Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 372

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It was dark.
The White Castle, enclosed within the Giant Rock Dome, was shrouded in shadow.
It felt as though night had descended.

“Can you manage without being able to see?”

The Mercenary King asked Kale with an urgent expression.

At first, Bud had felt relief watching the massive dome form.
And he felt even more reassured seeing the enormous wooden vines, water, whirlwind, and fire wall that enveloped the dome.

But once the stone dome was completed, he finally realized that nothing from outside could be seen from within it.

“We have no way of knowing what the White Star and the enemies are doing. Will that be alright?”

Bud saw Kale nodding at his repeated question.

“Yeah. We don’t need to see.”

Kale’s surroundings were noisy right now.

‘Lightning is about to strike!’
‘Ahhh! I’m scared!’
‘The masked guy is staring at our barrier with a dumbfounded expression!’

Through the spinning top he held in his hand, the Wind Spirits relentlessly relayed their words to him.
Even though they couldn’t see, they informed Kale of the situation outside.

“Kale!”

Erhafen approached his side.

“I’ll take the outermost layer.”

At the same time, the voice of a Wind Spirit was heard.

‘A platinum-colored shield has wrapped around the outside of the fire wall!’

Raon’s voice also rang out.

“I’ll do it too!”

The spirit then revealed another transformation.

‘A black shield appeared inside the platinum shield! Fire wall, next is the black shield! Then the platinum shield!’
‘I’ve never seen such a powerful barrier in my entire life!’
‘Two dragons creating shields together!’

Kale turned his head.

“The outermost layer is mine.”
‘Wow! A white shield unfurled toward the sky!’

Sherit’s voice and the spirits’ voices came together.

Kale saw Lord Sherit’s expression—complex and indescribable. She opened her mouth as if she had more to say to him, but Kale gave her no opportunity.

‘Lightning, lightning is about to strike!’

The moment he heard the spirit’s words, his mouth opened.

“Lightning will strike soon.”

Everyone’s gaze converged on him.

“We’ll endure it. We’ll endure it to the maximum.”

A frightened spirit’s voice was heard.

‘Sob, lightning is scary.’
‘Scary? Are you an idiot? Will you just stupidly get struck and dissipate? Besides, that won’t make us dissipate! It might hurt us, but that’s all.’

The corners of Kale’s mouth rose.

“However, since fainting and coughing blood are forbidden, we will retreat when the barrier breaks at an appropriate moment. Do you understand?”

The three dragons stared at Kale with expressions brimming with things to say.
Erhafen in particular felt his insides churning at the sight of Kale speaking with that smile.

‘That unlucky bastard!’

Here was someone simultaneously wielding five Ancient Powers, yet expressing concern for others’ health—Erhafen’s stomach twisted with indignation.

“You—”

But the words wouldn’t come properly.

‘The White Star moved lightning!’

Kale had cried out urgently upon hearing the spirit’s warning.

“It’s coming!”

Uuuuuung— Uuuung—
Kale felt the massive dome vibrating beneath him.

Kale and the three dragons.
The rest of the group surrounded them protectively.
In mere seconds, countless thoughts flashed through their minds. Yet none of them faltered.

Flutter. Flutter.
They could hear the fluttering of Kale’s shirt sleeves.

In this darkened space.
Where only the mana light of the three dragons was visible, a realm that felt utterly otherworldly.

“It comes!”

With those words from Kale, the silence shattered.

KRAAAAAASH!
KRASH! KRAAASH!

Deafening thunder shook the dome.

“Ugh!”

Vicross’s footing suddenly gave way.
The ground trembled.

He felt the force of countless lightning bolts plummeting toward the earth.
He turned his head. Father Ron was hastily cradling On and Hong in his arms. Bud stood transfixed, unable to hide his trembling gaze, staring up at the vibrating dome ceiling.

Boom! Boom!

Then Choi Han came into view.
Choi Han was watching only Kale and the three dragons.

Next, Raon, Erhafen, and Kale appeared in his sight.
They were staring only at the dome ceiling.
Beyond that ceiling, the White Star’s white lightning was pouring down from the sky to the earth to destroy them.

‘…They endured this?’

Vicross had been on the Eastern Continent, so he had only witnessed the battle against the White Star that took place in the Imperial Capital through recordings.
Ron, On, and Hong were experiencing the White Star’s assault for the first time.

Vicross braced his feet with force.

Thud!

His greatsword plunged into the ground filled with white fragments.
He grasped the hilt of his greatsword and straightened his back.

Boom! Boom!

Like Choi Han, he watched only his companions.
In that moment, he heard Kale’s voice.

Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom!

Between the tremendous sounds of destruction came Kale’s roar, his voice raised to its fullest.

“Sherit!”

At the same moment, a faint whimper escaped—so quiet that one would miss it without absolute concentration.

“Ugh.”

The sound came from Sherit’s lips.
Vicross saw the translucent woman’s afterimage wavering.
The phantom conjured by magic briefly split into two before merging back into one.

‘The shield is about to shatter!’
‘It’ll break soon! Keep mending the shield!’

Kale heard the situation outside relayed by the spirits.
Sherit was enduring the white lightning while continuously pouring strength into the crumbling shield.

Kale opened his mouth again because of the being pouring more and more power into his call—one prepared for annihilation.

“Raon! Tell your mother to stop!”

That was the moment.
Sherit’s trembling translucent form shuddered.
Simultaneously, a hand grasped her shoulder.

“Sherit.”

It was Choi Han.
Sherit saw the eyes of a human—neither an elderly man with black hair nor a boy.

“Kale’s judgment is correct.”

She watched as Choi Han spoke those words and glanced toward Raon. She could not turn her head toward Raon as Choi Han had. She felt the child gazing at her.
Her grip weakened.

In that instant, her wavering afterimage returned to its original state.

BOOM! BOOM!

Simultaneously, a tremendous explosion erupted.

‘The first barrier shattered! The shield is broken!’
‘The lightning bolts keep striking!’

Kale shifted his gaze as he heard the spirits’ voices. Erhafen wore a wry smile.
Kale’s lips curved upward in response.

Crash! Boom!

The platinum shield collided with the white lightning bolts.
The bolts hammered against the platinum shield’s surface with such ferocity they seemed ready to pulverize it into dust.

Crash! Bang!

And then.

Crack—
Fissures began spreading across the platinum shield.

‘The Light Castle Territory is going to be devastated!’
‘Everything’s being turned upside down!’
‘The lightning will incinerate everything! It might even burn us spirits!’
‘The platinum shield is breaking apart!’

Kale’s mouth opened.

“Second barrier breached.”

A hollow laugh escaped Erhafen.
Erhafen released a dry chuckle.

Crack—

The others didn’t realize it, but he felt his shield crumbling. He wondered whether to pour in more power, whether to push himself harder.
Yet watching Kale perceive and counter with uncanny precision, he simply let the power flow through.

Crack— Boom!

The second protective barrier collapsed.

“Raon.”
“I understand, human!”

Raon’s two front paws remained motionless, thrust toward the ceiling. Lord Sherit stared at the sight in a daze.
Now six years old.
Those small front paws held firm against the sky, as though propping up the colossal dome itself.

CRACK!
The dome trembled, and the earth shook.

In that moment, Kale’s mouth opened.

“What is the White Star doing?”
“Huh?”

Bud responded with a vacant voice, but Kale’s gaze never wavered.

‘The White Star moved his hand toward the sky once more!’
‘He’s commanding—strike again!’
‘The lightning, the dark sky cries out once more!’

He issued a command to strike again?

‘He’s trying to extend the duration of the attack!’
‘The lightning will rain down for longer!’

To Kale, this meant the lightning assault would last longer than it had during the Imperial Capital attack.

‘The White Star said he would destroy it this time!’
‘When the Lion Tribe urged him not to overextend himself, the White Star answered that now was the time to push forward!’

At the same moment, several spirits spoke.

‘Cracks are forming in the black shield!’

Kale opened his mouth.

“Raon!”
“I understand!”

As Raon answered, the voices of the Wind Spirits reached his ears.

‘The White Star staggered!’
‘He coughed up blood! The Cat-Human Race member is supporting him!’

A flicker of surprise crossed Kale’s eyes.
He coughed up blood?

It meant the White Star’s vessel had been shaken.
This was the moment that made it abundantly clear he had overextended himself.

‘A second lightning strike is coming down!’

The moment the Spirit spoke, Kale looked at Raon.

“Raon, stop now—”

But Kale couldn’t finish his words.
The Spirit’s voice came through.

‘Huh? The crumbling shield is being repaired!’
‘Another black shield is forming!’
‘One more appeared above it! It’s double—no, wait! It’s triple!’
‘Triple shields! Wow! That’s incredible!’

Before he could even react to the Spirits’ words, he grimaced at the sight of Raon.
Raon had not withdrawn his front paws.

Instead, he flapped his wings and soared toward the dome’s ceiling in an instant.
He climbed higher.

“Raon!”

As if ignoring Kale’s call, Raon climbed higher and higher still. His blue-green eyes gleamed with intensity.

‘I know! I know it too!’

Raon understood as well. He knew the White Star was strong, and that he shouldn’t overextend himself.

Whoooooosh—
Black mana swirled around me.

I understand it all.
I understand everything, yet it feels so unjust.
I’m angry.
And I’m sad.

The wavering afterimage of Sherit flashed through my mind. Seeing it, I understood.

That Sherit could kill the White Star or overwhelm him with superior power—it was a lie.
That confident demeanor was nothing but an act.

I wasn’t naive enough to miss that.
I bit my lip hard.

Tap.
My two front claws touched the ceiling of the Giant Rock Dome.
That was the moment.

Craaaaaash—

An attack of an entirely different magnitude, far greater and more devastating, poured down.

“Ugh!”

I bit my lip.
Sherit had told me.
That there exists a power that grows stronger the more one has to protect.
That she hoped I would remember such a power exists.

In truth, Sherit didn’t need to tell me such things.
I had witnessed such power countless times. I had learned through endless moments that such power was indeed stronger.

Four years trapped in that cave.
Two years longer than that—far longer still.
Those two years of experience taught me what true strength really was.

I had learned such power.

CRASH! CRASH!

Raon’s two front paws trembled violently against the dome’s ceiling rock.

I felt my triple shield shattering.
Yet I held on.
I had to hold on.

“…Because… the great me… can do this-”

But I had to pull my front paws away from the ceiling.

“What are you doing!”

I turned my head toward the force pulling me.
Kale saw not just my round eyes staring at him, but cold sweat drenching my face and back, and my plump front paws quivering uncontrollably.

“Do you want to get scolded? Huh?”

My pupils wavered.
It was the first time.

This was the first time Kale had ever raised his voice to me like this.
But I quickly slipped free from Kale’s grasp.

“Little one, you need to know your limits.”

Erhafen’s voice came from nearby.
I felt a rigid body against my back. Lifting my head, I saw Sherit holding me, her form stiffened.

The moment I flew toward the ceiling, they all followed simultaneously.

It was cold.
The embrace of the translucent phantom entity was cold.
But soon my face contorted.

“Ugh, little one. Listen to what that unlucky bastard said. Why did you do that?”

At Erhafen’s words, I hesitated before burying my face in Sherit’s embrace and spoke.

“…Our home must be protected….”

At those words, Erhafen and Sherit finally stretched both hands toward the ceiling.
In that moment, Kale’s voice rang out.

“If you’re going to cast a barrier, do it inside the dome. Otherwise, just rest.”

Erhafen finally opened his mouth.

“You! Are you insane wanting to collapse? You’re still just a kid to me, you brat!”

Huh.
In that moment, the Ancient Dragon saw Kale grinning widely.

“I won’t collapse this time.”
“What?”

Whoooosh.
Erhafen saw what Kale was pulling from his embrace.
Erhafen’s expression became peculiar upon seeing the object.
It was the white crown—something that had been in Kale’s hands and then tucked back into his embrace at some point.

Now in Kale’s left hand was a spinning top, and in his right hand was the white crown.
The crown was emitting white light.

Kale gazed at the crown with an enigmatic expression.

‘I wasn’t expecting this.’

The moment I resolved to protect this castle, Sherit, and my companions, and wielded all five attributes of the Ancient Powers.
The crown began to shine.
And the crown’s voice resonated in my mind.

-…U… Use my power. Protect… my… dear friend’s… home….

And tremendous power flowed from the crown into me.

I recalled the words spoken by Guardian Knight Clophe Seka and the fake Dragon Slayer Sirem.

Clophe Seka had said it.
The Dragon Slayer needed one more thing besides the Calamity Sword to be complete.
It was a crown passed down through generations—a relic.
The Dragon Slayer would become like a dragon once he obtained the crown that drank dragon’s blood.

And the fake Dragon Slayer, Sirem, had said it.

‘This will help you too! If you possess a dominating aura, the crown will be of great use to you. You know about the crown, right? I’ll bring it to you! And I’ll tell you all our secrets! I swear it!’

Kale had once planned to destroy the crown using its own power once his body achieved balance.
But after gathering the Five Great Attributes, he hadn’t had a moment to spare, let alone seize the crown’s power.

Yet now the crown’s power surged toward Kale.
It was a tremendous force, like a tidal wave.

“…What is this power—!”

Erhafen couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Crash! Crash!

The black shield shattered, and beyond it, the first defensive barrier—the wall of flame and white lightning—collided.

Kale smiled.
Through his fingertips flowed the tremendous power transmitted from the white crown.

‘But, but here’s the thing.’

Thump. Thump. Thump.
Kale’s heart pounded.

He felt his heartbeat devouring that tremendous power.
After becoming one with the unbreakable shield, a power that had barely shown itself.

The vitality of the heart.

Not the power of the Dragon Slayer, not the power of the Five Great Attributes of nature—just the regenerative strength of a single human who had possessed nothing else.
That very power was now devouring all the tremendous force flowing through his body from the white crown.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Kale’s heart pounded more violently than ever before.
He felt alive.

His heart.
That crimson beating gave me certainty.

‘I can endure this.’

It won’t be me who falls.
Kale stretched out both palms.
The dome’s ceiling touched his hands.

Crack. The moment a small fissure appeared in the jewel embedded in the white crown.

Whoooooosh—
Tremendous natural power erupted from Kale’s entire body.
He began to support the massive dome, this entire space.

‘The White Star said it. Unleash everything at once, he said!’
‘This is the last thing my subordinate can do!’
‘Lightning will pour down all at once!’

A colossal dome covered in fire, wind, water, wood, and earth.
Countless white bolts of lightning descended upon it.

Boom! Boom!

By the white lightning that consumed the dome, the world turned white in an instant.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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