Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Chapter 36 - Dragon Burst
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The exact situation was unknown, but judging from the circumstances, it was a fragment of the spaceship Luther himself had arrived on.
Luther fell silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts in his head. Then he suddenly widened his eyes and asked,
"How old is it?"
The spaceship fragment had the effect of strengthening the earth dragons and monsters around it.
And that effect grew stronger the longer time passed.
Integra furrowed her brow in response to Luther's question, which reminded him of the giant lyca he had fought in the west.
[I cannot determine the exact time.]
[However, assuming it fell along with the first fragment, the degree of change in the earth dragons is relatively small for something like that.]
With a snap of her fingers, Integra brought up a new screen in front of Luther's eyes.
It was a graph comparing the size difference between the Baros he had encountered near the ruins of the Sky Citadel and the one he faced today, along with the extent of the giant lyca's mutation caused by the fragment recorded in the west.
[There are two hypotheses I can propose.]
[One is that the Baros only recently began to be affected by the fragment. The other is that the fragment remained in a dormant state until recently, when it started influencing its surroundings.]
Both sounded plausible.
"But the latter seems more likely, right?"
When Luther glanced at the graph and asked, Integra nodded.
[It appears that way.]
[Regardless of which, I believe we should prioritize recovery.]
It wasn't just about the upgrade from retrieving the fragment that mattered.
Leaving it be could birth a new kind of disaster not present in the original story.
'Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't looking forward to the upgrade.'
Especially since fragments, based on past experience, tended to provide more software upgrades than hardware ones, which made them even more anticipated.
'There's a high chance Integra's analytical abilities will improve.'
If he could analyze the Eight Divine Artifacts without needing another Integra's help, and even upgrade the existing programs...
'For example, turning 14 seconds into a full minute...'
A full minute still felt short, honestly.
[Master?]
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Luther startled and responded. Integra tilted her head and asked,
[Your physical data is fine... but is there somewhere you're uncomfortable?]
"No, just... something came to mind."
Luther brushed it off vaguely. Integra tilted her head again but soon returned to the main topic.
[I launched a reconnaissance drone before entering the Crystal Palace.]
[For now, it would be best to scout around the fragment using the drone.]
At Integra's crisp words, Luther's eyes widened as he asked,
"Huh? When?"
[While you were firing missiles like crazy. It seemed suspicious.]
It felt like just yesterday when she could only handle a single coin-sized drone, but now Integra could control several at once.
Moreover, she handled tasks on her own without specific orders, which made her all the more trustworthy.
"As expected of my Integra. So capable."
[Hehe, of course.]
Integra shrugged with a beaming smile, then quickly composed herself and said,
[Then I'll dispatch the drone toward the fragment.]
"Yeah, it wouldn't be wise to leave our post with Northern Black Tortoise down."
[Yes. Anyway, let's tend to Mina soon.]
[She's been staring at you with wide eyes since earlier.]
"Oh."
There was another person present.
Luther turned to Mina with an awkward smile. She hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously,
"Um... who were you talking to?"
Surely not talking to yourself, right?
At her somewhat anxious question, Luther fidgeted with his fingers before pointing at Schwarz and saying,
"Well, actually, I have a spirit attached to me. The one controlling Schwarz. I was just chatting with that spirit."
Mina fidgeted with her fingers similarly, glanced at Schwarz, then looked back at Luther and asked,
"The horse...?"
"Yes, and by the way, it's female."
Luther had meant that the female spirit Integra also controlled Schwarz, but it seemed Mina thought he was conversing with a female horse spirit.
'Well... it works out anyway.'
Whether Mina saw Integra as a female spirit or a mare spirit, what did it matter?
[Hold on, I have this feeling you're thinking something very strange right now?]
As always, Integra's insight was sharp, but Luther brushed it off as always and continued to Mina,
"I'll explain more about me once Northern Black Tortoise wakes up. For now, wouldn't you like to rest a bit too, Miss Mina?"
He hadn't fully mapped the Crystal Palace's layout yet, but he remembered there being an extra bed in the room where they had escaped and where Northern Black Tortoise slept.
Mina hesitated again at Luther's suggestion before nodding and saying,
"Then, if it's not too much trouble..."
After bowing her head politely and retreating into the room, Luther took a seat in the cockpit of Schwarz, transformed into Aqua Beetle, instead of following.
[You should rest too, Master. I'll wake you when the recon results come in or Northern Black Tortoise stirs.]
"Yeah, thanks."
Having fought three battles already today, mental fatigue had piled up.
After thanking her and closing his eyes, Integra gently stroked Luther's cheek and said,
[Initiating sleep mode.]
[Sweet dreams, Master.]
The gentle whisper faded along with his consciousness.
And some time later...
[Master, wake up.]
[Master?]
Luther slowly opened his eyes to the soft touch caressing his cheek. The first thing he saw, as always, was Integra.
Her warm smile oddly put him at ease. He closed his eyes slightly again and asked,
"How long... has it been?"
[1 hour, 41 minutes, and 17 seconds have passed.]
[Master, Northern Black Tortoise is awake.]
[Though it seems she forced herself up.]
"Forced?"
[Yes, the drone's scan shows she's still not in great shape.]
It seemed he'd need to check her in person to assess her condition properly.
Luther shot to his feet and headed straight to Northern Black Tortoise's room. True to Integra's words, she sat on the bed with a pale complexion, as if she had indeed forced herself awake.
[Doju seems to be sleeping deeply.]
Curled up on Mina's lap, she looked just like a puppy.
Luther returned Mina's polite bow and approached Northern Black Tortoise.
"Luther... is it?"
At Northern Black Tortoise's question, Luther nodded slowly.
"Yes, Luther. May I examine your condition?"
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she shook her head slowly at his cautious request.
"It's fine. Your treatment was spot on. What I'm struggling with now isn't a physical issue—it's mental."
She let out a long breath after that, then looked straight at Luther and asked,
"Luther, who are you?"
He had already received much help, but that didn't mean he could blindly place his trust.
At Northern Black Tortoise's question, Luther drew Clairheim Morr and declared,
"My name is Luther Lightseeker. I am an angel, the successor to the Sword Angel."
Mina's eyes widened in surprise at Luther's declaration, while Northern Black Tortoise nodded slowly.
"The Star-Cleaving Sword, Clairheim Morr... Indeed, the Sword Emperor's blade."
From her words, it seemed she had actually seen Clairheim Morr before.
In that case, she probably knew about the Sky Giant, another of the Eight Divine Artifacts?
[But Master, you seem to have omitted something important.]
'What?'
[You should say you're an amnesiac lol angel lmao.]
This devilish thing.
Truth be told, Luther had deliberately avoided it.
Being an angel was one thing, but introducing himself as an amnesiac angel felt off-putting.
[But... you might need to.]
And indeed, he did.
The word "angel" had filled both Mina and Northern Black Tortoise with expectant gazes.
'Ugh.'
Did he have no choice?
"Um... however."
"However?"
After taking a deep breath at Northern Black Tortoise's prompt, Luther said as confidently as he could,
"Due to an accident during my descent to the mortal realm, I've lost most of my memories. I'm recovering them bit by bit, but there's still much I don't remember."
Success.
He had avoided uttering "amnesiac angel" directly.
But meanwhile, Integra—now in devil costume—giggled and said,
[Descent lmao, he says descent.]
[Me, descent lololol]
Damn it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Luther had no time to banter with Integra.
Northern Black Tortoise spoke up again right away.
"You claim... to be an amnesiac angel?"
"Yes... that's right."
[lol]
[lololol]
As Integra rolled on the floor laughing, Northern Black Tortoise continued with a serious expression.
"I see. Understood. It wouldn't be right to doubt my benefactor too much. You wield the Star-Cleaving Sword and possess power akin to the Sword Angel, so I'll believe you."
"Thank you."
From her words, she had clearly met the Sword Angel in person as well.
[But Master, asking about the Wild Hunt and the Divine Beasts' connection should take priority.]
Integra, who had just been rolling on the floor in laughter, now spoke calmly as if nothing had happened.
Luther felt an urge to pinch her cheek but restrained himself in front of Northern Black Tortoise—and he agreed it was the right call—so he focused on the conversation.
"The ones who attacked Doju and you are likely the Hecatoncheires."
"Indeed, I think so too. Dragonkin acting in groups are rare."
Northern Black Tortoise took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping as she continued,
"The Hecatoncheires attacked us probably because of the Wild Hunt... the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
The periodic frenzy of the earth dragons.
"Luther, how much do you know about the Wild Hunt?"
"Not much in detail. Just general knowledge—like it happens periodically, and every few years it occurs on a much larger scale than usual."
Northern Black Tortoise nodded slowly at Luther's answer, closed her eyes gently, and said,
"There's actually one hidden condition to the Wild Hunt. We Divine Beasts are suppressing its energy."
"The energy of the Wild Hunt... you mean?"
"Yes, that's the root cause behind it."
Opening her eyes slowly again, Northern Black Tortoise gazed at Doju sleeping on Mina's lap and continued,
"We Divine Beasts don't know the origin of the Wild Hunt's energy either. We only know it bewitches the earth dragons every year, causing anomalies. That's why previous generations of Divine Beasts suppressed that energy to minimize its scale as much as possible... and we of this generation have inherited that duty."
In other words, the Divine Beasts were responsible for scaling down the Wild Hunt.
"Then the reason the Hecatoncheires targeted you Divine Beasts..."
"To trigger a frenzy in the Wild Hunt, no doubt. If they had another goal, they wouldn't have attacked all Divine Beasts simultaneously."
Northern Black Tortoise clenched her teeth, her gripped fist trembling.
She had spoken relatively calmly, but the Western White Tiger and Southern Vermilion Bird were already dead, and Northern Black Tortoise Chaldea herself had suffered severe injuries.
Moreover, if Luther hadn't intervened, Eastern Azure Dragon Doju Yerang would have lost her life too.
A simultaneous assault on the Divine Beasts.
The resulting unleashing of the Wild Hunt.
'Then... in the original story, did the Hecatoncheires succeed in eliminating all the Divine Beasts?'
[That seems to be the case.]
[Doju would have died immediately without you, Master.]
[The Western White Tiger and Southern Vermilion Bird are already gone... but with Northern Black Tortoise and Eastern Azure Dragon alive, it's much better than the original.]
Just as Integra said.
But instead of rejoicing, Luther focused elsewhere.
'Doju Yerang.'
The Eastern Azure Dragon would have died without him.
That was undeniable.
But what about Northern Black Tortoise?
Would she have died without his treatment?
Northern Black Tortoise Chaldea's injuries were severe, no doubt. But she was a divine beast, not human. Even without his intervention, she might have recovered eventually, just a matter of time.
If his hunch was right, then perhaps her death in the original had another cause?
Some other factor that led to her demise was still lingering—
"Kia!"
The two white snakes coiled around Northern Black Tortoise's neck and waist suddenly let out a screech.
Northern Black Tortoise leaped to her feet and hissed toward the ceiling.
At the same time, Integra shouted,
[Master! Powerful life signatures are approaching the Crystal Palace!]
In that moment, Luther understood.
The factor that ultimately killed Northern Black Tortoise in the original.
The reason she had forced herself awake from sleep.
'Hecatoncheires pursuers.'
A low-grade dragonkin had come for Doju Yerang.
But it seemed unlikely they'd send a low-grade one after an adult like Northern Black Tortoise.
That left mid-grade dragonkin.
One mid-grade dragonkin might be manageable somehow—
[Master! Emergency!]
[Sharing drone feed and view!]
Luther reflexively closed his eyes, and a new scene unfolded in his mind.
Mid-grade dragonkin charging toward the Crystal Palace, leading at least dozens of earth dragons.
Not just one.
Two mid-grade dragonkin were heading for the Crystal Palace.