Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Mystery of Dragon Slaying (5)
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‘What’s that?’
The captain of the Extermination Force snapped his head upward.
An inexplicable chill had washed over him from somewhere.
But then,
“Hold it!”
The captain whipped his head toward a sudden voice from the opposite side.
He saw Umberto and the Spinola family striding forward, clad in defensive artifact armor.
“Well, if it isn’t Umberto himself? You must have rushed over barefoot at the news of the emergency on Krimhilt Colossus. A true patriarch of the Three Great Maritime Houses, ever devoted to the Maritime Federation and the Floating Isles.”
At that moment, a sly-eyed man stepped forward from the Extermination Force ranks with a grin.
Piren. The chief steward of House Grimal, second only to Patriarch Giuseppe.
His words sounded like admiration for Umberto on the surface, but anyone could tell it was laced with sarcasm.
Umberto’s face soured slightly as he replied.
“House Grimal seems to have dispatched troops to quell this crisis as well. So why are you persecuting those of us who’ve come with the ‘same goal’?”
Piren just chuckled.
He had seen through Umberto’s scheme.
“My son Antonio and his friends acted first after stumbling upon intelligence that some group was targeting Krimhilt Colossus. I’ve only just arrived as reinforcements, gathering a support force to guard against any possible outside interference.”
It seemed Spinola’s justification was preventing external forces from exploiting the chaos.
‘They plan to pin the whole incident on Antonio and those outsiders with him... What a snake of an old man. He’s already carved out an escape route.’
The problem was framing it as ‘preventing outsiders.’
Depending on how it was used, it could drag the Extermination Force into it too.
As Piren narrowed his eyes, Umberto seized the moment to glare at Selferd, who held Antonio hostage.
“I don’t know what you lot are plotting, but taking my son hostage won’t make me hand over our proud ancestor’s mystery to fools like you!”
Rustle!
The Spinola family’s men simultaneously aimed something at Selferd’s group.
Handguns.
Compact magi-guns born from a partnership between a renowned southwestern arms manufacturer and the Magic Tower.
Their inner cylinders whirred, ready to unleash a barrage rivaling even heavy artillery in raw firepower.
“Looks like your old man’s abandoned you.”
Selferd gave Antonio a wry smile.
‘Father!’
Antonio’s eyes trembled violently.
Grimal’s arrival was shocking enough, but Umberto abandoning him hit even harder.
He’d known his father would sacrifice a son for ambition, but feeling it firsthand was unbearable.
“Arin! Frostblade! Over here.”
“Ray.”
“What?”
“I have a name. Stop using the nickname.”
Selferd let out a hollow chuckle as Ray quietly took position beside him, adjusting her grip on her sword.
Priorities like that even now?
He’d heard she had a unique personality, but this exceeded expectations.
“Fine. Miss Frostblade. Can you raise an ice wall? How long can you hold it?”
Ray’s eyebrow twitched at the even longer title, but she replied coolly without showing it.
“Two minutes.”
“If we bolster your mana?”
“Five minutes. No more.”
“Five at max endurance...”
Selferd glanced at the colossus.
Its form had changed.
The mystery was still active. Theo had to be inside.
“I hope Theo finishes the mystery soon.”
As Selferd muttered to himself, Umberto bellowed.
“Open fire—...!”
“Not so fast. Captain, please.”
“This is war now.”
The Extermination Force leaped forward, blocking the Spinola family.
“What is the meaning of this!”
“You know exactly what it means. Antonio and the Black Skulls’ suspicions aren’t cleared yet.”
“Didn’t I say we moved to prevent disaster!”
“Whether that’s true can be thoroughly investigated later, can’t it?”
Spinola wanted to kill Selferd’s group; Grimal wanted to secure them alive somehow.
Their standoff had reached a boiling point.
Umberto’s face twisted in rage as he roared.
“Your insistence on saving them makes House Grimal even more suspicious! That’s right—you were in on it together! Colluding with outsiders for so long, now you scheme to sell out the Floating Isles!”
“How can you say that so shamelessly without shame? If anything, it looks like Spinola’s hiding something by dodging the truth.”
“Shut your mouths! Tonight, I’ll tear you all apart and pin this incident on House Grimal!”
The Spinola family’s muzzles swung toward the Extermination Force.
The Extermination Force ignited their auras in unison.
Clang! Clang clang!
Boom boom boom—
Magi-bullets rained down, and flashing auras swept the area.
—Aaaagh!
—My arm! My aaaarm!
—Concentrated fire! Don’t let them clump up! Take out the frontliners first!
—Can’t secure distance! They keep pushing into our lines—firing’s tough!
Screams drowned in the gunfire.
“What a mess. For real.”
“...Yeah.”
Nod nod!
Arin and Ray nodded quietly at Selferd’s assessment.
They raised the ice wall higher to shield from grenades while keeping eyes on the colossus.
Ready to grab him and evacuate if needed.
Then,
Rumble rumble!
‘What’s that?’
The evil dragon colossus, sprawled on the ground until now, slowly lifted its head.
Before Selferd could speak, it charged straight into the tangled melee of Extermination Force and Spinola family.
Boom!
Its massive, sturdy bulk rammed them, scattering the outer fighters into bloody pulp before they could react.
—W-what is this?
—It’s the evil dragon under Krimhilt’s foot! How is it moving?!
Chaos erupted indiscriminately among Extermination Force and Spinola alike.
Who could have guessed the colossus, unmoving for centuries, would stir itself?
“Extermination Force, reform ranks! First squad, subdue the colossus! Second squad, secure the ones holding Antonio!”
The captain issued steady orders, drawing on vast combat experience without panic.
He instinctively knew the colossus’s impossible movement stemmed from the mystery’s activation.
‘I don’t know how they unlocked Krimhilt’s mystery, but this is our chance! It’s tied to those outsiders for sure—maybe even Ragnar. Securing it means victory for us.’
The Force’s true goal had always been securing Krimhilt’s mystery, so this was opportunity incarnate.
“Spinola! Spinola family, kill them all and secure the evil dragon!”
The standoff had devolved into a hellish brawl unworthy of the term.
Yet the evil dragon colossus twisted unscathed through attacks, slamming its tail into the ground to rack up casualties on both sides.
Boom! Rumble!
Roars and flashes grew, visible across the entire Floating Isles.
The problem was,
The rampaging evil dragon colossus stood out most prominently.
—What’s happening?!
—The colossus is crumbling...!
—The evil dragon rampages again! The legendary dragon seeks to drag our Floating Isles back into the sea!
—Mercy, mercy. Krimhilt, great ancestor. Spirits, protect your frail descendants.
As residents’ panic snowballed,
—Waaah!
—Oban, it’s dangerous outside—get inside!
—Daddy! Look! Lord Krimhilt is moving!
—What are you... Huh? T-that...?
Some noticed.
Krimhilt’s colossus, teetering on collapse, slowly raising its upper body.
—Lord Krimhilt! Answered our call!
—The ancestors and spirits have returned Lord Krimhilt to us!
The people hailed it as miracle.
Krimhilt’s return.
With the evil dragon rampant, the <Dragonslayer> had reappeared for his descendants.
“Krimhilt’s colossus is moving?!”
“What in the...?”
Meanwhile, Extermination Force and Spinola reeled in confusion.
For those seeking to steal or bury the mystery, both dragons moving was terrifying.
The awe-inspiring sight of the cracked, towering colossus shifting feet evoked reverence.
Sss—
Krimhilt’s colossus assumed a rider’s stance.
The long-destroyed sword reformed in its hands amid an inexplicable glow.
And,
Screech—
Crunch!
Krimhilt’s colossus thrust fiercely, piercing the rampaging evil dragon’s jaw precisely.
The blade shattered its skull upward in an instant.
The evil dragon froze.
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
All stared dumbfounded, without exception.
Extermination Force, Spinola family, even Selferd’s group.
A legendary scene replayed.
And,
Crumble—
Both colossi shattered into fine dust and scattered.
The dust swirled in a vortex, coalescing into human form.
Theo.
He who vanished with the mystery stood there.
Wreathed in radiant light, he exuded sanctity.
“Theo, you!”
Selferd’s group called urgently, urging escape, but too late.
Theo swung the Dragon Slaying Sword in his hand toward Extermination Force and Spinola.
Whiiing—
Slash!
The slashing wave, amid shockwaves, grazed perilously between them.
The ground bore scars like dragon claws.
But unusual traces remained.
Intricate geometric patterns everywhere.
“This is...!”
“<Nibelung>! Krimhilt’s Nibelung remains!”
“Krimhilt’s successor has appeared!”
Nibelung.
The technique Krimhilt used with the Dragon Slaying Sword to seal the evil dragon in legend.
Lost to time, preserved only in records—now mastered by Theo.
Spinola family, natives of the Isles, plunged into turmoil; Extermination Force hesitated in their own way.
Guards waiting outside had rushed in amid fading heat and light, witnessing the traces.
「For now...!」
「Yes. Too many eyes—let’s plan for next time. At least Spinola’s fully broken from us now, so we have our shot.」
Piren and the captain exchanged quick words, postponing action.
‘Damn it! Of all times!’
Umberto ground his teeth, most awkwardly positioned.
With the pretext of safeguarding the Isles, he’d lost any justification to pursue Theo’s group.
“As successor to Krimhilt’s will, and new master of the sword—!”
Theo seized the lull, infusing his voice with mana to declare.
His words—echoing as successor to Krimhilt’s will... new master of the sword—boomed across the Floating Isles.
“By Krimhilt’s command, I will repel the evil dragon seeking to swallow the Isles once more—! Three Great Houses and Isles Council, aid me in fulfilling this decree—!”
In that instant, Theo’s presence etched into every resident’s mind.