TLWD 23

Chapter : 23.

 The Wastrel and the Chief Knight (2)

The frigid wind of the snowy mountains whipped across Kai’s cheeks like a tempest.

With every step closer to Gelu Drake, it felt as if death itself blew toward him, trying to crush his will.

…The pressure was overwhelming.

It was almost unbelievable that Adrian had endured this alone and still fought.

Kai couldn’t hide the tremble in his body as Gelu Drake’s overwhelming presence loomed over him.

And the moment the drake fixed one eye on him, Kai was seized with a fear so intense it felt like his very soul had frozen.

At that moment of life and death—

“Get a grip!!”

Adrian’s thunderous shout snapped Kai back to his senses.

‘That just now was…’

Dragon Fear.

The aura of terror that only dragons possess.

It went beyond simple fear, instilling overwhelming despair—an inescapable force that no life on this continent could resist.

Dragons reigned supreme above all living things.

In front of a dragon, every being was merely prey.

And Kai was no exception.

But Adrian was different.

Crouching low, Adrian shot forward once more, aiming for Gelu Drake’s flank.

He was completely unaffected by the Dragon Fear.

Even if it was a weakened version… how?

Gelu Drake whipped his tail wide, throwing Adrian back.

Then the drake retreated a step.

Kai instinctively moved to pursue.

But at that very instant, Adrian’s voice pierced through the air:

“Stop!!”

Kai froze on the spot.

He didn’t question why.

Because he knew too.

A creeping aura of death was leaking from Gelu Drake as it backed away.

…Something’s wrong.

Then, Gelu Drake took a deep breath, and a bluish cold mist began to gather in its gaping maw.

“It’s a Dragon Breath!”

Adrian shouted, and Kai’s eyes widened in shock.

Dragon Breath.

A breath attack where dragons expelled energy or matter from their mouths like a living weapon—hence the name.

It was known to be used by dragons or monsters possessing their genetic lineage.

Specifically, only those who had inherited a strong concentration of dragon DNA could use such an ability—a divine power.

‘He can use a breath attack…?’

That meant Gelu Drake had that much dragon blood within it.

No wonder it was called the ruler of the snowy mountains.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the true Dragon Breath.

And it seemed it couldn’t be used lightly, either.

Otherwise, it would’ve used it from the start.

In other words, Gelu Drake was also desperate.

Uncertain of victory against Adrian and Kai, it had resorted to its trump card.

This one attack would decide who was predator—and who was prey.

And the breath it exhaled now…

True to the name Gelu, it was a freezing blue frost.

Ice Breath.

Even if weakened, a direct hit from it would obliterate almost anything without a trace.

It had to be dodged.

This was not the kind of attack one could block or counter.

“Right now—!”

Kai shouted, but couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because the moment Gelu Drake opened its maw, brimming with Ice Breath, Kai realized how foolish it was to think of dodging.

The surrounding air instantly froze.

The sky darkened as a snowstorm raged down.

The frost spread—

KWAHHHHHH!!!

A torrent of pure-white icy breath poured forth like a waterfall.

Its cold, bluish light froze everything it touched.

The instant it hit, time seemed to stop—it all froze still.

The fierce cold blanketed the mountain and turned everything to ice.

In the path of the Ice Breath, it was as if a massive river of ice had formed.

…This was on another level from an avalanche.

So powerful that it could steal life in an instant, the breath surpassed even the wrath of nature.

There was no escape.

Could it even be blocked?

Kai hastily summoned his aura to shield his body.

Even so, his whole frame trembled like a leaf.

Kai believed it was just from the Ice Breath’s cold—

But then.

Adrian suddenly leapt in front of him.

KWAHHHHHHHHH—!!!

The chill of the Ice Breath engulfed him.

As Adrian crossed his arms to shield his face, the frost began freezing his skin instantly.

◆ Toughened Skin [D] resists the Ice Breath!
◆ Toughened Skin [D] resists the Ice Breath!

Transparent system messages flashed endlessly before his eyes.

Each time, the cold paused for a moment.

But even so…

Toughened Skin [D] alone couldn’t fully withstand the Ice Breath.

Crack, crackle!

In a blink, frost crystals spread over his body—from his fingertips to his arms, legs, and then his entire body.

Have you ever seen a person freeze rapidly?

Probably not.

It’s a rare occurrence, after all.

Most imagine it as just becoming an “ice statue.”

They think if they break the ice or melt it, the person would be fine.

But that’s wrong.

When a person truly freezes, it’s not just the outer body. The inside freezes too.

Blood and bodily fluids freeze solid.

They become sharp, solid, and expand in volume.

It’s like ice blades forming inside every blood vessel.

The result? Blood vessels and cell membranes are shredded apart.

Which meant Adrian’s were being torn apart, right now.

Only—

◆ Temporarily blocking sensory nerves!
◆ Skill ‘Regeneration [B-]’ activates to repair damaged body!

As his veins and membranes tore and ruptured, regeneration kicked in.

The pain was numbed by blocked nerves.

But above all…

‘Compared to the Lord of Frost… this is nothing…!!’

The Lord of Frost—Serapia—and her devastating cold.

Hers couldn’t be healed even by a saint’s miracle.

Her chill was far beyond the regenerative abilities of an ice troll.

It was the same cold that had taken the left arm of Hero Ian.

Compared to that, the Ice Breath pouring down now was practically warm.

Crack! Craaaack!

His frozen body turned bluer and bluer.

Even if degraded, this was still dragon power.

Adrian barely endured with Regeneration [B-], but that was it.

His limit was mere endurance.

And time was running out.

More importantly—Adrian could only inflict limited damage to Gelu Drake.

To truly wound the drake…

“Kai—!!”

As soon as Adrian shouted, Kai sprang into action.

Thanks to Adrian taking the Ice Breath head-on, Kai was unharmed.

Protected by aura, he escaped the blast radius.

Now, a deep blue aura swirled around Kai’s sword like a shimmering aurora.

A blade that could cut through anything.

And it was aimed—at Gelu Drake’s heart.

“Go for the neck!!”

Adrian shouted urgently, and Kai hastily adjusted his swing.

From a thrust to a slash.

But that sudden shift weakened the blow.

Slash—!

The blade struck—sharp and clean.

But shallow.

…He hadn’t cut through.

Would he have killed it had he gone for the heart?

Hard to say. Honestly, unlikely.

Gelu Drake’s enormous body, over 10 meters long, made reaching its heart near impossible.

Thus, Adrian’s call to aim for the neck was the right call.

Kai had misjudged in his haste.

But Adrian remained cool-headed even in that split second.

SCREEEEEEECH—!!!

Gelu Drake let out a terrible shriek.

Its neck wasn’t fully severed.

But it was half-cut—a fatal wound.

The Ice Breath stopped.

But the drake wasn’t dead yet.

The battle wasn’t over.

Adrian was now incapacitated. Kai had to finish it.

…Could he?

Kai gripped his sword again.

…He had to.

He poured the last of his aura into his blade.

Just as Kai bent his knees to charge—

Adrian stormed past him like a hurricane.

Kai’s eyes went wide.

Adrian—who should’ve been frozen solid by the Ice Breath.

His body should’ve been shattered by now.

‘How is he…?’

Through Kai’s shocked eyes—

Adrian was chewing something vigorously.

Even Gelu Drake looked startled.

It hadn’t expected Adrian to leap in again.

Focused entirely on Kai, Gelu Drake failed to react.

Adrian climbed onto the drake’s back in a flash.

Gelu Drake’s claws and fangs twitched with a spasm.

Its tail dragged along the ground, low and instinctively fearful.

A low growl escaped—but it lacked confidence.

There was no longer the presence of a predator.

No more overwhelming pressure of a mountain ruler.

Instinctively, Gelu Drake realized it was now prey, not hunter.

Adrian had taken the Ice Breath head-on.

But the one frozen in fear—was Gelu Drake.

And with that—

The roles of predator and prey were clear.

Adrian, the predator.

Gelu Drake, the prey.

Adrian shoved his hand into the drake’s half-cut neck.

He gripped its spine with brutal force—

And ripped it out.

CRACK—!!

That was the moment the ruler of the snowy mountain fell to its knees—

THUD!

—And a new ruler was born.