No one could gainsay that dragons are mighty creatures.

Those possessing their blood are many, for dragons are lustful creatures. However, True Dragons, titles reserved to the peak of their species, are few in number.

World’s apex predators, monsters amongst monsters.

One such being was spewing the famed dragon breath from his mouth. The volume of lightning pouring out was enough to drown a town in a sea of fire. His command of the elements was so great that the sky was covered with thunderclouds.

Even the ancient weapon of Valkut Spire would be heavily damaged if that thing hit it fully. Governor-King Alvared didn't have the resources to fend off an attack of this caliber so suddenly thus the marquess acted. He must, to protect his slowly forming pathway to this world from the realm of the fae.

Cardinal Judith similarly had no idea why the dragon came. Her battle with Alvared was temporarily paused as they were in a bubble of protection in a river of yellow electricity.

“How dare you attack me, lizard scum!” Foulfae’s angry voice thundered.

“What do you want, Radiageus? Speak!”

Alvared got a reply in the form of an air-vibrating roar and something in dragon tongue.

“...Thief?” Judith frowned.

“I know not what you’re implying. Leave at once or be treated as an enemy,” Alvared spoke heavy-handedly.

Thunder Dragon Radiageus smashed his claws at Alvared. Those could flattened a house so Judith had to evade it as well.

“Fae scent is all over my hoard!” The dragon gnashed his sword-teeth at the black portal in the middle of the place.

“Preposterous! I care not for some dragon-stinking gold. I don't need any of it. Scram, or you’ll be made to,” Foulfae was affronted by the accusation.

Among the four, the one that had the least haughtiness was Judith. The other three’s arrogance was as high as the tower they were in.

And thus they fought, too used to getting what they wanted through force.

Radiageus called on a bolt of lightning that he caught with his hand. His wings spread from end to end before he hurled it at the portal. The lightning spear was massive in size, reflecting Radiageus’ size. Before it could hit Foulfae’s portal, a purple space rift widened, as another creature as massive as the elder dragon arrived.

“Conceited winged lizard, my pet will handle you until my main body arrives. And then I’ll make a carpet out of your hides!” The marquess’ voice was beyond peeved. Bringing the reinforcement was not without cost.

The creature squeaked in pain as the lightning bolt hit it in the face. The great white moth’s green compound eyes found its target immediately and bristled with rage. The moth violently pushed the dragon until it fell off the tower but it was nowhere close to the end. They both took flight and began an aerial battle under the stormy skies.

Battles between Level 5s were impressive, but when the combatants were colossal-sized? Beyond impressive.

“Measures,” Alvared remembered Judith’s words as he watched the dragon and the moth tangle in a dance of death. “No, this is not you or your kind's handy work.”

Judith didn't answer although he was right. The dragons were not her machinations. She might be blind but the air and wind told her about what happened around her. The lesser dragons that the elder dragon brought with him were fighting with the fae army, killing each other. There were hundreds of dragons but the fae came in the tens of thousands. Their conflict was not only around the tower but all around Valkut city, which still housed unevacuated people forced to sleep by fae magic.

Neither the fae nor the dragons cared if they became collateral.

“Someone else is in play, disturbing the pond… so this is what he means.”

Judith interrupted Jerrold’s musings. “You’re helping the fae lord turn this land into something suitable for the fae and only the fae. Is this your way of restoring the Coriz Empire, Alvared?”

“So short-sighted, Judith,” Alvared snorted as pillars of stone appeared around him. “What I aim for is not so limited. I am the Coriz Empire.”

***

Far from Valkut city but still within viewing distance, there was a meeting.

“Y-y-you! Vi-Vi-”

Paina’s surprised face was a delight to look at.

“Yes, me. The one and only, Viers!” He smugly said.

“Are you sure about that?” Another ‘Viers’ approached him.

“So it really is like that. I’ve had my suspicion that might be the case,” Farley appeared.

“Wha-!?” Paina felt she was getting the short end of the stick.

“I mean, it’s Lord Viers. He has ‘that’,” Farley shrugged. “And Clarissa’s not with us.”

“I thought she’s sleeping…”

Viers did put some of them in sleep mode from time to time to save Victa.

“So you didn't see it coming?” The two Viers were making the same Cheshire grin, which doubled Paina’s prickling feeling.

“Ghh! Why didn't you tell us?”

To Paina’s defense, she'd never read novels or watched movies before. Entertainment was not as developed as Earth's in this medieval world, even if magic existed. She was uninitiated in the ways of clichés.

“To deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your friends. All right, that’s enough fooling around. Welcome back, all of you,” Viers extended his hand.

“It’s good to be back.”

Arsène shook Viers’ hand and became motes of light that merged with Viers.

…So that’s what happened in the Tower of Doom. Seeing it in person is different indeed.

In the span of a heartbeat, Viers absorbed Arsène’s experience. About the maze, the fae, the throne room, and what came after.

Arsène's speech about Rose… It’s pretty good.

He didn't rehearse it. Arsène, his other self, came up with it on the spot.

Purge Evil Arte? That’s f-ing Fairy Law! Waow!

The Arte that only hit what the caster perceived as an enemy. Viers envied it.

Turns out the angel’s identity is Leon… The orphan boy that I killed two years ago now is an angel with power above Level 5? Where's the justice in this? If that guy can reincarnate in heaven, will more of my past enemies revive? Will Anne!!? Shit!

Viers felt the prospect of fighting the Mary Sue again terrifying. He just hoped his Soul Snake’s Disintegration Decree Arte vanquished Anne’s soul beyond any possibility of resurrection.

Ultimately, confessing to Rose that he was the one that killed Leon was the right call. If he hid the fact, surely it would be revealed at the most inconvenient timing possible.

Marquess Foulfae wants to cross over here… Level 6 at the very least. So that's the reason for those spatial tears all around Valkut.

It was like a massive elephant trying to squeeze through a too-small door. Keep pushing and it will go through but the door will break.

That old woman’s true form is Cardinal Judith? Another surprise…

Then the subsequent escape from the tower, forcing their way past an army of fae, the face-off with Jerrold, and ‘Viers’ sacrificed himself to save Rose, Ciel, and the gang.

Quite a glorious use of death. As expected of me.

Witnessed by the members of the Church, ‘Viers’ was supposed to die.

Let's hope they think I’m dead. My last act of selfless sacrifice washed away some of their bad feelings towards me. Of course, years later, it won’t be too late to collect. Angel nuke from Rose and a clue to Level 6 from Ciel… Just according to Keikaku!

Viers was making the face of Yagami Light, an uglier version of it.

This scenario was schemed by Viers after he made a bargain with Rose and Ciel for three boons. That he would send Arsène in his stead while still reaping the benefits.

After killing Max, as a contingency, Viers wanted to create a bigger fire than the one in the Tower of Doom. Creating more chaos so he can benefit. That was why he turned his attention to the mountain ranges near Valkut. It was known by the locals that there were a lot of dragons there.

While Arsène was helping the band of heroes in the villain’s lair, Viers had not been idle. He was having an adventure in the mountains.

The monsters he met there were mostly the lesser dragon variants, such as wyverns but he did ascertain the big boss is a true elder dragon. The dragon that was now attacking the Tower of Doom.

Befitting someone possessing the MC-factor, he stirred the pot fiercely. It was no walk in the park, Viers likened it to an ‘arc’ in itself. As always, he managed to harvest quite a bit of benefits in his adventure in the land of dragons. After creating enough mayhem, Viers made sure the blame pointed to the fae. The fae that was clearly doing something grand in the Tower.

From soul searching Pinaca’s soul, Viers had an idea of what the fae was planning, even before Jerrold told Rose and the others on the top of the Tower. In the first place, Jerrold was seriously trying to kill him because the glamoured enforcer didn't want him to soul search Pinaca. Since he had Pinaca’s body and a couple of other changelings that he killed during the escape battle from Valkut, he could leave the fae ‘scent’ for the dragons.

Arsène knew what his other self was planning and gladly served as a body double in the Tower of Doom but there was still the matter of timing. It would be useless and anticlimactic if Gandalf arrived with the cavalry a day later in the Battle of Helm’s Deep so Viers and Arsène must communicate.

However, Viers did not trust the enemy would not pick up if the message was magical in nature since the opposition was overwhelmingly stronger, and it would be sent from inside their territory. The existence of two Viers’ must be kept secret; it was one of his greatest secrets. As such, Viers opted to use something old school: morse code.

It was one way only, Arsène informed the far-away Viers the baseline happenings in the tower, trusting the other party would deal with the dragons one way or another. Before Arsène and Rose crossed the portal to the final boss area, he also sent a code to Viers.

In his life as an ordinary guy on Earth, Viers didn't know morse code but at some point in his life, he had a glimpse of a Morse code poster. Using soul search, he pulled the memory from the depth of his soul. Not unlike a computer screenshot. Using that as a base, he was able to utilize Morse code.

Viers was one step ahead because he had relevant intelligence.

My my. Soul search is so OP.

To make Arsène as real as possible, Viers didn't stint on the investment. A good chunk of his Victa, a precious custom-made Wick Battle Suit, ample life-saving artifacts, even Paina and Farley.

In the worst-case scenario, Arsène would truly be obliterated but Viers was constantly ready to pull the two girls from the fire should that happen.

But if possible, despite Rose and friends witnessing his death, Viers wanted Arsène to make it back to him, so Viers could experience what Arsène experienced to grow his Horizon and get back his investments.

Viers even thought of erasing Arsène’s memories, making him think that he was the real Viers to up the ante and thus feeding the Horizon Aspect’s growth.

But it was too convoluted and might complicate matters further so Viers scrapped the idea.

With the directive of making it back to Viers but being dead in the eyes of the Church, Arsène needed to do a Houdini act. Jerrold’s suicide explosion was real, even the other Level 4s such as Mita and the elf siblings thought Viers was dead. To pull it off Arsène used something quite special.

Takju’s cube.

The Level 4 giant-race slave that Viers freed in Marakkus, gave Boram a Profound Codex and Viers a cube as his parting gift.

Its true form was an Imaginary Domain. Takju’s.

When activated, it allowed Viers to conjure a Domain!

Temporarily, it would give Viers not only a chance to survive but to even turn the tables on an unsuspecting Level 4.

It was his most effective countermeasure against Level 4s. When Mita and Lykin were hostile, Viers’ hand was clutching this in his pocket.

Arsène used this to protect himself from Jerrold’s last explosion. The loss of the cube stung but Viers gave it to Arsène full well knowing it might be used. Paina’s father regained some of his sanity before his death and left some parting words to Paina befitting that of a father.

Arsène didn't know what happened to Rose and company after he sacrificed himself but he was confident they'd be fine and jumped out of the tower from a different side. Afterward, he made his way out of the city. It was quite hard considering the numbers of dragons and fae but they were too busy to pay attention to one puny human.

And so Arsène successfully made it back to Viers, who waited at a safe distance.

Well, Mita was successfully rescued and I was dead. The Church won't look into a dead criminal so vehemently so that takes care of my Luxore's red record. Rose and Ciel, both my investments made it out, Paina's story arc finished, and I got benefits. From the Church, the Chevrys, the fae, the dragons, and a wealth of experience… case closed.

With a satisfied heart, Viers looked at the war-torn city filled with fae and dragons, and the Smaug-sized elder dragon biting the Mothra fae in the air.

Time to lay low. If the isolation barrier is truly created by the marquess, it shouldn't stick. Whether the marquess is victorious and begins trampling humans in all directions with his above Level 5 power, or gets defeated like the big bad villain he is, the barrier would go.

Viers offered a salute.

“Farewell Valkut, I wouldn't miss you.”

My role in this stage is over.

Viers turned around and there was a stranger standing behind him.

He didn't realize it.

He didn't realize it!!!

“You truly are an interes-”

Viers summoned Faiya and immediately unleashed the Twilight Fire.

It was as if a fragment of the sun fell into this little corner of the world. Faiya blew out a fire of extraordinary profoundness at the stranger using his mouth, turning the trees ablaze, cliffs into magma, and earth into glass. The breath of fire was far smaller than the previous elder dragon’s lightning breath but it didn't lose in terms of might. The dragon aimed his breath at the Magitek Wonder from above, thus downward. Faiya’s was slightly upward, sending a streak of jetfire to the sky, passing the limits of Valkut’s isolation barrier.

It went on for ten seconds and Faiya was huffing tiredly. In ten seconds the little fire elemental had terraformed the area in front of Viers into a hellish landscape of fire and brimstone. The master of Faiya had to deploy his Unreality Field to prevent himself from turning into blackened dust.

“Oof, the heat is nice for my back…” The stranger stretched. “Hmn? You’re already done?”

Not a single scratch on him and Viers’ heart was thumping like never before.

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Chapter 278 - Oh Shit