Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Crimson Shadow Onslaught
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The wall of fire crumbled, and a wave of red shadows came crashing down.
The wave of red shadows was enormous enough to engulf the entire reed field.
"Gaaahhh!"
"Aaaack!"
The Night Raven Knights inside the wall of fire were swept away in an instant.
They put up what resistance they could.
But no one could stand against an attack akin to a natural disaster.
Within that wave of red shadows...
"Keurk!"
One swept up in the wave barely managed to poke his head out.
He flailed his arms, desperately trying to regain his balance.
What the hell is this?
He was the Night Raven's Fourth Sword.
Four.
His face was filled with bewilderment.
They had formed up to take down Five, only for the wall of fire to collapse and this shadow wave to come roaring in.
What in the world was happening?
But he didn't have much time to collect his thoughts.
From within the shadows.
Someone was rapidly closing in on him.
Slash!
A slicing sound echoed from within the shadows.
Four's face hardened as a chill ran down his spine.
Slash!
The sound was drawing closer.
Soon, Four realized what it was.
It was the sound of Night Raven Knights caught in the shadow wave being cut down by a blade.
And the one doing the cutting was Five.
Flames erupted in Four's eyes.
Five was Syria's kin.
As such, Five moved freely even within the shadow wave.
Like a fish in water, Five closed in on Four at blinding speed.
Within the shadows, Five's eyes gleamed red.
Proof that he had activated his vampiric rage.
Four ground his teeth.
He took a deep breath.
And plunged back into the shadows.
Four gripped his spear tightly.
His faded golden hair whipped in the wake of the wave.
The storm-cloud robe he wore had already been torn away by the wave.
Revealing a face far more youthful than expected.
"That senior of mine..."
Four had originally been Five's junior.
He had learned the Night Ravens' ways and various knowledge from Five.
Five was curt but kind.
So Four had followed him closely.
In a way, he even respected him.
Until he finally surpassed Five and took his position, that is.
"With a senior like you around, why should I...?"
"Four, you're simply superior to me. Fulfill your duties as the Emperor's Sword."
After becoming Four, Five no longer treated him like a junior.
Five regarded Four with polite respect as his superior.
That fact left Four with a profound sense of loss in many ways.
Their relationship amounted to no more than this.
He had been the only one who was genuine.
Four grew disillusioned with Five.
After that, Four began ignoring Five as well.
And now, they faced each other as enemies, weapons drawn.
Four gnashed his teeth.
From senior to subordinate, and now to foe.
Damn this twisted fate.
"Let's end this, Five."
To settle things with Five once and for all, he ignited his fighting spirit.
High above the sky where the red shadow wave raged.
One person overlooked the scene in bewilderment.
The dragonkin, Nermakadia.
Floating in the sky via his dragon scales, he stared wide-eyed at the man before him. He had no choice. Because...
The man was wielding dragon scales.
Dragon scales were an innate ability of the dragonkin.
There was no way a non-dragonkin could use them.
"...You. How the hell are you using dragon scales?"
The man's face was completely hidden behind black equipment.
He gazed down at Nermakadia impassively, then slowly stroked his chin.
"I should be the one asking that. Who are you? I've never seen a dragonkin like you."
Nermakadia's body twitched.
The man spoke as if he knew all about dragonkin.
Dragonkin were a rare race with incredibly long lifespans.
But aside from the Bloodless Sovereign, almost none revealed themselves.
Normally, he'd dismiss him as ignorant of dragonkin, but the problem was that this guy was using dragon scales.
"Ah, I see."
At that moment, the man spoke.
His eyes were fixed on the scales etched into Nermakadia's neck.
"You're a freshly hatched one, huh."
Nermakadia flinched and quickly covered his neck with his hand.
This man could read a dragonkin's age.
Bewilderment flooded Nermakadia's face even more.
He couldn't comprehend the man before him.
He could use dragon scales and read dragonkin ages.
As such, Nermakadia's attitude shifted slightly.
"...Are you perhaps a dragonkin elder?"
Nermakadia was indeed a recently born dragonkin.
For dragonkin, age meant strength.
The longer one survived, the more knowledge and power they accumulated.
As far as Nermakadia knew, there were currently four dragonkin.
Including himself, the elder in the imperial palace.
The Bloodless Sovereign.
And finally, the evil dragon in the east.
This isn't the Bloodless Sovereign.
He knew about her.
With her immense pride, she wouldn't wander around like that.
Which meant the man before him was most likely the eastern dragonkin.
Cold sweat dripped down Nermakadia's face as realization dawned.
The elder had warned him repeatedly.
"If you encounter the eastern evil dragon, flee no matter what."
A dragonkin who devoured other dragonkin.
The evil dragon.
The reason dragonkin numbers had dwindled so drastically was all because of him.
Nermakadia had been cautioned about this many times by the elder.
If the man before him was that evil dragon, he had to escape right now.
Of course, it was all a ridiculous misunderstanding.
The man before Nermakadia was Leyzon.
This misunderstanding is veering off in a weird direction.
Leyzon narrowed his eyes, sensing Nermakadia's misconception.
As a young hatchling, he apparently couldn't yet distinguish dragonkin properly.
He's suspicious, but not sure.
Leyzon's mind raced.
And the moment he reached a conclusion.
Beneath the black mask, Leyzon's lips curled into a wicked grin.
Lately, he seemed to smile like this more than brightly.
Leyzon quite enjoyed this smile.
"How is the elder faring?"
Leyzon knew dragonkin traits well.
Dragonkin didn't spend their youth alone.
There would at least be someone watching over them.
The Bloodless Sovereign doesn't fit, and the evil dragon wouldn't leave a fellow dragonkin alive after eating others.
That left only one option.
The old dragon living in the imperial palace.
Just him.
Besides, Nermakadia was with the imperial Night Ravens.
The answer came easily without much thought.
And it put a period on Nermakadia's suspicions.
"...Y-Yes, yes, he's doing well."
Nermakadia replied in a rigidly tense manner.
In his eyes, Leyzon had now become the true evil dragon.
Leyzon leisurely descended in front of Nermakadia.
Each time, Nermakadia's heart pounded wildly.
"I see. I was thinking of paying him a visit soon."
An eerie aura began to emanate from Leyzon.
Pure malice.
Nermakadia's body shrank back more and more.
This malice came from Eden within Leyzon's clothes, but...
As a young dragon, he couldn't discern its source.
Especially not with a dragonkin-eating evil dragon right in front of him.
Nermakadia's thoughts spiraled out of control.
"Sending me a gift before I even arrive?"
Nermakadia's scales bristled all at once.
Crack!
His mouth gaped open as flames roiled within.
He planned to blast breath to buy time and flee.
But something moved faster.
Kwak!
Leyzon's staff.
The staff slammed into Nermakadia's jaw, forcing it upward.
The intense force prevented the breath from escaping, causing it to explode internally.
Psssh!
Black smoke leaked from Nermakadia's slightly parted mouth.
The price of a failed breath.
In that moment, some straw fell from Leyzon's sleeve, but...
Nermakadia had no chance to notice.
Leyzon's staff pressed harder on his jaw.
"Trying to breathe on me?"
Beneath the black mask, Leyzon's eyes flashed with anger.
"Hic, urk."
Nermakadia trembled violently.
He had tried to seize an opening to escape, but it was noticed and stopped.
It felt like all his moves were being read.
Nermakadia felt like a toy in the evil dragon's palm.
At this rate, he'd be devoured.
Terror blackened his vision.
Ow, my arm's gonna burst.
In truth, Leyzon, who had stopped it, was in agony as well.
The cost of activating Eden's puppetry to block the breath.
But it had yielded results.
Having shown malice and power, Nermakadia now fully perceived Leyzon as the evil dragon.
"Little one."
Leyzon opened his mouth, mimicking the evil dragon's speech patterns.
Leyzon had cleared Dungeon Replay 64 times.
Leyzon the character was his 65th.
Naturally, he had met the evil dragon in person.
The evil dragon played a key role in the side story.
Yet, almost none of his secrets had been revealed.
I thought it was foreshadowing for a DLC or sequel.
But somehow, he was unveiling it himself.
Regardless, he remembered their conversations clearly.
"You know what happens to insolent hatchlings."
Nermakadia's body shrank tightly under Leyzon's threat.
"S-Sorry! I didn't recognize you, elder!"
"That's not my concern. Guide me to the old dragon.
I'll claim recompense for your rudeness from him."
Eden's malice enveloped Leyzon's body, creating crushing pressure.
His presence bore down fiercely on Nermakadia.
"Hic, urk!"
Nermakadia convulsed, tears welling up.
"Th-Then I'll die at the elder's hands!"
"Dying now or later makes no difference."
Leyzon pressed harder on the staff.
But no further reaction came from Nermakadia.
He tested with more force, but nothing changed.
Can't push further with my own strength, huh.
Without Eden's aid, adding more force didn't help.
Bitter.
Best not to overdo it; maintain the status quo.
"Sp-Spare me, please."
Nermakadia begged, trembling.
True to his youth, his spirit was frail.
Leyzon looked at him and lowered his staff.
"You're not ripe enough to eat yet, so I'll let it slide this time."
At the same time, Leyzon's staff swung.
Kuduk!
The moment Eden's puppetry overlaid his body.
"Instead, relay this to the old dragon: I'll visit soon."
Leyzon struck Nermakadia squarely.
Bwak!
"Keurgh!"
Hit in the stomach by the staff, Nermakadia flew back into the shadow wave.
The instant he plunged into the shadow wave, Nermakadia fled like an arrow.
Leyzon stretched his sore arm, watching the fleeing figure.
Nermakadia would surely relay this tale faithfully to the empire.
He wanted to eliminate him preemptively, but...
That would prompt the old dragon to lead an army and move personally.
The one who cherished fellow dragonkin so dearly.
He definitely would.
Better to let him live; it'll sow misunderstanding that the Vampire Queen and evil dragon have allied.
It would sow chaos in the empire, so no harm in fueling the misconception.
Thud!
In the meantime, the battle below concluded.
Leyzon spotted Five.
Just then, Five thrust his sword into Four's neck.
Four clutched the blade tightly, body shuddering.
Then his breath cut off, and he vanished into the shadow wave.
Five arduously climbed out of the shadow wave.
Leyzon adjusted his dragon scales and descended before him.
"Five."
At Leyzon's call, Five looked up.
Having cut down his former junior, Four, his eyes held complex emotions.
But upon meeting Leyzon's gaze, he quickly composed himself.
"My apologies, Lord Leyzon. I've caused you trouble."
Leyzon gazed down at him silently upon hearing that.
"You alright?"
He glanced at Five's left arm and opened his bag.
Leyzon handed him a recovery potion.
"Good work."
Five's eyes widened slightly.
He accepted the potion gratefully and bowed his head.
Five smiled faintly.
"...Yes."
Leyzon didn't realize it, but...
These simple words deepened Five's loyalty even further.
"Let's go. Hanok's waiting."
Five looked up, face brimming with emotion.
Soon, Five smiled brightly.
He, who had been discarded by the imperial court.
Had finally found his place.