Chapter 55: Wrath of the Bone Dragon and the Forbidden Pact

The reason he wasn’t using any other skills was likely because controlling that colossal Bone Dragon consumed all his energy.

I mounted the Nightmare and began to ride.

Though the Bone Dragon’s overwhelming size was daunting, I deemed it manageable given its unstable state.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one with such thoughts, as hundreds of orcs charged toward the Bone Dragon.

Among them was Agul, wielding a massive axe.

The first to collide with the Bone Dragon was an orc knight.

Swinging his sword surrounded by a tempest, he leaped toward the Bone Dragon’s head.

His bulging leg muscles launched him high into the air, but even they couldn’t bring his blade to the dragon’s head, which stood far above.

Crash!

The orc knight’s strike instead shattered one of the Bone Dragon’s ribs.

The moment his sword connected, the storm erupted, scattering white bones in all directions.

Unfazed by the destruction of its ribs, the Bone Dragon swung its front paw.

Already devoid of life, it seemed the creature could not feel pain.

Boom!

Its sweeping strike tore through the ground, crushing dozens of orcs in its path.

Yet the orcs did not falter.

Following their leader at the forefront, they threw themselves forward.

Enormous swords, axes, and hammers struck relentlessly at the Bone Dragon’s frame.

If it had been resurrected with the intact bones of a dragon, it might have been a different story.

But given that its body was composed of ordinary bones easily found nearby, cracks began to form.

Thud! Crack!

However, the orcs’ attacks were pitifully insufficient.

Only the orc knight’s strikes could truly damage the Bone Dragon.

As the Bone Dragon moved its legs again, dozens of orcs were swept away.

I pulled back, maintaining distance atop my Nightmare.

Chain Lightning or Magic Missiles wouldn’t be enough to destroy such colossal bones.

My swordsmanship was no exception.

What was needed was a powerful, exceptionally powerful strike.

The moment I realized this, my mana circle began to spin rapidly.

Cold starlight gathered in my left hand, while searing flames swirled in my right.

As the two opposing forces materialized, I brought them together.

Crack!

When my hands met, the opposing energies clashed, creating a fierce storm.

Sensing the surge of mana, an orc shaman turned its gaze toward me.

The Bone Dragon’s massive tail lashed out like a whip as if responding to its master’s intent.

Boom!

The attack, capable of obliterating anything in its path, was narrowly evaded by my Nightmare’s swift movements.

The Nightmare kept running, guiding me to an optimal position.

When I had drawn upon every last bit of mana I could muster, I extended both hands toward the orc shaman.

Boom!

The two streams of mana erupted from my hands, merging into a violent storm.

“Ugh…!”

Weakened, my body couldn’t withstand the storm’s recoil.

I crashed into the ground alongside my Nightmare.

Yet my gaze remained fixed on the Bone Dragon.

The storm tore through everything in its path, pulverizing the Bone Dragon’s right wing and front leg.

As massive bones shattered and scattered into the sky, the storm finally dissipated.

I bit my lip, frowning.

I had poured all my mana into that attack, managing to rip off one of the Bone Dragon’s arms and wings.

Yet, I had failed to hit the orc shaman, my original target.

The shaman’s cold, unwavering eyes locked onto me.

Muttering incomprehensible words, he began to restore the crumbling Bone Dragon’s body.

As despair began to creep in, the orc knight silently leaped into the air, swinging his sword.

The calm before the storm—the moment his lightning-clad sword grazed the shaman’s body, a deafening thunderclap echoed.

Crash!

The shaman, believed to be the source of all this chaos, was split in two and collapsed to the ground.

The mana enveloping his body began to dissipate, signifying his definite death.

Yet, there were no cheers of victory.

“Ha…”

A hollow sigh escaped my lips.

The orc shaman’s lifeless body, severed in half, was rising into the air.

Only the left half—holding the grimoire—hovered ominously.

I furrowed my brows and looked at the orc knight. He was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.

The light surrounding his lightning-clad sword had faded, indicating that he had exhausted all his strength in that one strike.

Expecting any further attacks from him was futile.

At that moment, my eyes fell on the scattered items on the ground.

Beyond a pouch filled with dried meat, my gaze landed on various books.

When the bag had toppled over, its contents spilled everywhere.

Reaching out, I grabbed an object wedged among the pile of books.

Clink!

As the cold chain coiled around my hand, a grimoire emanating ominous mana floated to the surface of the pile.

The grimoire shot toward me, flipping its pages rapidly.

Flap-flap-flap!

The words it revealed were familiar.

Do you need power?

A faint smile crept onto my face as I recalled those words from the past.

Now was precisely when I needed power the most.

Though I feared the price of handing over my soul to the grimoire’s master, no price could be worse than death.

“Skasha.”

The moment I uttered the name, a peculiar figure emerged above the grimoire.

It was a bizarre entity, neither human nor beast.

[Do you desire power?]

“What if I do…?”

[I will grant as much as you wish.]

“And the price?”

The beast’s glowing eyes flickered as it opened its mouth.

[Come to the ends of the North.]

It was instructing me to journey to the Grimshade Kingdom, the land of the dead, at the northernmost edge.

As I gave a slight nod, ominous mana began to flow into my body through the grimoire.

The murky, violet mana was cold and repulsive.

But for now, it would suffice.

Harnessing the ominous mana coursing through me, I began to envision a spell.

The mana was abundant.

What I needed now was overwhelming destructive power coupled with wide-ranging coverage.

In my inner world, a small star emerged. It absorbed the sinister mana, emitting a dim light.

A spell borrowing power from the Demon King—it couldn’t be more fitting for this situation.

“O being darker than twilight, redder than flowing blood…”

Muttering softly, I rose to my feet.

The violet mana spread throughout my body, invigorating my weary frame.

“I swear to the darkness here and now…”

As the incantation took shape, a new magical system, one that did not previously exist in this world, began to manifest.

Holding the grimoire, the orc shaman tried to move the Bone Dragon.

But my incantation was nearing its conclusion.

“Together, we shall bring forth the great destruction…”

Completing the final verse of the spell, I extended my hand.

At that moment, the magic created solely to annihilate the dragon revealed itself.

The mana unleashed from my hand engulfed the entire area.

Boom!