Chapter 29
Chapter 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Estelle's Arrival
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Leyzon swallowed his astonished reaction inwardly.
Bold enough to target his own undead? He hadn't expected that.
There might even be others gunning for undead besides the Death Dragon.
"What happened to those guys?"
"Not a single one came back. Don't know what went down after that."
As expected, they all died.
Well, whose undead were they?
It'd be a real problem if they got taken out somewhere.
"Then there was one guy who asked if any necromancers like you were hunting for the Death Dragon."
Leyzon's eyes clouded with puzzlement.
"Dunno why, but he said to give him a heads-up if anyone sniffing around for the Death Dragon showed up. Then he split."
What a weirdo.
Not even bothering to hunt the Death Dragon himself.
Asking to track down the guys hunting it instead.
"So you gonna contact him?"
"Hmph. That was over five years back. Haven't heard a peep about the Death Dragon's envoy since."
The Death Dragon was something only a tiny handful knew about to begin with.
Hell, even that bare existence was basically legend status.
Now? Safe to say nobody knows jack.
"Got it. So where exactly is this Death Dragon at?"
Leyzon asked while fishing gold coins from his pocket.
The old woman snatched them up like it was her due.
"Center where eight ranges converge, they say. That's all I got."
"Eight ranges. Points right to the top of the Ged Mountains."
Leyzon cracked a faint smile.
That nailed down where the Death Dragon might be hanging out.
Now he just had to hoof it there himself.
"Thanks."
Leyzon knocked back the liquor she'd poured him and stood.
Glancing over, he spotted Hanok Wilbria deep in chat with Rani.
Hanok popped up the second their eyes met.
Rani looked bummed about the brief meet.
They'd be sticking around Ged Village a good while anyway, thanks to the dungeon.
Could always send Hanok her way now and then.
"Leyzon, get what you needed?"
"Yeah, solid intel. Nice guiding, Hanok."
Leyzon reached out and ruffled Hanok's hair.
Hanok wagged his tail, looking pleased.
"Heading out?"
"I'll swing by sometimes."
Leyzon wrapped up goodbyes with Rani too and stepped outside.
Sky had gone dusky, sun dipping low.
But no sweat.
With Syria around, night played right into Leyzon's hands.
"Syria, Hanok. Let's move."
Time to track down the Death Dragon.
Summit of the Ged Mountains.
True to the old woman's word, it was where eight ranges converged.
Mountains piling up to forge that towering peak.
That was the summit.
As they climbed, the air chilled bit by bit.
Snow patches dotted the ground here and there.
Trees shifted to hardier cold-resistant breeds.
Altitude kept climbing.
Trees vanished entirely now, snowfields dominating.
Icy snow gales whipped in.
Life signs thinned out.
Just the hush of falling snow echoing around.
The Shadow Wolf pushed for the summit.
Across that snowfield.
One Shadow Wolf strode on.
Syria Nosferatu's Shadow Wolf.
Crunch, cruuuunch―.
That's when snow began dumping slow from the sky.
Heavy clouds unloaded flakes that blanked vision.
Normally, cold and whiteout would grind progress to a halt.
But none of that fazed the Shadow Wolf.
Didn't feel the cold, and hell, it had no eyes anyway—no vision block.
Syria saw the world through shadows.
So the wolf blew right past the blizzard.
Leyzon fed Hanok jerky and took in the snowy vista.
Plop― pat―
Snow quit before long.
They'd busted through the thick cloud deck, gaining height.
Air thinned out.
High altitude achieved.
"Leyzon, near the summit now."
Leyzon peered past the shadow at Syria's words.
Scenery sprawled into view, just like she said.
Lofty cliffs stacked with snow and ice.
Dizzying to even gaze at.
Shadow Wolf didn't give a damn, kept going.
"Estelle's supposed to be here."
All white nothingness. Tough to spot squat.
Possible to find Estelle in this?
Followed the old lady's tip.
But pinning it down? Daunting as hell.
"Hmm. Cause a ruckus maybe?"
Right then, Syria piped up.
"Estelle's super territorial! Stir up trouble, and she'll show her face, right?"
Trash the place to flush out the homeowner.
Leyzon mulled it over.
Ged summit was ghost town central. No people.
'No eyes on us.'
Better than aimless wandering.
"Do it. Syria, go full throttle."
"Time to show my power!"
Syria's red eyes gleamed.
Syria stepped out of the Shadow Wolf.
Onto the snowfield, arms stretched wide for a big yawn.
Then hands slapped down on her hips.
"Here we go."
Her blood and red shadow erupted at once.
They surged skyward, merging up there.
Blood magic. Shadow magic.
Two forces tangled, fusing together.
"Oh."
Leyzon clocked it late and froze.
Told her to go wild, and she's prepping something massive.
"Leyzon, call it off now?"
Hanok's face screamed worry.
Leyzon trusted Syria, nodded.
"My call. We watch."
Plus, the magics were fully blended now.
Way past stopping.
Gales whipped up around Syria's spell.
Forest quaked like aspens in a storm.
Mountain shuddered, like it feared the raw power.
"Uh, for real?"
Hanok pressed anxiously.
Leyzon nodded, face set.
"...For real."
Alarm bells clanged in his skull.
But Syria.
Leyzon knew her power wouldn't touch him.
Then the black-red orbs swirled into taiji pattern.
Syria's lips curled in a manic grin.
"Attribute fusion."
Ah, she's pulling that out too.
Leyzon realized she'd been itching to flex her new juice.
Makes sense. Fresh power.
No practice runs till now.
Prime chance to unload.
'Go wild, Syria. You've earned it.'
Leyzon shut his eyes.
Soon, black-red radiance gushed from the finished spell.
Clap!
Syria smacked palms to backs of hands.
The whole area got devoured by black-red light.
"Chirp, chirp chirp!"
Birds bolted skyward at the boom.
Clouds vaporized wholesale, rewriting the view.
Trees way down below flattened away from the blast.
Avalanches roared in spots, pure chaos.
Pure-white blood-red smoke billowed thick into the heavens.
Leyzon gawked at the spectacle, lost for words.
Tinnitus screamed in his ears.
Shadow and blood rampage had erased a whole damn mountain.
Ged Mountains' summit just lost some height today.
'Should've packed shades.'
Hanok had ducked behind Leyzon already.
Ears clamped shut tight.
His sharp senses made the blast and flash brutal overload.
Had they not been tucked in the Shadow Wolf?
They'd be vapor, no question.
Mountain wiped clean off the map.
Corruption Lv. 19.
Dawned on him fresh what that packed.
Syria's scary strong.
Gotta step up my game for her.
Hit teen phase like some sulky daughter? No reins in sight.
"Ah, Leyzon, check it!"
Leyzon still dazed, Syria bounced like a kid.
Head snapped her way.
A colossal dragon blotted the sky, inbound.
Body stretched endless, bones filling horizon to horizon.
Dragon dread leaking off it withered plants outright.
Bone joints flexed through cloud gaps.
Pupils huge as moons and suns.
Death Dragon's presence crushed with awe.
Leyzon's shock doubled down.
"...That's Estelle for real?"
Purple glare pouring from dragon eyes chilled bone-deep.
Fury-laced timbre hit, dragon's aura rattling everything.
Full-on natural disaster vibes.
Death Dragon, Estelle Aragon.
The pint-sized precious snake from Leyzon's past? Long gone.
'That's Estelle.'
Freaked when he heard Syria was Vampire Queen.
But that was visually tame-ish.
Estelle? Whole other league.
Scale gap too vast.
"Estelle!"
Syria hollered from her blood-magic platform mid-air.
"It's me!"
Hands planted on hips, she declared it bold as brass.
Leveled the Ged summit flat.
Still that cocky? Syria's built different.
Estelle clocked her right off.
Death Dragon eyes flared.
Didn't seem thrilled for some reason.
Yup. Peeved vibes from Estelle.
Like bumping into your least favorite chore.
"...You were holed up in your corner too, y'know?"
Syria's brow twitched.
Long lashes framing murderous red glare.
Guess "corner-dweller" rubbed her wrong.
"Hah, as if I'd lump us together?"
Syria snorted derisively.
Dragon bones jerked.
That line basically claimed she outranked Estelle.
"I've been doted on nonstop by Leyzon and grown strong! Obviously leagues above you, Estelle!"
Boom!
Sky quaked.
Death Dragon thrashed clouds, shoving its head forward.
Blast of scorching wind rattled trees.
Undeniable murder lust baked in.
Syria met it dead-on, cool as ice, head tilt.
Then flashed a toothy grin.
Sudden pitch-black murder lust flooded from her.
Crack!
Intents collided, black sparks ripping skyward.
Sky stained black on the spot.
Sun itself ducked their killing auras.
"What're you gonna do about it?"
Leyzon knew it then.
Bad blood between these undead.
Real bad.