677
Chapter 677
'Bahamut?'
Zeke couldn't help but be surprised at the massive dragon with scales as dark as darkness before him.
Bahamut's heart was inside his body, and his fangs had become his sword.
He couldn't believe that Bahamut, who had been destroyed except for his heart and fangs by Terakan Draker's sword, was here in complete form on the abandoned continent.
GRRRR!
While Zeke was unable to understand the current situation and was bewildered, Bahamut looked at him with yellow eyes and made a threatening low sound.
Looking into Bahamut's eyes, Zeke realized one thing.
'Has it lost its reason?'
Dragons were great beings with strength and wisdom greater than any creature in the mortal realm.
And Bahamut, the shadow dragon, was known to be the strongest and most exceptional among such dragons.
Yet now this Bahamut only showed signs of wariness while looking at Zeke, showing no signs of communicating or conveying any intention.
Zeke recalled from the past images left in the ark how Terakan Draker had planned to cross the Dark Sea to this abandoned continent to revive the dead Bahamut.
'Could it be that Terakan Draker revived Bahamut's dead body here?'
Zeke silently looked at Bahamut bound in chains.
At that moment, Bahamut raised its head and opened its mouth wide toward Zeke.
GRAAAAAAH!
Soon an enormous roar echoed toward Zeke.
RUMBLEEEE!
The cavern shook as if it would collapse under Bahamut's pressure.
Then the chains binding Bahamut began to glow.
WOOOONG!
The glowing chains restrained the excited Bahamut.
Bahamut, who had tried to raise its body, could not move further due to the chains and had to lower its body again.
GRAAAAK!
Though Bahamut tried to break free, it could not escape the tightening chains.
Zeke recognized the nature of the chains binding Bahamut.
'Solomon's chains.'
They were identical to the chains he had inherited from Terakan Draker.
Zeke could be certain that it was Terakan Draker who had revived and imprisoned Bahamut here.
'So Terakan Draker really came here... but where did he go?'
GRRRR!
Bahamut, forced to lower its posture by the constricting chains, flashed fierce eyes and scratched the floor with sharp claws.
Surprisingly, the deeply scratched floor immediately restored itself to its original state.
Seeing this, Zeke could tell that the entire space was made of remarkable power.
'Who created this place? Terakan? Or perhaps another constellation created it?.'
Various questions swirled in Zeke's mind.
Ultimately, the answer lay with the revived Bahamut before him.
After contemplating, he slowly approached Bahamut.
"Ruler of twilight, Bahamut."
He addressed Bahamut while looking down at it.
Bahamut, forced to stay on the ground by the chains, continued sending threatening glares as if not understanding Zeke's words.
Looking at Bahamut, Zeke spoke again.
"I am the one who inherited your heart. I have no intention of threatening the great shadow dragon, so accept me without worry."
With those words, Zeke slowly extended his hand toward Bahamut.
CRACKLE!
Plasma sparked from Zeke's hand.
He had tried to access Bahamut's mind to read its memories, but a solid mental defense had repelled him.
'Not easy.'
Even for Zeke, it wasn't easy to break through the mental barrier of Bahamut, who possessed power stronger than divine dragons with divine authority.
Zeke approached Bahamut and tried pushing his divine authority more strongly.
CRACKLEEE!
Again, strong plasma formed between them and scattered in all directions.
Moreover, this time Bahamut opened its mouth wide toward Zeke and let out a roar.
GRAAAAH!
Bahamut was roughly resisting as if telling him not to enter its mind.
But Zeke needed to find out what had happened to her, as well as what had happened on this abandoned continent.
WOOOONG!
Zeke didn't give up and activated overclock to raise his divine authority further.
The divine authority of ‘One Who Crossed The Walls’ was fully manifested, and finally, he could cross Bahamut's solid mental barrier and step inside.
[Accessing the mental world of the ruler of twilight, Bahamut.]
Zeke, upon accessing Bahamut's mental world, couldn't help but be surprised.
A vast space unfolded before his eyes as if a massive universe had spread out.
'Is this Bahamut's mental world? Amazingly vast.'
If he made a mistake, it seemed he could get lost here and become trapped in Bahamut's abyss.
Sensing the danger, Zeke tried to find his way in Bahamut's vast mental world using the Akashic Code.
WOOOONG!
After connecting the Akashic Code to Bahamut's mental world, he thought he could find the necessary information with the Sage's Eye.
Just as he was about to put this thought into action, light began to emanate from the pattern engraved on Zeke's chest.
WHOOMWHOOMWHOOM!
Bahamut's heart absorbed in Zeke's core was causing a reaction.
At the same time, Leviathan, which had been in Zeke's inventory, appeared before him.
TSSSSS!
Surprisingly, Leviathan had returned to its original form as the black sword Bahamut, before the Great Sage had changed it.
The black sword Bahamut, taking the form of a black claymore, began to synchronize with the pattern floating above Zeke's chest.
Then unfamiliar patterns appeared glowing on the sword's surface.
'That's...'
Zeke showed a surprised expression upon seeing the unfamiliar patterns appear on the black sword Bahamut.
Then another surprising thing happened the black sword Bahamut changed direction and pointed somewhere with its tip like a compass.
WOOOONG!
Then light shot from the sword's tip and extended somewhere into the vast mental world.
Looking at that light, Zeke realized that the black sword Bahamut was guiding him somewhere.
'Could Bahamut be calling me?'
He looked at the beam of light shot from Bahamut, then moved toward where the sword was pointing.
In the vast universe that seemed endless, he moved following only the light emitted by the black sword Bahamut.
After moving for a while, Zeke discovered something at the end of the light.
'A portal?'
Surprisingly, Bahamut had opened a portal leading somewhere.
Zeke slowly stepped toward the open portal.
Soon a black curtain fell before his eyes.
* * *
"Bahamut."
Zeke opened his eyes at the sudden voice.
And he couldn't help but be surprised at the being before his eyes.
'Chronos?'
The dragon of time, Chronos, was before him.
But instead of asking that, a completely different voice flowed from his mouth.
"Claudia Lubern. How many times must I tell you that's my name now."
Hearing the woman's voice that flowed out regardless of his will, Zeke realized the current situation.
'Claudia Lubern? That's Bahamut's name when she polymorphed. Then I've now... entered her past?'
Zeke had entered the body of Claudia Lubern, when Bahamut had polymorphed into a human.
When Zeke, having grasped the situation, looked at Chronos, she was looking at Claudia with pitiful eyes.
Her gaze was directed exactly at Claudia's stomach.
"So it's come to this after all."
Claudia's stomach that Chronos's eyes fell upon was greatly swollen.
While stroking her swollen belly, Claudia said to Chronos.
"If you've come to talk nonsense again, leave. My will won't change."
At her words, Chronos furrowed her brow and said.
"Bahamut. This isn't something that can be changed just because you're being stubborn."
At Chronos's words, Claudia frowned and raised her voice.
"If you're going to talk about that damned fate and prophecy again, save it!"
She had struggled using every method to escape from that damned fate, but it was impossible to escape from the wheel of what was called destiny.
In the end, she came to feel love for the human Siegfried, and made a contract with him by giving him the name Terakan.
And now the fruit of that love was growing in her belly.
Looking at Claudia who refused to listen to her words, Chronos said.
"The being growing in your belly. That child stands at the center of all this fate."
Claudia showed fierce eyes at her words.
"If you're thinking of taking my child, leave right now. I won't forgive even you, Chronos, for that."
CRACKLE!
Strong lightning of light suddenly rippled and shot out from Claudia's body.
Looking at Claudia, Chronos sent a gaze of pity.
"Poor Bahamut. Once you were the great ruler of twilight with power stronger than any dragon, but now you can only use power equivalent to a mere human mage."
In response to her words, stronger electricity surged through Claudia's body.
"Ha, look who's talking! Chronos, I know you can't even use your powers properly anymore, let alone make prophecies, yet you dare to bluff in front of me? Go back to your tower right now! Hurry!"
CRACKLE!
The electricity that surged from her excited body flew towards Chronos.
CRACKLE!
However, when Chronos raised her hand and made a slight gesture, the electricity flowed backwards as if time was being reversed, returning to Claudia's body.
Seeing this, Claudia's golden eyes widened.
"How?"
After the Hero King disappeared, she had exhausted all her karma to seal the soul of the Treacherous King who had summoned the Demon King.
Though she barely maintained her form while staying in the physical realm, it was impossible to use her original powerful abilities.
Chronos, who had used the power of time, looked at Bahamut and said,
"It took a long time, but I was able to recover some power. I need to prepare for the 'Final Chapter' that's approaching."
Claudia glared at Chronos and said:
"I'm sick of hearing about your damned prophecies. Even though demon creatures are crawling up from the demon realm, the Demon King can never be resurrected. His soul is perfectly sealed."
At those words, Chronos shook her head.
"Perfection does not exist."
She looked at Claudia with pitiful eyes again and said,
"Sometimes noble love can become the beginning of tragedy."
Sensing something was wrong, Claudia slowly rose from her seat.
She glared at Chronos with flashing golden eyes.
"Step back. Even if it's you, I won't forgive any more interference in my life. Even though I can't manifest in my dragon form..."
HISSSSS!
Shadows began to surge and rise from beneath her feet, and hands stretched out from those shadows trying to grab Chronos.
But surprisingly, the shadow hands that approached right in front of Chronos stopped.
When Claudia looked at Chronos with a surprised expression, she slowly opened her mouth,
"My power of time and your power of shadows both come from the God of Chaos. You and I are connected by the name of chaos. Because of that, you should know that you cannot harm me with that power."
Before the God of Chaos was sealed under the name of Goddess Theia, they left their power divided in the physical realm.
That power manifested in the form of the strongest beings in the physical realm, and those created this way were Chronos the Time Dragon and Bahamut the Shadow Dragon.
The two dragons were no different from children born of the God of Chaos.
Though she knew what Chronos said was true, Claudia became even more enraged as she realized there was truly no way to stop them, and generated a massive electrical discharge.
CRACKLE!
Just as that electricity was about to engulf Chronos.
HISSSSS!
Surprisingly, the electricity Claudia created vanished instantly.
At the same time, the door opened and a man with dragon eyes walked in.
Zeke realized that the magical field flowing from the man's body was neutralizing Claudia's magic.
Chronos opened her mouth looking at him,
"It's been a while, Terakan."
It was Terakan Draker, the protagonist of the Dragon Slayer legend, who had appeared.