Chapter 315
Chapter 315
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 315
Chapter Title: A Faded Promise (7)
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Splat!
Sticky blood splattered.
Heated roars and ear-splitting screams.
The clash of weapons filled the air, and the thick scent of blood blanketed the battlefield like a fog.
"Keuk!"
"This crazy witch!"
Thirty Demonkin had charged toward the main force led by Isabella.
Their eyes, which had sparkled with glee in anticipation of slaughter and screams, were soon stained with despair.
The one who delivered this despair was a platinum-blonde woman leading the Dragonkin from the front.
Wielding a massive scythe that scattered blood-red petals, the witch brutally tore apart the bodies of demonic beasts, her ferocity overwhelming even the Demonkin, who were second to none in viciousness.
-Clang! Screech! Scraaaaape!
The sound of metal rang out.
Blood-soaked petals and black flames intertwined in mid-air.
"Ugh!"
"Kill her! Kill that witch!"
The Demonkin surrounding Isabella unleashed a fierce barrage of attacks.
Grrrr!
Poppy, who had been sprinting at full speed, instantly veered at a sharp angle, dodging the incoming attacks.
"No matter how much you struggle, you bitch, the kingdom of those pathetic slaves is already doomed!"
Like a knight on horseback, Isabella rode atop Poppy, locked in a tense battle with nearly thirty Demonkin.
At first, Isabella had overwhelmed them, instantly cutting down five Demonkin with her power.
But as time went on, the battle gradually slowed to a stalemate.
Even though she had killed five right at the start, she was still outnumbered more than twenty to one.
Considering that each Demonkin possessed power on par with a high-level Awakened, the fact that the fight had merely become a 'stalemate' was a testament to her absurd strength.
"Hmm, is that so?"
Isabella glanced back at the 'slaves' they mentioned, a deep smile on her face.
"It seems they don't quite think so."
"What..."
Fwoooosh!
With a wave of intense heat, arrows made of fire were shot at the Demonkin.
The mana arrows, raining down like a storm, caused powerful explosions and kicked up a thick cloud of dust.
"Ugh... These damn slaves!"
The Demonkin, hit by the volley of mana arrows from the Dragonkin, snarled viciously and turned.
"Oh my, you shouldn't look away."
"H-Hiek!"
Isabella suddenly appeared behind the Demonkin who had turned, like a scene from a horror movie.
Her blood-red scythe touched the nape of his neck.
A chilling sharpness emanated from the blade.
The Demonkin's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish as he squeezed out a plea.
"S-Save me..."
Slice!
Hot blood gushed from his slit throat like a fountain.
Isabella touched a finger to the blood that had splattered on her cheek, brought it to her tongue, and frowned.
"Tastes like flat beer."
Ptooey.
She spat out the blood mixed with saliva in disgust.
She tossed the Demonkin's head, dripping with blood, to the ground as if it were trash.
"You damn bitch...!"
"Oh my, so Demonkin can feel anger at the death of their own kind?"
Isabella's eyes gleamed with interest.
The Demonkin's face twisted at her blatant mockery.
"How long do you think you can keep up that smug act?"
The Demonkin muttered in a murderous tone, glancing behind him.
The Demonkin forces, which had been split due to the commotion caused by Vega and Riak, could be seen arriving as late reinforcements.
It was already difficult fighting thirty Demonkin; if the separated forces joined them, there would be no chance of victory.
"You're right."
Isabella watched the approaching Demonkin and the army of demonic beasts they led, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Then I'll give up."
She patted Poppy's neck a couple of times, and it turned without hesitation and began to flee.
Following her, the Dragonkin warriors also turned and fled toward the outside of the kingdom.
"After them!"
"Do you really think you can escape!"
The Demonkin chased after Isabella and the Dragonkin.
'Now.'
The chaos was at its peak.
Oh-jin, who had been waiting for a chance to slip away, glanced toward Ha-eun and Kaelion.
While Isabella and the Dragonkin warriors drew the attention of the Demonkin, the three of them sprinted toward the Dragon God's lair.
"This way!"
Kaelion, who knew the kingdom's geography like the back of his hand, took the lead.
The decoy plan seemed to have worked, as they saw nothing but a few demonic beasts on their way.
After running nonstop for about twenty minutes...
They reached the edge of the kingdom, where a massive rock wall blocked their path.
"...Is this the lair?"
From the outside, it just looked like an ordinary slab of rock.
"Didn't I tell you? You can't tell just by looking."
Indeed.
Just as Kaelion had said, it was a place one would never guess was the entrance to the sleeping Dragon God's lair.
"I'll release the barrier right—"
"Wait a moment."
Oh-jin stopped Kaelion from approaching the rock wall and went near it himself.
Kneeling on one knee, Oh-jin placed a hand on the ground and examined the tracks.
"...Someone was here until just a little while ago."
And not just one or two; there were traces of a large number of people moving about.
Kaelion asked with a flustered expression.
"Are you saying those Demonkin bastards found the entrance to the lair?"
"Yes. Though it seems they couldn't break the barrier."
It seemed they had left for now because of the commotion Isabella caused.
The fact that a large group had been roaming around the lair meant only one thing.
'Were they after the Dragon God's lair too?'
Oh-jin's eyes narrowed.
"...We'll have to hurry."
"I'll disable the barrier right away."
Kaelion approached the rock wall and slammed his staff down with a thud.
The widespread mana from his Stigma erupted in light, and the surrounding ground trembled.
Grrrrrrumble!
The massive rock wall split apart to the sides, revealing a wide entrance.
A cave shrouded in darkness, like the gaping maw of a dragon.
"Let's go, sis."
"O-Oh, okay."
Ha-eun, who had been staring blankly at the overwhelming scale of it all, nodded and started walking.
Fwoosh.
A flame created by Ha-eun illuminated the dark interior of the lair.
"D-Damn, it's huge."
Ha-eun looked around like a country girl who had just arrived in the big city.
"Which way should we go?"
"This way."
Fortunately, Kaelion seemed to know the lair's layout as well, and he walked ahead.
The structure of the lair wasn't very complex.
Following a spiraling path downward, they came upon a wide-open cavern.
In the center of the vast cavern was...
"...The Dragon God, Kaleios."
An absurdly large body, reaching 100 meters.
Red scales that looked as if they were forged from condensed flames covered its body, and six horns sprouted from its forehead.
A being that felt more like a colossal structure than a living creature.
Hot flames could be seen periodically puffing from the nostrils of the sleeping Dragon God.
'So this is why they call it a god.'
An overwhelming presence, even in sleep.
With every step closer, a suffocating pressure bore down on Oh-jin.
But why?
'What is this?'
A feeling like looking at a misplaced puzzle piece.
He felt a strange sense of dissonance that he couldn't put into words.
"Ah, great Dragon God."
Seeing the sleeping Dragon God, Kaelion collapsed to his knees and bowed his head low.
"Awaken from your long slumber and save us."
His voice trembled with desperation.
Oh-jin approached Kaelion as he prayed.
"Where is this Soulstone?"
"Ah, f-forgive me."
Kaelion, who had been kneeling with his head bowed, hastily got to his feet.
"That is the Soulstone, where the Dragon God's spirit resides."
He pointed to a giant red gem embedded in the cavern wall.
Inside the red gem, hot flames swirled.
"This is the Soulstone?"
"That's right."
Ha-eun slowly walked toward the red gem.
Even from a considerable distance, the scorching heat stung her skin.
"So, what do I do now?"
"You must use the Dragon Eye to guide the Dragon God's spirit from the Soulstone into its body."
"I don't know how I'm supposed to 'guide' it."
Ha-eun tilted her head and removed her eyepatch.
The moment she did.
"Ugh."
A throbbing pain.
Her Dragon Eye began to burn as it looked at the red gem.
"You okay, sis?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine."
Waving off Oh-jin, who was about to approach, Ha-eun turned her gaze back to the Dragon God's Soulstone.
"...Ah."
She could feel the immense power dwelling within the red gem.
'Is this... the Dragon God's soul?'
Ha-eun frowned and moved closer to the red gem.
She slowly reached out and caressed the gem, and flames flowed out from it, wrapping around her hand.
Ha-eun stared intently at the flames coiling around her palm.
She stood still, tilting her head.
"What is it?"
"Huh? Oh... I just thought that since the Dragon God's soul was in there, I'd feel some kind of... will? Something like that."
Ha-eun slowly looked up and down at the flames burning inside the red gem.
"But I don't really feel any will from it. It's more like... just a huge mass of power?"
"Like the Dragon's Heart you absorbed before?"
"Ah, yeah! That! It feels exactly like that!"
Of course, the power contained within was incomparably greater than that of the Dragon's Heart she had absorbed.
"Perhaps the Dragon God has not yet regained consciousness from its long slumber."
Kaelion said as he approached.
"Well, I guess I'll just try moving it. Everyone, stand back for a bit."
"Can you do it?"
"Yeah. Now that I'm touching it, I have a feeling I know what to do."
The power of the Dragon Eye was the ability to freely control a dragon's mana.
Once she removed her eyepatch and got close, she could instinctively understand how to handle the mana contained within the red gem.
"A-As expected! The prophecy of Lord Kailus was true!"
Kaelion's eyes reddened with emotion.
The prophecy that a woman with the Dragon Eye would appear and save the Dragonkin had not been wrong.
"Alright, I'm starting."
Ha-eun placed her hand on the red gem and closed her eyes.
Flames began to flow from the gem, gradually enveloping her body.
Just as the ritual to awaken the Dragon God began...
KABOOM!
The cavern shook with a great vibration.
The sound of footsteps echoed as someone could be felt approaching at high speed.
"...They figured it out already."
Oh-jin clicked his tongue as he heard the approaching footsteps.
The Demonkin weren't fools; they must have realized that Isabella and the Dragonkin were a 'decoy' to draw their attention.
Since they weren't rescuing captured Dragonkin or making a last stand against the Demonkin, and were only fleeing, it was only a matter of time before they caught on.
"Ugh! P-Please, open your eyes!"
Kaelion looked at the sleeping Dragon God with an anxious expression.
Did it not hear his sorrowful plea?
The Dragon God's eyelids remained firmly shut, showing no sign of opening.
'She still needs more time.'
Well.
It wasn't as if she could move that much mana as easily as making instant cup noodles.
"I'll buy some time."
Oh-jin drew Dantalian from his waist and headed for the cavern entrance.