Standing in the field beneath the night sky, Jenkins clutched his throat, his expression contorted in pain. His entire lungs felt like they were on fire.
He swore that unless absolutely necessary, he would never use such a power again. He was a human, or an elf, not a dragon; he should never have done that. He didn't possess the organs to produce a "Dragon's Roar." Even with the spiritual power granted by the silver dragon, it was rely an imitation, which was why he hadn't acquired a [Dragon's Roar] ability. Not unless his [Malicious Transformation] could truly turn him into a dragon.
If not for his potent regenerative abilities, that single roar might have permanently destroyed his respiratory system.
But it was better that it hadn't beco a permanent ability. Otherwise, Jenkins had no idea where he would find an empty bubble to accommodate [Uncrowned King].
Summoning his unicorn and cat, he took to the sky again, sword in hand. The red fla in his chest danced joyfully, feeding a ceaseless stream of vitality into his body. The awakening ritual was not yet complete; until he dealt with all the wraiths, the Dragon Soul could not be considered fully awakened.
But now, with the power bestowed by the silver dragon, the oppressive aura of the Dragon Hunter wraiths had vanished. Moreover, the wraiths slain by the dragon's power did not revive.
The Dragon Soul was, at its core, a racial myth forged by ancient humans who coveted the physical might of dragons. The small red fla couldn't turn Jenkins into a dragon, but it enhanced his physical body in every way, making him feel almost perpetually tireless.
A flash of white light erupted as his swirling sword dance swept through the air. A black, grinning demon soared into the sky, and behind it, Jenkins, perched on the unicorn's back, unleashed his gluttonous vines.
A verdant glow enveloped his sword, intertwining with the gray, decaying aura of death to deliver devastating blows to their enemies. A sudden inspiration struck Jenkins. Though he had just resolved not to use his new ability, curiosity drove him to activate his [Life Source] while imagining the sensation of retching.
As the roar once again thundered across the night sky, a giant dwarf charging directly at Jenkins was engulfed by the pillar of green light. When the light faded, the giant dwarf, along with its armor and the mammoth skeleton, had been completely vaporized into dust. The life essence, so close to the World Tree's own, amplified by the Dragon's Roar, had obliterated the most powerful of the wraiths.
Jenkins was already clutching his throat again, coughing violently. He was certain now that this was not an ability a human Enchanter was ant to use. Seeing the slender red fla in his chest burn even brighter with the demise of the strongest wraith, he seized the opportunity to once more raise his sword and cane to the sky.
In a flash of white light that illuminated nearly all of Nolan's eastern suburbs, the armored wraiths disintegrated one by one, their dust scattering into the night.
By the ti the Church's forces reached the epicenter of the light explosion, they saw only a colossal, spectral dragon shrinking into the chest of the man on the unicorn's back. When he opened his eyes, the Church's demigods instinctively flinched, struck by an inexplicable pressure.
It wasn't the oppressive aura of a god over a mortal, but that of a chosen human leader over ordinary people.
"What was that just now? Believer of Lies, have you dealt with those wraiths?"
Soone called out. From the sound of the voice, it seed to be the old gravedigger from the Church of Death and End.
"The wraiths have been dealt with."
He could feel the spirit the world was feeding back to him, but it wasn't much, as he hadn't permanently destroyed the individual wraiths.
"As for what just happened... have you heard the legend of the Four King Souls?"
A red dragon circled higher in the sky, doing its best to feign ignorance.
"The Four King Souls?"
A woman from the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium called back in question.
"You've obtained the [Dragon Soul]?"
"Since you are the keepers of the Epic of Ages, you should know what the appearance of the Four King Souls ans for this epoch. It seems fate has chosen us once again. I look forward to our next eting. I wish you a successful opening for your conference tomorrow."
With that, he clutched his chest and rode his unicorn into the distance.
The mbers of the Church didn't stop him. Miss Bevanna cast a solemn look at Miss Audrey. Jenkins had learned of the King Souls from the old shopkeeper in Bel Diran and had reported it to the Church. Miss Bevanna had assud the matter would unfold around Jenkins, but now the Believer of Lies had beaten him to it.
Miss Audrey, who knew most of the truth, simply wore a regretful expression, unwilling to share what she knew about Jenkins.
As for Miss Bevanna, she had already made up her mind.
anwhile, when Jenkins arrived ho, it was no surprise that Hathaway was already there. As he entered, the red-haired young woman was sitting on the sofa with Julia, learning to knit. A musician's hands were nimble on the piano keys but clumsy with long needles.
"What is that sll on you?"
He had just stepped into the living room when Briny, carrying a teacup, erged from the kitchen and questioned him.
It was, of course, the sll of dragon blood. Though Jenkins had summoned a small, localized rain shower to wash away the stains, he hadn't expected the scent to be so potent. Even Chocolate refused to approach him. The mont the unicorn landed, the cat had darted into the house, clearly resolved to keep its distance until Jenkins was clean.
Jenkins smiled awkwardly, not ntioning that it was the sll of blood. He hesitantly sniffed his own clothes, then made a face of disgust himself.
"I'll go take a bath, then."
"The hot water is ready."
Julia placed her knitting needles back in the basket and stood up, heading upstairs to prepare a change of clothes for Jenkins. He nodded at her, then touched his chest, feeling the constant stream of vitality coursing through him. After a mont of hesitation, he blushed slightly and asked in a low voice:
"Does anyone want to bathe with ?"
He was promptly struck by a book and a ball of yarn. The cat, perched on the third step of the staircase, mocked him inwardly. It knew normal people didn't like bathing.
And so ca the next day, Saturday, when the long-awaited Joint Conference of the Twelve Churches was finally set to begin.
Early that morning, Jenkins stood before the mirror, adjusting his attire. The cat was still drowsy, and by the ti it was fully awake, Jenkins had already washed up and gone downstairs.
Chocolate let out a sleepy ow and rose from the pillow. Seeing the man was gone, it sat up straight, its head swiveling a full 180 degrees as it scanned the room. Confirming Jenkins wasn't in the bedroom, it froze for a mont before darting nimbly into the hallway, deeply displeased that Jenkins had woken up before it.
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