Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 81

The moment the drake appeared, all sound in the area vanished. Fear was one of the signature traits of dragon-type monsters. Compared to the true Fear of a real Dragon, it was nothing, but a drake’s presence alone could make A-rank monsters buckle at the knees.

This was the power of a monster that truly ruled at the peak of the food chain. The forest, suffocated by that presence, fell silent. Every living thing, plant and animal alike, was frozen in place as if trying to ignore the death looming right before them.

“What do you think we should do?” one of the giants asked the other.

The two Titans did not flinch. Facing the drake’s blood-red pupils head-on, they simply discussed how best to face the monster.

The giant holding the axe spoke first.

“One of us could stay behind to stall for time while the other runs to the nearest outpost for reinforcements?”

“The nearest outpost is half a day’s distance.”

“Ah.”

Both Titans cracked dry smiles at the same time.

“Each to their own survival, then?”

“You think you can last half a day without getting caught?”

“Nope, no chance. Not unless we tear off one of its wings.”

“Not a chance solo. If we split, we’ll just die separately like fools.”

“Then there’s only one choice.”

Even with an S-rank calamity-tier monster right before them, there was no tremor in the Titans’ voices.

Within seconds, they burned their bridges. The giant who had thrown his spear drew a spare from his back, while the one with the axe grabbed another throwing axe in his free hand, ready to fling it at any moment. Their chances of winning were less than twenty percent, but if running guaranteed death anyway, then fighting it head-on was the only choice left.

The drake snorted a laugh down at them. The presence the two Titans gave off could’ve made a trained knight tremble. To the drake, however, it was nothing more than a passing breeze.

They were prey. Having decided how its prey would die, the drake spread its wings. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Hm...”

The giant with the spear let out a low growl. The hair all over his body stood on end as his instincts screamed of the strength right in front of him.

When the wings spread, their span exceeded fifty meters. Unlike wyverns, the drake’s body was layered with dense muscle and scales many times tougher, topped with two pairs of brutal claws. Its breath—whatever type it might be—would surely be monstrous as well.

The two giants paid attention to one thing above all: its movements.

“That monster knows how to fight.”

“This one wasn’t born in these mountains. Must’ve come from elsewhere.”

Despite its massive bulk, its movements wasted no motion. Its graceful wingbeats made no sound at all.

And that deep, abyssal hue of its scales—those scales seemed to blend right into the darkness. Even with their keen senses, the Titans hadn’t noticed it until it revealed itself. That couldn’t be explained away by mere camouflage.

It likely had stealth-type magic abilities.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

That was as far as the staring contest went. The drake, apparently bored of the staring contest, roared fiercely to command the wyverns.

Its influence enslaved the wyverns’ minds. Their eyes rolled back white as they bared their fangs at the giants they’d cowered from only minutes before. They were under the influence of Berserk; the command of a higher species stamped out their survival instincts.

“They’re coming!”

Three wyverns dove down at terrifying speed. Monsters that cared nothing for their own lives were many times more dangerous than usual.

The giants stepped back a pace, weapons at the ready. They would let the enemy strike first—then counter.

Unfortunately, the drake read that plan like a book.

“Kyeeeeeeeh!”

With a sharp cry, it ordered two wyverns to halt in midair and open their jaws while one dove straight at the Titans at full speed.

With no consideration for dodging or turning, there was only raw acceleration that covered hundreds of meters in mere seconds. If it crashed, it would die too, but under the drake’s control, the wyvern didn’t care.

“Krah!”

The giant with the axe met the suicide charge head-on. If he let that impact land, he’d die or be crippled. He had to slow it down or stop it altogether.

The throwing axe in his right hand flew like lightning. The axe and the wyvern’s head shattered together.

Its skull, tougher than its wings, quite literally exploded, and bone and steel shards scattered in a red spray of brains and blood. The wyvern’s body, however, didn’t stop. Headless, its massive corpse kept hurtling straight at them.

“Krah!”

This time, his left hand swung the axe in a blazing arc. The oncoming body split in two, crashing down to either side of him.

At that instant, the remaining two wyverns unleashed their Breath---flames hot enough to melt iron. The giant with the spear tried to spin his weapon as before but realized too late the drake had vanished.

Now, a massive shadow loomed overhead.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

The drake’s roar rumbled like mocking laughter. Without a sound, it dropped straight down on the giant. The giant barely lifted his spear to block the claws but could not stop the torrent of fire that came next.

“Kraaaaaagh!”

Flames engulfed his body. If he used Aura, he could sweep the fire away, but if he split his strength from protecting his body, the drake’s claws would surely carve out his heart.

Pinned in a cruel dilemma, the giant forced his spear up. It was futile, though, as the drake’s mass and strength were crushing. Ten more seconds of survival would be a miracle.

“Get off him, you overgrown lizard!”

Fortunately, he still had his comrade. A throwing axe slammed into the drake’s groin, drawing a howl of pain and fury as it took to the air again.

It had lost its chance to finish one of them off for good. The two Titans wasted no time and regrouped.

“Did you get all the wyverns?”

“Mhm.”

The one with the axe gave a short nod. That was why he hadn’t rushed to help immediately. The wyverns that breathed flame had dived down to serve as living shields. Even killing them all in ten seconds had almost been too slow.

“Cunning bastard, that lizard.”

The Titans glared up at the drake, eyes blazing with rage.

It was perfectly aware of the situation. If it fought both Titans head-on, it had maybe a twenty percent chance of losing. So it used the wyverns to pin one down and maim the other.

And the ploy had worked.

“Can you still fight?”

“My ribs are snapped in two places, and my right collarbone’s broken. If I can muster seventy percent of my strength, I’ll be lucky.”

Their odds of victory were now less than ten percent. Killing three wyverns had cost them dearly. Despite the odds, the two Titans readied themselves to fight to the bitter end.

Annoyed by their fearless stares, the drake bared its bloody eyes and roared.

“KWAAAAAAAH!”

In answer, Aura flared bright across the Titans’ massive frames. The battle was far from over. Two Titan warriors clashed once more with the flying calamity.

***

“The Titans are going to lose,” Leon muttered quietly as he watched the battle unfold.

More than a kilometer away, he and Karen stared at the clash between the drake and the giants.

Spears and axes, claws and fangs. Each time their weapons clashed, the forest was devastated.

A massive tree that could build a small boat snapped like a reed, and the leftover shockwaves reached all the way to their feet. It was less a “battle” and more a “war.”

“The Titans are running out of room to breathe.”

At a glance, it looked evenly matched—but it wasn’t. The giants hadn’t spent all their strength yet, and the cunning drake wasn’t pressing the attack needlessly.

It only seemed even because the drake was manipulating the flow, keeping the giants from regaining any rhythm. If they tried to press forward, it slipped away. If they tried to catch their breath, it stole that moment too.

“It’s going to wear them down. You’re telling me that is a monster?”

Karen, reading the drake’s tactics, spoke with a drained expression. An S-rank monster already terrifying in raw power, but using tactics like a person? It was a nightmare.

Leon agreed, narrowing his eyes. He’d heard the Titan Mountains’ depths were truly a realm of demons, but he hadn’t imagined he’d see a Drake on the first day.

It’s strong.

Not just the drake—the Titans fighting it were monsters in their own right. With ogre-like physical power, martial skill, and even low-level Aura, they were utterly terrifying.

One-on-one, he’d lose for sure. Even with Karen’s help, victory wouldn’t be guaranteed.

“What do we do?” Karen asked, and Leon hesitated.

They could sit back or join in. It would have been an easier decision if it were just some lesser monster, but that drake? Even if they joined in, the outcome was uncertain.

If they could help defeat it, they’d surely earn the Titans’ favor—but if they lost, they’d be diced up like minced meat.

El-Cid cut in, —Join in, or run right now. A drake’s awareness is far wider and sharper than you think. It already knows you’re here.

What?!

A kilometer away, hidden in the trees, completely out of sight—and it still knew? And neither of them was exuding any Aura, so it had simply sensed them, like a hawk spotting an insect on the ground from the sky.

—You’d better get two more kilometers away at least.

A detection range of three kilometers? That’s insane.

Leon swallowed dryly, unease prickling his spine. There was no time left to hesitate. If the giants fell, the drake would probably target them next. He had to choose now, and he made his choice.

“Let’s help.”

With that, he kicked off the branch and launched toward the distant drake. A kilometer wasn’t far for them. Thanks to the drake, the area was practically a no man’s land with no other beasts to worry about.

They bounded over dozens of trees as they closed in. The closer they got, the louder the shockwaves roared.

A throwing axe slammed into the drake’s chest but only cracked a few scales and drew a bit of black blood. Even a force that could’ve smashed a castle wall only managed to leave a scratch. As expected of a draconic monster, its defense was absurd.

“Kyaaaa!”

Annoyed by the tiny wound, the drake shrieked and swung its whip-like tail. Ten meters long, heavy, and so fast it left afterimages. It smashed through the air like a shockwave, missing a few times before slamming into the axe giant’s gut.

“Guh!”

The impact lifted the giant clean off the ground, hurling him dozens of meters away. If he hadn’t focused his Aura on his abdomen, his insides would’ve burst.

The drake didn’t mind the giant surviving its blow. It hadn’t expected a one-hit kill. Just breaking their formation was enough.

“Dammit...”

The spear-wielding giant wiped cold sweat as he readied his stance. They could barely hold their own two-on-one. A one-on-one, with one arm out of commission, was all but certain.

As he braced himself to burn his life for one last charge, a wave of light slammed into the drake from somewhere.

“Kreee?!”

It was a massive amount of Aura compressed into a single line, but it still didn’t do much damage. By massive, it was always by human standards.

To slice a drake in half with the Grand Chariot, it had to be wielded by at least a Swordmaster. Leon’s Merak only cut through a few scales and stung a bit.

Then, with a series of thwips, a rain of daggers slammed into the line left by Leon. Every blade that was buried deep was laced with poison.

Even buried to the hilt, the wounds were shallow.

“Tch. Damn tough lizard,” Karen clicked her tongue but readied her next strike.

They hadn’t expected much from the sneak attack anyway. All they needed was to force the drake’s attention and buy a moment.

“We’re joining you,” Leon said upon reaching the spear giant, handing him a handful of potions.

Surprised, the two Titans stared blankly at them, but only for a moment.

“Thanks. We needed that.”

The giant downed half the potions in one gulp, handed the rest to his comrade, and dipped his head. Without these two, he’d be dead already. The fragile balance they’d been clinging to was restored.

Leon locked eyes with the two giants and said, “We’d like to talk, but it seems like we would have to take that lizard down first. Can you still fight?”

Leon’s words were polite on the surface, but there was no mistaking the challenge. The two Titans grinned.

To need help from tiny humans and then be asked if they could still fight? Their grips tightened on the axe and spear.

“Of course!”

“I can do this all day!”

Leon didn’t push further. He just nodded, then turned to face the drake.

Its blood-red eyes sent shivers down his spine. Even so, he raised the Holy Sword and leveled the blade.

“Let’s go.”

As light gathered at the tip, the drake sensed the threat and spread its wings wide.

The true battle had begun.