Book 10 Chapter 24

Episode 249

“Freude, Rin in danger, Rin in danger, Rin in danger.”

Fifi deliberately used the name Rin, fearing that Freude might not recognize it, but there was no need.

For the Dragon Eyes (龍眼), radiating a golden glow, could see not the texture of a person's flesh, but the texture of their soul.

Perhaps thinking a kin had appeared, Setsunen clung to Freude's leg and cried, asking for help.

「Making a little girl cry, you're a really bad dad, aren't you? Don't worry so much.」

Like in the distant past, it lightly kissed Fifi's beak, stroked Setsunen's head, and grinned.

Then it approached Rain and pressed its forehead against his.

Suddenly… the world seemed to twist as if in a vortex, his five senses felt distorted, then all pain vanished as if washed away.

‘My body is back to normal. My body, my body… have I gotten it back? How?’

Perhaps if there was a place called purgatory, it would feel like this; it was a world where grand flames blazed, forming a horizon.

「This is the Soul-Box World (魂箱世界), accessible only to Dragonkin. You can enter because you also have a Yeouiju within you.」

The one who lightly explained the changes that couldn't be accepted all at once was…

「Hmm, you've become more manly and handsome than when you were that troublesome kid, haven't you? You've risen quickly, kid.」

Rain could only stare blankly once more at the figure who had casually surveyed him from head to toe as if appraising him, then laughed playfully.

「That look says, 'It's not me who rose quickly, but this legendary shaman, Lady Freude, isn't it?' Hehe, you've got it right.」

Unlike 300 years ago, she was clad not in a shaman's ritual attire but in dragon scale armor, yet her face hadn't changed even a bit from that time.

「How do you feel seeing this Lady Freude, who became a dragon through asceticism? My beauty has also been fully restored to the days when I made men line up in single file and cry.」

The only certain change was that her eyes had turned into dragon eyes.

「Hey.」

Perhaps having experienced the trials of centuries, her eyes had become deeper and calmer; even amidst such playful banter, there was an untouchable reverence.

「Hey, hey, hey, hey.」

Again, tears blurred his vision. It was utterly impossible to compose himself.

「Say something… I made such a cool entrance, but, uh, you, huh? You keep crying, so I'm, darn it, about to cry too.」

I had already given up everything.

Even if we met again, I thought it would be like Kies, only being able to speak with a residual thought for a very short time.

I can't make a sound.

Fearing that if I did, it might shatter into pieces, as this might be a dream.

“Frie, Fr, Frie, Freude, I, again, I again, m, mee, meet, so, I, again like this, wanted to, that, th, ke, keep…”

His cracking voice erratically rose and fell.

「It's the same for both of us.」

Eventually, moisture spread to the eyelids of the former shaman, who placed her hand on the head of the old boy weeping with his head bowed.

Yes, this must have been how it was.

If only I had been able to break the ice of the Juyeosogyeidaeban and emerge from it in time, I would have been able to greet everyone like this.

「But we don't have time to keep doing this. Time flows slowly here, but you don't have much time left.」

“……!”

「We just barely met again like this, you're not planning to part ways right away, are you? I'll delay the collapse of your body as much as possible, but it would be good to hurry.」

Her left hand, clad in dragon scales like armor, touched Rain's heart.

Then, countless dragon words were etched onto the skin over his heart, and it began to burn intensely, to the point of stifling his breath.

Not only that, but his heart, surely hidden within his bones and flesh, began to emit dazzling light like a fireball from his body.

「All transcendent beings can take on temporary forms according to their soul's blueprint. It's the same principle as Dragonkin taking on human form.」

“What are you trying to say…?”

「It means that before your body collapses, you must reach transcendence in its true sense.」

“Transcendence…?”

「The dragon word I've just engraved on your heart is 'Communication (疏通).' It's the dragon word the Fire Dragon Bell'dakidun taught me when I began this ascetic training.」

“Communication? With what…?”

「Your own inner self, and the providence of creation, the truth (眞理) that mages speak of. From now on, you must discover that. In your soul's journey.」

What happened then? Had it already unified (合一) with Rain's soul?

As if resonating with the dragon word engraved by Freude, the Black Yangrin hanging around his neck began to emit light.

* * *

“Hahahaha! This is truly an amazing body!”

The combination of Earth (地) and Poison (毒).

The structures that formed the city became microscopic particles and collapsed weakly.

A gigantic poison swamp, sucking in everything in the area like an antlion's pit, had formed.

‘This guy, his magic casting and combination speed is getting faster and faster.’

Bart thought, bleeding and sweating profusely. He didn't even have time to use the power Snir had passed on to him.

‘A monster, this is a real monster.’

Rem also gasped for breath amidst the intoxicating haze that numbed his mind.

‘How on earth did our ancestor defeat someone like this?’

It was the first time he had fought for so long while 100% intoxicated. And also the first time he had been so helplessly on the receiving end.

‘That combination of elements…’

Should it be called the realm of omnipotence? Magic with attributes and forms most suitable for the combat situation erupted instantly.

‘I've never seen or heard of magic being used like that.’

Even if it's different in nature from magic, what if archery could be used like that? Just thinking about it makes him dizzy.

‘Rem and Bart are nearing their limits.’

Miria, who had instantly shattered the barriers of Water (水), Iron (鐵), and Lightning (雷) with her spatiotemporal flash, rushed towards Zernix, thinking.

‘I, who have experience fighting this guy, must lead everyone and put an end to this fight.’

Steel yourself.

Here, it must end here.

But the situation was vastly, vastly different from then.

“That swordplay is still annoying, now as it was then!”

First, her body cannot withstand the Holy Sword's maximum output. The veins throughout her body feel like they're about to burst. Her tendons feel like they're about to snap.

- Lista.

- Lista!

And as if one body.

Her comrades, who had precisely and perfectly supported every single one of her movements, were gone.

“But what can I do, there's absolutely none of the sharpness from 300 years ago? Which is natural, since there's no Yeouiju!”

Element combination, Fire (火), Water (水), Iron (鐵).

Furious flames evaporated a vast amount of water, and dense steam rose.

Her sight and smell blocked, the moment Miria's attack hesitated, a steel crushing hammer flew in.

Kaaaang!

I missed, Shiru Pen, fly right here, it was less than an instant that I dropped the sword due to my grip strength reaching its limit, but…

“First, one of the most annoying things.”

Exploiting that momentary opening, ice shards (氷石) that had already covered the sky rained down.

‘A way to stop that now, Heart Sword, yes, pull out the Heart Sword, no, time…’

At the moment when a knowing smile and a desperate breath intertwined, flames that seemed to swallow the entire area swirled fiercely.

“───?!”

Indeed, it was an immense amount of heat.

Would it feel like this if the sun shone right nearby? It was the fire of life, the authority that annihilates evil, and the light that protects the world.

A murderous heat, like an explosion, swept through, incinerating all the ice shards that had swallowed the sky, leaving not even a trace of steam.

‘This kid, surely.’

Everyone present in that place, even Zernix, stared at the owner of the flames who had landed on the ground, with incredulous eyes.

A transcendent being, who had just shed her girlishness, stood face-to-face with him.

“Apologize.”

Her hair rippled as if flames were fluttering in the wind, and fiery horns sprouted from both sides of her head.

“For making Uncle Pyras cry.”

Not only that, but a dragon's tail, forged from flames, majestically undulated from her pelvis.

“Apologize!”

The eyes looking at Zernix were simply calm. Like a candle lighting a pitch-black night.

“Hmm, what's that appearance? Growing so rapidly is one thing, but what about those horns and tail──”

There was no answer.

Instead, a "Hwarreuk" sound of flames igniting was heard, and a massive impact struck deep into Zernix's abdomen.

‘Hut…?!’

Zernix, who had flown through three market buildings in a row, leaving man-shaped holes, was slammed into the outer wall of the fourth building.

“Zernix…”

“Blown away…?”

Zernix vomited clotted blood.

If he hadn't instantaneously deployed barriers of Iron (鐵) and Ice (氷) in front of him, his abdomen would have been pierced, wouldn't it?

‘What is this pain…?’

Although his body was regenerating at super speed due to the abyss, an intense pain arose from the area where the fist had struck.

‘I've faced the Red True Dragon's flames many times, but this is beyond scale compared to then, like being attacked by two Red True Dragons simultaneously…’

There was no time to collect his thoughts.

‘Dangerous, dangerous.’

Surging forward instantly, the cub dragon's might, wielding fierce flames with both hands and its tail, was no longer child's play.

‘I should kill it before it becomes an adult, to avoid future trouble.’

His body felt like it would melt away amidst the mighty firepower.

But this isn't enough.

For a juvenile, there are ultimately physical limits.

‘If I leave it alive until then, this one will probably become the strongest True Dragon.’

At that moment, Miria had to compose her breath and simultaneously wipe away the tears blurring her vision.

‘Lord Pyras is helping Aki. He passed on his power to Aki.’

It is fundamentally impossible for one True Dragon to possess two Yeouiju. Yoshuhar told me that a long time ago.

Because the soul would not be able to withstand that power and would collapse.

But Aki, just as she has always done, created another miracle this time. She lit a candle of miracles.

‘Aki is fighting like that, so I can't hesitate.’

Not only Miria, but Rem and Bart also began to run, gripping Serwebon and their Dragon Bone Spears.

‘Thanks to Aki, I got a moment to catch my breath, a moment to reflect on my accumulated battle experience.’

Think. Think.

A way to break through those eight attributes and land an effective hit.

‘Push forward like this.’

‘Keep pushing forward.’

‘Support Aki.’

If it continues like this, they might win.

Zernix has been busy defending against Aki's offensive since earlier.

His attacks have started becoming monotonous. That guy doesn't have time to organize his thoughts either.

“Originally, I intended to carefully 'cook' each one and adapt to this body… Hmph, heh heh heh, but if I do that, something big will happen.”

At that moment, a pure white flower bloomed in Zernix's eyes.

Bell Quirius.

An unknown ripple (波紋) instantly spread throughout the area, and something primordial forcibly seized providence.

“In that case, I'll show you, without further concealment, the true power of Bell Quirius.”

* * *

Ttoreong… Rain opened his eyes at a sound like a single drop falling into a lake.

‘Here… huh? What is this?’

Could such a space exist in reality?

Black mist, the authority of the Black Sun Kalenden, lay everywhere.

An old man walked into the mist. He was someone Rain had seen somewhere before.

‘Where was that? He looks familiar yet unfamiliar.’

The answer to his identity was given by the creator of magic, who was perched on a pavilion formed from mist.

「Thus, you have finished the race of your life, Ryouken.」

Ryouken?

Ryouken Ludwig?

Ah, I didn't realize because I had only seen him in his middle-aged form until now. When did he get so old? Is he dead now?

‘But why am I seeing this memory now? No, why is it being shown to me?’