Chapter 781: What Happened Three Days Ago (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 781: What Happened Three Days Ago (2)
The Patriarch’s location…!? What in the world is about to happen?
Octavia couldn't fathom his meaning, but an ominous premonition pierced her mind like a shard of ice.
She recoiled from the immense heat radiating from Hrotti. Before she could even think of intervening, the battle between Veradin and Kadun erupted.
Whoosh!
The fire gathered at the tip of the staff instantly transformed into a massive sphere of flames. It was the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor Form 2—the great magic Kelliark had once used to strike Sword Emperor Castle.
However, unlike his father, Veradin did not take on an appearance similar to Kelliark’s. He was wielding Kelliark’s magic while maintaining his own youthful form.
[Veradin, you finally show your true colors…!]
Kadun bellowed, his eyes widening in disbelief. Even as it happened, he could barely process it. The fact that Veradin had unleashed such a staggering amount of mana without warning, and that he truly intended to kill him, was unthinkable.
Furthermore, Veradin wasn't even using the power of a Demon God Stone. He had manifested this great magic using nothing but his own pure mana.
“I should be the one saying that, Kadun. I should have realized sooner that you are no longer necessary for the clan. No, you’ve become something worse—a harmful presence.”
Rumble!
Kadun gathered every ounce of his strength and unleashed his breath. Unlike the focused beams he usually fired, a colossal fireball, matching the scale of Form 2, erupted from his maw.
The moment the two fireballs collided, the resulting shockwave forced the other mages to hastily deploy their shields.
The raw destructive power of Veradin’s Form 2 was immense, surpassing even the spell’s final stage.
Therefore, just as Jin had done during the Sword Emperor Holy War, the best way to neutralize it was to find and sever its flow of mana. Since Kadun also knew the secret of Form 2, he quickly dove, lowering his altitude as the explosion of the fireballs momentarily obscured his movements.
However, just as he was about to release his own mana to identify the flow of Form 2—
Suddenly, two beams of light shot in from the left and right, piercing toward him like spears. Caught off guard, Kadun was forced to retreat, wrapping his wings around his body.
Damn it, I was so worked up I forgot about those two…!
Tuyan, the Water Dragon of the Water God Itelmion, and Pinia, the Earth Dragon of the Earth God Rikta. It was Veradin’s guardian dragons who had ambushed him.
[Tuyan, Pinia. You’ve grown quite a bit. Has the Young Patriarch’s madness driven you insane as well? As guardian dragons, your duty is to help him make the right choice.]
Tuyan and Pinia did not answer. They simply closed the distance, pressing their attack.
It was strange.
The combat prowess of the two dragons far exceeded Kadun’s memories. The Tuyan and Pinia he remembered would have been unable to move freely within flames of this intensity.
Yet, the two dragons charged in, enduring the fire with their entire bodies as they relentlessly tried to tear him apart.
[Kaaagh!]
Soon, Kadun’s shoulder was shredded by Tuyan’s sharp teeth. Thud! A chunk of scales and flesh the size of a human torso fell to the ground with a heavy sound.
It was the sound of Kadun’s honor and prestige crashing to the ground. Until this moment, his symbolic status within the Zipple Clan had been that of its ‘ultimate martial power.’
Even if he had been caught off guard by forgetting the guardian dragons, to see such a being overwhelmed so easily was shocking. Not even a minute had passed since the battle began.
Octavia was also in a state of panic. She had never expected Kadun to be pushed back so effortlessly.
Of course, the fight wasn't over yet.
However, Veradin spoke in a chilling voice as he amplified the flames of Form 2.
“Will you continue? For the record, I won't hesitate to kill you, Lord Kadun. If you surrender now, I might consider how your arrogant body and mind can still be utilized for the sake of the clan.”
[Shut up!]
“Ah, I suppose… you won’t stop because you have something to rely on. But you will soon realize that even that hope was misplaced.”
[What nonsense are you spouting…!]
“By the way, Wraith Captain, why are you just standing there watching? Do you perhaps need more time to decide which side to join?”
Octavia flinched as her eyes met Veradin’s.
An inexplicable dread tightened around her heart.
“That is…”
“The other mages have already finished their preparations to attack.”
Looking around, she saw the mages of the Magic Tower had already reorganized their shields and were preparing chain magic.
The mages stationed at Zipple’s 1st Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories, were all elite members of the White Night or higher. There were also many retired members of the Wraith Squad and individuals on the level of branch family heads.
In her mind, their loyalty should have leaned toward Kadun, not the Young Patriarch who had been wielding his power so excessively of late. The retired Wraith Squad members, in particular, were people who prioritized her orders over the Young Patriarch’s.
And yet, they were all preparing to strike Kadun alongside Veradin without a moment's hesitation. Every single one of them had eyes glowing a stark, eerie white.
Octavia suddenly realized the reason for their stark white eyes.
Mass mind control…!?
She had never personally witnessed Dark Magic of this caliber, but she recognized it instinctively. Veradin was manipulating the mages like puppets.
Veradin’s eyes spoke for him: The fact that I haven't used this magic on you is my final courtesy.
“Mind control is a privilege of the Zipple Clan, not just yours, Wraith Captain. So there’s no need to be so surprised. Now, move. We must finish Lord Kadun as quickly as possible.”
Veradin extended his arm, gesturing for her to step forward.
Ultimately, Octavia had no choice but to channel mana into her staff and aim it at Kadun, who was already struggling, pinned to the ground by the two dragons.
…Forgive me, Lord Kadun. For now, I have no choice but to follow the Young Patriarch’s orders.
First, she had to strike Kadun as Veradin commanded.
After that, she would have to find a way to keep Kadun alive and wait for Kelliark to return. Once the Patriarch returned, this entire mad situation would surely be set right.
There was still no significant reaction from the top floor of the tower.
As Octavia began her incantation of Light Magic, Kadun let out a scream filled with even greater fury.
[Octavia Zipple! Even you bow to that madman’s orders! Today, the shadow of ruin finally falls upon the glory of Zipple that has lasted for a thousand years!]
With Octavia and the other mages joining the fray, Kadun was reduced to a state where he could barely defend himself. Only his rage-filled roars echoed hollowly across the battlefield.
About ten minutes passed.
Kadun, once renowned as the strongest Fire Dragon, finally slumped his head against the ground, his entire body torn to rags.
His gasping breath sounded like grinding metal, his two wings hung half-shredded, and pools of his blood formed puddles across the ground.
In contrast, Veradin’s side had suffered virtually no damage. Tuyan and Pinia had sustained some wounds, but they were minor enough to heal in a few days.
Even without considering Veradin’s own abilities, it would have been impossible for Kadun to win against the Tower of Stories single-handedly.
“If the mages had followed you in rebellion, the result might have been slightly different, but this was quite dull. Have you been insulting me all this time with only this much power?” Veradin said, tapping Kadun’s forehead with his staff. The act was the height of humiliation.
[Veradin…]
“I gave you several chances to correct your mistakes, Lord Kadun.”
[Why… are you doing this… to me? Are you saying… it’s just because… I showed my displeasure… toward you?]
“That is certainly part of it, but I must admire your audacity for still trying to play innocent. Your body is too damaged to be kept alive for use. It’s time to say goodbye. Do you have any last words?”
[If I die, Kelliark and Shinu will… Guh… Aaaargh!]
Veradin’s staff slowly began to pierce Kadun’s forehead.
The mages with white eyes didn't even flinch at the sight, but Octavia felt like her heart was about to burst from the suffocating tension.
“Young Patriarch! Lord Kadun’s wounds are deep, but if he is treated, he can fight for the clan again! He must have learned his lesson today, so please, can you not stop now? If only for the sake of the Patriarch and the clan’s guardian god, Lord Shinu…!”
Thwack!
Veradin’s staff drove straight through Kadun’s forehead. Viscous blood flowed down its length.
“No!”
The moment Octavia cried out—
A somber vibration suddenly began to resonate from somewhere, shaking the very sky and earth.
It was the Magic Tower. The vibration was spreading from the very top floor, where Kelliark’s body maintenance device was located.
BOOM!
Soon, the top floor of the Magic Tower exploded. In the midst of the chaos, Octavia turned and looked up at the tower.
Th-This energy is…!
It was the energy of the Patriarch, Kelliark Zipple.
But this energy felt different from what she remembered. A black energy filled with malice, something that could never be called human, was pouring out of the Magic Tower.
It was the Energy of Chaos. Along with the flames that symbolized Kelliark, a horrific Energy of Chaos, much like that of the Malevolent God, was already staining the sky above the 1st Magic Tower black.
“Young Patriarch, what on earth is happening… How could the Patriarch…”
Furthermore, the Energy of Chaos began to flow out from Kadun as well, who had appeared to draw his last breath. Veradin pulled Octavia back and deployed a shield.
“Until now, the Fire Dragon Kadun was amplifying my father’s Energy of Chaos. I don't know what his intention was, but I judged that it would never have a positive impact on the clan.”
“Th-That can’t be! Lord Kadun would never do such a thing.”
“Look. As soon as Kadun is on the verge of death, Father immediately begins to run wild. Even if it’s hard to accept, this is the reality the clan was facing. It means both the roots and the pillars were rotten.”
Graaaaaah!
Kelliark let out a roar filled with blatant hostility. Revealed amidst the debris of the destroyed top floor, Kelliark looked exactly like the Malevolent God.
Behind them, Kadun was spreading his wings once more. The mages reorganized their ranks, while Tuyan and Pinia landed on either side of Veradin, preparing for battle.
“If Kadun’s scheme had been completed as planned, we probably wouldn't have been able to handle my father once he became a monster.”
“Young Patriarch, surely… now, the Patriarch… What do you intend to do to the Patriarch!?”
To Octavia’s question, Veradin replied without a moment's hesitation.
“I have to kill him. Fortunately, I am now able to personally grant my father peace before he becomes another Malevolent God.”