Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 851 - 657: Dragon Slaying_2

Chapter 851: Chapter 657: Dragon Slaying_2

He seemed to have already guessed what Roger intended to say.

"I will leave Everworld."

"Then I’ll try to live as an ordinary person, live well, just as he wished."

"Me and her."

After speaking, she glanced at Roger and slowly walked down the mountain amidst the wind and snow.

Behind her, Ice Butterflies danced in the air, and Kensumi seemed trapped in a dream he would never awaken from.

Sword Master Cold Crow didn’t stop Yuuki Nao from leaving. To him, be it Yuuki Nao or Kensumi, they were merely pieces in the grand scheme of his plan.

Now Kensumi was dead, Meiryu was dead, and his consciousness had been severely damaged, leaving behind only the avatar—the Black Moon.

"You failed."

Roger stared at the phantom formed by Sword Master Cold Crow.

The old man’s face showed no sign of dejection from failure. Instead, he smiled calmly, "I underestimated you, and I underestimated him as well."

"Right now, you’re just a sword."

"Will you continue?"

Sword Master Cold Crow shook his head.

"I need to find a new Sword Bearer, even if they cannot fully wield my power." He looked at Roger.

"Will you try to stop me?"

Roger’s grip on the Sword of Destiny tightened.

Even though Sword Master Cold Crow had lost his physical form, reduced to a Monster Sword, and his consciousness gravely wounded, Roger still couldn’t guarantee victory.

Just as Roger was about to make his decision, a red light shot into the sky, and the surroundings abruptly transformed.

He turned around in shock, his eyes landing on the figure kneeling amid the ruins, emitting cries of agony.

It was Higurashi Gushan.

His arms, transformed into Twin Blades, crossed as they plunged into the ground, his entire body drenched in blood. Strangely, this blood did not flow naturally.

One part crawled across his skin, forming eerie symbols; the other part trickled down his arms, passing over the blade tips, forming a peculiar Array on the ground around him.

And this energy—it came from Higurashi Gushan.

From Sword Master Cold Crow’s memories, Roger learned that many years ago, in the Snow Mountain hut, Higurashi Gushan’s father had once fought alongside him against the Monster lingering outside the door.

The two men, facing a desperate situation, erupted with fierce resolve, with Sword Master Cold Crow awakening a hidden power within himself.

Later, as an adult on the brink of death, Sword Master Cold Crow once again received Higurashi Gushan’s aid. Despite his cold heart, he chose to spare him during the recent encounter.

But what he hadn’t expected was...

Crack.

The sound of fissuring bones emanated from Higurashi Gushan’s body. His eyes turned into vertical pupils like the Night Cat’s, and painful blood marks appeared across his face.

After a wrenching scream, Higurashi Gushan suddenly straightened his chest.

From his chest down to his navel, his body seemed to be split in two, and blinding light seeped out, piercing directly into the heavens!

"Ah... Ah!"

Above the void, an unknown region was breached, and Roger looked up, recognizing the familiar scene.

And the shadowy form of the Silver Dragon!

"She has arrived!"

Sword Master Cold Crow suddenly sighed, his tone filled with desolation.

Energy surged through the space, and it seemed the dragon was on the verge of awakening at any moment.

Sword Master Cold Crow turned his gaze to Roger.

"I prepared for this moment for many years, yet it still feels too abrupt."

Unlike the last time, the dragon’s awakening brought with it an intensifying power. Even if Roger couldn’t comprehend its magnitude, he could discern the disparity between Sword Master Cold Crow and the dragon.

Yet, at this moment, Sword Master Cold Crow’s face showed no sign of retreat—only burning determination.

"Run. You have no chance!"

Roger said.

"I know, but I cannot run."

"Let me tell you, Roger. For beings like us, when confronting such forces, there’s only one chance."

"Miss it, retreat, and hope will be severed forever."

"Watch closely. What I’ve endured, you will face one day too."

"Though the hope is faint!"

Boom!

Black energy surged from the heavens, Sword Master Cold Crow’s phantom flickered. At the same time, a beam of light pierced the sky from the direction of the mountain’s summit.

Roger squinted. Within that light, he felt a familiar presence.

It was Kensumi’s power.

Behind Sword Master Cold Crow, an enormous Three-legged Crow appeared out of thin air. When Kensumi’s power flowed into it, the crow’s aura exploded.

Next, fresh energy condensed from the corpse of Yatagarasu Akiryu. Roger’s expression shifted, and he quickly made connections.

The Three-legged Crow corresponded to the three successors.

Completely disparate paths, yet converging on the same destination.

Sword Master Cold Crow’s meticulous planning—for this day—had surely accounted for everything.

As the ground trembled, Sword Master Cold Crow ascended into the air. His aged phantom, the majestic Three-legged Crow unfurled its wings. At that moment, shadows emerged from the mountain summit, from the humble hut where Sword Master Cold Crow had spent over twenty years.

"This energy!" Roger’s face was filled with shock.

He had felt a similar presence once before beneath Maple Forest.

Recalling what the Mountain Woman had said, he quickly grasped the implications.

"Perhaps this is really his ultimate trump card for a counterattack!"

"To defeat that dragon, one must transcend the existing order, stepping beyond its rules!"

The situation had dramatically reversed. Not long ago, Roger and Sword Master Cold Crow had been poised for conflict, yet now, the sudden appearance of the Silver Dragon had pushed Sword Master Cold Crow to the edge!

"To overcome the Controller ruling over you, you must step outside their system. Your power stems from them, making it impossible to surpass them."

"Just as I’ve said before, our chance comes only once. Believe me, none know you better than it does."

"The same power, a second time, will certainly fail!"

Sword Master Cold Crow lifted his head. At this moment, all the energies had melded into one. His phantom and the Three-legged Crow vanished simultaneously, leaving only a pitch-black sword suspended in mid-air.

Black Moon.

Suddenly, the sky turned dark, and the world lost its light.

"I’ve waited far too long for this day."

"It’s time to end it."

Sword Master Cold Crow’s voice echoed. In the next moment, Black Moon vanished from the air. When it reappeared, it was already a hundred meters away.

The sword glimmered, Black Moon surged against the wind!

The next sight Roger caught was that of an enormous black sword blotting out the sky.

"With a weapon like this, even a mountain could be leveled," Roger exclaimed in awe.

Sword Master Cold Crow had forged himself into a sword, but it was not enough to slay the dragon. He needed immense power to drive it.

Roger wasn’t familiar with the exact nature of the Shadow Fragments hidden beneath Sword Master Cold Crow’s hut.

But they must be tailored for the dragon that loomed above.

Perhaps such an attack could only erupt once.

Everything—all of it—was to break free of constraints.

Roger’s heart grew heavy as he thought of his own fate.

At that moment, he saw the immense black sword strike against the space where the Silver Dragon was.

Darkness descended, and everything in sight lost its hue. Even sound itself was swallowed whole.

No explosions or resounding echoes—a void engulfed his senses—but Roger could feel Sword Master Cold Crow’s complete determination and resolve in this instant.

It was an indeterminate time before the deafening roar reached his ears. Black Moon’s size shrank, and its energy burned rapidly.

At the same time, the defenses encircling the space began to dissolve like melting ice.

Soon after, the space shattered.

"He succeeded. His plan worked!"

"A sword capable of wounding a Fifth Tier creature, a sword forged solely to slay a dragon."

The space shattered, massive structures disintegrated, and with a resounding dragon cry, the Silver Dragon coiled at the space’s zenith opened its eyes.

"Who dares?"

The dragon’s roar reverberated with terrifying fury.

Great claws extended and struck against Black Moon fiercely.

"So it’s you?!"

Disdain filled the colossal Dragon’s Eye.

Sword Master Cold Crow laughed madly. Under the dragon’s onslaught, the sword trembled, yet he barely managed to withstand the pressure.

"I’ve spent 140 years, and I’m finally standing before you."

"I’m here to slay the dragon and reclaim my freedom!"

"Ha..."

"How foolish."

The Silver Dragon sneered.

"Each time I awaken, I have to deal with you conceited mortals."

"Why do you always mistakenly believe that your escape back then was because of your own effort?"

At these words, Roger’s eyes widened suddenly. A horrifying possibility dawned upon him.