*Thirty Minutes Earlier.*
Noyle had arrived at the Spinola mansion with a squad of guards.
This was in response to Giuseppe’s warning that the guards alone might not be sufficient to handle the entire Spinola family.
-“He’ll likely use his family as a shield while he slips away through a hidden passage. Umberto values his life above all else.”
Not wanting to prolong this any further, Noyle launched a swift assault on the mansion, cutting down Umberto as he attempted to escape.
As Giuseppe rushed forward, cheering, Noyle dispatched him just as mercilessly.
-“Why... why would you...!”
-“Your usefulness has ended.”
-“You bastard!”
-“Don’t act so indignant. You were planning to stab us in the back as soon as things wrapped up here. You would have been better off remaining a mindless insect rather than trying to be clever. Tch.”
Giuseppe had been oblivious to the fact that Troivan had already seized control of nearly everything Giuseppe had, including his gold and wealth. The Spinola estate was nothing more than a hollow shell by now.
*Returning to the present...*
Noyle arrived at the central temple, holding the severed heads of Umberto and Giuseppe. The Ghost Slayer unit’s return had taken longer than expected.
「Well, if nothing else, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.」
Theo was barely standing, struggling under the weight of exhaustion. He gripped the Dragon Slayer Sword and Moonlight Blade tightly.
「To think the one who took Kriemhilt’s relics is also the one who wielded the Dragon Slayer Sword—a Chosen One in this era.」
*Step—*
Noyle began walking slowly toward Theo.
‘Theo!’
Selperd wanted to shout, and both Arin and Ray wished to rush to Theo’s side, but the suffocating pressure held them in place, stifling their movements.
*Step, step!*
Noyle was steadily closing the distance.
「No doubt you’re carrying the relics that Edd foolishly lost over the years. If I retrieve them all, this will wrap up quite neatly. And perhaps... I’ll also claim the Chosen One’s body.」
Noyle couldn’t help but be impressed by the unyielding fire in Theo’s eyes. This was the spirit a Chosen One should possess. It filled him with admiration.
Yet for Troivan’s future, the budding flame of Theo’s potential needed to be extinguished here.
「Come with me.」
*Swish—*
Noyle reached out, his hand descending toward Theo’s face.
Through the gaps between Noyle’s fingers, Theo’s crimson eyes still locked onto him.
Then...
‘Is he... smiling?’
As Noyle felt something strange and his eyes narrowed behind the mask—
*Rumble!*
Suddenly, the central temple began to quake violently.
The tremors were so intense it was hard to keep balance.
At the same time, the oppressive pressure dissolved as if it had never been there.
“Theo!”
Freed from their invisible chains, Theo’s allies surged forward.
「What did you do?」
“Did you get so confident in victory that you let your guard down? After all, this place is my territory.”
「You don’t mean...!」
Realizing something, Noyle swiftly attempted to unleash aura from his fingertips.
*Crack!*
Noyle understood that Theo had already obtained Kriemhilt’s Mystique and completed the Sea King’s seal.
The Floating Archipelago’s ability to stay aloft depended on the Sea King’s magic, creating a powerful updraft.
-But what if the Sea King hadn’t simply been resealed, but had actually transferred its power or authority to Theo?
Normally, the warrior Kriemhilt and the Sea King Leviathan were eternal enemies, oil and water that could never mix.
But Theo was the direct descendant of Ragnar, a lineage that claimed to be heirs of the dragon, and a Chosen One destined to become the dragon king’s partner.
What if he could reshape that relationship to work in his favor?
Though his reasoning wasn’t entirely accurate, Noyle’s guess held some truth.
But it was already too late to stop Theo, who had established a direct channel with the newly appointed Sea King below.
“Pontus!”
*Screeeech!*
As if answering Theo’s call, a tremendous roar echoed from outside the temple.
The temple tilted, the floor splitting open in moments.
A massive surge of mana erupted around Theo, flinging Noyle’s hand aside.
*Rumble, crack!*
The island began to collapse.
-The island...!
-The temple is breaking apart!
-The island is falling!
-Kriemhilt is furious!
The crowd, injured from the Ghost Slayer unit’s onslaught, screamed in terror as the ground gave way beneath the central temple.
Curiously, the rest of the island remained intact; only the area around the central temple was crumbling. This was Pontus’s work, manipulating the updraft to selectively affect specific areas.
Over the vast, churning ocean below, Theo and his allies plummeted toward the water, desperately reaching out for something to hold.
In that instant, shadows flickered, and Umbrac surged forth.
Now twice its usual size, the mighty creature’s presence loomed even larger than before, a true ancient beast’s aura radiating from it.
*Screech!*
Umbrac flapped its wings fiercely, catching Theo on its back as it soared upward. One by one, it picked up Selperd, Arin, Ray, and Marti.
Thanks to Umbrac’s enlarged form, there was plenty of space left for everyone.
“You did well, Umbrac.”
*Screech!*
While Theo patted Umbrac’s neck in gratitude, the others, still catching their breath, whistled in amazement.
*Whistle!*
*Whistle!*
Selperd and Arin’s partners appeared, rescuing the knights and Black Skull members who were flailing in mid-air.
“Oh, thank the heavens!”
Marti covered her face in relief.
“Don’t get too emotional yet. The real battle starts now.”
At Selperd’s reminder, Marti collected herself and glanced anxiously toward where Noyle had been.
「So, Theo Ragnar, you think you’ll escape my grasp just because of this?」
Below, Noyle was climbing swiftly, pushing off the falling rocks and temple debris with inhuman speed.
It was clear he had no concern for the Ghost Slayer Captain or the soldiers who were plummeting to the sea or being crushed by debris.
Marti shivered at the sight.
“Unbelievable...”
Selperd muttered in agreement, looking stunned.
But Theo, unperturbed, focused every ounce of his willpower.
At that moment, he was deeply synchronized with Pontus.
「You are Pontus’s master now, acknowledged by the Sea King and heir to the warrior’s legacy. The updraft born from the dragon’s will is yours to command.」
Theo’s mind blazed hotly once more.
With each beat of his heart, the dragon’s blood coursed wildly through his veins, the ancient dragon’s gene within him awakening.
*Tock, tock.*
Small bursts of power echoed through his body.
Though his physical strength was depleted, his mental fortitude held strong, and he still had a reserve of mana.
Above all, an immense current of energy surged around him, ready to be harnessed.
And so, Theo decided to try something new.
‘Magic.’
He only knew two spells—<Thunder Calling> and <Flame Dancing>.
His understanding of magic was rudimentary, more intuition than knowledge.
But he trusted Pontus’s words.
Dragons were the originators of magic, and the ability to control it was etched into their very being.
‘<Thunder Calling> summons lightning indiscriminately. <Flame Dancing> spreads fire.’
Combining these two spells was his plan.
‘Heat is energy. Compress energy, and it intensifies. Release it, and it expands. If I can connect these forces...’
*Crackle, crackle!*
Tiny sparks flared around Noyle.
The updraft was a form of energy; triggering friction and heat within it to produce sparks was simple enough.
‘If I connect these forces in an unstable, uncontrollable chain...’
The sparks shifted from red to yellow, igniting like blazing specters.
‘Then I’ll create a massive explosion!’
Theo clenched his fist.
The floating embers swelled, transforming into streaks of lightning that spread through the entire updraft.
*Crackle!*
It was like a colossal web of lightning.
*Chain Lightning.*
*Boom, boom, boom!*
*Rumble!*
Explosions erupted, engulfing Noyle.
Dust and debris from falling rocks intensified the blast, creating an overpowering, chaotic storm.
A thick fog clouded the view.
Yet Theo knew that wouldn’t be enough to defeat Noyle.
The man was a monster, one who might even rival the Nine Dragons.
And so Theo’s true goal wasn’t to kill Noyle, but to knock him down.
Theo twisted his clenched fist.
The lingering wisps of energy in his hand twisted as well, the lightning forming into a dragon-like shape.
It resembled the thunder dragon Theo summoned through Deathbeat, but with multiple heads, like a hydra.
The spell, a creation inspired by his dragon-blooded instincts, was his own original.
“Hydra Bolt.”
The four-headed lightning dragon roared as it expanded, its radiance spreading throughout the updraft.
The entire Floating Archipelago was bathed in blinding light.
*Boom!*
*Rumble...*
The storm of explosions and blasts continued relentlessly.
The destruction was so intense that one might wonder if anyone could survive within it. Blazing winds swept through, shaking even the smaller floating islands high above.
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But Theo wasn’t finished. Through Pontus, he directed one of the smaller, uninhabited floating islands in Noyle’s direction, sending it plummeting into the sea.
Boom!
A towering wave erupted as the island struck the water, sending massive surges and sprays of seawater crashing in all directions.
White foam mixed with the blue waters as Umbrac and the wyverns soared higher, away from the chaos below.
Whoosh!
Selperd, Arin, and the others gazed down, speechless at the scene unfolding beneath them. The sheer scale of the destruction left them stunned.
Such power was rarely seen, even from the Sword Masters of the Dragon Clan.
“... You monster. When did you learn magic like that? Did Kriemhilt teach you all of this?”
Selperd finally managed to turn to Theo, his face filled with disbelief.
“It’s something similar,” Theo replied, giving a vague smile as he slumped onto Umbrac’s back, exhausted but still smiling weakly.
His mana was depleted, and even smiling felt like an effort.
Selperd shook his head, realizing that asking further was pointless. After all, it was fitting for the heir of Ragnar to have a few secret weapons.
‘Not that anyone would believe me even if I told them.’
For someone Theo’s age to have mastered both swordsmanship and magic to this extent was hard to imagine.
Selperd couldn’t shake the feeling that Theo was like an endless well of mysteries, each more formidable than the last.
Meanwhile, deep underwater...
Crack! Crackle!
The island that had plunged into the sea trembled violently before shattering apart with a colossal fracture.
「You dare...!」
From within the fragments emerged Noyle, his body bloodied and battered, but alive.
His wooden mask was half-burned, revealing part of his face—a hideous visage that looked like he wore the skin of a monster.
Tentacles squirmed grotesquely from his form, with scattered, rolling eyes that glared in every direction, brimming with fury.
Despite his injuries, his monstrous aura remained unbroken.
Theo’s massive spell, his manipulation of the updraft, and even dropping the floating island had not truly endangered Noyle’s life.
He was a creature that had cast off his humanity, pursuing a path as a half-human, half-monster.
Yet, even though his body was unharmed, his pride had taken a significant blow.
Fueled by a burning rage to tear Theo apart, Noyle prepared to surge from the water’s surface.
But then—
「You who has forsaken the guise of humanity to chase disgraceful ambitions... where do you think you’re going?」
The water stirred violently, condensing into the shape of a figure before Noyle.
Noyle’s disfigured face stiffened.
He had encountered the last person he wanted to face here.
「Why... are you here?」
「Ask not a question to which you do not wish to hear the answer. If you’re unwilling to reply,」 the figure’s form—a blend of both male and female, young and old—smirked ever so slightly.
「Leave an arm behind before you go.」