Chapter 156: Relics of Bygone Age

Arthur’s voice was very strange… it still had its original accent, but there was a femineity embedded deep in it.

The dragon, who had been surveying the Secondary Ring with those terrible golden eyes, turned its attention downward. Its perfect, beautiful face showed no emotion as it regarded the demon below.

He deliberately swept his hand pulling the strands of golden hair that fell to his face. But there were still some thick strands that still came back.

The dragon shrugged. “You survived,” he said, voice resonant and dispassionate. “How disappointing. I had hoped that blow would be fatal.”

The demon-Arthur landed on a pile of rubble, wings of blood folding slightly… it was clear that he was unable to keep his body afloat any longer.

Up close, Ishiki could see the damage the dragon had inflicted—Arthur’s chest bore a massive impact crater and his ribs were clearly broken. His flesh was bruised to the point of being nearly black.

The fact that this body was still functioning at all meant that either the demon’s power was so great or its Arthur’s own skill was able to hold on.

“My Lord, please listen to reason,” the demon said, breathing heavily. “I freed you from your imprisonment. Orchestrated the ritual that broke your seal. Surely that earns me at least the courtesy of conversation?”

“What do you want to steal from me,” the dragon replied coldly, descending slightly. Its four wings beat with hypnotic rhythm. “Do not insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise.”

Ishiki and Filch exchanged glances. They were close enough now to hear the entire conversation, hidden in the shadows of the collapsed bakery while these two monsters negotiated.

The demon spread its blood-wings in a gesture that might have been placating. “I merely wish to propose a… transaction. One that would benefit us both.”

“You are saying that again… somehow.” The dragon’s tone suggested it was humoring the demon more than genuinely interested. “Go ahead… I am listening.”

“The orb,” the demon said simply, gesturing toward the crystalline structure embedded in the dragon’s forehead. “Give it to us willingly, and my Lord—the true Lord—will break the seals placed upon your powers. Your life and your freedom, all preserved. You could leave this place if you want to.”

The dragon stared at the demon for a long moment. Then it began to laugh.

It wasn’t a pleasant sound… rather it was cold and mocking of the beast that found humor in absurdity of the statement.

“Let me understand this correctly,” the dragon said once its laughter subsided. “You want me to surrender the very artifact that makes me more than just another ancient beast—in exchange for permission to flee? From your ’Lord’ who supposedly has the power to kill me?”

“Not supposedly,” the demon insisted. “When my Lord awakens fully, his power will—”

“Will what?” the dragon interrupted, its voice suddenly sharp. “Will match mine? Exceed mine? Tell me, demon… if your Lord is so powerful, so unstoppable, why is he still sealed?”

The demon hesitated, and Arthur’s body trembled slightly as it bit down his anger and helplessness.

“Ah,” the dragon said softly. “He’s sealed. Just as I was. Which means your vaunted Lord is no more free than I was mere hours ago.” The dragon’s smile turned predatory. “And unlike me, he remains imprisoned, while I stand here, liberated.”

“You don’t understand,” the demon said, and now there was desperation creeping into Arthur’s stolen voice. “My Lord has power beyond your comprehension. When he breaks free—”

“When?” the dragon repeated mockingly. “Not if, but when? How optimistic. Tell me, how many years has your Lord been sealed? How many centuries has he waited for freedom while his servants scheme and plot?” The dragon descended further, until it was hovering mere meters above the rubble where the demon stood.

“I was sealed for three thousand years. Three thousand years of darkness and rage… You do not know how much hatred I have towards that bastard and his otherworldly friend. But… now I am free. I will not surrender my power to anyone.”

Ishiki’s brows furrowed at the moment, he stole a glance at Filch who seemed to be in seep thought as well.

’3000 years?! Who exactly sealed him? He mentioned two figures as a bastard and his otherworldly friend… what does he mean by otherworldly?’

The dragon reached up and touched the orb on its forehead, and for just a moment, pain flickered across its features.

“This orb is mine,” the dragon said quietly, but with absolute conviction. “It is a part of me. The seals may limit my power, but the orb itself is my essence and my right to rule. Anyone who tries to take it…” The golden eyes blazed brighter. “…will learn exactly what it means to anger something that has waited three millennia for revenge.”

The demon’s blood-wings spread wider, the crimson liquid churning with agitation. “You’re making a mistake. My Lord will not tolerate—”

“Your Lord,” the dragon interrupted with contemptuous emphasis, “can rot in whatever prison holds him. When he finally breaks free… no if he somehow breaks free, he will find that ancient powers like him and I are relics of a bygone age. And if he still seeks the Orb…” The dragon smiled that terrible smile again. “…then he may come and try to take it from me personally. I would welcome the challenge once I gain back my empire.”

Ishiki watched this exchange with growing horror. Two ancient powers, both imprisoned and now seeking freedom. And caught between them were hundreds of players who had no idea what forces they’d stumbled into.

’Was this scenario supposed to be this hard… its almost impossible.’ Ishiki gritted his teeth in despair.

’And what does the dragon mean by gain back his empire… don’t tell me he actually wants to take over Aethelburg.’

’That’s actually a plus for us… but there is no empire left to rule!!’ Ishiki made a comment at Aethelburg’s current status.

The demon seemed to deflate slightly, as its body sagged under the weight of defeat. “So you refuse our offer.”

“I do not merely refuse,” the dragon said. “I reject it utterly. Your Lord is nothing to me, you are nothing to me. And this conversation has grown tedious.”

The dragon raised one hand, and Ishiki could see power gathering around its fingers… it was golden light that made the air shimmer and distort.

The demon must have sensed great danger too, because it immediately took flight, blood-wings beating frantically to gain altitude and distance.

“Hahaha…” the dragon withdrew its hand and laughed frantically. “Can’t even stand in front of current me and you wish to make a transition with me. How pathetic.”

The demon didn’t respond, just fled into the darkness of the Secondary Ring, disappearing among the ruined buildings.

The dragon watched it go with those burning golden eyes. Then, slowly, deliberately, it turned its attention back to the Secondary Ring spread out below.

Ishiki and Filch pressed deeper into the shadows, hardly daring to breathe as that terrible gaze swept past their hiding place.

The dragon hovered there for a long moment, surveying its hunting ground. Then it reached up and ran fingers through its golden hair. It was an almost human gesture that created such jarring dissonance with what this creature truly was.

When it spoke again, its voice carried across the entire Secondary Ring with impossible clarity, reaching every player who still drew breath.

“I have been sealed for last three thousand years,” the dragon announced. “Imprisoned beneath a cathedral that should have prayed to me and denied my rightful place as the emperor.” It paused, and Ishiki could hear the smile in its voice even without seeing its face.

“But those days are ended.”

The dragon’s four wings spread wide, each one magnificent and terrible in the crimson moonlight.

The dragon began to descend, moving toward a different section of the Secondary Ring. “You may run if you wish. You may hide or even try to fight.” The smile in its voice became clearer, more pronounced. “It will make no difference.”

Another building in the distance began to crumble, torn apart by unseen force.

“The hunt,” the dragon said with terrible finality, “begins now.”

…

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