Underground Ruins (7)
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Owen didn't know the exact method, but he wasn't worried.
The power Tanares had given him meant that once he recognized a situation, he could use it without difficulty afterward.
It would surely be the same this time.
Owen immediately began to disrupt the ritual.
'Reclaim the mana from Tanares' rib and the mana from Tanares' tooth—these two.'
No complex or difficult techniques were needed.
As long as he took back what belonged to Tanares, the great chieftain's intricate ritual would collapse on its own.
"Hoo…."
Owen let out a light sigh and focused.
As expected, the mana lingering in Tanares' bones began to be drawn toward him.
What could it be called? It was a truly natural regression.
But for the one suffering it, it was enough to make their eyes bulge in shock.
"Wh-what? N-no!"
The great chieftain, in the midst of the ritual, was so startled that he even stuttered.
Suddenly, the mana was draining out of Tanares' bones.
It was like a jar with a hole, leaking water.
"What sort of bolt from the blue is this!"
The great chieftain panicked greatly.
If all the mana drained out, Tanares' bones would crumble and vanish.
Just like the dragon heart he'd used to block the turtle dragon.
If he just watched like this, the ritual would fail completely.
The great chieftain hurriedly tried to control the escaping mana.
But it was futile, like trying to plug holes in a jar with his hands.
'It's almost complete, and now this setback!'
The great chieftain hadn't even considered that someone was interfering.
The only one capable of disrupting the ritual, the great mage Bellatel, was preoccupied fighting the summoned demon.
He hadn't even thought of Owen.
To the great chieftain, Owen was just a peculiar human brat—nothing more, nothing less.
He couldn't have imagined that Tanares' power was embedded in Owen's soul.
'I need some temporary fix at least!'
If it emptied out, the bones would crumble, so he planned to fill it with something.
Of course, this was just a hack.
It might not cause problems if it was the same mana from Tanares that was escaping, but stuffing something else in was bound to backfire.
Still, it was better than the ritual failing outright.
But he couldn't fill it with his own mana directly.
Tanares' mana was exceptionally pure and clean, while the great chieftain's was sticky and tainted by demonic influence.
'If I put my mana in, the bones would shatter even faster.'
As he pondered, he realized one method existed.
Using the relic passed down through generations of great chieftains.
It was a gem called Shata's Star, left by the legendary hero who slew the Demon King for his descendants.
Shata's Star contained pure mana, perfect for replacing what was draining away.
But it was far too precious, so he hesitated—until the mana visibly dwindled further, shaking his resolve.
'Shata's Star holds power against demons, so it doesn't suit me anyway. Once I master the techniques learned from the demons, the gem might even harm me.'
As the great chieftain agonized, a mocking voice rang out.
"Things not going your way, oh great chieftain? Keh heh heh…."
It was the Human Reaper, Bargulgu.
Bound in chains, he was also the final sacrificial offering for this ritual.
He had once been utterly loyal to the great chieftain, but lately his heart had turned completely.
'Foolish Bargulgu. If I'd known the great chieftain was this vile and consorted with demons, I never would have served him from the start. If only I had a chance to choose again…!'
No matter how much he regretted it, it was too late.
So he'd been waiting only for death, but seeing the great chieftain flounder lifted his spirits for the first time in a while.
Naturally, the great chieftain scowled fiercely.
"Shut your trap, Human Reaper. I'll sever your neck soon enough."
He couldn't bear being mocked even by this fallen wretch.
'It's a shame, but using Shata's Star is the better choice.'
Having decided, he drew a large gem from his belt.
Even setting aside its inherent power, it was a stunningly beautiful red jewel.
The great chieftain gripped it and murmured lowly.
"Shata's Star… remnant of the hero. Now spew forth all the power within and aid me."
In response, Shata's Star began to emit a red glow.
Soon, mana flowed from within, guided by the great chieftain into Tanares' bones.
This created a problem for Owen.
He had been absorbing the mana smoothly, feeling himself grow stronger.
'Perfect.'
Honestly, since reincarnating, his weakened power had been a bit of a hassle.
He retained his dragon knowledge and exceptional swordsmanship, but his body was just that of a rural boy.
Even moving cautiously, one stray blind arrow could kill him screaming.
But with Tanares' mana, new abilities were clearly emerging.
'What's this suddenly?'
Owen sensed the anomaly and panicked greatly.
He'd been siphoning Tanares' mana when something strange intruded.
It was the potent mana from Shata's Star—hot like molten lava, brimming with power like an erupting volcano.
"Urk!"
Owen felt enormous strain on his body.
He couldn't endure it and dropped to one knee.
Whoosh!
Brilliant flames erupted around Owen.
Not real fire, but the visual clash of conflicting mana.
At this, the great chieftain instantly knew who had stolen the mana.
"Human brat! It was you!"
He'd suspected some connection to Tanares.
But to think he'd steal the mana itself.
It defied common sense.
'It's the mana of a mighty true dragon. How could a non-mage do this!'
The great chieftain thought today held many shocks.
But he soon relaxed.
Owen's state looked dire to anyone watching.
'Overloaded! Idiot! He's exceeded his mana capacity!'
Unlike true dragons, humans and orcs had limits to how much mana they could hold.
That's why they used tools like magic staves.
Yet this fool was gobbling mana without regard, so he'd soon burst.
Great Chieftain Kaladashyr was certain of it.
The mana he'd already stolen exceeded even what Kaladashyr possessed.
Adding Shata's Star on top? Surviving would be the anomaly.
'Once he dies, the mana leak stops. Then I finish the ritual.'
He'd panicked at first, but it resolved easily.
Kaladashyr tossed Shata's Star—now a plain red gem after expending its mana—to the floor with a smirk.
"Gorge like a pig and explode, you fool!"
But the great chieftain's judgment was perfectly reasonable—and that was the problem.
Owen, however, was a being who transcended such common sense.
Tanares' power dwelled in his soul, after all.
Thus, his soul was vast beyond human limits.
He would never burst from overeating.
"Hoo…."
Owen exhaled softly and rose again.
The sudden influx of powerful foreign mana had startled him.
But his uniqueness allowed him to forcibly absorb even that.
He sucked it in limitlessly. As the situation stabilized, the clashing mana flames subsided and vanished.
'Seems like three new abilities have awakened.'
With some leeway, Owen quickly sensed the changes in his body.
The three abilities came from Tanares' rib, Tanares' tooth, and Shata's Star, respectively.
But he had no time to examine them closely.
Tanares' bones, drained of all mana by Owen, were crumbling.
Crackle.
Seeing Tanares' bones scatter like burned ash, the great chieftain blanked out in a daze.
"Huh…."
He couldn't accept the reality.
It was so absurd he laughed.
"Hahaha… This can't be happening…."
The ritual had failed.
The great chieftain stared at Owen in disbelief.
"What monster is that…?"
But before he could speak again, an explosion erupted.
Boom!
The altar around the great chieftain shattered, kicking up thick dust.
But this was just the beginning.
This ritual had been powered by forcibly sacrificing hundreds of orcs.
Now, that energy, with nowhere to go after the failure, began to backflow.
Boom! Rumble!
Another explosion shook the cavern like an earthquake.
The ground cracked wide, and the ceiling seemed ready to collapse.
"Take cover! Everyone retreat!"
Karaku shoved the fighting orcs aside in shock and shouted.
He gestured wildly for Owen to fall back.
Bellatel was the same.
Floating in the air, he snarled at the demon before him.
"Will you keep this up?!"
The demon glanced around briefly and decided to withdraw.
[Noble mage, we shall settle this another time.]
The demon, dangling its tentacles like arms, vanished in a puff of acrid smoke without a trace.
Bellatel frowned in irritation but turned away.
"We're escaping! Owen, you brat! Hurry up and get out!"
The situation was graver than thought.
The ground wasn't just cracking—it was sinking below.
There had apparently been a deep, empty space beneath this place from the start.
Boom!
With successive explosions, countless orcs plummeted into the earth alongside the ground.
"Kuaaaah!"
"Save me!"
The altar where the great chieftain had conducted the ritual collapsed utterly. The massive pile of true dragon bones tumbled into the dark depths below.
"Grenville! Let's get out too!"
Owen swiftly mounted Grenville's saddle.
Explosions had filled the air with smoke, blinding everything.
He could only guess at Bellatel's voice ahead, along with light beaming from his staff.
As Owen headed that way—
Whoosh!
Piercing the thick dust came a long whip like a serpent's tongue, coiling around Owen's waist.
It was the great chieftain's whip, enchanted to extend dozens of meters.
"Gren…!"
The startled Owen tried to call his dragon but was folded backward by the tentacle-like grip and dragged away.
Grenville, suddenly losing her rider, screeched in panic.
"Kekekekek! Eung! Eeeung!"
Grenville looked around frantically but couldn't tell where her rider had been taken amid the dust.
Not even smell particles could help.
Stamping in frustration, she charged blindly through the dust to find Owen.
Then came an explosion far larger than any before.
BOOM!
A shockwave as if the entire underground were collapsing engulfed the area.
The blast consumed everything.
When it ended, no sounds remained.
The terrified screams, fleeing footsteps, despairing wails—all the chaos that had turned this place into hell—vanished completely.
How much time passed after that?
Owen, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes with a groan.
"Ugh…."
He knew the final whip had come from the great chieftain.
He'd met him right after being dragged and rolling across the floor.
As the enraged great chieftain swung his magic staff down at Owen, the explosion had saved him—flinging him away with the chieftain.
"Huh…."
Owen soon realized he was dangling from a cliff.
How hadn't he fallen? The whip was still coiled around his waist.
Though the great chieftain had lost his grip, the handle had snagged on a protruding rock.
'Lucky break.'
Owen hurriedly reached for the cliff edge and clung on.
Fortunately, the drop wasn't too far; he could climb up.
"Urk…."
Owen began scaling the steep vertical face.
His armor weighed him down, but he barely got an elbow onto the surface above.
As he hauled his upper body over—
Footsteps approached from ahead.
Thud. Thud.
In the utter silence, they rang out hugely.
Clearly from someone massive—the steps were heavy.
'The great chieftain? Dragging something?'
He couldn't guess what it was.
Owen scrambled up quickly and confirmed his sword at his belt, sighing in relief.
But seeing who appeared before him filled him with despair.
It was a hulking mass of muscle.
One-armed, with gashes like chunks carved from his body everywhere.
His flesh was split in places from severe whippings, and broken chains dangled from his limbs.
Spotting Owen, he grinned like a ghost.
"Keh heh heh. Well, if it isn't…."
Owen bit his lip in dismay.
"…Bargulgu."
The one he'd run into fresh from the cliff was none other than the Human Reaper, Bargulgu.
From their last fight, he was Owen's mortal enemy.
He'd been on the verge of death, but Owen's disruption of the ritual had let him escape.
"I thought today was the end for Bargulgu here, but my luck's better than expected."
"……."
"Running into this bastard I've been dying to see, right on time."
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