Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 651
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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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Chapter 136. Everything Is Connected
“…Insane. What am I looking at right now?”
The Soldier stumbled backward, her feet catching beneath her as she collapsed onto the ground. Yet her gaze remained fixed upon the golden Dragon suspended in the air above.
The same held true for the other allies around her.
“Good heavens.”
“We have a Dragon on our side?”
What manner of being is a Dragon?
Ask that question, and people would offer countless answers.
Yet those who had witnessed a Dragon in their lifetime were exceedingly rare, and most could only conjure images from legends, myths, and tales—fierce, savage, and terrifying creatures.
“…Beautiful.”
But the Dragon before them now possessed a beauty so surreal it defied comprehension. As though the sun’s every ray converged upon it alone, the golden scales gleamed with radiant brilliance.
“T, terrifying.”
Yet separate from that beauty, the Dragon’s body stretched nearly twenty meters in length. Its wings, horns, fangs, and claws all appeared ferocious, and from those golden eyes emanated an inexplicable pressure that suffocated the soul.
One Soldier, upon meeting that golden gaze, cried out with sudden realization.
“…Two Dragons!”
Another Dragon surfaced in memory—one bearing eyes of golden hue tinged with white.
It was the Bone Dragon, already a legendary hero in the Roan Kingdom, ridden by Necromancer Mary.
“No, wait! That’s not a real Dragon. It’s just a Bone Dragon controlled by the Necromancer.”
“Is that so? It seems somewhat different though?”
Those discussing the Bone Dragon suddenly trembled.
Boom.
A tremor rose from beneath their feet. The earth shook. The Soldiers’ gazes turned toward the lion-shaped Dragon.
“D, did it just move?”
“That thing moved!”
The monster that had been standing rigidly upright, merely defending passively against my attacks, lifted its foot for the first time and brought it crashing down upon the plaza.
Crunch—! Crack.
The stone floor of the plaza where it had stomped was pulverized into fragments so thoroughly that the original shape was completely unrecognizable.
Some felt fear anew at the sight, but others’ eyes gleamed with a peculiar light.
“That monster reacted for the first time. That means the Gold Dragon is that strong, doesn’t it?”
“If we play this right, we might actually have a chance of winning?”
A dragon both beautiful and savage in appearance.
The mere fact that this dragon was on their side kindled an almost miraculous courage in the hearts of those gathered here.
A different atmosphere began to bloom on the battlefield, which had been consumed by fear and grim resolve.
That atmosphere had a name: hope.
“I see.”
And it was Alberu who perceived this shift in atmosphere first and most keenly.
“You changed the mood.”
Alberu understood the reasons Erhafen had deliberately revealed his true form.
One was that a massive body was suited for confronting a colossal monster. Another was to shift the morale of his allies.
And the final one was to demonstrate his resolve to fight to the very end.
“Fall back!”
Alberu immediately shouted toward his forces.
A dragon reaching twenty meters in height. And a monster displaying equally impressive proportions.
“Everyone, fall back!”
He raised his voice as loudly as he could.
Seeing this, Duke Derth was about to ask Alberu where his son Kale was, but instead he cast off the cumbersome cloak draped over his armored shoulders and raised his voice as well.
“Withdraw immediately!”
The Knight Commander did the same.
“All forces, fall back to the third defensive line!”
Commands to retreat echoed from the leadership across the battlefield. One Knight approached the Knight Commander and spoke.
“Commander, the third defensive line is beyond the Pursulsi City Wall! Won’t that be too far?”
The Pursulsi City Wall.
What had once been merely a stone barrier was now fortified with countless magical enchantments and devices, deployed the moment the appearance of monsters became suspected.
What made it peculiar was that unlike typical city walls where defensive and reinforcement magic was cast outward to prevent external invasion, this wall had various magical devices installed on the inside to prevent anything from escaping outward.
The Knight Commander regarded the Knight with an exasperated expression.
“You still don’t understand even after seeing it?”
“Sir?”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“…Sir?”
The Knight Commander turned his gaze from the bewildered Knight to the soldiers retreating swiftly.
“If we’re careless, we could be caught in the clash between those colossal beings and die without ever drawing our blades!”
A battle between Dragon and monster.
The very collision of their forms would shake the earth and topple buildings.
Pursulsi would likely be devastated from this point forward.
It was tragic that these people’s homes would be destroyed, but at least if no one died, compensation could be arranged later.
The Knight Commander shouted at the vacant-faced Knight.
“So if you value your life, retreat at once! Our role now is to observe!”
I had to witness the clash between those colossal beings and the heroes first.
As the Knight Commander watched all his forces withdraw, he himself fell back, his thoughts turning inward.
‘There was a Dragon beside Kale Heniatus.’
The Knight Commander recalled the final scene he had witnessed through Albert Crossman’s video communication device.
Kale Heniatus, displaying miraculous power while drenched in blood—the moment he saw that sight, he had to swiftly depart and carry out his assigned duties, following Albert Crossman’s command, sharp as frost.
At that moment, he and the other leaders had clearly seen the young Black Dragon beside Kale Heniatus.
Because of this, the Crown Prince’s words, spoken as they turned to leave, were etched vividly into their minds.
‘In this battle, many non-human races, including dragons, will fight alongside us. So do not be alarmed during combat.’
The Knight Commander felt a chill run down his spine.
“…So there are three dragons in total?”
But his assumption was wrong.
There were more dragons.
Another Dragon, observing Erhafen in his true form, muttered under her breath.
“It’s all or nothing now.”
Mila quietly retreated backward.
It was a discreet movement that none of her allies noticed.
-Safe travels.
Yet she could not escape Erhafen’s gaze. Mila opened her mouth as she looked at the older dragon who had resigned himself to death.
“Wait for me. I will find the answer and return.”
Whoosh.
Concealing herself quietly, she drew a hoe from her bosom.
A hum resonated as beige-colored mana swirled around the hoe. It was a truly warm color.
Her gaze turned toward one place—the City Hall, where Kale was.
She recalled her conversation with Kale.
‘May I ask about your special characteristic?’
‘Since you’re asking, I should tell you.’
Kale, who had regarded Mila with reluctance as she called him “teacher” and spoke in formal language, wore a peculiar expression at her following words.
‘Joining things together.’
‘…Pardon?’
‘Joining things together. That’s my characteristic.’
‘Would you mind explaining further?’
‘Bent grass, broken branches. As long as something isn’t completely severed or shattered into pieces, my ability allows me to rejoin it back to wholeness.’
‘How fascinating, human! So that’s why you manage an orchard?’
Mila smiled gently at the fascinated Raon.
‘Exactly. When branches break in storms and rain, I can rejoin them. How wonderful is that, teacher? Though I should clarify—it’s not a healing ability. I suppose I could rejoin bones, but I cannot cure illnesses. It’s simply an ability that helps poor crops grow properly.’
Raon, listening intently, opened his eyes wide as if hearing of this ability for the first time, staring at Mila. Of course, Rashil behind Mila scoffed as if it were a pathetically useless ability that couldn’t even be used for combat. That commotion caused Rashil, Raon, and Dodori to make quite a racket.
In the midst of that noise, Mila heard a voice calling to her.
‘Then, Mila.’
Kale Heniatus asked her with a peculiar expression.
Mila recalled that expression again.
‘Yes. It was a peculiar expression.’
In the midst of the commotion, Kale Heniatus posed his question like a breeze passing through, and his expression was indescribable.
It was like the sea before a storm arrives.
Kale Heniatus asked.
‘Can you rejoin things like vessels?’
‘Vessels? Of course it’s possible.’
‘Not just ordinary vessels. I mean intangible vessels.’
‘Intangible?’
Mila tilted her head slightly, as if she didn’t understand what he meant.
‘No, it’s nothing at all.’
Kale Heniatus smiled at her as if it were truly nothing. The conversation ended there.
“Teacher, it’s hardly nothing.”
Mila recalled the words that Choi Han, a swordmaster, had conveyed to her before departing from the Dark Forest.
Kale Heniatus was currently unconscious, his entire body torn open from excessive use of his powers, bleeding profusely.
Only then did Mila grasp the meaning behind what Kale Heniatus had said in that fleeting, enigmatic manner as he passed by.
‘My power is not a healing ability.’
I cannot cure illnesses.
Yet sometimes I accomplish what healing abilities cannot.
She moved swiftly and discreetly toward City Hall, stroking the hoe in her grasp.
Her voice murmuring the tasks at hand scattered into the wind.
“…Torn wounds can be stitched back together. The shattered vessel of a body broken by excessive power use can also be stitched back together. Broken bones can be mended the same way.”
The answer that had come to Erhafen was Kale Heniatus himself.
“I must finish everything before Dodori arrives.”
Mother Mila’s eyes gleamed with a different sort of determination.
That was when it happened.
Boom. Thud.
The sound of a monster stamping its feet echoed through the air.
Mila paused briefly and turned her head.
“That crazy bastard of a monster.”
Vocabulary from her younger days spilled out unbidden.
The lion dragon unfurled its eight white wings and soared skyward.
Those wings were comparable in size to Erhafen’s own, and their tough hide appeared impervious to most conventional weapons.
“Now this is a fight worth having.”
Erhafen laughed, and simultaneously, golden dust began to spread around him like an explosion.
It was as though a golden river of stars was engulfing the sky.
That was when it happened.
The lion’s mouth opened.
“…I will kill you….”
A voice as mechanical as a machine.
“…I kill all powerful intruders.”
“Me? An intruder?”
Erhafen let out a soft chuckle.
At the same time, an unusual gleam flickered across his eyes.
That mechanical voice.
And the way it remained deathly silent before reacting to the arrival of a powerful presence.
Its extreme hostility toward intruders.
‘It’s like a guardian.’
It resembled a guardian that protected dungeons or something of great importance.
Somehow, he felt he would soon uncover the true nature of this lion-shaped dragon.
But that was merely a secondary concern.
Shhhhh—
Golden dust spread outward from Erhafen’s center, engulfing the entire sky above Pursulsi.
He twisted his lips into a smile as he gazed at the lion-shaped dragon.
“The intruder is not me—it is you.”
Erhafen’s true form revealed, golden dust blanketing the sky above Pursulsi.
“Now that you have set foot in my domain, you cannot survive.”
“I will kill you. Intruder.”
In that instant, the lion-shaped dragon shot forward like an arrow, charging straight at Erhafen.
The Gold Dragon, wreathed in golden dust, collided with the massive body of the lion-shaped dragon without hesitation.
Kwaaaaaaaa—Kwaaaaaaaa—
A sound of a different dimension shook heaven and earth.
The lion-shaped dragon’s shield and the Gold Dragon’s claws clashed against each other repeatedly, as if seeking to annihilate one another.
Crack! Crackle!
The fierce wind descending from the heavens began to shatter the trees and ancient buildings scattered across the ground.
Several people had to grip whatever was nearby to withstand the devastating assault.
Yet one person.
“Ha, haha.”
Alberu laughed as he unfurled his flight magic.
In that colossal battle.
I was nothing more than mere dust.
But I had been waiting for this moment.
The monster concealed behind the shield.
Albert Crossman’s eyes, which could not target beyond it, now caught sight of the eight spread wings of the monster that were not obscured as it engaged Erhafen.
“Let’s start by bringing it down.”
-…Victory probability is increasing. Currently, Albert Crossman’s wing attack success rate is 98%.
Hearing Tae-rang’s voice, Alberu’s gaze turned toward one person.
“Choi Han.”
The moment I called out to him, Choi Han glanced up at the sky once before turning his gaze back to me and speaking.
“Before bringing it down, I’ll eliminate the Electric Eels. One by one, we’ll finish them all on the ground.”
At that moment, Rosalind cried out.
“It’s done!”
Choi Han turned his head.
Whoooosh—whoooosh—
Crimson mana blazed forth like the sun itself. Crack, boom. As the highest-grade mana stones shattered one after another, Rosalind burned brighter. She cried out while pressing her hand against the ground.
“Bind it!”
Crack—!
The earth split open as tree roots surged upward from all directions.
“Help the Master!”
“Coordinate with the Tower Master!”
The mages who would soon belong to the Magic Tower that would be built began supporting her. As various mana intertwined, the tree roots grew at a rapid pace, their numbers multiplying exponentially.
“Go!”
The moment Rosalind shouted, the tree roots surged toward the monster that remained on the ground.
“Tssss!”
“Hisss, hissss!”
The two-headed serpent. The Electric Eel. The tree roots advanced relentlessly toward them.
Rosalind watched the scene unfold with eyes blazing crimson mana, already preparing her next spells. She would tolerate no opening, no weakness.
“Summon water!”
“Where are the aqueducts that once fed the Fountain? Find them! There are five in total!”
On one side, mages unleashed water-based magic, while on the other, they studied maps to locate the underground aqueducts.
Whoosh—! Water conjured by several mages flowed toward a single point.
Where the Whale Tribe stood.
Splash—!
Water draped across Witira’s shoulders like a cloak. Her whip transformed into an even more ferocious torrent.
The Whale Tribe was preparing to enter a berserk state.
Choi Han watched it all unfold, then dashed toward the tree roots that were binding the monster.
“Rak!”
“Got it!”
Hearing his call, Rak leaped toward the tree roots as well.
The moment Choi Han and Rak landed on the roots, they pushed off and surged forward.
“Come on!”
“Follow Rak!”
The berserk Wolf Tribe and Tiger Tribe followed in their wake.
In the direction they advanced lay the two-headed serpent. The Electric Eel.
Choi Han smiled as he recalled the battles he had fought on Earth.
“Tsssss!”
“Hisssss!”
The Yellow-Haired Monster and the Blue-Haired Monster. The two serpents hesitated as they beheld the enormous tree roots and enemies advancing toward them.
Then the Yellow-Haired Monster’s golden eyes gleamed with sudden intent.
Crack—
The Yellow-Haired Monster opened its maw.
Soon a strange sound would pour forth from that gaping mouth.
It was “Sound,” the Yellow-Haired Monster’s ability.
The monster—the two-headed serpent—naturally believed that enemies would collapse or freeze under this sound.
But Choi Han, charging at the very forefront, laughed.
“…I’ve been waiting for this.”
Choi Han summoned the Black Dragon once more, surging upward, while Rosalind unleashed the magic she had prepared.
Whoooosh—!
As crimson mana surged forth anew, a translucent barrier enveloped the Yellow-Haired Monster’s face.
“—! —-!”
The monster shrieked, but no sound escaped.
“Cough!”
Rosalind coughed up blood from the corner of her mouth, then smiled wickedly.
“Such is the magnificence of soundproofing magic.”
Wrapping a soundproof barrier around a specific part of a moving enemy’s body—it was a technique that required extraordinarily precise mana control.
Which was precisely why Rosalind could accomplish it.
Crack—!
But the sound barrier shattered in an instant. The Yellow-Haired Monster, realizing the barrier was gone, opened its maw once more.
In that fleeting moment.
Choi Han needed that brief window of time.
The Yellow-Haired Monster’s eyes widened as its jaws gaped open. While it was distracted by the sound barrier, Choi Han had already leveled his blade directly at the creature’s mouth.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk! Tsk, tsk!”
The Blue-Haired Monster, startled by the sight, sprayed water toward Choi Han and attempted to ram its body forward, but—
Boom!
Its path was blocked by Rak’s shield.
Rather than thanking Rak, Choi Han simply extended his blade forward and spoke calmly.
“Dragon enters.”
The gaping maw of the Yellow-Haired Monster.
From Choi Han’s blade, a ferocious, gleaming black dragon erupted into that open mouth.
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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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