Chương 49: Chapter 48

The battle had begun. The dragon hovered high above the battlefield, its massive body casting a shadow over the banquet grounds below. The safe house stood at the edge of the battlefield, separated from the main conflict by a distance of nearly a football field. The system had intentionally placed the outer layers of protection away from the main group, creating space between the host and the battlefield while allowing the barriers to surround and protect them. Ronin believed it would be a quick fight.

In his previous life, aside from the cosmic beings, creatures such as dragons were not opponents that could truly threaten him. They were powerful, dangerous, and capable of destroying entire cities if left unchecked, but against someone like his former self, they were still manageable. He had fought beings far beyond them. He had survived battles that should have been impossible.

So when he prepared his sword, channeling his mana into the blade and calling forth the dragon's blessing in an ancient tongue, he had no doubt that the attack would be enough. He would execute the fifth layer of the Empire's Swordsmanship. He would end this battle before it could truly begin. Ronin moved. His body accelerated upward, his figure cutting through the sky as he rushed toward the dragon. The sword in his hand carried the power and technique that had once been second nature to him. The strike landed.

But the moment his blade pierced through the dragon's scales, something felt wrong. His body flinched. Not because of fear. Because it could not handle the power. The technique was correct. His understanding was correct. But his current body was not the same one that had performed this technique countless times before. The strength he remembered was no longer there. The physical ability he had spent years building was gone. His current body could not support the level of power he was trying to force through it.

Ronin's eyes widened as he found himself suspended in the air, his sword buried deeply within the dragon's body near its heart. The dragon's claw descended. He needed to remove his sword. Now. With every bit of strength he had left, Ronin attempted to pull the blade free before the attack reached him. But his body refused to cooperate. The gap between what his instincts demanded and what his current body could accomplish was too great. The claw was already falling. Then... The dragon stopped.

Its massive body froze. Ronin looked up in confusion. The creature's black eyes slowly shifted. A deep crimson color appeared within them before fading back into darkness, almost as if another presence had briefly surfaced. A presence that did not belong to the dragon. The moment the strange pause occurred, Ronin finally managed to free his sword. But his body was already falling. His mana was unstable. His muscles were exhausted.

And his current body could no longer support the movements his mind expected it to perform. Before he could crash into the ground, a figure appeared beneath him. The head maid moved faster than anyone else on the battlefield. She caught him midair and immediately carried him away from the center of the fight, placing him safely outside the range of the dragon's attacks. Ronin's expression darkened. Something was wrong. There was another person controlling it. Perhaps...

Perhaps the soul they had sealed was not the true person controlling the dragon. His gaze followed the direction the dragon had turned toward. His heart tightened.

"Everyone, stop!" His voice echoed across the battlefield.

"The dragon is about to attack the safe house!" But it was already too late. The dragon opened its mouth. The magic gathering inside was different from before. This was not ordinary fire. This was a mass of dark magic condensed into a single attack. A black flame surged forward, heading directly toward the safe house. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. At that speed, no one could stop it. …

Furen Boswe, who had been fighting alongside the other nobles while attempting to attack the dragon's reverse scales, froze when she saw where the attack was heading. Her vision darkened.

"No..."

"No, no, no, no..." The words escaped her before she even understood why she had spoken them. Again. Again? What did she mean by again? Her breathing became unstable. She had never seen this scene before. She had never experienced this disaster. Yet something inside her screamed that she had. A feeling of terror. A feeling of despair. A feeling of watching something precious disappear right in front of her eyes. Why? Why did she know this was a disaster?

Why did her body react as though it was remembering something her mind could not? Memories began flooding into her. Scenes she had never lived. Pain she had never experienced. Loss she had never suffered. Yet they belonged to her. They did not belong to her. Furen clutched her head. Something was wrong. There was another version of herself inside these memories. Another Furen who had already witnessed this tragedy. Another Furen who had already lost everything. But she was not that person. She was Furen Boswe.

She was standing here. In this moment. In this timeline. So why did those memories feel so real? Why did another version of herself feel so desperate to stop what was happening? Her vision trembled.

"Why..."

"Why can I not change anything?" The despair from those memories began consuming her. But just as she felt herself being pulled under, something inside her body began to change. Heat spread through her. Her mana surged. The nobles immediately realized what was happening. Furen was approaching a breakthrough. But there was no time. They had two choices. They could risk their lives attempting to stop the attack and possibly fail. Or they could protect Furen and allow her to stabilize her breakthrough.

They chose the second option. Several barriers immediately formed around her, and one of the nobles used transportation magic to move her away from the battlefield. However, Furen could not ignore what was happening. Her mind was being overwhelmed. The memories. The emotions. The power surging through her. Everything mixed together until she felt as though she was losing herself. She wanted to look away. Every instinct told her to stop. To focus on her breakthrough. To ignore whatever was happening outside.

But another part of her refused. Something deeper. Something carrying memories that should not exist. Her body trembled as she looked toward the outside world. The safe house. The place where everyone was gathered.

"It is almost destroyed..." Furen's thoughts became unstable.

"I..."

"I do not think I can do this again." Her soul trembled on the edge of deviation. Everything in her mind told her to focus. To stabilize. To continue her breakthrough. But she could not move her eyes away. Her mind. Her body. Something deeper within her told her that if she looked away now... She would regret it for the rest of her life. Then, just as everyone believed the attack would destroy the safe house... The fireball stopped. It struck something. A barrier. Furen froze. But the first barrier was not enough.

It shattered. The attack continued. Then another barrier appeared. Then another. And another. The dark flames continued forward, breaking through each layer one by one. The attack slowed. Its power weakened. Everyone watching became speechless. How many barriers were there? Who had created them? And how could someone create defenses of this level? While watching the barriers break apart, Furen slowly turned her attention back toward the dragon. Her eyes had changed. Something felt wrong.

Why was the dragon not taking advantage of this opportunity? Why was it not attacking them while they were distracted? It was almost as if... Someone was controlling it. And whoever was controlling it was distracted. Furen did not have time to think further.

"Attack now!" Her voice rang across the battlefield.

"While it is distracted!" Despite their confusion, the nobles immediately responded. They gathered together and launched their attacks. The Crown Prince attempted to move forward as well, but the head maid stopped him. He had only recently awakened. Continuing to fight at this level would damage his body further and could potentially leave him crippled. For now, he had to remain away from the front lines. As the others attacked, wounds began appearing across the dragon's body. One. Two. Three.

The creature remained motionless. Its attention was elsewhere. Meanwhile, Furen continued watching the safe house. Six barriers. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Just how many were there? And how was someone capable of creating such powerful defenses? Furen did not know what to feel. A strange emotion appeared within her. A feeling that did not belong to her current self. A feeling of regret. But why? Why would she feel regret? Something was wrong.

Even as her power continued rising, even as her breakthrough approached completion, she could not look away from the safe house. Finally, the eleventh barrier appeared. The attack did not kill them. Relief spread through her. But before she could fully relax... The dragon moved. Its claw extended toward the safe house. The nobles attempted to stop it. But the attack continued. The slash passed through multiple layers of barriers. Furen clenched her teeth. She knew this was not the time to keep watching.

She did not know who created those barriers. She did not know why they were protecting everyone. But whoever they were... She was grateful. However, she had to move. She had to overcome this obstacle. Because if she remained here any longer, more people would be injured. And she could not allow that to happen.