In the end, the empire’s special forces had been so drunk on their newly acquired powers that we’d managed to defeat them without issue. It was a bit of a shame that we hadn’t been able to squeeze more information out of them, though. While they must have been strong to some extent, I had a sneaking suspicion they had just been sacrificial pawns. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have been so loose-lipped about what was going on in the empire.
Still, I’d never get used to killing people who were once humans, even though they’d turned into demons. It didn’t make me feel particularly great.
“You saved us, sir. I didn’t think they’d still be alive after we chopped their heads off,” Lionel remarked.
“I didn’t expect it either. I just cast Sanctuary Circle as a precaution, so I guess we can consider ourselves lucky. At least we’ll know what to expect the next time we fight them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Chieeef, what should we do about all this?” Ketty (who was back to acting cutesy) asked, pointing at the equipment on the floor.
“I’m going to purify it just in case, and we’ll pack it all up. Just don’t touch that big magic stone.”
“I know that.”
“Sir, a return circle has appeared over there,” Estia told me.
I followed her gaze, which was indeed directed at a return circle. And just as I thought, a sealed gate stood beyond it.
“So, is there really a...” Lionel trailed off.
“Yeah. I’m going to remove that seal and free the Umbra Dragon. Let’s pray it doesn’t turn into a fight.”
“Best of luck, sir,” he said.
I felt Brod grab my shoulder. “Master?”
“I’d like to see if I can come with you this way. You don’t mind, right?”
“Ah, uh, no. Lionel, I’m leaving the cleanup to you. It might take a while, so if I’m not back after twenty-four hours, go back to Ebiza with the others.”
“The longest it’s taken you so far is a few hours,” Lionel pointed out.
“You weren’t there, but the Water and Wind Dragons held me back for quite some time.”
“Are you sure we can leave after a day?”
“Yep. I have Forêt Noire, so I shouldn’t have any issues returning. I’d feel bad for making you walk back all the way to Ebiza while I’m on horseback.”
“I will pray for your prompt return, sir,” Kefin said.
“Me too!” Ketty chimed in.
“We believe in you, sir,” Estia added.
Lionel turned to Brod. “I’m leaving him in your hands, Whirlwind.”
“Sure thing.”
They were acting as if I’d be heading to the dragon’s chamber right away. But this time, I wanted to be in perfect condition before proceeding, so I awkwardly dispelled the misunderstanding. “Uh, I’m not going just yet. Unlocking the door will drain some of my mana, so I’m going to take a break after it’s open.”
My friends must’ve found my embarrassed expression quite amusing, as they burst into laughter. However, their amusement didn’t last long. I’d put my hand on the door, and as usual, it absorbed my mana until the sigil on it began glowing in a dark-purple light. The door opened and then...it happened. I silently cast Sanctuary Barrier and quickly jumped to the side. Something crashed into my barrier, which began emitting creaking sounds and cracking in various places.
A beam of dark-purple light had pierced my barrier. I quickly made sure that my friends were all right, which they were, thankfully. It seemed that no one had gotten caught up in the beam.
Needless to say, I had not expected to be attacked out of the blue like this. I’d hoped I could convince the Umbra Dragon to cooperate with me, but it seemed I would indeed need to fight him.
Shifting gears, I turned to my friends. “You guys leave, right now. That attack must’ve been the Umbra Dragon’s breath. This room might not be safe anymore.”
“Sir, please promise that you’ll return to us safely.”
“I promise. If I’m not back within a week, we’re canceling the trip to Illumasia. Kefin, Ketty, Estia, look out for Lionel, all right? Just...have faith in me and wait for me.”
“I fully believe old age is the only thing that can take you down, sir,” Lionel said.
“Good. Master, go back with them.”
“Why can’t I get through that door?! Luciel, lend me your shoulder!” Brod had repeatedly looked around the area where the dragon’s breath had come from, but every time his hand touched the door, it went right through it as though there was nothing there. He grabbed my shoulder and tried to go through the door that way, but he still passed right through.
“Master, return to Ebiza with the others,” I urged him.
“You have to come back safely, you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sure you’ll have no issue freeing the dragon,” Kefin said.
“Lots of people would find themselves in a pickle if you died, so you have to come back and keep working, ’kay?” Ketty added.
“Please don’t give up, sir,” Estia encouraged me.
Lionel was next. “As your follower, I am deeply frustrated not to be able to follow you through that door. Please return to us alive, and give us a chance to fix things in the empire.”
“I will. I promise I’ll come back alive. We don’t know what’s waiting for us out there, so be careful on your way back to Ebiza.”
My companions nodded and, using the return circle that had appeared when we’d defeated the empire’s special forces, teleported out of the labyrinth.
“All righty, guess it’s time to go. The thing that broke my barrier when even the Wicked One wasn’t able to pierce it was definitely the Umbra Dragon’s breath attack, which I saw in my dreams. Granted, I’m not at full strength right now, so my barrier was a bit weak, but still. Let’s hope I can reason with him,” I muttered under my breath before running down the stairs. “It’s about as dark as the thirtieth floor, huh? Umbra Dragon, can you hear me?”
“A mere human like you dares call out to me? You must not value your life very much,” the dragon’s voice echoed inside my head.
“Looks like you really don’t like humans, just like in my dream. Didn’t Lord Reinstar succeed in building a new world, as he promised he would?”
“That man is a liar. He thoroughly used me and my powers only to die before accomplishing anything of value.”
“Well, he built a city in the sky, established a church right at the center of the world, and created a nation brimming with advanced technology, all to make people’s lives easier,” I said. “We humans don’t live as long as dragons and other long-lived species, but he still worked hard to fulfill his promise to you, didn’t he?”
“Results matter more than intentions. His lifespan was a little longer than that of a regular human, yet he still died without completing his vision. He broke his promise to me. If it weren’t for these pesky chains, I would have already reduced this world to ashes.”
He was lying. How did I know? Well, the Wicked One had sealed him in here only fifty or so years ago. He couldn’t have been trapped for more than a hundred years absolute maximum. Reinstar, on the other hand, had died three hundred years ago. Yet, the Umbra Dragon had kept his word and hadn’t destroyed the world. In other words, somewhere deep in his heart, he must have believed in Reinstar’s vision. As for that breath attack he’d fired at us...
“Was that attack earlier your attempt at destroying the world?”
“Indeed. There isn’t a thing that my breath cannot destroy. With it, I shall reestablish the balance of this world.”
The Umbra Dragon was currently chained, but I knew for a fact that you should never relax your attention when faced with a foe stronger than you or things would be over before you even realized it. Gathering my mana, I recalled the conversation I’d heard in my dream.
“You can’t destroy anything right now, though. The Radiance Dragon is still trapped,” I pointed out.
“Lies. The Radiance Dragon’s seal has already been broken.”
The pressure emanating from him grew more intense, mixed with anger. I, on the other hand, was so shocked that my own thoughts were thrown into chaos.
“Wha—?! I’ve only freed the Holy, Flame, Earth, Thunder, Water, and Wind Dragons. The Radiance Dragon is still imprisoned!”
“I do not care whether you have freed it or not. Only the results matter.”
I strengthened my resolve. “If I can make you accept me and lift the Wicked One’s curse to free you, will you tell me about what happened to the Radiance Dragon?”
“Fine. If you wish to command me, then you must earn my respect, just like Reinstar did.”
“You’ve said it.” I took in a deep, deep breath to prepare myself. “All right, here I come.”
Under normal circumstances, I’d cast Sanctuary Circle first thing, but I decided against it this time. What mattered here wasn’t my ability to replicate Reinstar’s fighting style. The Umbra Dragon was testing me. At least, that was what my gut was telling me.
“Oh holy hand of healing. Oh birthing breath of the land. Take my energy and forge with it mail of light. Don for me a holy aegis. Sanctuary Armor!”