Chapter 676
Chapter 676
Whoooosh!
In the middle of the desert, a black current was raging violently.
At some point, the black current that had begun sweeping across the desert had gradually expanded its domain.
A land of death that even monsters dared not approach.
The beasts that had unknowingly wandered near it in the early days had withered into mummies and died.
Within the black current stood a massive tower.
The so-called Tower of Chaos.
Inside the Tower of Chaos was a vast chamber.
It was spacious enough to hold even a gigantic monster.
Curled up within that enormous space was an existence of unbelievable size.
The being with a body well over two hundred meters long from head to tail and two great wings was none other than a dragon.
Clatter!
Each time the dragon exhaled, its glossy gray scales rubbed against one another, producing the sound of metal scraping.
The gray dragon was wrapped in the black current.
Every breath it took made the black current surge like waves.
As though hibernating, the dragon had fallen into a deep sleep.
The dragon was Raykas's true form.
Having released his polymorph, he slept in his original body.
Ever since returning to the Tower of Chaos, he had done nothing but sleep.
Raykas inhaled deeply and exhaled once more.
Each time he did, the aura of chaos filling the tower churned violently.
A dragon's lair was more than a simple dwelling.
Like a mother's womb, it was the safest place, where both body and soul were completed.
Here, the passage of time could not be felt.
Like the primordial universe, nothing changed. Only silence lingered.
It was only after a long time had passed that change finally came to that place.
Craaack!
Without warning, cracks spread across the gray dragon's body.
The dragon's scales, said to be harder than diamond, split apart as easily as paper.
Thud... thud...
As time passed, the number of gray scales falling to the floor increased exponentially.
The scales that had fallen from Raykas soon lost their luster.
After shedding every last scale, Raykas's body convulsed violently before swelling like a balloon.
The black aura filling the tower was drawn into Raykas's nose and mouth as his body expanded as though it were about to burst.
At last, once every trace of the black aura had been absorbed, Raykas's swollen body slowly began returning to its original form.
Some time later, Raykas had completely regained his shape.
However, his restored body was at least twice as large as it had been before shedding its scales.
His already gigantic body had grown to four hundred meters.
His size was not the only thing that had changed.
The two wings he once had had become four.
The gray scales that had fallen away with his molt had returned, larger and more distinct than before.
Flash!
At that moment, Raykas, who had been in a deep sleep, opened his eyes.
His eyes, already enormous before the transformation, were now as large as the torso of an average monster.
Rumble...
Rolling his massive eyes, Raykas looked over his transformed body.
His body, now twice as large as before he had gone to sleep, did not interest him.
What interested him was the change within.
"Excellent."
The corners of Raykas's mouth curled upward.
He could feel that the power contained within his body had increased explosively, just as much as his enlarged frame.
It was thanks to completely absorbing the crystal containing Krasias's remnant will.
He felt at least two or three times stronger than before.
The power and mana overflowing within him resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption.
It was truly a tremendous transformation.
He liked this dramatic change so much that the smile on his lips refused to fade.
"So this is the kind of power Krasias possessed?"
The one being Raykas had feared.
Krasias, who had witnessed both the beginning and the end of Kurayan.
Though incomplete, Raykas could now roughly grasp just how much power Krasias had once possessed.
"Once I absorb the crystal Nigel possesses, I shall be reborn as an existence beyond even Krasias."
If he had his way, he would leave the Tower of Chaos immediately and go search for Nigel.
But he could not do that yet.
He needed time to adapt to his transformed body.
Not only that, but he also had to stabilize the surging power and mana within him.
Since he had already successfully absorbed Krasias's crystal, stabilization would not take long.
"No matter where you hide, I will find you, Nigel."
Quietly speaking Nigel's name, Raykas closed his eyes once more.
---
"Mmm..."
With a faint sigh, Nigel opened his eyes.
His expression was far from bright.
The wounds Raykas had inflicted were slow to heal.
His external injuries had mostly recovered.
The shattered scales had regrown, and his torn muscles had fully healed.
The problem lay inside.
The damage caused by Raykas's Authority of Chaos remained slow to recover, even with the aid of the recovery magic circle.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a long breath, Nigel rose to his feet.
He left the basement and went upstairs.
In the living room, Tesserina was deeply engrossed in something.
What held her attention was a small jewel.
As a half-dragon himself, Nigel immediately recognized that the tiny jewel was no ordinary item.
"That seems to contain quite a powerful force."
"Oh! When did you come out?"
"Where did you get it?"
"It's an item that came from a monster called a Behemoth. We call it a Teleport Gem."
"Teleport Gem? Is it related to the portal installed in Neo Seoul?"
"Yes! If this Teleport Gem is activated, a portal like that is created."
"Interesting. Even for dragons, magic related to space is not something easily encountered."
In his true dragon form, he would not have needed a portal to teleport.
As long as he knew the coordinates.
For a dragon, with mana approaching infinity and a mind comparable to a supercomputer, it was not difficult.
However, permanently maintaining a portal like the Teleport Gem and transporting countless people and supplies through it was not easy.
Of course, if he studied it thoroughly, he might one day reproduce something similar.
But for now, it was impossible.
"Are you researching spatial transportation magic? If you wish, I could pass on the knowledge I possess."
"It's not for my sake."
"Then?"
"Actually..."
Tesserina explained about the man named Damho.
Nigel listened carefully to every word.
"Interesting."
"So... do you believe what he said, Lord Nigel?"
"I cannot say for certain since I have not met him myself, but it is certain that worlds other than this one exist. Haven't you sensed it yourself to some extent?"
At Nigel's words, Tesserina nodded.
Not now, but when she had still possessed her true body, she too had sensed the wall separating space.
She had also vaguely felt that another world existed beyond that divided space.
However, unlike Nigel, her abilities had not been great enough to perceive what kind of world lay beyond it.
Of course, even Nigel did not know what world existed beyond the wall of space.
Only Krasias had been capable of such a thing.
It was because he possessed such overwhelming power that he had discovered Earth and attempted to forcibly terraform it.
Nigel spoke.
"If that man truly passed through several different worlds, then he must be an extraordinary powerhouse."
At that moment, Tesserina felt a strange sense of unease.
It seemed as though Nigel was wary of the man called Damho.
Carefully, she asked,
"Is he someone even you would be cautious of, Lord Nigel?"
"Even we would never have crossed the wall of space and arrived safely on Earth without Lord Krasias. If he truly experienced several worlds for whatever reason, then he must have crossed that many walls of space as well. If he remained unharmed after crossing so many, then he is certainly no ordinary existence. He may even possess power comparable to ours."
"Is it possible for a human to be granted such Authority?"
"Look at Zeon. Every so often, there are beings who exist beyond rules and limits."
"Hmm..."
Tesserina frowned.
She did not want to admit it, but Nigel was right.
From time to time, there were beings that defied all standards.
There was no reason Damho could not be one of them.
Nigel asked,
"So what he wants is to return to his homeland?"
"Yes! He seemed desperate. That's why I'm researching the Teleport Gem. I'm hoping it might contain a clue to crossing the barriers of space-time."
"How fascinating. Would you allow me to help?"
"Huh? You, Lord Nigel?"
Tesserina's eyes widened.
Nigel was a dragon who had lived incomparably longer than she had.
Naturally, the knowledge he possessed far surpassed hers.
If Nigel helped, the pace of their research into space-time would increase tremendously.
The only question was why.
"But do you really have time to help with my research? Your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
"The recovery magic circle has reached its limit. The rest must be left to time. Rather than waste that time meaninglessly, it is better to do something. Who knows? While researching the Teleport Gem, we might discover new magic, or a clue to killing Raykas."
"Ah!"
Tesserina let out a soft exclamation.
There was some truth to his words.
Magic related to space-time was a forbidden domain, taboo even among dragons.
Studying it could allow them to perceive magic and the flow of mana from an entirely different perspective.
In fact, Tesserina herself had greatly improved her magical ability compared to before.
Though not to the level of her true body, even in her current body she could now cast high-level magic without difficulty.
Tesserina said,
"If you work with me, Lord Nigel, it would be an honor."
"Thank you for thinking so."
Smiling, Nigel brought over a chair and sat beside Tesserina.
Had it been an ordinary chair, it would have shattered the moment Nigel's massive body sat on it.
Fortunately, every piece of furniture here had been reinforced with Tesserina's enhancement magic.
Thanks to that, even someone as huge as Nigel could sit without breaking it.
Seated in the chair, Nigel spoke.
"We do not have much time. If we are to uncover the secret of this Teleport Gem, we must use our minds to their fullest."
"I already am."
"Really?"
"Yes! Even now, my brain is overloaded."
"Then with both of us working together, our progress should be faster."
Though he had become a half-dragon, his intellect and accumulated knowledge remained unchanged.
"First, let me explain everything I've discovered about the Teleport Gem so far. The Teleport Gem..."
Tesserina shared without reservation everything she had uncovered through her research.
While examining the Teleport Gem with his eyes, Nigel listened carefully, not missing a single word.
I don't have much time. Raykas will surely find me and come here. Before that happens, I have to find a way to kill him.
Even now, time was slipping away rapidly.
Unfortunately, time was not on his side.
The more time passed, the more unfavorable the situation became for both him and Neo Seoul.
Before long, Raykas would undoubtedly find him and come here.
Even so, he had no intention of fleeing out of fear.
He was a dragon.
The Black Dragon, the one who had possessed the greatest power.
Though he had become a half-dragon, he had not lost the pride of a dragon.
He would face Raykas head-on without running.
To do that, he needed a new means.
Nigel saw a glimmer of possibility in the Teleport Gem.
Pushing his mind to its limits, he began unraveling the secrets of the Teleport Gem.
And so, time flowed swiftly for the two dragons.