Chapter 129

Chapter 129 The White Dragon Commander—Leonard froze upon encountering such a prominent figure but soon regained his composure and let go of his sword. Once the tension between the two subsided, the oppressive atmosphere dissipated.

The supervising mage lay on the floor, foaming at the mouth. Despite being a respectable Class 5 mage, the overwhelming aura and killing intent—though not directed at him—had rendered him unconscious.

“This is quite shocking,” muttered Fabian, Commander of the Order of the Fledgling Dragon, who stepped out from behind Demian, unable to believe his eyes.

“I thought you were a genius who might become a commander within thirty years, but to reach the Transcendence Tier in less than three years? Even for the Cardenas family, your growth rate is unprecedented. ”

“Well, I ascended to the Transcendence Tier in my early twenties. Even those before me who did so in their teens were usually eighteen or nineteen.”

Achieving the Transcendence Tier before thirty was exceedingly rare, almost impossible, but within the House of Cardenas, it was another story. The commanders of the Seven Great Orders and their subordinates often reached the Transcendence Tier in their twenties.

Of course, most did so in their late twenties, just before turning thirty. In any case, this was the bare minimum for those who were considered the main forces within the Seven Great Orders.

...This truly is an incredible family, Leonard mused, realizing the stark difference between the outside world and the standards of the House of Cardenas. Masters, individuals capable of ruling large territories, were rather common in this family. Moreover, to truly grasp the might of the Cardenas bloodline, one had to surpass the Transcendence Tier.

Demian and Fabian weren’t surprised by Leonard’s achievement of reaching the Transcendence Tier, but by the young age at which he had managed that.

“Hmm?”

It was then that Demian, the white-haired man, suddenly leaned in close to Leonard’s face. At this proximity, Leonard could have inflicted a serious injury despite being weaker, but Demian was composed, showing no signs of hesitation. It was as if he could fully gauge Leonard’s true power, unlike Fabian.

“No matter how I look at you, it’s amazing. How long has it been since you reached the Transcendence Tier? Not even half a year, right?”

“Just over three months.”

“As I thought.”

Leonard realized, as their eyes met, that they shared something unique.

Dragon Eyes?!

Their pupils were sharply slit, revealing the insight to perceive the world order. As Leonard grasped this, Demian’s eyes widened slightly, as though he had been waiting for this reaction from Leonard.

“Oh, you’re aware of it? Not only did you awaken the Dragon Eyes, but it also seems complete. The eyes and heart are considered top-tier among the traits of Dragon Blood Awakening. Hah, those from the Direct Bloodline Supremacy Faction will lose their minds over this.”

“Dragon Blood Awakening?! Are you saying Leonard has already completely awakened his traits?” Fabian, who had been watching cautiously, couldn’t contain his excitement.

It seemed the House of Cardenas still held many secrets Leonard was unaware of.

Demian nodded affirmatively and turned to Leonard. “This is probably all new to you, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to explain everything here, but this isn’t the place. Let’s wake the mage up and head back to the family estate. We’ve unwittingly caused trouble.”

Everything else happened quickly.

With Demian at the center, being one of the commanders of the Seven Great Orders and the representative figure of the Cardenas family, the three lined up in front of the spatial portal. The mage, understanding the gravity of the situation, opened the spatial portal with the fastest and most precise movements of his entire career.

As the Cardenas swordsmen vanished through the portal, the mage collapsed into his chair, visibly shaken. He was a man with a frail heart, and those guests had been way too intense for him. After taking a few moments in front of the communication crystal to compose himself, he pondered over the report he would have to submit.

“...How do I even report this?”

The sudden visit from the White Dragon Commander and the return of an unknown member of the Cardenas lineage were significant events. Any mistake in his report could have severe consequences. The mage, feeling the strain already, wondered if it was time to find a new job.

* * *

After passing through two or three more spatial portals, just like when coming from Atlantis, they arrived somewhere within the Cardenas estate. The portal vibrated fiercely as they emerged, and Leonard blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar surroundings.

It was a different location from the one he had used when traveling to the Galapagos Island.

“There are more than ten spatial portals within the Cardenas estate. It’s only natural you don’t know them all,” explained Demian, walking ahead.

“Let’s move slowly from here. There’s a lot to discuss, and it’ll feel nice to take in the sights of our home after being away for such a long time.”

“Alright,” Leonard replied.

“Fabian, are you coming along?” S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I’ve already canceled today's schedule, so I’ll accompany you.”

The trio, consisting of one Demigod Tier knight and two Transcendence Tier knights, set off. It was a strange group indeed for something like a stroll.

“Where did we leave off? Ah, yes. The Dragon Blood Awakening,” Demian remarked, drawing Leonard’s full attention.

There was bound to be some extraordinary revelation within the secrets of the Cardenas family or their bloodline. Even though Leonard had yet to unlock even half of the abilities, the Dragon Eyes alone were beyond what a martial artist could conceive.

Noticing Leonard’s keen interest, Demian smirked and began to explain, “Given your talents, you must have noticed by now. Our Cardenas bloodline is mixed with something other than human. Our exceptional physical abilities, mana affinity, and even the phenomenon of Ancestral Regression that can be experienced after reaching the Transcendence Tier confirms this.”

“Ancestral Regression?”

“It’s when traits from distant ancestors reemerge in later generations. It’s also known as Ancestral Return, but the term itself isn’t that important.”

Normally, this would manifest as differences in hair color, skin tone, height, or build from one’s parents. However, at the pinnacle of the Cardenas bloodline were beings that transcended humanity—Dragons, the World Guardians created by the gods.

“Surviving even after being caught up in the rampage effect of Mass Teleport and breaking through to the Transcendence Tier at your age... It would be strange if your identity wasn’t questioned.”

“...So that’s why you’ve come, right, Commander?”

“That’s right. There have been quite a few who tried to infiltrate the Cardenas family by possessing the body of a blood relative. Despite only being at the Transcendence Tier, there were a few Outer God Worshippers we couldn’t suppress.”

Seeing Leonard’s tension at the thought, Demian chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

“If I had suspected your identity, would I have brought you to the main house? I would have cut you down right there. The reason my suspicions vanished is directly related to what I just mentioned.”

“Dragon Blood Awakening...”

“Exactly. Even if they managed to kill you and take over your body, they wouldn’t be able to replicate a dragon’s traits.”

Before long, the three of them left the deserted area behind and reached a place filled with the clashing sounds of metal and people.

“You could mimic a dragon’s blood, scales, and bones, but the eyes and the heart? Those can’t be replicated. If they could, the Cardenas family would have fallen long ago.”

Leonard, catching on to Demian's words, asked, “Are there many different traits manifested through Dragon Blood Awakening?”

“Not exactly. There are less than twenty, as far as I remember. Fabian, how many do you know?”

“In the records, there are fifteen confirmed traits. Currently, there are only ten known to exist,” Fabian explained in detail. “I’ll explain further.”

“The traits Commander Demian mentioned—blood, scales, bones, muscles, and tendons—are the most common. They start to show signs at the External Force Tier and fully manifest after breaking through to the Transcendence Tier. Though regarded as low-grade traits, they grant the bearer an incredible advantage over those who aren’t of Cardenas blood.”

“If there are low-grade traits, there must be intermediate and high-grade ones as well,” Leonard speculated.

“That’s right,” Fabian replied with a nod. “The intermediate traits include the lungs, which allow one to absorb large amounts of mana in a single breath, horns, which can concentrate or disperse mana, and wings, which the bearer can extend and retract at will. For reference, my traits are blood and lungs.”

Not fully understanding the implications, Leonard simply nodded and listened attentively.

Fabian continued, “The only high-grade trait is the eyes. You probably understand this one better than I do. Even in the present, there are only four Dragon Eye bearers in the Cardenas family, including you. They can see the flow of mana and even discern the formative principles of high-rank magic.”

“I see...”

“The final and highest-grade trait is the heart... But it’s difficult to explain due to its special nature. Historically, only the family heads have manifested this trait, and you might be the first collateral line descendant to do so.”

Understanding the implication, Leonard’s face hardened.

This is troublesome.

Awakening such a trait made Leonard a candidate for the family head. However, given he had no interest in power or status, this was merely a burden. An Archduke title? One of the top three titles of power in the Arcadian Empire? None of that mattered to him. Fortunately, neither Fabian nor Demian brought up this topic.

At last, they arrived at one of the numerous Cardenas training grounds.

“...Hey. Look over there.”

“Huh? What?”

“No way, could that person be...?”

The training ground, resonating with the clashes of swords and the cutting wind, instantly went silent, as the knights recognized Demian and Fabian. Whispers about Leonard, who accompanied the two commanders, mixed into the hush.

“Excuse us, but we'll be using the training ground for a bit. Please clear out.”

At Demian’s nonchalant command, the knights quickly retreated to the edges of the field, their gazes fixed on the training ground. Just like in murim, everyone in this world was eager to gain enlightenment from every move a master made.

Feeling nostalgic for the murim of his past life, Leonard stepped into the center of the training ground.

Watching him, Demian whistled cheerfully. “That’s fast. You’re eager for a match, aren't you?”

Drawing his sword, Leonard replied, “I’ve gained a lot of experience traveling the outside world, but I haven’t had the chance to face a Demigod Tier opponent.”

“The world is vast, but there’s nothing higher than Cardenas.”

It was a proud declaration of being part of the greatest sword family on the continent, one no one could argue with.

“Commander Demian.”

Before Demian could move to face Leonard, Fabian, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit, stepped forward.

Just as Demian was interested in Leonard, Fabian was also intrigued by the boy who had offered him a glimpse of enlightenment. In fact, he was losing his mind over this genius who had reached the Transcendence Tier and learned to command the sword of the heart at such a young age.

“Hooo, you wish to go first?”

“Please allow me.”

At that, Demian shrugged and stepped back. “Go ahead. It won’t take long anyway.”

Understanding the dynamics, Fabian put aside any distractions. Leonard, who had broken through to the Transcendence Tier at sixteen, was undoubtedly an extraordinary prodigy. Considering the monsters he had witnessed in the Cardenas family, Leonard was a formidable opponent for him even though they were at the same level.

With a swift motion, Fabian drew his sword, releasing an Aura Blade that unraveled into threads.

Combining the swift sword that had severed the limbs of the Fifth Shadow with this aura made even ordinary attacks deadly. Memories of that encounter played in Leonard’s mind, and he envisioned dozens of counter-sword techniques before letting them dissipate.

“Shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

Without further preamble, the two took a step forward, their swords clashing with the intensity of a real battle. Slashing at each other’s necks and thrusting at their hearts, their lethal strikes intersected with rapid succession.

Clang—!

The surrounding knights grew pale as they witnessed the sheer ferocity of the duel. Fragments of their clashing auras scattered everywhere, but Demian waved a hand to dissipate them before they could reach the bystanders.

After precisely thirty-two seconds of intense combat, the outcome was clear.

“...”

“...”

Looking down at the blade quivering near his throat, Fabian reflected on the match that had been decided in under a minute.

Had he given his all? Yes.

Had he used his full strength? While he hadn’t unleashed his deadliest techniques, the same was true for his opponent.

Could he win if they fought again?

As he pondered that final question, Fabian lowered his sword.

“I lost.”

Now understanding Demian’s earlier words, Fabian smiled bitterly.