The final killing move had already been used. The Moriah rocked helplessly amid the wind and waves.
There were no experts aboard capable of directly clashing with Dragon Kind through Spirit Words, nor were there warriors who could slaughter dragons with cold weapons in hand. They were like ants trapped inside an iron can, awaiting the final Judgment.
Eerie laughter rose from the raging waves, low and frivolous, carrying a childlike cheerfulness as it echoed around the ship.
"Did... did you all hear that?" The Third Mate's voice trembled.
"You heard right..." Mans's voice was dry. "It's the dragon laughing. It's... mocking us."
The Dragon Servant lazily swayed its long tail, savoring the hunt. Like a cat that delighted in tormenting a mouse before devouring it, it intended to make these humans who had dared disturb the Monarch's slumber welcome death in utter despair.
Suddenly, a crimson streak tore through the curtain of rain.
Like a rainbow piercing the sun, like a comet striking the moon, the light bore the majesty of Heavenly Tribulation as it pierced the Dragon Servant's head above the water. The dragon let out a wail like an infant's cry. Its frantically writhing body churned up a massive whirlpool on the river, while some invisible force eroded its life force and dark-red patterns rapidly spread beneath its scales.
"What was that?" The sudden turn of events horrified everyone aboard.
Before long, the enormous creature in the water stopped struggling. It became a corpse, bobbing with the waves, its eyes wide open in death.
Only then did Selma make out the true form of that red gleam—
An ancient-looking Bronze Sword!
The blade was roughly three fingers wide and about three feet long, like a bronze sword unearthed from some Warring States tomb. An open, monstrous eye