I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Chapter 1455: Warning Before Death

Erend’s mind remained buried beneath a thick haze. It was not truly fog. It felt more like endless black ink that clung to every corner of his consciousness, refusing to disperse.

His thoughts moved sluggishly as though they were fighting against an invisible current that wanted to drag him back into the darkness.

Slowly, he blinked his massive Dragon eyes several times. The distorted world created by the Black Rage gradually faded away, replaced by reality as it truly was.

The endless sea of enemies disappeared. The blood-soaked illusions dissolved. Colors slowly returned to normal, and the battlefield finally became recognizable once again.

His gaze wandered across the devastated landscape until it stopped several hundred meters away.

Eccar lay on the ground. Even from that distance, Erend could clearly see the countless injuries covering his friend’s Dragon body. Cracked scales stretched across his chest. One of his wings hung at an unnatural angle, blood continued flowing from dozens of wounds. Fragments of broken stone surrounded him where he had crashed after being thrown away.

Then the memories returned. Not all at once, but one after another. He remembered roaring, struggling against restraints, and striking something that stood between him and Nyssara.

No... It was someone.

His breathing caught inside his throat. "I... did that."

The realization struck him hard.

A crushing weight settled inside his chest until it became difficult to breathe. The feeling of guilt flooded through every part of his mind as images continued surfacing without mercy.

He remembered attacking Eccar without hesitation, seeing him as nothing more than an obstacle.

That thought froze him completely. Self-loathing spread through him fast.

Several hundred meters away, Aesa and Sylven continued watching him without lowering their guard. Neither of them moved.

Although the overwhelming storm of black lightning surrounding Erend had subsided, neither of them could be certain that he had truly returned to his senses. The memories of what they had witnessed only moments earlier still lingered clearly in their minds.

The overwhelming rage, uncontrollable violence, and the terrifying strength that had nearly broken all three of them despite their combined efforts.

One wrong movement or one mistake, the Black Rage could swallow them again.

For several long moments, silence stretched across the battlefield before Aesa finally gathered enough courage to reach toward him through their telepathic connection.

"Erend?"

No answer came. The silence continued for several seconds. Every moment that passed caused the anxiety inside Aesa and Sylven to grow.

They continued observing him carefully, ready to react if the madness returned.

But while they waited, they gradually noticed something changing within the connection they still shared. The suffocating hatred that had once flooded Erend’s consciousness was fading and the violent impulses and that damned endless darkness retreated.

Although exhaustion and lingering sorrow remained in his mind, the overwhelming pressure that had almost consumed his soul had finally begun disappearing.

Then, at last, Erend responded.

"I... I’m fine now." His voice sounded weak. "Don’t worry."

The moment those words reached them, relief flooded through both Aesa and Sylven with such force that neither of them realized they had been holding their breath.

He had come back. Erend had truly returned.

"I’m... sorry," Erend said again.

They could clearly feel the emotions flowing through their telepathic connection. The rage that had nearly drowned his soul had been replaced by guilt and regret.

The emotions weighed so heavily upon him that even Aesa found it difficult to bear.

"We don’t have time for this right now," Aesa replied gently. "What matters is that you’ve come back. That’s enough."

"Our enemy isn’t dead yet," Sylven reminded him.

Those words immediately drew Erend’s attention back toward the battlefield.

His eyes shifted across the endless destruction before settling upon Nyssara’s enormous body lying motionless in the distance.

The instant he saw her, the Black Rage stirred. Hatred surged from somewhere deep inside his soul.

"Kill her... The voice whispered. "Finish it."

Black lightning briefly flickered across Erend’s scales again. His pupils narrowed.

But this time... Erend closed his eyes. He took one slow breath before forcing the hatred back into the deepest corner of his mind.

"No."

He would not lose himself again after everything that had happened.

When he opened his eyes once more, the madness was gone. Only cold determination was there.

Without another word, Erend spread his damaged wings before launching himself toward Nyssara. As he flew, he sent messages through their telepathic connection.

"You two help Eccar. Leave her to me."

Aesa and Sylven shared a look before immediately flying toward Eccar’s position while Erend continued descending alone.

A heavy impact shook the ground as Erend landed only a short distance from Nyssara.

The cosmic being slowly lifted her head to look at him.

Her once majestic appearance had almost completely disappeared. Cracks spread across her gigantic woman’s body while blood and fragments of shattered cosmic energy continued leaking from countless wounds. Her condition appeared so painful and even breathing seemed to require tremendous effort.

But despite the arrogance she tried to maintain, Erend saw the fear in her. It remained hidden beneath her pride, but it was unmistakably there.

She had witnessed everything he had become and experienced his relentless assault firsthand. And now she feared what he might still do.

A deep growl escaped Erend’s throat. The sound resembled enormous stones grinding against one another beneath a mountain, carrying enough menace to shake the surrounding air.

Killing intent naturally seeped from his body, but unlike before, he kept it firmly under control. The Black Rage still lingered deep within him, whispering endlessly for blood, but this time his will stood above it.

"You lost," Erend said, his Dragon voice low and threatening.

Nyssara answered with a snort before forcing a mocking smirk onto her battered face.

"What you’ve struggled so hard to defeat is nothing more than one of my avatars," she said with open contempt despite her condition. "My true body remains untouched. It still possesses all of its power. This insignificant defeat means nothing to me."

Her voice overflowed with anger and disdain.

But Erend frowned. Something about her words felt wrong. He could sense it. He could feel emotions flowing from Nyssara as clearly as though they were his own.

He felt fear, despair, and weakness from her.

He had no idea why he could perceive them. Perhaps it was a side effect of everything that had happened during the battle. But it didn’t matter right now.

"Really?" Erend asked quietly. He slowly stepped closer. "Are you certain that’s what happened?"

Nyssara’s smirk faltered almost imperceptibly.

"I can feel it," Erend continued. "Your fear, and your weakness. You’re afraid."

Uncertainty appeared within Nyssara’s expression.

"I’m certain everything we’ve done to you affected your true body as well," Erend continued calmly. "More importantly... you violated your own oath. I don’t believe something like that comes without consequences."

Nyssara’s eyes widened. The color drained from her already pale face. She could no longer hide her shock.

Because every word Erend had spoken was true.

"Now I will kill you, so that you and anything like you and the Void Architect was gone from this world," Erend said.

"Kau pikir kau bisa melindungi everything dari us? You have no idea what is waiting for you. Now, the eyes of the cosmic being will be directed at you," Nyssara said.

Erend didn’t waste anymore time. He opened his mouth and let out a pillar of lightning at her.

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