Chapter 1106: Level 9 (24)

COO-GU-GU-GU!!!!

Five colossal Dragon-kind floated above the Universe of Mist. Eight-level Dragon Kings, each wreathed in different Domains and spellcraft, observed Lennok from outside the Eighth Tribulation.

These Transcendent beings constructed and maintained their Domains purely through their existence, unbound by Kundara’s environment.

Yet, Lennok ignored the storm of overwhelming presences pouring from all sides and opened his mouth.

“My neck hurts from looking up so much.”

He raised a hand, black veins visible beneath the skin, and deployed his halo.

“Shall we talk after you come down?”

CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!

As he extended his hand, a distorted black ring rotated, following Lennok’s movement.

Immediately, the space around the halo warped as if cracking, and an immense gravitational pull began to drag down the sky.

SCREEEEECH!!!!!

[……!!!!]

A powerful convergence, strong enough to distort not only the Hall of the Eighth Tribulation but also the mist outside. Could it truly generate such immense gravitational force simply by operating a magical system?

As the other Dragon Kings, startled by this unrealistic reality manipulation, began to draw upon their mana, the Domains deployed by the five Dragon Kings started to be dragged down below the Eighth Tribulation.

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!!!!

A Domain filled with massive chains. A Domain where flames surged like a sea.

The Domains, unique territories of Dragon-kind that had swum through the Universe of Mist, were pulled down, colliding with the Eighth Tribulation.

With a tremendous shockwave, they unleashed their power without reservation.

WHOSH!!!!

Fragments of chains and flames, ghost-like distorted souls.

Powerful fragments of the Domains’ immense power poured down as a backlash.

It was a potent surge of power that even Regnus and the Fearsome Blood King paled at.

But Lennok didn’t even look at the fragments pouring from the five Domains; he simply swatted them away with one hand.

As black ripples burst forth in a radius of tens of meters, the fragments were flung far behind Lennok.

CRUNCH-THWANG!!!!

“Unbelievable. How can he withstand the weight of five Domains alone…!!”

“……He’s already half ignoring the laws of spellcraft.”

As Regnus and the Fearsome Blood King stared at Lennok with disbelief, Lennok nodded, looking at the five dragons who had, at some point, descended close to the Eighth Tribulation.

“Are their movements this fast despite their size? Dragon-kind are certainly capable.”

[…….]

Less than fifteen minutes had passed since Lennok encountered Alohan and ended their skirmish.

Yet, five of the Eight Great Dragon Kings had noticed the anomaly in the Eighth Tribulation and arrived on the scene.

Considering all the Dragon Kings were scattered across Kundara, this was an unrealistically fast response.

[Were you intending to kill the Water Minister and flaunt his demise before us?]

The Dragon King with white horns flashed its eyes, drawing up its mana.

[It seems the uncivilized custom of Short-lived Beings, who boast of slaying dragons, has not yet disappeared.]

COO-GU-GU-GU!!!

The mist around the dragon gathered, freezing solid.

[Very well. Before we reclaim the Silver Star, let this battlefield serve to pacify the soul of the Water Minister—]

“Alohan is not dead yet.”

[……What?]

“His mana circuits were damaged, and he fell into a state of suspended animation, but he is certainly still alive.”

As the One-Horn Dragon King paused, Lennok pointed at the massive Water Dragon lying at his feet.

Lennok asked, looking at the other silent Dragon Kings.

“I think this is more than enough of a warning.”

[…….]

“That your interrogation of me is utterly meaningless.”

Immediately after acquiring the senses and state of an Ascendant, Lennok used Ouroboros to defeat Alohan.

The result was overwhelming: Lennok had shattered Water Minister Spellcraft head-on, fundamentally dismantling Alohan’s spellcraft and rank.

However, contrary to what he said during the skirmish, Lennok never intended to take Alohan’s life from the start.

The Eight Great Dragon Kings currently opposed Lennok because they believed he was the culprit behind Maleon’s rampage.

But at this point, there was no reason to provoke the other Dragon Kings by killing Alohan.

Lennok didn’t have much time left after drinking the Elixir of Ascension.

It would be better to resolve this situation quickly and gain time to ascend to the Ninth Tribulation, rather than fight the Dragon Kings.

He simply thought it would be easier to keep Alohan alive than to kill him.

[He didn’t just knock out the Water Minister.]

Suddenly, the Dragon wreathed in ghost-like souls spoke.

The Ghost Dragon King, hovering near the hall as if swimming through the air, meticulously observed Alohan before speaking.

[Wizard. You touched his Eighth Rank.]

[……Rank?]

[That human dared to touch the Water Minister’s rank?]

At that, the other Dragon Kings spoke, as if unable to believe it.

[The Water Minister’s rank has fallen one stage from Apex Rank and remains at Saint Wizard-level.]

But the Ghost Dragon King replied, looking at Lennok with calm eyes.

[It is difficult to believe, but it would be foolish to deny what has already occurred.]

“…….”

[You dared to interfere with a Dragon-kind’s rank, diminishing his achievement.]

“The Dragon-kind’s mind and body are incredibly tough; it was difficult to knock him out without such an impact.”

Lennok smiled coldly.

“Even if it was a misunderstanding, they tried to kill me, so shouldn’t they naturally bear such a price?”

[…….]

The Ouroboros, warped by the Elixir of Ascension, was a power thoroughly specialized in ‘disintegration’.

Fighting Alohan, Lennok not only disintegrated his Water Minister Spellcraft but also shattered the Eighth Rank he had built up over a lifetime.

It was a power that, by borrowing Pyeonram’s scales, mimicked the Transcendent’s ultimate technique once displayed by Pyeonram against Nives.

“It wasn’t an agreed-upon matter, but this should be sufficient to prove what I said.”

Lennok said, looking at the Water Dragon collapsed at his feet.

“Take Alohan and retreat. Then I, too, promise not to intervene in Kundara until all matters are concluded.”

[Kundara is currently facing an unprecedented crisis since the city was founded.]

The Ghost Dragon King said, its eyes faintly glowing.

[If time passes as it is, Kundara will deviate beyond the Outer Sea and shatter into pieces. How can we trust your words?]

“I went through this troublesome process of keeping Alohan alive to prove that point.”

The moment Lennok tilted his head, a black halo rotated behind his back.

SHIIIIING!!!

“I can stand here and fight all of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, and discuss the odds of winning. If I expend all my remaining time, annihilating Dragon-kind would not be impossible.”

[…….]

“But such a thing is meaningless, so I’m merely giving this warning. Do you still not understand?”

Lennok scattered black light from his eyes, looking around.

“The cause of Maleon’s rampage is not me. I intend to ascend to the Ninth Tribulation again and meet him.”

[That is…]

At Lennok’s calm and cold message, the other Dragon Kings fell silent, offering no reply.

They too sensed an unspeakable ominousness from that black-stained halo.

ZIIIING-!!!

A grotesquely distorted oval black ring. Twisted, warped darkness encroached upon its surroundings, endlessly shimmering.

Its inscrutable appearance, like the remnant of a total solar eclipse, warned them with utmost force.

A corrupted ability, attainable only by pledging destruction rather than self-transformation.

All the dragons present instinctively sensed that this human had, by staking his life, reached for an ‘authority’ that was not granted.

[Though bearing the karma of the abyss within, his will-thought and consciousness remain serene.]

The Dragon King whose entire body was as hard as chains spoke.

The Iron Chain Dragon King, whose pupils flashed beneath his armor-like thick scales, said.

[Human. To reach the Ninth Tribulation, have you forged yourself into a ‘state’ infinitely close to it?]

“…….”

Lennok merely gazed at the Iron Chain Dragon King instead of answering.

It was not difficult for him to realize that this was the leader of the Scaled Dragon Clan he had seen and heard about in Kundara.

But as if Lennok’s reaction pleased him, the Iron Chain Dragon King nodded.

[The mindset of forging oneself by pledging destruction is worthy of respect.]

CLANG!!

The Dragon King, moving his armor-like scales and slowly stepping back, said.

[Very well. I shall withdraw. My Chain Domain will no longer obstruct you.]

[Iron Chain, without even a word of discussion…!!]

[This is an unagreed decision. What are you doing?]

At the Iron Chain Dragon King’s quite spontaneous reply, the other dragons sent menacing glances.

But the Iron Chain Dragon King retorted, ignoring the other Dragon Kings’ objections.

[That human reached the Eighth Tribulation, perfectly evading the eyes of Dragon-kind. Only after the Water Minister fell could we perceive the anomaly.]

[That was entirely due to the Fearsome Blood King’s intervention—]

[In that short time, that individual could have easily killed thousands of Kundara’s Long-lived Beings.]

The Iron Chain Dragon King’s deep telepathic transmission momentarily choked the other Dragon Kings’ words.

[If things had gone wrong, the seeds of life living in this city would have withered. You must understand what this means.]

[…….]

[This human proved his words by forcibly keeping the Water Minister alive. I do not believe that steel-firm will is a lie.]

CLANG, CLANG!!

The Iron Chain Dragon King, turning around with his chain-like hardened scales, looked down at Lennok with profound eyes.

[If this man alone can cross the Ninth Tribulation and face Maleon again, then it is best to let him do so. That is all.]

[Hmm….]

Rather than Lennok’s words, it was the things he could have done but didn’t that swayed his mind.

The other dragons also grumbled, unable to dismiss that fact.

[If we let this human go now, we lose a powerful means to intervene in Maleon’s rampage.]

The Ghost Dragon King, wreathed in ghost-like souls, asked in an emotionless voice.

[If he fails, this city will shatter into pieces and fall onto the Central Front.]

[…….]

[Iron Chain. Do you truly believe Kundara’s fate can be entrusted to one Short-lived Being?]

[We are not trusting this man and letting him go, Ghost Dragon.]

The Iron Chain Dragon King boomed with a weighty telepathic transmission.

[We are trusting Maleon Gnosis, who sought answers even after becoming an Ascendant.]

[…….]

[Furthermore, it is about taking responsibility, until the very end, for my own choice to entrust Kundara’s fate to Maleon.]

At the unwavering and firm reply, the Ghost Dragon King also fell silent.

This was probably because they, as Dragon Kings, undoubtedly bore responsibility for this situation as well.

[If things go wrong, I will sacrifice my Domain directly to buy time for others to evacuate.]

COO-GU-GU-GOONG!!!

The Iron Chain Dragon King, his entire armored body shifting as he prepared to leave, spoke.

[That is what it means to bear the karma as one who stands above.]

[……How absurd.]

[There’s a limit to being so pedantic, my friend.]

[If you alone act so demure, what becomes of us?]

At the Iron Chain Dragon King’s words, the other dragons shook their heads.

However, the presence of the Dragon Kings who spoke was now much softer than before.

This was proof that even excluding the two Dragon Kings who hadn’t arrived, they had lost the will to fight Lennok.

[Indeed, those words are not wrong. There was work to be done besides stopping Maleon’s rampage.]

[I will move my Domain to the First Tribulation. I will carry as many Long-lived Beings as possible.]

[We must slow down as much as possible before deviating from the atmosphere. I and the Blazing Heaven Dragon King will remain and assist.]

RUMBLE……!!!

The five Dragon Kings, swimming through the Universe of Mist, reflected Lennok in their colossal eyes and departed.

As if to remember the words and promises Lennok had made there.

Some moved their Domains toward the city below, others toward outside the mist, and disappeared.

Finally, the colossal body of the Iron Chain Dragon King, who had remained until the end, leaned toward the unconscious Alohan.

CLINK!!

Heavy iron chains wrapped around the unconscious Alohan’s form, lifting the Water Dragon.

Lennok, watching the scene, spoke to the Iron Chain Dragon King.

“Thank you for your help.”

[…….]

“I don’t know why you’re favorable towards me, but if it weren’t for you, it would have taken more time than I anticipated.”

Perhaps the outcome was already decided the moment Lennok brought Alohan back alive.

However, whether the other Dragon Kings would readily accept it was an entirely different matter.

The Iron Chain Dragon King’s words, at first glance, seemed utterly fundamental and filled with stubbornness bordering on obstinacy.

Conversely, it was precisely because of this that he could, however grudgingly, convince the other Dragon Kings in this chaotic situation.

It was an assistance made possible not only by the Iron Chain Dragon King’s unyielding nature but fundamentally because he viewed Lennok favorably.

[I do not dislike warriors who are prepared for death and embark on impossible battles.]

The Iron Chain Dragon King, who had been silently watching Lennok from beneath his iron-plated scales, spoke.

[Especially if he wears armor made from the shed skin of his own kind.]

“Armor? Ah…… I see.”

The Black-Chained Dragon Scale Armor he had purchased at Olber’s Workshop. Had the Iron Chain Dragon King recognized the armor woven from the scales of the Scaled Dragon Clan from the start?

Only then did Lennok, understanding the Iron Chain Dragon King’s favor, shake his head.

“I am afraid I am no warrior. I apologize for wearing the Scaled Dragon Clan’s armor.”

[No matter what spellcraft or armament one wields, all who do not shy away from their own conclusion are warriors.]

The Iron Chain Dragon King said.

[And that was the same for Maleon Gnosis.]

“…….”

[Therefore, human. Take pride in your choice to face Maleon.]

COO-GU-GOONG……!!

As the Iron Chain Dragon King lifted his head, his overwhelming colossal body slowly began to ascend.

[Not only for this city, but for yourself, you must do so.]

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!!!!

The Iron Chain Dragon King’s colossal body violently surged upwards and disappeared beyond the mist.

A gigantic dragon, possessing an exceptionally grand physique even among the six Dragon Kings, like a floating fortress of steel.

Half-shattered, broken ceilings and statues. A messy floor. Overflowing mist.

Only after the Dragon Kings departed did a quiet stillness descend upon the Hall of the Eighth Tribulation.

The Fearsome Blood King approached Lennok, who stood at its center, looking up at the sky.

“……Adamant Thunder.”

The girl, looking at Lennok’s back with a tense expression, asked.

“Are you really, going to be okay?”

“…….”

The sight of the wizard, his entire body’s mana and blood stained black after consuming the Elixir of Ascension.

Even the black halo rotating behind his back and the Black Lightning flickering throughout his body.

Did she know he had seen this Black Lightning before? No, she couldn’t not know.

Yet, Lennok was trying to push past his doubts about himself and move forward.

“Since you drank the poison Nives made, the symptoms will only grow stronger with time. To reverse it, you should at least now—”

“It’s fine.”

Lennok replied quietly.

“I was, thinking a little.”

“……Thinking about what?”

“Well….”

Lennok slowly turned to the Fearsome Blood King and smiled faintly.

“Thinking I chose the wrong target for the summoning contract?”

“What?”

The vampire’s expression crumpled instantly.

“Wait. You’re not seriously thinking you should have contracted with the Iron Chain Dragon King instead of me, are you?”

“Considering his personality and size, if I were to take a summon, shouldn’t I choose a Dragon-kind like that?”

Lennok didn’t bother to deny it, replying.

“The sheer intimidation immediately after summoning would be unparalleled by any other summon.”

“……You seem to have forgotten who brought you all the way to the Eighth Tribulation.”

The Fearsome Blood King scoffed, unable to refute that remark.

The intimidation a colossal Dragon-kind of that size would exude upon being summoned would indeed be unspeakable.

“This is why humans are impossible. Has the elixir’s poison already impaired your memory?”

“Not at all. But…….”

Lennok smiled and stepped forward.

“It’s clear, as you said, that I don’t have much time left.”

“…….”

THUD!!

With one step, he stood before the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation, where darkness swirled.

At that moment, a cold silence fell between the two, as if by an unspoken agreement.

Lennok gazed at the darkness, and the vampire stood a few steps back.

“I know you’re not trying to throw your life away.”

The Fearsome Blood King, who had been silent, said quietly.

“But to come back alive, you’ll have to prioritize yourself until the very end. The Inner Core used in the Elixir of Ascension is already—”

“Including that part, the method to face Maleon is contained within this.”

Lennok said, raising his hand.

Even at this moment, cold, black blood flowed through his entire body.

A premonition of corruption, even the veins on the back of his hand had turned black.

But Lennok looked at it calmly, without fear.

“The clue was by my side from the beginning. It’s just that I only now understood how to use it.”

“…….”

“I thank you for your cooperation thus far. I will compensate you in some way in the future.”

WOOOOSH!!

As Lennok turned, the black halo rotated violently.

Simultaneously, a destructive presence emanated from Lennok’s entire body, as if breathing, pouring out into the surroundings.

The girl, gazing at Lennok, said quietly.

“Hwadeokjingun and I cooperated with Kaiser because we believed he held the answers.”

“…….”

“We couldn’t even manage to fail properly. So we had to shackle everyone with that clumsy leash called the Prohibition.”

The Fearsome Blood King closed her eyes.

“I don’t regret that choice. Even if I went back, I wouldn’t dream of a different outcome. But…….”

The Fearsome Blood King’s shadow, standing before the darkness of the Outer Sea, suddenly stretched long.

The moment Lennok realized the shadow had transformed into an adult form, different from the girl’s.

The Fearsome Blood King slowly opened her eyes and said in a low voice.

“I am now ready to accept that we were wrong.”

WHOOOSH!!!

As he stepped into the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation, darkness enveloped him.

But the icy chill he had felt when he first entered was no longer there.

Only a faint warmth emanated from beyond the darkness.

Perhaps it was because Lennok’s body was already growing much colder than this darkness.

Therefore, Lennok realized he had to make a promise here.

“If, after everything is over, I can return to Kundara—”

Lennok smiled, looking at the Fearsome Blood King’s conflicted face.

“I will favorably consider terminating the summoning contract. That should be a satisfactory compensation.”

“No, thank you. Why would I want that?”

The Fearsome Blood King, her expression turning sullen, retorted.

“Do you think I don’t know you’re trying to switch to the Iron Chain Dragon King?”

“Is that what it sounded like?”

Lennok neither affirmed nor denied it further, and continued his steps.

The moment he took a step towards the endless vortex of darkness.

Majestic darkness embraced Lennok, wrapping itself around his entire body.

FWOOSH!!!!

This time, he did not resist the darkness.

For Lennok’s body, having consumed the Elixir of Ascension, was already as deeply encroached as this darkness.

From the farthest depths of Heaven’s Nadir, he drank in boundless desires and clusters of emotions without reserve.

Fragments of endless dreams left by the Outer Gods, chaotically mingled within the darkness of the Outer Sea.

Yet, Lennok’s mind remained sound even as he swallowed the darkness whole.

He knew.

‘……I see.’

There was no need to unravel the imitation of the Space-Thought Domain Hanghasa Labyrinth designed by Jindun to pass the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation.

There was no reason to break the labyrinth and forcibly fly above Kundara to cross the Outer Sea.

Instead, all he needed to do was open the [Door].

It had been right behind Lennok from the very beginning.

In a place so close, he could reach it if he took a step back and turned.

As if waiting for Lennok’s betrayal and change of heart.

As if waiting for the destruction that would crumble all the achievements and will he had built up until now.

“……Hah.”

Feeling an involuntary laugh escape him, he covered his eyes with one hand.

Ah, it’s so easy and simple.

Acquiring power, grasping transcendence, all felt as light as a child’s toy.

It simply rotated endlessly, boundlessly, in Lennok’s hand.

Building it up was as easy as tearing it down, so there was no need to distinguish them.

The moment he carelessly grasped the chaos, mingled and distorted within his inner self, and twisted it like a doorknob.

CLICK.

With the sound of the [Door] opening, Lennok crossed spacetime with effortless ease.

“…….”

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a colossal, transparent corridor of a space station.

Transparent glass partitions reflecting the boundless dark sea.

The mummified bodies of the Founders, fallen to dust.

“Ha…….”

No Eternal Pressure, no soul-crushing oppression, was felt.

As if such a thing had never existed in the first place.

The black-distorted mana flowing through his entire body even pulsed violently, roaring.

WOOOOSH!!!!

“Maleon.”

As he took a step forward, black-distorted lightning erupted from Lennok’s entire body.

An dark and chilling smile had, at some point, formed on Lennok’s lips.

“I have arrived.”

Upon the Spacetime of the Ninth Tribulation, immeasurably far from the world.

Within the magnificent graveyard created by Kundara’s Long-lived Beings, dreaming of the Outer Tribulation.

A fallen wizard, having mounted the boundary of ascension, had arrived once more.