Chapter 115: Etched in the Blood…

“By the supreme glory and radiance of the God of Punishment! In the name of Saint Cuthbert! Aid and protect!”

As the torn space twisted, on the verge of bursting apart, a roar that rivaled a Barbarian’s battle cry echoed in his ears!

The rough, thunderous voice made it hard to imagine it was a hymn praising a Deity. However, Constantine felt a slight stir in his heart… It seemed ‘he’ had narrowly escaped disaster… The Deity was fair; even if the prayer was horribly off-key like a broken gong or a torn drum, the Divine Power’s protective effect would not be diminished because of it… Amidst faint flashes of golden light, the nature of the space was altered, and the negative effects caused by the Dragon Fear also receded slightly.

At the same time, the hand holding the crystal staff before him swung forcefully, and the gateway to the Plane of Fire was violently thrown open! In the next moment, two raging Giants, wreathed in flames, leaped out from the fiery red space!

It was well known that besides natural Elves and the Undead, other extraplanar beings often did not enjoy communicating with Humans living in this world. Summoning them to this world required a great cost, and there was no guarantee they would obey commands. But this Mage was clearly quite experienced. With just a slight glance around, the fire Giants charged towards the frosty Silver Dragon. Obviously, their opposing elemental natures were enough to make them furious!

“Incredible concentration… Is this the combat style of a High-Rank Mage?”

His gaze swept over the distant, hazy blue-grey smoke. The scattered sensations began to gather. Constantine’s thoughts raced, and he immediately understood he was not in reality—although it felt incredible. In a Plane where Magic dominated civilization, there were countless ways to plunge someone into similar illusions… within Magic classification, there was the school of Illusion. And among schools related to the Human Soul, Necromancy or Divination also had abilities that could place one in similar scenes. After his training in Hartdiel’s Soul Channel, Constantine was already very familiar with such situations.

However, this dream was different from directly connecting to the Soul… In fact, the word ‘dream’ was not sufficient to fully describe his current state. To be precise, he was likely within… a certain Memory.

“Foolish!”

Just as his thoughts clarified, the graceful, massive creature before him let out a short roar, then used its own actions to prove the truth of its assessment. As it spun with a dancer’s grace, the two fire elementals charging at it, one before the other, nearly collided. Then, the Silver Dragon’s elegant body stretched, and amidst a shimmering, faint magical glow, deadly spell energy gathered and concentrated.

Its maw, filled with sharp teeth, opened. A frigid cold that seemed capable of freezing everything became a cone-shaped, massive whirlwind. Energy that plundered all vitality spewed forward along with a large swath of dense mist. The fire elementals emitted piercing sounds of energy discharge, like agonized death wails. But their burning bodies seemed insignificant before this breath weapon, which could annihilate an army in an instant… In the short span of a single breath, their existence on the Prime Material Plane was completely erased!

“Holy… What a monster… Is this the power of an adult Dragon?” The lingering particles of fire and the scent of ice reached his senses. The shocking scene made Constantine involuntarily suck in a breath.

Those who slew a Dragon were invariably called Dragon Slayers. This title symbolized immense glory and wealth. It could not only be used to boast of one’s martial achievements but also represented seizing the wealth hoarded by Dragonkin. Similarly, their names would become fodder for poets’ songs… In the legends about Dragons, nearly half originated from figures dubbed Dragon Slayers.

Inherently possessing great power, Dragonkin were born as kings of the world. Even a young Dragon had strength comparable to an army. Thus, countless Adventurers attempting to slay Dragons, while pursuing their dreams, mostly provided Dragons with a source of collectible treasures and food. Yet, the very few success stories handed down since ancient times constantly inspired new Adventurers, driving them to plunge into death one after another.

Just like in the youth’s memory, where everyone admired those stars but never knew of the countless nameless ones swallowed by the vast ocean of the entertainment industry. People often habitually ignored what lay behind the glitter.

Though both were Silver Dragons, this one before him was clearly utterly incomparable to the one he had encountered… The youth reached this conclusion instantly—that body reflecting a mirror-like silver gleam was, even by rough estimate, at least fifty feet long. And the power of that breath weapon just now was absolutely not something his previous experience could compare to.

This was at least an adult, perhaps even an approaching elder True Dragon. Their power was enough to proclaim themselves king on the Prime Material Plane.

“That’s a Storm Breath!” A low shout echoed in his ears. Then, a blue spatial gate was torn open from nothingness, and the scenery before Constantine’s eyes immediately changed!

The power of the Mage the youth’s consciousness was attached to was clearly no ordinary feat. But evidently, he still underestimated the Dragon’s speed… A Dragon’s breath weapon possessed advantages unmatched by natural or even Arcane Magic, which was why they could boast of being invincible among magical beasts! And the attack before him was further mixed with the Dragon’s unique, so-called metamagic breath effect! It allowed the Dragon to stir up a storm while breathing. That was definitely not something he could confront head-on.

Even reacting swiftly, the teleportation effect still failed to let him escape the terrifying area. His body had just manifested from the twisted space when the vast whiteness was upon him!

“Energy Buffer!”

The Mage roared wildly! In that instant, his entire body was surrounded by countless sparks! The frigid air brushing past him crackled and popped, shattering into countless fine, translucent ice crystals. For at least a few seconds, this shattering of ice continued, until he was eventually gradually buried by this shimmering icy dust, even his flying long hair stiffening and freezing like a statue. Behind him, several ice spikes jutted out from the cavern walls of the ice temple, the smallest being taller than a man, joining the already dense forest of icicles. Even the fire elementals’ leaping forms were frozen, faint blue-green flames flickering before being extinguished.

But the Mage’s action held not a shred of hesitation—the ice was immediately enveloped by a vivid green light. Amidst a sharp, piercing screech, the hard ice dissolved and disintegrated into countless tiny fragments, disappearing into the air.

“I need ten breaths… Hold him back!” The Mage’s voice grew weak, but the firmness within it was almost an order!

Though no specific executor was named, the order was well carried out—a few specks of shimmering light fluttered in the air, insignificant compared to the brilliance reflected from the surrounding ice and snow. But when those tiny lights landed on the Dragon’s scales, their true form was revealed—a net woven from extremely fine, high-strength metal wire, each strand razor-sharp: a net of death.

Upon ensnaring the Dragon, a huge amount of ice dust immediately erupted from its body. Hissing, sharp noises made eardrums ache! Although protected by the ice and snow, the metal wires could not fully harm it, but they at least hindered the movements of this colossal being.

Constantine’s thoughts momentarily froze… His vision could not move at his will now, but even a slight glimpse was enough for him to deduce a startling fact. Moreover, that unique weapon was enough to explain certain issues.

“A strange weapon, quite useful… but…” The great Dragon’s body paused, but its composed demeanor did not change in the slightest. Glancing around at the surrounding metal, the keratin at the corner of its mouth seemed to lift slightly—its tone unchanged, but undoubtedly, the Dragon was mocking: “Human, do you think your power can withstand mine?”

The voice echoed. The sections of rock wall that had been securing the metal wires cracked and shattered violently. The operators were also flung far away by the immense force! The Dragon spread its wings. Ice and stones flew behind it, swept skyward by the airflow from those wings. The air began to flow and gather violently before it, forming a swirling mass of dense fog. Yet, the Silver Dragon’s massive body seemed to navigate through it with ease. With an elegant turn, a claw large enough to engulf an entire Human completely dominated Constantine’s entire field of view!

But contrary to the Dragon’s expectations, the truly fearsome attack from the Human side was also unleashed at this moment—

A sharp foreclaw tore through the air, emitting a hiss comparable to a sharp blade. But just as that keratin almost touched the opponent’s body, an ancient-looking ring on the Mage’s pinky finger exploded with a dull, heavy boom! Accompanied by a burst of intense light, a series of miniature fireballs radiated out from before the Mage, like small red spheres in a molten state. They flew in arc trajectories toward their respective targets, creating successive small but violent explosions on or near the immense monster.

A long, piercing roar sounded once more. Dozens of scales stained with blood were blasted away by the powerful explosions, scattering in all directions. A Dragon’s hide was tougher than any creature’s, and the frigid environment of icy peaks granted them some damage resistance. But facing such intensely hot magical flame, it was still overmatched.

“Roar!” The Dragon shuddered with heart-piercing pain. The agonizing pain left a momentary blank in the powerful monster’s mind.

The Mage’s aim was achieved. That momentary pause and positional adjustment were enough to launch the final killing blow—seizing this gap, the incantation reached its highest pitch. The Mage’s fingers danced rapidly, tracing overlapping symbol patterns in the air. Then, his body, wrapped in Black Robe, also began to tremble, as if at any moment it could be pressed to the ground by the Dragon Fear!

But immense energy had already gathered before him! Wisps of fiery red energy twisted in the air, almost in the blink of an eye, painting a huge Magic Array in mid-air! The Magic Array then twisted and expanded, its brightness increasing a thousandfold! The temperature in the cavern instantly rose dozens of times. The ice and snow that had encrusted the walls evaporated into thick mist with a hissing sound!

A humanoid form of energy took shape on the Magic Array once more, though this time there was only one.

The now-aware Dragon shook its head slightly. Silvery-white, orb-like eyes fixed tightly on the newly formed fire being! Though its body did not appear tall, even looking slim and smaller than the previous fire elementals, and the flames on its body were not as lively as those on other fire elementals, rather resembling an old man, the Silver Dragon felt an inexplicable dread. The Dragonkin’s vision allowed it to notice that below the fire being’s head-like position, there was a tuft of white flame, like an elder’s long beard. Moreover, the other was radiating more powerful, even terrifying, energy.

Flames roared. Amidst the roar, a wall of fire over ten feet tall rose. Eddies of swirling, tumbling flames formed a massive face upon it. Then, with a sound like roaring, ascending flame, the fire wall surged towards the Dragon like a massive curtain!

A Silver Dragon’s skin naturally resisted Magic. Even a Human’s Archmage’s attack spells could only cause minor damage to its composite hide. Therefore, to break such formidable protection, one had to utilize an extraplanar creature that was equally monstrous… And for an ice-aligned Silver Dragon, an attack from a Fire Elemental Elder, even just one, was enough to cause a fatal wound.

The flames of the Fire Elemental Elder’s Avatar were not especially blazing, the light so dim it seemed like drifting steam. Yet, they corroded everything they touched with extreme swiftness. After a few exchanges, the splendid scales on the Silver Dragon’s body quickly turned blackish! The Dragon’s body involuntarily trembled.

Then, the moment to decide victory arrived…

Amidst the flying stones, a strong white light suddenly flashed! Pure white flames traced a graceful arc through the dense mist, fiercely pouncing towards the Dragon’s chest! In the brief blink of an eye, its speed increased to that of a meteor streaking across the sky! Thus, the clang of weapons replaced the Dragon’s roar, shaking the cavern.

The Dragon’s power was unstoppable, but the figure that had just emerged from a stone used the force to leap up, brushing past the massive claw bearing a cold gleam. The surging, gushing light and flame even formed a rapidly flowing river! Trailing a desperate yet dazzling silver flame tail through the air, it pierced, in an instant, the Silver Dragon’s incredibly hard scales and tough hide! The light pierced its left chest, then passed through the entire Dragon body!

“Damnable, vile vermin! Dragon-slaying poison… you contemptible insects!”

The great beast’s howl rolled through the cavern like deafening thunder, shaking the continually crumbling cavern walls until they seemed even more precarious. But next, it had to helplessly lower its claws, gasping for breath in great heaves—unbeknownst when, a piece of metal had deeply pierced its chest… Judging from the shape protruding from its back, it was part of the blade of the Greatsword the ambusher had wielded!

“It is not over! And it will never end! I, Karlos the Silver-Frost… swear by the Platinum Dragon King, Bahamut, you shall receive your due punishment…!” This was no longer common language, but a string of Draconic speech. The Dragon’s furious gaze pierced through space. Even Constantine, observing everything, felt a shudder from deep within at this moment!

“He’s going all out!” the Cleric roared, once more raising a golden barrier… Actually, his reminder wasn’t needed; everyone had already witnessed the Dragon’s ultimate killing intent.

It suddenly spread its wings, as if to split the entire cavern apart. Its hill-like head tilted back, then thrust forward violently. An all-engulfing icy breath and a terrifying roar tore across the ground simultaneously. Small icebergs weighing dozens of pounds were swept up like dust. Every inch of the cavern shook and trembled, struggling to hold in the storm. Its massive jaws became a twisted fissure. From that dark gap, howling icy wind spewed forth. Colder than the coldest chill a Human could imagine by a thousandfold. Cone-shaped frigid energy even froze the air itself, charging towards the golden barrier with a bluish edge. Instantly, it completely engulfed that warm color. Spinning backwards, it was swiftly enveloped by the freezing space, congealing into an irregular block of ice. Tiny electrical sparks began to appear in the air. Streams of various colored lightning occasionally leaked from the cloud-like mass, with heavy peals of thunder echoing dully.

Under the extreme cold, the air and the countless mixed-in bits of ice and snow were nearly solid. Tens of thousands of thunderous crashing sounds came almost without a break, as if a series of volcanic explosions were erupting due to the intense changes in the glacier, spreading far and wide!

Constantine trembled uncontrollably, feeling the cold wind pierce him through from skin to marrow. He strained to widen his eyes, trying to see the figure that had ambushed the Dragon clearly. But all he got was swirling grey fog before his eyes. In his blurred vision, only a certain pattern engraved on the armor of the back seemed somewhat clear…

Warm spots of color slowly contracted in his vision. The youth suddenly curled his body. The icy chill on his skin felt as if he were still in the terrible nightmare of the Dragon’s cavern. The youth gasped rapidly several times. Only when his consciousness and bodily sensations fully returned did he realize it was sweat-soaked clothes.

“You’re awake,” a gentle voice said.

The youth turned his head. In that direction, he saw a pale face—reflected in a crystal surface. Within the enlarged pupils flickered rings of black flame, and the pale forehead was covered with a layer of fine droplets. He blinked before realizing it was his own reflection.

“Was that… a real Memory? Or some kind of illusion I needed to see?” The youth’s throat moved. He asked a somewhat disjointed question to the white-robed figure who had just stepped out from behind the Crystal.

Though officially, Mages had no rank distinction, since ancient times, Diviners were considered the highest tier. Perhaps because they could see more, soothsayers were often among the Mages with superior wisdom and broader knowledge. For this reason, they were undoubtedly the best experts at answering questions—

“That… is a Memory etched in the bloodline…” Eye of the Firmament, Callister, spoke.