Chapter 19: An action that wouldn’t normally be taken

The approaching footsteps of the land dragon were a countdown to Simon’s life.

Under the trembling earth, dust filled the air. A scorching wind rushed toward him, and in that blurred world, not a trace of sunlight could be seen.

The dragon’s barbed tongue flicked in and out, filling Simon’s entire vision.

He could already imagine his end. So he closed his eyes.

But in the next moment, what he heard was…

A pained roar from the dragon, along with the crashing sound of its tail smashing rocks, echoing endlessly.

“Hey! Simon, are you just going to give up like that?”

‘Who else would come to a place like this?’

Simon forced his tired eyes open and saw a flash of red.

‘Lila?’

Amid the dust, her crimson hair swayed like flames. The blade in her hand was stained with fresh blood.

One of the dragon’s eyes was bleeding heavily, and it rampaged wildly, its tail destroying everything in reach.

Taking advantage of its attention being on Simon, Lila had pierced its right eye, but she herself had been flung away by the force of its movement.

‘Why would she come here?’

Simon couldn’t understand.

“Can you still move?”

He realized her tone wasn’t as harsh as usual, it was serious.

He tried to stand, but his body felt like it had fallen apart. Even the slightest movement sent unbearable pain through him.

“No…” Simon replied weakly.

The next moment, he was lifted and thrown over her shoulder.

The vegetation blurred past, she was carrying him while running.

“Why…”

‘Why save me?’

Before he could finish, her cold voice cut him off.

“Shut up. We talk after we get out.”

Simon fell silent.

But even Lila was just a trained human, how could she outrun a land dragon?

The dragon’s remaining eye burned with fury. Spikes burst from the ground again and again, forcing her to dodge desperately while carrying him.

At a turn, she suddenly tossed Simon into a dense, plant-filled ditch.

“Stay here. Don’t make a sound.”

She didn’t wait for a reply, she turned and ran in another direction.

Through the gaps in the leaves, Simon watched her figure disappear. His mind was in chaos. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Should he be worried about her?

He remembered countless days and nights, her mocking smile, his body covered in wounds, forced to respond submissively.

He should hate her.

He should wish for her death.

Yet as the dragon moved farther away, his heart pounded uncontrollably.

He clutched his chest.

Was this enough to erase his hatred?

He didn’t know what to do.

He could do nothing, and chose to do nothing.

****

A towering rock wall stood before Lila.

A dead end.

‘Again… just like before.’

She had sworn never to do something as pointless as helping others. Regret filled her heart.

The dark alley of her past life overlapped with the towering rock before her. It felt like she had fallen into the same situation again.

‘Where did this pointless kindness even come from?!’

She cursed herself inwardly.

Hadn’t she learned enough from her past life?

Even a slow death from fading life was better than dying immediately!

The dragon advanced, smashing everything with its tail. Trees snapped in half, stones shattered and scattered.

Death.

Such a simple word, yet for someone who had died once, it was taboo.

A black ocean.

An empty void.

A state where one could still think, but nothing had meaning.

No light could pierce that curtain of death. Only a faint consciousness struggling in endless despair.

That emptiness would crush every last bit of hope, stretching every second into eternity, until all attachment to life was ground into nothingness.

So she could not sit and wait to die.

This sword was the only thing she trusted.

Gripping it tightly, Lila faced the approaching dragon with unwavering resolve.

Feeling the tremor beneath her feet, she dodged instantly. Two steps…

A massive spike shot up from the ground, missing her by a hair’s breadth.

Since there was no retreat, she would advance instead.

Their greatest difference was size, but that was also her advantage.

She could move freely, dodging the spikes and the sweeping tail.

Closing the distance, she struck with all her strength.

Only to produce a brief spark.

The dragon’s scales left it unharmed.

The gap in power was absolute.

With a simple movement, the dragon sent her flying.

****

Her body felt shattered. It took everything just to stand.

A terrible decision.

She knew no one would thank her, not that woman, not Simon.

In this desperate world, only her own strength mattered.

The dragon’s single eye gleamed with mockery as it approached.

No one would ever come to save her.

So she couldn’t give up. She couldn’t abandon her life.

Holy light flickered around her, slowly healing her injuries, but it was too slow.

She had to live.

Ignoring the pain, she gripped her sword again, this time, purely for herself.

The dragon, surprised, stomped the ground. Earth mana surged, forming iron-hard spikes beneath her.

Cracks spread in all directions, sealing her escape.

This attack was unavoidable.

But she no longer intended to dodge.

At the edge of death, she opened her eyes.

The world changed.

Everything deconstructed into simple lines. Beyond them, she saw an invisible blade, colorless, formless, yet incomparably sharp.

This was a realm many swordsmen could never reach.

Her sword intent, born purely from the desire to survive.

No grand ideals. No lofty dreams.

Only the simple will to live.

As the spikes erupted, they struck an invisible barrier, then crumbled into dust.

An unseen blade formed an impenetrable wall around her.

Step by step, she advanced.

Every spike dissolved into dust upon contact.

The so-called land dragon…

Was nothing more than a creature with a false title.

Step by step, slow, yet unstoppable.

The dragon finally retreated half a step.

So beasts could feel fear too?

But she had no strength left to chase it. If it fled, she couldn’t stop it.

And then…

A burst of crimson flames erupted, blocking the dragon’s retreat.

The blazing fire rose into the sky, turning everything red with its heat.

Reflected in Lila’s eyes, she looked surprised.

“Still alive?”

A blonde woman stepped out of the flames, slightly surprised.

With a casual wave, the flames twisted into a tornado, engulfing the dragon instantly.

It screamed in agony, but she didn’t care.

“Someone asked me to save you.”

“Mind your own business. It was my prey.”

Lila turned her face away.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The woman shrugged helplessly.

“But what’s with your hair?”

Half of Lila’s hair had turned white.

“None of your business!”

She snapped harshly.