Chapter 116

Rumble!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The explosion from Kriemhild’s Colossus was clear to Antonio, Selperd, and Arin.

Then, a flash of light shot up into the sky.

“What’s that?”

“Could it be… did he deceive us?”

“N-no! We had no idea about this either!”

Antonio, seeing the blade aimed under his chin, turned pale and shouted.

“Then what is that?”

“That’s…!”

In an instant, a single possibility crossed Antonio’s mind.

‘Could it be! Those madmen, Drow and Gray!’

Antonio knew well just how deep Drow and Gray’s hatred ran against Ragnar.

Though the battle at Blanky Fortress had been a trap laid by Troyban, it was undeniable that their trusted leader, Slow, had been killed by Ragnar.

Even so, he had trusted they would follow the consensus of the leaders for the sake of the greater cause!

It was then.

“Gah!”

Whap!

Suddenly, Selperd swiftly pressed his finger against several points on Antonio’s body.

Point Sealing.

It was a technique of Ragnar, a skill for sealing one’s magic.

“Whether you knew about this or not, we’ll find out soon. For now, you’ll serve as our hostage.”

Antonio wanted to say something, but his magic was sealed, leaving him gasping for breath.

Selperd hoisted Antonio onto one shoulder and rushed toward the colossus.

Flash! Flash!

Rumble…

As the light continued to flash, Kriemhild’s Colossus shook.

Antonio bit his lower lip hard.

If this went on, their situation would be exposed to the entire Floating Archipelago.

The plan to secretly retrieve the mystery would be completely ruined.

‘At this rate, I’ll even face punishment from Father…!’

But Antonio’s thoughts didn’t last long.

Boom!

A part of Kriemhild’s Colossus began to collapse.

The landmark, the symbol of the Floating Archipelago!

‘N-nooooo!’

Antonio didn’t realize it.

That the scream he had just let out was the exact same as Drow’s and Gray’s.

* * *

“You insolent fool! Stop this at once!”

Bang! Bang!

Drow stomped the ground violently, like an enraged bull.

With every swing of Theo’s Dragon Slayer Sword, Kriemhild’s Colossus burst like fireworks.

Though the structure was so massive that only fragments were falling away, to the inhabitants of the Floating Archipelago, who had worshipped the colossus as a sacred relic, it was nothing short of blasphemy!

‘How did it end up like this?!’

Though Theo’s group didn’t realize it, Drow had known they were Ragnar from the moment they arrived at the Floating Archipelago.

-What? Is that true?

-Yes! I’m certain. Those bastards are Ragnar. They’re definitely the White Armored Dragon Cavalry who killed Big Brother Slow.

One survivor had barely managed to return alive from the battle at Blanky Fortress.

They probably believed they’d wiped everyone out.

But in reality, there was a single person who had escaped before the full-scale battle began.

So, driven by his vow to kill every last one of Ragnar’s kin, Drow had devised this plan…!

But things had become far more complicated than expected.

Could he really have thought that someone aiming for the mystery would just abandon it so easily?

Clearly, this was a twisted act of spite, making sure no one else could have it if they couldn’t.

For a brief moment, he wondered if the colossus holding the mystery was breaking too easily.

Crack! Craaack!

But watching as the fractures spread across the entire colossus, he had no time for such thoughts. The area where the sword pierced the Evil Dragon looked like it would collapse at any moment.

“Why should I?”

Theo scoffed lightly and brought down the blade of the Drake he held in his right hand.

Booom!

Rumble-

Drow was forcefully pushed back, feeling a pain that made his arm feel like it might be ripped off.

His eyes trembled.

In his entire life, he had never once been overpowered in sheer strength.

Even his respected brother, Slow, had to concede to him in terms of raw power!

Yet he hadn’t expected that Theo, much smaller in comparison, would overpower him.

And Theo was only using one arm to face him.

‘Impossible!’

“You all broke the rules however you wanted, so why should I bother protecting them?”

“You talk too much, bastard!”

But Drow didn’t let himself dwell on it and charged at Theo once again.

If he couldn’t match him in strength, he decided he’d just keep pounding away until he won.

“Drow! We’ll cover you!”

Realizing Theo had hidden his skills all this time, Gray cast spells in quick succession along with his comrades.

Fireballs rained from the sky, while roots shot up from the ground, trying to bind Theo’s feet.

From his blind spots, other swordsmen emerged, attempting to combine forces with Drow.

Crash! Crash!

But from above, bolts of lightning rained down upon the center of the mages.

“Aaagh!”

“Magic! He’s using magic!”

“Move back! It’s a targeted spell, so just dodge!”

“But if we do, our spellcasting rhythm gets disrupted every time!”

Flash! Flash!

Each time the brilliant streaks of light ripped wildly across the ground, the front lines grew more disordered, making it nearly impossible to approach Theo.

“Damn it aaaaall!”

“The colossus! The colossus is collapsing!”

“Someone do something! Somebody stop that bastard!”

“The fissure is widening! Secure it! Focus on stabilizing the colossus first!”

‘It’s chaos.’

Theo pushed Drow back with his right hand, while with his left, he struck Kriemhild’s colossus, his bared teeth gleaming with intent.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s broadcast it to the whole Floating Archipelago. ‘Black Skull is trying to destroy Kriemhild’s Colossus.’”

“……!”

Only then did Gray fully understand Theo’s aim.

This bastard was flipping the entire situation to brand Black Skull as traitors to the Floating Archipelago!

‘I, I… I have to stop him somehow…! But how…? Surrender? Should I surrender?’

Crack—BOOM!

At that moment, a scorching storm from the Dragon Slayer Sword swept over Kriemhild’s blade.

The remnants were left as though the dead Evil Dragon had arisen, slashing wildly with its claws.

Then—

BOOOM!

Kriemhild’s sword exploded, scattering fragments in every direction.

“……!”

“……!”

“N-no…! The colossus…!”

“The mystery…!”

Fragments smashed into the cliff, the boundary walls shattered, and debris scattered over the sea, plunging everyone into further chaos.

Drow, Gray, and the others, their minds turned blank, were unable to string together any coherent thought.

But—

‘It’s coming.’

Theo saw it clearly.

Fwoooosh—

The shattered Kriemhild’s blade.

The blue light that had been seeping from within now flared uncontrollably.

Theo hadn’t fixated on the colossus’ sword without reason.

‘The message. There was a clue within that could awaken the mystery.’

The Dragon Slayer Sword wishes to return to its original place.

This line had captivated Theo.

‘The original place. Where the fake stone sword was.’

The sword held by the Kriemhild statue now was completely different in design from the Dragon Slayer Sword. Meaning, the tradition had passed down wrongly.

What would happen if he removed the mistaken sword, as the message suggested, and placed Balmung in its rightful spot?

‘The tradition will be set right, and the mystery will open.’

That was why the Floating Archipelago, having revered Kriemhild’s colossus like a sacred relic, had never managed to unlock the mystery.

Theo hurled the Dragon Slayer Sword with all his might toward the blue light.

At that moment—

Whirrr!

[The dormant awakens.]

Flash!

The blue light erupted, engulfing Theo and everyone around him.

Drow, Gray, and their party were also swept up entirely.

‘Where is this?’

When Theo opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by a dense jungle filled with broadleaf trees.

The ground was muddy, and the air was thick with humidity, creating an unpleasant, sticky atmosphere.

Chirp! Chirp chirp!

Buzz! Buzzz—

The sounds of various birds and insects filled the area from all directions.

“What… what is this?”

“Why did this suddenly appear? Where’s the colossus?”

Meanwhile, the members of Black Skull, who had also been caught up in the mystery, looked around in confusion, struggling to regain their senses.

“Gray!”

“Don’t move hastily—wait! We need to assess the situation first.”

Gray quickly scanned his surroundings, piecing together his thoughts.

‘We were dragged here by that strange light from the colossus’s explosion. That means…!’

Only one word came to mind.

Mystery.

“Everyone, stay alert! This place is the arrangement left behind by the great ancestor Kriemhild for us, his descendants…!”

The realization that they, not outsiders like Ragnar, could claim the mystery, filled him with determination.

The true legacy of Kriemhild now rested with Black Skull—or rather, with them, the Gang Brotherhood—and with it, they could accomplish much.

Swish—

Splat!

But then, a whistling sound sliced through the air, and suddenly, a searing pain burned in Gray’s throat. It was unbearably hot. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

“Grayyyy!”

‘Drew…. why are you making that face?’

With that last thought, Gray collapsed to the ground.

Thud!

A long spear was lodged in the back of the dead man’s neck—its shaft carved from what seemed like the bones of a massive beast.

“It’s an ambush! Defend yourselves!”

Drow shouted urgently, not even sparing a moment to retrieve his fallen brother’s body.

Swish swish swish!

In an instant, dozens of similar bone spears filled the sky, raining down upon them like a blanket of death.

The disaster had begun.

Thwack thwack thwack—

“Aaargh!”

“S-someone save me…!”

“Tay! Snap out of it, Tay… Gah!”

“Shields! Anyone with a shield, raise it now!”

Already struggling to hold formation against Theo, the Gang Brotherhood found themselves utterly unprepared for the sudden onslaught.

Several fell, impaled by as many as four or five spears at once.

Thud!

Drew sprang into action, moving frantically to save as many of his brothers as possible.

* * *

Swish!

Meanwhile, Theo had swiftly climbed a tree, moving away from the Gang Brotherhood to gain a better vantage point and assess the surrounding terrain.

[The has begun.]

[Retrieve Kriemhild’s scattered remains, cursed by the Evil Dragon, and place a sword in her hands.]

‘The Evil Dragon’s Curse.’

He needed to understand exactly what that entailed.

Just then, Theo noticed something moving throughout the dense forest, just beyond the edge of the clearing.

Skeleton soldiers.

They lurked across the jungle, hidden among the swampy areas, moving busily in secret.

The problem was—

Rattle, rattle, rattle!

—there were far too many.

‘At least several thousand… no, tens of thousands?’

It wasn’t just this area. As far as the eye could see, the entire jungle swarmed with skeleton soldiers stretching to the distant horizon.

They moved like a vast army, with a wide variety of unit types.

Spearmen, archers, swordsmen, shield-bearers, mounted knights, airborne mages, and even commanders leading battalions.

Dragon’s Fang Legion.

The legendary legion said to be born from the dragon’s fangs and bones was advancing like a swarm of locusts.

“And I’m supposed to find Kriemhild’s remains among all that?”

A cold sweat ran down Theo’s back at the thought.