novelTo the Land of the Demons (2)
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Chapter 111 - To the Land of the Demons (2)
"We just hoped they could be used as ingredients in forming the vessel of the king."
"... what do you mean?"
"The king's body is being slowly formed within the abyss. If what Aincera-nim says is true, the king's body will recover to the one he had when he was alive."
"He's going to restore an already destroyed body?"
"His body will return to its previous form. When the restoration of the body ends, an incomprehensible method will be used to put the preserved soul into the body. It'll be a complete revival."
Laura had checked, and a significant portion of Atein's body had already been restored. It was a bizarre sight where the body was floating in the darkness, and there were gaps in the body. However, as time passed, the gaps were being filled in.
"We studied and analyzed his magic for a long time. However, no one was able discern the true nature of the spell. There were several hypothesis formed, and one of them was about using those with blood ties to the Dragon Demon King as a form of fertilizer. It was hypothesized that sacrificing those with certain strong characteristics would accelerate the recovery process."
Basically, the Dragon Demon Princess and the Dragon Demon Prince would be carved up for the parts needed for Atein to recover his body.... .
It was a ghoulish plan.
Azell and Kairen was taken aback.
"You've all lost your minds."
"I knew your organization was never sound of mind, but I'm speechless. You guys were going to grind up Arrieta and Seigar. They would have been used as nutrients, so the Dragon Demon King could make his body... You all deserve death."
Kairen grinded his teeth. His anger was renewed when he learned what they were going to do with his students.
Azell asked a question.
"I'll ask again. Since this trash of a plan failed..."
"It didn't fail. However, it did fail in its outcome."
"Are you trying to play a trick with words?"
"We failed in kidnapping the Dragon Demon Princess and Dragon Demon Prince of the Rulain Kingdom. However, the candidates that could be used for this plan wasn't limited to the two of them."
"......."
Basically, other chosen candidates, who checked off the same characteristics as Arrieta and Seigar, was kidnapped from other places. They were sacrificed to accelerate the revival of Atein. Laura spoke in a dispassionate manner towards the angry people around her.
"However, it was a failure. We couldn't comprehend the king's magic, and it was proven that we couldn't interrupt the process."
"... that is a stroke of good luck in the midst of misfortune. So how long do we have until Atein revives?"
"I don't know."
"......."
"This is something every follower of the king wants to know. The only thing we can be sure of is the fact that the day is close at hand. The recovery has advanced far enough to assure this."
"I see. So we have to do something before that happens."
Azell's expression darkened.
'If that bastard really revives to his former self... There is no way I'll be able to stop him right now. '
At the end of the Dragon Demon War, Azell had to hold out until the outcome of the war was determined. However, he had exceeded expectation by defeating Atein. However, there was no way he would be able to win against Atein right now.
The fact that his overall power level had dropped wasn't the only problem. If he put in time and effort, he was sure he could exceed the power he had in his prime.
However, he could do nothing about the Dragon Demon weapons. Azell could recover his 'Sword that Splits the Heaven, but the other 12 Dragon Demon weapons given to him by his comrades was gone forever. Moreover, he had been able to gather so many in the first place, because it had been the Dragon Demon war. Everything he was able to achieve was through blood and tears.
After thinking it over, Azell shook his head from side to side.
He asked Laura a question.
"I probably should have asked this in the beginning... Why did you surrender to me?"
"That was the only way I would have survived the situation, and I wanted to observe you."
"Weren't you someone important in the Plain of Darkness? Your action was so foolhardy that I can't comprehend it."
"My position is worthless to me. I'm just a tool that's being used to further their ambitions."
Laura spoke with a much colder voice. One could clearly make the distinction with her words from before.
"The king's revival is approaching, and the people, who were close to the king in the past, is impatient."
This was why the Aunsaurus tribe unleashed such madness to acquire the perfect successor. They wanted to bask in glory next Atein after his revival. This goal drove them nuts.
"I wasn't born into this world through a normal process. They had wanted the perfect successor, so they created me through magic. I'm a doll they created. Countless siblings of mine were created for this purpose. All of them were killed through this experiment."
"......."
Everyone was at a loss for words. The Dragon Demon worshippers were like human nobles. They put a lot of meaning behind bloodline and race. However, they went so far as to commit those acts?
Laura spoke about her past in a calm manner to her audience, who were unable to speak. She told them about how she was born, and what she had to go through to become the heir of Aunsaurus.
Her life story was long. There was no way her life could be described as being humane. Unlike the despairing nature of her situation, she spoke in such a serene manner. Laura gave her confession, and it captivated her audience.
"... I became the heir of Aunsaurus, because I was the last one standing. I was created for this role, yet I never wanted it."
This was a truth that Laura had never been able to tell others. Her family and close acquaintances didn't know about how she felt... She would have never imagined in a million years that a time would come when she would be telling her secrets to her enemies. However, she felt unusually relieved.
Laura looked straight at Azell,
"I was born to be the heir of Aunsaurus, and I've lived to fulfill that role. I never thought about anything else. I never even thought about being anything else."
After losing all her siblings, she had become the heir of Aunsaurus, and she no longer had any aspirations. She had just followed orders to achieve the wishes of her creators. She had merely been a doll following instructions.
However, a strong desire was kindled when she saw Azell. This was a first for her.
She wanted to observe him. She wanted to know more about him.
These desires made Laura throw away all the shackles that had restrained her. She had lived up until now to bring other's wishes to reality. This was the first time she acted from her own desire. This was why she was willing to risk death to see this through.
Laura looked at Azell with determined eyes as she spoke.
"I want to be by your side to see who you are, and what you will be able to accomplish. To achieve this goal, I'm willing to give you Aunsaurus' Dragon Weapon."
3
One didn't need an elaborate ritual to pass on one's Dragon Demon weapon. It was the same when Liglan gave Azell one of his twin swords. When Liglan transferred the weapon, he had to suffer through losing a part of his soul forever.
The process of giving the Vitan's Chalice to Azell was simple and short.
Azell asked her a question.
"Are you ok?"
"... I'm a bit dizzy."
Laura furrowed her brows. It felt as if there was a hole inside her chest. It felt empty. She had lost a presence that had been within her, and the sense of loss was bigger than expected.
Azell spoke.
"A magical vacuum occurred where the Dragon Weapon used to occupy. It'll become better as time passes."
He wasn't surprised at all as he received the Vitan's Chalice. Laura asked him a question.
"Have you received a Dragon Weapon from someone else before?"
"That's a secret. However, I am well informed about the process."
"You never give me a straight answer."
"You only ask me questions without a straight answer."
At his words, Laura's expression slightly changed. It was a very small change, so it was hard to detect. However, if one was observant, one could see she was sulking.
Laura spoke.
"Then I'll ask you another question. Is your Dragon Weapon perhaps the 'Sword that Splits the Heaven' used by Azell Karzark?"
"Do you even need to ask that question? Dragon Weapons are born with an innate name. The name can't be changed even in an attempt to hide its presence."
"As expected......."
She received the answer to her question, yet it didn't settle the confusion inside her head. Her confusion deepened.
What was the identity of this man?
'Could a human really live this long?'
The problem was the fact that Azell was human. It didn't matter what method one used. It was impossible for a human to live this long.
'I'm pretty sure I heard the descendants of Karzark was completely wiped out.... '
If one looked at this realistically, Azell Karzark probably went underground to prepare for the eventual return of the routed forces of the Dragon Demon King. She guessed Azell Karzark passed down his Dragon Weapon through his descendants. However, her heart didn't allow her to believe in those conjectures.
'Maybe his plans weren't disseminated to us. Did it fail?'
Azell's words were causing confusion within her. It was true that the upper classes of the Plain of Darkness didn't tell the young generation everything. They left out a lot of information. She wondered if the truths she knew were actually lies.
Azell asked her a question.
"So how were you able to inherit the Vitan's Chalice?"
"Huh?"
"Aunsaurus died at the hands of Carlos. However, he didn't die immediately on the battlefield. It was assumed he was able to retreat before he died, and he was able to pass it on his Dragon Weapon to his successor. However... Baldazark was killed, and his body was destroyed. So how was weapon passed on to his successor?"
Azell had killed Baldazark with his own hands. In the battle, Baldazark had used his Dragon Weapon called 'Bleeding Star'. There had been no chance for Baldazark to transfer his weapon.
'However, I'm pretty sure his descendant had used the Bleeding Star. '
Even in Laura's case, it was weird. Even if Aunsaurus was able to transfer his Dragon Weapon before death, wasn't the heir before Laura killed by the Guardian Shadows? How did she receive her Dragon Weapon?
Laura spoke.
"The Dragon Weapons of the four Dragon Demon Generals was preserved by the king's magic. While the magic set up inside the Dragon Demon castle is active, those Dragon Weapons will never be lost even if the owners died."
"Hmmm......."
Azell wasn't surprised. He had an inkling that this would be the answer.
'Carlos was successful in preserving my Dragon Maken, so of course, Atein could do it. '
Carlos was well qualified to be called an Arch Mage, but in the case of Atein, it was hard to stick that title on him. Atein was a transcendent being, and Arch Mage was a insufficient descriptor. If Carlos could do it, Atein could probably do it also.
"Is this restricted to only the Dragon Weapons of the four Dragon Demon Generals?"
"Yes. No one has been able to replicate the effect of this magic."
"Therefore, if I die, the Vitan's Chalice would be returned to the Plain of Darkness?"
"I believe so."
"What if I transfer it to someone else?"
"It won't return until the wielder dies."
"I see. When it becomes ownerless, the item is sent to a set location, and it is stored."
Azell furrowed his brows. He tried to approach the Vitan's Chalice, which resided inside him now.
During the Dragon Demon war, he remembered the nightmares caused by the Vitan's Chalice. Aunsaurus was a mage, and his power even without the Dragon Weapon made him a walking disaster. However, in terms of using the Dragon Weapon, he was superior to Atein.
He never imagined that someday he'll be able use Aunsaurus' Dragon Weapon. This was why they said anything could happen over time. He couldn't even see an inch further into his future, and it was marvelous.
'I don't see any problem with it....... '
| ← Ch. 111 | Ch. 113 → |