ocean-life Chapter 235: Qualification of a Great Warrior
Chapter 235: Qualification of a Great Warrior
Chapter 235: Qualification of a Great Warrior
“Come on, come on! Let’s get things in order quickly!”
At the break of dawn, Tatur, like any other place, was busy preparing for the day. The central building of Tatur, which housed the administrators, was bustling with people starting to clean up.
“Wh-What the...?!"
However, the bustle was short-lived. The servants passing through the hallway shrieked in terror at the sight of a shadowy figure and fled in panic.
“Hmph...” Allen Javius sneered at them.
There were more people in the hallway, already there before the first servants began their preparations, as though they had stayed up all night. These people were the elite of Tatur.
“Today, don’t do anything and clear the area. No disturbances.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
The chamberlain nodded hastily to Dushala’s orders, urging the servants down the stairs.
“Will it be alright? It’s been almost a whole day...” Israphil cautiously spoke up.
At that, everyone turned to Allen.
Suan, Mikhail, Kinu, Beikan, and others... They were all on edge, waiting in front of the door.
“I don’t know. Since I don’t know what’s in the box, I can’t say whether it’s dangerous or not. The only thing I know for sure is that the Platinum Dragon strictly warned not to open it.”
"The Platinum Dragon...? Are you referring to Narh Di Maug?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying that the box our lord opened belongs to the Platinum Dragon?” Mikhail asked carefully.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“What does that mean...?” A hint of irritation was felt in Miliana’s voice.
“I don’t know either,” Allen repeated in a low voice. “It could be something he left behind or something he’s trying to hide. If you’re so curious, ask him yourself.”
“...!!”
“...!!”
As soon as Allen finished speaking, everyone quickly turned toward the door, sensing something.
Boom—!!
The entire building suddenly shook, the walls cracking with a crisp sound.
“Everyone, get back!!”
Suan, who had been standing behind, rushed forward, crossing his arms and clashing his gauntlets together.
Shhh...!
With a sound like vibrating bronze, the gauntlets shook, and a dome-like stone wall formed around Suan. Unlike a magic shield, this one looked as if it was made from the materials of the building itself.
Crack—!
Crash!
A powerful impact followed his shout. With a thunderclap, Suan’s stone wall shattered into pieces. As a sharp pain coursed through his arms, he turned around quickly.
“Don’t panic. No one here is going to run away from something like this.”
Unlike the startled Suan, Miliana calmly kicked aside the debris of the broken door.
As Suan turned his head, he saw that the people behind were standing there as if nothing had happened.
“...”
Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and turned away with a flushed face.
“Move.”
Miliana strode past him into the wrecked room, everyone watching her with tense expressions.
“Can’t you give us a hint? With so many living people here, must you only speak to the dead?” Miliana said, raising her head.
Everyone turned to Karyl, standing amidst the debris. The room was a mess. The outer wall had been completely destroyed, letting the cold wind rush in.
“What... is that?”
She was the first to notice the change in him.
From Karyl’s left wrist to his shoulder, his skin was covered with slick, blue scales, resembling a snake’s.
“Hey, you. First you gained dragon power, and now your body is turning into that of a monster?” Miliana asked casually, though the intense aura radiating from Karyl made her shoulders tremble slightly.
“Phew...” Karyl exhaled, a chill spreading from his breath.
“Everyone, move!” Miliana echoed Suan’s earlier command, and everyone in the hallway immediately stepped back at her shout.
Crack...!!
Screech...!!
Miliana drew her two swords and thrust them forward with all her might.
Boom–!!
A sharp, resonating echo made her stagger, and her tendons from wrist to shoulder snapped with a pop.
“Gah—?!”
With searing pain, she hurriedly drew on her mana, but it was too late. Blocking Karyl’s attack with hastily summoned power was impossible.
Hashir, receiving Agnel in its sheath, knelt on one knee and reverently held the dagger over his head.
“How did you... We have searched for centuries. Many artisans of the tribe tried to craft a sheath but failed to contain the dagger’s power...”
“That’s why it holds even more meaning. Go and deliver my message to the chiefs of the immigrant tribes,” Karyl instructed quietly, looking at Hashir’s astonished face.
“Show them the completion of Agnel, which could not be achieved for centuries. Now, only the title of Great Warrior remains. I will prove it in the principality, so watch with your own eyes."
***
Boom...!!!
Boom—!!!
In the midst of the civil war in the Lurein Principality, explosions echoed incessantly from the defensive line at the mouth of the Binfrede River, the last bridge to Cove.
“Grrrr...!!”
Each time the dragon units swooped down, spewing scorching flames, fires erupted all around.
“Hold the line at all costs!”
“This is the last line of defense! We must hold it no matter what!”
But as if mocking their cries, dozens of dragons from the White Bunker tore through the soldiers positioned at the defense line.
“Damn it...! Until the magical artillery arrives—”
The commander's shout was cut short by the dozens of flames engulfing them.
“Aaaargh!!”
“Save me!”
Boom—!
Even their screams faded instantly, swallowed by a drake’s fireball that left a crater where the soldiers had been.
“This is... impossible.”
The dragon units of First Duchess Tuli Lurein unleashed terror on the battlefield, and the soldiers defending Cove’s last line of defense were paralyzed with fear.
The tide of battle had already turned. With Fran’s proud Iron Fleet trapped in Cove due to the betrayal of Fifth Duke Lachiel, Tuli wasted no time advancing south from the White Bunker, pressuring Fran.
“Roooar—!!”
“Screeeech—!”
The dragons roared overhead, eyes on their prey below.
“It’s over...” a soldier muttered in despair, his face blackened with soot. He looked at where the flames had just fallen. His leg was gone, only a charred stump left. Feeling no pain, he just stared blankly at the sky.
Then it happened.
Boom!!
A drake suddenly crashed next to him, shaking the ground violently.
“...!!”
Startled, the soldier quickly looked ahead.
“Hmm...”
Through the flailing wings of the struggling drake, he heard a low sigh from someone.
Crack—
With a dull sound, the drake’s neck was twisted grotesquely, and the rampaging creature went limp.
“It’s complete chaos,” Karyl commented quietly, sighing as he surveyed the battlefield.
“I’m exhausted. We boarded the ship without any rest.”
“Who told you to do something like that? Heading into battle without even consulting us.”
Step, step, step...
With a calm expression, Karyl stepped off the drake’s corpse onto the ground and slowly walked forward.
Gulp–
Since when had they been there?
The soldier, too shocked to remember what had happened, just stared at him—no, at them. The warriors walked in perfect unison, as if they were one.
Swish–
Karyl raised his hand.
“I need a break.”
As if on cue, those behind him scattered at an incredible speed, nearly invisible to the naked eye.
“...!!”
The soldiers rubbed his eyes. What Karyl had shown earlier was impressive, but this display was astonishing for entirely different reasons.
“This is impossible...”
Had he heard the soldier’s words?
Karyl stood with arms crossed, a smirk playing on his lips as he observed the battlefield, looking as though he was savoring the spectacle.
What had seemed like a lost battle took a drastic shift with the sudden arrival of Karyl and his people, turning the tide of the war almost instantly.