Dragon Maken War - Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Chapter 161 - Inherited Resolution (3)

6

The Plain of Darkness was in an uproar .

After Azel Karzark’s identity was confirmed, the Dragon Demon general Almarick had revealed himself .

This event caused a bigger wave than the time when Reygus woke up as an Undead .  Even the core power of the Plain of Darkness could sense a storm coming .

The shock that rippled through the Almarick tribe was quite significant .

Almarick hadn’t notified anyone in his tribe that he had been revived .  Even after his revival, he kept his identity hidden .  He had posed as a recluse .

This really was a baffling turn of event .

He was a Dragon Demon general, yet no one had been by his side when he was revived .  

So how was he able to acquire  a safe-haven near the Dragon Demon palace, and how had he managed to stay hidden?

There was a reason why he had been able to do all of this .

“It has been a while, sir Almarick . ”

Queen Aincera sought out Almarick to have a conversation with him .

After she lost all human emotions, she rarely left her room .  Also, if one thought about her position, Almarick should have gone to see her .

Still, she couldn’t force Almarick to come to her even if it was a matter of importance .  He had suffered a serious injury .  This was why she used the Great Darkness to send a clone to talk to him .

Almarick smiled as he lay on top of the bed .

“My body is in distress, so I’ll have to take audience from my bed .  Please excuse my rudeness . ”

“I don’t mind it .  I’m not here with my real body . ”

“Thank you .  Do you remember what happened?”

“I vaguely remember it .  At the time, I thought it was necessary to erase it, so I did it .  However, it seems my memories won’t fully return . ”

Aincera had facilitated the business of providing Almarick with a place to stay .  However, she had forgotten everything until Almarick revealed himself .  He had done so to draft the forces of his tribe to his cause .

She had erased her own memories .  A person with a strong ego usually has a strong attachment to one’s memories .  The act of erasing one’s memories usually caused incredible amount of fear and resistance .  The resistance was so strong that it usually threatened one’s life if one attempted it .  However, after Aicera had listened to Almarick’s story, she willingly erased her memories .

“…… . ”

Almarick looked at her for a brief moment .

It was hard to call her as being Aincera anymore .  She had lost herself when she became the nervous system of the Great Darkness .

Aincera had lost her heart, so she couldn’t read the emotions contained within Almarick’s gaze .  If it was anyone else, she could have read the information through the Great Darkness .  However, Almarick was free from the control of her power .

‘I never expected a day to come where I would pity her… . . . ’

In the past, Almarick had been on bad terms with Aincera .

He didn’t hate her per se .  He had been different in the past .  Unlike his current self, he had  been the embodiment of wildness .  He had been feral .  On the other hand, Aincera had been noble and calm .  This was why she had avoided being near him .  In turn, this soured Almarick’s disposition towards her .

Currently, she wasn’t showing a single hint of revulsion towards Almarick .

It wasn’t, because Almarick had changed .  It was true that his disposition had changed .  He had to pose as a retired elder, and he had gone through a surprising amount of change .  He was much calmer than his previous self, and there was an air of intelligence around him .  Even Reygus was having a hard time believing he was Almarick .

However, Aincera was acting differently from her past, because her sense of self had faded away .  It was a situation where it was unknown as to whether she had a sense of self anymore .  Despite knowing the risk from the beginning, she had accepted this role, and Almarick could only look at her with pity .

Aincera spoke .  

“Since you stepped forward, I didn’t expect you to fail in catching them . ”

“You are poking me at a sore spot .  I was too careless . ”

Almarick let out a bitter laugh .

Was it the side effect of being raised from the dead?  Or was it deep emotions he felt when he met an old foe after such a long time?

Anyways, he lost any rights to call Reygus an idiot any more .  He had also been a prisoner to his emotions .  While he enjoyed the moment, it came back to bite him… . .

The will shown by the Guardian Shadows in their efforts to safely evacuate Azell had been terrifying .

After giving up the Dragon weapons stored within their bodies, the Keepers of Prophecy knew this was their final battlefield .  Since they knew this was their final fight, they had displayed their might .  They were able to drive Reygus and Almarick into a corner .

“This confirms it .  Carlos Rizester was the one that had created the Guardian Shadows . ”

Almarick became certain of this fact when he fought the Keepers of the Prophecy .

Of course, he didn’t know the connection they had with Azell .  However…… .

“The magic they embodied… .  I’m sure it was Carlos’ magic . ”

The Guardian Shadows were created using a great magic that changed the face of the world, and it was connected to Carlos .

The Keepers of Prophecy weren’t all skilled in battle .  There were those like Balseru and Iota, who were powerful .  Then there were those like Jares, who fell behind in terms of battle capability .  Some were in charge of maintaining the Sleepless Guardians, and others were there to control the Guardian Shadows .  

However, as their bodies slowly broke down into energy, they were able to create a menacing magic spell .  The disintegration of their bodies fueled the spell .

This spell was connected to the movements of the Guardian Shadows, and it had an earth shattering effect .  When the Keepers of the Prophecy were all dead, Almarick had received a life-threatening injury .  Even the Undead Reygus suffered partial destruction .  Moreover, 70% of the Demon King worshippers were killed .  It was a massive loss .

After taking such heavy losses, they hadn’t been able to exterminate Azell’s party, and most of the Guardian Shadows present were able escape intact .

Aincera still spoke in a disinterested manner .

“Even if Azell Karzark survived, there is a limit to his power .  The two of you are Dragon Demon generals revived by the king’s contingency plan .  Shouldn’t you be able to handle Azell?”

Hadn’t Reygus already won against Azell in a one on one fight?

Almarick shook his head from side to side .

“I can’t guarantee it .  Azell really is a being that is hard to predict .  Moreover, his unpredictability rises when one considers the fact that Carlos is supporting him .  The organization called the Guardian Shadows… .   It was created to be a deterrent force against us .  The fact that Carlos was able to do this should make us feel afraid . ”

“I agree . ”

Aincera nodded her head .

“One of our plan is already in motion .  Chaos and death is spreading in the human world… .   When the king returns, we will be able to fulfill his wish . ”

“I guess so . ”

However, Almarick was having a different thought .

‘What is the king’s true intention?’

Almarick’s revival from death had been arranged by Atein, but it didn’t mean he understood Atein’s intentions .

During the Dragon Demon war, he had prophesied his own defeat .  This was why he had left behind contingency plans like the Great Darkness within the Dragon Demon palace .  What had Atein been thinking?

The only thing he was sure of was… .

“When the king returns, new allies will arrive in accordance to our pact .  At that time, we’ll be able to learn more of what he intends to do . ”

7

Reygus was in the deepest underground location within the Dragon Demon palace .  He was at a location that was named the Abyss .

The Great Darkness was spread across the entire continent by using the Dragon Demon king worshippers as a medium, and this place could be called the nucleus of the Great Darkness .

This was where the essence of Darkness refined by magic was gathered .   Reygus was very familiar with this feeling .  He had already been revived from death once, and his revival could be traced back to the Great Darkness .

<It really is annoying to come here, because of the stairs . >

The Abyss was basically an enormous tomb . The staircase leading down was helical in structure, and the steps protruded from the walls .  It was wide enough to allow only a single person to traverse down it .   Reygus was a giant that was over 3 meters tall, so the stairway was too small for him .  He had to stick to the wall as he travelled downward .  He was performing an acrobatic feat .

There was a silhouette of a pale girl next to him .

-Is that the king?

Kayalia asked the question as she looked at the center of the Abyss .

There wasn’t a single light within the darkness that was coalesced through magic .  However, Reygus and Kayalia could see the form within the darkness .

It was the Dragon Demon King Atein’s body .  It was slowly recovering as time passed .

According to the observations recorded by the Plain of Darkness, his bones were the first to form .  Organs, muscles and nerves followed next .  The last to form was his skin .  His skin started to grow from his fingertips and toes .  It crawled inwards, and skin was now starting to cover Atein’s body .

If one thought about the process, it felt as if the revival wasn’t too far off .  However, Kayalia tilted her head in puzzlement .

-Did sir Almarick go through this process in his revival?

<I do not know .  Even he has no memories on how he was revived . >

-Then you don’t know how you were revived also?

<It was as if I woke up from a long sleep, and I was like this . >

-Hmm…… .

<Was it the same for you?>

-It’s always the same for me .

<Mmm?>

-Ah .  It is a little bit different each time .  After I was dispersed, I pulled myself together, and I found myself in this form… . .

<This time?  What do you mean?>

-You knew what I was before I became engaged to the king, right?

<At the very least, you weren’t in this form .  Ah, I’m using your past self as the standard . >

-That standard can’t be used on my current self .  Anyways, the ingredients that makes up ‘me’ was scattered, and I was put back together .  However, the current ‘me’ that is put back together is a little bit different from my past self .  I need two things to realize what change has actually occurred .  I need time and a trigger .

<Hmm .  It sounds profound . >

-That was the reason why the king proposed to me .  It was a mutually beneficial relationship .

<…that was the reason why the two of you got engaged?>

-The rules of my tribe was strict .  We can only trade kernels of our techniques with those that marry one of our tribe members .  That is the minimum threshold .

<You relationship with him sounds quite dreary . >

-Amongst all of us, the only one blinded by love was Aincera unni .  The king was the only man for her .  Unexpectedly, she loved with a fiery passion .

<Love seems to be out of character with her… . . . . >

-When she inherited the Great Darkness from the king… .  She made the choice knowing the consequences .  The king wasn’t someone that would hide his problems .  He wouldn’t just push off his responsibility onto another .

<…… . >

-I didn’t like that part about unni, but at the same time, I was a bit jealous of her .

<…I see . >

Kayalia flew up into the Darkness, and she approached Atein’s body, which was slowly recovering within the Abyss .  She carefully looked over him as she spoke .

-However, something does bother me .

<What is it?>

-Why did the king insist on using this strange method to revive himself?

<Mmmm?>

-He is someone that is capable of using my technique .  His revival could have been much simpler and faster . … So why?

Kayalia mumbled to herself as if she didn’t understand this point .

8

The Albatan forest was truly large .  The sea of trees were endless no matter how far they traveled .  Even if there were occasional gaps in the tree, their sight was obstructed by mountains .

This place deserved to be called the Demonic lands .  It was that dangerous .

The party had travelled for only a day, yet they had fought numerous foes .  At times, they faced wild beasts, wild beasts consolidated under a leader, and… .

“Wow . Those are Ettins .  I’ve heard about them, but this is the first time I’ve seen one!”

Yuren was taken aback .

A giant possessing two ugly heads was attacking the party .  It was over 10 meters tall, and each of its steps shook the ground .  It was of the giant race, but it was a higher race than the ogres .  They were called the Ettins .

“They are annoying . ”

Leticia grumbled .

Orc archers were shooting at them from various locations .  However, the arrows were flying through an irregular path .  It seems there was a magician controlling the path of the arrows .  The arrows weaved through the trees .

The forest held terrifying foes .  However, they couldn’t touch the party members .

-Unyielding Fortress!