C451 - The Majesty of Murakan
Those who came from Vermont were the Earth Dragon, Rabus, and the Earth Dragoness (Dragon Woman), Untiel, along with the magicians a.s.sociated with them.
Those from Zipple were the Fire Dragon Theo, the Blue Dragoness Lalamakua, and their magicians.
In total, there were four Dragons and eight Magicians, all gazing with wide-open eyes at the sky dyed by the Shadow Energy and the crumbling Black King"s Mountain.
In particular, the four Dragons had experienced Murakan"s prime moments.
The magicians felt the accelerated heartbeat of the Dragons transmitting from the backs of the Dragons each one rode.
Are the dragons... feeling fear?
This is unprecedented.
Is it okay?
An extreme sense of tension.
The Dragons were stiffened, leaving the magicians no choice but to share the same anxiety.
The battle prowess of the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel and his formidable Guardian Dragon were well-known to the public due to incidents like the Sword Emperor"s Terrorist Attack.
Back then, Murakan had almost single-handedly defended the skies.
Furthermore, considering the Twelfth Flagbearer"s radical actions and battle prowess, it was natural for the magicians to harbor such misconceptions.
The Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel attacked the refuge of the Black King"s Mountain with his Guardian Dragon...
"And they won!"
The magicians swallowed saliva simultaneously, reflecting.
I heard that Murakan has regained his strength, but has he already reached the point of being able to handle the Black King"s Mountain alone?
The speed at which he is recovering his former power is remarkable.
Just a few years ago, he couldn"t even compare to Sister Quikantel.
Rabus and Untiel exchanged glances and awkwardly coughed as they looked at Murakan.
[Uh, greetings, ruler of the high mountain and friend of the great Solderet, Murakan-nim. I didn"t expect to find you here.]
[I didn"t expect to see you here either. Have you been well, great Black Dragon?]
Rabus and Untiel spoke.
Jin had met these Dragons during his time as a Provisional Flagbearer.
These are the Dragons we met on the day I first saw Quikantel-nim.
Even then, they were very proud.
Murakan stared at the two dragons.
Specifically, it was Murakan who was looking at them, while they dared not meet Murakan"s gaze.
These two Dragons were among those who had faced Murakan most frequently during his prime.
[Rabus, Untiel. What brings you here?]
[We came because we sensed something unusual in the Bise Kingdom.]
[It seems like a great battle, but if it"s okay, could you give us more details? Hey!]
Flutter!
Before Dragon Untiel could finish her sentence, Murakan flapped his wings forcefully.
It was a gesture of Dragons to express their displeasure, akin to delivering a strong punch to a human.
[Insignificant Earth Dragons! How dare you tell me to inform you about what happened here?]
[No, older brother. It"s not like that.]
[Murakan-nim, it"s a misunderstanding! We"re not demanding that you tell us what happened. We"re just asking if you could, if possible, share the details with us... Of course, we can understand if you don"t want to tell us anything.]
The tone of the Earth Dragons quickly changed.
They couldn"t help it.
If Murakan had truly regained all his previous power, there was no force in the world that could stand in his way.
At least, that"s how the Earth Dragons perceived it.
If they spoke too rudely, Murakan could turn them into ashes, and the Empire would bear the consequences.
[Is that so? It seems like it"s been quite a while since I taught you all a lesson. I see that my own kind doesn"t treat me as carefully as before, and this uncomfortable feeling has been growing day by day.]
Woosh!
The Shadow Energy covering the sky became even denser.
[And especially, all of you seem to have a death wish.]
In an instant, Shadow Energy spikes burst from the black sky.
Rabus and Untiel were stunned and frantically lowered their heads.
[Older brother, that"s not what we meant. We"re sorry!]
[I think I made a mistake, please calm down, and let"s have a peaceful conversation!]
The sharp spikes effortlessly pierced through the protective shield the two dragons quickly launched.
Even the Dragons themselves couldn"t react properly.
If Murakan had decided to, this single attack could have been fatal.
Initially, the target of these Shadow Energy spikes was not the Earth Dragons but the Fire Dragon and the Blue Dragon behind them.
Theo and Lalamakua descended quickly and dodged Murakan"s spikes...
But they refrained from counterattacking because they were very aware of how serious the situation could become.
The reason for Murakan"s sudden fury was clear.
The Fire Dragon Theo.
He was a relative of Kadun, another Fire Dragon and Guardian Dragon of Kelliark Zipple.
Murakan and Kadun had never gotten along well, and just before the incident in the Holy Kingdom, Kadun"s attack had nearly killed Murakan.
Now, for Murakan, Fire Dragons were a race he would like to shred with just a glance.
[Fire Dragon Theo, didn"t your king convey that message to you? Don"t confront me at all costs. And unfortunately, if we do encounter, you must flee as fast as you can with all your might.]
Shadow Energy spikes formed again, and Theo, Lalamakua, and the Zipple magicians concealed their expressions of bewilderment.
Could that immense power we detected an hour ago really come from that crazy Black Dragon?
Of course, that was just a misunderstanding on Theo"s part.
The power that brought down the Black King"s Mountain was not Murakan"s Shadow Energy but Zephyrin"s demonic energy.
However, since the demonic energy exploded and dissipated after Zephyrin left, they didn"t hesitate to think that this power belonged to Murakan.
"No matter if he has fully regained his strength or not, fighting against Murakan so arrogantly is suicidal."
"I thought this might be like the battle between Valkas and Amela, but it has gone far beyond what I expected. We need to retreat immediately."
Like almost all Dragons in the world, Theo and Lalamakua had also feared Murakan in his prime.
Especially, Theo harbored a deeper fear as he had seen Fire Dragons and red dragons suffer many times just for being relatives of Kadun.
[Answer me, Theo, and Lalamakua. Depending on your response, I"ll decide whether to kill you or let you live. And this answer will affect the fate of the Earth Dragons as well.]
[Brother? Why? We haven"t done anything wrong. Please don"t do this.]
[Alright, we"ll withdraw.]
Murakan glared at Theo and Lalamakua, ignoring the heartfelt pleas of the Earth Dragons.
The Dragons could only flap their wings, not knowing what to do.
All Dragons trembled.
Their eyes were filled with anxiety, and there was no trace of arrogance left.
"Murakan, that guy is really something... but I"m still not used to these situations no matter how many times I see them."
To Jin, Murakan seemed much more familiar when he scratched his backside while reading ecchi magazines and ate a strawberry pie without dignity, a somewhat pathetic and unimpressive presence.
But in moments like this, where his millennia-old dignity stood out, Murakan seemed like an entirely different being.
Although he hadn"t definitively proven that he had fully regained his ancient power, he had managed to terrify both Zipple and Vermont Dragons.
"By the way, it might be a headache if they decide to resist."
In reality, Murakan was exhausted.
Jin, as a Thousand Year Contractor using Shadow Energy, was the only one who truly understood this fact.
Murakan had already expended almost all his power in his battle against Zephyrin.
However, Murakan faced the Dragons confidently even in this state; it was simply his "personality."
Murakan had lived as the most powerful being since the moment he was born, for over 3,000 years.
Whether he fully regained his former power or only a quarter of it, or whether he had nothing left, Murakan couldn"t imagine having a different att.i.tude than in his prime.
That"s why Jin didn"t step forward, even after knowing that Murakan was exhausted.
He didn"t want to hurt his pride.
If the Dragons decided to attack, he could fight alongside Murakan, which was fine since neither Zipple nor Vermont had any valid justification for attacking in the Bise Kingdom.
On the other hand, Runcandel had a legitimate reason after aiding the Black King"s Mercenaries.
The Black King"s Mercenaries remained silent amidst the misunderstanding and escalating tension.
Perhaps it was better to consider that they couldn"t do anything.
The recent explosion caused by Zephyrin had left most of their high-ranking members incapacitated or still searching for their comrades.
Moreover, Valkas had lost consciousness.
The Black King"s Mercenaries had to act extremely cautiously.
They couldn"t risk trying to correct the misunderstanding and potentially facing an unpredictable situation.
Furthermore, before losing consciousness, Valkas had transferred command authority to Jin.
Therefore, it was necessary to stay quiet until Jin took command.
After thinking for a while, Jin came to the following conclusion:
"If the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont retreat, I might somehow manage the situation in my favor."
If only the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont would withdraw.
The reason Jin"s conclusion was this foggy was that he had not yet "felt" deeply Murakan"s presence despite hearing everywhere about Murakan"s greatness for a thousand years.
It was something only those who had shared those thousand years with him could truly understand.
In other words, the Dragons from Zipple couldn"t even think about fighting Murakan.
[... Murakan-nim, we apologize for unintentionally offending you. I, along with Fire Dragon Theo, will withdraw promptly. Could you find it in your heart to forgive us?]
Lalamakua responded.
Her tone was calm, but her response was almost pitifully humble.
Jin was surprised once again.
Of course, Murakan had no intention of letting the matter slide.
He knew nothing about other Dragons, but the fact that a Fire Dragon had come to visit only angered him even more.
So, just as he was about to respond that he would let Theo go after incapacitating him, Jin spoke first.
"We accept! The Dragons from Zipple and Vermont will soon return to their homelands. Before my Guardian Dragon"s heart changes."
Hearing this, the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont were bewildered, and Murakan instantly understood Jin"s intention.
Murakan regained composure.
Not controlling his anger at this moment would be endangering his Contractor.
The Earth Dragons continued to roll their eyes, while the Fire Dragon and the Blue Dragon locked eyes with Jin.
After a moment, they could only respond like this:
[Alright... we thank you for clarifying the misunderstanding, Contractor of the Black Dragon. I hope we can meet again at a better time.]
Lalamakua"s response carried a background of "today I retreat, but I will remember this humiliation."
But Jin couldn"t help but smile.
"You have nothing to thank for. Goodbye and take care."
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