Chapter 128: The White Wolf and the Fragment of the Demon God

The sea, split open by the Breath, slowly began to merge back together.

Monsters that had either frozen stiff from the Dragon Fear or died from the impact of the Breath were now being swept away by the waves.

Whoooosh—!

Black seawater that had scattered into the sky now rained down like a downpour.

Amidst the cascading torrent, I heard Runox’s voice.

“This… just now… what was that…?”

I could feel Runox’s gaze fixed on me.

His sharp ice spear, gleaming with vigilance, had not disappeared, but its tip wavered slightly as if it had lost its direction.

“Are you… really human…?”

As his question slowly dissolved into the air, an overwhelming surge of mana rushed into my overheated body.

Even after expelling all the mana within me, the four circles inside continued to spin without stopping—my mana was recovering at a tremendous pace.

If I had just a bit more time, I might be able to unleash another Breath like the one before.

I didn’t answer Runox’s question. Because I couldn’t define myself as human either.

Having absorbed a dragon’s mana and become half-monstrous, could I still call myself human?

The thought crossed my mind, but that wasn’t what mattered now.

The reunited sea began to surge and thrash violently, its movements accelerating.

From the blackened depths, I felt the presence of a colossal life form. It was unmistakably the Sea God.

“This is…”

“We should run…”

Runox, too, seemed to have sensed the Sea God’s presence.

His face turned pale. It felt different from when we had seen it from afar.

Back in Luminary City, Runox had spoken of the Sea God’s death—but now, he couldn’t even bring himself to speak.

Its presence was overwhelming. Even more suffocating than when I had faced the dragon’s lingering will.

Despite being far stronger than I was back then, that impression hadn’t changed.

The instinct I gained from absorbing dragon mana whispered to me: Victory isn’t guaranteed. We should retreat—for now.

Rumble—!

Perhaps sensing that the Sea God was rising from the black sea, the fishmen monsters—previously frozen solid by Dragon Fear—began to stir once more.

Though their movements were still stiff, like their muscles hadn’t fully thawed, thousands of monsters began rushing forward. We had no choice but to flee.

If it were just the monsters, I could deal with them. But with the Sea God rising as well, it would be a guaranteed loss. Mounting Nightmare’s back, I shouted—

“Run!”

“Grrgh!”

Nightmare surged forward like a black gale.

Accelerating at incredible speed, the distance between us and Runox rapidly increased.

At this rate, he would be left behind. Though he was running fast, the rising seawater was even faster.

‘Help him—just for a moment.’

I summoned the spirit that always hovered nearby.

A breeze stirred, and a transparent wisp gathered on my palm. Following my will, it flew toward Runox and lent him its power.

Paaang—!

“W-What the—?!”

“Don’t panic! Just run where the wind guides you!”

“H-Huh… what is this…?”

Runox proved to be quick to adapt.

His panic vanished almost instantly, and with the wind’s aid, his sprint brought him right up next to Nightmare.

“Feels like we’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest…”

“…You’re the last person who should be saying that.”

Runox muttered as he reached behind his back.

Gathering mana into his hand, he conjured a piercing ice spear and threw it, intercepting the monsters riding the waves.

I didn’t remain idle either.

Controlling the Ice Dragon Sword and the Flame Dragon Sword with mana, I pulled out the shortbow slung over my shoulder and began firing crystal arrows.

Within seconds, I had slain at least ten monsters, yet the black wave of fishmen showed no signs of thinning.

And then it happened—

The black sea surged upward as a massive being surfaced.

Kwaaaaah—!

The emergence of its massive body sent the black sea roiling like an earthquake

. Through the towering wave that rose like a wall, glowing eyes emerged.

“Kuh…!”

Even just looking at it inflicted mental pain.

Runox staggered, nearly collapsing, but the wind spirit helped him stay on his feet.

Then, the black curtain between the Sea God and me began to sink under its own weight.

In that instant, I understood—

The Sea God statue at the center of Luminary City wasn’t its complete form.

It couldn’t have been. A mere sculptor couldn’t have gazed upon the Sea God and remained sane.

Its appearance shifted in real time.

Elongated tentacles turned into human hands, then into human heads, then back into cephalopod limbs.

Only the long, torn eyes remained unchanged.

Every other part of its body morphed constantly with each passing moment.

—Formless Terror.

That was the name that instinctively came to mind the moment I faced it.

Its gaze was filled with hostility. Then its tentacles spread out to the sides, and a terrible roar erupted.

[■■■■]

It sounded like something crawling up from the deepest abyss of the sea. Frowning, I clashed the Ice and Flame Dragon Swords together.

Chaaang!

[KROAAAAAH—!]

Once more, Dragon Fear erupted and collided with the Sea God’s cry.

The clash of sound made the air tremble, followed by a deafening explosion.

Frrrkk—!

Nightmare’s breathing grew ragged.

It was unusual considering its stamina. Not just Nightmare—Runox, too, was gasping for breath, his face pale.

The floating ice spears around him had vanished, suggesting he no longer had the strength to cast spells.

At that moment, the Sea God surged forward. The sea churned violently with its movement, transforming into a tidal wave.

SHHHHHRRAAAA—!

Just before the black wave could engulf us, I used Blink—not just for myself, but including Runox and Nightmare.

Fwaaaap—!

In a flash of starlight, we arrived on a remote island.

Turning my head to look back, I saw the Sea God’s gaze briefly pass over us.

Its eyes missed their target. Charging forward at high speed, the Sea God suddenly stopped and began scanning the surroundings. As if searching for me.

“Ha… haah… hah…”

Pffft—

Nightmare and Runox both collapsed, utterly exhausted.

Nightmare hung its tongue out, drooling, while Runox was bleeding from his nose.

I dismounted Nightmare and frowned.

The Sea God was changing direction.

Pulling the ocean along with it, the creature passed right by the island—without noticing us.

Could it be the Sea God’s deception?

No, that didn’t seem to be the case. It really didn’t seem like he could detect us at all.

That was when it happened. A rustle came from a small patch of grass on the island, and from within emerged a wolf with white fur.

I raised my sword toward the wolf. I couldn’t sense its presence at all. This was no ordinary wolf.

Then, the wolf opened its mouth.

[Why is the Dragon’s Child here alone…?]

“You are…?”

[If you wish to avoid the Sea God’s gaze, suppress your aura.]

I couldn’t feel even the faintest presence from it. But I had no choice but to comply.

I sheathed the Ice Dragon Sword in my hand and also withdrew the Fire Dragon Sword that had been circling me.

A white wolf and an unnamed island. At that moment, something I had recently read in the Compendium of Myths and Spirits came to mind.

“Could this possibly be Nangnang Island…?”

[That is what it’s called.]

“Who exactly are you?”

Just then, a fishman emerged from the black seawater that had filled the area around the island.

Its rolling eyes and tilting head were utterly revolting.

Gurrrgle—

“Damn…!”

[Stay still.]

Just as I was about to cast a spell at the fishman monster, the white wolf darted in front of me faster than I could react.

Its presence was so faint I hadn’t even noticed it approaching.

Cold sweat ran down my back as I staggered a step backward.

The white wolf silently stared at the fishman monster.

Then, as the fishman, who had been scanning the island with its head cocked, suddenly seemed entranced by something, it turned and returned to the sea the same way it had come.

Having sent the fishman monster away, the wolf turned to face me. In its clear eyes was an expression of utter disbelief.

[Did your parents send you here?]

“No…”

[Then what on earth brought you from down there all the way up here? You must have known that a Fragment of the Demon God lies in this place…]

Listening to the wolf’s words, I glanced at Runox and Nightmare, who were collapsed on the ground.

They both seemed to have fainted, but otherwise appeared unharmed. I stepped forward slightly and answered.

“A Fragment of the Demon God…?”

It felt as though yet another secret of this world I didn’t know was stepping right up to confront me.

This wasn’t a delusion. The words flowing from the white wolf’s mouth etched themselves into my mind.

Dragon. Wolf. Below. Fragment of the Demon God.

Through Kashpa’s lingering thoughts, I had once sensed that there was another world beneath this one.

I hadn’t been able to gather much information beyond that, but this wolf seemed to know more about it.

[Strange… The Dragon’s Child doesn’t know about the Demon God’s Fragment?]

“I’m not the Dragon’s Child.”

[Hah… I have no intention of playing along with your tricks. Don’t provoke the Demon God’s Fragment for no reason and return to where you came from.]

As if that were all it had to say, the white wolf vanished without warning.

It had never had a discernible presence to begin with, so even after it disappeared, it took me a while to realize it was gone.

“What the…?”

I looked around in confusion, but no matter where I turned, the wolf was nowhere to be seen.

Left with no choice, I lit a campfire and prepared to spend the night.

Runox and Nightmare didn’t wake up until late that evening.

After getting up, Runox silently gazed at the campfire.

Nightmare let out a pouty pyu-pyu as it burrowed into my chest.

It must have been terrified of that Sea God. I stroked Nightmare’s mane and asked Runox,

“Can you kill the Sea God?”

Runox didn’t answer. For a long time, he just stared silently into the burning fire. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

“Seris. We have to free the ignorant from that monster.”

“But you saw it earlier. That thing…”

“We have to believe.”

Runox quietly looked down at his hands.

His rough, calloused palms glimmered faintly with blue mana.

“Magic begins as a mystery born of unshakable faith…”

His glasses reflected the flickering firelight.

A ripple stirred deep within my chest at his words. I stood up and drew the Fire Dragon Sword that hung at my waist.

Shrrring—

“Seris? What are you…?”

The fire flared high with the energy from the Fire Dragon Sword. Without hesitation, I drove the sword into the ground.

Thud—!

The white wolf had said to suppress our presence to avoid the Sea God’s gaze.

Clearly, it, too, didn’t want its position revealed to the Sea God.

If it won’t come out… then I’ll force it to.

I poured searing mana down into the depths of the island.

Fwooosh—!

The entire island’s temperature began to rise rapidly.

As the surrounding seawater started to bubble and boil from the intense heat, the snow-white wolf appeared once more.

“Hello again, Mr. Wolf.”

The wolf didn’t respond to my greeting. It only bared its fangs in silence.