Chapter 136

Chapter 136 As Demian explained, he gazed up at the rock standing tall at the center of the mountain peak. It towered akin to a pillar or horn, exuding the raw grandeur of nature. However, Demian hadn’t directed his attention there just to admire the rock.

“Leonard,” Demian called suddenly.

“Yes?” Leonard responded promptly.

“How well have you mastered the Dragon Eye? You could already use penetrating sight and super-speed before I taught you, so distinguishing truth from falsehood shouldn’t be too difficult for you.”

“I managed to activate it, but I haven’t had a chance to test it on any subjects or situations.”

This was knowledge Leonard had gleaned from the book describing the Dragon Blood Awakening. The Dragon Eye could see anything, depending on the user’s capability, and this included discerning truth from lies.

“There should be a training facility in the Forest of Swords for illusion magic... but I suppose you haven’t had the time or leisure to use it, given you were focused on recovering from those internal injuries.”

Demian dismissed the matter and continued, “Activate your Dragon Eye and observe that rock.”

Leonard swiftly complied; his crimson iris split, expanding his vision. This was different from penetrating sight or thermal detection. It was the True Sight, capable of distinguishing between truth and lie.

The Dragon Eye’s ability to detect the truth was sought after by intelligence organizations, but that was merely one of its many abilities. Aside from detecting lies, the Dragon Eye could also see through illusion magic and stealth abilities, granting almost complete immunity to any mental influences. It was, quite literally, an overpowered ability.

As expected.

With his altered vision, the world became translucent, like a colorless painting, with one area distorted in shape and color, right where the rock Demian had pointed out was located.

The magic was so advanced that even perceiving the flow of energy wouldn’t reveal it. It was a combination of illusion and barrier magic that not only didn’t interfere with each other but actually amplified each other’s effects. It would feel like a real rock to the touch, and it could distort the perception of anyone trying to enter.

But for Leonard, who could discern reality, it had no significant effect.

“Here it is,” Leonard said, placing his hand on a specific spot. With that, the rock melted away akin to a mirage, revealing the entrance to the cave.

“Do you know how long it took me to complete that spell?” the Wickeline mage grumbled, unable to contain his frustration. “Does it make sense for it to be nullified by good eyesight? That damned Dragon Eye.”

“You’re trying to fool the eyes of a dragon, a master of all magic. You should be happy it even held up for a moment.”

“Hah.” S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Originally, dragons were World Guardians, capable of controlling the order of the world with a single word. No matter how advanced an Archmage was, without reaching the realm of the gods, they would never surpass a dragon. Although it was frustrating, Demian was right.

“Wait around here. We’ll try to finish this as quickly as possible.”

Leaving the disgruntled mage behind, Leonard and Demian ventured into the cave. Leonard’s eyebrows twitched just a few steps in as a deep sense of unease washed over him.

It’s much larger and wider inside than it seemed from the outside. I’m not sensing any magic, but the space is distorted?

Not even the Dragon Eye could discern what was causing this, suggesting that an ancient artifact or other inexplicable anomaly was at play.

Demian, walking ahead, explained, “Void Deities originate from a higher plane of existence, so their mere presence in the physical world distorts the surrounding area, transforming it into their domain. This phenomenon is known as Divine Territory.”

The gods used to govern all natural phenomena and areas of life. Rain from the sky and crops growing on land—everything came about from the god’s grace or wrath. When the God of Fertility smiled, the fields turned golden; when the God of Drought roared, the land became arid.

The gods could significantly alter the laws of the world with every move. In that sense, the Divine Territory was similar.

“Tyr of the Aesir gods, the Void Deity we’re dealing with this time, manifests an environment resembling Asgard in his territory. It maximizes his powers as the owner of the Divine Territory and allows him to summon his followers and servant races.

Unlike ancient gods, Void Deities could only fully wield their power within their Divine Territory. Outside its bounds, they grew weaker and could even become unstable to the point of dissolution. However, within the Divine Territory, they were formidable enemies.

“Whoa!” Leonard exclaimed upon entering the Divine Territory, passing through a spatial pathway that was distorted by an unknown force.

Anyone would have reacted the same way. A utopia unfolded before his eyes, reminiscent of a new world. A rainbow bridge stretched beyond the horizon; the ground was made of clouds, and fortresses and towers built from precious metals lined the landscape.

It was truly a place befitting a god’s palace.

“Everyone reacts like that the first time they see Asgard,” Demian chuckled, but his eyes didn’t miss the glimmering gold and silver roofs in the distance.

They found themselves in one of Asgard’s twelve fortresses, belonging to Forseti, the God of Law. Tyr was a God of War and Law, and it often manifested Glitnir, the fortress of law, as its Divine Territory.

“Here they come. They’ve sensed our presence.”

Both of them noticed the enemies advancing from Glitnir without needing to say it out loud. Einherjar, warriors who worshiped the Aesir gods, charged toward them. Their helmets bore horns, their armors were made of animal hides, and they used axes and hammers as their weapons. Each warrior was as strong as a high-degree External Force Tier warrior, their eyes gleaming with a thirst for battle.

The Einherjar charged with relentless force, their battle cries seemingly shaking the skies. There were at least hundreds of them, perhaps over a thousand.

This is going to be troublesome.

Though not a dire threat, the Einherjar couldn’t be ignored. Maintaining an augmented energy shield would just be a waste of internal energy, and even a moment’s distraction could be fatal in a battle between demigod-level warriors.

Leonard drew his sword and circulated his internal energy.

Crackle! Crackle!

A vast amount of blue, lightning-like energy surged forth, coiling around Leonard’s sword in the shape of a dragon. The dragon majestically raised its long head.

For sweeping away numerous enemies from a distance, there was nothing more convenient than augmented qi techniques. Within seconds, the sword rumbled like thunder, at which Leonard swung it downward.

Five Elements Style

Azure Dragon Thirty-Sixth Form

Surge of the Dragon King

With the slash, a dragon burst forth from the blade, roaring ferociously.

ROAAARRR!!

Despite not fearing death, the crazed warriors froze in place. The roar was terrifyingly intimidating; it was just like a tiger paralyzing its prey with a roar. The blue lightning dragon crashed down on the Einherjar, who had collapsed mid-charge.

Demian whistled in admiration. “Wow, that’s quite a spectacle.”

The shockwave from the Surge of the Dragon King sent dozens of Einherjar flying in pieces, while those at the center were vaporized, leaving only charred remnants behind. Nearly a hundred died instantly.

However, Leonard noted, “They don’t seem to lose their fighting spirit. It’s like they’re on some kind of drug.” He clicked his tongue as he saw the Einherjar charge again.

Demian responded with a matter-of-fact expression, “Those creatures used to be crazed warriors when they were alive, living solely for the sake of battle. But that’s not all. Take a look toward the fortress.”

“What?”

Leonard turned to look at Glitnir, and his face went blank.

“...No way!”

“Yup. It’s exactly what you think.”

About a hundred Einherjar emerged from the fortress, joining the battle once again. It seemed that those killed by the Surge of the Dragon King had instantly come back to life.

“Einherjar fought and died every morning, only to be resurrected by evening to enjoy a feast, ready to fight again the next day,” Demian explained. “Within the Divine Territory, they can come back to life again and again.”

“Then how are we going to deal with that?”

“Normally, our members would immobilize them by cutting off their limbs or binding them in a state where they can’t die. But with me here, it’s different. Although tenacious, those small fry are powerless against a commander.”

By this point, the Einherjar had closed the distance to a few kilometers and were nearly upon them. Demian, the White Dragon Commander, faced their charge head-on and delivered a single horizontal slash.

And then—

There was nothing left.

“...?”

Leonard blinked in disbelief. Not a single Einherjar reappeared; hundreds of berserkers had vanished in an instant. They hadn’t been killed or annihilated; rather, it was a strange phenomenon that sent chills down Leonard’s spine. Not only those who had approached but even the ones who had been revived earlier were completely gone.

“Leonard, let me ask you something.” As Demian sheathed his sword, he said, “Is the image reflected in a mirror real or an illusion?”

Leonard, puzzled by the sudden question, answered, “An illusion, I suppose.”

“Well, I see it a bit differently. The reflection in a mirror exists because there is a real object to reflect. Just like a mirage in the desert proves there’s something there, the real and the illusion can be controlled by a single mirror surface.”

Leonard pondered this seemingly philosophical statement, then his pupils contracted.

“...Commander Demian, is it what I think it is?” Leonard asked in a shaky voice. It was too surreal to say out loud, so he sought confirmation. Even after sparring with Demian and being struck by the Red Dragon Commander’s heart sword, this felt unimaginable to him.

A power that governed reality and illusions!

“Well, you’re not far off,” Demian confirmed casually. “Even if they’re immortal, the Einherjar are wraiths whose existence is bound to the Divine Territory. So, I made them non-existent. Strictly speaking, they’re not dead, so they can’t be resurrected.”

“Did they disappear permanently?”

“Unless I reverse it, yes. Those turned into illusions can’t re-materialize on their own.”

In that moment, Leonard understood the true extent of a demigod-level warrior’s power. It wasn’t merely about speed or destructive power, but rather something on a completely different dimension—the realm of concepts.

Transcending the limits of mortals and altering the laws of the world like the ancient gods, demigod-level warriors were true to their name—beings who intruded into the realm of the divine.

“It may seem impressive, but it’s not omnipotent, so there is no need to make a big deal out of it,” Demian said nonchalantly. “The Einherjar are wraiths bound to the Divine Territory, neither truly alive nor dead, so it’s easy to erase them. Within the scope of my ability, goblins wandering the back mountains are harder to erase. It’s a thousand times easier to simply kill them.”

“Ah, does it work the same way with the Void Deities?”

“You’re quick to catch on. While I can’t erase them instantly like the Einherjar, I can critically wound them and then erase them.”

The Seven Great Orders of Cardenas, both the main force and the symbol of the family, each had unique adversaries. Consequently, each commander possessed a unique trait to effectively annihilate their respective enemies.

The Blue Dragon Commander needed abilities for flight and wide-area firepower against the Celestials, while the Black Dragon Commander needed raw destructive power against the Demoniacs.

Among them, the White Dragon Commander, who faced the Void Deities, had a particularly special role.

“A wielder of an ability to erase immortality. That’s the one and only requirement to become the White Dragon Commander.”

A swordsman who could reverse existence and nothingness, one who could erase even the Void Deities—capable of slaying even the immortal and eternal gods, Demian was the one worthy of being the White Dragon Commander.