Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
=================
< Chapter 194: Victory Ceremony (4) >
Currently, the Sword Sphere had absorbed a significant amount of madness and demonic energy from the Deluded God's Sphere, leaving its intent (念) in a dangerously volatile state, as though it could explode at any moment.
Fortunately, much of its dark energy had been expelled, or it would have already detonated long ago.
However, Kyle intended to release the intent dormant within the precarious Sword Sphere.
"If you leave that sphere as it is, it’ll just continue to swell uncontrollably. The more malicious intent (惡念) matures, the more dangerous it becomes."
“You’re telling me to suppress it.”
“That way, you won’t succumb to it when facing the Mad Dragon Emperor. Furthermore—”
Kyle’s lips twisted into a smirk.
"If you can’t even overcome that, it would be hard to call yourself a child of mine, Kyle Ragnar."
Theo nodded in agreement. Kyle was right.
Once he assumed the position of Young Lord, far greater opposition would arise than he faced now.
From both within the House of Ragnar and external forces alike—
The eighteen Elector Lords. The Imperial Family. Even the Sacred Demon Church.
There were many in this world who eagerly awaited the chance to pull Ragnar down from its throne.
The Mad Dragon Emperor was merely another hurdle Theo would have to overcome eventually.
“Then, before completely releasing the intent, may I make one request?”
“A request? What is it?”
“Please give me Hrunti, which you promised as spoils of war, first.”
“Hrunti?”
Kyle tilted his head briefly but soon caught onto Theo’s intentions and chuckled.
“You intend to use it as an exorcism tool to suppress the malicious intent.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Dragon Spirit Sword Hrunti was a twin blade forged alongside the Dragon Slayer Sword, both originating from the Sea King.
If the energies of the two swords were used wisely, they would be immensely helpful.
‘Just as I had clashed the [Ring of the Desert] with the [Butterfly of the Ice Flower] before, if I can pit the guardian of the Dragon Spirit Sword against the intent of the Mad Dragon Emperor this time, suppressing it should go much more smoothly.’
As a faint smile spread across Theo’s lips, the Guardians who had read his thoughts all clicked their tongues in unison.
『You’re planning to pull off another one of those despicable schemes, Master? Such wickedness...!』
『Though Hrunti was indeed forged from the rib of Leviathan, wasn’t it still an artifact blessed by the Ancient Dragon?』
『If the Guardian slumbering in Hrunti is Nessie, that one, is it?』
『…We should announce the condolences in advance.』
『He might appear gentlemanly on the surface, but after all, a Ragnar is a Ragnar, isn’t that right?』
Theo didn’t particularly like the phrase “a Ragnar is a Ragnar,” but he decided to ignore it.
“Take it.”
Kyle drew a sword from within and tossed it to Theo.
Theo carefully caught it.
Wooong! Wooooong!
Among the swords he carried with him, the Dragon Slayer Sword cried out desperately, as if overjoyed to reunite with a long-lost counterpart.
Fwaaah!
Theo touched the light emanating from the Dragon Spirit Sword with his fingertips.
‘Red?’
It was a color distinct from the blue hue that had hovered above artifacts so far.
Curious about its significance, Theo attempted to unlock the quest tied to it.
[The owner of this item has already been designated.]
[You cannot perform this quest.]
“...!”
Theo sprang to his feet in shock at the sudden message.
“What’s wrong?”
“This item... it seems it has already been unsealed once before.”
“What of it… Wait, are you saying someone other than the chosen one opened it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
Kyle frowned deeply.
He, too, while not a chosen one, knew more about Ragnar’s secrets than most.
“The Ancient Dragon's artifacts are designed such that only the chosen one of the era can unlock them… It must be the Mad Dragon Emperor. He must have done something during that time. But how? What did he do?”
When a regression ends, the chosen one’s qualifications also cease.
This meant they lost the ability to use the Ancient Dragon's artifacts.
It was why, despite the many artifacts that had appeared, only Theo could claim them.
But if it had been opened?
It would mean the Mad Dragon Emperor had restored his qualifications as a chosen one—or at least partially regained them.
“We have to find him and ensure that he is killed once and for all, so he can never awaken again.”
If another regression occurred, it would spell disaster.
‘If an artifact has an owner, does that mean it can’t be taken?’
『Of course not.』
At that moment, Lodbrok, who had been silently observing the situation, finally spoke up.
Lodbrok, who despised Kyle, would never open a channel while Kyle was present.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters.
『In the end, even the chosen one is just a Ragnar. The traditions of Ragnar were shaped by Sigurd, but the strength left behind by the Ancient Dragon came first. Ownership can simply be seized.』
Fwaaah!
Suddenly, a blue light overlaid the red, blending into a violet hue.
『Seize it. My partner, never forget that you are the soulmate acknowledged by me, Lodbrok.』
[A new claimant for ownership has appeared. A hidden mission to seize ownership has begun.]
[A quest has arrived.]
---
[Scenario Quest #10]
You have obtained the Dragon Spirit Sword Hrunti. Eliminate its current owner and seize its ownership.
- Difficulty: SS
- Reward: Ownership of the Ancient Dragon's artifact, strengthened intent within the Sword Sphere.
- Failure: Death
Warning! The item is currently heavily contaminated by an unknown force. A purification process is mandatory to claim ownership.
---
Kyaaah!
At that moment, a terrifying howl erupted from the Dragon Spirit Sword, and madness mixed with demonic energy exploded outward.
『You intended to resolve this easily, only to make the challenge even harder for yourself.』
‘I know, so stop mocking me.’
Theo muttered in irritation at Keratosuchus and fully activated his Spiritual Eye ([Eye of Insight]).
Wooooong!
The madness clinging stubbornly to the sword stained it pitch black, as though it were crying out for someone to save it.
The Dragon Spirit Sword was dying.
‘So they forcibly broke the seal, infused it with madness, and stole ownership.’
It must have endured so much suffering.
At the same time, Theo felt a wave of dread. If the Conquering Dragon hadn’t first severed Granada’s right hand in a sneak attack during the war, things could have turned catastrophic.
“Father.”
“…Alright, let’s begin.”
Theo urgently called out to Kyle.
Kyle flinched at the word “father” but then smiled, placing his hand atop Theo’s head.
“Close your eyes.”
Theo obeyed and shut his eyes.
The moment he felt the Sword Sphere in his chest suddenly tremble violently—
Flash!
Theo’s consciousness went dark in an instant.
* * *
When Theo reopened his eyes, he found himself in a dark forest.
Whether it was because the towering trees were too dense or because it was nighttime, he couldn’t tell, but the darkness was so thick it was impossible to see even a step ahead.
“Where is the Mad Dragon Emperor's intent? And the Guardian...?”
This wasn’t something that could be approached like an ordinary artifact quest.
With the Mad Dragon Emperor's intent intertwined, the difficulty of the quest had undoubtedly skyrocketed.
Even the SS rank alone was unprecedented in its challenge.
Crunch, crunch!
Chomp, chomp!
Slurp, slurp!
‘What is that?’
How far had he walked when Theo suddenly heard the sound of something devouring a meal greedily?
He infused his hearing with spiritual energy, amplifying his senses.
As Theo sharpened his senses, he pinpointed the source of the sound.
When he arrived—
‘A person? The Mad Dragon Emperor?’
In a small clearing, a man was ravenously devouring mountains of meat and food piled before him.
To his left was an enormous heap of bones, likely from what he had already consumed. The ground was littered with the corpses of monsters, their remains slaughtered and prepared for butchering, emitting a putrid stench.
It was less terrifying and more bizarre—a grotesque scene, to say the least.
Then, one particular corpse caught Theo’s attention.
A massive dragon, at least ten meters long. Its distinctively elongated neck stood out.
『Nessie!』
『…I-it’s dead after all.』
The Guardians’ horrified reactions confirmed that the fallen dragon was indeed Nessie.
So, was this man the manifestation of the Mad Dragon Emperor's intent?
Schwing!
Theo slowly drew the Dragon Slayer Sword.
Zzzzzzing!
The blade vibrated with a fury more intense than ever before.
“Huh?”
The man suddenly paused his meal as if sensing a presence, and he whipped his head around in haste.
‘Not the Mad Dragon Emperor.’
Theo froze in place, startled.
It was impossible not to come to this conclusion—despite the man’s humanoid figure, his face was far from human.
It was as if someone had flipped a human head upside down. Where his eyes should have been, there was a gaping mouth chewing noisily on meat. Where his mouth should have been, two eyes rolled wildly, scanning Theo with an unsettling focus.
Most unsettling of all—
The demonic energy emanating from him was unfamiliar.
It bore some resemblance to the aura of the Nameless Sovereign but was fundamentally different in its nature.
“Slurp! Oh, my! A new visitor? What a delightful surprise—I wasn’t expecting this at all! How wonderful! Ahahaha!”
The eyes below, rolling aimlessly, failed to focus on anything, while the mouth above both ate and laughed simultaneously. The grotesque spectacle went beyond strange, crossing into something outright repulsive.
The instinctive aversion one feels toward something unnatural.
“Hmm, but it’s been so long since I’ve had a guest. I can’t just leave you without offering something…! Ah! This, I just caught it a moment ago—would you like to join me for a meal?”
The man held out a chunk of meat clutched in his hand.
Blood dripped from it, clearly uncooked, as it hadn’t even been roasted properly over the fire.
『My partner, step back.』
At that moment, Lodbrok appeared before Theo and pushed him backward.
Her face, visible from the side, was tense—something Theo had never seen before.
“Lodi.”
『That creature is not someone you can face right now.』
“Who is he?”
Theo’s spiritually enhanced eyes confirmed it: this man was not an ordinary living being.
‘A presence on par with the Nameless Sovereign… No, a god (神).’
How could such a being appear in a quest that was supposed to involve the Mad Dragon Emperor's intent?
『That is an Outer God. A being as ancient as the Deluded God. A foe even we Guardians find overwhelming to face.』
“...!”
『We call that one the God of Gluttony (A-God, 餓神)—a being eternally hungry, no matter how much it devours.』