Chapter 286: Gate (1)

The sky churned with turmoil.

A Black Dragon with crimson eyes bared its sharp teeth and spoke in a raspy voice:

“Let us begin with a simple exchange of greetings.”

No sooner had the words faded than darkness erupted from the Black Dragon’s body.

In an instant, the released darkness coalesced into spheres and poured down onto the space where Louis and the Elders stood.

Krak-kra-kra-kra!

Black spheres rained down like shooting stars.

With a deafening boom, the spheres collided with the pillars, sending fragments of dark matter scattering like dust.

Kaboom!

Had these been ordinary beings, they would have been reduced to a bloody pulp before they could react.

But Louis and the Elders were far from ordinary.

Poof!

Before the bombardment even began, they had already evaded the attack.

They looked upward, watching the Black Dragon that had attacked them.

“It’s been ages since we last faced an actual attack.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of development. It’s a refreshing change.”

“You call that courtesy? You must have abandoned all manners the moment you left your mother’s womb! What’s your name? Who raised you?”

Despite having been attacked mere seconds earlier, the Elders remained composed and unruffled.

In contrast to the Elders, Louis’s expression was hardened.

That bastard…

At first, he’d assumed Chulsoo88 had gone mad.

But as their conversation progressed, he began to suspect that wasn’t the case.

Then came the decisive remark:

A variable in Lotberia?

Why had Lotberia’s name suddenly been mentioned?

And why had that bastard called him a “variable”?

At that moment, Louis couldn’t grasp the full implications of what was happening.

However, the palpable shift in atmosphere made it clear to him that the entity he was conversing with was not Chulsoo88.

“Louis, do you know this creature?” Balto Elder’s voice cut through the tension as he returned to the conversation.

Louis shook his head. “I’m not sure… I don’t know either.”

This wasn’t an attempt to hide anything. It was simply the truth. Even Louis himself couldn’t identify which dragon he was dealing with anymore.

Whether it’s the Mad Dragon, Chulsoo88, or whoever… it doesn’t matter.

Louis, in fact, saw the current situation as favorable. Only four Zero Rank Dragons were present here, and among them were Ancient Dragons who had served as Elders for centuries, not fledgling Zero Rank Dragons like himself.

He’s dug his own grave.

No matter what kind of being that creature was, attacking four Zero Rank Dragons was nothing short of suicidal.

Today, here… I’ll end my bitter fate with that bastard.

Fortunately for Louis, the other Elders were equally enthusiastic.

“Heh heh, if he doesn’t know his manners, we’ll teach him.”

“Let’s beat him black and blue first, then ask for his name. We’ll see whose brat he is.”

Balotus and Silvio’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

Though they had withdrawn from worldly affairs, living like old men holed up in their rooms, they were still dragons—Ancient Dragons, their eccentricities compounded by age.

For such beings to have suffered a preemptive strike, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t retaliated.

“Still, he seems to be quite skilled, so everyone, be careful.”

Sandra alone, with a prudent expression, tried to calm the Elders.

But Sandra’s efforts proved futile.

“Kluk, at our age, would we let some bloodied brat defeat us?”

“Sandra, your caution is your weakness.”

“Sandra and Louis, step back. We’ll handle this ourselves.”

No sooner had the words been spoken than light erupted from Balotus and Silvio’s human forms.

Zzzt…

The light filled the air as two Ancient Dragons shed their human bodies and materialized in their true forms.

Sandra clicked her tongue. “Tsk, even in old age, their temperaments remain unchanged.”

Despite her words, she didn’t seem particularly worried.

Louis raised his head to observe the unfolding situation.

Cr! How massive!

The Black Dragon’s physique, honed through rigorous training, was no small matter.

Yet the Ancient Dragons, having lived for millennia, towered two heads taller than even him.

Despite the overwhelming pressure radiating from these ancient behemoths, the Black Dragon remained unfazed.

“Finished chattering? I was about to lose patience waiting for you.”

“Heh heh… Still stubborn to the end, I see.”

“What were your parents’ names?! Who raised you so poorly?”

The Black Dragon snorted at Silvio’s shrill reprimand.

“Parents… It’s been ages since I last heard that word.”

“Spit it out! I’m going to go demand answers from them!”

As if granting a favor, the Black Dragon replied to Silvio’s urgency.

“Have you heard of Cruel and Randel? They are the ones who brought me into this world.”

Silvio and Balotus exchanged glances, neither expecting the dragon to actually reveal such information.

”…Do you know them?”

“No, I’ve never heard those names before.”

Even the Elders, who were said to know all dragons, had never heard of Cruel and Randel. Balotus and Silvio’s expressions darkened.

“You bastard!”

“Where did you get such lies?!”

As the two dragons erupted in fury, Sandra’s face stiffened slightly at the mention of Cruel and Randel.

”…Cruel? Randel?”

“Do you know them?”

“No… no.”

Sandra shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind. No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make any sense.

This can’t be happening.

Sandra turned her gaze back to the mysterious dragon, her face filled with disbelief.

Meanwhile, the Black Dragon, locked in a tense standoff with the Elders, spoke.

“I have an offer for you.”

”…An offer?”

“Kill that one. Then you can live to return.”

The Black Dragon’s gaze landed precisely on Louis.

Balotus and Silvio’s expressions shifted instantly.

“Hah…”

“What a ridiculous…”

Until then, there had been a hint of mockery in their demeanor, but now the fury radiating from Balotus and Silvio was brutally intense.

The Black Dragon tilted his head at their reaction.

“Why are you angry? I’m offering you a way to live.”

“You dare to tell me to meet you here!”

“Heh… Fine. If you’re the kind of fool who can’t even discern right from wrong with your limited understanding, there’s no reason to keep you alive. Come at me. I want to test the mettle of these new generation.”

“The new generation?”

“How long are you going to stand there like an idiot, flapping your mouth? Are these new ones only good at arguing with their mouths? If so, what was the point of me waiting for you?”

As the Black Dragon’s provocations continued, a murderous aura erupted from Silvio’s entire being.

“You… I’ve never met a madman like you before. Alright, since you’ve received my greetings, now receive mine.”

With that, verbal sparring gave way to physical combat.

Instead, the battle between their physical forms began.

Woooooo!

The will of the Ancient Dragon, a Zero Rank Wind Attribute, caused the atmosphere to tremble, emitting a bizarre, metallic clang.

Simultaneously, the sky-blue Wind Attribute dominated the surrounding space, followed by Balotus’s spatial attribute boiling up and surging toward the Black Dragon.

In response, Dark Attribute energy flowed from the Black Dragon’s body.

Crackle!

Witnessing the clash of the three energies possessed by these transcendent beings, Louis recalled an apt Chinese idiom: Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Shattering.

Heaven-shaking, earth-shattering—this phrase described something so astonishing it could make the heavens tremble and the earth quake.

But Louis could confidently declare that the spectacle unfolding before him was the very definition of “heaven-shaking, earth-shattering.”

Boom!

Three colossal dragons, each embodying a different attribute, clashed head-on.

The impact sent shockwaves through the air, carving a basin-like depression into the sea surface several meters below and unleashing a devastating gust of wind.

But this was only the beginning.

This is just the start.

Balotus struck first.

Crackle!

His dark energy erupted, distorting space itself.

Under Silvio’s command, thousands of wind blades swirled in from all directions.

Whoosh!

Even a moment’s carelessness would shred a dragon’s flesh to pieces. The attacks from these two Zero Rank dragons were so terrifying that anyone witnessing them would feel a chill run down their spine.

Yet the Black Dragon remained motionless.

Louis tilted his head in confusion.

Is it already over?

But his expectations were utterly shattered.

Neither the power that warped space itself, nor the Wind Slash sharp enough to slice through a dragon’s scales, could inflict any damage on the Black Dragon’s body. Everything was absorbed by the Dark Attribute he wore like armor.

Louis’s expression hardened at the sight.

Impossible!

Chulsoo88’s Mad Dragon had been formidable, but this was on a completely different level. Even Louis himself would have struggled to withstand the combined attack from Balotus and Silvio moments ago. Yet the Black Dragon had shrugged it off as if it were nothing.

He actually withstood that?!

Louis wasn’t the only one astonished by the Black Dragon’s power. Sandra, seated beside him, was equally stunned.

Something’s off.

The attacks unleashed by Zero’s Domain weren’t simple attribute power assaults. Whether it was a spell, a Demonic Scripture, or even pure mana, each strike contained a power that interfered with the laws of nature.

Of course, interference could neutralize interference, but…

No one could nullify interference that cleanly!

Just as Sandra reached this conclusion—

Boom!

A sudden flash of light struck Silvio squarely in the chest.

“Kyaaah!”

The crimson beam sent her staggering backward. Startled, Sandra quickly materialized and caught Silvio.

“Silvio!”

“Ugh! I’m… I’m fine. I just let my guard down for a moment.”

Sandra’s face hardened as she saw Silvio’s seared wound.

Sizzle…

The scales on Silvio’s chest were bubbling.

“This is…”

How could she not recognize it?

The technology that condenses light into intense heat, transforming it into physical impact.

What Silvio had suffered was a distortion of this very technique.

But the problem was that just moments ago, Balotus had been using the Dark Attribute.

Sandra’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“No way… A dual attribute?!”

Sandra, supporting Silvio, raised her head.

Before her, Balotus raged, his body swelling with fury.

“INOOOOM!”

With his roar, Balotus’s body instantly quadrupled in size.

A temporary cloning technique utilizing multiple spaces.

The split Balotuses immediately surrounded the Black Dragon.

Hwoosh…

Black particles gathered in their mouths.

In less than a second, Balotus had gathered mana and reached the brink of unleashing his Breath.

But then, something strange happened.

Crack…

The avatars of the divided Balotus began to crack, like glass shattering.

Then, in the blink of an eye—

Crash!

The avatars shattered completely, scattering into fragments.

Cough!

Suffering a sudden, devastating blow, Balotus couldn’t unleash his Breath attack and instead coughed up blood.

Seizing the opportunity as Balotus staggered, a crimson beam of light shot toward his head.

In that critical moment, lasting only a tenth of a second, Balotus’s life hung in the balance.

A pure white body materialized, snatched Balotus away, and vanished, leaving the crimson beam to pierce empty air.

“Are you alright?” Louis, who had rescued him, asked.

“I-I’m fine,” Balotus nodded, his voice strained.

The coughing up of blood had been merely a temporary reflux, with minimal impact on his physical condition.

What truly troubled Balotus, however, was the method by which his technology had been thwarted.

Balotus stared at the Black Dragon with frozen eyes.

“How…?”

He wasn’t the only one frozen in place. Louis was equally stunned.

It was the spatial attribute.

Both Balotus and Louis, experts in spatial manipulation, were certain that the spatial attribute had interfered with Balotus’s technology and nullified it. That meant this creature could wield the spatial attribute as well.

The revelation caused the battle to pause momentarily. Four dragons floated in mid-air, gazing at the solitary Black Dragon, who hovered with majestic composure.

A triple-attribute creature…?

Their eyes were filled with bewilderment.

Among them, Sandra’s face was particularly pale.

“No way…”

Until now, the Black Dragon had clearly displayed only three attribute powers. Throughout history, there had only ever been two dragons born with triple attributes. After them, Louis was the only dragon born with three or more attributes. Sandra, who had managed the dragon genealogy for generations, was certain of this.

”…But that can’t be true.”

Throughout history, there had only ever been one being born with the Light, Dark, and spatial attributes at the same time. Recalling that being, Sandra couldn’t help but deny the current situation. Yet her instincts told her that this ridiculous thing might actually be true.

…Cruel and Randel.

Perhaps most dragons wouldn’t recognize the name.

This was understandable, as the dragon born to those parents far overshadowed their own reputations.

Son of Cruel and Randel.

All beings in the world called him by this name.

Light, Dark, Space—the first living being born with triple attributes.

The wise king ruling over a great lineage.

The deranged Sandra uttered his title:

“Dragon Lord…”

And Louis, who inherited his legacy, spoke his name:

”…Kaiders.”

As if hearing the muttered name, the Black Dragon grinned sharply, baring his fangs.

“Shouldn’t you show proper respect to the Lord, descendants?”