Chapter 168
Ru the Luminescent devoted herself to recovery, but quietly observed them all the while.
In her current state, she was unable to engage in combat, and even the reason to intervene was not clear.
Perhaps the Book of All Things had foreseen even a future where she would be rendered powerless.
'Lailnetia... why did you make that choice?'
Ru the Luminescent pondered the question, retracing her thoughts.
If Lailnetia the Devouring had truly hated her, she would have tried, by any means, to annihilate her.
However, even as she freed her from the Abyss, she deliberately separated her from the Knight of True Flame.
In other words, she had taken measures of her own accord to prevent Ru from being destroyed.
'Did you want to prove yourself right? Or did you perhaps feel a trace of pity for your own kind? Hm......'
Perhaps it had been a final act of desperation.
If she could achieve her purpose, she might well have been satisfied, even if she herself perished.
That was likely why she had kept Ru alive—to make her witness the ending.
'... I will not step forward. The Knight of True Flame is not a dragon.'
Ru the Luminescent had always imposed strict order solely on dragons.
Unlike that, the Knight of True Flame had merely transformed into something that absorbed the power of dragons.
There was no reason to deliberately involve herself with someone who was not a dragon.
'I have already declared neutrality, so my will shall not erode, even in the moment I vanish.'
If Lailnetia the Devouring had survived, Ru would surely have tried to stop her.
But Lailnetia the Devouring had been subjected to the law of nature's balance and, in the end, was destroyed by humans.
Now there was nothing left she could do, but to wait for the ending to arrive.
'... Are they trying to covet the power of dragons again?'
Ru the Luminescent watched the Knight of True Flame before turning her gaze away.
Tiksa the Frostbane had been sealed, and Ru herself was in hiding, so even the slightest sign would not be noticed.
Perhaps, by instinctively sensing mana, the Knight was attempting to pursue traces of dragons.
'Even if reborn by wicked means, has the essence of the dragon truly not disappeared?'
Ru the Luminescent carefully examined her kin, made only of bones.
Its former grandeur had utterly vanished, and only faint mana emanated from it.
No matter how much she had tried to persuade them to hide, that reckless bravado had led them to such a miserable fate.
'Ekexax... this is the result you brought on yourself. You looked down on humans, and now even your corpse is being defiled.'
Ru the Luminescent, drowned in lament, recalled the past.
Ekexax the Tempest had been the first to attack humans, resulting in countless lives being torn apart.
Perhaps up to that point, he had been intoxicated by a sense of superiority, but once humans began to fight back, he had gradually been driven back.
Eventually, Ekexax the Tempest met death, and his flesh was shattered to pieces in a pitiful state.
'Though, humans can be truly vicious as well. To use a dragon's corpse to harm fellow humans......'
Ru the Luminescent discerned this extreme characteristic in humans.
When faced with crisis, they unite instantly to resist, but when consumed by malevolence, they will commit slaughter and destruction without fail.
How could such a dual nature have allowed them to maintain a single collective?
'Since it's dead, its former powers can't be restored. As long as they are present, it can be easily driven out.'
Ru the Luminescent did not consider the undead dragon a grave threat.
At most, it was merely a remnant locked in the past.
It might threaten ordinary humans, but to the powerful, it would merely be regarded as a typical monster.
Above all, with descendants of Tiksa and the Sacred Radiance Lineage still existing, it could certainly be eradicated.
'Rather, the Knight of True Flame will encounter it... Whether he can defeat it, I do not know.'
Even Ru the Luminescent could not determine how that might end.
The Knight of True Flame had lost even his physical form to the power of dragons.
Worse yet, he hovered ever closer to the border between life and death, becoming ever more entangled.
'Unlike Lailnetia, he cannot conceal the darkness. However......'
The darkness latent within the Knight of True Flame was far too deep.
He could not hide it, but it would be revealed, fortified even further.
Could the Sacred Radiance Lineage truly sever that darkness?
'Fate must be bound to the descendant of Tiksa. That is how we have arrived at the present.'
Ru the Luminescent still remembered what Lailnetia the Devouring had mentioned.
That the Book of All Things manipulated the ending using the descendant of Tiksa.
Of course, there was no definitive proof, but looking back, it could not be said to be impossible.
'Is it from the descendant of Tiksa that the ending is to be created......?'
* * *
Alter, having received the emperor's decree, began to infer its cause.
With dark magic, transforming something into an undead was possible, but smuggling a dragon's corpse was not easy.
Furthermore, after each dragon was subjugated, its body was always disassembled—how had they restored those bone fragments?
'If all the bones are intact... I have to exclude the dragons I fought myself.'
Together with Alraune, Alter had personally confirmed the destruction of the dragons' remains.
Additionally, society's mages and the Semerune Holy Order's clergy participated as well, so nothing could have been leaked outside.
That meant Benelrode the Incandescent, Grafden the Deep, Mwin the Thunderstorm, and Lailnetia the Devouring would not have been summoned as undead.
'If Tiksa the Frostbane had awakened, the northern army would've found out first. Ru the Luminescent is supposed to be still alive......'
Recollecting the last remaining dragon, Alter finally reached understanding.
It was the first dragon ever subjugated since the founding of the Agnes Empire.
Though it was said that the founding emperor and the powerful vanquished it, perhaps its corpse had not been properly disposed of.
If the imperial archives were examined, some records might remain.
'It must be Ekexax the Tempest. A dark mage must have secretly collected the bones and reconstructed them as an undead.'
Though wholly unexpected, Alter did not feel especially uneasy.
Even if a dragon had been used for dark magic, it was just an undead.
Its size might be immense, but in reality, there would be vulnerable points throughout its form.
Even if large numbers of mages or clergy were sent, it could somehow be defeated.
'Even so, since it's a dragon, I should go take a look.'
The imperial household had likely issued a hasty decree, focusing on the dragon aspect.
Though only an undead, the threat of a dragon never disappeared.
And with losses among the forces to be minimized, they had no choice but to opt for swift subjugation by the powerful.
'Don't tell me it's somehow related to the Knight of True Flame?'
Alter calmly continued to ponder, then shook his head.
Just because he had a dragon's power did not mean he could use dark magic.
If anything, the Knight of True Flame would have attempted to absorb even the faint mana from the dragon's bones.
'If anything, this might cause the Knight of True Flame to approach.'
From the start, upon learning of the imperial edict, Alter had thought of the Knight of True Flame.
If a dragon appeared, the Knight of True Flame was sure to follow after.
Even if the dragon had been summoned as an undead, he would never be able to ignore it.
'He could be dead, but according to the prophecy, isn't he still alive?'
So Alter tried not to let down his guard.
Having absorbed the power of three dragons, it would be tough for a human body to withstand it.
Even if some harmony had been achieved, could it truly be perfectly controlled?
'I hope this will be the last......'
With renewed resolve, Alter slowly set off.
The Knight of True Flame was an unpredictable variable, intertwining with several dragons.
He would surely be immensely powerful, and would in some form threaten humans.
'I really have no choice but to leave it to Brillie.'
* * *
Brillie found the undead dragon and slowly drew her sword.
There was no darkness held within it; it retained its form only thanks to its bones.
In other words, if it was simply cut down as it was, the subjugation would be complete.
'That thing isn't important. Even if I don't intervene, it can be annihilated.'
The Semerune Holy Order had already dispatched holy apostles and priests.
With the use of holy arts, even an undead dragon would fall instantly.
In reality, she and Alter were present only as a precaution for unexpected developments.
'If the Knight of True Flame appears......'
Brillie hesitated for a moment, then regained her composure.
No matter his goal, she absolutely had to cut him down.
Even if he eliminated monsters out of goodwill, she could not ignore the weight of his accumulated sins.
'Even without a dragon's power, it was something I could do. I was once even called the next Sword Saint......'
Brillie suppressed memories of the past as she leveled her blade.
Now she needed to eradicate the enemy before her eyes.
Since even the life or death of the Knight of True Flame was unknown, she could only regard it as a possibility.
'Don't waver. Just think of it as a mission.'
Brillie imbued the blade with mana and quietly waited.
Since the first holy apostle held command authority, she had no choice but to obey.
Of course, it was not being forced upon her, but cooperation was necessary to defeat the enemy.
"Wouldn't it be better for you all to conserve your strength? An undead can be purified with holy arts."
"Are you saying that for the sake of safety?"
"Isn't it better that way? We can't always rely on you for everything."
Berhan, standing at the vanguard, kept his eyes fixed on the undead dragon.
Here, it would be best to deploy priests for a stable subjugation.
The next great mage and the Sword Flower should wait on standby, so they could be smoothly brought in later if necessary.
"Understood. We'll continue to observe a bit longer."
Alter gave a signal to Brillie, then quietly stepped back.
Berhan likely anticipated the possibility that the Knight of True Flame might barge in as well.
Having faced the Goddess Semerune directly, he would be all the more cautious.
'......'
Brillie belatedly sheathed her sword and followed after Alter.
Since the reason was clear, she calmly accepted the decision.
In fact, if the Knight of True Flame didn't appear even now, he should probably be considered dead.
"O holy ones. Let your radiant light shine forth!"
At Berhan's command, the priests all simultaneously began to manifest holy arts.
White light poured out from the clergy, and the density of mana gradually thickened.
They intended to concentrate all their holy arts to finish off the undead dragon in a single strike.
"In accordance with the radiance of Semerune, purification... That is......."
Berhan caught sight of something and instinctively revealed his hostility.
Alter instantly discerned what it was, and Brillie put her hand to her sword hilt.
Something was not only engulfed in crimson flame and bright yellow current, but was even emitting the aura of Devouring.
"So you have finally come this far, Knight of True Flame......."