Ch.117Dragon King Subjugation Battle

“Time is running short.”

Demius, the old man who was known as the Dragon King in his past life, muttered. He was the absolute ruler who had resurrected the corpse of a dragon once called the Storm Dragon and brought an entire dimension under his control.

He had stood at the pinnacle of necromancy, with everything beneath his feet.

But a human’s lifespan is not eternal. Though he used necromancy to bind his soul to the earth, the soul itself could not endure. Hundreds of years had worn it down. Once its bindings were released, his soul wandered the world.

One could say he was fortunate. His wandering soul regained consciousness when it crossed dimensions. Even he didn’t know how he had arrived there. But in that place, he absorbed countless soul fragments to restore his own.

It was also divine providence that he received a second chance. In an instant, he recalled memories of his past life while in an unfamiliar body. What people call reincarnation.

“Not enough…”

He didn’t waste his newly gained opportunity. Using memories from before his past life, he came to understand this new world. Before long, he realized there were groups hostile to reincarnators.

He sought to regain his former heights. To survive, and to reign supreme once more. Living quietly and giving up everything was never an option. Devouring souls to elevate his status—the sensation of his soul expanding was a pleasure incomparable to anything else.

He exerted tremendous effort. He lived more fiercely than in his past life. He exchanged information with other reincarnators in similar situations, securing necessary corpses and intelligence. Fortunately, this world had no priests of the hateful Elune. Everything seemed to be going well.

“Time…”

When had everything begun to twist?

The Dragon King rose to his feet. His decaying elderly body was reaching its limit. Melting flesh dripped onto the floor.

“I need…”

A new body to transfer into.

A vessel worthy of receiving his soul.

The Dragon King wished it could be the corpse of a dragon.

***

After Theo and Reynard entered combat, Seyrin and Kanok’s group swiftly moved behind the waterfall. Beyond the roaring cascade of water lay the entrance to a massive cave.

“This stench is no joke…”

“How can there be so many corpses…”

From the cave entrance, a terrible stench wafted out. Bodies were strewn about, rotting away. While everyone wrinkled their noses at the smell, Alberich, who was surveying the surroundings, spoke.

“It seems they’ve created a barrier to condense death energy. That’s why this ravine still maintains its natural appearance.”

Such sights were familiar to Alberich. It was due to his bitter connection with necromancy since his past life. As he stepped forward and released his holy power, the rotting corpses began to burn white.

“Let’s hurry. Giving time to a necromancer is like giving them spare lives. We must strike like a storm.”

Seyrin was the first to move forward. The ten swords embedded in her back trembled strangely. It was because of the faint presence she sensed from deep within the cave.

It’s in there. Her body.

There was no reason to hesitate. Kanok said as he headed into the cave:

“Let’s move quickly.”

The cave was quite vast and long. Eight knights rushed along the wide-open path. As they traveled, the once-spacious path began to narrow.

Not a speck of light penetrated this place. Just as their vision was gradually being swallowed by darkness, Seyrin, who had been running ahead, urgently drew upon her mana. She felt a chilling sense of danger.

The rush of mana that began in her heart spread throughout her body, igniting a hot energy. Eventually, the mana flowing outside her body became thin threads that wrapped around her entire form. These threads connected in hexagonal ring patterns, forming a barrier. Finally, wind enveloped her.

KWANG—!

A strange wave flew out of the darkness and struck Seyrin head-on. Through her violently shaking vision, she momentarily glimpsed her opponent. White hair fluttered wildly in the energy blast.

What appeared was Seyrin’s former body.

“Seyrin!”

The powerful surprise attack had pushed Seyrin back. As all the members looked at her with concern while blocking the path ahead, Seyrin spoke as if nothing had happened.

“I’m fine. Keep going.”

“But…”

Seyrin looked down at her body as she answered. Even she was surprised at what she had used. Sun Force. The technique used by the first head of the Solis family had granted her tremendous defensive power.

Seyrin’s gaze turned further ahead. Though she couldn’t sense any presence, faint footsteps could be heard coming from inside. It seemed new corpses were rushing out to guard the entrance.

It would be better if she handled this place and sent the others ahead.

As Seyrin took her stance with her sword raised, Kanok turned around.

“Don’t get hurt.”

Words that assumed victory. The corners of Seyrin’s mouth curved into a gentle arc.

“Of course not.”

After Kanok’s group departed, only Seyrin and her former body remained. Seyrin maintained a low breath as she examined her opponent. Her body was holding an unfamiliar spear.

It was a spear that glowed softly, scattering stardust-like powder. It gave off a sense of mysterious power. Like the longbow she had seen before, it was clearly a starlight weapon.

“A spear…”

She muttered briefly. She felt tremendous displeasure. Seeing her past self wielding a spear made her feel as if her current self was being denied.

Seyrin didn’t hide her displeasure. Red gums showed beneath her upturned lips. Her snow-white teeth moved slightly, making a grinding sound.

At the same time, Seyrin’s form blurred. Wind burst from beneath her feet, spreading belatedly and echoing throughout the passage. The sound resembled a dragon’s roar.

KWANG—!

The drawn Ice Dragon Sword and the starlight spear clashed. The blade imbued with extreme cold scraped against the spear shaft but didn’t leave even a scratch. It was a divine weapon like the Ice Dragon Sword.

BWOONG—!

The test of strength didn’t last long. The corpse pushed Seyrin back while rotating the spear shaft. The spearhead at its end created a spiral, scattering starlight.

TADANG—!

“Huff…!”

The force behind the spear was tremendous. The successive impacts made her hands tingle. Seyrin took a step back and gave her wrist a small rotation. The tip of her sword wavered slightly, pushing away the spearhead.

Simultaneously, ten swords were released from her body.

Srrng—

Cold energy wrapped around the ten swords under Seyrin’s control. Her previously scattered martial arts had been unified through the Ice Dragon-Heart.

The Formless Flying Sword Art was no longer a martial art meant for dealing with weaklings. Even without the subsequent incantations that should follow, the dragon’s mindset replaced them.

SHWIK—!

The next attack unleashed from the corpse’s hands was the spear technique of the White Frost Tribe. The extending spear shaft resembled a snow-white hawk.

Seyrin did not dodge that attack.

JJEONG—! TANG—!

The White Dragon Sword that had been circling around Seyrin flew in and deflected the spearhead. The Black Dragon Sword that followed completely twisted the spear shaft. At the same time, Seyrin stomped on the ground.

As Seyrin’s form flew in rapidly, the spear was swung repeatedly at her, but the ten swords circling her body took turns blocking its path.

Seyrin didn’t use the Formless Flying Sword Art solely for defense. She utilized it for attack, defense, and as a means of movement. One sword that flew quickly grazed the corpse’s arm as it passed.

When Seyrin’s form soared into the air, one quickly flying sword became her foothold. All of this happened in a single breath. Moving at such high speed, Seyrin’s form appeared like a blurry flash of light.

TANG—! TADANG—!

Attack and defense, everything was in balance. Even when bright stars poured out from the corpse’s hands, the situation didn’t change significantly.

TANG—!

One sword that flew in quickly struck the starlight spear, altering its trajectory. A second sword that followed pierced the corpse’s leg, and a third sword that came after lodged itself in the corpse’s chest.

Its posture was clearly broken. Seyrin didn’t miss the opportunity. In the moment a rough storm erupted, the small girl’s form had reached the front of the corpse.

The opponent wouldn’t die even with its heart pierced. To deliver certain death, she needed to cut off its head. Just as her sword-wielding hand extended quickly—

Bright light burst from the spearhead that had been pointing outward. Not just light. It was clearly the same attack that had struck Seyrin’s body earlier.

‘Oh no…!’

Unlike before, the distance was too close. She urgently changed the nature of the mana spreading throughout her body, employing Sun Force. Time was critical. Seyrin gritted her teeth and rotated her body.

PAAT—!

The starlight beam grazed her shoulder as it passed, and the Ice Dragon Sword was knocked away. The Sun Force barrier that had risen belatedly surrounded her entire body without gaps. As red blood spurted from the torn flesh of her shoulder, Seyrin’s leg, which had spun around once, firmly planted on the ground.

KUNG—!

A sword flew into Seyrin’s hand as she extended it toward the sky. Then, a slash of sunlight rose from her sword.

CHWAAAK—!