Chapter 176:
It was not a dragon whose blood had weakened through breeding, but their progenitor.
From its appearance and gaze, one could be sure that the pressure felt was of a different dimension.
The tower masters took out their weapons and condensed their mana.
As they were preparing for battle, the green dragon raised its front paw.
-Lay down your weapons. I did not come to fight with you.
It spoke low but very clearly.
Although it showed no intention to fight, the tower masters did not easily believe it.
"Do you expect us to believe such a foolish thing?"
-My name is Astrophe. Although, according to your god, I am serving a person involved in heresy, I will swear on my name and that person's honor.
It was rare for a dragon to reveal its name.
Above all, they take pride in their name and do not mention it casually.
The tower masters hesitated but soon lowered their weapons.
If it had attacked, they would have undoubtedly been caught in a surprise attack.
Helios calmly continued the conversation in front of the excited tower masters.
"What do you want to discuss with us, Immortal?"
-Our brethren are dying, making the title of Immortal meaningless. I came to inform you of their deaths and ask for your help.
"Do you need help from the likes of us?"
Astrophe bowed his head.
His face was calm and solemn.
-Unfortunately, a person with the power of a god is unilaterally taking all our strength. After the death of the last brother, it will be my turn.
"Your death would be good news for us, why should we help?"
-He is our disaster, but he will soon be your disaster. The driving force behind his actions is greed, and that greed will only end when he admits his limits.
"Isn't it enough to make him acknowledge that?"
-No one can stop that man. That's why he will become a disaster.
"Then, did you come here to ask us to stop that man?"
-I ask you to hide me.
Everyone made a face of disbelief at the words of the huge dragon asking to be hidden.
-It may sound ridiculous that someone who ruled over mortals is now asking for protection. However, if I am discovered by him, there may be no hope left for this continent.
"It seems like you're interpreting things too dramatically."
From the perspective of the listener, it didn't sound good that he was talking about the only hope and boasting about it.
And even if Astrophe put his name on the line, it was difficult to believe his words outright.
Humans can always go back on their words.
Even if they make a life-threatening contract using mana, some people still betray or take risks.
If Astrophe had strategically planned all of this, the situation could have become even more dangerous.
Helios, the commander, could not rule out that possibility.
However, an incident that made them believe his words happened by coincidence.
A message reached the master of the Radiant Tower.
It wasn't the atmosphere for a conversation, so he had refused several times, but he couldn't help but accept the message that kept coming.
And then.
"What?"
The master of the Radiant Tower encountered shocking news.
His question caught the attention of the other tower masters.
As they watched his expression gradually turn pale, they waited for him to finish the message.
Finally, he raised his head and looked at the tower masters.
The pale face made the tower masters anxious.
"What's the matter, Radiant?"
"It's unbelievable... How could this..."
The master of the Radiant Tower trembled for a while and then informed them of the news he had heard.
"My tower... It has collapsed."
"What?"
"What does that mean...?"
The tower masters showed the same reaction and words as the first words spoken by the master of the Radiant Tower.
As the master of the Radiant Tower staggered, the other tower masters supported him and seated him.
"Tell us. What's going on right now?"
"Are you sure you didn't hear it wrong? It's not that the tower collapsed, but something else collapsed while being built..."
The master of the Radiant Tower continued with a desperate face.
"They said it was one person. An unknown figure appeared and indiscriminately bombed the tower, sweeping through the interior."
One person.
Even if a famous magician from the empire came, or even if Helios, the strongest tower master, came, it would be impossible to single-handedly bring down a tower.
The master of the Radiant Tower covered his face to hide his despair and continued speaking as if possessed.
"They said his power and magic were overwhelming. There was no sign when he entered the tower, and no one could stop him even when most of the magicians were killed..."
"That's enough, we get it."
As the master of the Radiant Tower became increasingly distressed, Helios interrupted him.
Freesia, who had been listening, furrowed her brows.
"Hey, let him talk more. Don't we need to report what the enemy looked like and how they attacked?"
-There's no need for that. It must be the man I mentioned.
Astrophe answered Freesia's question.
The other tower masters could roughly guess it when the story continued.
-He seems to have destroyed the tower to show off his power. Can't control his power, and he hopes someone will look after him? How arrogant.
Astrophe furrowed his brows.
"It seems like what you said is somewhat true."
-I do not lie. I do not allow room for emotions like you humans who are swayed by useless desires and make mistakes. That's why we can be immortals.
It was a proud statement for a dragon like him.
Helios focused on the current situation, whether it was true or not.
"If we hide you, there's a high chance we'll encounter the man looking for you. That puts us at risk as well."
-If you protect my safety, I will give you something in return. What do you wish for, tower master?
"We need the power to oppose you and information to obtain it."
Astrophe closed his eyes for a moment. It was a request to reveal his weakness, so he couldn't help but hesitate.
Dragons are rational.
The anger towards the death of their kind and the fear of their approaching death were very trivial factors in their judgment.
Having made a calm decision, Astrophe nodded his head.
-Fine, tower master. If that's the way to prevent a rampage, I will gladly help.
After obtaining Astrophe's agreement, the tower masters' meeting moved on to a new topic.
It was about where to hide that huge lizard.
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- Roderick Astheria.
There was anger in the voice of the faceless incomplete being.
After transferring most of the power he held to him, he had only recently heard about what Roderick Astheria had done.
- Do you know what you've done?
To that question, the boy, Roderick, replied.
"I know."
- Dragons are responsible for the balance of this world. I need dragons in the world I will rule again. So, what's the point of killing all the dragons now?
"What's the reason why the dragons that once ruled this world were pushed back by humans?"
He said, with an expression that showed no hesitation.
"The dragons were complacent about their power, and they showed weakness because of that complacency. That's why they had to escape back underground! If their power is united, even such weaknesses won't be a problem."
- That would only render the continent itself meaningless. They should be able to check each other and protect their territories, so how could it go as you wish?
The incomplete being spoke about the plan he had made with the dragons before.
- The reason they hid themselves was that they were in great fear.
"So, what's the problem?"
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- Fear subjugates humans. However, the moment they overcome it, they gain a power greater than fear. Humans harbored hope to escape the dragon's rule and only waited for peace to come.
Peace blooms flowers and rusts weapons.
The glory of the past will be forgotten, and the things that should be guarded will be dismissed as mere legends.
"Then let me ask you one thing. Why did you give me this power?"
- ...
"Since it didn't go as you wished, you gave it to me to manipulate this world as I please, didn't you?"
The incomplete being did not answer.
Roderick took that silence as confirmation.
Roderick smiled and said.
"Don't worry. I will win, and I will be the master of this world! After all, isn't the time I will rule insignificant compared to the eternal time you possess?"
- So, you're saying you're going to kill the remaining one as well.
“Since the balance has already collapsed, it's only right to deal with them all in the process.”
- I'll give you one piece of advice. Don't make things any bigger than they already are.
Roderick glared at him with an expression that blatantly annoyed him.
His originally red pupils had turned yellow after absorbing the power of the dragon, and they had completely transformed into a dragon's eyes.
“What reason do I have to back down? What's left for you? The power to turn back time? And the power to control dragons? You're nothing but a weakling now.”
- You're insolent.
“As I said, I'll enjoy just a little bit of what you can enjoy, and then I'll go. Please wait until then, my lord.”
With those words, Roderick disappeared gracefully.
Maronie, who had been listening, trembled and shouted.
“Th-that damn rebel! My lord, please give me the order! I'll deal with that damn thing right now...!”
The man silenced him.
Realizing he had overstepped, Maronie apologized with his head pressed to the floor.
- It's impossible for you to surpass Roderick with your power. The child you're creating might be able to do it. So, focus on your work first.
“I understand. I, Maronie, will definitely bring you satisfying results.”
Maronie hurried back to the operating table, not wanting to waste a single second, and began touching the lump of flesh.
The lump of flesh had already grown to more than twice the size of Maronie's body.
It was only natural for it to swell that much, as he had stuffed all sorts of things into it.
It was an object he had been creating through modification work for a month.
Maronie had modified his own head to eliminate the concept of sleep.
This made him awake 24 hours a day, and he continued the surgery without any rest.
A normal person would have gone insane in such a situation, but he always showed the same appearance.
Perhaps he had already gone mad.
‘I expected Roderick to be difficult to handle, but it eventually came to this.’
To be honest, Roderick had been more appealing than Maronie so far.
He was intellectual, cultured, and always showed restraint.
He had thought that Ruderick was an unpredictable character who might betray him at any time, but he had never imagined that he would ignore his will like this.
‘No... I knew this.’
Roderick asked.
Then why did he give him the power?
The power of the dragon's origin should have been given after everything was over.
But the timing was too far off.
Knowing that Roderick would go on a rampage, he still handed over his power to Roderick.
‘Was I too impatient?’
Things that seemed to be going smoothly started to distort, and like dominoes, they fell one by one.
Now it was too far gone to even stop.
‘I knew all of this...’
Then why couldn't he stop it properly?
Was there something crucial that made him make such a foolish choice?
In the end, only questions remained in his self-reflection.
‘If it comes to this... even I will be annihilated.’
Roderick would eventually threaten his life as well.
Although he said he would only enjoy a tiny part of the eternal time, he would undoubtedly desire immortality, and eventually try to rule over time itself.
‘I am so powerless.’
He thought that becoming the one and only god was only for himself.
However, with the power to turn back time and the power to control dragons all gone, he was nothing but a weakling.
‘No, there is still one thing left.’
It couldn't be called a trump card, but at least there was a means to leave room for compromise.
A belief that it could become his world after eliminating the naive competitor.
But even he, who held such faith, was no different from a pathetic human.
Once the plan went awry, it reached a point where it was impossible to recover.
‘You and I... are so different.’
She had always been precarious, but she had escaped from that precariousness.
She preferred small dreams to grand ones and knew how to love the weak.
He couldn't stop feeling envious and jealous of her.