Dragon Making War No Chapter 123 - Specters from the Past (3)

Chapter 123 - Specters from the Past (3)

“They are quite interesting figures. Could you perhaps tell

about what the Dragon Demon nad Reshoo looked like?”

“His hair color was very unique. It was a tallic blue color.”

“It isn’t a color that appears normally amongst humans. No, it is hard to find such coloring even amongst the Dragon Demons.....”

“What about your teacher?”

“He has black hair.”

“He definitely isn’t the one from my mories. Still, the more I see of your Dragon Arts it reminds

of Reshoo. This also applies to your training thod..”

“Mmm?”

“I’m talking about the training thod where one receives the drops of water. I taught Reshoo that drill. Of course, I told Reshoo to do it with his kicks.”

“What an interesting coincidence.”

“Well, it is a training thod easily devised by anyone. I guess it can happen.”

Moreover, Reshoo could have taught the drill to soone else, while Azell was asleep. Maybe Leticia’s teacher learned it from Reshoo.

Still, Azell couldn’t stop thinking about it. Leticia’s martial arts, the way she used her Dragon arts and the basic philosophy she followed was almost identical to the last ti he saw Reshoo. If she was completely unrelated to him, she wouldn’t make him have such a visceral reaction.

‘Of course, it could just be a coincidence....’

Azell let out a bitter laugh. He was obsessing over this problem, because he wanted to et Reshoo if he was still alive. Reshoo was a Dragon Demon, who hadn’t paid attention to the Dragon Demon war. If one factored in the fact that he was a first generation Dragon Demon, he could still be alive. Azell wanted to et him.

Azell had been thrown into the future by himself. It was a span of 220 years. Of course, he would obsess over soone, who had lived in the sa era as him.

3

Azell’s party was moving at high speed.

It had been 10 days since he acquired the White Dragon armor. The party followed the guide’s instruction, and they travelled in a straight line for 400 kiloters. They were able to find another ruin left behind by Carlos. At this point, Azell’s emotions was so complicated it was beyond expression as he looked Yuren.

“After the White Dragon armor, I expected to find so kind of amazing magical instrunt.... It’s a skill manual.”

The item preserved in this ruin was a form of training thod. Carlos’ thought manifestation gave an explanation.

‘The old man Nidel gave this to

for safekeeping instead of leaving behind a will. He said you didn’t wake up before his death, so he said he had won. He wants you to co to his grave later, and he wants you to declare yourself the loser.’

...at that mont, it felt as if Azell’s blood was flowing backwards. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a place to vent his anger.

‘That old man is really....!’

The relationship of Azell and Croix Nidel could be described as them being each other’s teacher. Their first eting occurred when they were at a drinking party. As soon as they t, they started speaking words in an attempt to annoy the other. It escalated into them exchanging blows with their swords. After the end of the fight, they acknowledged each other. They had given recognition to each other for their skills, but they hadn’t developed a close relationship. They didn’t beco comrade in arms.

Croix was the one, who started it. On the next day, he ca looking for Azell, and he showed off a technique in front of Azell. Croix sneered as he spoke to Azell.

‘You are gifted for soone so young, but I bet you can’t do this. You are a valuable talent of the alliance force, so if you bow down to , I might teach you this technique.’

Azell had beco angry. He had lived through all sorts of hardship, and he had learned all kinds of techniques from his four teachers. These were skills that couldn’t be replicated by others. He imdiately showed off a technique as a counterattack.

‘I acknowledge that your techniques are incredible. However, the tis are changing, old man. If we are talking about the latest techniques of Spirit Order, it should be of this caliber. If I learn such an old technique, it’ll be a net loss for . However, I have respect for soone that still fights by dragging along his old body. I’ll accept the unequal exchange as a sign of respect for you. Shall I teach you what I just did?’

...at that point, the two of them had beco angry again. Another fight was inevitable.

Afterwards, the two of them tried to outdo each other using all of their might. Everyday they kept showing off techniques that would have have made the eyes of normal Spirit Order practitioners spin. They also argued about martial arts and tactics in battle. It was a petty battle for one’s pride, but everyone was flabbergasted when the two of them rapidly increased their skill through these fights.

When the Dragon Demon war ended, Azell had won. At the ti, they had pretty much bottod out on what they could show each other, yet Azell had been able to get the final word by teaching Croix for the last ti. His nose had been in the air, since he had won.

However, he never expected such a counterattack after 220 years.

‘Shit! That old man didn’t grow up even at his death bed! Moreover, this is cheating! He didn’t make this by himself!’

He couldn’t pay back the old man back for sucker punching him like this!

Unlike what he was feeling.... The skill manual possessed a very surprising content.

“I never expected such a thod could be used to produce Dragon Demon qi.”

Azell had explained how to produce Dragon Demon qi to Kairen before.

It was sothing that arose from oneself through Spirit Order, Dragon Arts or magic rituals. Humans and Dragon Majins could accelerate this process through the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual.

There were two ways to shorten this process.

First, one could receive help from other Dragon Demons or Dragon Majin, who already possessed Dragon Demon qi. This helper had to sacrifice one’s own power by pushing it into a person to create Dragon Demon qi.

The second way was to use the corpse of a Dragon. There was a lot of power stored within the corpse of a Dragon. One could bring out this power to accelerate the production of Dragon Demon qi.

The manual was talking about a variation of the first thod.

“This training thod is a win-win proposition.”

Originally, the high ranking Spirit Order practitioner or magician, who possessed Dragon Demon magic, had to sacrifice their power by pouring it into a person. However, if he followed the training thod in the manual, both sides would benefit.

Carlos had constructed a magical circle, and this device would provide the magical energy. This process was used alongside Dragon Demon qi, and it strengthened the Dragon Demon magic. The participants continuously went through a cycle of acceleration, circulation and amplification.

The participants would receive more output of magical energy compared to the amount they put in. Moreover, the person without the Dragon Demon magic could gradually acquire it.

“Anyone could co up with this idea, but I would have never expected it to be such a complete product. Moreover, this thod increases the Dragon Demon magic by such a large quantity.”

This training thod was a fusion of Spirit Order and magic. Croix Nidel probably ca up with the idea, and Carlos took steps to flesh it out. The sensitive part of of the process would have needed to have gone through countless experints to iron out the kinks.

Azell imdiately gathered his party mbers, and he tried out the training thod. He brought out the Sword that Splits the Heavens and the Vitan’s Chalice. He recruited Laura to participate alongside the two Dragon Weapons and the result was....

Everyone beca surprised at the efficacy of the thod.

“...this is incredible.”

Azell was astonished. The efficacy of the training thod increased depending on the participants. Aside from Yuren, everyone either possessed Dragon Demon qi or they were born with natural Dragon Demon magic.

‘At this pace, I might be able to summon the Sword that Splits the Sky without an aid. I won’t have to summon it through the Dragon sword.’

It even accelerated his digestion of the Dragon’s power he took using the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual.

Laura spoke.

“It seems I have the least to gain here.”

She barely gained anything from this training thod. In truth, the vessel that holds her power within her body was almost complete. She would continue to grow in terms of becoming more proficient in technical aspects of being a magician, but she shouldn’t expect her Dragon Demon magic to grow much.

This was the sa for Kairen. This training thod could only accelerate the process of him making his own Dragon weapon..

Azell spoke.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“You’ll be able to make your own Dragon weapon.”

“.......”

Laura’s expression turned a bit peculiar. Azell asked in puzzlent.

“What’s wrong?”

“...it is nothing. I just never thought about it.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve always only thought about becoming the inheritor of the Vitain’s Chalice.......”

If one beca the heir of Aunsaurus, one had to inherit the Vitan’s Chalice. This was why she hadn’t even had the choice of making a Dragon weapon through putting in her own effort and ti.

Laura mumbled to herself in a dumbfounded manner.

“I see. I can make my own Dragon weapon...”

It was an obvious truth, so he found it amusing that she had just realized it.

Laura burst into laughter.

Azell grinned as he asked her a question.

“I can’t believe you hadn’t thought about that. Did you never get to make decisions for yourself?”

“Yes.”

“...not at all?”

“If I look hard enough, I could find minor decisions I had made before on my own. However, all the big decisions were made by my family.”

Laura hadn’t been ordered to look for it, yet she had looked through the old records during her own free ti. She also chose to look up and speak to the naless elder. She had made her own decisions in those instances.

Still, even as she had those thoughts, she knew her freedom of choice had been within the restrictions placed on her by her family. She wasn’t told what she could do during her free ti, but she was told which activities were forbidden to her.

“If I think about it, the only real choice I made in my life was to follow you, Azell Zestringer.”

“.......”

“You are making a strange expression.”

“What?”

Laura had spoken those words as she tilted her head. Azell furrowed his brows.

Laura started to speak again.

“I know I’m putting you in a tough spot. I’m not sure why you are feeling that way. Did sothing within my story make you uncomfortable?”

“...is that how I looked to you?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Azell let out a bitter laugh. If anyone else other than Laura had seen his expression, they would have been able to identify the expression on his face. Azell had been feeling pity towards her.

‘She can’t even identify.... I guess she really did only live her life as a tool.’

As ti passed, he didn’t know how he should treat her. It made him confused.

Moreover, Laura wasn’t the only one where he didn’t know how he should act.

4

“Wouldn’t it be better if you just followed us out in the open? I can rent you a room.”

Azell had approached a man camping 100 ters away from the inn where Azell’s party was staying. The man wasn’t asleep. He was sitting in front of the campfire as he ate the soup he had made. He was the Guardian Shadow’s Keeper of Prophecy.

After their first eting, Balseru kept a fixed distance away from Azell’s party as he followed them. Unlike the other Guardian Shadows, he didn’t mask his presence. However, when he didn’t move, his presence disappeared like a ghost. So there were tis when Azell almost lost track of him.

Balseru spoke.

“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’ll have to decline.”

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll stab you in the back?”

“No. I don’t want to stab you in the back.”

“What do you an by that?”

“If I’m close, I’ll be able to see the mbers of your party. It’ll be hard for

to suppress my killing intent. I know myself too well”

“.......”

He spoke those words, but Balseru’s expression and voice didn’t show any signs of emotion. His lack of emotions was almost at the level of Laura, and it felt as if there was a big gulf between them.

Suddenly, Balseru spoke.

“Hmm. I have to thank you for giving us the information. We are putting it to good use.”

“Have you destroyed so of the way-points for the Road of Emptiness?”

“Currently, we destroyed two locations. My comrades will probably attack the rest in between their travels.”

Azell and Kairen told Balseru about the Road of Emptiness. The Guardian Shadows were unreliable as ssengers, but this wasn’t true for the Keepers of the Prophecy. Balseru contacted the Keepers of the Prophecy scattered all over the continent, and they confird if Laura’s information was true. Then they started their attack.

Azell wondered out loud.

“You guys were only able to take down two? I thought you guys are able to swiftly exchange information....”

“Still, there is a limit on how fast we can move. You have already seen this, but there are so Keepers of Prophecy, who aren’t that good in a fight.”

“Don’t you guys have the mbers of the Guardian Shadows? Why don’t you ask them for cooperation? Are you perhaps trying to prevent them from finding out about the Keepers of the Prophecy....”

“That isn’t it. We live different lives from them. They are in a delicate situation.”

“What do you an by that?”