Dragon Maken War - Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Chapter 159 - Inherited Resolution (1)

1

He was having a dream .

He had never been there before, and he was aware of that fact .  However, it was a dream where he was able to meet someone that looked very familiar to him .

It was a space where the light reflected off the surface of the water .  The reflected light danced on the wall .  Normally, it was supposed to be an underground space where no light should be able to reach the place .  However, the magical light that was emitted in the middle, and it was creating a wondrous sight .

<You’ve finally reached this point, Azell . >

He knew this person better than anyone, yet his voice sounded so foreign .  He spoke towards Azell .

It was a very bleak voice .  It was as if the deepest darkness below had been squeezed to create this voice .  It felt as if his lifespan shortened by listening to this voice .  It sounded similar to the voice of an Undead, but it was a voice that incited a more basic fear from the living .

Azell looked at the owner of the voice .

Water had gathered at a corner of the space .  There were fragments of light dancing above the water as if they were fireflies dancing in the summer night .  The light was so faint that it was as if it was about to be eaten by the darkness .  However, the fragments of light continued to be reflected as the beautiful dim light remained .

In the middle of it all, there was a silhouette surrounded by darkness .

Fragments of light was dancing around him, yet his face couldn’t be seen .  It wasn’t, because of the darkness cast by the worn out hood .  It was probably caused by the ominous energy surrounding his body .

His body was wrapped in a ragged robe, and something was planted deep in his chest .  The end was rounded, and it was embedded with a clear gem .  The wooden staff was pierced through his chest as a quiet darkness emanated from it .

There was a rectangular pillar made out of silver erected behind him .  Black chains were tying him to the silver pillar, and darkness crawled up the surface of the pillar in the shape of letters .  It was a bizarre sight .

Azell called out to him .

“Carlos…… . ”

He was the magician that has founded the Guardian Shadows .  He was Azell’s closest friend Carlos .

Carlos laughed .  An eccentric laugh rang out .  It sounded completely different from his previous laughter .

<You are able to recognize me when I’ve turned out like this .  I’m moved by it . >

“I also know that I’m not seeing you in reality right now . ”

<Yes, this is a message I left within them . >

“Is this like the thought construct you left behind when I woke up?”

<I created this to deliver a more important message .  Moreover, the conversation you have with this thought construct will be delivered to you in reality . >

“What message?”

<I am at the sacred mountain of Laus . >

Laus was the highest mountain on the continent .  It was located northeast of the continent, and it was part of the Atisan mountain range .  This mountain range was like a natural barrier that bisected the mountain range of Darkness and the Demon lands of Albatan .

<You should come there to meet me, Azell .  I have the final key… . . >

“I have a mountain of questions I want to ask you… .  I’m guessing I don’t have much time?”

<Yes, I didn’t give this thought construct much time . >

“I can see from your state that you didn’t endure the ravages of time with a living body . Still, I never expected the Dragon Demon king worshippers to get this right .  You were able to create the Guardian Shadows with such a body .  Did you do it as a pre-emptive move to block the revival of Atein and the Dragon Demon generals?”

<In truth, I hadn’t thought that far ahead . …… . >

Carlos cackled as he laughed .

<I experienced something unexpected in my latter years in life .  Azell, the world faced two very serious threats after you died . >

“Do you mean the fall of the empire?”

<I’m not talking about such worldly problems . Of course, that was a very big event, but that occurred after I retreated from the forefront of history . >

The empire broke apart after Carlos was officially declared dead .

<Calamities that threatened the existence of our races had appeared .  The funny thing about it was the fact that they were released, because Atein was killed . >

“What do you mean?”

<It means Atein had fought calamities that would have wiped out the population of the world in the past, and he had sealed them .  As I've told you before, Atein and the Dragon Demon generals were once called heroes that save the world . >

“Mmmm…… . ”

Azell furrowed his brows .  It was a truth that had been revealed when Carlos dug into the past of Atein .  Whether it was the past or present, Azell was having a hard time accepting it as truth .

<Somehow, I was able to block those two calamities, but I ended up like this .  I wasn’t capable of stopping any troubles that occurred afterwards . >

“Did this occur during the time when your death was officially recorded?”

<That’s right .  I did die in some fashion . >

Carlos shrugged his shoulder .

Azell tried to ask another question .

“Then…… . ”

<Ah .  We really don’t have much time left .  I’ll tell you the rest when you visit me . I’ll be waiting for you . >

When Carlos’ words ended, Azell’s surrounding blurred .

In the end, the dream came to an end, and Azell’s consciousness surfaced into reality .

2

Cheep cheep, cheep cheep cheep… . .

When he opened his eyes, sunlight streamed through the dense foliage of the tree, and the chirping of birds could be heard .  For reference, it felt as if he was in a classic situation that was often seen in stories .  Azell pulled himself up as he had such thoughts .

Then he became surprised .

‘My body… . . ’

His body had been halfway to being a corpse, but now his body felt light right now .  It felt as if he could fly away .  For a brief moment, he circulated his magical energy through his Energy Pulse, and he realized that his body had completely recovered .

No, it hadn’t stopped at his recovery .

‘My Dragon Demon magic has deepened significantly . ’

His body had become much sturdier than the body he possessed before his injuries . Most of his magical energy within his body had been converted into Dragon Demon magic .

Moreover, he felt the presence of 10 Dragon weapons .

Moon Sword .

Wings of the Storm Dragon .

Box of Hate .

Underworld Ruler’s Marksman .

Chain of the Earth Dragon .

Defender of Dawn .

Unyielding Fortress,

Cry of the Phoenix .

Master of Raging Waves .

Lastly… .  The Sky Splitter no long needed to be summoned through the Dragon sword .  It had recovered completely .  The Sky Splitter was whole now .

Suddenly, Azell felt a wave of ominous magical energy, so he turned his head .  He saw the Undead that had always accompanied the Keepers of Prophecy .  It was Theta .

<You have awoken, hero Azell Karzark . >

“You are…  Didn’t you say you were Theta?”

<That’s right . >

“You are the one that brought me…… . ”

At that point, Azell sensed the presence of his comrades, so he surveyed his surrounding .

At an open clearing, the messed up forms of Kairen, Laura, Yuren and Leticia could be seen .  They were laid out next to each other .

“This…… . ”

<I’ve done some first aid, but they aren’t in good condition . >

“An Undead saved the lives of the living, and  you even did some first aid .  It does sound like a joke . ”

<It is as one would expect .  I’m poor at carrying out such work .  Moreover… .  I won’t be able to use magic much longer . >

At those words, he carefully looked over Theta .

Azell realized Theta was truly in a bad state .

‘The magical energy maintaining the Undead is fading away . ’

It wasn’t, because he was exposed to sunlight .  Unlike other Undead, Theta was special .  He was a high rank magician, so sunlight wasn’t a critical weakness .  

Currently, Theta looked like a being that was reaching the end of his lifespan .  Azell knew the underlying reason behind it .

“Your existence was tied to the Keepers of the Prophecy . ”

<Correct .  We are the ‘Sleepless Guardians’ .  We exist, because we were chosen by the Keepers of the Prophecy . >

As a result of the Keepers of Prophecy being gone, Theta couldn’t maintain his existence .

Azell asked a question .

“The Keepers of the Prophecy…  What happened to them?”

<They are probably all dead . >

“…… . ”

<You probably anticipated this answer . >

“I knew it, but… . . ”

When they became Keepers of Prophecy, they no longer aged, and they only died when they were murdered . They had been in a constant state .

When Leone revealed this truth, it had sounded ridiculous, but Azell understood it now .

When they suffered their first death, they were able to become a part of the Guardian Shadows .  It was a great magic that changed the order of the world .

Moreover, Carlos had used the fact that they were of Azell’s bloodline to safekeep his Dragon weapons .

The combination of the Dragon weapons, and the profound magic connected to Azell’s bloodline had kept the Keepers of Prophecy alive .  They neither aged or developed .

This was why their lives ended when they transferred the Dragon weapons to Azell .

After finishing their mission, they used their remaining power to fight .  They allowed Azell to be moved to safety, and they were exterminated .

‘Carlos, why did you choose such a method?’

Azell couldn’t understand it .

He knew that Carlos had made the Guardian Shadows, and he knew the purpose that the Keepers of the Prophecy had served .  Still, he didn’t understand why his Dragon weapons had to be transferred to him by creating such unfortunate beings .

Before he was put to sleep, Azell had given all his 12 Dragon weapons except his Sky Splitter to Carlos .

Of course, he thought Carlos would find new owners for them .  However, he had assumed that Carlos had died before being able to transfer the Dragon weapons his descendants .  Even if he was able to, the Dragon Demon king worshippers were killing all the humans that possessed Dragon weapons .  He had assumed the line of succession of his Dragon weapons had ended .

He never would have expected his Dragon weapons to be preserved in such a manner . . .

‘This bothers me on many level, but…  It seems I’ll be able to meet Carlos . ’

Theta, who had been observing Azell for a brief amount of time, spoke .

<Since I knew your destination was the Albatan forest, I brought everyone here . >

“…this is the Albatan forest?”

<We are at the outer edge of it . >

“How much time has passed…… . ”

<It hasn’t been long .  Since all the Guardian Shadows gathered here from all over the continent, we were able to used around 200 of them as diversion . >

Theta explained all the events that occurred leading up to their arrival in this place .

The Guardian Shadows could move as if they were sliding across the surface, so there hadn’t been any turbulence as the members of the party was moved .  The Guardian Shadows had kept them safe .  After Theta put the party members into a state of suspended animation, he slowly put his own life energy into them .  Theta had kept them alive until they reached this place .

Azell bowed his head .

“Thank you . ”

<That’s  unnecessary . >

Theta shook his head from side to side as he spoke .

<Azell Karzark, I’m part of the ‘Sleepless Guardians’, so I’m not your descendant like the Keepers of the Prophecy . >

“I see . ”

<However… We feel the same way as them .  We consider you to be the hope .  Please bring about the prophecy . >

“I’ll bring it about no matter what . ”

Azell didn’t hesitate as he gave the answer .

Theta was like a candle that was about to be extinguished .  Azell didn’t know if the soul exploited to make an Undead could find peace… .  

However, he didn’t hesitate to show Theta his unwavering resolve .

Theta let out a satisfied laugh .

<Hoo hoo .  Thank you .  I want to witness their destruction by your hands… . However, my journey ends here . >

The Dark magical energy maintaining the Undead exited, and the skeleton crumbled to the ground .  The will infusing the bones was no longer there .

Azell gazed at the spot for a brief moment before he approached his comrades .

3

“Ooh-ook…… . ”

Kairen opened his eyes .  He had a headache, and it felt as if his head was about to be shattered into pieces .

The first thing he saw was Yuren stuffing his face as he pushed his life energy into Kairen .  Kairen furrowed his brows .

“Something is really…  I feel fortunate for my current situation, yet it feels unpleasant at the same time . ”

“I tried so hard save your life, yet you say such words to me?  I didn’t even have the time to take a break for a meal .  I had to continuously inject the life energy into you . ”

Yuren grumbled .  Kairen complained .

“I’m thankful for that part,but… .   Ooh-ook . ”

He was about to raise his body, but he lowered himself when pain washed over him .  He let out a groan .  Yuren shook his head from side to side .

“Please stay still and lie down .  Your body is in a rough shape . ”

“Mmm .  It seems you are right .  Could you enlighten me a little bit on our current situation?”

“We are at the Albatan forest . ”

“…what?”

Kairen became surprised .  Yuren spoke as if he was having a hard time believing his own words .

“We haven’t entered deep into the forest .  We are located at the edge .  According to Azell, the Guardian Shadows transported us here . ”

“I have know idea what’s going on… . . ”

“It is the same for all of us . ”

“Everyone seems to be alive, so that’s a blessing . ”

“Duke, you were the last one to wake up . ”

Azell woke up Laura and Yuren first .  Then Azell asked the Guardian Shadows to catch the small animals nearby .  The two magicians used their black magic to steal the life energy from the animals, and they healed themselves .

After they recovered themselves, Laura took on the task of healing Leticia, and Yuren was assigned to Kairen .  Leticia and Kairen was slowly brought to consciousness .

Kairen asked a question .

“What about Azell?”

“He went out to catch some beasts . ”

“Mmmm?”

Kairen had a baffled expression on his face .  From what he remembered last, Azell’s body was in a broken state, yet he went out to catch wild animals?

“Did I fall into a hibernation for a very long time?  Has it been a month?”

There were cases where Dragon Majins fell into hibernation when they suffered a critical injury .  It was a mechanism for recovery .  This was why he brought up this possibility, but Yuren shook his head .

“No .  It has been only two days . ”

“…then what happened?”

“It seems the Keepers of Prophecy had kept Azell’s Dragon weapons in safekeeping .  When the Dragon weapons were transferred over to him, he made a complete recovery… . .  It isn’t just the fact that he looks completely normal now .  He became much stronger than before . ”

“Are you sure I’m not dreaming right now?  Somehow I am having trouble keeping up with our current situation . ”

“This is reality . ”

“Mmmm . ”

“Since you’ve recovered enough to wake up, I can relax now .  I’ll heal you once again after I finish my meal .  Azell said he would give a more detailed explanation of our current situation when everyone woke up .  Let’s wait for that . ”

“Understood .  Hoo-ooh…… . ”

Kairen let out a sigh .