Chapter 134

Chapter 134 Following his temporary induction into the Order of the White Dragon was decided, Leonard left the Hall of Dragons and was immediately assigned an empty tower in the Forest of Swords for his residence.

Despite not being used for years, the interior was well-maintained, and he could use it right away after unpacking his few belongings. The tower had everything he needed, from convenient facilities to a training area in the basement—more than enough for one person.

There was also a training room on the top floor of the tower.

“Haa...”

Leonard sat cross-legged at the center of the training room, breathing deeply, with each inhalation and exhalation seeming to take nearly an hour.

He had been meditating continuously from dawn until dusk, and by the time the next day’s dawn broke, he finally opened his eyes. He had completely healed his internal injuries by circulating his energy.

The sheer force is incredible. It took three days to fully heal from an attack that wasn’t even executed properly.

Leonard sighed deeply, having fully recovered from the internal injuries caused by the heart sword of Wade, the Red Dragon Commander.

It couldn’t be helped. Wade hadn’t meant to kill or injure Leonard. Rather, he was caught off guard by Leonard’s Life and Death Sword and struck back reflexively, inadvertently inflicting internal injuries on Leonard. It was like a frog getting struck by a stone thrown without malice.

Even though Leonard had surpassed his former self by defeating the heart devil and breaking through to the Transcendence Tier, there were still many formidable challenges ahead.

Still, it wasn’t without gain.

Why did martial artists crave life-and-death battles with stronger opponents? It was because surviving such encounters provided invaluable experience and growth. In addition to the injuries, Wade’s heart sword had also given Leonard new insights. The breath unleashed by the fire dragon had burned through Leonard’s Mindscape and filled it with fire energy.

The level of the Southern God Style has deepened.

If measured, it would be about a one-star improvement. Leonard, who had already taken a step beyond the threshold of the Transcendence Tier, found it difficult to grow further, but Wade’s heart sword had made it possible. However, this was not something that could be repeated again and again. After all, it was fortunate that Leonard had walked away with only those internal injuries. There would have been long-term repercussions if he had suffered more damage.

“...Dragon Heart.”

Leonard closed his eyes and looked within himself. In response to his gaze, a five-colored bead in his heart emitted a brilliant light.

The Dragon Heart was an extraordinary organ, a privilege granted by the Cardenas bloodline, emerging from the Dragon Blood Awakening. It had absorbed all the fire energy unleashed by Wade’s heart sword, accelerating Leonard’s recovery. As a result, the proportion of red energy seemed slightly higher than usual.

If I absorb too much of a single attribute at once, it might disrupt the balance. I need to be careful.

Of course, Leonard would be fine if he took the time to circulate his energy and restore the balance, but if it collapsed during battle, he would explode from within. With this thought, Leonard stood up.

Before he realized it, the day of the Void Deity subjugation mission with Demian, the White Dragon Commander, was almost upon him. He needed to finish up his tasks and studies white at the family estate before he went on the mission the next day.

Leonard looked out from the window of the training room, gazing at the Forest of Swords and the distant training grounds. He recalled the news about the trainees he had heard just the other day.

“No. 1, William, having quickly risen from squire to bachelor, continues to showcase his talent and aims to join the Order of the Red Dragon.”

“No. 2, Belita, showing signs of awakening the Dragon Eyes, has attracted attention from the main family. If she awakens, the Cardenas family will have five Dragon Eye bearers.”

“No. 4, Dillon, among the three direct descendants, was the fastest to be scouted by one of the Seven Great Orders, the Order of the Blue Dragon. Apparently, a unique aptitude is required in order to become a Blue Dragon Knight.”

Lastly, recalling No. 3, Heather, Leonard couldn’t help but chuckle.

“A Wolf Knight, huh?”

Surprisingly, Heather had the most tumultuous story among the four.

From her training days, she stood out by not focusing solely on swordsmanship. Somehow, she received an offer from the Wickeline family and became a magic swordswoman. Unlike the three direct descendants, she possessed no special traits or superhuman abilities, making magic a good choice for her.

However, when she returned home after completing several missions, the wolf she had taken on as a spiritual beast had grown too large to handle.

“I’ll take it with me.”

The wolf, which had become so large and strong that it scared off even veteran knights, was surprisingly docile with Heather, perhaps due to the strong bond they had developed during field training.

Just like that, Heather had quickly risen to prominence as the wolf-riding female knight.

“I’m glad things turned out that way. It would’ve been a shame if they’d put the wolf down.”

The downside was that all four of them had drifted away from the main family, making it difficult to see them. Leonard would have to wait several months to meet them again.

Rustle...

Recalling his four peers, Leonard picked up a book he had laid out on the desk. It was a classified family book detailing the traits and implications of Dragon Blood Awakening.

Naturally, the majority of the content focused on low-grade traits, like the blood and the bones, while the sections covering the eyes and the heart were the shortest. Though the Dragon Eye had brief notes from previous users, the Dragon Heart was merely mentioned without any information.

To properly understand and use the Dragon Heart, Leonard had no choice but to learn directly from the family head.

Well, even the know-how on the Dragon Eye is significant knowledge.

As Leonard tested the Dragon Eye techniques recorded in the book, he realized why it was classified as a high-grade trait of the Dragon Blood Awakening.

“Oh?”

Without much thought, he swung his sword, and the light pouring through the window was suddenly cut off and then reformed. Such a strike should have been physically impossible, and yet Leonard had managed it without being at the Demigod Tier.

It was clear why Dragon Eye users were given special treatment. They could perceive boundaries of heat or power, and even waves invisible to human eyes. As the user advanced in Tiers, the Dragon Eye would also evolve. After reaching the Demigod Tier, it might even be possible to perceive the flow of causality and spacetime.

I might have even been able to counter Heaven’s Annihilation on the first encounter.

More than anything, being able to see it meant intervention was possible. Upon reaching the realm of mental martial arts, one could cut through the limits imposed by their perception and imagination.

This makes me even more curious about why the Arcadian Empire didn’t conquer the world. What roles do the other two Noble Houses, Wickeline and Jehoia, play?

Even the entities that the Order of the White Dragon was in charge of, the Void Deities, were unknown outside the family. Leonard couldn’t comprehend why the Arcadian Empire undertook the mission to protect the world while gaining the support of the Three Noble Houses. To uncover the full truth, it seemed he would need to rise much higher in rank.

Perhaps I need to become at least a commander of one of the Seven Great Orders?

Realizing he couldn’t answer those questions for the time being, Leonard cleared his mind and took out a confidential document, putting aside the Dragon Blood Awakening book.

The document contained detailed information about the enemy he would face the following day with Demian: the Void Deities. It included an explanation starting from the basics, perhaps to make up for Leonard’s lack of prior knowledge.

「A Void Deity can be defined as the relic of a deity—a transcendental being of ancient times, revived with a portion of the deity’s immortality and power.

The danger level ranges from the Transcendence Tier to the Demigod Tier. If left unchecked, there is a significant possibility the Void Deity will regain its former power.

Void Deities, having lost their divinity, heavily rely on their worshippers and their notoriety in order to keep existing. The more people who serve, fear, or simply know about them, the more strength they regain. Eliminating worshippers and erasing knowledge of them makes subduing the Void Deities easier.

Hereafter, the classification of Deities from ancient times and the notable Void Deities from each deity pantheon will be described.」

The document literally dealt with Supernatural Chaotic Gods. The more people served, feared, or knew about them, the stronger they became?

This part is even more troublesome than the Outer Gods.

After reading this document, Leonard surmised why the Arcadian Empire and the Cardenas family kept their activities hidden. Public awareness of this enemy could increase its danger. It was unclear whether this only applied to Void Deities or also to Celestials and Demoniacs.

Having meticulously analyzed the contents of the document, Leonard moved on to the summary of the Void Deities that the Order of the White Dragon had either subjugated or discovered and recorded. The target of the upcoming subjugation mission was among them.

“The One-Armed Sword God, Tyr,” Leonard mumbled the name out loud.

It belonged to the Aesir pantheon, with numerous records of subjugation attempts. Though his divinity wasn’t the highest, it wasn’t low either. Demian had chosen a suitable opponent for a trial mission.

Knock knock.

At that moment, Leonard heard the visitor at the entrance of the tower. He swiftly left his training room, jumped down the spiral staircase without using the steps, and landed gracefully to greet the guest.

Leonard had never met this man before, but his attire revealed his affiliation with the Order of the Red Dragon.

“Greetings. I’m Leonard. And you are...?”

The knight in the Order of the Red Dragon’s attire politely handed over a box.

“I am Joel from the Order of the Red Dragon. This is a gift sent by our commander as an apology.”

“Ah, please convey my thanks to Commander Wade.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave now.”

Joel remained courteous until the moment he turned away, likely due to Leonard’s reputation and skill.

Leonard returned to the training room with the box in a few strides and carefully placed it down. Though he doubted someone like the Red Dragon Commander would act petty, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

After thoroughly checking the box with his mana senses and Dragon Eyes and finding nothing suspicious, Leonard unlocked the box and opened it.

“...A dagger?”

There was no sheath, and the dagger, wrapped in luxurious cloth, was gilded from the hilt to the blade. It clearly looked like a decorative piece. While it was undoubtedly a valuable item, a Demigod Tier swordsman wouldn’t gift something like this to a Transcendence Tier swordsman. There was no reason for them to exchange gold or treasures. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Therefore, the significance likely lay in the meaning behind the gift rather than the dagger itself.

“I should ask Commander Demian about this.”