LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 127 - Dragon Blood
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
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< Chapter 127: Dragon Blood (2) >
Thirty minutes earlier.
Noyl was visiting the Spinola mansion with the security forces.
This was because Giuseppe believed it would be challenging for the security forces alone to eliminate the entire Spinola Family.
– Most likely, he’ll use the family as a shield and try to escape through a hidden passage. Umberto is the kind of guy who values his own life above all else.
Noyl, unwilling to drag this matter out any further, stormed the mansion and struck down Umberto, who was attempting to flee.
He also dispatched Giuseppe, who had run up, cheering, just to make an example of him.
– I… why would you do this to me?
– Because you’re no longer useful.
– You bastard!
– Don’t feel wronged. Weren’t you the one planning to betray us once the job was done? If only you had continued living as a mindless insect, why bother trying to think with a brain that doesn’t work? Tsk!
In any case, most of the wealth Giuseppe had piled up had already slipped into Troyban’s hands without him realizing it.
With all that gold and money gone to Troyban, it was enough to leave only the scrap behind in this place.
And now, back to the present.
Noyl appeared at the central temple, holding Umberto’s and Giuseppe’s heads.
The Ghost Slayer Squad had returned much later than he had anticipated.
「Still, if one could call this a blessing in disguise, perhaps it is.」
Theo was standing, forcing his exhausted body to remain upright, even though he looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
He gripped the Dragon Slayer Sword and the Moon-White Sword tightly.
「To think that the one who took Kriemhild’s Mysteries was also the one who stole the Dragon Slayer Sword. I never imagined it would turn out to be the ‘Chosen One’ of this era.」
Step.
Noyl began walking slowly towards Theo.
‘Theo!’
Selperd wanted to scream that.
Arin and Ray also wanted to move somehow to protect Theo, but this cursed pressure refused to allow them any movement.
Step, step!
Before they realized it, Noyl was already approaching Theo.
「Since he probably has all the relics that Ed foolishly lost, if I just retrieve them all neatly, there won’t be a more satisfying conclusion than this. Plus… I could take the Chosen One’s body as well.」
Noyl watching Theo, who was standing resolute even in this situation, felt admiration within.
Such spirit was, indeed fitting for a Chosen One. It was truly admirable.
But for that very reason.
For the future of Troyban, he had to cut off this seed here and now.
「Come with me.」
Srrk-
Noyl reached out his hand, covering Theo’s face.
Through the gaps between his fingers, Theo’s eyes—turned crimson—continued to stare intently at Noyl.
But then,
‘Is he… smiling?’
Just as Noyl, behind his mask, sensed something awry his eyes narrowed.
Kukukuku!
Suddenly, the central temple began to shake violently.
The earthquake was so intense that it was difficult to keep one’s balance.
Simultaneously, the oppressive force that was crushing everything dissipated as if it was never there.
“Theo!”
The group, freed from the invisible chains leaped towards Theo in unison.
「What have you done?」
“Did you think you had already won and got too confident? From the start, this place was my domain.”
「No way!」
Something clicked in Noyl’s mind, and he quickly tried to unleash the aura gathered at his fingertips.
Kwarrrng!
As far as he knew, Theo had already obtained Kriemhild’s mystery and completed the Sea King’s seal.
Moreover, the floating property of the archipelago was based on the ascending currents of magic power released by the Sea King.
-What if the Sea King hadn’t been resealed but instead had passed on his power or authority to Theo?
By conventional wisdom, Kriemhild, the hero, and Leviathan, the Sea King, were mortal enemies who could never be reconciled.
Yet Theo was a direct descendant of Ragnar, who claimed to be the “Dragon’s Descendant,” and was the chosen one, known as the Dragon King’s Consort.
Could Theo have managed to turn this enmity to his advantage?
Though Noyl’s reasoning differed slightly from reality, it wasn’t entirely wrong—it was a partially accurate insight.
Thus, Noyl had intended to stop Theo from any reckless actions, but Theo was already in a state of channeling with the new Sea King beneath the sea.
“Pontus!!”
Kiwooouuu-!
As a response to Theo’s call, an enormous roar echoed from outside the temple.
At the same time, the temple tilted to one side, and the ground split apart in an instant.
Massive waves of magic surged around Theo, flinging away Noyl’s hand.
Creak-crack!
Rumble—
The island began to collapse.
-The, the island…!
-The temple is falling apart!
-The island is plummeting!
-Lady Kriemhild is enraged!
The crowd, wounded by the Ghost Slayer Squad’s oppression, screamed in terror.
Interestingly, although they stood on the same island, the area where they were standing remained intact, while only the land under the central temple crumbled and fell. This was due to Pontus’s will, manipulating the ascending currents of magic power.
Above the vast, rolling sea.
Theo plummeted toward the surface, and the others cut through the air, desperately trying to reach him.
At that moment, a shadow writhed and Umbra sprang forth.
Its massive body appeared to have grown nearly twice its usual size.
Already about 1.5 times larger than a typical wyvern, its expanded size now exuded an overwhelming aura, almost as if it were an ancient dragon.
“Keeeek!”
Umbra flapped its wings fiercely, lifting Theo onto its back, then ascended into the air, picking up Selperd, Arin, Ray, and Marti in succession.
Thanks to its increased size, there was still ample room, even after everyone had boarded.
“Umbra, well done.”
“Keeeek!”
While Theo stroked the neck of the triumphant Umbra, the rest of the group finally gathered themselves and whistled.
Whiiieeet!
Whiiet!
The partners of Selperd and Arin, who had been waiting nearby, appeared in turn, rescuing the flailing temple knights and Black Skull members in midair.
“Ah!”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Marti covered her face with her hands.
“Don’t get emotional over this. The real fight is just beginning.”
At Selperd’s words, Marti pulled herself together and quickly turned her gaze in the direction where Noyl had been.
「Theo Ragnar, you dare pull such a stunt. Do you think this will allow you to escape my grasp?」
Below them.
Noyl was swiftly ascending, defying gravity by pushing off falling rocks and temple debris.
He seemed utterly unconcerned whether the Ghost Slayer Squad’s captain or the members were plunging into the sea or being crushed under debris.
A chill ran down Marti’s spine at the sight.
Sweeeesh!
“Maniac.”
Selperd’s comment reflected the undeniable reality.
However, Theo remained unfazed, focusing his willpower entirely at his fingertips.
At this moment, he was in deep resonance with Pontus.
「You are the master of this Pontus. Recognized by the Sea King, you are the heir of the warriors. You are fully entitled to command these waves of magic power, born from dragons.」
Whhoooosh!
His mind ignited, burning hotter once again.
White Heat.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
The Dragon’s Heart pulsed violently as Dragonblood surged wildly through his veins.
The ancient dragon’s essence, dormant within Theo’s genes, was awakening.
Pop. Pop.
Soft popping sounds echoed throughout his body.
His body was fatigued, but his mind held firm.
He still had a bit of magic power left.
Above all, he had a vast reserve of magical winds here at his command.
So, Theo resolved to take this opportunity to step into a new realm.
‘Magic.’
The only spells he currently knew well were Thunder Calling and Flame Dancing, just those two.
Since his knowledge of magic was limited to glimpses caught through fragments of insight, Theo couldn’t claim to have a solid foundation.
However, he trusted Pontus’s words.
The ancient dragons were the race that birthed magic itself.
Thus, the control of magic would likely be imprinted as part of their very ‘instinct’.
‘Thunder Calling unleashes indiscriminate lightning strikes. On the other hand, Flame Dancing spreads outward.’
With that, Theo resolved to combine the two spells he knew.
‘Heat is a form of energy. When compressed, energy increases in destructive power; when released, it expands. So if I can link them together…’
Crackle, crackle!
Around Noyl, small embers began sparking one by one.
Since magical winds were a form of energy, igniting sparks through frictional heat was no challenge within them.
‘If I let those links connect indiscriminately and release control…’
The embers soon shifted from red to yellow, blooming like ghostly flames.
‘It will create a massive explosion!’
Theo clenched his fist tightly.
With that, the ghostly flames expanded rapidly, transforming into electrical energy and spreading throughout the entire updraft.
Crack-crack-crack-crash!
It was like an enormous net woven from lightning itself.
— Chain Lightning.
Boom, boom, boom—
Crash! Boom!
Countless explosions engulfed Noyl.
The dust and rocks falling from the shattered cliffs and the addition of debris ignited a chain reaction, further amplifying the destructive power.
Thick clouds of mist obscured the view.
Yet Theo didn’t expect this alone would be enough to capture Noyl.
His opponent was a monster that might rival the Nine Dragons.
Something like this wouldn’t take him down.
Theo’s actual goal was to force Noyl down.
Theo twisted his tightly clenched fist.
As he did, the willpower still poised at his fingertips twisted as well, merging the lightning that covered the magical winds until it gradually took on the form of a dragon.
It resembled the Thunder Dragon that Theo wielded with Death Beat.
It looked as if a multi-headed Thunder Dragon had descended upon them.
In a magical trance, Theo followed the primal instincts of Dragonblood and gave birth to his original spell.
“Hydra—”
The Thunder Dragon, bearing four heads, let out a deafening roar.
“—Bolt.”
An immense corona of light spread outward, covering the entire updraft.
White night descended upon the entire Floating Archipelago.
Kwoooooom!
Rumble…
A fierce wave of explosions and thunderous booms followed in relentless succession.
It seemed impossible to believe anyone could survive such a storm; the blast wave scorched everything in its path.
Several of the floating islands high in the sky shook intensely.
But Theo didn’t stop there; through Pontus, he directed one of the smaller, vacant floating islands to descend directly in Noyl’s direction, crashing it into the ocean’s surface.
Kwaaang!
Whooosh—
A massive spray of water, reaching tens of meters into the air, erupted, unleashing enormous waves and tidal surges in all directions.
White foam and blue torrents swirled and clashed in chaotic patterns.
Amidst it all, Umbra and the wyverns managed to ascend high into the sky.
Whiiieeet—
Selperd, Arin, and the others looked down in stunned silence, their hair tossed by the fierce wind, too shocked by the scene to form any words.
Such a level of destruction was rarely seen without a Dragon Gate Swordsman establishing their own domain.
“… You monster, where on earth did you learn that kind of magic? Did Kriemhild teach you things like that?”
Finally, Selperd turned to Theo with a look of disbelief.
“You could say that. But please, keep it a secret from others.”
Theo replied with a casual shrug, now sitting weakly on Umbra’s back, a faint smile on his face.
His magic power was entirely depleted, and he barely had the energy to smile.
Selperd shook his head in disbelief but didn’t press the issue further.
If Theo aspired to be Ragnar’s successor, he would surely have at least one or two secret weapons of his own.
‘Not that anyone would believe it if I told them.’
At his age, reaching that level of swordsmanship alone was incredible. But to train magic to such an extent as well?
Who would believe it? Hardly anyone.
The more he got to know his junior, the more Theo felt like an enigma—layered like an onion, yet monstrous in talent.
* * *
Deep beneath the sea.
Crack! Crackle!
The island that had sunk into the ocean trembled violently before shattering with a colossal rupture.
「How dare…!」
From within the shattered remains, Noyl emerged, his appearance a blood-soaked wreck, nothing short of dreadful.
Even his wooden mask had been half-burned away, revealing part of his face beneath—a grotesque sight, as if he wore the peeled skin of a monster.
Large and small tentacles writhed uncontrollably, and numerous eyes scattered across his form darted around, brimming with fury.
Yet despite his horrific appearance, his fierce aura remained undiminished.
Even after Theo had unleashed large-scale magic powered by magical winds and had dropped a floating island onto him, Noyl wasn’t genuinely threatened nor was he seriously injured.
A true monster.
For one who had abandoned his humanity to embrace the path of a half-human, half-fiend, such endurance was only natural.
However, only his physical state remained intact, his pride certainly had not.
Noyl was consumed by a murderous rage, determined to rip Theo apart.
Just as he prepared to surge upward, piercing through the ocean to the surface—
「Creature who cast off human flesh to follow the path of Deluded God. Clinging to hollow delusions, where do you think you are going?」
In front of Noyl, the turbulent waters began to coalesce, taking on the shape of a human figure.
Noyl’s ghastly expression hardened instantly.
He had come face-to-face with someone he should never have encountered here.
「Why are you here?」
「It is not your place to ask the questions I would ask. But if you truly do not wish to answer…」
The figure, impossible to discern as male or female, old or young, seemed to wear a faint smile.
「…then leave behind one of those arms as you go.」