The Dragon Heart Bestowed
The violet energy rippling around Casarnox’s body was the same violet energy that had dragged Han Yujin into the heart of the battlefield.
It suddenly exploded outward, brutally smashing aside the attacks of the other archmages. Nor did it stop there. The halo streaming from Casarnox’s horn and the nebula-like radiance shining from his eyes amplified with frenzied intensity.
The dreamlike illusion thickened at an alarming rate, warping spacetime in every direction as though it were clay in a sculptor’s hands. The archmages had no choice but to retreat; even a graze from that power promised to be fatal.
“Hah…!”
“What in the world…!”
It was an anomaly they could neither comprehend nor anticipate. The opponent’s counterattack was effective enough, yet the sheer amount of power required to produce that effect was maniacally inefficient.
Naturally, the four archmages fell back on every defensive and evasive measure they possessed. So long as Asterion’s seal continued to suppress the target’s strength, this turn of events could only be welcomed.
On the other hand, the traitor Yankoti was thrown into utter consternation by the dragon’s behavior. It looked as though Casarnox was discarding the future itself for the sake of immediate supremacy. If the five of them did not annihilate one another, the fate that would befall Yankoti at the hands of the surviving archmages was all too clear.
Therefore he had no choice but to side with the dragon and assail the four archmages. In the current chaos, reducing their numbers by even one was the only preparation he could make for the moment when the dragon’s strength inevitably waned.
While he was raising evil, blood-red darkness from the crystal atop his staff and pouring every ounce of power into the assault—
suddenly, an absolutely unbelievable sight filled his eyes.
It was not only Yankoti who witnessed the incomprehensible scene. Everyone present, despite the dire circumstances, could not hide their shock.
The chest of the dragon Casarnox was splitting open.
A tremendous dragon’s roar—whether born of pain or something deeper—erupted, and the violet energy he emitted grew even more ferocious. Thanks to that outburst, an environment was created that no one could possibly disturb.
“What…! What the hell are you doing—!”
Yankoti’s desperate cry was swallowed by the aftershock of the phenomenon Casarnox had unleashed and never reached its target.
From within the split chest emerged something infinitely dreamlike and violet, yet as brilliant as a cosmic nebula. It formed a perfect sphere, radiating endless waves of mana in every direction and pulsing as though it were alive.
It was the Dragon Heart.
The dreamlike violet light spread like clouds, warping the surroundings into something out of a dream. Around the brilliant cluster that seemed to contain an entire galactic nebula, magical runes of every color in existence scattered ceaselessly like blood.
The dragon’s colossal will, woven into the roar, thundered inside every mind like a lightning strike.
Right after, the dragon’s physical form—possessing a majesty befitting a supreme being—collapsed entirely while emitting a terrifying radiance.
The light, beautiful beyond description yet ferociously radiant, shot forward like a meteor and slammed into one wall of the Asterion Seal.
The flash and explosion that followed seemed to both exist and not exist at the same time.
The seal’s wall twisted wildly like a dream vision before a small hole, just large enough for one person to pass through, finally opened.
Through that newly created opening, a human named Han Yujin slipped out precariously—replacing Casarnox, whose body had completely disintegrated.
Carrying the Dragon Heart with him.
“Stop him…!”
The magical voice, its speaker unknown, was swallowed by the explosion’s aftershock and faded away like an echo in a dream.
At the same time, the five archmages moving toward that exit—including the traitor Yankoti—were in no position to trust one another enough to take turns passing through the hole safely.
If they let the demon-following archmage go first, he might simply flee and leave behind enormous future troubles. Yet if they held him back and exited in order, whoever remained last would clearly be in danger. Deciding the sequence was nearly impossible.
“Let me out first! I need that heart too, so I won’t simply run! How desperate would I have to be for that thing to betray my own kind?!”
Yankoti’s shout only amplified their suspicions, making them even less willing to move carelessly. How could anyone trust the words of a demon follower?
While time flowed helplessly onward, Han Yujin fled at the highest speed he could manage, mobilizing every escape art at his disposal—Earth, Lightning, Wind, and more—without restraint.
Is this far enough…?! If I kill myself around here, can I select this as my harvest…?!
His heart pounded wildly; his head burned so hot it felt as though it were boiling. The overwhelming yet pure energy waves continuously pouring from the massive Dragon Heart—which he could barely hold with both arms—left his entire body feeling numb.
Yet at the same time, he analyzed the situation with ice-cold precision and continued his escape with everything he had. He had good reason.
First, it eliminated even the slim chance that the item would not appear in the harvest selection. At the same time, successfully escaping like this might reduce his karma expenditure.
The item’s value was important, but so was how much fortune had been involved in obtaining it, was it not?
With that thought, he tried to suppress the Dragon Heart’s energy waves somehow, but the attempt had little effect.
Naturally, he never considered storing it inside his belt. Placing an object in that state inside the storage belt would undoubtedly cause it to explode.
Fortunately, the area outside the Asterion Seal was in utter chaos due to the battle between Casarnox’s subordinates and an army of hundreds of thousands of humans. Thanks to that frenzy, he was able to minimize the attention drawn by the Dragon Heart’s overwhelming presence.
Of course, that did not mean he had completely evaded all notice.
“What the hell is that…?!”
“Whoa…?!”
A considerable number of people turned their gazes toward the fleeing Han Yujin as if spellbound. Among them were several decisive-stage powerhouses who could not be ignored.
It was at that moment.
“Stop right there—!!”
A knight enveloped in all manner of beneficial magic blessings blocked his path.
Enemy or ally was unclear, but with such a suspicious figure clearly fleeing while carrying what appeared to be an extraordinary treasure, failing to stop him would have been stranger still.
The scene itself was enough to send chills down one’s spine. The knight had clearly been quite far away, yet the speed with which he closed the distance was insane.
The aura clinging to the tip of the threateningly leveled sword carried a horrific killing intent that Han Yujin’s current Dharma Soul stage arts could never hope to block.
However.
The knight’s soul was far too frail compared to the strength of his body.
No matter how many magical blessings he wore, they were ultimately external powers with clear limits. While they could defend against outside interference, they could not forcibly elevate his originally weak senses and perception.
Boom—!!
For an instant, lightning flames accompanied by a brilliant flash erupted, and Han Yujin’s figure seemed to vanish. It lasted only the briefest moment, but the knight fell into confusion. He tried to pursue what appeared to be the enemy fleeing from one side, only to stop again.
He had realized that what he had taken for the enemy was nothing more than a clump of dust wrapped in lightning flames.
In that short span, he had lost track of his opponent.
Han Yujin, who had burrowed deep underground using the Earth Escape Art, maintained his high speed while continuing to try to conceal the Dragon Heart’s presence.
But there was no way a mere Dharma Soul stage practitioner like Han Yujin could control the heart of a Void Refinement stage dragon that had lost its original owner’s control.
It should have been impossible.
Huh…?!
Whether his persistent efforts had borne fruit, or whether Casarnox’s voluntary transfer had triggered some magical effect, for the briefest instant Han Yujin felt a connection with the Dragon Heart.
Immediately afterward, as if responding to his will, the Dragon Heart dramatically reduced all its presence—including its light and energy waves. Furthermore, its size shrank, allowing him to hold it in one hand.
The concealment effect from its reduced presence even extended to Han Yujin himself as he held it.
Thanks to this, he was able to continue his escape with surprising ease even as the pursuit by the decisive-stage mages began in earnest.
If they could not sense the magical traces of an opponent moving through the earth, tracking was naturally impossible. The archmages, who possessed the skill to see through such concealment, had for some reason not yet joined the pursuit.
And so, in the end.
Han Yujin succeeded in an escape that had seemed truly impossible.
Not only had he eliminated even the slightest chance that the Dragon Heart would not appear in the harvest selection, but it was a tremendous achievement that might reduce his karma consumption as well.
A dark, empty space. Yet the atmosphere was supremely peaceful and cozy.
Han Yujin gazed at the Dragon Heart, which had returned to its originally tremendous, magnificent form, with an expression lost in ecstasy.
As if it had all been calculated, expending nearly all the karma he currently possessed would allow him to select this incredible treasure as his harvest.
However…
It was not as distinctly felt as the karma cost, but he could clearly sense that there was another price.
A pact.
The Dao-heart oath to help Casarnox and his clan at an appropriate level in the future, once he had gained sufficient leisure. Its existence could be faintly felt.
It was fascinating that he could sense a Dao-heart oath in this manner, yet it was also quite terrifying. It made him realize that this was a heavy contract that, once made, could never be broken. The fact that he did not know how the penalty would manifest if he violated it made it even more frightening.
Perhaps the fact that I could only just barely select it with the karma I possess is not a coincidence.
The insufficiency of his karma might have been augmented by the weight of this Dao-heart oath.
But one very fortunate thing was that the conditions of this Dao-heart oath were not harsh at all.
When I have sufficient leisure in the future, at an appropriate level.
It was abstract content that could only be judged by Han Yujin’s own conscience. At the same time, it was something that made it difficult to suffer any loss.
Did you even account for this possibility when you proposed the deal, Casarnox?
If the conditions had been even slightly stricter, he might have agonized over it considerably. And because he did not have to worry about it now, it felt as though he had received even more assistance.
This feeling would inevitably influence how he offered help at that “appropriate level” later on.
In any case, thanks to this, he had obtained the Dragon Heart far sooner than planned.
Han Yujin selected it as his harvest. Instead of leaving the waiting area immediately as usual, he began conducting several experiments. As long as he willed himself not to leave, it was entirely possible.
The subject of his experiments was the connection with the Dragon Heart that he had felt during his escape.
It definitely wasn’t my imagination.
After attempting it roughly a dozen times, the feeling returned once more.
At the same time, the Dragon Heart responded to his will as if it were alive, sharply reducing its radiance and size while its presence grew extremely faint.
Perfect!
With this, he could avoid drawing attention whether he was in reality or in other worlds.
He was greatly pleased and continued practicing to perform it more skillfully.
It would not take long at all.