—–

As the next morning arrived, Louis wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had successfully created more Dragon Elixirs using the materials his cousins had provided. Unlike those from Dralma, these possessed far richer dragon energy, resulting in much more potent elixirs. He drank them in one gulp, feeling his Dragon Heart grow stronger as his body transformed.

“There!”

His eyes widened. He fell to his knees as scales sprouted across his body. A pair of enormous, white-feathered wings emerged, followed by a long tail, horns, and more.

“Nnngh… now I…!”

He wrapped himself in black cursed chains, literally sealing his body in place to prevent the transformation. The pulsating True Dragonoid form he had achieved struggled fiercely, trying to revert, as if it still was not enough.

Thanks to the self-inflicted curse, the process slowed considerably.

“I have to create a Cultivation Method to keep this power from slipping away… and fuse with me completely!”

Louis summoned all his Incarnations, fusing them into his body and using their strength to hold the True Dragonoid form in place.

As he struggled through tremendous agonizing pain, he began combining energies and infusing them into himself. Drawing on what he had learned about Runic Inscription, he forged runes using his Incarnations, the power of his Breath of Ruin and Ash Magic, and Dragon Magic. He inscribed a cursed rune across his entire body.

“If fate will not allow me to have it, I will force it to give it to me!”

Screaming through the unbearable pain, Louis collapsed to the ground. A dark purple and red runic tattoo spread across his skin, resembling a roaring dragon with dozens of heads and long limbs that branched out like roots.

“It’s done…?”

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself back to normal. The Cursed Rune remained etched into his body, gleaming with powerful draconic energy that had not yet fully faded.

“It’s there…! I have created something insane once again… Hahahaha!”

Louis laughed. His Fantasium had nearly run dry after such a reckless act. He could have died if he had not activated Death Sense to endure the excruciating pain.

“What can you do then?”

He stood up, drank a tonic made from processed spiritual herbs and Fantasium Crystal Dust, and recovered his energy, letting it flow steadily through his body.

Once he felt stronger, he channeled his energy into the cursed tattoo.

“Nngh?!”

Small white scales emerged across his arms, legs, torso, and neck. Even his small golden horns grew longer. This time they were real, not made of ashen frost or salt.

His wings could not fully emerge. They resembled additional limbs with long claws and lacked membranes, looking like large scaled hands. His tail was small and snake-like. His nails grew long and genuine, formed from his own biological body.

“It’s working. I have achieved the first step toward True Dragonoid form!”

He smiled with fascination. He was still far from completion, but he understood the limits. He would need to continuously refine this new power if he wanted to attain the form he had only ever dreamed of.

“One day, nobody will ever call me a fake dragon again…”

He clenched his fists tightly and checked his Status. His stats had increased once more. His new Cultivation Method was listed there as well, now with a proper name.

[Cursed Dragonoid Rune Tattoo]

He had managed to preserve his fading True Dragonoid form by turning it into a curse etched into his body, a curse that grew stronger by feeding on despair, pain, hope, and draconic energy obtained from Dragon Elixirs.

It was still at the Conceptual Stage, so he would need significant improvement to reach even the Initial Stage. Nevertheless, Louis had gained a proper method to unlock his real Dragonoid form. Each stage of this Cultivation Method would strengthen his true Dragonoid form and make it far easier to unleash.

“Without my Dragon Heart, obtaining this would have been impossible. Both must grow together to reach maximum strength. I wish I could extract as many scales and as much blood as I wanted from them, but… it is better to stay on good terms. We are family, after all.”

Louis was still restraining himself from being reckless, at least with his own family.

Of course, that restraint did not apply to everyone else.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, a ghostly voice whispered in his ear. He looked into the distance, then leaped across rooftops under the cover of night, cloaking himself in shadows.

A small ghostly soul drifted through the city, controlled by Zorba as it searched for the person he had been eager to meet alone.

“Master Louis, I found him. He is training alone. It is the perfect moment to strike.”

“You found him, and he is alone? Good.”

Louis melted into the shadows using Shadow Movement, reappearing behind a building. There, he saw his target.

It was a young man with blue hair and a slender build, practicing his lance skills on the training ground.

“That damn bastard prince… Who does he think he is, humiliating Prince Arthur like this?! He will pay… I will do anything to avenge His Majesty…!”

“Randolph von Hevring.”

“Eh?”

The young man’s eyes widened as Louis spoke his name. He glared back and saw the very prince he had been insulting standing right behind him.

“W-What the hell…? You?! What are you doing here?!”

Louis smiled and walked toward him.

“You are so weak, Randolph. The fools from Camelot truly believe they can leave someone carrying such an incredible gift alone?”

“…!”

Randolph stepped back, his aura surging as golden armor covered his body.

“What are you implying? That I cannot protect myself?”

“Yeah. You cannot.”

“Shut up! I challenge you to a duel, Louis Drakeheart!”

“Oh? Well, if you insist, I accept.”

Louis nodded. Randolph roared and charged at lightning speed, becoming a blur of blue and golden light as he thrust his spirit weapon forward.

TRUUUM!

In the next instant, the world shifted. Both of them now stood in a vast, beautiful garden of white lilies.

“W-Where…?! Where am I now?!”

Randolph looked around in complete confusion. He was considered one of the strongest nobles in Camelot, yet he had no idea what Fantasy Hearts or Fantasy Domains were. Mirai had defeated him with a single punch before, and now he understood even less.

In the distance, Louis approached in his dragon form, a giant looming over him.

“A-Ahhh! AAAAHHH!”

Randolph’s eyes widened as tears of blood streamed down his face. His consciousness was rapidly eroded by Louis’s powers as a Fractured Spiralwalker, with the Grievance living inside his Fantasy Heart.

“There is no point in fighting back. Comply with my request and I will let you go as if nothing ever happened, Randolph.”

“W-What?! Who are you?! Are you even Louis— Wait, you are a Grievance!”

“Hahahaha!”

Louis laughed. His claws reached for Randolph as the young man fought back desperately with his lance, unleashing dozens of attacks that barely scratched Louis’s hand.

“Enough.”

Louis slammed him into the ground, crushing his body until Randolph vomited blood and felt his bones snap.

“Aaaaggghh! A-Arthur…! Lord Arthur…! S-Someone save me!”

As he screamed for his master, Louis pinned him in place with dozens of salt spears and destroyed his Lance Spirit, forcing it back into his Spirit Orb.

Once Randolph was completely immobilized, Louis used his psychic powers to erode his mind and soul.

“Kuaaaaaaggghh!”

Randolph screamed in agony as Louis tested something he had long wanted to try: what powerful Grievances could do through possession and control.

In mere seconds, he fully possessed the weakling, speaking and laughing with Randolph’s own voice and body.

“Perfect. Now…”

While keeping the body in place, Louis used his dragon claws to tear open Randolph’s chest and rip out his Spirit Orb, stealing it completely.

“Handy, heal him back to shape.”

Handy appeared and healed the convulsing, bleeding Randolph with her powers.

“At long last, it is mine. Camelot’s Treasury Spirits. An unlimited inventory space and dozens of treasures stored inside! Hahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep