novelzi Chapter 219 : Chapter 219
Chapter 219 : Chapter 219
Translator: AkazaTL Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
The Dwarves had prepared countless countermeasures to face Dragons. Among them, the greatest effort was poured into constructing the ‘royal palace.’ Since ancient times, Dragons had delivered threats worthy of the title ‘rulers of the sky.’ Whenever they wished to warn the Dwarves, they tore off the palace roof—ceiling and all—and entered the king’s bedchamber.
Then they would simply stare down from the sky without doing anything.
That alone forced the Dwarves into despair. A threat meaning: We can kill your king whenever we want. And an insult to Dwarves, whose pride in their craftsmanship was unmatched— that the building you poured your hearts into can be ripped apart this easily.
Thus the Dwarven royal palace, created through long ages, was born solely to nullify Dragon intimidation.
They gathered the strongest iron, and to resist elemental interference, they hired spirit magi to kill every earth spirit dwelling within the iron. Not only that—they paid a fortune to fairies to place a forest’s curse upon it. Blessings could become a Dragon’s weapon, but curses could not.
The principle by which Dragons controlled all elements was simple: Dragons were loved by every element from birth. But a curse—born of negativity and rejection—hated all things living. Even Dragons could not control it. And so, ever since the palace’s completion, every Dwarven king had short lifespans— for they were born and lived inside a building saturated with curses.
But no king ever complained. Iron Blood. Rather than face humiliation once more, they preferred to sacrifice half their natural lives. Such were the Dwarf kings. No—such were the Dwarves.
And now,
“Uh…”
At this moment, the Dwarves around the palace realized that all their efforts had been in vain.
The Dragons flying over the palace did not tear the roof nor wield elements.
The moment they saw the palace, they pierced through the Dwarves’ schemes.
Their innate wisdom immediately reached the conclusion: No need to destroy it.
“Those damn things—!”
The Dragons shifted into beings not of the Middle Realm but the spiritual world.
Spirit-form. A technique achievable only by Archmages or high-ranking priests— yet something Dragons could do naturally from birth.
“Stop them—stop them!”
“How are we supposed to stop that?!”
Boom!
The continent’s most advanced weapons— explosions of fire and steel—could not harm Dragons.
Of course not.
They were in another world at this moment. To damage them, one would need a mage or shaman stronger than a Dragon. But no mage stronger than a Dragon existed. A shaman? Perhaps three existed across the entire continent. None were here.
“Get—out—of—the—way—!!”
Dwarves stood frozen. Through them appeared General Dwight, clad in black-iron armor, charging with a hammer in hand.
They entered the spiritual world? A near-unfair technique— but the Dwarves had their own unfairness: Armor. Armor with the authority of impregnable defense could damage all worlds and block all worlds.
He could stop them.
He probably couldn’t win— but he could stop them.
“Huuuuu—!”
Dwight kicked off the ground with all his might.
Crack!
The iron-paved road split. A heroic charge. And then.
“Look at—”
Something overwhelmingly faster passed him. A beam of light brushed by Dwight.
A single Line. A Path of Steel extended by a Karavan.
“—me—”
Arhan Karavan had arrived.
***
「Dwarves prepared thoroughly, I see.」
Tap. I stepped forward.
「They smeared their palace with everything they could. All to repel Dragons. Tsk tsk, none of the kings must’ve lived long. What stupidity.」
Countless Paths unfolded— I searched for the most efficient route.
「A wasted effort.」
All Paths vanished; one Line remained.
「You cannot stop Dragons with this.」
A long Line extended. The Line connected to my body, and Steel Wings unfurled. With one powerful flap, my body surged forward at a speed rivaling teleportation. Since gaining the Armor, not only had my physical abilities increased— every type of power had surged explosively. Even my Wings’ output.
This was no simple acceleration. Now it was comparable to a mage’s instantaneous movement.
「They should’ve hung my portrait instead.」
The scenery changed in an instant. I blinked— and a Dragon, transparent like glass, was before me. It flew forward, unaware I had already closed in.
「Then they wouldn’t have dared approach.」
Slice. With a clean sound, the Dragon’s body and head separated. Before the blood could spray, I reappeared elsewhere. By the time my swing ended, another Dragon had fallen.
Two down.
‘Much weaker than the one I fought over the sea.’
Even the feeling of cutting through them was different.
Was that one simply special? Or were these ones weak?
「They’re all the same, young descendant.」
“……”
「Old Dragons, the ancient ones, are exceptions. The rest are all the same.」
Well, if Master said so, then so be it.
‘More of them than expected.’
There were quite a few attacking the palace. Even at my speed, stopping every Dragon heading for the palace alone would be difficult. Alone, that is. But,
『The most important things cannot be seen.』
What if I wasn’t alone?
‘I’ll make you remember the name Karavan forever.’
The mystery of 「Radiance」 activated. Light-bursts exploded beside me— soon shaping into human forms. Souls holding their swords materialized. Their aura was on another level compared to before.
Of course.
‘Engrave it into your bones.’
「Radiance」 matched itself to the level of its wielder. Sword Walker? Sword Runner? Then if the current me used 「Radiance」
“This is luxury.”
Naturally,
“I even get to wear Armor while doing it.”
They were all Sword Experts. Every single one.
“And does Armor always make you feel this strong?”
Karavan’s Armor. Aligned to the realm of Immortality.
「Those creatures will pay dearly today.」
Let’s send them all to hell today. Lizard bastards.
***
“The ride is pleasant. Not as good as my friend, though.”
The Descendant of Khan rode on a Dragon; behind him were the Conquest Army of the Great Land. They soared across the deep blue sky.
“Charlotte, the Dragons fighting the Black Archipelago fleet have been wiped out.”
“So the master of Gold finally stepped in.”
Click, Charlotte clicked her tongue. She had expected this.
Those Dragons were meant as sacrifices from the start. Against a normal fleet, even a single Dragon could win. Humans could not defeat Dragons in their natural environment— nature itself.
But beings beyond humans were a different story.
“They would’ve died happily.”
Swordmaster.
“They’ve become material for a glorious tale.”
Only Swordmasters could face Swordmasters.
“Do not pity them. On their deaths we ascend into a new era.”
A new era! Yes, a new era would soon begin.
Charlotte looked at the Descendant of Khan and the Conquest Army riding Dragons.
They would burn the world and plunge it into chaos.
The storm would begin with Dragons— just as they fired the signal that destroyed the Free Cities.
Through their sacrifice, the path between the Southern Continent and the Central Continent was opened.
The Dragons carrying the demons of the plains flew swiftly.
Meanwhile, Charlotte asked:
“What of the Dragons sent to the Dwarf Kingdom?”
The Dwarf Kingdom. Some Dragons had been dispatched there— to correct the Dwarves’ arrogance. Once slaves, the Dwarves now acted like freefolk, even wielding the “Golden Vault” as leverage. When the old Dragons retreated before that threat, Charlotte and the young Dragons felt unbearable humiliation. They had to repay it. No race could insult Dragons.
And that task should have been easy. Mere Dwarves. No need for great Dragons. But.
“No news.”
“What? Why none?”
Something unforeseen had happened.
“I don’t know. Why…?”
No word came from the Dragons sent to the Dwarf Kingdom. Charlotte felt an unshakable foreboding. As if a straight road was twisting and shattering bit by bit…
‘…What is happening over there?’
***
“Ah.”
King Jerome Stone stared blankly outside.
The palace shook violently; screams echoed everywhere. Cries of “Dragon!” and “Prepare for battle!” rose from all sides.
Jerome Stone knew the long-awaited moment had come.
The Dragons that once crouched silently had revealed their cruelty again.
And he realized— all the pain his ancestors endured had been meaningless.
Dragons tore through Dwarf wisdom with absurd ease.
A fortress built through centuries of effort crumbled like nothing.
Hopeless cries filled the air. Jerome Stone thought: We are finished. The Dwarven royal line ends here.
He gathered his sons, daughters, and beloved wife, leading them outside. Rather than die crushed under debris or suffer humiliation indoors, they would die beneath the open sky.
They had lived hidden, heads bowed. At least their final moment would be beneath open air.
And then.
“Ahh…”
Jerome Stone witnessed the impossible.
“Heir of Steel… the Heir of Steel.”
Blood sprayed. Lines were drawn, and drawn again. Dragons flying freely died without even leaving a last scream. Like moths diving into flame, every Dragon that flew toward the palace received a pathetic end. At the center of that unbelievable sight stood a young man— a youth with a face still youthful, blond hair, blue eyes, a body emanating dense strength.
‘My son. Remember what I now tell you.’
Before his father died, he had told Jerome Stone:
‘One day the Heir of Steel will return to this lowly, humble kingdom.’
A lonely, emaciated face— a trembling voice— ‘I do not know when. Even if it does not happen in your time, or in your son’s, or his son’s… still, we must remember. We must keep the promise. For it is our duty.’
Splaaash—Dragon blood fell like rain.
‘The duty passed down the Dwarf royal line.’
.
.
.
‘To protect the Golden Vault so that the Karavan descendant who will one day appear may claim “the Steel of every Era,” and bring forth the Age of Steel once again.’
It had been decades since he heard those words. But Jerome Stone remembered.
He remembered the Golden Vault’s location. He remembered how to open it. And,
“Are you unharmed?”
He remembered why it must be opened.
“…Heir of Steel.”
King Jerome Stone lifted his head. And before the much younger youth, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply.
“We have awaited you for a very long time.”
The owner of the Golden Vault— the master of all Steel— had returned.