Chapter 123: A world in ruins

Chapter 123: A world in ruins

It looked as if it were alive.

The red scales glistened with vitality, and the muscles appeared ready to move at any moment. However, for some reason, its eyes seemed unfocused, as if it were in a daze.

'Is it alive?' I wondered, approaching slowly. Why was Krivmaher here? What could possibly require this overwhelming display of power?

The intense aura around us seemed to be the result of an exceptional concentration of mana. It made it challenging to see clearly.

'Could it be a Dragon Heart?'

It was a legendary item that had been mentioned in tales. A Dragon Heart was said to be an unparalleled source of mana, an engine that no magical technology could replicate.

However, I couldn't understand why the Dragon Heart seemed to be active. It appeared to be dormant, but it was doing something.

'What is it doing?'

It seemed to be doing something that required a tremendous amount of mana.

'Could it be related to the dungeon core?'

There was no way a Dragon Heart could create a permanent time loop like this, but was there some connection?

As I pondered these questions, I couldn't afford to get lost in thought any longer. A familiar sound interrupted my thoughts.

-Gooo...

The black smoke, now gathering outside, was approaching us. It felt like an overwhelming wave of darkness.

"Am I trapped here forever?" I mumbled, realizing that leaving the city was no longer an option.

It was difficult to imagine that a Dragon Heart could create such a permanent time loop. However, with the current situation, I couldn't help but think about it.

The relentless black smoke moved closer, making it difficult to think about anything else. It seemed that Krivmaher was pulling the black smoke towards itself.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing."

The Dragon Heart was undoubtedly a treasure, but escaping from this situation was my top priority.

I charged forward. If I could destroy the Dragon Heart, perhaps something would change.

I felt a mix of anxiety and determination as I rushed towards the massive dragon. My sword cut through the air, aiming for the Dragon Heart.

Quadduk!

However, I underestimated the dragon's defenses. Despite my best efforts, the sword failed to penetrate the dragon's scales.

Before I could react, the black wave of smoke engulfed me, and I was swept away.

.

.

.

.

"Give it back!"

"No way! Try to take it from me!"

I awoke to the sound of children's voices arguing.

I still felt a bit queasy from the nightmare, but there was no time to dwell on it.

'I need to find Luna,' I thought. I had to find Evan too. After spending so much time together, even Evan didn't feel like an enemy anymore.

Now he felt like a comrade.

I had to find them, especially Luna.

I dashed forward without hesitation.

I had agreed to meet Luna and Evan at the temple, but I needed to tell them about my experiences before that.

"Luna! Evan!"

I shouted their names as I ran.

People around me stared at me as if I were crazy, but I didn't care.

After calling their names for a while, I spotted Luna flying in the distance.

"Friend."

Unlike our first encounter, Luna looked puzzled when she saw me.

"What's wrong?"

"But why doesn't he try to stop us?" I wondered aloud.

The surprising thing was that even while watching Evan, Berial didn't take any particular action.

Did he sense a crisis and act differently from before?

However, the answer came shortly.

Kwaaaah!

A powerful surge of mana.

It was a tremendous force that could hardly be considered human strength.

"Wow..."

"How?"

While listening to Luna's admiration, they watched as the temple crumbled.

The enormous form of the Red Dragon still had a blurry focus, surrounded by mana.

'Could that also be Berial's power?'

Upon closer inspection, black tendrils seemed to be adhering to the dragon's body.

It looked as if the black tendrils were controlling Krivmaher, and that was soon revealed to be the truth.

"You shall forever be trapped in nightmares! This is the mercy of Lethe!"

As if it had become night, the sky turned pitch black.

And the priests who had been around naturally transformed into black smoke, following Berial's command as the sunlight disappeared.

I don't know what principle this is, but for now, it's time to take down the enemies before us.

Uuuung.

My elite undead forces manifested beyond the void and materialized on this land.

To my left and right were Nickel and Timur, and the colossal Ludo appeared behind me, while Mirenae flew playfully around.

-%!@@!!

Clang!

A creature that had transformed into a furry, two-legged beast from the statue lunged at Nickel.

Nickel also displayed hostility toward the creature, as if sensing something.

"This is amazing."

"Eve."

From the beginning, Luna sensed something unusual and immediately unleashed her power.

Eve Millennium, who had taken control of Luna's body, looked around and smiled before speaking to me.

"I think I should block this way, don't you think?"

In the direction she pointed, a massive amount of black smoke was gathering.

It would be unreasonable to fight while trying to avoid those.

Perhaps in this situation, the most troublesome enemies were the black smoke entities.

"Please."

"Well, I guess I should do at least this much to save face."

Although she was speaking to me, her gaze was directed towards Evan, who was fighting far away.

The emotions in her eyes seemed complex.

'Is there something else I don't know?'

A slight curiosity crossed my mind, but now was not the time for that.

My undead minions were already rushing toward the monster that appeared to be about 3 meters tall.

'Destroy them all.'

I raised my sword after giving the command for the undead to leap forward freely.

I don't know what that monster is.

But I can't let it block my path.