Chapter 319
Chapter 319
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Sepiro (5)
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The air hung oppressively heavy, as if it could suffocate anyone in its grip.
The mana radiating from all the gathered dragons was intimidating in its own right.
If any other race had been here instead of dragons, that mana alone would have crushed them, bursting their bodies apart.
"It's the first time all the clans have gathered since the Great War."
Diar, the leader of the Light Clan, whose scales gleamed pure white, spoke from the forefront.
One of the clan's top three powerhouses—a being whose might even demon gods dared not challenge.
On top of that, the Light Clan boasted the highest number of dragons who had comprehended 'Wish'.
Diar's words drew nods from the leaders of the Truth Clan and the Eternal Clan as well.
"There hasn't been any reason to gather since then."
"We're not exactly the type to meet up and chat amicably."
Without Sepiro's command, there was no reason for them to assemble.
Yet Sepiro never summoned the dragons.
He simply acted according to his own will.
Since the Great War of ancient times...
This was the first time the dragons had gathered in one place.
To begin with, there were hardly any clans on good terms with each other.
Especially among the upper clans—they checked each other constantly, rarely maintaining close ties.
And yet, here they all were, assembled together.
For one reason alone.
Sepiro.
To confirm the presence of their king—their god's second incarnation.
In an instant.
Rumble!
A razor-sharp surge of mana tore through space.
Then, just as quickly, it subsided.
Silence fell.
It felt as though the world itself held its breath at the mere step of some colossal being.
All eyes turned skyward in unison.
A brilliant halo of golden light.
As if the sun's authority had descended, everything bathed in golden radiance.
Soon, a massive form began to reveal itself.
This was no ordinary dragon.
"...Those are..."
"The Primordial Dragons...!"
Whispers rippled through the dragons.
Every clan fixed their gaze on the same spot.
The leaders of the upper clans, Diar included, did the same.
Primordial Dragons!
Born alongside the world's inception, they were beings of unmatched mythic mystery.
The seven Primordial Dragons—known as the Seven Supreme Dragons.
They were myths incarnate.
The mere appearance of the Seven Supreme Dragons shook the world, rendering all powers meaningless before them.
"Lord Soladion."
"Ah, the Dragon of the Sun."
"As majestic as the legends say."
The first among the Seven Supreme Dragons—a colossal dragon cloaked in golden light.
His scales shimmered iridescently, as if absorbing all the light in existence.
Soladion.
The Divine Dragon who ruled the sun.
As his eyes slowly opened, beams of light poured forth, shaking the entire temple.
The surrounding mana churned wildly from his mere inhalation.
Some dragons instinctively shrank back from his overwhelming presence.
Next, a blue dragon unfurled massive wings.
His wingbeats shook space itself, sending powerful shockwaves rippling out.
"Lord Teragon!"
"Mana like the primordial ocean."
"It calms the heart."
Teragon, the dragon who commanded the ancient seas.
His arrival stabilized the wildly fluctuating mana brought by the Primordial Dragons.
Enough for the younger dragons to endure.
Gaia, Infernal, Tempesura, Noksaar, Hel as well.
All Seven Supreme Dragons were present.
'The Seven Divine Dragons!'
The Primordial Dragons possessed divinity.
They lived eternally, wielding magic that touched truth as naturally as breathing.
And they had birthed the Dragon God Sepiro.
Never before had these transcendent dragons assembled like this.
Even Sepiro himself could not treat them lightly.
"...This will make it clear."
"Indeed. They won't fail to recognize it."
Real or fake.
The transcendent dragons would discern it instantly.
One of them shifted his gaze.
"But who is that one?"
All the dragons followed suit.
Diar of the Light Clan stared intently at a single small dragon.
Unlike the other Primordial Dragons, his frame was not massive.
He simply sat at the center with eyes closed.
Yet the moment he took his place, it felt as if time itself had frozen.
Every dragon knew instinctively.
Most likely...
"...Lord Bahamut."
The supreme being among the Primordial Dragons.
The former Dragon God who once ruled all dragons, now having yielded that seat to Sepiro.
Yet he lingered indelibly in the dragons' memories.
They said he'd withdrawn to minimize chaos among the dragons with Sepiro as the current Dragon God.
His mere appearance meant one thing.
The events unfolding here were beyond even his indifference.
Truly, all dragons had gathered.
And that was not all.
The world itself tensed at the sight of so many dragons assembled.
The Abyss—even the other Twelve Races—couldn't help but tremble.
They didn't know why the dragons had gathered.
No such assembly had occurred since the Great War.
This was tantamount to a prelude to war.
The world had no choice but to see it that way.
But.
"...When will he show?"
"Did he run away?"
The dragons had zero interest in war.
Their sole focus was one thing.
Sepiro's arrival.
Yet no matter how long they waited, Sepiro did not appear.
The reason was obvious.
He'd fled, afraid of being exposed as a fake!
With even Bahamut present, no less.
Swoosh.
Bahamut slowly closed then opened his eyes.
His presence seemed to drift between light and shadow.
An alien sensation, as if gazing upon past, present, and future all at once.
Even without speaking, his mere existence pierced all truths—the dragons knew it.
Then.
Whirrrrr!
Space warped.
Dazzling golden mana exploded like a vortex at the heart of the Dragon God Temple.
Like a brilliant twilight born of the sun, a majestic and overwhelming aura filled the temple.
In that instant, every dragon fell silent.
They reflexively circulated their mana, nerves on edge.
This mana was no ordinary force.
A vortex only someone like Sepiro could unleash.
In other words...
...proof that their wait was over.
Even Bahamut and the Primordial Dragons watched the golden manifestation with deep gazes.
Whoosh!
Light burst forth, cleaving space.
As the grand radiance faded...
He.
Park Chan-woo revealed himself.
Park Chan-woo was tense.
Even he couldn't avoid tension in this moment.
All the dragons had gathered solely to see him.
Especially upon hearing that the Primordial Dragons were there too—it had made his head spin.
He knew instinctively.
'No escaping this.'
There was no turning back now.
He had to perfectly impersonate 'Sepiro'.
And prove it.
Fail, and he'd die.
Humanity would end here.
...So how to prove it?
Would wielding Sepiro's absolute magic convince the Primordial Dragons to acknowledge him?
They probably could too.
After all, they had birthed Sepiro.
He realized this naturally as well.
That alone was too weak.
"......"
He passed through the warp.
And there they were—the dragons.
Countless dragons.
Some he'd seen before ascending to the Dragon God Temple in the past.
But far more were unfamiliar.
He couldn't let them sense his tension.
Circulating the mana dwelling in Sepiro's heart, Park Chan-woo spoke.
"You've all gathered."
What would Sepiro show in this situation?
Proclaim the creation of a second incarnation right here?
He surveyed his surroundings.
Meeting their eyes, until he reached the Primordial Dragons.
And at the center...
'...Bahamut.'
He gazed upon the absolute being, Bahamut.
It felt as if everything was seen through.
He knew instantly—this was the hardest monster to fool.
'Sepiro doesn't explain with words.'
Trying to persuade verbally would invite suspicion immediately.
What they needed now was action.
Proof through deeds.
Why create a second incarnation? What did he intend with it?
He had to show them.
...But what, exactly?
The heart he possessed, and the Sepiro sealed within it, was a future Sepiro—but it hadn't given him everything.
As if savoring the situation, it had left only vague 'gifts'.
He could wield Dragon Tongue against the dragons, but not dominate the Primordial Dragons or Bahamut with it.
The remaining 'absolute magics' like Non-Existence didn't justify creating a second incarnation either.
One option left.
'Show them something that's not Sepiro's—but mine.'
Show what Sepiro couldn't do, what only Park Chan-woo could.
The first thing that came to mind: absolute magic, Dream.
'Not enough.'
It could overturn outcomes, but it fell short of qualifying as 'Sepiro'.
Four Easter Eggs?
Would they even recognize them?
He needed to present a grander goal than the first incarnation.
The first had sated Sepiro's curiosity.
Dissecting, experimenting, reaching the ultimate.
Therefore.
Beyond the ultimate.
Or the true path to the 'ultimate'.
He had to demonstrate that direction to the dragons.
The second incarnation had to inspire belief that it would achieve what the first never could.
Only then would they accept him as 'Sepiro'.
...No.
More precisely, fooling just 'Bahamut' would suffice.
Park Chan-woo grinned.
Arrogantly.
Looking down upon the dragons.
Something even Bahamut could be deceived by.
He unveiled the first.
"I have tamed the Beast of the Creator."