Chapter 171

Chapter 171 – Chapter 34: Gathering

A thousand years ago, there had been a big fight . No matter how good the fight was, the result didn’t necessarily benefit them .

‘No, as a matter of fact, it was our defeat . ’

The Great Enkidu remembered that day . It was an unforgettable day .

Enkidu had taken down Famine . He had smashed that lowly rat, but Famine wasn’t destroyed . Enkidu succeeded in hitting his essence, but that was all . The rat had lost his power and ran away .

Guardian Queian had fought against Death, but he hadn’t won either . Both Death and Queian had suffered critical damage .

The Cruel Talia had struggled as well . If only her opponent hadn’t been the hateful War… She would have won if it had been against Famine or Death . However, her opponent had been War . The most brutal one among the four riders had overwhelmed Talias . If the ‘event’ had occurred a little later, Talia would have died .

The Recorder Torres had caused the incident . So, Enkidu didn’t know what Ainkel’s soul and Torres did . The result was what had been witnessed .

Conquest and Torres destroyed each other . However, Enkidu, who dealt with the power of destruction, was able to see it . Conquest’s and Torres’ forms of destruction were different in nature . The destruction of Conquest was destruction for renewal . Torres had attempted to break Conquest and let her be reborn again, away from the other riders .

The idea was absurd, but the plan was partially successful . He didn’t know if Conquest was truly liberated, but it seemed like it .

‘Silly bastard . Stupid bastard . ’

The price was too big . Ainkel’s soul, which remained beside Torres, disappeared . Her soul was lost forever .

Torres’ case was even worse . He had been destroyed . His essence itself was broken and scattered across the world . Queian couldn’t accept Torres’ ruin, but that was just desperation . Torres had died . No, it was more than death .

After that, it was chaos . He fought against the raging War . Death and Queian destroyed each other’s essences . Enkidu couldn’t remember the end of the fight clearly . He had been exhausted at the end of a long battle, and when he recovered his spirit, everything was over .

Then Enkidu realized… The Four Riders of the Apocalypse and the elder dragons had been destroyed . Since that day 1,000 years ago, both could no longer exist in the world like they done in the past .

However, the fight wasn’t finished . It was just delayed .

Talia had escaped in a weakened state and fallen asleep . Enkidu himself had gone into a deep sleep . Queian had said before he fell asleep that after waking up, the fight wouldn’t be a direct confrontation between the Four Riders of the Apocalypse and the elder dragons .

The ones who would decide the fate of the world would be the four knights selected by the riders and the dragon warriors with the power of the elder dragons .

Dragon Warrior… One who received strength from the elder dragons…

‘I will reproduce the first dragon warrior… Drakon Kechatulla . ’

These were the last words Queian left behind .

Drakon Kechatulla had been the strongest dragon warrior who preceded the elder dragons, and he had played a decisive role in defeating the Red Dragon of the Apocalypse . 10,000 years ago, when the red dragon and the older elder dragons had been annihilated, he had died as well . However, his blood was still being transmitted through one species .

‘Warrior . ’

A miracle had been born among the humans—an incarnation of the first dragon warrior .

Enkidu lifted his head to the sky . Everything in the world seemed so far away .

‘Dragon Warrior . ’

There wasn’t just one warrior . The Conquest Knight was one as well . Thanks to Torres’ sacrifice, Conquest had been reborn in the world and chosen her knight .

Enkidu recalled the story that the War Knight had said when he appeared before him . He remembered the rude provocation of War, who had just woken from a deep sleep .

What would be the result of the fight?

The Great Enkidu gazed far away . He looked at the land in the north, beyond the limit line .

&

In-gong opened his eyes and saw the white woman alone in the darkness . She was inside In-gong’s head . She was a woman with white hair, and her red and blue eyes were gentle .

In-gong now knew that… .

She had been destroyed on that day 1,000 years ago and born again . As a result, she escaped from the fate of ending the world . However, it wasn’t a complete liberation . She was resisting that will even now .

Conquest wasn’t complete . The evidence was that she couldn’t converse with In-gong, despite being in the depths of his soul . Why was she resisting the end of the world? What made her reject the reason for her existence?

In-gong looked at the white woman . She smiled and stroked In-gong’s head gently . Then In-gong closed his eyes . The white woman’s touch was warm, and he wanted to sleep comfortably under her gaze .

However, he opened his eyes again . This time, it was in reality, not his consciousness .

“Oh, Prince . You’re awake?”

As soon as In-gong opened his eyes, he saw Carack’s face . He had just been looking at the white woman, so In-gong had a gloomy expression on his face .

“Why isn’t it Felicia or Green Wind? Maybe even Delia or Karma . ”

He would rather see a beauty than Carack as soon as he woke up .

“Haha, you sound disappointed . ”

Carack clicked his tongue, but he was smiling . In-gong smiled as well and raised his upper body, then he saw that he was in a large room with a stone bed .

“This is the Dragon Temple . Prince was asleep all day . High Priest said not to worry since it isn’t a big deal, but… are you really okay?”

Carack looked In-gong up and down . Although his face was still ugly, it was good to see his concern for In-gong .

“I’m fine . I feel very refreshed . ”

“Then here is some cold water to wake you up . ”

Carack laughed and handed him a glass of cold water . The inside of the Dragon Temple was very cool, unlike the outside which caused one to perspire just from walking a little bit . In-gong drank the cold water and looked around slowly . The ring of the Recorder Torres was glowing on his index finger .

The fourth equipment of an elder dragon… The ring was called El Ragra . Unlike the other three equipment In-gong had obtained so far, this wasn’t used in direct combat . It was instead a secondary support equipment . In-gong stroked the gem on the ring . It felt warm like Conquest’s touch .

It was at that moment that he heard a voice outside the door .

“Drakon Kechatulla, the great dragon warrior . ”

It was the voice of the high priest . In-gong nodded and Carack opened the door .

“High Priest . ”

The high priest had appeared exactly when In-gong had awoken . Moreover, there was someone else standing behind him .

“Shutra!”

Felicia smiled excitedly as she ran over and shook In-gong’s arm .

“Hey, hey . This place is really great! It is full of extremely old records! Ah, why have I only come here now? It would have been nice if I’d known of this place earlier . ”

‘Indeed, Felicia . ’

Although it was an ancient ruin, the Dragon Temple itself was a valuable archive . The high priest looked at Felicia like she was a young child and explained with a warm smile,

“Princess has been looking around the Dragon Temple . It seems like she really likes the records room . ”

“Yes, yes, it’s the best . I’ve been there all day, but I want to stay longer . ”

Her voice was dripping with a lingering attachment . In-gong’s mood improved when he saw Felicia’s pleased appearance and then playfulness rose inside him .

“Huk, what the? So, you left me unattended here all day to go somewhere else? Even though I was unconscious?”

He gazed at Felicia with disappointment, and she blinked, looking confused and embarrassed .

“Huh? Ah… no, that…”

The high priest had said it was okay . In-gong had looked like he’d just be sleeping, and Carack had said he would stay . Delia hadn’t been worried either and thought that seeing the records room would be a good diversion .

However, Felicia couldn’t babble anything out . As she gazed around and couldn’t figure out what to do, a new voice interrupted .

“Master . I kept staying beside Master . Isn’t that good?”

It was Green Wind who had become solid . In-gong stroked Green Wind’s head and said,

“Yes, you are nice, Greenie . ”

“That’s right . I am nice . Princess is bad . ”

Felicia became more perplexed by Green Wind’s words . She looked so cute that In-gong found it hard to hold back his laughter . Carack clicked his tongue .

“Prince, stop acting like this . And Princess, don’t worry . Prince is just playing . ”

At Carack’s words, Felicia’s eyes widened, and she started hitting In-gong with her fan . In-gong just laughed along with Carack . It was a common sight, so In-gong’s party was used to it . Delia, who had accompanied Felicia, coughed and they stopped their game . After releasing Green Wind’s solid state, In-gong faced the high priest .

The high priest said,

“Dragon Warrior, I’ve prepared a meal . It will recover your strength . ”

It had been a good story . However, instead of accepting the meal, In-gong asked something else .

“High Priest, there is one thing I want to ask you before that . Do you know about the Dragon Words magic?”

It was something In-gong had acquired after seeing Torres’ memory . He had a new secondary occupation of Dragon Warrior…

And Dragon Words was a skill of that occupation .

The high priest smiled pleasantly at In-gong’s question and explained,

“Drakon Kechatulla . Finally, the dragon warrior has returned . I will happily lay the foundations . ”

&

“Dragon Words is a powerful magic that dragon warriors can use . ”

After the meal, the high priest guided In-gong to a large room with nothing in it and explained in a calm tone . Felicia, Delia and Karma, who could be called the magicians of the party, sat in a corner of the room and gazed at him with excited expressions .

Carack was also curious about the dragon warrior .

The high priest continued,

“Dragon Words is the mysteries created by words . It uses the power of language to create power in the world . There is a famous story that the magic in the Demon World originates from Dragon Words . The power that only dragons could use was re-assembled so that other species could use it . ”

It was a story In-gong had heard in Knight Saga .

“But magic relies on the strength of the magic power . It is a precise formula that can create miracles . According to the records, the great dragons of the past enjoyed using the newly created magic . ”

In-gong nodded . The few dragons he encountered in Knight Saga had used magic in addition to Dragon Words .

“Dragon Words can be called raw magic . Compared to the magic that has been refined over many years, it is rugged and simple . But there is one thing that distinguishes it from ordinary magic . ”

Felicia’s eyes shone with curiosity . The high priest spoke slowly, giving Delia time to write it down .

“Drakon Kechatulla, the dragon warrior, Dragon Words contains your feelings and will . Even if it is the same word, depending on how strong your feelings and willpower are, you can emit a totally different force . Depending on the caster’s thoughts, the form of that power can change as well . ”

In-gong was reminded of Locke’s techniques . In Knight Saga, some of the unique spells Locke could use were influenced by his emotions and will .

The high priest took a big breath and pointed to himself .

“It is weak but dragon blood also flows through me . Thanks to the knowledge inherited from my ancestors, I can speak a few words . ”

Dragons learnt to use their words naturally, just like birds knew how to use their wings . However, those with a dragon’s blood were different . They couldn’t speak the dragon words until they realized they could do it .

“Dragon Words is close to innate power . Dragon Warrior, you are much closer to a dragon than I am, so you will soon learn the trick . ”

It made a lot of sense . Moreover, In-gong was also the Conquest Knight . So, he was confident that he could learn it .

“Drakon Kechatulla, I will now teach you Fire Breath, which is the basics of Dragon Words . ”

“Fire Breath?”

“That’s right . As the name suggested, you will pour out a breath of fire . But Dragon Warrior, the name isn’t important because Dragon Words is the expression of power and will . It is important to secure the best image of fire and put your will in it . I will demonstrate once . ”

The high priest grunted, turned in a direction where no one was present and exhaled . At the next moment, he exclaimed in a loud voice,

“Fire Breath!”

Shortly after the high priest shouted, a strong breath of fire poured from the high priest’s mouth .

“Fire Breath is one of the most basic Dragon Words . Fire itself is easy to imagine as it is the power of primitive destruction . It is common to learn Ice Breath or Wind Breath after becoming accustomed to Fire Breath . ”

In-gong nodded silently . He thought he could do it, even though he had only seen it once .

“Drakon Kechatulla, would you like to try it once? You don’t have to shout Fire Breath . Just form a solid image of fire with a strong will behind it . ”

‘Fire Breath . ’

There was only one thing left to do . Shutra took a deep breath and opened his mouth slowly, speaking his first Dragon Words .

&

“Prince, what is that fire?”

“Well, it is like it seems . ”