I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 401

Boom, boom—

A torrential electrical downpour erupted across the city, beginning with sporadic brilliant yellow lightning bolts.

Crash, crash, crash!

The brilliant storm obliterated the undead and specters, exploding their forms into fragments under the relentless assault. The golden deluge swept through the lowest levels of the city, consuming not only the undead horde but also the ghostly horses, the bone carriages, Carmiel himself, and the lieutenants gathered by his side.

Crackle!

The lightning struck Carmiel repeatedly, golden arcs searing his entire form. His skeletal body trembled violently, and the mist-like visage of his face disintegrated entirely, leaving no trace.

The ghostly horses were scorched down to their bones, and the lieutenants—except for the knight—convulsed uncontrollably under the electric onslaught.

Thud, thud—

That was when Ian began descending the staircase, charging straight into the heart of the lightning storm without a hint of hesitation. Despite the shower of the golden bolts, not a single strand of lightning struck him. The sword in his right hand glowed with golden energy, a radiant blade rising from its edge.

"Unbelievable! It's real!" Carmiel's voice broke through the storm, tinged with astonishment. Though his tone reflected shock, his words betrayed no pain, only awe. "You're truly a figure out of the history books. I've walked right into a trap!"

At that moment, the knight lieutenant, who had been standing firm by the carriage, sprinted.

Crackle!

Golden lightning rained down on his full plate armor but failed to pierce through. It merely cracked across the surface and dissipated to the ground.

"But this too must be one of the joys of wandering!" With Carmiel's shout, the turquoise wraiths burst forth explosively from the skull throne he sat on.

Screech—

The wraiths spread like a wave, rapidly overtaking the city’s sky. Even the downpour of lightning rain could not burn them all away. In mere seconds, flickering spirits flooded the lower and middle levels of the city. Of course, the undead beneath them were mostly reduced to piles of bones.

Screech—

The wraiths began merging into the remnants, seeping into their skeletal forms. The turquoise mist thickened across the battlefield. Before long, the clattering sound of the resurrected dead echoed from all directions.

Clink—

Meanwhile, the knight lieutenant, now ascending the stairs to the upper level, absorbed wraiths into the gaps of its armor. Sinister green energy leaked from the cracks in its armor as the greatsword, held high, pulsed menacingly.

Swoosh—

Ian dashed forward, cutting through the undead that rose again in his path. The Light Sword in his hand carved arcs of golden light, cleaving through the rising tide of enemies.

The waves of turquoise wraiths surged toward him, their agonized faces screaming with ghostly wails. The radiant trail of Ian's blade swept away and scattered each one. Even so, he couldn't hold back such a tide alone.

Slash.

Reaching the base of the stairs, Ian unleashed a powerful sweep of his blade before raising his Platinum Barrier in front of him. He then leaped forward.

Boom, boom, boom!

The golden shield cut through the horde like a crashing wave, scattering the undead before him. Contact with the Platinum Barrier, or even Ian’s body, caused wraiths to disintegrate. Each time, faint golden ripples shimmered across Ian's form—a manifestation of the dragon's power coursing through him.

"Impressive! Truly impressive! One might even mistake you for a dragon in human guise!" Even amidst the relentless waves of wraiths, Carmiel, who had been observing Ian intently, shouted.

Beneath his wildly flapping hood, a ghostly face reminiscent of a phantom on a foggy day flickered over his skull. "But unless you're a true dragon, that power won't last forever!"

Landing in the middle level after breaking through the wraiths, Ian stood up. However, instead of rushing forward again, he raised his Platinum Barrier and crouched into a defensive stance.

The knight lieutenant, the Knight of Death, was charging toward him with the wraiths, swinging the greatsword blazing with dark energy.

Crack!

The surface of the barrier shimmered as its golden energy expanded outward. Six new shields unfolded along its edges, forming defensive layers.

"—So let's see whose strength runs dry first, Dragon's Agent! Let's hope those brave residents of yours hold out until then!"

As Carmiel's voice rang out, the Knight of Death's greatsword slammed against the now-expanded Platinum Barrier.

Boom—

The ground beneath Ian buckled and caved slightly under the force. With narrowed eyes and clenched teeth, Ian looked past the barrier.

This bastard isn't just full of talk—he really knows stuff.

Carmiel was right: the Lightning Shower and the Wrath of Platinum were not spells Ian could sustain indefinitely. The Platinum Barrier, burning as if to sear the back of his left hand, was no different.

Ian felt the massive reserve of draconic power concentrated somewhere beyond the ceiling as if it were his own. It was breaking down into particles and rapidly dispersing throughout the underground cavern under his command.

Although Platinum's Wrath was a highly inefficient spell, Ian saw why Archeas had chosen it. There weren't many spells capable of repelling intruders without utterly destroying the city.

This means that— before it's fully depleted—

Strength surged into Ian’s left arm as he reached his conclusion.

Crack—

With a golden shockwave, the knight's greatsword, pressing against the shield, was flung backward. The turquoise glow within the knight's helmet flared with surprise—it clearly hadn't expected to be overpowered.

On the verge of swinging his Light Sword, his torso exposed, Ian suddenly froze.

Crack!

The Platinum Barrier, separated in six as if torn away except for the central one, whirled around Ian in a circular formation. A streak of violet light curved toward him, slicing through the mass of wraiths. The hexagonal barriers adjusted instantly, moving to block the attack.

Boom—

An explosion erupted to his left, forcing Ian’s gaze in that direction. Activating the Mantra Resonance, he ascended to a transcendent state, perceiving everything in the area simultaneously—the undead were reassembling themselves. Some took on grotesque, malformed shapes before immediately charging toward the upper level.

Further beyond the waves of writhing wraiths, Ian spotted the fairy lieutenant atop a lower-level rooftop, her crimson hood and cloak billowing in the wind. Her skeletal hand, decomposing flesh still clinging on, drew the string of a bone-crafted bow. Threads of violet magic gathered into a shimmering arrow between her fingers.

A magic arrow. How tempting.

The thought passed through his mind, but Ian had no time to linger. The Knight of Death was already recovering from being thrown back.

Swoosh.

However, Ian's movements were faster. Before the knight could fully lift its weapon, Ian's Light Sword arced outward, slashing from his inside stance to the outside.

Clang!

The Knight of Death angled its blade defensively to deflect the strike. Golden sparks cascaded as Ian's blade scraped across the turquoise aura surrounding the undead weapon. The searing resentment emitted by the wraiths was strong enough to neutralize even draconic energy—albeit only for an instant.

Crack!

Ian's Light Sword sheared through the greatsword, cutting cleanly through the knight's armored forearm, chest plate, and the opposite arm. As its severed upper body staggered, Ian raised his Platinum Barrier and charged forward without pause.

Crash—

Ian barreled through the Knight of Death, shattering its remains into a swirling eruption of dark mist and wraith fragments. The hollowed armor clattered uselessly to the ground behind him. Of course, Ian didn't look back.

Shhhh—

The amplified barriers around him disintegrated into golden specks as he stepped onto the staircase leading to the lower levels. The fairy lieutenant had already retreated to a safer distance, abandoning her drawn bowstring.

Smart and sneaky like a rat.

At the same time, a flood of undead crawled along the walls and rooftops filled his vision. Most of the ones destroyed by the Wrath of Platinum had already been reanimated. Others surged up the staircase behind him.

Slash—

Yet even they couldn’t slow Ian down. His Light Sword cut through them effortlessly, like brittle toys, scattering bone shards and remnants of magic in all directions. Even the wraiths, screaming as they dove toward him, were no exception.

Still, most undead ignored Ian entirely, as he wasn't their target, surging past him toward the uppermost levels. As Ian swung his blade, a fragment of his consciousness focused on the city's upper reaches. The sensation was surreal, as though this entire space had become an extension of his being.

This must be what it feels like to be a god.

The torrential downpour of lightning, the ceaseless shattering of wraith barriers, and the surging tide of turquoise-hued undead swarming toward the uppermost levels—all of it unfolded in vivid detail before Ian's heightened senses.

At the topmost level, the hexagonal barriers encircling the perimeter, like fortress walls, exploded with wraiths colliding into them. Undead, darting through the gaps before the barriers could regenerate, were met by the resolute defense of the city's soldiers.

"Fall back if you're injured! Hold the line!" Even Lucia’s voice rang clear as she swung her flail in the heart of the defense line.

This was possible because the dragon’s magic was seeping into them as well. The Platinum Blessing, radiating from the Mantra circuit around the stronghold, enveloped them all.

So this is why mages and demons work so hard to create their domains.

The omniscience that Ian felt at this moment was almost godlike. However, he knew better. This sensation of absolute power was an illusion, a trap. He'd seen too many succumb to it, their arrogance leading them to death—often at his own hands.

Even at the moment, the energy of the Matra circuits was depleting at an extraordinary rate.

"Right. There's no end to this without going all out," murmured Ian.

Even that lich, carrying thousands of wraiths like a roaming domain, a feat only possible within the demonic realms, was no exception.

"Not since Trun Kehass has anyone given me such a thrill, Dragon's Agent!" Carmiel’s voice rang out as he finally emerged in full. At the same time, his lower body sank into the throne, and skulls imbued with teal energy began to clatter and gather around.

—Strange. This one's leaving his weakness fully exposed.

Yog's faint, groggy whisper tickled Ian's mind before fading again, suppressed under the crushing weight of draconic power. However, Ian didn't bother to look for the weakness Yog had referred to.

Swish!

Ian leaped upward from the staircase, soaring through the air. A demon lieutenant was charging at him, bringing down a massive war hammer.

Swoosh—Boom!

The hammer struck the staircase, shattering stone into clouds of debris and sending shockwaves rippling outward.

The impact propelled Ian higher into the air, his body practically carried by the force. As he ascended, he glimpsed the lieutenant in detail. He noticed the crimson armor riddled with cracks; unlike knight lieutenant or ghoul-looking fairy, this one was purely skeletal.

Jagged teeth lined its skull, horns jutted from either side, and its shoulder blades stretched back into crimson, energy-infused wing bones.

Whoosh...

Its hollow sockets glowed with ghostly fire, locking onto Ian's trajectory as he rose. But in that instant, Ian's focus shifted entirely elsewhere. His Intuition had sounded a warning.

Swish!

Four violet streaks of magic streaked toward him like bolts of lightning. Ian twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding one as it grazed his head, while another passed dangerously close to his side.

Ian's gaze immediately focused on the fairy perched atop a distant rooftop. Her red hood fluttered as she prepared to draw her bowstring once more. The gathering energy swirling like threads of power was anything but ordinary.

Pointy-Ears. Always a headache.

As Ian thought, power surged in his grip around his Light Sword. It was a reckless move that would surely wear down the blade's durability, but such concerns were secondary at the moment.

Whoosh—

The amplified Light Sword shone brilliantly as the draconic energy surged into the Mantra circuit. Ian twisted his upper body as if wringing out every ounce of strength and swung his right arm with force.

Ssshhh—

A brilliant arc of energy slashed through the air, cutting diagonally. The elongated blade of light tore through everything in its path: wraiths, buildings, and even the wall where the fairy lieutenant had positioned herself, bow at the ready.

This feels stronger than most spells.

Just as Ian felt a fleeting sense of disbelief, the severed buildings collapsed. The fairy, cleaved in half along with her bow, was swallowed by the debris with the undead lurking below.

Ian twisted his body further and shifted his focus to the towering figure of the demon lieutenant he had leaped past earlier.

Thud, thud!

It hadn’t been agile to begin with, and only now did it turn around, hefting its war hammer again. It likely hadn't even realized that the fairy providing covering fire was dead.

Not that it would care, even if it knew.

At the same time, Ian raised his blade high above his head, and slashed it downward in a brilliant white arc.

Swoosh!

The angle didn’t allow for much strength in the strike, but the blade forged by a dragon’s magic had no need for such force.

Slash—

The white arc cut diagonally through the demon's crimson pauldron, the chest plate beneath the base of its wings, and even the chaotic remnants of the staircase beyond.

Boom!

The demon's upper right side, still gripping the war hammer, slid off at an angle. A blinding flash of magic shattered the demon's body into pieces.

Ian, landing mid-turn after the attack, slid backward across the ground. The radiant blade of his sword left a long scar etched into the earth before him.

Woosh...

At the same time, the precariously flickering light of the Light Sword faded away. In its place, the TrueSilver Steel Sword beneath revealed itself, its pure white edge gleaming. The overloaded Mantra circuits along the surface of the blade quivered faintly.

As expected, I can't use this for a long time.