Chapter 155
Chapter 155
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Fall
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boltan was filled with the relentless pealing of alarm bells.
Dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-!
The urgency of the watchmen ringing the bells in rapid succession was palpable.
"Hurry! Everyone, evacuate!!"
Kyaaah-!
Boom!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. Buildings collapsed, and residents fell and were trampled. Even if they moved in perfect order, evacuation would be a close call, but they were in chaos.
They were dominated by fear.
Why were Boltan's citizens trembling in fear and fleeing?
The answer lay in the sky. There hovered the object of terror that could reduce Boltan to ashes with a single breath.
The source of disaster, one of which was enough to destroy a nation.
A dragon perched there.
"It's coming again! Again! Everyone, get out of the way!!"
The dragon gliding through the sky once more opened its maw.
Crimson flames swelled from its chest, racing up its throat and bursting from its mouth.
Kwaaaaaaaa-!!
A scarlet firestream lanced down from the heavens, slamming into the ground.
Buildings were hurled away by the scorching gale and reduced to pitch-black ash in an instant, swirling in the air.
Those touched by the dragon's flames were incinerated down to their bones and vanished. The pillar of fire bore down on the fleeing citizens.
"Kyaaaaak!"
"Laktus, god of mercy!!"
Amid the screams and cries to the divine.
A massive man appeared.
"Light of Lumitera!!"
Thud!
The man slammed a shield larger than himself into the ground, invoking the deity.
His shield radiated light, manifesting a colossal barrier of luminous energy.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
"Uoooooooh!!"
The shield blazed and blackened from the heat.
The scorching intensity transferred to his hands and shoulders.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air, thick and acrid, but the man never let go of the shield.
"Everyone, help this man!"
"Yes! Hurry!"
A few quick-thinking people reached out from behind, lending their strength.
The shield's glow intensified, and in the end, the man blocked the dragon's breath.
The citizens cheered, and the knights sighed in relief, offering him their thanks.
The breath that swept past veered elsewhere, but his shield had halted the dragon's flames.
The nameless man clutching the shield hid his charred black hands and flashed a grin with gleaming white teeth.
"Now, let's get out of here!"
And right then.
Whoooosh.
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!!
The dragon plummeted.
The impact shattered the colosseum completely, and a sandstorm of dust whipped through the area.
"As expected of the prophecy."
The man with the massive shield marveled briefly before racing toward the colosseum where the dragon had crashed.
* * *
Squelch. Squelch.
Blood trickled down his neck, soaking the floor. It pooled, staining the garden spread before him a vivid red.
Kallias clutched his throbbing head and barely managed to stand.
Countless message windows cluttered his mind further, so he dismissed them all.
'Laktus's Garden.'
Laktus's Tears.
A place where pale pink petals bloomed beautifully, cultivating Laktus's sacred tears.
Deep underground.
It must have once been a serene haven of beauty.
But now.
"It's a total wreck."
The dragon's fall from the high skies had utterly demolished it.
The drop from such heights had shaken Kallias to his core, leaving him dizzy and nauseous, but he barely held it together.
The Mad Dragon Sword nestled in his heart had, for once, been benevolent toward him, absorbing the shock and accelerating his body's regeneration.
"So it's finally starting to accept me as its master."
It made sense.
Beside Kallias lay the fallen dragon.
Its neck was completely severed.
Thud.
Kallias slumped to the ground, glancing at the sword in his hand before thrusting it into the dragon's flank.
Spirit Sword - Lament.
It required absorbing vast amounts of blood to unify its souls and ascend to Soul Sword rank.
With this much dragon blood, it just might.
'The Iron Lord can revive this one as an Ironclad Dragon, sure.'
But there was no need.
Beati already filled that role.
Better to forge a proper sword now than juggle two dragons.
"First, put it down for good."
Kallias drew a new sword.
Iron Lord.
As he closed his eyes and aimed for the dragon's shut eyelid.
-Roaaar!!
The dragon's maw snapped open instantly.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!
Dragon breath erupted forth!
"Hmm."
Kallias, as if anticipating it, dodged the breath and plunged his sword into the beast's head.
Stab!
Spluuurt!
Drenched in the geyser of blood, Kallias looked at whatever had taken the breath in his stead.
"A spear? Who’s that? Oh, the gatekeeper?"
The guardian of the sacred water.
Once the Empire's Spear, now burdened with false crimes, protecting the holy font.
Still reeling from the shock, Kallias hadn't sensed him—but the breath finished him off.
"Well, works out."
Deaf, blind, tongueless, his senses had hyper-developed into extraordinary perception.
Tricky opponent expected, but even he wouldn't have foreseen a headless dragon breathing.
'Fair enough.'
Who would expect that?
[Dragons are born from the Fountain of Life.]
Such lore attested to their tenacious vitality.
Even decapitated, they could move for a while.
They couldn't reattach heads, but with will to live, they might last a month or two.
Dragons' blood was precious for its concentrated life force.
"Gatekeeper's dead, head split in two—no worries left."
[Title Acquired: Dragon Slayer.]
[Fire Dragon - Erbwetru, son of Erbwe, has been slain. Erbwe's fury reaches its peak.]
[The Dragonkin now fix their gaze upon you en masse.]
"Can't avoid the dragons' grudge, huh."
More reasons to steer clear of Karpe piled up, but so be it.
From the moment he claimed the Mad Dragon, their wrath was his to bear.
[For slaying Fire Dragon - Erbwetru, Trait 'Dragon Power' is restructured into a stat.]
[Constitution 'Bone Fusion' enhances affinity with 'Dragon Power'. Gain additional 100 Dragon Power.]
Dragon Power shifted from trait to stat.
Room for further growth.
『Kallias von Jervan』
「Titles」 - Savior of the Nation, Dragon Slayer.
「Class」 – Pilgrim
「Divinity Rank」 – Grade 2
「Holy Power」 – 11341/32105
「Talents」 – 【Blessing of the Bard】 【Instinctive Intuition】
「Traits」 - [Divine Grace] [Noble's Duty] [Death-Time Insight] [Church's Black Sheep] [Glutton] [Three-Color Eyes] [Spirit Fragrance] [Fairy Power]
「Constitution」 - 『Bone Fusion』
「Stats」
Strength – 201
Agility – 186
Technique – 52
Vitality – 232
Faith – 110
Dragon Power - 108
'Fairy Power's still a trait.'
But that too would become a stat someday.
One node of the Ninefold Meridians remained Fairy Power-infused.
"Now, what's left."
Flick.
Kallias shook the blood from his sword and surveyed the garden.
Rubble everywhere, ruined—but Laktus's Garden endured. The sacred water storeroom...
"Collapsed. That's why he approached."
The storeroom was gone.
Still, scavenging might yield one or two vials.
"Revive the gatekeeper first."
The gatekeeper was once the Empire's Spear.
Details fuzzy—likely incurred the emperor's wrath.
"Slept with the emperor's concubine? Or was it framed by her and a prince? Can't recall."
Irrelevant anyway. As he raised Iron Lord to awaken him.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, Divine Grace's light emanated from the gatekeeper's corpse.
"Right, no need for more numbers now."
Enough already.
Quality over quantity—Kallias's best move now.
Many Ashen Knights still lacked weapons.
"Turn the dragon into a sword too."
It'd yield something decent, though the messages showed it a young dragon.
Massive, but not truly huge.
Juvenile.
Ardragon level.
Enough to toy with a castle or master, but fledgling compared to true 성룡 or ancient dragons.
"Still a dragon."
Sword form would be useful.
Hand it to a Corpse General, and they'd grow mighty.
Kallias pulled Lament from the dragon's flank.
"It's changed a bit."
Dragon blood had deepened its malice.
Keener edge of dread.
'It's starting.'
Lament was a sword of a hundred mismatched souls.
Blood-forged unification would elevate its rank—and it seemed imminent.
"Roas was up top, right? Find it later."
Snapped mid-fight with the dragon, discarded on the surface. Roas, like Lament, neared ascension.
He'd relied almost solely on it this pilgrimage, awaiting the upgrade. Instinct said Devouring Sword - Roas would soon reach Soul rank.
Devouring Sword lacked flair now, but as Kallias grew, its potential sharpened.
Devouring.
Was it merely soul consumption?
Kallias suspected more.
Likely unseen now, but upon Soul rank...
Its hidden unique ability would shine true.
"Anyway... shall we begin."
First, Carcass Sword the dragon and gatekeeper.
Brilliant silver holy power surged from Kallias's body.
Grade 2 quality—ample for the rite.
Long since last, but flowed naturally.
Past four years' pilgrimage inseparable from corpse-sword rituals.
Moments later.
Two flawless swords rested in Kallias's hands.
One Soul Sword.
One Spirit Sword.
Ironically, the dragon yielded Spirit; gatekeeper, Soul.
Peculiar, but no deep thought. Details later.
Priorities first.
Sheathing the new blades, Kallias drew Iron Lord.
"Awaken."
Plunging it into the ground spread black tears across the floor. From them emerged his Ashen Legion, one by one.
Mostly standard knights.
"Recover all Laktus's Tears and intact sacred water. And..."
Scanning around, Kallias spotted slaves long chained here, their wretched states revealed.
His master-level senses detected 56.
Sunken eyes, torn ears, severed tongues—mostly elves, he guessed.
Naked, unclothed properly, toiling as slaves.
Gazing at those who'd suffered lifelong agony here, Kallias said.
"Gather them. We're taking them with us."
The nameless slaves trembled in fear.