Chapter 265: For Want Of An Ascension

Night had fallen over the academy. Clouds blanketed the moon, stopping its light from reaching the earth below.

The infirmary lamps burned faintly with blue flame, illuminating the ward.

Noah sat on the edge of the bed, his torso still wrapped tight in bandages. He had been staring at the far wall for what felt like hours.

Professor Cecilia stood by the window, her arms crossed. She’d been silent for a while now, watching the clouds in the sky.

When she finally spoke, her voice was firm.

“You’re not going anywhere,” she said. “You need to rest. You can’t risk getting into another fight in your current state. Besides, the capital is under lockdown. This isn’t safe.”

Noah looked up at her, his expression equally serious. “I don’t need to go through the gates, professor. You know that.”

Her gaze turned to him, eyes narrowing. “That’s not the point. Look at you. You can barely stand, and you’re planning to use teleportation? When will you start taking better care of yourself?”

He didn’t answer at first. The sound of the wind outside filled the silence between them. Then he said, quietly but firmly, “The dragon’s corpse won’t stay untouched forever.”

“You know what kind of essence it carries. Abyssal essence. If I don’t act now, the army or the Investigation Authority will claim it, and by then, its power will be out of my reach.”

Cecilia crossed her arms. “You want to use Feast on the corpse, don’t you? You don’t even know if that spell will work on something like that.”

“I know it will work,” Noah said, smiling despite himself. “I sensed it myself. It’s potential.”

She frowned, stepping closer. “And my point still stands. You should be resting, not chasing after corpses.”

Noah stood. The motion strained his ribs, but he ignored the pain. “Resting won’t make me stronger.”

“You should have seen what happened. The hybrids, the dragon, the chaos. Everything is changing, and I don’t want to stay the same while it evolves.”

“One thing is certain. If I can consume the dragon’s remains, I can evolve to a level where I can actually rest. Just like you’ve always wanted.”

Cecilia stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. “Fine. I’ll let you go. But in return, you have to promise me something.”

Noah stared at her suspiciously. “What?”

“For the whole duration of the next semester, you shall try your best to be a model student.”

Noah blinked, staring at her. He hadn’t expected that.

If it were anyone else, he’d make the promise immediately, and of course, break it. But this was Cecilia.

“Professor…”

“No.” She cut in immediately. “Only when you agree to that will I let you go. And don’t try to sneak off. I’m more than enough to stop you from going.”

Noah exhaled at her words. Being a model student meant he’d have to stop most of his activities.

He’d have to stop sneaking out of school to get stronger.

But the rewards far outweigh the cost. This was a chance to Feast on a dragon. Who knew when the chance would ever come again.

And so, he turned to her with a nod. “Alright. I promise.”

“Good.” She finally smiled at him. Then from her belt pouch, she withdrew a single colorless crystal. She held it out to him.

“If you’re going to do this,” she said, her voice quieter now, “take this. It’s attuned to my mana signature. If anything goes wrong, just smash it and I’ll find you. Don’t make me regret this.”

Noah took the crystal, grinning. “You won’t.”

She exhaled, weary. “You’re still impossible.”

“I learned from the best.”

And with that, he created the spell formation and activated Null Stride.

One instant, he was gone. The next, he appeared in the capital.

The moment his boots touched the ground, the heat of the city around him touched his skin.

Even though all the fires had been put out, and it was night once more, heat still rose from the destroyed streets around them.

The once-bright city of Camelot, the pride of the kingdom, now lay in ruin.

He took a breath and almost coughed. The air was filled with dust and soot. Even from where he stood, he could see the crater at the heart of the city.

The dragon’s corpse lay there, a mountain of scales and bone.

That was his destination.

Noah raised his hand, and the familiar spell formation of Null Stride began to form, lines of dark energy sketching themselves in the air.

Then the spell fizzled out.

What the fuck?!

The authorities had placed a barrier over the capital, sealing teleportation. It was probably meant to keep scavengers and opportunists away from the corpse.

He clenched his jaw, lowering his hand. “Fine. I’ll walk.”

As he walked, the city was like a graveyard.

Every few blocks, he passed bodies of soldiers laid out in neat rows, covered with sheets of torn banners.

Patrols moved along the main roads, so he stayed to the shadows, slipping between alleys and burnt-out taverns.

His dragon eyes adjusted easily to the dark, and to him, the city was bright as dawn.

Twice, he had to stop and hide.

Once behind a broken statue as a group of knights marched by, their boots thudding in rhythm.

Another time, beneath the arch of a ruined bridge as a magus passed overhead on a flying platform, scanning the ruins below.

At last, he reached the outer perimeter. A cordon of rope had been used to signify the perimeter, and dozens of soldiers guarded them, their torches forming a circle of light around the titanic body.

Noah crouched behind a collapsed building, watching.

The dragon’s corpse was larger than he had imagined. Its wings were torn, and half-buried beneath rubble. Even dead, the creature radiated power.

He closed his eyes and made his plans.

Then he waited until one of the guard shifts rotated, before slipping forward.

A step between two collapsing walls. A pause beneath the broken tail of a fallen statue. Then another dash through the gaps in the watch.

He had to time his movements with the flow of the wind, which flickered the patrols’ torches.

It took nearly half an hour before he reached the inner ring. He was only meters away from the dragon’s body now.

The guards’ voices echoed faintly from the other side of the wreckage, their conversation drowned by the wind.

The corpse stood before him, and the first thing he admitted to was that the smell of the corpse was overpowering.

The massive head rested on what remained of a market courtyard, its jaws open, fangs as tall as spears.

Noah approached slowly. His heart pounded with anticipation, and every part of him felt the pull of that immense energy.

When he reached the base of its neck, he stopped. He glanced once at the guards beyond the light, then placed his hand on one of the scales. It was still warm to the touch.

“Let’s see what you left behind,” he murmured.

With that, he cast the spell.

“Feast.”

Darkness bloomed to life beneath his feet, the maw opening wide to devour the creature before him.

Then, before he could brace himself, a notification appeared.

[Warning!]

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