Chapter 25

Barbarot glared at the Red Wyvern soaring in the sky and gripped his sword tightly.

Then, in the next moment, he dashed forward, driven by a strong resolve to knock the Red Wyvern down.

"Barbarot!!"

A knight positioned himself as a stepping stone and called out to Barbarot, who was running. Understanding the knight's intention, Barbarot used him as a launchpad and leaped high into the air. However, even then, he still couldn't reach the height where the Red Wyvern was.

"Magic team! Wind!"

Barbarot, floating in mid-air, gave orders to the mages below. The mages cast the wind magic Barbarot needed, aiming it at him. The gust from below propelled Barbarot even higher. The sheer force caused him to lose his balance, but he reached the height where his sword could reach the Red Wyvern.

However, the Red Wyvern was not just a passive observer. It took a deep breath, intending to counterattack the fool who sought to take its life. The moment Barbarot was within striking distance, the Red Wyvern unleashed its most powerful breath attack.

The Red Wyvern's scorching roar, capable of melting even iron, quickly engulfed Barbarot. The knights watching from below were expected to be filled with despair at the sight. However, none of them were in mourning. This was because everyone knew what kind of man Barbarot was.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Just as the knights had hoped, Barbarot, engulfed by the Red Wyvern's breath, let out a mighty roar while enveloped in flames. He swung his sword in a spiral motion.

Behold.

This is the man who will kill you.

Die with regret.

In Barbarot's eyes, the Red Wyvern's eyes were reflected. His sword moved cleanly toward the Red Wyvern's neck. Barbarot felt a definite sensation that this was the decisive blow.

In the Red Wyvern's eyes, Barbarot's eyes were also reflected. As the sword approached its neck, the moment before it was decapitated felt like slow motion, and the Red Wyvern couldn't stop regretting.

Why didn't I run?

Why did I think I could win?

Where did I go wrong—

Barbarot's sword decapitated the Red Wyvern. The last thing the Red Wyvern saw was the man who killed it.

Ah... I misjudged this man—

The Red Wyvern's head and body fell to the ground with a loud thud, and it was completely dead. Barbarot also landed near the Red Wyvern's corpse but knelt down, showing a pained expression.

(Gr... Taking the magic directly was tough.)

Because he couldn't reach the height where the Red Wyvern was, the mages had to use wind magic to give him a boost, but there was no lack of recoil. The gust had to be powerful enough to lift Barbarot, a grown man, into the air. Additionally, Barbarot was wearing armor, which added to his weight. Therefore, the mages had to use their full power, leading to Barbarot's current state.

When he was hit by the magic, adrenaline had kicked in, putting him in a state of excitement where he didn't feel the pain. But now, with the Red Wyvern defeated and his mind relaxed, the backlash hit him all at once.

However, thanks to Barbarot's efforts, the knights were inspired, and the wyvern hunt was nearing its climax. Only five wyverns remained, and even without Barbarot, they could win the battle.

But an unexpected miscalculation occurred. The Red Wyvern, the boss of the nest, was dead. With the boss gone, the wyverns no longer needed to follow its orders and decided to flee.

The five wyverns, desperately fending off the knights' attacks, all fled at once. The knights tried to pursue them with arrows, but they couldn't catch up to the wyverns' full speed. As a result, the knights made the mistake of letting five wyverns escape.

Worse still, the direction the wyverns fled was toward Zeato. It was certain that the wyverns would attack Zeato. Injured wyverns would seek food to recover their strength. The ecosystem had changed due to the wyverns, and the creatures and animals they preyed on had moved to new habitats. Therefore, there was only one place where they could easily find food.

Human settlements. The wyverns didn't know this; they just happened to flee in the direction of Zeato, which was fortunate for them.

Five wyverns were heading toward Zeato.

The knights, though they wanted to pursue the wyverns, were mostly injured from the previous battle and lacked the strength to chase them. The captain, however, couldn't let them go to Zeato, so he gathered the lightly injured knights to pursue the wyverns.

"Hurry back to Zeato! Only those with light injuries should follow. The rest, stay alert and focus on recovery!"

The captain, leading the lightly injured knights, rushed to Zeato, keeping the wyverns in his sight as they flew toward the city.