Chapter 514

Chapter 514

Zeon’s eyes trembled.

Something unbelievable had happened before him.

The parasite he had struggled so desperately to pull out had been ruthlessly split apart.

The man’s sword had cleaved the parasite in a single stroke.

The problem was that the man’s blade had cut more than just the parasite.

Tesserina’s main body—her neck—had been severed cleanly in two.

Exactly the spot where Zeon had pulled the parasite out.

The only place on her body where the scales had been broken—that very section had been neatly sliced through.

Standing at the place where Tesserina’s neck had been cut was an old man clad in black armor.

In stark contrast to the armor, his pure white hair and eyebrows left a deep impression.

The scene was so unreal that Zeon’s mind froze for a moment. But he quickly regained his senses and glared at the old man.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Did I not help you?”

“You call this help? I pulled out only the parasite—why did you do this?”

“Heh heh! Did you truly believe that would save the dragon? Don’t be foolish. It was nothing more than a pointless effort.”

“What do you mean, pointless?”

“Does this thing look like an ordinary parasite to you?”

The old man stirred the crushed remains of the parasite with his massive sword. The parasite twitched, its tendrils writhing outward in all directions.

Astonishingly, it was not yet dead.

Digging even deeper into the parasite’s body, the old man continued.

“It is a creature that obtained a fragment imbued with the lingering will of Krasias. It is on a completely different level from ordinary parasites.”

“You know of Krasias as well?”

“A mere parasite absorbing a fragment of Krasias’s will and evolving… How fortunate must one be for such a thing to happen?”

The old man ignored Zeon’s question and spoke only what he wished.

That indifference reminded Zeon of someone he knew.

‘Dyoden.’

The strongest man Zeon had ever known.

The old man carried an aura similar to Dyoden’s.

Zeon noticed the ears peeking through the old man’s hair.

They were sharply pointed—nothing like a human’s.

“You’re an elf. Why would an elf kill a dragon?”

“Because there was no possibility.”

“Possibility of what?”

“Of survival.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know the defining trait of this parasite? The moment it infiltrates a host’s body, it lays eggs. You may not see it on the surface, but inside that dragon’s body, the eggs of this parasite are swarming.”

“And you know that how…?”

“How do I know? I simply do.”

The old man’s eyes glowed violet as he spoke.

“Don’t tell me you’re—”

“Heh heh! In any case, thanks to you, I was given an excellent opportunity to absorb the fragment.”

The old man lifted the greatsword he had used to tear into the parasite. Something was dragged up along with it.

A violet gemstone, still clinging with bits of flesh.

Zeon immediately recognized it.

A jewel imbued with the lingering will of Krasias.

The old man reached out and grasped the gemstone atop the blade.

Crack!

The jewel shattered, and violet energy was absorbed into the old man’s hand.

“Heh heh!”

In that instant, the light in the old man’s eyes grew even more intense.

Zeon frowned deeply as he stared at him.

‘Did he absorb Krasias’s lingering will?’

Perhaps because of that, the old man’s presence grew even more overwhelming. Yet he muttered in a dissatisfied tone.

“It wasn’t fully matured yet. Should I have waited until it completely took over the dragon? No—then I wouldn’t have obtained Krasias’s power this easily.”

“So you absorbed the jewel containing Krasias’s will and made it your own?”

“That’s right.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because it allows one to grow strong easily. If I can absorb all the jewels imbued with his will, I can become as strong as Krasias himself.”

“And does gaining strength that way have any meaning?”

“Strength itself is meaning, Sand Mage!”

“How did you know I was a Sand Mage?”

“Hmph! Did you not see? I absorbed Krasias’s will.”

“Then you absorbed the memories contained within it as well.”

“You’re perceptive. That’s correct.”

“Jewels imbued with Krasias’s will—crystals—grant power to their hosts while absorbing their experiences and memories. And those who possess such crystals can steal the crystals from other hosts.”

Zeon’s face hardened.

No one knew how many of Krasias’s crystals still existed in the world, but if things continued like this, someone might one day obtain all of Krasias’s power.

If someone monopolized the power of Krasias—a being stronger than a god—there could be nothing more terrifying.

‘Then is Nigel preventing that from happening?’

The half-dragon Nigel had merely collected Pilgram’s crystal—he had not absorbed it.

But the old man before him sought to grow stronger by absorbing crystals imbued with Krasias’s will.

At last, everything began to make sense.

It felt as though friend and foe were now clearly distinguished.

As though he could see what was happening beyond his sight.

‘Krasias scattered poison across Earth.’

No one knew how many beings had obtained Krasias’s crystals, but it was certain that chaos and disasters would only grow.

Zeon asked the old man,

“Do you know Lord Kalinan?”

Kalinan was the elf Zeon had killed.

“How do you know that name?”

“As an elf yourself, I suppose you’d know him.”

“Of course. He was the strongest elf since me.”

“Is your name Dantal?”

“Lion King Dantal. That is what they called me in El Harun.”

Pride filled Dantal’s voice.

He had been the greatest warrior of El Harun.

The one who transcended the limits of the elven race and placed all races of El Harun beneath his feet was none other than him.

So great was his might that, despite being an elf, he earned the title Lion King.

Even Del Roa, ruler of El Harun, could not treat him lightly.

One day, Dantal heard the call of fate and left El Harun.

He was an elf who pursued strength.

If it would make him stronger, he would do anything—he did not shy away from battles with other races or even magical beasts.

Thus, he wandered the deserts for countless years, fighting innumerable battles.

Day by day, he grew stronger, eventually attaining power that could no longer be called elven.

But one day, his growth stopped.

No matter how hard he trained or fought, he could not grow any stronger.

A colossal wall stood in his path.

He needed a breakthrough.

That was when he happened to obtain a crystal imbued with the lingering will of Krasias.

After acquiring the crystal, he shattered his limits.

He evolved through several stages beyond the physical limits of an elf.

His massive physique—utterly un-elflike—was proof of that.

Without anyone teaching him, he came to understand something.

Not only he, but many others had obtained Krasias’s crystals—and by absorbing the crystals possessed by others, he could grow even stronger.

Those who had absorbed Krasias’s crystals could sense other crystals nearby, or others who had absorbed them.

That was why Dantal had appeared here.

Ironically, the one who had absorbed the crystal this time was nothing more than a parasite.

The parasite that absorbed Krasias’s crystal transcended its species’ limits, evolved, and astonishingly attempted to merge with a dragon by parasitizing it.

“How magnificent and wondrous is that? A mere parasite evolving to seize control of a dragon’s body.”

“Isn’t that terrifying? It means not only dragons, but humans and elves could be dominated just as easily.”

“That is precisely why I harvested it. Such a dangerous thing cannot be left exposed to the world.”

“Isn’t it simply greed? You killed even a dragon because you coveted a power that could cause even a parasite to evolve so dramatically.”

“Heh heh!”

Dantal did not deny Zeon’s words.

Because they were true.

The more crystals imbued with Krasias’s will one absorbed, the stronger one became.

Dantal had lived his entire life pursuing strength.

That was why some called him a mad elf.

But he had never once abandoned his desire.

It was precisely because he pursued strength endlessly that he was able to obtain Krasias’s crystal.

Truthfully, before obtaining the crystal, no matter how powerful Dantal was, he would not have been able to cleave through a dragon’s body in a single strike.

Even if the cut had been made at a spot where the scales were broken.

That was why Dantal desired Krasias’s crystals even more.

He did not know how many existed in the world, but he was certain that if he absorbed them all, he would become as strong as Krasias himself.

Dantal looked at Zeon and said,

“Be grateful that my sword did not cut you down, Sand Mage. You helped pull out the parasite and made it easy for me to obtain the crystal, so I’m letting you live.”

“There’s no need for your mercy.”

“Shall I take that as a challenge?”

“You may.”

“How arrogant! A mere human daring to speak to me like that. You’re not expecting to walk away alive, are you?”

“You nullified my efforts.”

“What efforts? Don’t tell me you truly tried to save the dragon? Hahah! Ridiculous. To think you would dare try to save a dragon. Leaving those creatures alive only leads to disaster.”

Had the dragon been at full strength, even Dantal would not have been able to kill it so easily.

The parasite had left it on the brink of death—that had been Dantal’s perfect opportunity.

He gained Krasias’s crystal and, as a bonus, killed a dragon.

It was the best day of Dantal’s life.

He did not want to spoil such a day over a mere human.

“Withdraw now, and I’ll spare your life, Sand Mage.”

“She was my friend.”

“A dragon… a friend? Hahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long while. Fine, let’s say she was your friend. So what—are you going to seek revenge?”

“……”

“So it’s true.”

The laughter vanished from Dantal’s face.

He saw the unwavering resolve in Zeon’s expression and eyes.

“Hah… Those who know nothing always come rushing toward their deaths. You’re no different from the rest.”

He tightened his grip on the greatsword.

Dantal’s aura completely changed.

Though he belittled Zeon with words, he did not underestimate him in the slightest.

Zeon was the man who had pulled an evolved parasite—one empowered by Krasias’s crystal—out of a dragon’s body.

And he had done so while dealing almost no damage to the dragon.

Even Dantal could not do that.

And now, that same Zeon was directing hostility toward him.

This was a moment that demanded caution.

Dantal knew better than anyone that carelessness led to death. From the instant he sensed Zeon’s killing intent, he prepared himself to unleash his full power at any moment.

Zeon was approaching him.

His arms hung loosely at his sides. At a glance, he looked completely defenseless. But Dantal knew better than anyone that this was not the case.

Goosebumps rose along the arm gripping the greatsword.

His body was reacting instinctively to his opponent’s presence and aura.

It had been a long time since he felt this level of tension.

That was why Dantal did not hesitate and swung his greatsword.

Shraaak!

The blade flew toward Zeon, scattering black energy.

Boom!

In that instant, a wall of sand surged upward and blocked the strike.

Zeon had defended using sand.

But a mere sand wall could not stop the blow of a transcendent warrior like Dantal.

The sand wall exploded as if struck by bombardment.

Its power was truly terrifying.

Dantal’s blade pierced through the sand wall and reached the spot where Zeon had been standing.

But by then, Zeon had already vanished without a trace.

Dantal’s eyes swept the surroundings at once.

His battle-honed kinetic vision instantly caught Zeon’s movement.

‘Above?’

Zeon had already kicked off the ground and moved high into the air.

His vision was hazy, as if coated with dust.

Dantal realized it was sand.

Sand had risen like clouds, supporting Zeon in midair.

“Bastard!”

Just as Dantal was about to swing his greatsword again—

Zeon raised his hand sharply toward the sky, then slashed it down toward Dantal.

Shu shu shu shu shu!

In an instant, countless sand spears formed in the air and rained down toward Dantal.

It was a bombardment of Sand Spears.