Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
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< Chapter 187: Descendants of the Mad Dragon Emperor (2) >
Torkel’s words were indeed not without basis.
If the Mad Dragon Emperor, who was well-versed in the Ragnar structure, had founded Troyban, it made sense that the Four Great Divisions, which Ragnar prides itself on, would have been fully recreated.
The emergence of a new White Armored Dragon Cavalry and Black Iron Cavalry wasn’t unusual at all.
“I couldn’t choose my biological siblings, but those men—those are the real brothers I’ve chosen for myself.”
Torkel’s cruel laughter gradually grew louder.
“Little brother, with your deaths today, I’ll make sure the entire world knows where the true Ragnar lies.”
It seemed they had resolved not to hide their identities any longer.
The annihilation of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry would undoubtedly deliver a massive shock to the Empire and the world.
From the start, this stage had been a trap.
A trap devised to eliminate the White Armored Dragon Cavalry and elevate Troyban’s momentum.
“So, you’re planning to broadcast to everyone just how fractured the Ragnar household is?”
“Was there ever any honor left in this family to begin with?”
With a sneer, Torkel raised his hand high.
In response, the approaching new Black Iron Cavalry simultaneously lifted their spears at a 45-degree angle.
At the same time, the new White Armored Dragon Cavalry began preparing their magic rounds.
The moment his hand sharply descended, the assault began with spear throws and aerial attacks.
“Prepare defenses—everyone!”
Theo let out a roar filled with magic power as he fiercely swung Drake’s blade upwards.
Whoooosh!
The aura gathered on the blade burst into the air, spreading high into the sky.
It formed a temporary aura shield.
The shield’s broad area might have limited its strength, but it would at least reduce some of the destructive force.
“Oh, damn it! Those Black Snow bastards aren’t doing their job! This is driving me insane! I didn’t sign up for this!”
“Squad One and all squad leaders, activate your domain techniques!”
“Regular members, focus on protecting yourselves!”
Amore and Squad One, who had been repeatedly trying to approach Torkel to rescue him, stopped fending off the Black Iron Cavalry’s interference and instead joined Theo.
In an instant, multiple layers of aura shields were added, and the less skilled members wrapped their own bodies in aura shields.
Seizing that moment, Torkel and the Black Iron Cavalry attempted to flee to the outskirts.
Then, an even fiercer bombardment began.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kaboom! Kaboom!
Rumble…!
The relentless assault on Theo and the White Armored Dragon Cavalry continued, filling the air with thick clouds of dust.
The ground sank, and flames shot up repeatedly.
Thick black smoke billowed out, reducing the altar and the ceremonial site to complete ruin in an instant.
However, Troyban’s Black Iron Cavalry and White Armored Dragon Cavalry did not cease their bombardment.
As if they sought to erase any trace of Ragnar’s White Armored Dragon Cavalry from this world.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The tremors continued without pause.
"At last... it’s in my hands."
Torkel swung his spear as he reached the fully-bloomed black flower.
The flower, nourished by the blood shed by the ten thousand followers of the Sacred Demon Church and the fallen warriors of the Black Iron Cavalry, sparkled like black pearls and radiated an almost unbearable beauty.
But with a sharp slicing sound, the flower fell to the ground, shattering like glass into pitiful fragments.
What remained in its place was a black orb that gleamed as darkly as Torkel’s own pupils.
Wooong! Woooong!
Torkel reached out and grasped the black orb.
In that moment, an immense frenzy and demonic energy surged into his palm.
The freely circulating magic within him lurched as though it would explode at any second.
His veins swelled, and his entire forearm turned a sickly shade of blue.
Despite the excruciating pain, Torkel laughed.
This orb was the very treasure his grandfather had longed for so desperately to obtain.
‘The Deluded God’s Orb... With the will of that existence contained within it, Grandfather could very well claim the position of Church Leader.’
The sudden sealing of the <Nameless Sovereign> had been a bolt from the blue for the Sacred Demon Church.
Yet, for the Mad Dragon Emperor and Troyban, it presented a new opportunity.
Currently, within the Sacred Demon Church, the Mad Dragon Emperor held the position of Fifth Apostle.
While the title of Apostle carried immense symbolic significance, the numerical ranking didn’t necessarily imply hierarchy. Nevertheless, it was true that the Mad Dragon Emperor, being the most recent to join the Sacred Demon Church, had the weakest footing.
The Deluded God’s Orb would overturn that weak position in an instant.
It would allow him to completely shed the human guise he was still forced to wear.
A god.
The supreme being that existed beyond the heavens.
The orb would serve as the key to achieving that.
Indeed.
The Mad Dragon Emperor was aiming for ascension.
And behind him, Torkel planned to become the Apostle of the god-like Mad Dragon Emperor, consolidating or eliminating the remaining factions within the Sacred Demon Church, merging Troyban and Ragnar, and ultimately ruling the world.
This was the grand plan crafted by their lineage.
Torkel was already consumed by the euphoria of feeling the world within his grasp.
Kwa-jik!
Torkel clenched his fist tightly.
As the Deluded God’s Orb shattered, the demonic energy and madness that seeped out began to invade not just his palm, but every pore of his body.
Tsu-tsu-tsu—
The more this happened, the darker Torkel’s eyes became, turning pitch black.
---
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Even amidst the chaotic hell of explosions, Theo poured his [Spiritual Essence] into his eyes, observing Torkel’s every move.
Far off in the distance, Torkel was seen absorbing the orb under the protection of the Black Iron Cavalry.
He had to stop him somehow, but strangely, Theo’s heart pounded wildly.
At the same time, his vision and senses narrowed, focusing entirely on the orb.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump...!
In a corner of his mind, an impulsive instinct subtly emerged.
-I want that.
Suddenly, such a thought crossed his mind.
Flinch!
‘...What?’
Theo was startled and immediately turned inward, questioning himself.
Why am I suddenly thinking this?
-I want it. I desperately want it.
Then, the whisper came again.
-Let’s take it.
It was so sweet, like a devil’s murmur.
-Take it, and you can become much stronger than you are now.
For some reason, the orb felt all too familiar to Theo.
Even though it was his first time seeing it.
‘No, I’ve seen it before. Where? Where could it have been?’
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Amidst the deafening sound of his heartbeat, Theo racked his brain for a long time before finally realizing why the orb felt so familiar.
‘The Sword Sphere my father gave me!’
There was a time when Kyle, in his quarters, handed Theo one of the battered swords of a fallen foe he had defeated in the past.
Although Theo had never known who the sword’s original owner was, he had gained countless insights into swordsmanship thanks to the will (염) contained within it.
This led him to believe that its original owner must have been an exceptional master of the sword in life.
But now, the object in Torkel’s hand resembled it far too closely.
‘That sword… it belonged to the Mad Dragon Emperor.’
At that moment, Theo understood.
Kyle had made preparations for him.
‘He knew something like this might happen to me someday... and prepared me to face it. So I wouldn’t be consumed by madness.’
Fwaaah!
Theo’s narrowed vision, fixed on the orb, suddenly widened again.
‘No. So I could take it!’
The impulse surging within him wasn’t his own—it was the Sword Sphere’s desire.
Just as Torkel sought to amplify the madness by absorbing the orb, the Sword Sphere also wanted to devour the Deluded God’s Orb to replenish its insufficient will.
However, Theo remained cautious, ensuring he wouldn’t be swept away by the will originating from the Sword Sphere.
If he allowed himself to be consumed by that will, he would no longer be Theo but a state of someone "halfway to becoming the Mad Dragon Emperor."
Kyle may have entrusted him with the task of absorbing that orb, believing Theo wouldn’t fail, but Theo had no desire to take unnecessary risks.
Thus, Theo changed his approach.
‘Kerto.’
『I’ve been awaiting your call.』
The playful response from Keratosuchus echoed in his mind, and a single line of text appeared before his eyes.
[The Legion of Dragons is emerging.]
Kwaaaah!
The ground quaked violently as multiple Desert Worms erupted from beneath the area where Troyban’s Black Iron Cavalry stood, their massive jaws gaping wide.
“This is...!”
“Pull back the formation!”
The Black Iron Cavalry of Troyban quickly ceased their spear-throwing and scrambled to retreat, but—
The softened ground beneath them caused their ironclad horses to sink en masse, hindering their movement.
The Desert Worms wasted no time, devouring the ironclad horses whole.
The air filled with the anguished cries of the horses and the panicked screams of the cavalry members.
Kieeek!
The same fate befell Troyban’s White Armored Dragon Cavalry.
From above, a griffin swooped down and instantly tore into the nape of a wyvern, while a Fairy Dragon cast an ice arrow spell that pierced through all of the wyverns' wings.
Other dragons emerged one after another, throwing the battlefield into chaos.
“Whew...! We’re alive!”
“Those bastards toyed with us, huh? Now it’s our turn!”
The White Armored Dragon Cavalry, which had been silently defending until now, finally sprang into action.
Splitting into squads, they scattered in all directions, their eyes now brimming with murderous intent. Their thoughts were consumed by the desire to punish those who had betrayed and disgraced their house.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
Thus, the battlefield devolved once again into a chaotic melee.
Meanwhile, Theo extended his right hand wide toward where Torkel stood.
‘Dragon Pearl Sun.’
Goo-oo-oo—
Whirr-whirr-whirr!
Above Torkel’s head, a bright yellow lightning sphere formed and began spinning like a top.
The sphere absorbed every bit of energy in the vicinity. Naturally, this included the madness and demonic energy seeping from the Deluded God’s Orb that Torkel had been trying to absorb.
“What is this?!”
This was the first time Theo had unleashed the Dragon Pearl Sun, and Torkel was caught entirely off guard.
He gritted his teeth, desperately attempting to absorb as much of the orb’s energy as possible.
But while he managed to take in just 1 unit of energy, the lightning sphere devoured over 10.
The sphere quickly grew into an enormous sun that anchored itself ominously in the sky.
Black sunspots marred its surface, blending the madness and demonic energy into a foreboding mix.
‘It’s heavy.’
Theo felt a wave of dizziness as the immense heat and pressure from the sphere, now infused with the Deluded God’s Orb, weighed down on his soul and body.
The power the orb contained was truly overwhelming.
“You said you wanted to sever all ties with Ragnar, didn’t you? Fine, I’ll make that happen.”
“No, don’t...!”
Sensing the impending danger, Torkel frantically reached for his spear.
But before he could act, Theo swung Drake’s Blade with force.
Solar Eclipse.
Screech!
A long line was drawn across the surface of the lightning sphere.
The sun shattered into countless fragments, scattering as tens, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down in all directions.
Kwarrrrung—!
Amidst the tide of destruction, Troyban’s White Armored Dragon Cavalry and Black Iron Cavalry were caught in, their forms lost within the blinding light.