Chapter 117
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: White Dragon Solaris
Though it was called the White Dragon, the massive dragon arm emerging from the portal wasn't white in the slightest. It was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, indistinguishable from the true forms of those Underground Vermin scum.
Two arms appeared, followed by the enormous head of the dragon.
Then came the bulky torso, black wings far larger than Linian's fully spread ones, and finally, a long tail.
As the black dragon—its scales faintly white in only a few spots—fully revealed itself, an overwhelming pressure settled over their bodies, making it hard to breathe.
"Solaris...? N-No way, is that the White Dragon Solaris...?"
"The son of the one true sun... This can't be real..."
"The goddess's first creation from the Genesis chronicle... Why is it leading the Underground Vermin...?"
"Why...? Liniaras is on our side, so why is Solaris with the Underground Vermin...?"
Ravi, Elfin, Lenis, and Celine—all familiar with the name White Dragon Solaris—were utterly bewildered.
I'd heard the name before too.
The son of the one true sun, White Dragon Solaris; the daughter of the two moons, gold-silver dragon Lunarin; the daughter of the three twinkling stars, blue dragon Liniaras.
The three beings first crafted by Goddess Lunia in this world.
Superior to any race, stronger than any race, greater than any race.
In the game, the only one you could meet was the daughter of the three stars, Liniaras, but even she—going by the name Linian—was just a secretive informant NPC, so there was never a chance to feel her majesty.
I only knew from the lore that they were insanely powerful, and it was only recently that I'd gotten a real sense of Linian's strength.
And now, facing Solaris directly, I could instantly tell just how pathetically weakened the current Linian was compared to her original self.
Even with parts of her body partially restored and her power unleashed, the pressure from Solaris—fully embodying the dragon's form—made me want to pat myself on the back for not losing my mind right there on the spot.
Solaris looked down indifferently at Linian, whose body only partially took the dragon's shape, and spoke.
"Congratulations, Liniaras. You've finally reclaimed a part of the body you so desperately longed for. How does it feel? It must have been pure ecstasy, ready to take flight. Especially when you could spread those two wings again and soar freely through the skies—literally flying with joy."
"Shut your mouth!"
"If reclaiming just a part made you this happy, surely now you understand my decision?"
"No! It makes me understand it even less, you traitorous bastard! Mom could have been saved, and these scum wiped out—that would have been the end of it! But instead, you betrayed Mom and sided with these trash, playing leader for them and killing Lunarin?! All while sucking up Mom's power like a leech!?"
"Does my betrayal of the goddess bother you that much?"
"You call that a betrayal?!"
As Linian screamed, Solaris shifted its gaze to Luna.
Though she no longer held any divinity, Solaris immediately recognized her as the goddess's first creation—perhaps from the thousands of years spent imprisoning her in the grand cathedral, draining her power while seeing her face.
"Do you think the same, Goddess Lunia?"
"...Solaris."
Luna simply gazed up at the massive black dragon, her expression as blank as ever.
Celine, unaware that Luna was the goddess, and the members of the Goddess's Sword helping with the evacuation nearby all turned to stare at Luna in shock at the mention of "Goddess Lunia."
"Goddess Lunia...?"
"Who...? No way, that white lady is...?"
Solaris ignored them, fixing its eyes solely on Luna.
"Is my betrayal of you that unbearable?"
"...What meaning is there in questioning that now?"
"Mom! You don't have to dignify that old bastard's words!"
Linian stepped in front of Luna, growling fiercely.
Solaris scoffed and continued.
"As one of your very first creations, I served and revered you with all my heart."
"I know."
"I made the world abundant as you desired, watching the rise and fall of races without interfering, just as you did. I didn't like humans, but I never harmed them or meddled in their history. Everything followed your will—that if they prospered through their own greed, it was simply the natural order of this world. And what was the result?"
"......"
Boom!
The black dragon's massive foreclaw slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
"The Creator herself, forged long after the Genesis by lesser races like humans, gets captured, crashes to the earth, and becomes a powerless brood hen drained for their whims! On humans alone, even that fool Liniaras was right! They're greedy, restraint-less beasts who'll inevitably cause chaos if left alone!"
Solaris's voice rose in fury, and the two Underground Vermin—even as allies—shrank back under its intensity, unsure what to do.
"But you were too naive, too much of a fool to see the disaster coming right at you! I wouldn't have cared if you'd ruined yourself alone, but your fall stripped me, Lunarin, and Liniaras of the power to reclaim our original forms and the authority you granted us!"
"After centuries of tracking you down, I finally found you! And what was your state? Nailed to a cross, your power siphoned off, your divinity distributed to those sham holy warriors, returning corrupted and fattening these vermin even more!"
"W-What...?"
"Sham holy warriors...? The goddess's divinity corrupted and returned...?"
Celine and the Goddess's Sword members reeled, their entire worldview crumbling from the words.
Having vented its rage, Solaris's voice calmed slightly.
"So I abandoned you."
"......"
"Even if I'd slaughtered them all right there, the curse on your body would have kept weakening you until you vanished someday. Then none of us would ever reclaim our true forms. Even if you didn't vanish, a naive fool like you playing god would only lead to something even worse eventually."
Luna's expression turned sorrowful, while Linian's twisted into a demonic scowl.
"So I abandoned you and decided to extract every last bit of your divinity to become a god myself! I'll stand firmly above all, ruling them so they can never crawl up again—replacing the foolish, naive Creator who got backstabbed by her own creations and turned into a brood hen! No innocents will lose their forms or power in the awakening of some idiotic god! There's no place in the new era for an old-world Creator!"
Luna spoke in a voice heavy with sadness.
"You're right, Solaris. I was naive, unprepared, and suffered betrayal and exploitation because of it. But that doesn't mean a Creator should doubt, intimidate, or rule her creations through fear. You fail to understand that."
"After becoming a brood hen, escaping by dragging in another human, and now seeking revenge—can you say that after seeing yourself?"
"I didn't bring Alvis in for revenge. It was clear that once the traitors' plan succeeded, it wouldn't end with me—all life on this land would suffer the same torment."
"Sophistry."
"I can't help what you think."
Kaboom!
Linian and I launched ourselves at Solaris without a word, striking in unison.
My blade aura of light and Linian's magic slammed into its head dead-on, but aside from faint scorch marks, it showed no damage.
Swallowing hard inside, I kept my cool on the outside and spoke up.
"Listening quietly, this is hilarious. Let's say everything you said is true. Then why'd you kill that Lunarin dragon? Linian said you did it. Wasn't she kin? You said you'd prevent innocents from suffering because of a dumb god, but you're out here killing your own sibling before even becoming one yourself. Got any right to talk?"
"I can still picture Lunarin's state! You bastard... If your words had any persuasion, you wouldn't have done that to her at least!"
"I laid out my thoughts to Lunarin openly and hoped she'd understand. But after hearing me out, she flew into a rage and attacked. I tried reasoning to the end, but she ignored it and insisted on force."
"Yeah? Lunarin had her head on straight then! I'll stop your ridiculous god-game plan! And avenge Lunarin too!"
Solaris scoffed at Linian's words.
"Even at your peaks combined, you two couldn't beat me. Think you can now, alone and pathetically weak, against me nearly fully restored? Unless you're a scheming snake like Lunarin hiding tricks, a headstrong boar who only charges won't cut it."
"Raaahhh!!!"
Provoked, Linian roared in fury, thrusting out her dragon arms and charging, but Solaris casually blocked with its own black foreclaw.
Right after effortlessly blocking Linian's strike—the same power that had crushed Robert alive in one go—Solaris spewed black flames toward the Augster Shelter and commanded Bastol and Dantalion.
"Bastol, Dantalion. Reactivate the ritual on the shelter. The power in my flames will amplify your spell. Fail again, and you'll die here before them."
"Y-Yes, Great One!"
"Activating the ritual immediately!"
The two Underground Vermin slammed their hands to the ground, and crimson-black smoke billowed from the shelter once more. Fueled by Solaris's flames, it raged fiercer, the dark energy incomparably stronger than before.
"Guhk..."
"C-Can't... breathe..."
The amplified dark ritual engulfed the Goddess's Sword members aiding evacuations inside the shelter and the civilians yet to escape. One by one, they collapsed, life draining away.
"No! The people...!"
"Ravi, Elfin, Lenis, Celine! With my power infused in you, you'll be fine! Trying to pull them out one by one will be too late! Handle those two scum! I'll block this guy with Linian!"
Sensing instinctively that facing Solaris was impossible, the four dashed toward the Underground Vermin without protest.
Standing with Linian to block Solaris, I immediately activated the power of the Eye that Pierces Truth.
'Damn it all...'
Solaris, who had defiled and absorbed the goddess's divinity over countless years.
Its divinity dwarfed mine, so even my eye couldn't find a weakness.
As Solaris's overwhelming power made my mind haze, I couldn't read any of its info—but I could make out the necklace hanging from that massive neck.
S-Grade Armor: Necklace of Crossing Twin Moons - A precious necklace imbued with the authority of the Ancient Races. Grants passive skill Moon Dominion and active skill Lunar Eclipse. Perhaps it hides other effects.
P Moon Dominion: Enhances moon power, allowing all moon equipment to exert the strength of both full moon and new moon regardless of season, time, or period.
A Lunar Eclipse: Night falls in an instant, and a blood-red moon rises. The red moon blocks the sun, suppresses its power, and strengthens moon equipment with special force, dramatically boosting abilities and effects. Additionally, if all three moon equipment pieces are gathered, chaos ends, and the moon equipment is reborn anew.