Chapter 76

The sword was long, with a single sharp edge and slightly curved blade. It was bone white, pure and unblemished. It lacked a handguard, and its handle was just a rounded portion of the sword body.

The Dragon’s Tooth was a made of single piece of some unknown material, rather than a traditional sword, forged of different materials and combined under the skilled work of a blacksmith.

Carefully reaching out, Wil took the blade from the Patriarch with both his hands. It was much heavier than it appeared. It was thin, and he expected to be able to lift it easily with one hand, but he could barely lift it, even with his strength enhanced by his Rank 7 mana.

Holding it, it felt warm in his hands, like a living thing. He could sense the power within it, a strength that was eager to be unleashed. The chaotic energy he had seen inside the Dragon was present in the sword but refined into pure destructive capability.

It was elegant and beautiful, simple in design, but savage and fearsome as well. The power it held was something that yearned to kill and destroy, belying its regal and graceful appearance.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Wil said, lifting the blade up to the light and trying to determine if it truly came from the mouth of a Dragon.

“Nor will you. That sword is unique, crafted by an Elder Dragon from its own tooth, for a single purpose.” The Patriarch said, looking down at the blade in Wil’s hand. Even a demigod like him was wary of the sword, careful of the sharp edge.

“Why would a Dragon use a sword?” Wil asked, curious.

“Elder Dragons have a strange Quirk to them. They are born to dominate, and love to humiliate their opponents. What is more humiliating to a mortal than taking their form and besting them with their own weapons? To take the crafts they are so proud of and to do it better, to dominate so utterly that even when handicapped, they are unstoppable. I suspect this sword was made to show its superiority.”

“I can’t use this.” Wil said, the strain of holding the blade too much for his current strength. To use it in battle, he would have to trust the power within to not turn on its wielder, something that he couldn’t guarantee, not until he was a much higher rank. He offered it back to the man in front of him, who shook his head gently.

“You can, with my assistance. I shall grant you my remaining strength. You will be able to use the blade once.” The Patriarch assured him, lightly pushing the blade back.

“Why are you helping me? I don’t understand what you get out of it, and I don’t know why I was brought here to ‘witness’ what happened to you. What do you get from doing any of this?” Wil asked, earnestly seeking an answer.

The Patriarch didn’t respond immediately, watching Wil silently before looking towards his ruined palace. The remains lay strewn across the ground, the Dragon’s attack and the Patriarch’s counter had left little behind but rubble.

“I told you that your Coin created a connection between us, allowing you to observe the past, linking us together. And while that is true, the Coin was merely a way to enhance what was already there. There is a link between us, Wil. One that transcends time and space. I give my assistance to your gods because they offered me this opportunity in return.” The patriarch replied, not turning away from the ruins in front of him.

“Opportunity?” Wil asked.

“Do you know what happens to us when we die, Wil? Our souls are guided to the afterlife, awaiting reincarnation. Whether here, or in some other realm, we are reborn endlessly, our lives a thread, woven into the tapestry of fate. ‘Wish’ burns that thread, removing it from the tapestry forever in exchange for the power to change fate itself.”

“And the gods offered to restore your thread? Why would they do that?” Wil was shocked at the offer.

“You must be important to them, Wil. They cannot prevent my death, but they can ensure I reach the afterlife. After that, only the gods know.” The Patriarch explained, finally looking back at Wil.

“And the connection between us?” Wil questioned.

“Only the gods know.” He repeated, a cryptic smile on his face. Wil opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by the other man.

“Alas, our time together is over, Wil. We both must go our separate ways. Remember, my power can be used to wield ‘Dragon’s Tooth’ only once. Make it count. Good luck.”

Wil’s vision twisted and a pulling sensation dragged him from behind. With a lurch, he was removed from his vision of the past. The Patriarch smiled sadly at him, before he was replaced with the present.

The ruins from within the portal stretched all around him. Wil wasn’t alone, the others from the Center Spring of the Midnight Desert were gathered on the ground, time still frozen from the lingering effects of the Golden Coin.

Astrid and Anwir, along with the Guild observers, were standing next to him in a large plaza, old rubble and debris covering a large portion of it.

Wil’s hands still gripped the white sword, the Patriarch’s power swirling within the blade, allowing him to easily lift it. His armor, items and Ursine cloak was still with him, his farmer’s clothing of the past long gone.

In the sky, Desire was riding the black Wyrm, her hands outstretched, about to grasp the pinprick of light that was the Shard of Divinity. Wil could guess that it belonged to the Demigod Patriarch, somehow still trapped in this realm for countless years, waiting to be found.

Wil didn’t know why she needed it, but he was intent on stopping her. In the moment that he returned fully to the present, time began to creep forward again. He could see that Desire’s hand was now inching forward, nearing the Shard.

Without a moment of hesitation, Wil disappeared, teleporting from where he stood in the square, reappearing in the air just to the side of the Shard. Reaching out with his left hand, his right gripping the white sword tightly, he clasped the pinpoint of light just as time resumed its normal flow.

Wil took satisfaction in seeing the look of triumph on Desire’s face turn to shock and anger at his appearance, before he disappeared again in the flash of white mist. She was left clutching at nothing.

“Wilhelm!” Desire screamed in frustration, and the Wyrm she was riding echoed her cry, roaring at the intruder.

Looking around, she saw the handsome young man reappear on the ground, a beautiful white sword in his hand and something shining brightly in his other. Even through his clenched fingers, rays of light shone in the darkness.

“Bastard!” Desire cursed. “Kill him!” She urged the Wyrm to attack. It responded immediately, its massive form crashing forward to crush the insect standing before it.

Desire had a moment of confusion when she saw Wil not running away, despite a Wyrm rushing towards him. She knew he could feel its power. With the infection coursing through its veins, it was as powerful as a demigod. A rank 7 like him would never be able to stop it.

Wil raised the white sword, ‘Dragon’s Tooth,’ in his right hand, using every bit of his mana to enhance his strength in order to life it one-handed. He furiously channeled the Patriarch’s power within the sword, eyeing the approaching Wyrm, trying to time his attack perfectly.

He could feel the connection between him and the power the Patriarch had left, almost as if it were kin to his own. It leapt to obey him, combining with the Dragon’s chaotic energy within the blade, forming an attack capable of stopping demigods.

Raising the sword up high, the Wyrm was nearly upon him when he slashed the blade downwards. The eyes of the Wyrm, with its vertical slit pupils, filled his vision.

The power of the attack nearly broke his arm, the force of the blade pulling his shoulder from its socket. Screaming, Wil focused everything on the attack. The rampaging magic surged forward, like a tidal wave.

The blade split the air with a dragon’s roar as a crescent moon of golden energy shot forward. The energy carved a trench into the ground as it met the charging Wyrm. Before striking, the energy morphed into a Golden Dragon, its mouth open as it roared, its claws already slashing at its enemy.