Chapter 67: The King of Light Awakens

Thwack!

The Gale Spear pierced straight through Centria's brow. Under normal circumstances, a single strike from me wouldn’t have so much as scratched her. However, she was already on the brink of death. That was why the magic I manifested was able to penetrate her forehead so cleanly.

Thump.

Centria’s body went slack and collapsed to the ground. She had finally met her end. Immediately afterward—

Flash!

A brilliant light burst from my body. A deeply fulfilling warmth spread throughout my entire form. It was a sensation I had already experienced several times before—the same feeling that accompanied consuming an elixir and leveling up.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level...]

[You have reached the daily growth limit.]

System messages floated before my eyes in a long sequence.

'Wow.'

I let out an inward exclamation. Just how many times had I leveled up? Without delay, I opened my Status Window.

'Level 70!'

My level had increased by ten in one go.

'A daily growth limit existed?'

This was entirely new information. There was apparently a cap on how much one could grow within a single day. No one had ever mentioned such a limit before. If that was the case, I was likely the first to encounter it.

"Ah! So Master can grow like this as well! From now on, I will bring the prey to you, and you can finish them off."

I nodded at Azkai’s suggestion. If I continued leveling up in this manner, my growth rate would accelerate even more rapidly.

"For now, can you take care of those?"

I pointed toward Centria’s fallen body. As her life faded completely, ★ and ▲ shaped gems rose from above her corpse. There was one ★ and three ▲ gems. That brought my total to two ★ and eight ▲ gems. If I combined the ▲ gems, I could create another ★, giving me three ★ in total.

'I think it’s better to use these ahead of time.'

Judging from Centria’s miserable state, something unusual had clearly occurred in the northern canyon. Since I had already come this far, turning back now would leave lingering regret. I needed to confirm the existence of the Dragon Lair before leaving.

"Azkai. Take this."

"This is... Oh! Thank you."

The moment I handed him a ★, Azkai absorbed it without hesitation.

Rumble!

An unprecedented surge of energy roiled within Azkai’s body. At the same time, a message appeared.

[Due to the rise in potential, Azkai’s lava has become even more intense.]

The heat radiating from him felt noticeably stronger than before.

[Lv 400 (Restricted)]

[Azkai]

[★★★★★★★☆☆]

*Current state is power-restricted. You must recover the to fully restore his level.

He now possessed seven stars. With two more, all nine would be filled. I briefly considered completing them now, but ultimately decided against it.

'We can think about the rest after we return.'

"Thank you, Master. I will work even harder for you and Lady Dania."

Azkai bowed deeply. I gave him a small smile in response.

"Let’s proceed carefully. Something unusual has definitely happened in that canyon."

We advanced toward the Valley of Light with greater caution than before.

"Oh..."

A groan of disbelief and admiration escaped me at the same time. Pitch-black corpses lay sprawled across the ground ahead. From a distance, it resembled a dark river flowing through the valley. That black river was made up entirely of centipede corpses.

'They were all burned to death.'

This was far from normal. It appeared as though thousands of centipedes had been incinerated in a single devastating strike. Even for Azkai, burning thousands at once would not be an easy task. A sense of foreboding crept into my mind, and for a brief moment, I considered retreating. But then—

Thump—

My heart began pounding violently. Something within that valley was calling out to me.

"Master, what should we do?"

Azkai asked cautiously. His usual lethargy was gone; his expression had turned serious. Even to him, these traces must have felt ominous.

"Let’s go a little further inside."

We pressed onward. Before long, a radiant barrier of light came into view, emitting a brilliant glow.

Thump—

My heartbeat echoed even louder than before.

'Something is there.'

The sensation was familiar. Yes—just like the heart palpitations I experienced when I first encountered Dania. My intuition strengthened. A Dragon Lair was here—and more than that, a Dragon Egg.

"We need to deal with the barrier."

『Keron. Initiating barrier pattern analysis.』

Archelon stepped forward. He could analyze barrier patterns? As expected of Archelon. His versatility was remarkable.

Whirrrr!

A gun barrel extended from his arm, projecting an investigative beam of light onto the barrier.

Beep, beep.

Strange geometric characters flickered across Archelon’s eyes, as though he were deciphering an encrypted code.

『Keron. Decoding barrier pattern—』

It was precisely then, while our attention was fixed on Archelon—

"Grrr—"

Azkai’s voice tightened as he stared into the depths of the canyon.

Boom.

A being materialized, accompanied by an overwhelming aura. Its physique was sturdy yet elegant, its body resembling crystalline armor. It reflected the surrounding light while exuding a mysterious and oppressive presence as it hovered in the sky.

"Ah."

When I examined its status, a shocked breath escaped me.

[Calision]

[Crystal Adjudicator]

[Lv 500]

Its level was an astonishing 500.

『None who trespass upon the realm of light shall return alive.』

Calision gazed down at us with cold, emotionless eyes.

"It’s not alone."

Azkai muttered, his voice growing even more strained.

Flash!

A heat as intense as the sun and a blinding white radiance engulfed us. Two more beings appeared beside Calision.

Whoosh!

One resembled a fire spirit, its entire body engulfed in flames.

[Solarion]

[Sun's Arbitrator]

[Lv 530]

The other radiated a dignified, sacred light, resembling a holy priest.

[Lucerta]

[Constellation of Light]

[Lv 510]

"Ha."

An incredulous laugh slipped from my lips. Three beings, all in the 500-level range. The situation was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

But it did not end there.

"Grrrrrrr..."

Azkai’s growl deepened into something far more threatening.

At that same moment—

KABOOM!

A magnificent pillar of light erupted from deep within the Valley of Light. Within that towering beam stretching toward the heavens, a faint silhouette shimmered.

[Luminarc]

[King of Light and Crystal]

[Lv ???]

A being bearing the title King of Light and Crystal. Its level could not even be measured.

'We’re finished.'

The realization struck instantly. There was no answer to a direct confrontation. If we engaged them now, the probability of survival would drop to zero.

Then I felt it—the gaze of the unknown being, Luminarc, turning toward us.

『Prove your worth.』

The moment those words entered my ears—

Thump!

My heart pounded violently, as if it might burst.

And then—

Spin—

My vision began to whirl. Overwhelming pain flooded me, threatening to drag me into unconsciousness. I collapsed, clutching my head.

"Ugh..."

A groan escaped my lips.

"Master! Grrrrrrr—You bastards—!"

『Keron! Activating Combat Readiness Lv 5.』

『Entering Transcendental Combat Mode.』

Through my fading sight, I glimpsed Azkai roaring as he charged forward, and Archelon entering Combat Readiness Lv 5. That was the last thing I saw. Darkness swallowed my vision. However—

—This way...

A faint voice echoed from somewhere. Within the encroaching darkness, a sudden brilliance began to shine.

Rumble.

An immense torrent of mana churned like a raging storm. The source of that power was none other than the King of Insects.

Vermis.

His eyes burned with savage killing intent. After losing his spider army, he had now lost his centipede army as well. That reality only intensified his fury.

"The connection with Centria has been severed."

He turned his gaze northward.

"The north. In the end, has Luminarc... has that fellow awakened?"

Grit.

He ground his teeth. The loss of the centipede army was a severe blow. How could his luck be this abysmal? That damned bastard had awakened at the very moment Centria stepped out.

"Phew."

His eyes gradually cooled, becoming chillingly calm. If Luminarc—that wretched being—had awakened, there was nothing he could accomplish even if he went there personally.

"I will abandon the northern Dragon Lair."

In that case—

"The center. Mobilize all of our capabilities toward that region."

Based on the intelligence gathered thus far, it was evident that a Dragon Lair existed in the central area as well. In truth, he had hoped to avoid the center if possible. Someone even more dangerous than the one in the north was slumbering there. However, circumstances left him no choice. With Luminarc awakened, the other king-class beings in slumber would soon awaken one after another. Before that happened, he had to secure at least one Dragon Lair.

"Summon all the Legion Commanders."

He reached a firm decision. One by one, the Legion Commanders assembled before him. The mantis, Karmarks—partially recovered—along with the wasp, ant, moth, stag beetle, and longhorn beetle. All remaining Legion Commanders stood gathered.

"Clear the path first. I will follow shortly."

Vermis cast a cold glance toward the hemispherical barrier confining him. It appeared even fainter than before. Soon, its restrictions would be lifted entirely.

A space filled with pure white radiance. I found myself floating within it.

'Where am I?'

No matter where I turned, there was nothing but endless white light.

『This way...』

The voice spoke again. I moved toward its source. Like a fish gliding through water, my body drifted smoothly through the air until I reached it.

"Oh."

A quiet exclamation escaped me. Before my eyes—

'A Dragon Egg.'

It was just like when I first saw Dania’s egg. Similar in size, unmistakably a Dragon Egg. This one, however, was closer to pure white, with more intricate geometric patterns etched across its surface.

『Hello...』

Its thoughts were conveyed more clearly than when I first met Dania.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you."

I stepped closer and extended my hand to touch it—

Thud!

My hand rebounded as though striking an invisible curtain.

『It's not enough yet...』

The voice sounded regretful.

『But... soon... I think we can meet...』

It grew fainter with each word.

『Please... come find me again...』

And with that—

Flash.

My vision was once again consumed by brilliant light.