Chapter 403: Not So Perfect...

"I can no longer sense that presence which plagued the Void; it has been slain."

At the edge of the shore, the Dragon King Wendel Mix, his form manipulated by Wang Yu, raised his draconic head toward the center of the island. The Lady of the Night acted as his proxy, sensing the state of affairs there.

Melos, who had long interfered with the Void and the material world through his own power, had vanished. That strike, which transcended the limits of the sky and brought the Dragon Island crashing down, had utterly annihilated Melos’s true abyssal form.

"As you wished... Avia, help me extract these dragons from this mass of flesh. This shell of the Dragon King is reaching its limit; having long since died and unable to regenerate its power, it has been slowly leaking energy ever since I activated it. Let us make use of it once more before it crumbles."

With a soft sigh, Wang Yu lowered the massive lump of flesh held in the Dragon King’s grasp, within which lay the dragons that were meant to have been drained dry by Melos.

Most of the dragons were extremely frail; the internal depletion caused by their ordeal left them unable to move even now that they were rescued, though at the very least, most remained alive.

"Understood. The magic circuits of this vessel have begun to destabilize. Help me patch the damaged areas with the Chariot’s power for the time being. By the way, Wang Yu, have you adapted to the load of driving this body?"

Avia utilized the Perfect Fractal Lens to transmit the magic circuits requiring repair to Wang Yu, while simultaneously confirming his current state.

"Indeed. The power of this shell is degrading, and coupled with my prior adaptation, driving it in its entirety no longer places a burden upon me."

Responding, Wang Yu used the Chariot’s power to mend the fracturing magic circuits, handing them over for the girl to utilize.

A vast surge of magic gathered within the Dragon King’s shell, which Avia then channeled into a spatial spell. As spatial fluctuations rippled outward, the dragons trapped within the flesh were brought forth. Where their bodies had been connected to the mass, raw and festering wounds remained after the severance.

"The situation is not optimistic. First, provide them with some heal—"

He clicked his tongue; the condition of these dragons was even worse than Wang Yu had anticipated. If further aid were not provided, they would likely be unable to heal themselves even with their formidable vitality.

Just as he was about to have the Lady of the Night conceal his form so that the Merfolk fleet and the Sky Mechanical City—who dared not approach while the "Dragon King" was present—could lend a hand, Wang Yu’s words were interrupted by the fleet and flying mounts arriving from the open sea.

"Orcs, humans, all manner of intelligent races. It is the factions from the continent; they must have noticed the situation here. These crests... the Lokaelen United Empire, the Dofus City-States..."

Avia relayed the information of the approaching fleet to Wang Yu, her tone devoid of warmth. These factions had shown no intention of mobilizing when they first received word of the abyssal creature’s appearance.

Now, they were rushing toward Dragon Island, likely drawn by the collapse of the Tidal Barrier and the terrifying commotion on the island. Their intentions, he feared, would bode no good for the now-ravaged Dragon Island.

"Truly. The Professor went to such lengths to save this island, and I have no intention of letting these strangers set foot upon it. The dragons need time to recuperate; this lot had best roll far away."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Wang Yu’s tone grew dangerous. This island should see no more conflict; these uninvited guests required a warning of sufficient magnitude.

"Let us use the remainder of this shell’s power thus. I believe that if you could protect your people one last time, you would be willing."

Whispering softly, Wang Yu released the Chariot’s power that had been piloting the body of the Dragon King Wendel Mix. It might have been an illusion, but as he finished speaking, the remaining power of this vessel began to feel an inexplicable affinity for him; he could draw upon this strength even without the Chariot’s power.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Deprived of the Chariot’s cohesion, the power of the shell began to dissipate. The magnificent and gargantuan body of the Dragon King, Wendel Mix, crumbled and collapsed bit by bit, as if weathering away, dissolving in layers before the eyes of those watching the great dragon.

"The body of the Dragon King, Wendel Mix, is perishing. Just as hypothesized, this dragon came to the battlefield with a shell that had less than a tenth of its strength remaining. Now, he is walking toward his final end."

Icarus’s voice echoed in the command room of the Sky Mechanical City. The city had been monitoring the state of this immensely powerful dragon, and the passing of the Dragon King was within their projections.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

"Chairman, high-energy reaction detected! At the spot where the dragon is dissipating, the power that should have naturally dispersed is being drawn back in. The intensity is rising—it is still rising! Something is brewing!"

The alchemical apparatus suddenly sounded an alarm for high-intensity energy accumulation. After observing the instrument’s readings, one of the society members spoke in a panic.

"Stay back! Be careful not to get caught in the wake!"

Icarus was also startled and made an immediate decision, reactivating the magical shields covering the Sky Mechanical City and sending a request to Astartes to move the city away from that region.

As the Sky Mechanical City retreated, a thick, crimson bolt of lightning tore through the clouds and descended from the heavens, striking the spot where the Dragon King’s shell had dissipated with a deafening roar.

Unlike normal lightning and thunder that vanish in an instant, this arc of electricity connected the earth to the firmament, refusing to fade. The thick, crimson pillar of lightning grew ever wider and more brilliant.

In the area previously obscured by the dissipating shell of the Dragon King, Wang Yu stood upon the shore, his right hand raised high. His palm manifested in a "Golden Body" state, and the Chariot’s power spread from it, drawing the energy released by the crumbling shell toward himself.

The lightning had been summoned by him. Having adapted to the Dragon King’s power and implicitly gained its recognition, he now used his own will to mobilize the final strength of the Dragon King, transforming it into an impending strike.

"Rumble!"

Thunder crashed. The Dragon King’s shell had completely shattered and dissipated, and the pillar of light connecting heaven and earth had grown to an unimaginable thickness, obscuring everything below, including Wang Yu. The power gathered to its limit caused the surrounding space, magic, and Void to distort.

At the base of the lightning, Wang Yu gripped it with his gold-shimmering right hand. Above him stood the crimson pillar of lightning evoked by the Dragon King’s might, resembling a colossal sword being wielded by him. If not for the "indestructible" nature of his right hand, coupled with the command of the Chariot’s power and the Dragon King’s recognition and the body’s adaptation, he would have been the first to perish.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

Feeling the power of the Dragon King’s shattered body fully transformed into the lightning greatsword he held, Wang Yu did not hesitate to slash that heaven-piercing light down toward the Endless Sea. In an instant, the lightning roared, and unimaginably thick arcs of electricity dragged countless ordinary bolts of lightning down from the firmament, crashing into the surface of the Endless Sea.

"Boom!"

Waves surged to the heavens, and the massive impact kicked up a towering curtain of water. With this single slash, a chasm a hundred meters wide, a thousand meters deep, and over ten thousand meters long was briefly carved into the Endless Sea outside Dragon Island.

It took a long time for the seawater to reconnect, yet the lightning did not dissipate. It continued to strike incessantly upon that "scar," forming a terrifying wall of isolation that barred anything outside the Endless Sea from reaching Dragon Island.

This barrier of lightning, imbued with supreme power, was less than a thousand meters from the fleets of the continental factions. The bright magical glows illuminating those ships made it clear they were terrified; had that strike been aimed at them...

They could not fail to perceive the obvious warning. Clearly, these fleets dared not oppose an existence with such terrifying power. After a brief pause, the fleets turned about and departed, heading far away from Dragon Island.

"Well done!"

The praise came from Avia. What Wang Yu had done was clearly what the girl had intended. By now, he had already left that position, carrying the little mage under the concealment of the Lady of the Night’s power, returning toward the Merfolk fleet. That, he suspected, would be the true end of this story.

...

"Click..."

In the Merfolk fleet, a wooden door on the deck of a ship was pushed open. Silver-haired and shoulder-length, her face etched with exhaustion, the Silver Dragon Aerilian—no longer as confident and cold as she had been in days past—stepped into the cabin.

"Sister..."

The Red Dragon girl Noelle waited within, the redness around her eyes yet to fade, and she called out softly.

"Thud!"

Before she could say anything, Noelle was already pulled into Aerilian’s embrace. Their cheeks pressed tightly together; the hug was so fierce that Noelle could barely breathe.

The closeness of their chests allowed her to feel her sister’s violently pounding heart. The tears that had already ceased now slid down her face once more, wetting the dust-stained clothing on Aerilian’s shoulder.

"I am sorry. I was not strong enough. I could not protect you and Zig."

Words suppressed with emotion echoed in Noelle’s ear. Startled, the Red Dragon girl struggled, exerting all her strength to break free from Aerilian’s arms.

"Sister, Brother had already anticipated you would say that. No matter what, you must see this thing now; it is what he left for you!"

With red-rimmed eyes, Noelle’s tone grew forceful, and she thrust the object into the hands of Aerilian, who stood slightly stunned by the sudden release.

"Click."

It was a box. Once placed in Aerilian’s hands, it opened quickly. Magic gathered, the internal mechanism was driven, and a holographic projection manifested within the cabin, revealing a figure.

"Sis, uh, although... I know this isn't great, but by the time you see this, I will likely be gone. However, since you can see this, it means that the existence that has plagued you and the Dragon race has been dealt with by me. How about it? Has this power earned your recognition?"

Zig’s figure appeared before Aerilian, scratching his cheek, his expression somewhat unnatural as he spoke. But soon, as if he had made up his mind, his words began to flow more smoothly.

This was, of course, not Zig himself, but a pre-recorded magical projection—a holographic illusion. This projection was as fragile as air before Aerilian. She watched "Zig" speak, motionless and silent.

"Sis, about that... I know. About your identity, haha. Actually, if you think about it, it’s obvious. There’s no such thing as a Silver Dragon and two Red Dragons being a family. Even the most chaotic of dragons don't have that ability. Our family... we really are quite the misnomer, aren't we?"

"Zieg" spoke on, lost in his own monologue. When he touched upon the nature of their bond, Aeriel faltered, a flicker of indescribable sorrow surfacing in the depths of her eyes.

"Regarding my fractured mana circuits, and the mission you’ve spoken to me about since I was young—though I didn't grasp it then, after living on the continent all those years, I’ve finally understood it all."

As he continued, the radiance in Aeriel’s gaze grew increasingly dim.

"I am so sor—"

"Don't you dare apologize, sister. I hope my guess isn't wrong, or that fellow Charles will surely dig it up just to mock me."

Aeriel’s words were cut short by "Zieg." She raised her eyes to look at him, and seeing his own slight embarrassment, she froze once more.

"Sister, I have never felt you owed me anything. To me, you were always the powerful being I yearned for during my dragon-hatchling days, shielding Noelle and me. That broken version of myself was always inspired by you."

"After learning your true identity and the burden you carry, I understood even more what a magnificent being you are—ha, perhaps 'magnificent' is a strange word, let's just say, what an extraordinary sister you are. Regardless of what you are, you are mine and Noelle’s sister!"

"Zieg" spoke to himself, pausing occasionally as if to weigh his words, yet the conviction in his tone never wavered.

"As for my mana circuits, it really is nothing. Sister, we shouldn't demand more than overcoming that instinct, should we? At least for now, I am still Zieg, and not Aeriel & Zieg, right?"

He patted his chest, right over the location of his heart, where his fractured mana circuits were etched—a flaw bestowed upon him by Aeriel herself.

What happens if an abyssal entity fully consumes a living creature, copying its brain, its consciousness, and every facet of its being, only to gain nascent sentience through that stolen identity?

No one had ever attempted such a perilous experiment, save for Mielos, a being beyond humanity. He had separated several abyssal fragments—too small to sustain consciousness on their own—and cast them into the dragon population.

The silver dragon Aeriel, the green dragon Golia, the red dragon Caesar... whether hatchlings or adults, these heretical dragons were all seeded with abyssal fragments. Among them, Aeriel was the most unique, the only one who "succeeded" according to Mielos’s design.

Because the abyssal fragments were too feeble, the others were quickly extinguished by the self-defense mechanisms of their hosts, inadvertently granting the dragons extra strength and leaving them unaffected on the day the Dragon God shackled all dragonkind with the chains of faith.

Only one newborn, frail silver dragon was completely consumed, replaced from within. An abyssal entity began its life under the guise of a silver dragon.

Driven by extreme weakness and the instincts of the abyss, the silver dragon sought sustenance, stumbling upon a nest with no parents in sight, containing only two eggs.

"Crack."

The shell shattered. The silver dragon’s claws pierced the chest of the red hatchling inside, who was mere hours from birth. The next moment, the red hatchling’s wretched wail pierced the silver dragon’s ears. Her innate kindness and the abyssal instinct collided.

At the moment of decision, Aeriel brought the eggshell and the blood on her claws to her lips. The nutrition was absorbed, the hunger abated. Aeriel suppressed her desire to devour the red hatchling before her, and as she watched the creature struggle on the ground, she made a choice...

For a dragon hatchling, injury is no great tragedy; the potency of their bloodline ensures rapid recovery. Yet, Aeriel’s claw had precisely severed the mana circuits of the red hatchling, who was still in the final stages of formation within the egg. A congenital disability was thus inflicted.

The red dragon named Zieg Welsbach gained an "elder sister"—a silver dragon named Aeriel, who was exceptionally powerful and matured with unnatural speed. Later, another egg hatched, and Noelle was born, smaller than the other two but the least "special" of them all.

"My survival alone is a miracle, sister. I know you’ve always wanted to make amends, but you have done more than enough. While other hatchlings had to face the world alone, Noelle and I had your protection. You shielded us from the Dragon God’s shackles that day, and later, you sent us away from the Dragon Isle to the continent."

"Honestly, if not for you, Noelle and I would have been just two more of the thousands of dragons controlled by Mielos. What do these mana circuits matter compared to that?"

"Besides, the things I learned on the continent and the people I met are the most precious things in my life, aside from you and Noelle. How to conduct oneself... no, I suppose I’ve stayed in human kingdoms too long—ha, how to conduct one's dragon-self."

"Through the battle aura I developed from within and the knowledge I acquired, I found my own path. If I hadn't been born with that flaw, I doubt I would have ever walked this road."

"I saw so many things on the continent I never knew existed, and I made true friends: Shuguin, Gawain, Charles, Edward, Wang Yu, Avia, everyone in the Night’s Edge..."

"The world on the continent is truly magnificent. And in all those years I spent showing Noelle this different world, you were out there struggling and maneuvering against the Dragon Cult and the affairs of our kin, weren't you? Honestly, I’m the one who should feel indebted. I had the ability, yet I couldn't help you."

"Does identity really matter so much? I learned to reconcile with my own flaws. Sister, you’ve fought for dragonkind for so long—have you still not accepted your own identity? To use the words of a friend of mine: 'If I think it is, then it is!' There’s really nothing to agonize over."

"But at least, it’s all over now. The burden that has weighed on your shoulders can finally be set aside. You should learn to ask others for help. For this once, forgive my uninvited assistance. Sister, you can rest now."

"Zieg" crouched down, patted his knees, and with a smile, opened his arms to the completely stunned Aeriel—the same gesture she had once offered him when he was a hatchling.

Unable to contain the emotions suppressed for so long, tears burst from Aeriel’s eyes, and the ice and snow melted away...

...

Withdrawing the power of the war chariot, Wang Yu and Avia leaned against the wooden wall outside the cabin.

The image of Aeriel—who had always presented herself as cold and formidable—weeping like a little girl with her head in her sister’s lap played back in Wang Yu’s mind.

Clasping the hand the young mage offered, Wang Yu looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds had finally dispersed.

"A not-so-perfect ending, is it?"

(Volume Three: Wandering, Concluded)