Chapter 291: Gate (6)
The massive dragon’s head crashed to the ground, a fountain of blood erupting from its severed neck.
Louis stared at the scene, a profound sense of anticlimax washing over him.
To be defeated by such a pathetic creature…?
Silvio and Sandra, two of the dragon race’s most esteemed Elders, had fallen. Though Louis hadn’t been particularly close to them, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow for his fallen kin.
At least we dealt with it quickly.
If the creature had been at full strength, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. In that case, not only Silvio and Sandra, but the entire dragon race—perhaps even the world—would have been in grave danger.
Is it finally over…?
Louis stood motionless for a moment, lost in thought.
The shadow of death had relentlessly haunted him since childhood. If his suspicions were correct, Kaiders was likely the mastermind behind it all.
Well, it would be stranger if that dimwit Chulsoo88 was behind it all.
He should have realized it sooner.
On Earth, where supernatural abilities don’t exist.
And for an ordinary webtoon author to pull off something like this? It defied all common sense.
But…
If some transcendent entity intervened, it would make sense.
Perhaps Chulsoo88 had simply been manipulated by Kaiders.
Louis settled on this conclusion about the incident.
After standing motionless for a long time, his eyebrows twitched.
“Huh?”
His gaze fell upon the headless carcass of the dragon.
”…Why hasn’t that thing disappeared?”
If the creature was truly dead, its body should have disintegrated into tiny particles and vanished, just as Sandra’s had.
Yet despite having its heart pierced and its head severed, the dragon’s corpse remained stubbornly intact.
Confusion clouded Louis’s eyes.
Could it be because it’s some kind of anomaly?
The dragon’s body couldn’t have been born into this world through natural means. That explained why its corpse hadn’t vanished.
But why do I still feel so uneasy?
A nagging discomfort churned in Louis’s chest. He soon realized the source of his unease.
Come to think of it… why isn’t this Space Barrier dissipating?
The moment this realization struck him, Louis’s face hardened. He immediately swung his hand.
Swish— Swish—
With each swing, Kaiders’s body was sliced apart. Dozens of pieces. No, hundreds of shredded fragments, a mangled mass of flesh.
In that state, not even the Dragon Lord himself could revive him, let alone this pathetic creature.
Only then did Louis finally feel relieved.
But then…
Futile.
A thunderous voice echoed from an unseen source, sending a chill down Louis’s spine. He frantically expanded his sensory perception.
Yet Kaiders’ presence remained elusive.
Heh heh heh. Didn’t I tell you? You’d regret it.
Louis sighed softly as the voice echoed again.
“Yeah, you were right… I should have listened.”
If he had, at least he could have punched that filthy face a few more times. That he did regret.
As Louis cursed inwardly, Kaiders’ voice reverberated once more.
Well then, how about listening to my story now? It’s quite entertaining.
”…Go ahead. But you’ll die whether it’s boring or not.”
Louis shoved his hand into his pocket, outwardly calm.
But inwardly, he was rapidly scanning his surroundings.
Where the hell is this bastard hiding?
Louis stalled for time, trying to pinpoint Kaiders’ location.
You probably think you’re the first person born with the Four Attributes.
”…”
But do you know that someone else was born with them before you?
Kaiders’ words sparked a thought in Louis’ mind, one that required no deep contemplation. Only one name came to mind.
”…Lotberia?”
You’re quick on the uptake. Then tell me… why do you think Lotberia lost to me?
“I know.”
Ho?
“The stronger guy won. What other reason do you need?”
Kaiders seemed intrigued by Louis’ resolute tone.
Kukuku, Kaha ha ha!
Kaiders laughed heartily for a long moment. When he finally calmed down, he spoke.
“How true! Yes, the strong survive! Kaha ha ha!”
”…”
“As you said, he was too sentimental. Even though he was born with immense power, he didn’t know how to wield it. For the powerful, a weak heart is a sin.”
“Hmph… I hate to admit it, but I agree with that point.”
“That weakness drove him to his doom. If only he had been a little more ruthless… and if he had raised all four attributes to Zero Rank, the situation would be very different now.”
“So what? What’s the point? When are you going to tell me the interesting part of the story?”
Irritation surged through Louis as he asked.
Where the hell is this guy hiding?
No matter how far he extended his search, Kaiders’ presence remained untraceable.
“The children of later generations call this place the Mahyeol, I hear.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
“But tell me, who do you think created this Mahyeol?”
”…What?”
“Do you believe someone with such a weak heart could have pierced through it?”
“Damn it… Was this your doing?!”
Louis’s face twisted in fury.
According to the dragon race’s history, as told by Sandra, Lotberia had pierced the Mahyeol, only to be stopped by the Dragon Lord.
But that doesn’t make sense.
If history were accurate, then the one tormenting him now should have been Lotberia himself.
As if reading Louis’s thoughts, Kaiders’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Guh-huh-huh… That’s right, I created the Mahyeol. Lotberia actually tried to stop me.”
”…”
“Didn’t you have a saying like that on the Earth you used to live on?”
Louis’s face stiffened.
The secret of his reincarnation, which no one else knew, had now been confirmed by Kaiders. A chill ran through his heart.
“History is written by the victors.”
The moment he heard those words, a question arose in Louis’s mind.
If Kaiders truly broke through the Mahyeol…
What was his purpose?
He had been the envy of all, hailed as the strongest dragon. Why would he create the Mahyeol?
As Louis continued to ponder this,
Splash!
Something surged upward from the seawater of the Maha Sea.
Louis’s eyes widened in disbelief as he confirmed what he was seeing.
That’s…?!
Something shot skyward.
It was Kaiders’s severed head, the very one Louis had personally cut off.
Rising to Louis’s position, the head’s eyes rolled as if still alive, and its lips twisted into a mocking smirk.
“Did you think you were the only one stalling for time?” it sneered, its tone dripping with the knowledge that Louis had been delaying while searching for him.
A bitter smile spread across its face as fragments of Kaiders’s flesh erupted from the Maha Sea.
These were all the pieces of Kaiders’s body that Louis had meticulously diced.
The chunks of flesh soared skyward and began to converge neatly beneath the head, stacking themselves together.
Watching Kaiders’ body reassemble itself like a jigsaw puzzle, Louis swung his hand again.
Shhhk.
Each strike severed Kaiders’ body once more. Yet, no matter how Louis tried, Kaiders’ flesh continued to regenerate, piecing itself back together.
Louis gritted his teeth.
If I can’t physically harm him… I’ll just scatter him completely!
Louis slashed through Kaiders’ body.
Snick.
He shoved the newly fragmented mass into his pocket dimension.
But then—
A futile effort.
A voice echoed from nowhere as particles materialized in the empty air, revealing Kaiders’ body, which Louis had sealed away.
Kaiders grinned at Louis.
“Even if you burn my body to ashes… as long as the Mahyeol remains, I will rise again, no matter how many times it takes.”
”…?!”
Louis suddenly understood.
Why Kaiders had pierced the Mahyeol.
Why Lotberia had tried to seal it.
He’s… using the Mahyeol to attain immortality!
In other words, the Mahyeol might be his weakness.
A surge of conviction washed over Louis.
And then it struck him: he, Balotus, the entire dragon race, had spent countless generations erecting barriers to protect Kaiders’ weakness.
It had all been part of Kaiders’ scheme.
Could it be… that his limitation to only two Zero-Rank attributes was also part of his plan?!
Louis’s anxiety soon materialized into reality.
Crack… Crrrrack.
The Maha Sea began to freeze over.
One peculiar detail stood out: the color of the ice.
Crack.
Black ice, resembling obsidian.
The source of the force rapidly freezing the entire Maha Sea was a pillar of the Space Attribute Barrier, meticulously forged by the dragons over tens of thousands of years.
Crackle.
As the Maha Sea froze, the pillar itself was swiftly enveloped in black crystalline formations.
Covered in sharp crystals, the pillar resembled a dark chestnut bur.
Behind this spectacle, Kaiders grinned mockingly.
“Thank you. Because you listened to my story, I was finally able to complete it.”
Louis clenched his fists at Kaiders’ taunt.
Damn it.
His suspicions had been correct.
The reason Kaiders had deliberately restricted himself to using only two Zero Rank Attributes was to prepare for this very moment.
He had erected the perfect barrier to protect his weakness.
…I’m screwed.
And royally screwed at that.
A Three-Attribute Zero-Tier being.
And immortal.
Louis had no idea how to even begin to fight such a monster.
“What… wasn’t that quite an amusing tale?” Kaiders mocked.
”…Hardly,” Louis retorted.
“You took too long. Let’s end this now.”
As Kaiders finished speaking, the last fragments of his shattered body fused back together.
Simultaneously, Kaiders’ aura surged explosively.
Sensing this, Louis knew instinctively:
I can’t win this.
If they fought again like this, only death awaited him at the end.
Quickly assessing the situation, Louis made a swift decision.
Time to run.
He didn’t want to die, and someone had to learn Kaiders’ secret.
They needed to figure out how to deal with this monster and survive.
Having made his decision, Louis acted immediately.
Poof!
Louis vanished.
He reappeared just two meters away from where he had been moments before.
Huh?
Confusion washed over Louis’s face.
Soon, Kaiders’s sinister voice echoed through the air.
“Trying to run away? But what do you intend to do about this?”
”…”
“You can never escape this place.”
“Ha…”
Louis let out a long sigh.
It seemed his first plan—the classic “thirty-six stratagems: retreat”—had gone up in smoke.
If that’s the case…
Louis clenched his fists tightly.
“Whether it works or not, let’s fight!”
If escape was impossible, he would simply have to create his own opportunity through battle.
With that, Louis turned once more and flew toward Kaiders.
Seeing this, Kaiders laughed.
“Kwahahaha! Come on!”
As the distance between Kaiders and Louis rapidly closed, their third clash seemed imminent.
Swoosh.
A pure white light erupted from the frozen depths of the Maha Sea with incredible speed.
Piercing straight through the icy sea, the light intercepted the midpoint where Kaiders and Louis were about to collide.
Then, an overwhelming brilliance engulfed them both.
Flash!
An immense radiance, powerful enough to completely paint the entire dark Maha Sea white.
The light was so intense that even Kaiders momentarily lost his sight.
A moment later, the light that had engulfed the world vanished.
”…?!”
Louis had disappeared along with it, vanishing without a trace.
Kaiders quickly analyzed the situation, his brow furrowing in disbelief.
No way…?
The only being capable of abducting Louis from his territory without his knowledge…
There was only one such entity.
Realizing this, a furious roar erupted from Kaiders’ throat.
“Lotberia! You bastard! You wouldn’t give up, would you?!”
Meanwhile, Louis, who had been swallowed by the light, found himself suddenly pulled into a stark white space. Startled, he looked around in bewilderment.
”…What’s going on here?”
No matter how hard he scanned his surroundings, all he could see was endless white in every direction.
As Louis stood there, perplexed, a ball of light resembling a dandelion seed slowly descended from the sky and floated before him.
“Huh?”
Louis stared intently at the glowing speck and reached out his hand.
Thud.
The dandelion-like light gently landed in his palm, leaving behind a single object before vanishing.
”…”
Louis gazed blankly at the object in his hand.
“Huh…?”
A dazed mutter escaped his lips.
“A smartphone?”
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