyes.
It wasn’t just Da-eun who was panicking from the sudden attack.
Demons were running out of burning homes, fleeing somewhere. Others were hiding with their children held tight in their arms.
There were even some Demonic beings Da-eun recognized from the day before.
“Quick, attack!”
“B-but it’s not reaching!”
“Damn it! Are our magic and arrows just for show? Use whatever you’ve got—magic, arrows, anything! Are you just going to sit here and watch the village burn?!”
“Captain! We’re out of arrows!”
“Then throw rocks if you have to!”
Magic formed from Magi, arrows, and even stones launched toward the sky.
Most were blown away by the gusts from its wings, and those that did manage to reach it couldn’t inflict any significant damage. After traveling such a long distance, they lacked power and were blocked by the dragon’s tough scales.
It’s just unfair.
This must be why air superiority is so important.
“…Could I help?”
Da-eun gauged the distance between the sky and the ground.
The distance between the dragon and herself.
As she considered it, Da-eun shook her head.
‘It’s impossible.’
She didn’t need to think long.
She did have a skill to send out sword beams, but her attack couldn’t reach that far up into the sky.
Even if it could, it would likely disperse harmlessly against its scales, just like the magic cast by the Demonic beings.
Her tightly clenched fists turned pale.
“…I really was just being stubborn for no reason.”
The emotion that had been lingering vaguely in her mind now approached Da-eun directly.
It was a sticky, paralyzing sense of helplessness creeping up from her toes.
It was that same emotion that had trapped young Da-eun and refused to let her go, once again attempting to devour her.
“No.”
Smack!
But Da-eun didn’t let it consume her.
With a resounding smack that echoed through the air, Da-eun slapped her own cheek and opened her eyes wide.
It’s true she had been a burden.
It’s true she had made things difficult for Kana.
But that doesn’t justify sitting down and giving up right now.
Those things are what she’ll need to apologize for and seek forgiveness when they meet again—giving up and acting like a victim here isn’t going to solve anything.
“Hoo, ha….”
Da-eun took a deep breath.
Even though she had steadied her resolve, it was still impossible for her to fight.
However, fighting wasn’t the only thing she could do right now.
“Help! The building collapsed, and I’m trapped…!”
“I’m coming! Hang in there for just a little longer!”
With a grunt, Da-eun exerted her strength and slowly lifted the heavy rubble of the collapsed building.
Even for her strong body, it wasn’t an easy task. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.
“I-I’m free!”
Thud!
“Haa… Haa… Cough, cough!”
Da-eun released the debris as soon as she confirmed that the demon trapped underneath had safely crawled out. She inhaled a lungful of the thick dust stirred up by the impact and began to cough violently.
“Thank you, thank you so much!”
“I thought humans hated all of us….”
“Cough…! Ah, no, it’s not like that. More importantly, it’s dangerous here, so please get to safety.”
Thanks to the ring she wore, Da-eun didn’t have to worry about being contaminated by Magi, so there was no reason for her to avoid them.
She brushed off the gratitude directed toward her and moved on to her next target.
Da-eun tirelessly ran around the village, rescuing people, giving no chance to catch her breath amidst the calamity brought by the dragon’s attack.
Because of her efforts, despite the chaos, there were not as many casualties as one might expect.
Nevertheless, there were still those she couldn’t save.
A lifeless arm protruded from the rubble.
A large pool of crimson blood had gathered below the limp arm.
“Hoo…”
Da-eun forced herself to look away from the blood-drained limb.
You know it couldn’t be helped.
Focus on something else for now.
She spoke to herself, almost as if hypnotizing herself to keep going.
“Aahhh! Mommy!”
“-A child?”
Da-eun’s head whipped around at the sudden sound of a child’s cry.
Standing in what used to be an alleyway was a small child, covered in dust and minor scratches, crying out with all their might.
Had they simply lost their mother? Or was it…?
Da-eun didn’t have the luxury of time to guess at the child’s circumstances.
A massive eye shifted.
Even though the child’s cries were loud, they were no louder than the screams and shouts filling the area.
But that long, vertically slit pupil radiating a dangerous aura locked precisely onto the child.
And Da-eun noticed it, too.
“D-danger!”
Da-eun bit back the rest of her words as she hurled herself forward.
Crash!
“Urgh…!”
Her rushed dive made her landing less than graceful.
Ignoring the slight pain that shot through her body, Da-eun hugged the child tightly.
The child, likely startled by the sudden movement, stopped crying and looked up at her with wide, round eyes.
It had been a rough movement, but it seemed her effort to shield the child paid off; there were no visible injuries.
A single tear, brimming on the edge of the child’s eye, dropped onto Da-eun’s clothes.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yes…”
The child looked a couple of years younger than Kana.
Of course, their actual age was probably much younger, but that was how it appeared based on their outer form.
“Did you get separated from your mom?”
Even as Da-eun asked, she felt anxious.
If it wasn’t just a matter of losing track of their mother…
If it was a situation where the mother, after sending her child out of a collapsing house, watched their small back with a faint smile as the building’s debris—
‘Ahhh!’
Da-eun furiously shook her head to rid herself of the tragic image.
If that were the case, it would undoubtedly be a traumatic memory for the child, but given the circumstances, she couldn’t simply not ask.
Fortunately, the child nodded.
“I was holding onto Mommy’s hand, but then Mommy disappeared….”
“I see…”
It seemed that the child had let go of their mother’s hand while evacuating.
In emergency situations, it’s not uncommon for families to get separated, so Da-eun understood it easily.
“Do you want big sis to help you find your mom?”
“…Really?”
“Of course. I promise.”
But before that…
Da-eun subtly glanced behind her, making sure the child didn’t notice.
The ground, melted by the intense heat, was laid bare before her.
And there it was—the ominous eye that was still focused in their direction.
The Demonic beings who were fighting against the dragon seemed to have noticed her situation, as they were shouting something. The distance made it difficult to hear clearly, but she could guess they were telling her to run or do something to not draw its attention.
She felt the acrid smoke fill her lungs as she stood up.
“You damn pedophile.”
Out of all the Demonic beings, for the creature to specifically target this child—it had to be some kind of sick obsession, Da-eun was sure of it.
The malevolent dragon that drove the entire Ardina Continent into fear.
For a monster that bore even a fragment of that dragon’s name to be a pedophile… Just a single statement was enough to turn it into that.
“I didn’t expect the ‘Shadow of Krumo’ to have that kind of shadow…!”
A regular pervert might not be scary, but a capable pervert is terrifying.
And if it’s a fire-breathing, flying pervert, wouldn’t it be even stranger not to be scared?
That was what Da-eun thought.
“Stick close behind me, okay?”
“Mm…”
The clothes Da-eun wore weren’t that big.
However, her frame, which was slightly above average, was enough to hide the small child behind her.
With the child concealed behind her back, Da-eun contemplated.
Should she just stay hidden?
But it’s watching from above, so hiding wasn’t an option.
With a target already marked, running wouldn’t let her escape so easily either…
“Ugh… I have no choice.”
She had to trust the Demonic beings.
Srrrrng—!
The blade slid out of its sheath.
Despite the intense heat caused by the fireball spat by Krumo’s Shadow, the sword Da-eun held felt chillingly cold.
The cool sensation steadied Da-eun’s mind little by little.
To think that the object that once seemed so terrifying could now provide a sense of reassurance.
You never know what life has in store.
As soon as she readied her stance, a fireball came flying at her.
If she tried to cut through a fireball with a regular sword, she’d end up with a charred lump.
“Haat!”
Yet, even though it wasn’t easy, Da-eun successfully sliced through the fireball.
Split down the middle, the fire lost its form and rapidly lost power.
“Since I can’t use Mana, I have no choice but to rely on the sword’s skill…!”
She maintained her composure and deflected the series of crimson flames that came her way.
It was only possible due to the absurd specs unique to Apostles.
‘Fast… But it’s not too fast to handle.’
She’d been hit with much faster attacks before!
Confidence swelled within Da-eun.
If she could just hold out, help would surely come in some form.
Just as she thought, some of the Demonic beings who had been attacking the dragon began rushing toward her.
I’ll get the child to a safe place and then escape myself.
As she formulated her plan, a fierce gust of wind brushed against her cheek.
“Ugh…?!”
The air was rapidly being sucked toward a certain direction.
Da-eun looked up to find where it was heading and froze in horror.
The dragon’s chest had swollen to an enormous size.
Its mouth, wide open, revealed crimson flames visible between its jagged teeth.
Da-eun knew exactly what that meant.
“A Breath Attack…!”
The kind of powerful attack that couldn’t be compared to the petty fireballs thrown until now!
“I can’t block that…”
If she faced the Breath Attack head-on, even a sword cloaked in Mana would be turned into ashes without distinction.
Sensing the impending disaster, Da-eun instinctively searched for a place to hide. But—
There wasn’t a place left in the half-destroyed village that could serve as shelter against the Breath Attack.
“B-Big sis…”
A small, fragile hand gripped the hem of Da-eun’s clothes.
Seeing the anxiety-ridden expression on the child’s face, she made up her mind.
Squatting down to meet the child’s eyes, she pointed toward the Demonic beings.
“When I count to three, you’re going to run over there. Got it?”
“What about you, big sis…?”
“I’ll be fine.”
It seemed displeased by her continued interference. The eye that had been targeting the child was now focused on Da-eun.
At least like this, the child should be safe.
She gently patted the dirt-covered head of the child.
“One…”
Carefully, she rose up, ensuring the child wouldn’t enter the creature’s line of sight.
“Two…”
She turned halfway and spread her clothes wide.
“Three!”
At her signal, the child bolted off.
Fortunately, the eye showed no interest in the child.
“I should run away too…”
…But there’s nowhere to run.
If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to stand and fight.
With a resolute expression, Da-eun raised her sword.
‘How long can I hold out?’
She immediately brushed the thought aside.
It’s not about how long I can hold out.
“I’m going to survive.”
The moment she spoke those words, the suctioning wind stopped.
The chest, which had been expanding endlessly, also ceased its swelling.
Fwooosh!
Immediately after, the crimson Breath Attack poured down onto the ground.
‘…Grrk!’
The immense pressure transmitted through the sword left her unable to even let out a groan.
Her arms quivered as if they might break at any moment, but Da-eun gritted her teeth and held on.
Ssssss—
The hem of her clothes touched by the Breath Attack caught fire in an instant and started burning away.
Amidst the intense heat that felt like it was cooking her alive, she desperately hoped and prayed for this moment to pass quickly.
How many seconds had passed?
There wasn’t even time to count. As she stood holding the sword, she suddenly realized the suffocating heat that had been tormenting her was gone.
The pressure that had been on the verge of snapping her sword had vanished as well.
“Did… did I really… make it?”
Did I really endure the Breath Attack?
Da-eun cautiously opened her eyes.
The flames she could feel through her tightly shut eyelids were completely gone.
The only thing that remained was the Shadow of Krumo, flapping its wings furiously as if in frustration.
“Ah, haha…! I did it! I actually did it!”
Overwhelmed with joy at having survived, Da-eun let out a triumphant shout.
Enduring a Breath Attack—wasn’t that a monumental feat in and of itself?
Da-eun surrendered herself to the thrill running up her spine—
“‘Did it,’ my ass.”
…or at least she was about to, when a sharp voice cut through from beneath her.
“What, you barely survived getting roasted, and now you’re getting all cocky?”
“…Huh?”
Da-eun stiffly lowered her head as if her neck was creaking.
A face she knew all too well looked up at her with a disdainful expression.
Holding a sword she had never seen before—a pale red one—was a familiar young girl.
—
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