Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Distorted Grand Plan
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The Sea King, receiving Paon's gaze, clicked his tongue lightly in annoyance before reluctantly nodding.
"...It's not to my liking, but if it means I can lop off the heads of those Great Desert bastards, I'll show that much mercy. If the legends are true... the Earth Dragon is dangerous enough that we all need to cut its head off together. You there, dark elf."
The Sea King turned his eyes toward Aelion.
Shwaaak!
At the same instant, he swung his scimitar at invisible speed.
...Srrrrk!
The top Aelion was wearing tore into ragged shreds, fluttering away in the wind.
"If even a sliver of falsehood mixes into what you've said... the next time you face me, it won't be your clothes—your body will be sliced apart."
It was a miraculous strike that shredded every stitch of clothing without leaving so much as a scratch on her skin.
Aelion merely smiled calmly.
"Very well, then. I'll tell you the way... Departing in three days should be about right. You'll need to clean up this mess by then. Time isn't... all that abundant."
Kwaaaaang!
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
Drakelas's shrill scream echoed thunderously through the Great Desert cavern.
The grand scheme was nearly upon them.
The foolish Golden Heaven and Mudflow had slaughtered each other, culminating in a massive clash on the Beast Fields.
Drakelas had cheered in triumph.
The catalyst poison of decay scattered into the Amatres River was made from the Earth Dragon's blood.
That poison, slowly devouring the myriad lives in the river, had been regaining its vitality by feeding on the corpses and blood spilled by the orcs and lizardmen of the two forces.
And now, with the great battle... an opportunity had arisen to fill His vitality in one go.
Just a little more.
If only a bit more of the potent life force and hot blood from the Serpent Dragons, Four Fiends, and Vast Quantity-rank great warriors poured in... then the true Earth Dragon of legend, Lord Karaktus, could descend upon this land in full glory.
Everything was proceeding exactly as she had planned.
It surely should have.
But.
It had twisted.
Everything.
The vitality was not yet fully replenished.
No matter how fiercely Golden Heaven and Mudflow had butchered one another, compared to the blood that would flow from the great battle on the Beast Fields... the amount was paltry.
If the Earth Dragon awakened in this state... it would possess at best perhaps seven-tenths of its original power.
That was not what Drakelas desired.
"Just what... why...!!"
Who, who the hell had done this insane thing?
The first suspects that came to mind were the other Fingers.
She had successfully incited the infighting between Golden Heaven and Mudflow, advancing triumphantly, which must have irked the other Fingers like a thorn in their eyes.
But that suspicion faded quickly.
Drakelas soon excluded them from the list.
No matter how much the five Fingers competed and harbored enmity toward one another, there were lines they wouldn't cross.
At the very least, regarding matters tied to Earth Dragon Karaktus, they wouldn't sabotage each other.
The idea that they'd pull something this deranged just to topple her alone lacked plausibility.
"...No, wait."
Suddenly, a recent scene flashed vividly in Drakelas's mind.
-Please, allow me to go rescue Biyona.
For some reason, Aelion's parting words echoed in her memory.
'Biyona, the Beast Fields, the clan's movements... Could it be?'
As Drakelas stood silent, the dark elves who had been holding their breath around her slowly approached.
"Lady Drakelas, please calm yourself..."
"Aelion."
"...Yes?"
"Where is that bastard Aelion?!"
Her furious roar cut through the subordinates' attempts to soothe her, shaking the dark elves' ears.
"Th-that... He's vanished completely since just a little while ago...!"
"Damn it all...!!"
Drakelas ground her teeth at the report.
The incantation to awaken Earth Dragon Karaktus.
That prayer, permitted only to the five Fingers—how could Aelion possibly know it?
Suddenly, she recalled Aelion furtively skimming the incantation out of curiosity while she rested alone.
'...No way, in that brief moment?'
No, even granting that he memorized it—a stretch, but possible.
'Did that punk have mana control sharp enough to guide life force to Lord Karaktus...!'
It was a mistake.
When that fool begged to rescue Biyona, she should have nipped it in the bud.
Intoxicated by the thought of soon surpassing Thumb Arckandor for that seat.
Thrilled that the day of the Earth Dragon's descent upon this land was near.
...And complacent, assuming one punk like him couldn't stir up much trouble.
All of it had ruined everything.
At that moment, with her eyes bloodshot in a feral glare, no one dared disturb Drakelas's mood.
"Kuhuhuhu! What a pathetic sight you've become, Drakelas."
A malicious sneer reverberated throughout the dark elves' stronghold.
Shhhrrrr!
Amid the sound of dust swirling on windless ground.
The lingering sand coalesced into form around feet and legs, waist, chest, arms... and finally the face, one by one.
As the sand piles slowly took the shape of a skull, Drakelas gnashed her teeth with a growl.
"Arckandor...!!"
Indeed.
The five peaks leading the Great Desert in Earth Dragon Karaktus's absence—the Fingers.
Among them, at the supreme position stood this skull sorcerer.
The leader of the undead forces, the vanguard of the Fingers, Thumb.
The indestructible immortal archlich—Arckandor was the sorcerer's name.
"What business brings you here?"
"Kuhuhu! You know the reason better than anyone, old hag."
The skull sorcerer, spilling grains of sand from his mouth with laughter, venomously insulted the aged dark elf.
"Your grand scheme to pit Golden Heaven and Mudflow against each other as sacrifices for the supreme Earth Dragon... Not a bad idea. But if you're going to do it, do it right."
Arckandor glared at Drakelas with his hollow eye sockets.
"You couldn't even control a single subordinate under you properly, forcing the Earth Dragon to descend incomplete upon this land. How do you plan to atone for this sin?"
Drakelas bit her lip, grinding her teeth at the accusatory tone.
"...It's not over yet. Until the Earth Dragon descends... there's still about a month left. In that time, with the life force those ignorant fools scatter. I can fill the deficiencies completely."
"I hope you're not seriously believing that drivel, dark elf."
"......"
The archlich sneered coldly at the dark elf's forced excuse.
"Paon Lichtenauer. That mortal realm monster is marching on this land with the other two forces. If it were the Earth Dragon in perfect form, perhaps. But to the Earth Dragon bereft of much of its power... do you truly think that human poses no threat whatsoever?"
Drakelas had no retort to Arckandor's sharp criticism.
Paon Lichtenauer.
The Martial Sovereign, the figure who always came to mind first when thinking of Agena's strongest absolute being.
That monster's existence... prevented Drakelas from confidently affirming it.
"...So, what do you expect me to do about it?"
Drakelas countered.
"The Earth Dragon's descent is already set. Golden Heaven, Mudflow, and the clan are advancing relentlessly toward this great land. I'll admit my mistake... but I'd rather discuss something productive."
"That's exactly what I intend."
Arckandor scoffed at Drakelas's brazen attitude.
"If you've botched it, take responsibility. You and Galtrow—that idiot—must meet the enemies at the forefront. Slay the foes by any means and offer up fresh sacrifices. That way, you might fill even a little of Lord Karaktus's lacking vitality."
"......!!"
"Ah, of course, your clansmen dying in droves will become His blood and flesh too, so give it your all."
Drakelas ground her teeth.
"That's too...!!"
"Don't call it harsh, dark elf. Only then can I plead 'mitigating circumstances' to the Earth Dragon on your behalf."
...Crunch!
Drakelas gnashed her teeth as if they might shatter.
The impulse to pulverize that skull's jaw right then surged from deep within.
...However.
She knew better than anyone she couldn't.
The pinnacle of the Fingers, Thumb.
The privilege of directly petitioning the Earth Dragon... belonged solely to the Thumb.
'That's why I tried to claim merits before His awakening to seize the Thumb's seat...!!'
That damned Aelion had ruined it all.
Forget the Thumb's seat—if her clansmen were annihilated, even holding her Finger position would be tenuous.
"...Fine."
But she had no choice.
Refusing might mean erasure by the Earth Dragon itself.
As Drakelas accepted the proposal—no, the order—Arckandor burst into hearty laughter.
"Kuhuhu! Good choice. Wise and prudent, as befits a dark elf."
No expression on the skull, yet.
Drakelas couldn't shake the feeling that Arckandor was mocking her.
"Block them with everything you've got, old hag. For the Earth Dragon to return even a bit stronger... we'll need far more blood."
"...I get it. Now get lost."
A beast-like growl, sharp as a blade, escaped Drakelas's lips.
"I don't want to see your nauseating face anymore."
"If that's what you wish."
Shrrrr!
Arckandor shrugged, his form dissolving into powerless sand grains scattering in the air.
Crunch...!!
Suppressing her rage, Drakelas bellowed at the dark elves.
"What are you lot doing? Prepare at once! Dare those impure hordes disturb the Earth Dragon's slumber as they climb?!"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
'...It's fine. Just hold out three weeks somehow.'
Drakelas tried to soothe her resentment and calm herself.
About three weeks remained until Karaktus's revival.
No matter if the Earth Dragon couldn't reclaim full power.
No matter if that human Paon was a threat to Him.
Nothing would change.
'Better this way. If I gather enough vitality for His perfect awakening... He'll look upon me again.'
Crisis is opportunity.
Overcoming this could be the perfect stage to showcase herself to the Earth Dragon.
Then... she could surely claim that damned Arckandor's seat.
And Drakelas was certain.
"Aelion... you didn't head to that dangerous place just to awaken Lord Karaktus, did you?"
Aelion was capable.
He must have found the path with the highest chance of survival while rescuing his subordinate.
Thus, this place was a dead end for Aelion.
After pulling this stunt, he knew she'd tear him apart if he returned.
Nor was escaping pursuers on the Beast Fields while rescuing Biyona feasible.
Impossible even in perfect health—let alone in his state.
To survive, then... he had to prove his worth to those gathered on the fields.
And to prove it, betraying the Great Desert was the only way.
"Fine, I underestimated your damned sentimentality. I'll admit it. But you... underestimated this old one too."
She extended her hand, and the dark elves, who had watched silently, offered her staff.
Her cherished weapon of centuries, Oath of the Night.
Raising Oath of the Night, she exuded waves of chilling aura.
"I'll show you. How this old one has held the Index Finger's seat all these years."
The Great Desert was vast, and three weeks of war lay ahead.
In that time... she would surely encounter him.
The day he faced her.
Aelion would meet the most wretched death imaginable.
'I'll make sure of it.'
With that chilling vow, Drakelas stepped out onto the desert surface.
The real war... was just beginning.
At Aelion's words, the Lichtenauer Martial Clan returned to Titan and began reorganizing by strike teams.
With only three days until departure, each team was busy resting and inspecting their units.
"Whew, I'm beat. Couldn't even sit properly, and now we gotta head out again soon."
Ralph of the Latent Dragon Squad grumbled as he tried to set down his halberd in his quarters for some rest.
Thud!
Someone's hand steadied the tilting rack and Ralph's halberd as it slipped.
"......?"
Ralph looked on in bewilderment, and the hand's owner spoke coldly.
"Rest? What rest?"
"...Huh? What?"
Not just Ralph—the other squad members wore puzzled expressions too—as the owner, Ian, flashed a grin.
"Everyone, we've got places to be. Pack your gear now."
To prepare for the intel Aelion provided... there was no time to rest.
Even moving immediately might not leave much margin.
"W-what? What the hell! We just got back!!"
The squad members panicked and clamored, but it fell on deaf ears with Ian.
"Pack quietly. No arguments."
He knew that moving now would bring back rewards many times over later.