Chapter 77

Chapter 25. An Impossible Forgery (2)

"Ho, there are more guests."

Andrei grinned.

Quikantel felt a chill run down his spine at that smile and retreated to the side at Murakhan's shout.

He could sense an indescribably ominous power flowing from the mysterious stone Andrei had taken out.

And Quikantel's intuition was not wrong.

Kiiii!

A screech like nails on a chalkboard.

In the next moment, it was the sound of something long that had burst out from inside the stone.

'Face...!?'

The black thing that burst out from the stone Murakhan called the 'Origin Stone' had a shape similar to a giant face.

However, the spots where the eyes should be were empty, and the face was mashed in various places, making it impossible to discern its exact appearance.

The face, as soon as it revealed itself, stretched out its long neck to try to bite Quikantel.

But it only bit the air by a hair's breadth. If Quikantel had ignored Murakhan's voice, he would not have escaped death.

"I wanted to use you as an experimental subject... What a pity. Now that you've seen this face, you shouldn't expect any peace."

Andrei then turned his gaze to Murakhan.

"A Black Dragon. There are only two Black Dragons left in this world. And since you are not a female, you must be Murakhan of Runkandel, awakened from your slumber. Then the boy next to you is—"

Jin covered his face with Melta's rune, but Andrei was certain.

"Probably the contractor of Solderet... It's clear, Jin Runkandel. You are the only one who can be here at this time. Am I wrong?"

Andrei's eyes instantly filled with desire.

He had come to 'devour' the contractor of Olta.

But the greed stemmed from the thought that he could catch a much bigger fish.

Jin glared at Andrei without answering. Quikantel maintained his guard, and the battle temporarily subsided.

Meanwhile, Murakhan couldn't take his eyes off the stone in Andrei's hand and the 'face' that had emerged from it.

"Similar to the Origin Stone, but a bit different. The Origin Stones were directly discarded by the gods, so this human couldn't possibly have one."

A forgery. But how?

This question continued to consume Murakhan's thoughts.

The 'Origin Stone' was a kind of safety device created by all the gods, containing their power.

It was designed to prevent the gods from being attacked by their creations or from attacking each other, which could lead to the world's destruction.

However, the Origin Stone turned out to be a much more dangerous object than the gods had anticipated and was eventually discarded when human history entered a period of significant growth.

The gods had concluded that the world could be completely destroyed due to the power of the Origin Stone.

"Last time, I saw the giant in the cemetery, and now a forgery of the Origin Stone. What is happening in this world?"

Although it was just a forgery, the stone Andrei held clearly possessed a terrifying power.

As if to prove this, the 'face' approached the dead Vuretta and whispered something.

Black smoke rose from Vuretta's wounds, and the injuries began to heal rapidly. It was not a normal regeneration.

Instead of green flesh and scales, dark and bizarre flesh, identical to that of the Origin Stone, began to grow.

"You should have spared this power. I'm sorry for hurting you, my old friend, Vuretta."

It took less than ten seconds for the white bones to be covered by the new flesh and scales.

Vuretta slowly rose to his feet. Despite the blood, green flesh, and scales still on the ground, the regenerated Vuretta appeared unharmed, except for the blackened side of his neck.

For Jin and his companions, it was a shocking moment.

Even Quikantel, who had just displayed a valiant presence, flinched and took a step back, and Murakhan gritted his teeth.

A dragon that had just breathed its last was now alive before their eyes.

It was an impossible feat, even for a god of healing, unfolding right before them.

[We need to be more cautious this time, kid.]

[Murakhan! I will call the dragons of Viment. Buy us some time until then.]

"Aah, I can't let that happen."

Pit!

Andrei suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already behind Quikantel, and the face that had burst from the Origin Stone in his hand had its mouth open.

Kazit!

Quikantel's left foot grazed the teeth.

It was just a graze.

But Quikantel was writhing in agony, screaming. She, who had shown no signs of distress even after such intense physical combat with Vuretta.

Smoke rose from the grazed wound as if it were on fire, and Quikantel, who had put some distance between them, was limping.

"Such a beautiful scream, Silver Dragon. It's a pity I won't be able to enjoy it for long."

Just as Murakhan was about to rush forward.

[Will your intervention change the situation, Murakhan?]

[Get out of the way, Vuretta.]

[Get out of the way? The great Murakhan is making a request! Haha, there are many of my kind who would shudder to learn of your awakening... I share Andrei's sentiment. It's a shame I can't spread the news to my kin.]

A spiritual aura began to emanate from Murakhan's two wings.

[Once, all dragons feared that power. But do you still think it will be the same? You have weakened. And your contractor is still a mere child!]

Hwoaaak!

As soon as he finished speaking, Vuretta unleashed a breath attack.

An infinitely compressed gust of wind.

Murakhan's spiritual aura was swept away almost instantly. Moreover, Vuretta's breath was even stronger than before, thanks to the power of the Origin Stone forgery.

Vuretta watched the scene with a look of ecstasy, feeling the thrill of dominating an existence he once dared not even look at.

[This Vuretta will be recorded as the one who killed you!]

[You're playing, you madman.]

Although he was much weaker compared to his prime,

Murakhan was once the pinnacle of all flying beings. He wouldn't give up the advantage just from a single breath attack.

Hwrrrrr...

Murakhan's body, which had withstood the breath attack, dispersed into black smoke. Then, in the form of smoke, he approached Vuretta and reappeared.

[Too easy, it would be disappointing, right!]

A physical battle immediately followed. Each time the two dragons, as large as castles, collided, a shallow earthquake spread across the entire island.

The space distorted each time the spiritual aura and wind mixed. Jin focused on the battle between Andrei and Quikantel, which was unfolding behind them.

He needed to read the flow of the battle calmly.

'Joining the fight between Murakhan and Vuretta now would be suicidal. The shock waves make it difficult to even approach. On the other hand, Andrei... '

There was an opportunity to exploit.

After Andrei took out the Origin Stone, Quikantel had been on the run. This very point provided Jin with a chance to intervene.

Moreover, the key to this battle was not Vuretta but Andrei. Capturing Andrei first would make killing Vuretta meaningful.

'Andrei hasn't used any proper magic since he took out the stone. It's probably because using it consumes an enormous amount of mana, as it's an artifact.'

If he were casting 9th-level magic, it would be impossible to approach.

But Andrei was focused on the stone, using only short-range teleportation spells to catch up with Quikantel.

'Instead, his overall physical abilities have been greatly enhanced. At least 7th-level knight or higher. There won't be many opportunities.'

Approach him, and cut off his breathing in one go.

Or at least sever his right hand, which holds the stone.

The best outcome would be to knock the stone out of his hand and take Andrei hostage.

With this conclusion, Jin began to move slowly. Fortunately, Vuretta seemed to be distracted by Murakhan and didn't notice Jin's movements.

This was possible because Murakhan was desperately blocking Vuretta.

'I need to go back and take some credit with Kashmir. I don't know if this method will work on Andrei, but...!'

As soon as he passed Vuretta, he increased his speed and dashed toward Quikantel. By then, Quikantel and Jin were face-to-face, and Andrei had his back to Jin.

Just three steps away, Andrei turned around and was smiling at Jin.

He had clearly expected this.

But Jin had never expected to be able to strike Andrei from behind.

"You came, Jin Runk... Ugh!"

Paaah!

Instead of swinging his sword, Jin spread his left hand wide in front of Andrei. His left hand, which contained a single spell he had already incanted.

Everyone thought it had been completely lost, but the ancient light magic that was recently inherited by only one person.

Flash Cannon. The grand magic technique Jin learned from the great mage Chenmi on the ship just before arriving in Tikan.

'It's done!'

Andrei instinctively covered his eyes and ducked. As he stumbled backward, Jin drew Bradamante and swung it diagonally.

Squeak!

A clear sensation of cutting something along the blade. It was his chest. Just as he was about to stab him again, the face from the stone targeted Jin.

But the face, seemingly affected by Andrei's vision, only moved its long neck wildly and clicked its beak.

Jin, like a dive, lowered his body to an odd angle and swung his sword to cut Andrei's legs.

"Kraaa!"

Squeak...!

Andrei, with both ankles cut, collapsed and fell backward.

If it were an ordinary enemy, it would have been a decisive blow, but there was no chance to stab his chest or neck.

Quikantel, who was already at his limit, couldn't create more distance from Andrei even with the time Jin bought. He just crouched and panted heavily.

"This ambush is commendable. But you and your god will become the most important ingredients of the Magic God Stone, Jin Runkandel...!"

Despite being blinded by the Flash Cannon and having both legs cut, Andrei

used the face of the 'Magic God Stone' to calmly defend his entire body. Moreover, like Vuretta, his severed ankles began to regenerate.

Furthermore, Vuretta, having separated from Murakhan, was now approaching Jin. Murakhan hadn't been defeated yet, but he was still in the 'windless zone,' so he came alone.

[Kid! Above!]

Kwaang!

Vuretta landed roughly, trying to crush Jin. Jin managed to dodge by throwing his body, but he couldn't avoid the breath attack and the face of the Magic God Stone that followed.

Death was right before him.

And Jin, with his hand on his neck, was thinking of one person.

The strongest knight recognized by all after Siron, the noble white whale.

Luna Runkandel.

His sister's name.

Clang!

He clenched his fist with all his might, and the pendant of Orgal, which he had never taken off his body for the past six years, broke.

At the same time, a volcano-like surge of mana erupted from it, and a dimensional gate opened.

"It seems you have a tough job, our youngest."

Bakkyung appeared.