[What is this...?]
『Heavy, isn't it? Very.』
The wraith imbued with Elric's will couldn't help but nod its head.
The mana storm was so intense that it felt like if one made a wrong move, they wouldn't just get swept away—they might be torn apart.
The only fortunate thing was that no demonic energy could be felt within it.
Although it was faintly present, it was only a negligible amount.
This meant that Gregory had only explored this place so far and hadn't begun full-scale development.
However, Elric hesitated to send the wraith inside.
If it went in and was damaged, the deep synchronization with his own mind would also cause serious harm to him.
『You're not going in?』
But the hesitation lasted only a moment.
Seeing Mephisto smirk as if mocking him for being scared, Elric had no choice but to act.
Of course, just because Mephisto provoked him didn't mean he could recklessly push the wraith into the storm.
'Let's see if this works...'
Elric maximized the synchronization rate as much as he could.
'Mind's Eye!'
At that moment, the world was covered in shades of black and white.
Numerous strands became visible, and he could see the threads of mana, tangled like yarn, swirling wildly in the mana storm.
The wraith slipped inside, carefully avoiding the threads.
Mephisto chuckled lightly and followed, once again taking the lead.
It seemed the mana storm's physical interference wasn't affecting him much, as he moved freely through the storm.
『At a glance, the entrance and passageways don't seem much different from a typical dragon's nest.』
Elric nodded in agreement.
Indeed, as Mephisto said, while the features of the cave were different, the overall atmosphere and the remnants of magic circles resembled the ones found in the Jewel Dragon's nest.
'I need to be cautious. Who knows when Spartoi might appear.'
Elric was especially cautious as they moved through the area, remembering the struggle he'd had with the Spartois before.
However, it seemed that he didn't have to worry as much as he thought.
'The magic circles... they're all broken. The Dragon Tongue isn't functioning.'
At the Jewel Dragon's nest, even after a thousand years, many of the magic circles had remained operational like living organisms.
But here, most of the magic circles were destroyed.
Only about 10% were still intact.
And even those had lost much of their functionality, making it hard to guess what the original spells might have been.
The fierce mana storm was a side effect caused by this breakdown.
『The owner of this place must not have been very old. The magic system isn't that deep.』
[How old do you think?]
『Hmm. About 3,000 years? It seems like it was relatively young.』
[...?]
Elric was shocked.
A dragon that old is considered young?
『To be called an ancient dragon, you'd have to be at least 5,000 years old. Even then, you'd still be the youngest among the ancient dragons. A dragon that could only leave behind a defense system that broke down after a mere thousand years is laughable.』
Mephisto casually referred to a 3,000-year-old dragon as "young." Elric wondered just how old Mephisto himself was.
'Well, ancient times and prehistory are shrouded in mystery for a reason.'
Evolutionary theory suggests that modern humans began appearing on the continent about 40,000 years ago.
However, what is considered actual "history" is relatively recent.
From the perspective of dragons and demons, who ruled the continent before humans, everything might seem trivial.
『That's why humans are fascinating. You live barely a hundred years, and your history doesn't even span more than 2,000 years, yet you've come this far with magic.』
There was a hint of bitterness in Mephisto's voice as he muttered to himself.
***
The dragon's nest was a maze.
Narrow, winding corridors twisted and turned like an anthill, making it dizzying to navigate.
[If we're not careful, we could get lost in here forever.]
『Heh. If you go deeper, you'll see signs that many of Gregory's people were already trapped and starved to death in here.』
Elric grimaced.
Even if they were lower-level demons, they could still use magic. If they got trapped, how complex must this place be?
[You seem to be enjoying yourself?]
『Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be happy to see my enemies dwindle in number?』
[It doesn't seem like that's the only reason.]
『I have no idea what you mean. Hahaha!』
'He's absorbed something, hasn't he?'
Elric realized that Mephisto's increasing autonomy likely came from absorbing seals or consuming in a place like this.
No wonder he seemed so pleased—he was steadily regaining his power.
『But this place is very complex. How do you plan to find your way?』
Mephisto crossed his arms, tilting his chin up arrogantly as if testing him.
Elric snorted lightly.
[Do you think I'm like those fools who starved to death in here?]
After all, hadn't he experienced enough mazes during his time in the Labyrinth of Blue Fog?
Finding his way here wouldn't be that difficult.
He moved according to the direction his Mind's Eye indicated, and when that wasn't enough, he would gather mana and throw it into the center of each fork in the path.
The mana storm circulating through the corridors would cause the mana to scatter in the direction where the wind was exiting. All he had to do was move in the opposite direction.
『You're quite good at this now, aren't you?』
Mephisto, speaking like a proud master, watched as if his student had grown up.
Elric didn't bother responding, knowing that engaging with him would only lead to unnecessary banter that would break his concentration.
While the method sounded simple, the tasks involved were anything but easy.
After some time had passed.
Elric spotted something.
'What's this?'
A long, seemingly endless corridor. The walls were covered in scratches.
'A rampage?'
When monsters go into a berserk frenzy, the chaotic destruction they cause is often referred to as a "rampage."
A large creature, easily several meters tall, had left footprints all over the floor. Claw marks and traces of a tail sweeping across the walls were scattered everywhere.
There was even black soot on the ceiling, as if something had melted the stalactites.
It seemed like a monster had been trapped here and gone on a wild rampage.
'This happened not too long ago.'
A month at most? Maybe just a couple of weeks?
Elric tried to deduce what kind of monster had caused this mess by using all the knowledge he had.
He tracked the size of the footprints and tail marks to estimate the creature's size.
He gathered clues from the scattered scales to identify its type.
'This wasn't just a mindless rampage. There are signs of a fight. The opponent was at least ten... no, fifteen demons.'
Simulations ran through Elric's mind one after another.
'Demons. Demons entered this place and fought with something. Then they were annihilated.'
After the rampage ended, the monster must have calmed down and returned further inside, as if nothing had happened.
Even though the corridors were narrow for a creature of that size.
It moved as if this were its home.
'But something about this feels familiar…?'
Suddenly, Elric felt a sense of unease.
[Wait a moment. Mephi.]
『What is it?』
Elric's voice was firm.
However,
Mephisto's reply was filled with amusement.
At that moment, Elric realized.
Mephisto had been waiting for him to figure it out.
[Could this be...?]
『Is there any need to explain it further? You'll see for yourself soon enough.』
Without giving a proper answer, Mephisto dove further inside. Elric, now tense, followed him down the corridor.
Along the way, he saw more signs of destruction.
The monster hadn't only rampaged when the demons arrived.
Even while alone, it had repeatedly gone berserk, smashing its head against the walls and almost collapsing the passageways, smashing the floor with its tail until bones and flesh were scattered everywhere.
And the more Elric saw, the clearer his sense of familiarity became.
'This is just like the Jewel Dragon's nest.'
The Jewel Dragon that had been pierced by the spear Mephisto created.
Even when it briefly came back to life as an undead, it had displayed similar behavior.
Finally, when they reached the last point.
『There it is.』
In the thick darkness where not even a single ray of light could penetrate.
Elric heard Mephisto's chuckle as he saw it.
A pair of bright yellow eyes slowly opened, with vertical pupils glowing faintly.
A dragon.
A real dragon was there.
Grrrrrrrrr...
With a low rumble that reverberated through the air.
It opened its mouth.
[Who... are you...?]
[Who are you to possess... that one's mana...?]
***
"Do you think everything's alright?"
Heize furrowed her brows with a worried look, glancing behind her.
Her gaze fell on Sailor, who was walking down the path, laughing heartily beside a blind woman from the barbarian tribe.
The woman exuded an air of mystery, but other than that, she seemed like an ordinary person.
But her status was clearly not ordinary.
Warriors of the Borfur tribe, with menacing tattoos on their faces, stood at various points along the path, glaring fiercely.
The way they looked over here carried such hostility that it seemed they might attack at any moment.
Hostility.
Given the situation, the Black Skull mercenaries couldn't afford to sit idly by.
Even though the Borfur tribe had a good relationship with Sailor, that didn't mean they could trust these people completely.
That's why Heize, along with some of the Black Skull's key forces, was waiting on the outskirts of the path.
Ready to jump in the moment anything went wrong.
However,
Unlike the worried Heize, the other mercenaries of Black Skull showed no such concern.
Some yawned lazily, while others quietly pulled out books and began reading.
It was an odd sight, seeing people in dark, menacing armor acting so relaxed. It was almost awkward to witness.
"You think something would happen to Father?"
Carotte, the leader of Black Skull, laughed softly.
"I'd love to see that, just once in my life."
The other mercenaries, listening in, all nodded in agreement.
In their eyes was absolute trust in Sailor Holmes, their "Father."
There wasn't a single one among them who doubted him.
They believed no one could betray or go against him once they were connected to him.
And even if something did happen, they believed he would handle it wisely.
"Well, I hope you're right..."
Heize also nodded in agreement but still couldn't take her eyes off Sailor, feeling uneasy.
Something kept nagging at her.
Meanwhile,
Sailor was deep in conversation with the blind woman, Sarnai.
"Batu... It seems he has obtained the Dragon's Blood as he desired. Is that right?"
[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]