Similarly, the adult Blue Dragons, while in their sleep, must have continuously emitted the purifying power they possessed.
When Amelia grows stronger, she will purify their darkness, and they will surely return to their original state.
However, there was something they had overlooked.
They had not considered the possibility that the curse in the darkness could taint them in return.
âThey were arrogant.â
Rune immediately extended his hand.
âLetâs start. Eat the snack I gave you earlier.â
As the group put the candies and jellies in their mouths, a sweet and sour taste spread.
Amelia felt the pain subside and accepted it calmly, while Blackmiâs eyes sparkled as she felt her body becoming much faster and stronger.
âBlackmi, are you ready?â
Rune, too, held a milk-flavored candy in his mouth and began to draw in the darkness from the giant dragons.
The Blue Dragons, who were covered in darkness as if they were in a pitch-black ravine, gradually revealed their skin, which had been mixed with curses and darkness.
The Blue Dragons, whose skin had deteriorated to a dark purple, looked as if they had bruises all over them. Their bodies, larger than Christinaâs when she materialized, twitched intermittently.
Rune watched them, his tension rising.
âTheir skin is rotten.â
The dragon scales were corroded in places. The skin, which was being consumed by the curse faster than it could be purified, was severely damaged.
Rune turned to look at Amelia.
Her hand, which held the spear, was trembling.
âListen carefully, Amelia.â
The mermaid, whose shoulders twitched, heard Rune speak calmly.
âIf you donât fight now, your parents wonât be freed from the curse of corrosion and madness. You came here to stop that.â
Ameliaâs lips parted, and a sigh escaped.
[Iâm... Iâm sorry. I know... I know.]
âKnowing it doesnât mean everything will go well.â
Amelia was still a hatchling who hadnât fully grown.
But, given that they had come this far, he couldnât afford to consider such circumstances.
Rune decided to take a tough stance.
âIf youâre going to keep feeling anxious, you might as well say you canât do it. Youâll lose nothing. Youâll just go back to how things were.â
âIf you give up... Iâll come up with a different plan without you.â
Blackmi, who had been listening, was surprised and opened her eyes wide.
The usually taciturn Dullahan also turned to Rune, trying to gauge his intentions.
<Youâll be excluded from this team.>
These words made Amelia feel a fear that she might lose the opportunity to choose her place forever.
âThough I said that, I actually have no immediate plan to proceed without Amelia. Her help is needed to absorb all the darkness from her parents, the adult dragons.â
Still, he gave her the option to give up, using her determination to reclaim her place to his advantage.
Amelia, who didnât want to return to her unfortunate past, steadied her resolve.
âI... will never go back to how I was before!â
Biting her lower lip, a purifying power surged from Amelia.
Turning her head, Amelia looked at Rune.
Her gaze, which was now calm and deep, was hard to imagine as the same one that had been anxious just moments ago.
[Rune. Give me the signal.]
Rune nodded and signaled to Blackmi.
âLetâs start with Blackmiâs charm.â
Blackmi, who had participated in countless deep-sea field purification operations, was already prepared to use her charm.
Confirming this, Rune broke the final seal, instantly drawing in the dark veil that covered the Blue Dragons.
The <Charm> of the succubus would work for a brief moment, now that their minds had been immersed in darkness and curses for a long time.
Blackmiâs power seeped into the Blue Dragons.
The water elementals, the Blue Dragons, affected by the sticky darkness, only for a few seconds.
Seizing the moment, Amelia chanted the purification incantation.
The white burst of the <Purify> incantation enveloped the adult dragons.
The slumbering ruler of the sea raised its head.
The pupils of the giant beast rolled.
Their eyes, filled with sorrow and madness, began to glare at them.
As the two giant dragons turned their faces toward the group, they stiffened, sensing the danger.
Ameliaâs face turned pale as she spoke, and Rune clicked his tongue.
âI expected it wouldnât be easy, but...â
âDragon breath is coming. Retreat.â
Following Runeâs signal, the group maintained a certain distance and moved out of the Blue Dragonsâ line of sight.
Feeling the cold sweat on his back from the fear (breath) that spread, Rune indirectly sensed the Blue Dragonsâ power.
âThis is intense. Itâs going to be hard to fight them head-on.â
However, despite his words, Runeâs red eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect of battle.
âItâs difficult to directly counter the fear (breath) of an adult dragon. Iâve only drawn in the dark veil that covered them. To properly absorb the power of the dark elementals, the source, I need to use a different method.â
Rune extended his hand to absorb the deep-seated darkness in the Blue Dragonsâ bodies, taking advantage of the moment they didnât attack.
But the power didnât return to him.
It felt as if the power trying to return to Rune was tightly held by the Blue Dragons.
Until now, he had never failed to recover darkness.
Ignoring Runeâs confusion, the two dragons opened their mouths.
âItâs a breath attack!â
A dragon, larger by a head, unleashed a whirlpool from its gaping mouth.
As if tracking their escape route, the water column swirled from the point of impact and rushed toward them at a terrifying speed.
Blackmi, whose tail feathers stood on end, instinctively fled outside the range of the breath attack, and the others managed to escape without being caught.
The deep-sea floor was gouged out.
Even the other dragon unleashed a breath attack with a slight delay.
A house-sized water whirlpool sucked in the surrounding water and pierced through the ravine walls.
Shivering, Blackmi quickly approached Rune, and the Dullahan also stood in front of them in a defensive stance.
Amelia, who had quickly joined them, was breathing heavily, perhaps from the shock of the backlash.
âThis is strange. They... they rejected the purification... It was a strong resistance...â
âThey rejected the purification?â
Amelia nodded in response to Runeâs question.
This was unexpected by everyone.
âLord Rune. What do we do now?â
Blackmi, unsure of what to do, asked Rune.
âIn the most unusual situations, the reasons are often more distinctive and clear. Once we find it, things will be easier.â
His calmness, which showed no particular disturbance, was overly composed for a child, but it gave the others a strange sense of trust.
âThereâs definitely a way to resolve this situation.â
For a brief moment, Rune exchanged glances with the Dullahan.
âDistract them. Iâll find a way.â
The Dullahan immediately ran to the groupâs right and opened a black hole.
Even with Runeâs magic protecting their hearing and mental strength, the sound of death was terrifyingly clear.
The dragons instinctively sensed the danger and turned their bodies toward the Dullahan.
All of them are children, so Rune remained even more calm as he observed the dragons.
Rune combined the information he had.
âTheir bodies are already rotten. Whatâs the reason for rejecting purification and holding onto a power thatâs as toxic as poison in this state?â
Is it because they want the power of the Black Dragon clan?
Is it because they have a strong sense of duty as balancers?
Rune immediately dismissed the thoughts that came to mind.
âIf itâs sweet, theyâll swallow it, but if itâs bitter, theyâll spit it out. A thirsty person instinctively swallows water.â
The curse, a poison, was too strong for them to absorb the power of darkness.
These individuals stubbornly rejected Runeâs power, which aimed to extract it.
But it didnât seem to be due to a sense of duty as balancers, as they even rejected Ameliaâs purification, which could stabilize the darkness they carried.
âIs it because theyâre in a state of madness and canât make rational judgments?â
Rune continued to observe the two dragons fighting the Dullahan.
Water sprays rose, and due to the difference in water density, even in the sea, tidal waves surged.
The dark knight, holding a sword as black as ink, instantly split the incoming tidal wave.
âThis is strange. Their attacks are monotonous.â
Rune soon realized the reason.
The dragonsâ attacks were threatening but thoroughly defensive.
The Dullahan, too, instinctively understood and began to maintain a safe distance while responding.
âDespite their immense power, theyâre not paying attention to us. Moreover, theyâre not moving from their spot, which is unusual. This is a fight to protect something.â
Rune was stunned by the thought that flashed through his mind.
Rune, with an unreadable expression, gave an instruction.
âYes. Preferably as a hatchling around my age, or even younger if possible.â
Amelia tilted her head in confusion but lowered her spear and transformed.
A small, blue-scaled Blue Dragon hatchling.
Rune stood in front of the Dullahan with the hatchling, who was about the size between Blackmi and Baiye.
Ameliaâs clear, water-like eyes met the eyes of the adult Blue Dragon, which were high above.
Amelia, facing the adult dragon in its raw, madness-induced state, had a clear water film form in her eyes.
Rune calmly observed the dragonâs actions.
The Blue Dragonsâ roars, trapped in the curse for hundreds of years, tore through his ears.
The water vibrated, and the shock waves reached inside them.
Surrounding rocks shattered and fell, and the mountains of sediment crumbled.
The two long necks churned the deep sea, causing the currents to become chaotic.
The Dullahan caught the rocks and other debris swept up by the currents and the dragonsâ tail movements with both hands and threw them in another direction.