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Chapter 27: Premature

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Death stared her in the eyes.

To her front, she could see it clearly.

Filling her view, a drilling motion of a spear.

Coming right towards her.

It was supposed to be fast, yet that moment, time kept procrastinating.

Her vision caught all of the view, in details. She knew, once that hit, she could not even say goodbye.

Her puny little life, would be erased, for good.

‘Die? I’ll die?’

A surge of power, massive power, rose from behind.

It happened, all in an instant.

‘No, I don’t wanna die!’

Something from her, came out.

Meeting the incoming spear, clashing.

…

===

To the East.

Green pastures.

Fields and flocks of cattle filled the view, full of life.

Sunlight energized those few living here, cool air freshened their innards.

An ideal place, for tranquil and calm mind.

“Ahh, this sucks,”

A voice.

Voice of a little girl, coming from above.

Coming from a pine forest, the voice seemed out of place.

“Third day already, ahh, I knew it.”

The voice was from on top of a tree, by the side of a mountain.

A green pine tree, towering over seventy metre. An ancient tree, it was the highest one in the area. Standing mighty, yet sticking out like a sore thumb.

Facing the late morning sun, the girl was viewing the vast field.

“I knew it! I just knew it’s better to just shut up. But I just had to report it like a damn loyal dog I am! Naww, not like others care anyway.”

She growled.

The owner of the voice, was petite.

Teenage-looking with long, black boots and golden-dyed hair. She had pink turtleneck sweater, tightly hugging her body down to her thigh.

At one glance, one would think she was underage, yet also a charming noble lady.

A lady, unaware of the workings of the world, innocent.

A mere glance at her, would invoke a sense of protective instinct, among men.

…

Yet that innocent lady, was standing on top of an ancient tree.

Wreaking havoc of its leaves.

“Those oldies… they, they, argh, didn’t even move one sleepyhead cantus! What are they, statues?! Curse you guys, let you guys just die of old age, senile bastards! Ahh, me and my busy mouth!”

…

The innocent lady was busy, cursing.

Though it was not winter yet, vapors came out from her mouth. Wind dispersed it instantly, more came, beating her pale face and skin. Golden hair waving, ancient tree swaying.

Yet she seemed not at all disturbed by the wind, but by something else. Her hands moved in grasping fashion, as though eager to squeeze something.

“You, you really made me suffer this time, whatever you are. If I catch you, I really will, hm?”

She paused, turning to her back.

Being silent for a moment, she raised her brows.

“The hell, which stupid dragon trespasses my domain?”

She tilted her head, pondering. Her finger was on her cheek, pushing it in.

“Could it be? Nah, nonsense. It’s too soon, no way. Must be a stray, yep.”

She sighed.

“Meh, let Kharlussian deal with it. Now, tell me~ Just, where, are, you! I wanna go home~”

Her voice spread out throughout the mountain and pasture. The shrill voice echoed, scattering flocks of birds, startling herds of cattle.

Jolting lone shepherds here and there from sweet slumber.

They wondered whether they were dreaming.

Of that voice, filled with frustration and annoyance.

As though a voice of a spoiled daughter, complaining to her doting father.

====

A shockwave.

Booming shockwave spread throughout Gladdio Forest, startling everyone near. Two hovering devices moving in the middle shattered, fallen.

On top of the hill, the four knights and eight teams witnessed it.

Their sight crossed the whole forest, onto the opposite hill. In the furthermost area of the forest, the shockwave pushed the trees bending, throwing branches into the air.

In a moment, a wave passed through them, leaving a tingling sensation.

It was as if small bugs kept running on their skin, panicky. Life Armor, Tracker Bracelet, and Limit Gloves, all equipment on them trembled.

The crystals on them, shaking.

The candidates had incredulous look, some petrified.

Some girls, their legs failing, fell.

Their spirit, shaken.

The four knights looked at each other, confirming what was on their mind.

They turned to their left, expecting a signal.

Soon, a red flare went up the air.

…

All the way left from the hill, it was Julia team’s starting point.

Kyril stood still, in shock.

The device over them had just fallen. He turned to Sir Kent, standing on top of a hill, left hand raised. A red flare was rising up, its tail originated from that hand.

Eyes sharp, his face solemn.

Kyril had observed this deputy head judge before, he had always been calm, unperturbed.

Yet this time, his seriousness, evident.

“Move out,”

Kyril heard the whisper, knowing well it was not meant for him.

Right in front of his eyes, the man’s image blurred. He could only see a trail.

Red trail, sliding right into the forest.

===

On Krone team’s starting point, Athea and Doran had a look of shock.

The shockwave had reached here, shaking them. They gasped.

The observation crystal hovering over them had just exploded. Their Life Armor and Tracker Bracelet, trembling. Crystals on them, losing their shine.

Everyone there could not move.

As if hearing a lion’s roar right next to their ear, their will shook.

Soon, their back filled with sweat.

Cold sweat.

On the hill, the twins gazed at the location where it originated.

They felt tingly all over their hand, their Limit Gloves were shaking. Breathing heavy, they turned to Natalia behind. From her look, she seemed just as surprised as them.

“L-lady Judge, what,”

“W-what’s that?!”

She heard them.

Yet she could not respond.

While she seemed as surprised as them, in truth, she was petrified.

Unlike them, she knew what it was.

And unlike them, she was a sensor.

An excellent one, at that.

The shockwave had shaken her to her very core, she was familiar with the feeling. It was from back then, five years back.

When she was still a squire.

…

Her master had taken her to a special place.

An area in the central border, entitled ‘Holy Kharlussian Shield’.

Honoured so, because their nests were there, in the Argonia Mountain Ranges.

Since ancient times, this very location had deterred many ambitious forces from ever launching offensive into Kharlussia.

‘Cause they treated intruders not-so-kindly.

Not even the Union’s highest, fastest Air Cruisers could pass through them.

These beasts had intellect comparable to human.

As a High-Master Knight, her master had a contract with one of these supreme beasts. He was granted free passage and a rare audience. Additionally, he was allowed to bring his apprentice.

Her.

A promising youth, sensitive to mana.

She remembered the eyes, each as large as her head, piercing sharp into her being.

Shaking something in her.

The memory flashed through her eyes, as if it happened yesterday.

“…D-dragon,”

Her voice stuttered.

Back then, the Mother Dragon, was staring at her.

Right into her eyes, as if seeking something within.

Terrifying.

It was so terrifying, that one valuable experience turned into a trauma.

A trauma she had not experience again afterward.

Until now.

“K-krone, just w-what, are you, facing…”

=====

A boom.

A sudden shockwave.

The moment that happened, a silhouette moved away.

Piercing sound filled the area.

The shockwave, turned leaves into dust.

Tree branches snapped, thrown high up into the air and away. Trunks broke, many uprooted. Surrounding trees bent, pressured.

The rocky hill nearby shook, cracks running up the hill.

Rocks fell, soon lumps of earth tumbled down.

Below, the ground had been wiped out, clean and deep.

The place, as if it had suffered a meteor strike. Burning smell of wood spread through the area, some trees caught fire.

An area of over twenty-metre radius, devastated.

Pak, pak, pa…

Debris and dust kept falling back to earth.

Dust kept going around, frantic and disorganized.

Soon wind cleared some, giving way to view.

Yet the centre of the shockwave, was no more the same. Previously filled with trees and leaves, now?

Desolate.

Except, for a silhoutte.

Standing still in the very middle, it was silent.

Dense aura surrounded it, blurring its image for any observer.

Crackling sound in motion, akin to hard rocks clashing with each other.

Continuously.

‘Damn,’

Away for over thirty metre, Krone was behind a broken tree.

He took a peek, observing it.

Scales moving, spreading around its body, her body.

Julia’s body.

In the centre of the explosion, she stood still. All equipment broken, dress barely left.

Eyes not looking at anything, but her left arm. Scales covered her arm, as thick as an armguard.

The scales cracked, blood dripping out.

She had used that arm to knock away the spear, so an injury was normal. She looked to the left, to the right, a little confused.

As anyone would be, after waking up from a deep sleep.

A really long, deep sleep.

‘First part of the mission, that’s a confirm. But this,’

Away from view, the sight of the moving scales made Krone shudder.

Thick, shining scales familiar to him, he had slain some of their kind. However, that was during the peak of the war.

Back then, he was strong.

‘Darn it, the origin of the core, was one of them,’

Dragon.

It did not cross his mind that the core within her, would originate from them.

From one of those supreme beasts.

He smirked, mocking himself.

‘Good, very good card indeed.’

He thought so in despise.

Whoever planted this core within this girl, invested quite a sum.

For this weapon, to create this weapon.

A devastating weapon, even the host likely had no clue. However, the price for creating this would be astronomical. ‘Cause either from this world, or from another world, taking a core from the dragon race?

That would be tantamount to make the whole of the race, their enemy.

While Krone’s team had slain some of them, they were dragons from another world, aggressive.

Regardless of their race’s vengeance, they were already their enemy.

‘The core must be from the rift,’

That would make the most sense.

A dragon would be the few beasts in this world possessing a core within them. Yet stealing this world’s dragon core, would not be logical. It would be equal to giving the dragons here a valid, absolute reason to declare war.

That would no doubt, be the pinnacle of foolishness.

‘So they transferred it through a rift. Right, he did say The Law had been twisted already.’

His mind recalled the man in white, over the high horizon.

Peeking at her again, he somewhat regretted being hasty.

‘With my current strength, subduing her without harming, could be suicide.’

He did not wish to harm her, he suspected she had no clue.

Yet to make things looked real, he had to act like a villain. It was merely a ruse, to instill fear and despair within her.

Pushing her, to the very limit.

Her emotion would be the trigger.

‘They’re sensitive to killing intent, afterall.’

Killing intent could not be so easily faked.

When he launched Arte Instana toward her, he did indeed have the desire to kill. However, it was not her.

In his mind, he wanted to rid whatever beast’s soul within her.

Even when Arte Instana was not the way to do so, he directed his killing intent onto the attack. It was done to confirm, to see whether or not she was part of the whole scheme.

Should she was, her consciousness would merge with it.

If she had no clue, her consciousness would be suppressed.

…

On Julia’s body, scales kept spreading.

Yet they slowed down as they covered half her body. Her legs and her body’s left side, up until her left eye, covered in them.

The eye turned full violet, shining.

Soon, a curved horn grew down from her temple, covering her cheek.

Dragon-like.

He noted her eyes.

While one was shining, the other had a dead look.

A look of being unconscious.

To further confirm it, he channeled mana into his eyes.

Her body’s veins were in plain view. On her tail bone, the veins connecting the core were in full cycle. In contrast, her original mana organ below her belly, was not active.

Not in the slightest.

‘So, she really had no clue.’

He was thankful.

At the very least, he did not have to kill her. He was only planning to weaken her when she transformed, so he did not cancel his Arte Instana. He however, did not maintain enough force, so the thin arm knocked his spear away.

Knowing a shockwave would come after an awakening, he retreated right away.

He survived with only bruises.

‘The library, is useful,’

All these information, not all was from his memory.

He read a lot from the Library of Kharlussian Discovery, covering all research done throughout Kharlussia and its allies back then. He had searched for information regarding Beast Knights, yet the result was not so much.

Due to this, he knew how to awaken a planted core, and also to confirm whether or not the two souls cooperated. And though risky, he knew how to save a host.

Yet much of the information were theories, so they had limited value.

This fact, put him right in this situation.

Now, he could not guarantee Julia’s life, not even his.

‘Really, I need to be more careful next time. I’ve just awakened a troublesome one,’

His eyes, still observing, soon made him glad.

Her transformation did not complete.

‘Pre-mature, the awakening is premature,’

Even if her core was from a dragon, a premature awakening was good news.

It meant that it was not ready for awakening at all, so the power should not even be a quarter.

Even less!

In addition, Julia was too young to withstand the awakening.

‘She would be a lot weaker,’

With this in mind, he thought perhaps, he could handle this without the knights knowing. He preferred it that way.

Not because he did not trust them, but leaking information right now, would direct the enemy’s attention on him.

Kuahh.

He heard her voice.

Yet this time, it was a little thick, echoing.

She took a lower stance, her left eye shone. Violet light, shining.

Locking onto him, she knew his location. Massive amount of mana flowed from her back to her left arm, trembling it. She formed a violet sphere, as large as her head.

The sphere kept consuming mana, becoming darker in its centre.

Denser.

Dread.

A sense of dread filled him.

‘Darn! Knight Beasts usually calm, what,’

He slid away, going toward the hill.

Julia, clad in scales, shouted again. Homing mana filled the surroundings, going towards the target.

One, two, six, twelve?

No mercy.

The homing mana beams landed on the hills, close, yet he evade them all.

As each beam landed, it burrowed itself.

Soon, it exploded from the inside.

Piercing sounds hit the surroundings. Pieces of rocks and earth flew through the air.

‘What a waste of mana! Right, this young soul still young, would not be as mature,’

Using massive amount of mana at the very start, she was risking a burn-out. The soul in control right now might be young, so that explained the rashness.

However, he still could not understand it. Why so aggressive?

It was beyond acceptable.

As he thought of this, she put her hands to her front.

This time, she formed a sphere, bigger than her own body. Within it, it was as though an eye was in. With this, Krone knew something was up.

This aggressive was not normal.

Why? Is it because he tried to harm her?

‘Aggressive? Right, that option!’

He recalled.

An option in Lesser Throne, which he thought was a special offer, or somewhat.

‘Double enemy aggression! Why must you bite me now, of all time. Oh, just great, now I'm the one being bullied?’

He complained within.

That was because he knew what magic she had prepared. It was the strongest among the Ultima series. For the first time, the possessed girl uttered something comprehensible.

“Gravia Luha.”

Julia stepped forward, throwing the sphere towards him.

==== Chapter 27 End ====