Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 643
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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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Dorf let out a quiet laugh at the sight of Rashil, whose stern expression betrayed nothing but a steady gaze fixed upon him.
‘Dragons are not omnipotent.’
Dragons were born with the supreme conditions to grow stronger in every aspect—magic, lifespan, and characteristics alike. Yet that very power known as ‘characteristic’ or ‘attribute,’ which was one of the reasons they could grow so formidable, also became a constraint upon them.
They could not help but be affected by forces that stood in opposition to their attributes.
‘And most dragons possess power that opposes dead mana or darkness.’
It was only natural—they were beings most attuned to living mana rather than dead mana.
‘His power has diminished.’
Moreover, the gray mana enveloping Rashil’s body had grown thinner than before. This meant Rashil was being affected by the darkness contained within the Black Curtain.
“There is nothing more to see here.”
Dorf turned away without hesitation.
‘Kale Heniatus. I must stop that one.’
Dorf had already sensed that the darkness he had laid beneath the hole at the mountain peak had vanished.
Kale Heniatus would have witnessed everything. If it was him, he would certainly attempt some form of interference, so Dorf had to hurry.
And there was one more thing.
‘The dragon will soon adapt.’
Unlike other beings, the dragon would eventually grow accustomed to wielding mana even beneath this darkness.
Just as Raon, the Black Dragon, had done.
Dorf’s eyes met those of the Cat Tribe Chief.
He gestured toward the mountain peak with a glance.
‘Let us go ahead.’
That was the meaning conveyed in his gaze. Yet he saw the Cat Tribe Chief’s lips part urgently.
“…Behind—!”
Before Dorf could finish his sentence, a chill crept down his spine.
“Heh.”
The moment a low chuckle echoed from directly behind him—no, from the nape of his neck—Dorf had to roll his body forward.
Boom!
Having barely evaded, he watched in shock as the space where he’d stood erupted in a tremendous explosion.
“…Why?”
Through the dust rising with the blast, Rashil appeared—now wreathed in an incomparably vaster torrent of mana than before.
“Heh, hehehehe—”
Rashil laughed with unmistakable delight, then hurled words at Dorf.
“Keep dodging. If you get caught, that’s when you die. Kehehehe.”
Then he lunged at Dorf without hesitation. Dorf’s eyes widened in terror. The dragon’s physical prowess matched that of his berserk form, forcing him to move with desperate speed.
“Why—!”
Why was this dragon less affected by the Black Curtain?
No—why was he growing stronger?!
“Why?! You’re supposed to stay the same?!”
Dorf’s question went unanswered. Instead, a fist came flying toward his head.
He quickly raised both arms to block the strike.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
But with the impact, his body was driven backward by the terrifying mana and force. Rashil seized that instant without hesitation.
His leg, brimming with explosive gray mana, swept toward Dorf’s calf.
Thud!
“Hack!”
The impact was so powerful that even Dorf, the largest among the frenzied Lion Tribe warriors, staggered.
Dorf’s face contorted.
“This… insane-”
Why was a dragon whelp so skilled at this kind of combat rather than magic?!
But the opponent pressed the attack relentlessly against the wavering Dorf.
“Did this lion bastard just call me insane? Huh? Huh? You want to die? No, I’ll beat you until you’re on death’s door, kehehehehe!”
Rashil felt his stress melting away for the first time in ages.
He glanced furtively toward the Black Curtain. His smile deepened.
‘What is your attribute, Rashil?’
He recalled a conversation from long ago with Kale Heniatus and Raon, who had been riding on his back.
‘Me?’
Rashil answered the question about his trait with absolute confidence.
His aggressive and destructive nature was something he took great pride in.
‘Indomitable.’
‘…Pardon?’
‘My attribute is indomitable.’
Raon and Kale’s expressions became peculiar for a moment, but unaware of this, Rashil spoke with pride.
‘It’s a very aggressive and destructive attribute.’
‘…Rashil. Is that what indomitable means?’
Raon tilted his head in confusion.
‘Human! Indomitable means to never yield no matter the circumstances, to endure and overcome—isn’t that what it means? Isn’t it used in a somewhat different sense than aggressive?’
‘Tsk, tsk. The little one doesn’t know much, does he.’
Rashil explained the true meaning of his attribute to Kale and Raon.
‘Thanks to my Indomitable attribute, whenever I judge that my environment has become unfavorable—whether mentally or physically—I simply cease to be affected by it.’
‘…You mean you’re unaffected by environmental conditions?’
‘Precisely. And this magnificent body possesses an even more extraordinary trait on top of that.’
‘What might that be?’
Seeing Kale’s considerable interest, Rashil grew animated and explained eagerly.
‘The stronger my will to crush my opponent, to obliterate them, to emerge victorious no matter what—the more potent my Indomitable attribute becomes in adverse conditions. That’s when I become infinitely powerful. Kehehehe.’
‘…Rashil! Why does that sound so aggressive? I still don’t understand!’
‘Tsk tsk.’
He imparted to the Young Dragon a truth he had discovered through his draconic existence.
‘Listen, do you understand what it means that I possess Indomitable?’
With Kale now hanging on his every word, Rashil spoke with barely concealed amusement.
‘It means I can brawl in any situation whatsoever.’
‘Pardon?’
Kale seemed bewildered, but Rashil, oblivious to his reaction, pressed on with his explanation.
‘No matter the circumstances! If someone dares touch me, the worse the situation they create for me, the more my nature is provoked, the stronger I become—and then I can beat that bastard senseless! That’s what I’m saying! How aggressive is that? Once my attribute activates, right?’
A grin spread across his face.
Rashil smiled wickedly.
‘Then whoever created that situation dies by my hand.’
Recalling that brief conversation from the past, Rashil now fixed his burning gaze upon Dorf.
“Hehehehe, just as Kale Heniatus said—this one’s got a satisfying feel to him. Kahahaha! With a frame this massive, even wild swings land solid hits! Kahahaha! This is exhilarating, absolutely exhilarating!”
He resembled a madman consumed by frenzy—or rather, a mad dragon.
Both allies and enemies in the vicinity froze at the sight of Rashil, wreathed in grey mana like flickering flames, his demeanor far too unhinged to be called merely aggressive.
Boom! Crash! Kaboom!
The exchange between Dorf and Rashil erupted with dozens of strikes and counters per minute—a dizzying display of speed and devastating power.
‘Damn it!’
For Dorf, this was maddening.
‘At least 1.5 times stronger. No! It’s growing even more powerful!’
Curse it all!
The Dragon before me was becoming stronger in both physical ability and mana by the second. As I felt this transformation in real time, I found myself without options.
‘I can’t let this continue!’
I made the decision to draw upon the Dark Spirit’s power further.
Keeeeee—Keeee—
With an eerie sound, the Black Curtain grew thicker, descending upon the mountain as if to swallow the ground itself.
“Th-this is!”
“A curse! A curse is descending upon Sez Mountain!”
“Oh, divine one! Please save our King!”
As the mist thickened beyond its usual density to engulf the mountain, and the Black Curtain itself threatened to consume it, the citizens of Sezes Kingdom who had gathered in a ring around the mountain could not hide their confusion.
Some trembled with terror, while others fled far in desperation.
“…What in the world is happening here? Damn it.”
“Vice-Captain, shall we continue our advance?”
The Knights who had entered the mountain and were climbing in formation experienced the same turmoil.
No—their situation was far more dire.
“…Our stamina is depleting, Vice-Captain!”
“Our mana—our mana won’t respond!”
Beneath the Black Curtain, Knights, Mages, and Soldiers cried out in agony as they fell under the influence of the Dark Spirit’s power.
Yet the Vice-Captain could not stop.
Boom! Boom!
The deafening roars had been echoing from higher up the mountain.
“…Surely, surely there is more than just the enemy waiting up there!”
If only the Cat-Human Race who kidnapped the King were present, there would be no sounds of battle.
“Didn’t you all see the Cat-Humans fall! There must be others here—potential allies—already clashing with the Cat-Humans!”
I didn’t know who these potential allies were or why they fought alongside us.
But for now, they were preventing the Cat-Humans from abducting the King.
“So we must accelerate our pace!”
At the Vice-Captain’s words, the others nodded and steeled their resolve once more.
That was when it happened.
Rustle.
As the sound of rustling leaves reached their ears, an unfamiliar cry echoed through the air.
Caw. Caw. Caw.
The moment the raven’s cry reached the Vice-Captain’s ears, he could see the figure that had emerged with a presence.
And he quickly discerned their identity.
“…Tiger Tribe.”
An elderly Tiger Tribe warrior with white hair appeared, leaning on a staff.
It was Gashan, the shaman of the Tiger Tribe.
The Vice-Captain glanced at the still-dazed Knight Commander and the court’s greatest Mage, then heightened his vigilance toward this newcomer.
The Tiger Tribe was renowned across the Eastern Continent as an exceptionally powerful beastkin race.
“…Why is the Tiger Tribe here?”
Gashan of the Tiger Tribe opened his mouth in response.
“Is it strange for the Tiger Tribe to dwell in the mountains?”
At that answer, the Vice-Captain fell silent.
The Tiger Tribe.
There was an old saying that in the treacherous mountains of the Eastern Continent—places where few humans ventured—there always dwelt a Tiger Tribe warrior or their family.
The Vice-Captain carefully opened his mouth.
“…Are you the ones fighting the Cat-Humans?”
Gashan smiled.
He recalled the words Kale Heniatus had spoken when asking him to come here.
“Gashan. You’ve established a foothold in Harris Village, but shouldn’t you reclaim what was originally yours?”
“Reclaim, sir?”
“Your original homeland.”
…
“I’m not saying you should resettle every mountain that was once your territory. But at the very least, you should be able to traverse those places freely. Isn’t that the freedom the Tiger Tribe once enjoyed?”
Whether the mountains were treacherous or not.
Regardless of where they were located.
The Tiger Tribe was a people who wished to roam those mountains freely and live immersed in their natural embrace.
Gashan naturally accepted Kale Heniatus’s words, which carried that meaning.
And as a beginning, the sacred Sez Mountain pleased him greatly.
“Rise as a new force on the Eastern Continent alongside the Molan Family, the Mercenary Guild, and the Endable Kingdom led by Duke Fredo.”
The Tiger Tribe had once been scattered across individual mountains, forced to flee before the overwhelming numbers of Dark.
But the Tiger Tribe gathered in Harris Village within Heniatus Territory under Gashan’s leadership were now learning the value of standing together while remaining independent.
“Gashan. Just as you’ve helped me, I want to help the Tiger Tribe reclaim their former strength.”
Gashan smiled, recalling Kale Heniatus’s stoic expression. That smile was directed toward the Vice-Captain.
The Vice-Captain had asked who these fighters were.
The answer was already clear.
“We are an organization dedicated to saving the Eastern Continent.”
“…An organization? What is its name?”
“Ah, the name is—”
He hadn’t actually discussed this with Prince Kale Heniatus.
Gashan pondered for a moment, then spoke the noble ideal that Kale Heniatus ultimately pursued.
“The Peace Group.”
“…The Peace Group?”
It was an organization the Vice-Captain had never heard of.
“Yes. I bear such a name. Did you know that?”
Gashan approached the Vice-Captain.
Caw. Caw. The desolate cries of ravens echoed through this moment. Gashan spoke to the Vice-Captain and to the Sezes Kingdom forces watching him.
“The one who abducted His Majesty, the King of Sezes, is a man called the White Star.”
Of course, it was Kale’s doing.
But setting aside this falsehood, Gashan revealed to those before him truths they did not yet fully comprehend.
“Furthermore, some citizens of the Endable Kingdom, allied with the Sezes Kingdom, are being held captive on this mountain. By a mad leader called the White Star. Ah, some of you may not know of the Endable Kingdom. Well, if I were to tell the entire story….”
Gashan’s account was conveyed swiftly and meticulously to the Sezes Knights, Mages, and Soldiers.
Expressions of disbelief and shock washed across their faces.
Simultaneously, guided by Gashan, they advanced more rapidly than before toward their allies, the Peace Group. They had to aid those fighting against the great evil called the White Star, driven by noble purpose.
Yet one of that great evil’s most loyal subordinates was going mad with frustration.
Boom, boom-crash! Crash!
“Ugh, gack!”
Dorf was overwhelmed by Rashil’s increasingly fierce attacks.
He could not understand why Rashil grew stronger even as he expanded the Black Curtain further. He considered whether this creature was a dragon with dark affinity, but that was not it.
“Damn it!”
In the end, Dorf chose to flee.
He pushed his speed to the maximum, heading toward the Mountain Peak.
“Huh?”
Gasp!
But a voice consumed by madness reached him from behind. The reaction speed was formidable.
The owner of that speed seized Dorf by the back of his neck.
“Argh!”
As Dorf’s breath was choked off by a grip beyond imagination, his eyes met with the Dragon’s.
“Does a Dragon seem like a joke to you?”
With those words, Dorf could see the grey-tinged fist descending directly toward his face.
He quickly raised his arm. The berserk, most powerful arm of the Lion King collided directly with the grey mana.
“Gaaahhh!”
And that arm shattered completely.
The stronger the Black Curtain became, the more Rashil’s fury burned, the more his body and mana intensified. Dorf was easily overpowering him. In a sense, Rashil was Dorf’s natural counter. Had Rashil clashed with any other being, the outcome might have differed, but Kale Heniatus had paired Rashil with Dorf, and from that moment, Dorf’s fate was sealed.
In a way, Rashil was Dorf’s opposite. Had Rashil clashed with a different being instead, the outcome might have been different, but Kale Heniatus paired Dorf with Rashil, and from that moment on, Dorf’s fate was all but sealed.
And another leader who was trying to move to the Mountain Peak like Dorf.
“…Damn bastards…!”
Eventually, the Cat Tribe Chief stopped fleeing.
He needed to prevent what Kale Heniatus would do at the Mountain Peak, but the two beings blocking his way were unbearable.
I had to stop what Kale Heniatus would do at the Mountain Peak, but I could not tolerate the two beings blocking my path.
“These bastards, ungrateful for the grace of sparing their lives, how dare they—!”
This was the moment his berserk state was beginning.
The Cat Tribe’s berserk transformation differed from the destructive tribes like the Wolf Tribe or Lion Tribe.
It was faster, sharper, and the Fog Tribe in particular possessed a unique ability reserved for the few. In the Chief’s case, his mist ability was amplified.
Faster and sharper, and the Fog Tribe in particular possessed special abilities that only a few had. In the case of the Tribal Chief, the fog ability was amplified.
“What grace! Stop talking nonsense!”
Hong stood right beside his sister, closing his eyes and drawing in slow, measured breaths.
On and Hong. The tense standoff with the Chief continued in that quiet moment.
On and Hong. In that quiet moment as the standoff with the Tribal Chief continued.
Damn it.
Ron leisurely wedged himself in between them.
“What?”
What?
Ron smiled and pointed toward the mountain peak. On and Hong’s expressions brightened at the sight, while the Cat Tribe Chief’s face grew tense.
Ron’s leisurely voice reached their ears.
“Our young master seems to have achieved a fair portion of his objectives. No need to waste time, then.”
The Tribal Chief turned to face Ron.
“Try your rampage. I shall show you the true essence of the Molan Family.”
That was the moment.
From above the mountain peak. From the sky beyond the Black Curtain came a sound.
Rumble— rumble rumble—
It was like the cry of clouds announcing the arrival of a typhoon, the herald of thunder and lightning about to break.
The citizens of Sezes Kingdom outside the mountain shrank back at this new development, but to Kale’s forces, it was a welcome sound.
“…Lightning!”
A Ranger Unit member from the Mercenary Group pointed skyward.
Rumble rumble— rumble—
Between the cries of the heavens, a golden gleam pierced through—even the Black Curtain could not conceal it—striving to break through that veil.
The golden lightning bolts seemed ready to descend upon the earth at any moment, crying out as they awaited their master’s command.
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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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