Chapter 199 - 198 : Factions
Arthur smiled weakly at Barbatos, trying to look as harmless as possible.
"Hello there, sir," Arthur said. "I seem to have lost my way... could you please escort me out of here?"
Barbatos stared at him for a heartbeat.
Then he laughed.
A deep, rolling sound that echoed around the lab, bouncing off metal and glass.
"I can show you the way, boy," Barbatos said, lips curling into a cruel smile. "The way to my stomach. Don’t worry—it will be painless."
Arthur sighed.
"Knew it wouldn’t be easy," Arthur muttered.
He looked around the chamber again—at the pods, the cables, the glowing egg at the center—and decided to stall for as long as he could.
"At least before I die," Arthur said, lifting a hand slightly, "can you tell me what the hell is happening here?"
He gestured at the pods.
"Are you trying to grow a farm by collecting these eggs?" Arthur asked. "If you are, I can really help you... so please don’t eat me."
Barbatos’s amethyst eyes widened for a brief moment.
"You... don’t seem like you were sent by the Dragon Queen for a rescue," Barbatos said slowly.
He thought for a moment, tail flicking.
"Yeah," Barbatos continued. "It’s impossible they would send an idiot. And a weakling on top of that."
Arthur’s mouth twitched.
’This damn lizard... just you wait,’ Arthur thought.
Barbatos looked him over more carefully.
"Well, boy," Barbatos said, "it doesn’t seem like you’re a spy from the royal family."
A smug glint appeared in his eyes.
"Since you’re going to die anyway," Barbatos said, "let me give you a glimpse of my genius and greatness."
He walked toward the central pod, where the golden egg floated in glowing liquid.
He placed his hand on the glass.
"You already know," Barbatos said, "that this world is ruled by talent and bloodline."
His tail tapped once against the floor.
"In that world," Barbatos continued, "dragons are considered the most supreme. Longest lifespan, highest mana affinity, strength beyond compare."
He looked back at Arthur.
"Talent is the only random thing that gives other species a chance to fight us," Barbatos said. "A flaw in the system."
Arthur listened, eyes narrowed.
"And here I am," Barbatos said, pride dripping from every word, "researching how to overcome that weakness."
He tapped the pod.
"The egg you’re seeing in this central pod," Barbatos said, "is the child of the royal family of dragons."
Arthur’s pupils constricted.
"This child possesses one of the most powerful bloodlines and talents," Barbatos said. "But a prophecy was made—that the child inside will bring glory to the entire realm, achieving feats never before seen."
His smile faded slightly.
"And that," Barbatos said, "would be bad for my faction."
Arthur’s eyes flicked.
"Faction...?" Arthur repeated.
Barbatos nodded.
"Insects like you don’t know it," Barbatos said, amusement tinged with contempt, "but dragons are divided into two factions."
He raised two fingers.
"One believes pure domination is the only way for our species to survive," Barbatos said. "That’s the Darkness Faction."
He lifted the second finger.
"The Light Faction believes coexistence is the best and most peaceful solution," Barbatos said. "They want balance. Harmony."
He smirked.
"You can already guess which faction I’m from, right?" Barbatos asked.
Arthur tilted his head, pretending to think very hard.
"The Darkness Faction," Arthur said.
Barbatos laughed.
"The royal family leads the Light Faction," Barbatos said. "We, the Darkness, matched them in power."
His eyes sharpened.
"But the balance broke when an all-out war started between us," Barbatos said. "We were losing badly... until a ceasefire was declared."
He tapped the pod again, more gently.
"Seeing an opportunity," Barbatos continued, "I kidnapped this child."
He smiled darkly.
"A child said to bring ruin—for my enemies," Barbatos said. "The royal family cannot break the ceasefire so easily. They also cannot accuse me of stealing the child. They have no proof."
He gestured around the lab.
"So as you can see," Barbatos said, "here I am, doing research that will soon succeed."
His eyes glowed with mad ambition.
"No matter what it is—talent, bloodline," Barbatos said, "I will transfer it from one individual to another."
Arthur’s eyes widened.
’This damn lizard might actually be... useful,’ Arthur thought.
’Transferring talents and bloodlines... sounds like—’
The system spoke in his mind.
[Sounds like us. Stealing from someone else. But we’re limited to system users. His research doesn’t seem to have that limitation... or so he says. I don’t trust this guy.]
Arthur cleared his throat.
"So... so... hav—have you succeeded in your grand experiment, sir?" Arthur asked, deliberately stuttering.
Barbatos smirked.
"I am halfway there," Barbatos said. "Only missing one vital ingredient... the hardest to obtain."
Arthur swallowed.
"And what might that be?" Arthur asked.
Barbatos’s expression grew tense.
"The blood of a demon lord," Barbatos said. "Containing their essence."
He clenched his fist.
"That is the hardest thing to get."
Arthur’s mind raced.
’Of course...’
"But I already have a plan for that," Barbatos said.
He looked toward the wall, as if seeing something far beyond it.
"I know the location of a demon lord," Barbatos said. "Not far from here."
Arthur’s chest tightened.
He didn’t have to ask who.
"I just have to convince her to cooperate," Barbatos continued. "And if she doesn’t..."
He looked at the eggs connected to the central pod.
"These little eggs you’re seeing," Barbatos said, "are clones of the child in the center."
He tapped one of the side pods.
"Even if they’re defective," Barbatos said, "they’ll still be able to overwhelm the demon lord for a bit—if I unleash them in a berserk state."
He smiled sharply.
"That will give me a chance to get her blood," Barbatos said. "I’ll deal with her myself."
His tail flared.
"But I’ll avoid killing her," Barbatos added. "That’s impossible."
He shrugged.
"But getting a drop of blood isn’t."
Arthur ground his teeth lightly.
’This guy is so full of himself,’ Arthur thought. ’Telling me everything like I’m harmless. And this idiot doesn’t even know Astarte already knows he exists.’
Barbatos turned back toward Arthur.
"All right," Barbatos said. "Story time is over, kid."
He raised his hand.
"It’s time for you to die."
───────────────
Barbatos’s arm transformed.
Scales rippled over his skin, muscles bulged, and his hand warped into a massive claw—black and jagged, capable of tearing steel like paper. An ominous aura surrounded it, thick and suffocating.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
’A tier-3 S-ranker... huh,’ Arthur thought. ’Not as bad as I thought.’
In the next second, Arthur’s right arm transformed too.
Demonic flesh rippled over his skin. The limb elongated slightly, muscle density increasing, fingers turning into sharp claws surrounded by swirling demonic aura. The veins glowed faintly, power brewing underneath.
Notifications flashed through his mind.
[Primordial Daemon Form has been activated.]
[Berserk has been activated.]
[All stats have been increased by 500% for 30 minutes.]
Arthur felt it.
Power.
His blood roared in his veins, his muscles tightened, his senses sharpened to a razor edge. The mana heart in his chest pulsed harder, feeding strength into every part of his body.
Barbatos’s eyes widened.
"Are you a demon... in disguise?" Barbatos demanded.
Arthur smiled.
"Who knows," Arthur said. "You can find out for yourself."
In the next instant:
[Blink has been activated.]
Space twisted.
Arthur’s vision shifted for a heartbeat, and suddenly he was standing where Barbatos had just been—near the edge of the lab—while Barbatos appeared where Arthur had been seconds before, closer to the central pod.
Arthur didn’t waste the opportunity.
BAM.
With his demonic right hand, Arthur smashed the central pod.
Glass shattered in a spray of shards and liquid. The golden egg dropped.
Arthur snatched it out of the air and slipped it into his inventory in one smooth motion.
Everything happened in less than a second.
Arthur landed lightly and exhaled.
"Well," Arthur said, "that was pretty easy."
Red lights flared all around the lab.
Warning sirens—some technological, some magical—blared in a cacophony. Runes lit up across the walls. The smaller pods began to hum ominously.
Barbatos’s expression twisted into horror.
"NOOOOO!" Barbatos roared. "Damn insect—give it back!"
In the next second, he unleashed dragon fear.
His aura surged outward in a tidal wave—pure, primal terror pressing down on Arthur. It was designed to crush anything weaker, to force lesser beings to kneel or flee.
Arthur’s knees buckled for a moment.
His body shuddered under the pressure.
He clenched his teeth.
"I have something similar," Arthur said. "Let’s see who overpowers whom."
Another notification appeared.
[Fear – A Rank has been activated.]
[Description:
Passively, your very presence instills primal fear in weaker beings and lower bloodlines.
When activated, this fear intensifies into a focused aura, slowing enemy reactions, disrupting focus, and greatly increasing the chance of mistakes, retreat, or surrender.]
Arthur’s aura exploded outward.
Fear rolled off him in a focused wave—a crimson-tinged, oppressive presence pressing back against Barbatos’s dragon fear. The air crackled where the two pressures met.
For a moment, the forces clashed.
Barbatos felt it first.
A chill crawled down his spine.
His right arm shook.
’What the hell... is happening?’ Barbatos thought. ’This huma—no... what the hell is he?’
He stared at Arthur, who stood firm despite the raging pressure in the room.
’How could a lower being possess this much power?’ Barbatos wondered, pride fracturing.
His tail lashed the ground.
"I will not lose to an insect!" Barbatos roared.
His aura surged even stronger.
The cave trembled.