Chapter 307
Chapter 307
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: Chapter 7-1. The Sixth Fragment, Requiem
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"Ah…!"
Iris's eyes widened at the sudden change in surroundings, and she let out a voice from beside him. Arhil, Lime, and Judah were equally startled. The first sensation upon passing through the pillar of fire was mana far richer than in the scorching lands—several times over. It wasn't just abundant; an enormous amount seeped into their bodies, to the point where simply staying here seemed like it would increase their total mana reserves.
What met their eyes were buildings made of stacked bricks and beautiful streets. The structures were mostly enormous, likely to accommodate the vastly differing heights of various sub-races, though clusters of small houses dotted some areas.
The streets were wide and pleasant, with flower beds and trees placed at regular intervals for a refreshing feel. The passersby embodied the dragonkin nation's diversity: a 2-meter-tall, muscular orc strode by with his back straight, flexing his muscles; alluring elves walked with their shapely thighs on display. Palm-sized fairies flitted about laughing, and a dwarf dashed past with a bulging backpack, apparently in a hurry.
A long-bearded old man in neat attire clutched a thick book under his arm and leaned on a staff as he ambled slowly down the street. It was incredible. Judah had visited the capitals of many nations so far, but none impressed him quite like this dragonkin land, where diverse sub-races lived together so casually.
The passersby hadn't noticed Judah's group yet. As the dragon head smoothly revealed itself fully in the street's center, weaving around sub-races and carriages with its tail, those nearby finally took notice.
"!?"
The sudden appearance of the monstrous creature and Judah's group startled the onlookers, who backed away. Even the horse pulling a carriage—dozing beside them—whipped its head around at the dragon head, panicked, and bolted at full speed. But it veered off the road, smashing the carriage into flower beds and trees until it lay in ruins. Chaos erupted in an instant.
"Run!"
"The guards will be here soon. Stay calm and move!"
Sub-races screamed in flight or retreated in fear. The dragon head licked its inner teeth with its three tongues, savoring the sight as if drooling over potential prey. But assuming Judah would stop it, the dragon head refrained from any rash actions, content to gaze at the "food." Unhappily for it, even if it had acted out, Judah had no intention of intervening.
Instead, he felt troubled by the situation. In the game, upon entering this realm, the dragonkin princess—Dragonkin Queen Esther Selion's mana would drive the sub-races berserk, stripping them of reason and sending them rampaging.
The main quest involved fighting them off, reaching the imperial palace, defeating the rampaging Esther Selion, and claiming the fragment. But now, the scene before them wasn't her mana-induced frenzy—it was peaceful daily life shattered by a monstrous intruder.
'Not berserk yet…?'
Judah glanced at the Protection Stone in his hand. Its runes had glowed until moments ago, but now there was no reaction. Infusing a bit of mana made them light up again.
'This is a problem.'
Since the mana surge affected the sub-races, it might impact his group too.
-The guards are coming.
Iris tapped Judah's shoulder and showed him her memo. In the direction she pointed, several dragonkin appeared on rooftops. Their horns were especially striking. Armed soldiers—not just dragonkin—rushed along the streets too.
Checking the , most of the neutral gray dots shifted to red in an instant.
"Tch."
Judah sighed as he watched. With the dragon head in tow, fleeing wouldn't be easy. Just as he wondered if they'd have to fight the dragonkin here, the surrounding mana began to vibrate.
"…Mana?"
Lime behind him murmured with wide eyes.
Wooooong!
As the mana shook, the air trembled unnaturally. Judah realized this was an omen.
"Lime! Layer up shields—now!"
He immediately ordered the dragon head to crouch and poured mana into the Protection Stone. Inside Lime's multi-layered defensive spells, a blue barrier formed additionally. Through the overlapping shields—now opaque from outside—the pillar of fire could be seen surging toward the sky.
Kwaaaaa─────!
A sharp mana pulse spread like a shockwave, crumbling buildings and hurling nearby people away. In the distance, fairies, elves, dwarves, and orcs alike flew into the air amid collapsing structures. Some sprayed red blood; others, torn apart, trailed entrails with torsos severed from legs.
The pulse instantly engulfed Judah's group, huddled like a turtle in their multi-layered shields at the street's center. Of Lime's five outer barriers, three shattered on impact.
It wasn't just one wave. Ripples followed like those on water. Fortunately weaker, they broke the remaining two, leaving only the Protection Stone's shield. Tiny cracks suggested its power had waned but remained formidable.
Someone swallowed hard.
It might have been Judah himself. No further shockwaves came. Instead, nearby explosions rang out. Boom, kwang—deafening blasts sent smoke billowing and flames roaring. Distant booms shook the ground like bombs detonating.
Judah cut off the mana to the Protection Stone. The barrier vanished instantly.
"Ah…!"
Arhil gasped from behind.
The once-beautiful street was gone. The sub-races who fled from Judah's group now lay shredded by the shockwave from the palace temple at the capital's heart, discarded like trash.
Among them, a small dwarf's corpse caught Judah's eye. Arms and legs twisted grotesquely, neck missing. Crushed under the heavy bag on its back—it was heartbreaking.
"Ugh—"
Lime dry-heaved. Judah felt nauseous too—not from the gore. The once-rich, dense atmospheric mana had seeped soothingly into their bodies, but now something alien mixed in, roiling within and provoking revulsion. Unable to articulate it, he frowned; Arhil promptly blessed him.
Unsure of holy magic types, he felt the nausea fade as her holy power seeped in.
Thud!
"Kyaa!"
Tense from the abrupt change, Arhil screamed as a building collapsed nearby. Her cry triggered roars from all directions.
Kraaaaa!
Not everyone died. Those indoors or skilled survived—body-trained warriors, mana users, mages…especially dragonkin, most likely.
But soon, they'd succumb to the distant Requiem's mana, rampaging mindlessly like zombies toward the fire pillar. Anything in their path would become enemies to smash and kill.
──────!
As Judah thought, the distant pillar flared brighter and hotter. From rubble, a dragonkin rose—the one who had glared at them from a rooftop earlier.
Hoo!
Breathing raggedly, he fixed on Judah ahead. Scales protruded from his neck up to his cheeks, tinged faintly red. He slammed his long tail down and charged.
"……."
Before Judah could move, Iris swung her scythe. The Black Silhouette blade extended instantly toward the charging dragonkin, but he kicked off the ground, leaping over the attack.
"Kyahaha!"
Mid-laugh in the air, his scaled arm—claws extended—flew off in a second strike.
"!?"
Stunned, he tried retreating on landing, but Iris's follow-ups severed his limbs; he collapsed. The watching dragon head snatched the immobile dragonkin with its tongue, crunching it thoroughly—tough stuff.
Judah heard Lime mutter beside him, ignoring the dragon head as he eyed crumbled buildings, debris, corpses, and rising black smoke with roaring flames.
"…The academic debate on how the mighty dragonkin nation fell overnight—it was like this? Unbelievable."
"Not the time to space out."
Judah stepped over rubble toward the pillar, watching dragonkin charge—scales covering them, bounding on all fours like beasts. Fast even to him; to Arhil, they'd vanish before her eyes.
"Heading for that pillar?"
"Obviously."
Lime's face twisted at nearby roars and screams.
'They won't die, right?'
Terrifying. That dragonkin's speed was insane—dodging Iris's scythe, which swept blue lance knights aside. Hitting with magic? No confidence. But he glanced at Arhil.
She activated holy spells sequentially, face resolute to follow Judah.
'Yeah, no way back anyway.'
Regrettably, no return method known. As Lime wrestled internally, Judah watched her bless Iris, Lime, and himself in turn. A flush colored her cheeks.
Despite herself, her trait reacted even here. Recalling the antidote from freeing elf slaves in Uruun from nobles—
'Sage Time!'
An aphrodisiac antidote, it should suppress her trait too—undeniably lust-suppressing. Judah checked <Bag>.
'Got it.'
Of course. He'd kept the oddly named potion expecting a use.
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[Name: Antidote - Sage Time]
[Grade: Rare]
[Description]
An antidote that calms raging lust, typically taken for seizures from aphrodisiac overdose. Post-consumption, one transcends all like a sage, temporarily disinterested in everything. Thus named 'Sage Time' by its creator.
-Sage Time (Passive): Instant-effect potion suppresses bodily lust within 30 seconds of ingestion. Profuse sweating occurs, but it's just expelling aphrodisiac components—no issue.
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He double-checked the description. This would calm Arhil.
"…What is it?"
She asked in a slightly excited voice.
"Drink. It'll…cool your body's heat. Just a sip, keep it for later flares. Sweat's normal—ignore it."
Eyeing the liquid suspiciously, she nodded, took it, uncorked, and sipped before Judah's eyes. She winced at the taste but swallowed—throat bobbing.
"Tastes bad."
Judah chuckled at her complaint.
========== Author's Note ==========
1) ......
The unity in the comments is impressively strong.
But. Well, no.