‘What is this?’
The captain of the Ghostslayers instinctively looked up.
An eerie, inexplicable feeling was in the air.
But before he could ponder further—
“Stop right there!”
The captain turned his head toward the voice calling from the opposite side.
Walking toward him with determined strides, dressed in armored artifacts, was Umberto and the Spinoza family entourage.
“Well, look who it is! Isn’t that Lord Umberto? It seems you’ve come running, hearing about the emergency with the statue. Truly the mark of a noble from one of the Three Great Shipping Houses, ever devoted to the Floating Archipelago,” a man among the Ghostslayers sneered as he stepped forward.
This was Piren, the chief overseer of the Grimel family and second-in-command to Giuseppe. His tone might have sounded admiring to an outsider, but it was clear to everyone here that he was taunting Umberto.
With barely veiled irritation, Umberto replied, “It seems the Grimel family has also dispatched troops to handle this emergency. So why are you trying to hamper a fellow ally with the same purpose?”
Piren merely laughed.
Umberto’s true intentions were already apparent to him.
“My son, Antoniu, and his friends received a tip about a suspicious group targeting Kriemhild’s statue. They acted immediately on their own initiative, and I, for my part, assembled these reinforcements in case of any outside interference.”
So Spinoza’s story was that they were preventing foreign influence from taking advantage of the chaos.
‘This snake of an old man... He’s using this situation to pin everything on those outsiders,’ Piren thought, narrowing his eyes. Umberto’s tactic was to pin the blame entirely on Theo and his group.
Seizing the opportunity, Umberto turned to glare at Selford, who was holding Antoniu hostage.
“Whatever you and your lackeys are planning, know that I will never allow you to take liberties with the sacred relic of our ancestors, no matter what you try!”
*Chik-chik-chik!*
In unison, Spinoza’s men leveled their weapons at Selford and his companions.
Each held a handgun—compact magical firearms created through a collaboration between a renowned arms manufacturer in the southwestern region and the Tower of Magic. Each weapon’s barrel spun, ready to unleash a barrage with firepower rivaling that of artillery.
“It looks like your father’s abandoned you,” Selford remarked dryly to Antoniu.
Antoniu’s eyes shook with utter disbelief.
Sure, he had known his father would be willing to abandon him for his ambitions, but the reality was much more jarring than he’d expected.
“Aryn! Frost Sword! Over here,” Selford called, his gaze still fixed on Antoniu.
“Ray,” she corrected him.
“What?”
“My name. Stop with the moniker.”
Despite the chaotic situation, Selford couldn’t help a chuckle at her insistence.
“Fine then, Lady Frost Sword. Think you can put up an ice wall? How long do you think you can hold?”
Ray arched an eyebrow at the elongated nickname but replied coolly, “Two minutes.”
“And if we give you some magic support?”
“Five. That’s the absolute maximum.”
“Five minutes if we’re lucky...,” Selford muttered as he glanced back at the statue.
He could tell that something about it was changing.
The mysterious energy was still active, meaning Theo must still be inside.
“I hope Theo manages to finish up in time,” Selford murmured.
Before he could think further, Umberto shouted, “Open fire!”
“Not so fast, gentlemen. Ghostslayer Captain, if you would,” Piren interrupted.
“Now this is truly a battle,” remarked the captain as he moved forward, and the Ghostslayers formed a line in front of Spinoza’s men.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Oh, you know full well, don’t you? Antoniu and the Black Skull gang are still under investigation for their actions,” Piren replied.
“I’ve already told you, we intervened to prevent a calamity!”
“Well, we can certainly determine the truth in a full investigation after this is over, can we not?”
As Spinoza’s men tried to kill Selford’s group, Grimel’s forces made it clear that they wanted to capture them alive. The standoff escalated sharply.
Umberto’s face twisted in a snarl of outrage.
“So you’re protecting these people for your own suspicious purposes, Grimel? I knew it! You’ve been conspiring with outsiders all along! You’ve sided with foreign forces to sell out the Archipelago!”
“Oh, please! Is it not more likely that Spinoza is hiding something and trying to cover up the truth?”
“Silence, you bastard! I’ll rip you all to shreds and make Grimel pay for this catastrophe!”
With a wave, Spinoza’s men raised their weapons toward the Ghostslayers, while the Ghostslayers unleashed their aura.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
*Boom!*
Gunshots filled the air, mingling with the shimmering glint of aura that sliced through the chaos.
“Arrgh!”
“My arm! My aaarm!”
“Concentrate fire! We can’t let them regroup!”
“They’re breaking through our lines! We can’t keep them at a distance!”
Screams and gunfire blended into the tumult of battle.
“What a mess this is.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Aryn and Ray nodded in agreement as Selford muttered in frustration.
Together, they quickly raised an ice wall to shield themselves from stray gunfire and checked the statue repeatedly, hoping Theo would emerge soon so they could escape.
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Then—
*Rumble...*
‘What’s that?’
The massive statue of the dragon that had been lying prone slowly lifted its head.
Without giving anyone time to react, the dragon statue lunged forward, diving straight into the chaotic fray of Ghostslayers and Spinoza’s men.
*CRAAAASH!*
With a single crushing blow from its massive, sturdy body, the statue flattened those on the periphery, leaving them in bloody, scattered remains.
“What... what the hell is going on?”
“That’s the dragon beneath Kriemhild’s statue! How is it moving?!”
Panic spread swiftly among the ranks of both the Ghostslayers and Spinoza’s men.
Who could have foreseen that the ancient statue, which had remained motionless for centuries, would suddenly come to life?
“Ghostslayers, regroup and realign! Team One, handle the statue; Team Two, secure those holding Antoniu hostage!” ordered the Ghostslayer captain.
Years of experience enabled him to keep his composure. Instinctively, he knew that the dragon’s movement was linked to the activation of the mystery.
‘I don’t know how they managed to unlock Kriemhild’s mystery, but this is an opportunity! These outsiders must be connected to it somehow. If they’re from Ragnar, securing them could guarantee our victory.’
The Ghostslayers’ true mission had been to seize Kriemhild’s mystery all along, and now it seemed within reach.
“Spinoza! Spinoza’s forces, kill them all and secure the dragon!”
The two forces’ conflict had now spiraled into a battle beyond even a “free-for-all.”
But despite their attacks, the dragon statue continued to twist, slam its tail into the ground, and wreak havoc, causing relentless casualties among both sides.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The noise and flashing lights grew so intense that anyone on the Floating Archipelago could see the chaos unfolding.
Meanwhile...
Some residents had spotted something unusual.
Amid the seemingly imminent collapse, Kriemhild’s statue began to rise slowly from its slumped position.
“Look! Kriemhild herself is moving!”
“Is she really responding to our prayers?”
People stood in awe, seeing what they believed to be a miraculous event: the resurrection of Kriemhild.
Kriemhild’s return. To many, it felt as if the legendary Dragon Slayer herself had returned to save her people.
“What do you mean Kriemhild’s statue is moving?”
“What is happening...?”
But for the Ghostslayers and Spinoza’s forces, the situation was far more terrifying.
Instead of merely claiming the mystery or burying it, they were now faced with both the dragon and Kriemhild herself coming to life.
The sight of the towering statue, which had seemed on the verge of collapse, now standing tall and wielding an ethereal sword, was truly awe-inspiring.
*Kriiiing—*
With a swift movement, Kriemhild’s statue thrust its sword deep into the dragon’s jaw.
The blade shattered the skull, emerging from the top of the dragon’s head.
The dragon fell silent, its movements coming to an abrupt halt.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Everyone was left speechless.
Ghostslayers, Spinoza’s men, even Selford’s group—all were stunned.
A scene from legend was being replayed before their eyes.
Then—
*Crack!*
The dragon statue and Kriemhild’s statue began to crumble, turning into fine dust that swirled together to form a human shape.
Theo.
Having vanished with the mystery, he now stood where the statues had been.
Bathed in an otherworldly light, Theo seemed almost divine.
“Theo, you!”
Selperd and his companions urgently called out to Theo, ready to tell him they needed to escape the scene immediately.
But before they could even get the words out, Theo abruptly swung the Dragon Slayer sword in his hand toward the Ghostslayers and the Spinoza family forces.
ZZZZZIIIING—
SHHHRIIIIP!
A powerful slash reverberated as Theo’s strike cleaved through the air, passing dangerously close to the opposing forces.
Left on the ground was a jagged trace, as if gouged by a dragon’s claw.
Yet, something was different about it—traces of intricate geometric patterns lay scattered across the marks.
“This... this is...!”
“It’s the Nibelung! Kriemhild’s Nibelung has been unleashed!”
“Kriemhild’s successor has appeared!”
The Nibelung—the legendary technique Kriemhild used alongside the Dragon Slayer sword Balmung when she sealed the evil dragon in ancient lore. Though it had long been lost to the ages, known only in records, Theo had now learned it.
Of course, the Spinoza family members from the Floating Archipelago were left in shock, and even the Ghostslayers couldn’t make any rash moves. The guard stationed outside had entered, drawn by the vanishing flames and the residue of light, and bore witness to the traces.
“Then for now...!”
“Yes, with so many witnesses here, let’s postpone our plans. Besides, the Spinoza family has split from them completely, so there’s still an opportunity for us.”
Piren and the Ghostslayer Captain quickly exchanged this understanding.
“Damn it! Why now, of all times!”
Umberto gritted his teeth, now trapped in an awkward position. He could no longer justify his actions against Theo and his companions under the guise of defending the Floating Archipelago.
“As the heir of Kriemhild’s legacy, and the new master of Balmung, I proclaim—!”
Seizing the calm between confrontations, Theo amplified his voice with magic and declared to all present.
Inheritor of Kriemhild’s legacy... new master of Balmung... his words echoed across the entire Floating Archipelago, booming in all directions.
“In the name of Lady Kriemhild, I vow to vanquish the evil dragon that seeks to reclaim the Archipelago! The Three Great Shipping Houses and the Autonomous Council shall join me in this mission!”
At that moment, Theo’s presence was indelibly imprinted on the hearts and minds of all who lived in the Floating Archipelago.