“All questions started from there.”
The soul of the Dragon, fused with the Abyss.
The fact that it was simply asleep in such a state was already a miracle.
If it hadn’t been a Dragon but another living being, its soul would have already been consumed by the Abyss, becoming something entirely different from its original self.
The Dragon remained, thanks to a preemptively cast sealing magic and the faintest remnant of its original soul.
And with its lofty dignity, it managed to stay dormant—yet in reality, it was little different from a monster born of the Abyss.
…Yes. Those Abyss Monsters.
The evil-tainted monsters that can be seen when entering to raid the Abyss.
To think that a being once called the guardian of this world, a semi-divine Dragon, could now be likened to a mere Abyss Monster.
It seemed impossible, but it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
So, the thoughts continued.
‘Where did the Abyss Monsters come from? Did they have souls?’
‘Could it be… that the true identity of the Abyss Monsters is the humans, monsters, or living creatures from other worlds who were once consumed by it?’
It was a question I had never considered before.
“Of course, knowing that doesn’t really change anything.”
Still, it had to be understood—so I would find out, step by step.
“Well, first, let’s see just how incredible these things really are.”
An island shrouded in thick darkness.
A massive island floating in the air, visibly covered in all sorts of ominous energy.
Even with the awakened one’s eyes or modern technology, its interior remained invisible, shrouded in the Abyss.
So, Hio wanted to see it with the eyes of a mage.
He lightly raised his staff.
At the same time, he invoked a skill based on fourth-circle magic.
[Skill – ‘Wizard’s Eye’ has been activated.]
The island floating in midair—and above it, an even larger figure.
The massive shape, as large as the island itself, was an old man wearing a pointed hat like Hio’s, but gripping an even more extravagant staff.
When that figure tapped a point in the air with the enormous staff, countless eyes burst forth, filling the sky above the island.
“Heh heh…”
Even though he cast it himself, Hio couldn’t help but laugh dryly at the ridiculous sight every time.
“What kind of mindlessly flashy effect is this?”
Wizard’s Eye.
In other words, the Mage’s Eye.
It’s an effect that creates a mage, and then conjures thousands of eyeballs.
It was absurdly big, absurdly numerous—yet all the more spectacular for it.
It was as if the “Can’t Live Without Style!” trait included both illusion magic and mental defense spells.
From a mage’s perspective, it was quite a nice trait.
“Still… I can’t see it after all.”
Thousands of eyes dominated the sky.
But only a few of them were actually real, and even with them, he couldn’t peer inside the island.
Well, that was to be expected, but the real disappointment was—
[The Trait – Ghost’s Eye is deactivated.]
He had wanted to see if ‘Wizard’s Eye’ would link with ‘Ghost’s Eye’, but apparently, it was impossible.
‘What did their souls look like?’
‘Were they truly as similar to the Dragon’s soul that had been consumed by the Abyss as he felt?’
He’d failed to confirm it.
“A shame, but I’ll figure it out next time.”
It wasn’t urgent.
There was no need to enter the island just to check that.
[Skill – ‘Wizard’s Eye’ is deactivated.]
What was truly urgent was destroying this cursed island floating in the air before it could drift near the populated mainland.
Erasing it before the Abyssal Curse spread across the Earth.
That was the problem that absolutely had to be resolved first.
“Cursed beings of the Abyss. What is your weakness?”
The power to face those tainted by the Abyss.
‘Was it truly a fatal power?’
“The answer is…”
Depending on the result, much could change.
Hio raised his staff high toward the heavens.
In response, the goddess’s merciful light shone forth.
A golden, gentle touch.
It was nothing less than—
“Celestial.”
A power above the sky.
Divinity that annihilates evil.
[Skill – ‘Celestial (天上)’ has been activated.]
The radiance of the Celestial cleaved through the darkness.
The broad night receded, and what filled its place was Holy Power.
That energy began to envelop the island, sunken in the Abyss.
That place was no longer their domain.
Now, it was the realm of the goddess’s touch.
Nothing that Hio Pavlenko deemed evil could ever encroach upon this absolute domain.
Any insignificant, wicked soul would be erased without so much as a proper resistance—a domain like that.
Those who invoked such a skill would feel it.
The darkness on the island faded away.
The countless beings inside, writhing in pain, were wiped away without a trace.
How much time passed like that?
No one counted the seconds, but for a little over a minute—no more than two—the Celestial domain persisted.
The holy light that had enraptured all who saw it gradually faded away.
“The consumption of Holy Power and Magic Power is more than I imagined.”
Hio shook his head as he checked his depleted Holy Power and rapidly diminishing Magic Power.
Even taking into account his low Holy Power stat, the duration was short.
Magic Power was consumed at nearly the same rate as ‘Thunder Emperor’, and Holy Power was drained at a tremendous speed as well.
It was probably the skill with the highest consumption among all top-tier skills.
Of course, the power was well worth it.
Not even two minutes had passed.
That short span of time was enough for every trace of Abyssal Curse on the island to be thoroughly wiped out by Celestial.
In other words—
Kugugung—
The island drifting in the sky lost its strength and began to break apart.
Where the Celestial’s golden radiance vanished, the crumbling island crashed toward the sea with a heavy roar.
The darkness that had enshrouded the island vanished completely, and the figures of Abyss Monsters tumbling down with the island came into view.
Just like puppets with their strings cut, the monsters fell helplessly.
The highest-level holy magic had utterly erased the Abyssal Curse that formed their very existence.
For those tainted by the Abyss, it was a force akin to a disaster.
“In the end, it’s all about Holy Power.”
Now, I’ll need to diligently raise my Holy Power stat.
Modern science and technology are truly marvelous.
After all, events occurring in the middle of the Pacific could be viewed in real time anywhere in the world.
Although Daphne had hurriedly tried to restrict access, there were limits.
That meant there must have been drones or helicopters hiding somewhere on the opposite side of the island, or lurking in its shadows, filming in secret.
Their footage would have captured the scene vividly.
Well, there were already hundreds, thousands of cameras filming from land, but being close to the scene gave them a significant advantage.
For example, they could even interview the person responsible for such a miraculous event.
The gigantic black Gate, the likes of which had never been seen before.
The floating island that appeared the moment it shattered.
It was only natural that the entire world’s attention was riveted here.
No one could predict what sort of calamity it would bring.
Only a few of the earliest Awakened had said, “Don’t go near it—humanity faces an unprecedented crisis.”
Yet, there are always those who can’t feel the gravity of such events, aren’t there?
Like that helicopter barreling madly toward Hio right now.
Hio, watching the sinking island from atop his Phantom Steed, let out a dry laugh at the absurd sight.
‘Did they have no sense of danger?’
A massive island was crashing down right in front of them, sending waves surging across the sea, stirring fierce winds, and hurling debris—yet they were flying straight toward it.
The tenacity of that unsteady, yet determined, helicopter seemed almost mad.
For them, it was a life-risking approach.
Debris from the island was raining down on them.
“Tch.”
If Hio hadn’t extended his staff to cast a shield, they’d have surely crashed.
Through adversity and struggle, the helicopter finally reached Hio’s side.
Inside, a cameraman, face set with determination to capture the extraordinary scene even at the cost of his life.
A reporter, clutching the wall with one hand and a microphone in the other.
Their professional dedication was worthy of applause.
“……Isakjlakjr!”
They extended the microphone and said something, but naturally, Hio couldn’t understand.
It was a different language, and with the wind, the helicopter’s noise, and crashing waves, it was far too noisy.
But it wasn’t hard to guess what they wanted.
‘Who are you?’
‘What was that?’
How did you do it, and so on.
The questions were obvious.
So Hio spoke up.
He imbued his words with Magic Power, so they would cut through the cacophony.
Of course, it wasn’t out of admiration for their professionalism.
This was a warning.
Yes.
In Daphne’s words—
“Fools who have gained excessive fame compared to their abilities.”
This was a warning to those pitiful types.
“Know your shame.”
At that point, the island completely sank.
A once-mysterious island, now entirely consumed and destroyed by the Abyss… and as if waiting for this, a message appeared.
[All Abyss Gates have been eradicated.]
“I will watch.”
[Returning.]
The population of Arilleia is made up mostly of Elves.
Elves were originally a race who communed with nature, sang with spirits, and wielded magic with mastery.
But in this era, having lost spirits and magic, they became weaker than ever before.
The Elves have grown weak.
‘Does that mean Arilleia is weak?’
No, Arilleia is strong.
Even though most of Arilleia is made up of Elves, they are strong.
Because it is their mission to protect.
Because of their unceasing effort to protect their island.
This shone in a moment of crisis.
When Regarda sensed the presence of the Abyssal Curse from the Gate, he was the first to charge out.
The Most Noble Elf, Isidore, gathered all the Elves.
In the end, there was only one entrance.
There was a limit to how many monsters could burst out at once, and before they could reach the other Elves, Regarda cut them down.
But there were simply too many.
Eventually, monsters began to slip past Regarda, and only then did the other Elves join the fight.
Once a gap opened, it grew larger and larger, so Regarda made a decision.
- Isidore.
To use the power of the Most Noble Elf.
‘Who would know the cursed power of the Abyssal Curse better than Regarda?’
Before a single Elf could be contaminated, he wanted to end it for good.
He pulled the troops back and formed a wide encirclement around the Gate.
He created space for Isidore to unleash her power.
‘Why is the Most Noble Elf called the Most Noble Elf?’
‘Who decided that?’
If you asked, the Elves of Arilleia would answer as one:
‘The Most Noble Elf is the Most Noble Elf because they are the most noble.’
It sounded like wordplay, but it was the truth.
The ancient tree deeply rooted in the heart of Arilleia.
Within that tree, towering as if it would reach the sky, Isidore closed her eyes and reached out her hand.
The great tree, known as the Sacred Tree, began to tremble.
The Most Noble Elf, Isidore.
Her will was the will of the tree.
Becoming one with the Sacred Tree, she could control and command its power.
A noble lineage stretching back into the distant past.
That’s why no one hesitated to call her the Most Noble Elf.
A massive branch of the tree covered the mass of monsters just emerging from the Gate.
Even Abyss Monsters from the middle levels, no matter how strong, stood no chance against its overwhelming size and power.
And that was only one branch—more swept across the area around the Gate like a storm.
“……Huff!”
Such power couldn’t be used endlessly, so whenever Isidore and the Sacred Tree paused, of course, Regarda and the other Elves took up the fight.
Thus, it was understandable.
Arilleia is strong.
Abyss mid-level monsters were powerful, but those pouring from a single Gate could be blocked without major damage.
Because everyone fought as one.
Because Isidore and Regarda, two mighty forces, and the many Elves who respected and followed them, stood together.
***
Time passed steadily like that.
The battle continued until the high noon sun tilted toward the horizon.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
But with a slightly different perspective, it was chilling.
To think that so many monsters were pouring endlessly from a single Gate.
Because Regarda and Isidore were here, they could block it so easily—but what about the other parts of the continent? How dire and tragic was their situation?
If one thought that far, it was clear just how leisurely this place was.
Regarda, whose stamina was meaningless to begin with, was fine, and thanks to the other Elves’ efforts, Isidore could also rest periodically.
Even the relentless torrent of monsters seemed to be dwindling little by little… The battle would be over before the sun rose again.
The one variable Regarda overlooked was that, despite everything, the battle had lasted far too long.
In other words, the Abyssal Curse was spreading.
The amount was insignificant, so he hadn’t been too concerned.
And then—
The Dragon, sensing that faint power, opened its eyes.
***
After a thousand years, the green, wind-filled eyes opened once more.
Simultaneously, the colossal body rose.
A Dragon’s body so immense it could be seen from anywhere in Arilleia soared into the sky, whipping up a furious wind with its wings.
Regarda lifted his head to the heavens.
The Dragon climbing skyward also looked straight down at Regarda.
After a thousand years, their eyes met again.
Eyes he’d never once forgotten in all his memories. The eyes of a friend.
…Aerial.
Those green eyes no longer held their old wisdom.
Nor the occasional sharpness that pierced through him.
Nor the gentle warmth that once enveloped him.
Instead, there was only destruction. Killing intent.
The ferocious gleam of a predator.
‘The Dragon must never awaken until I arrive.’
Even if Hio Pavlenko hadn’t left those words behind, Regarda could tell instantly how dangerous this was.
Of course.
Krrrrrr—
The Dragon did not recognize him.
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