Chapter 49 : Ashes Before the Empire

The blue dragon treated the storm as a single thread, weaving a gigantic sword in the sky.

It was so clear and brilliant that everyone in the barony could see it. At the same time, all the powerful beings outside the barony, across the continent, sensed its power.

“······A god has been born. No, has descended. ······But in the end, it will only be ashes before the Empire.”

The emperor, who was discussing important matters of the Empire with his ministers, muttered. The red star in the southwest sky resonated with his emotions, emitting an explosive light.

“If these are the coordinates······ huh? Isn’t that where Esti was crying about how pitiful the Count’s daughter was?”

Someone wearing a robe muttered on the top floor of a white tower that soared high as if to pierce the sky, nestled between large and small towers. Dozens of tower tops began to shine, representing someone’s will.

[The earth sang of anger. Then who is the sky that calmed that anger? It is an energy I have felt for the first time in thousands of years.]

A mountain that had been asleep among the western mountains, where cliffs, caves, forests, and plains intertwined, chanted. Then, countless wings spread and flew into the sky.

“Rehel-nim! I felt something like Rehel-nim! Will they be an ally to share the future with? Or······ a heretic to be punished?”

A young child with a few baby teeth left knelt and asked cheerfully. Far away, a cluster of white stars glowed as if answering that question.

Besides these, many powerful beings responded to the dragon’s wrath. Among them, the one who showed the most monotonous and intense reaction was:

“······Who are you? You who appeared in my territory. How, how did you appear in my territory? Is it a rebellion?”

A man who was walking restlessly around the room without properly wearing his crown said. As if responding to the man holding a sword and scales made of gold in his arms, the blue star in the eastern sky emitted a dull light.

The power of the star that rose from the east of Artera answered the countless stars that were engraved in the sky, and at the same time, the beings connected to the stars responded.

The star cluster that had observed Artera for eternity recognized the blue dragon as a star, and the incarnations of the stars accepted him as a god.

The time of the god who awoke in the eastern sea began to flow in earnest.

It covered the sky, making those who didn’t know fall into fear, and even making those who knew it tremble in awe.

And the one who witnessed it most closely was Count Arnus.

When God became angry, the storm itself became a sword and was shot at it.

“······.”

He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t turn his head.

His legs and arms were not energized. But he endured with all his might.

To capture that scene in his eyes.

To praise the god who sent his Miko to cure his daughter. At the same time, to witness the end of the one who was furious with God.

And to atone for his doubt, even for a moment.

‘I’m sorry for doubting you, God.’

Count Arnus woke up the knight who had lost consciousness and slowly got to his feet. The knight groaned and accepted the Count’s support.

“Count!!”

Someone was seen running from afar. It was the investigation team that had left in advance, sensing that the situation had changed and had returned.

“Jo, the sword in the sky a little while ago···.”

The two answered one knight’s question.

“It was God’s divine punishment.”

“It was God’s salvation.”

The former was Count Arnus, and the latter was Jonan. For a moment, the two stared at each other blankly, and then added their opinions.

“What is it if it’s not divine punishment that God inflicts on the object of His wrath?”

“In the end, it was given to save us.”

There was no backing down from each other, but in the end, it was all for good.

The investigation team enjoyed the joy and success of survival for a while, and then turned their steps toward the Count’s residence.

It was a success.

Rakallushad, struck directly by the sword made of the storm, trembled and crawled through the mountain.

Looking at the sky, the moon had also disappeared below the horizon. No longer did the fellow have any means to move. It was remarkable that he was still alive and moving, having been struck directly by all the energy the storm emitted in a single blow.

[Who, are you. So, So, So, Soli, a, a’s, power, not.]

Rakallushad spoke like a broken robot and opened its mouth toward me.

But I had nothing to say. I was rapidly becoming fatigued due to the backlash from the technique a moment ago.

Therefore, I went down to the ground to finish it quickly rather than dragging the fellow on.

The fellow showed no movement even when I entered the attack range.

[Wh, what kind of being you are, is, is not known··· but His resurrection will not, will not be stopped···. The world still has His traces, waiting for Him······.]

[Is that so.]

Slam!

It seemed like it wanted to say something, but I crushed the fellow’s head with my claws.

Crack. With that sound, Rakallushad’s twitching movements stopped. After confirming that, I quickly checked the mountains and the city of the barony.

‘Was this Rakallushad’s ability?’

I couldn’t know if it was the power of the ‘Him’ that the fellow was crying about, or if it was Rakallushad’s unique ability. But at least I could tell that this mess happened because that fellow was alive and moving.

Rakallushad’s corpse began to turn to dust and scatter into the air. Even after the fellow’s corpse disappeared, the changed mountain range did not return.

‘That guy’s words, Him and traces··· it probably means that there were others like himself in this world.’

What Rakallushad said will surely bring a terrible future to this continent called Artera.

Even a single entity, which was not able to properly exert its power, almost turned the barony into a mess.

But what if there are many beings like Rakallushad, and they all show more power than this?

‘······I definitely can’t stop it alone.’

I don’t know how strong the powerful people of this world are, but I’m sure it’s not an element that will be easily suppressed.

Moreover, they are only followers, and I don’t know anything about the ‘Him’ that Rakallushad serves.

The Red Moon, Red Demons, Dark Red Energy, Rakallushad, Magic Stones, Petrification.

They are all elements that threaten the world. At the same time, they are also things that can threaten my survival.

It seems that I have found what I have to do with the body of a blue dragon from this point on.

In fact, I was in a state of unknown skepticism about my existence.

I became a blue dragon. So what should I do?

But now it became clear.

‘I use this power to stop them.’

To prevent this world from being destroyed, and to prevent my life from being in danger, I will deal with those who will be a threat.

From now on, I will move more actively for that.

‘······This is.’

While examining the place where Rakallushad was rampaging, I found a stone in the middle of the fellow’s body. It was a black stone with a silver luster.

The strange thing was that there were cracks here and there in the stone as if it had been broken once.

I felt an unknown urge when I saw that stone.

I must touch that stone.

I must accept it.

I must commune with it.

All my nerves were on edge and focused on the stone that was slightly floating on the ground.

‘······Damn it.’

I forcibly looked away and looked around. There were no elements to disturb me nearby.

Even the many red demons seemed to have followed their master and disappeared.

People were also late to clean up, so I settled down and approached it, which I was craving for myself.

The next moment, my vision flickered, and a strange landscape appeared in front of me.

A space made of gray and black, and a white sun that filled the sky.

It was a place that seemed to reverse the space I saw when I touched the Sunstone before.

I wasn’t embarrassed and slowly looked around.

From the beginning, before I found the stone, I had thought that there might be something similar to the Sunstone.

When I saw that Solia and Lunasha, two beings, and Rakallushad were intertwined, I thought that Rakallushad, who controlled the red demons, would have something related to it.

And that prediction was correct.

‘······There was one here too.’

Last time I touched the Sunstone, someone in platinum armor was pierced by a dark spear.

This place felt like an inverted space inside the Sunstone, and the being inside was also the same.

Someone armed with jet-black armor was stabbed by a sword that emitted a brilliant light.

However, unlike the owner of the platinum armor, he gave the feeling of being alive from the beginning.

The owner of the black armor was sitting on the floor, bleeding through the helmet.

I approached him and examined the owner of the armor.

Overall, if the platinum armor was glossy and splendid, the black armor was a simple design that completely absorbed light.

I looked at the dying owner of the armor and recalled past memories.

It was like a video recording, but the owner of the armor grabbed my hand and shouted something.

So, could this being also recognize me?

To find out, I spoke to him.

“Are you a member of Lunasha?”

[······?!]

The armor shook greatly. Yes, that guy was in a state where he could recognize me.