Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 659

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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 137. Should I step forward after all?

Ancient Dragon Erhafen, whose joy and bewilderment mingled together, paused his offensive for a moment.
The Lion Dragon, his expression blank, aimed his shield and talons—sharp as an eagle’s—at Erhafen. Those claws behind the shield seemed ready to seize Erhafen’s throat at any moment.

“Ha, haha—”

Regardless, Erhafen could only let out a breathless laugh.

‘Me, with my true body at the forefront, being told to play dead?’

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it became.
This was not a feeling only Erhafen experienced.

“…This is ridiculous.”

Hehe. Along with a quiet murmur, a faint laugh escaped from within the helmet.
Rosalind and Choi Han watched Alberu, whose head was bowed as he laughed, before their eyes met. Rosalind brushed back her disheveled hair and opened her mouth.

“What should we do?”

Choi Han answered without hesitation.

“Kale Heniatus surely has a plan.”

Rosalind’s thoughts aligned with that answer. The two felt their intentions match as they looked at Alberu again. Then.

“Krkrkr—”

The place where the three stood.
The massive body of the armored black Bone Dragon trembled. The voice of the Dragon Hybrid, somehow brimming with exhilaration, rang out.

“Now this is it. This is what Kale Heniatus should be.”

No one refuted those words.
Alberu, lifting his head, gazed toward City Hall.

“He truly is our little brother.”

He continued to gaze toward where Kale Heniatus should be, speaking to his companions.

“Judging by how bright Raon’s voice sounds, it seems Kale Heniatus has fully regained consciousness.”

Just as Alberu said, I had not merely regained consciousness—my mind was operating with unprecedented clarity and sharpness.

‘…What a fearless teacher.’

Mila watched in real-time as the cracks spreading across my body were being sealed, yet seeing my eyes gleaming with such alertness made her feel somewhat exasperated.

“Teacher, we’ll be entering the final stage of the reconnection soon. It will hurt a bit then.”
“That’s fine.”

A little pain was nothing to concern myself with.
I dismissed Mila’s words lightly. Had Dodori witnessed this scene, she would have cried out, “When Mother says ‘a little,’ she means pain enough to bore a hole through a mountain!” But unfortunately, neither I nor Raon yet understood Mila well enough.

Unaware of the final stage that would soon unfold, I was methodically reviewing everything that had transpired.

‘…The White Star certainly used his head well.’

I found the strategy the White Star had deployed this time to be quite cunning.

If the assumption Ron had made based on information he’d gathered from the Cat Tribe Chief was correct,
then the door to the Temple where the Sealed God resided would open once this Guardian was slain.

However, our side—including the Ancient Dragon Erhafen, who remained unaware of this—was in the position of having to eliminate that out-of-rank monster that had appeared in Pursulsi.
Therefore, even with our entire force throwing ourselves at it, the Lion Dragon was a formidable opponent. To kill that monster, my side would have to accept considerable casualties.

So from the White Star’s perspective, if my side killed the Lion Dragon and opened the Temple door in his stead, all he would need to do then was face us when we were exhausted.

“For the White Star, it’s a two-for-one advantage.”

There was a reason the White Star had not appeared.
By not showing himself, our side would concentrate all our strength on dealing with the Lion Dragon first.

‘Which is precisely why he must be watching from somewhere nearby.’

The White Star definitely exists somewhere near Pursulsi.
Just as I gaze out at the landscape beyond the Office Terrace window, he too is watching this scene unfold, waiting for the moment when he can gain the greatest advantage.

A being who has waited through countless lives and ages would have no trouble waiting through a war like this.

‘So I need to make him unable to wait.’

I had to create a situation where none of the outcomes he had anticipated would materialize—a state of anxious uncertainty.
Only then would White Star reveal himself.

Kale Heniatus glanced at Raon.
Raon nodded, and Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“I have heard that the Lion Dragon, except when facing Ancient Dragon Erhafen, has not launched any offensive attacks—only maintained a defensive stance.”

And that statement was conveyed directly through Raon’s magic to the allied forces on the battlefield in Raon’s voice.
Kale Heniatus’s intent reached Ancient Dragon Erhafen’s mind through Raon’s voice.

-I received contact from Ron Mollan regarding the “Temple’s Gate.”

The Temple’s Gate.
The Guardian.
The Lion Dragon.
The Sealed God.
All of that information was transmitted swiftly and concisely to Ancient Dragon Erhafen, Choi Han, Merry, Rosalind, and Alberu.

“Ha!”

A dry laugh escaped Alberu’s lips, and an unusual glint flickered across Rosalind’s eyes.

“So we’re creating a stalemate?”

Kale Heniatus’s intent echoed once more in the minds of several allies.

-Therefore, from this moment on, we plan to feign defeat against the Lion Dragon.
-The moment Ancient Dragon Erhafen appears to fall, the Lion Dragon will likely cease its attacks. Of course, there is a possibility it will attempt something else, but we can execute a different strategy when that happens.
-Once Ancient Dragon Erhafen appears defeated and the Lion Dragon stops attacking, as we anticipate.

Alberu’s mouth opened as he listened.
Simultaneously, Raon’s voice rang out.

“We’ll end up in an endless stalemate.”
-We’ll fall into a stalemate.

The Lion Dragon, focused solely on defense as before.
And the Roan Kingdom forces, unable to launch any attacks easily now that the Ancient Dragon has fallen.
A standoff filled with extreme tension, likely to continue for days on end.

-The one who will be most anxious during this stalemate.

Erhafen opened his mouth as he watched the Lion Dragon staring at me.

“It’s the White Star.”
-The White Star. That’s the one.

The Dragon Hybrid opened his mouth.

“In the end, the most anxious one will make a move.”

His words aligned with my thoughts.

-In the end, we need to force the White Star to fight the Lion Dragon.

A glimmer of understanding flickered in the eyes of all our allies who heard Raon’s voice.
At this point, what would come next was easy enough to imagine.
Alberu raised his gun once more.

“While we show ourselves defeated and despairing to the Lion Dragon, the White Star, who must open the Temple quickly, will be forced to fight the Lion Dragon desperately, doing everything in his power.”

The corners of his mouth rose.

Both the Lion Dragon and the White Star.
When they grow exhausted and worn down.

-At that final moment. We take everything in that final moment.

The Lion Dragon’s life. The White Star’s life.
The existence of the Sealed God.

Though it was Raon’s voice, strangely it sounded like Kale Heniatus’s own leisurely and indifferent tone.

“How amusing.”

The moment those words left Alberu’s lips.

Whiiiiiii— Whiiiiiii—-!

A colossal wind began to swirl violently.

“Ugh.”

Archie, observing from the ground, instinctively shielded his eyes with his arm and was forced to stumble backward under the force of the gale.

“…That, that is!”

The golden dust that had blanketed the sky above Pursulsi like the Milky Way began to converge into a single mass.
A colossal golden vortex centered on Ancient Dragon Erhafen.
Archie of the Whale Tribe approached Witira, the Whale Tribe’s successor.

“It seems Ancient Dragon Erhafen is preparing quite the devastating strike. This doesn’t look like child’s play.”

Witira simply nodded with a stern expression.

‘I’m sorry.’

She silently apologized to Archie as she watched him genuinely astonished by Erhafen’s power, having not received Kale’s instructions.
It seemed Raon had forgotten to inform Archie.

Witira averted her gaze from Archie’s sparkling, remarkably innocent eyes as she anticipated the Ancient Dragon’s attack.
Yet this anticipation was not Archie’s alone to bear.

“…Ah! Finally!”

Beyond the Pursulsi City Wall.
The soldiers and knights stationed there felt their hearts pound fiercely.

Whiiiiiii–!

A whirlwind laden with golden dust rose skyward with a roar of unprecedented ferocity.
At its center stood the Ancient Dragon, wings spread wide, glaring at the monster.

To any observer, the dragon appeared to be pouring forth every ounce of its power in a devastating attack.

“The shockwave from the attack will be tremendous! Commander, should we pull the soldiers back?”
“The City Wall is sturdy! Don’t retreat—move the shield-bearers forward!”
“Yes, sir!”

Everyone began moving frantically to prepare for this ultimate assault.

“Please! Please let the Dragon eliminate that monster!”
“Look at that Whirlpool! It seems like it might destroy it!”

The soldiers could not hide their anticipation.

“…Good heavens, such mana density…”
“The concentration is extraordinary!”

The mages who had accompanied Rosalind and were now stationed in the Pursulsi Plaza could barely swallow as the dragon’s mana sent shivers down their spines.

“This is the final attack.”

One of the mages spoke these words, and no one refuted them.
Everyone thought the same thing.
‘This is the attack that will end this battle, that will determine the outcome one way or another.’

“…Intruder… I will kill you…”

The Lion Dragon—the monster facing this tremendous power at closest range—raised a shield with one hand while extending claws as sharp as an eagle’s talons toward Erhafen with the other.
The golden-eyed dragon opened its mouth.

“Kill? Who exactly are you going to kill?”

With those words, the Ancient Dragon wrapped in a golden Whirlpool surged toward the Lion Dragon.
Choi Han opened his mouth.

“Should I help?”

Alberu firmly shook his head at Choi Han’s words.

“No. You should not do this.”
“That’s right. You sit this one out.”

Even Rosalind stopped Choi Han. With a hardened expression, Choi Han stepped back,

“Your Highness, shall we at least attempt a demonstration?”
“Very well.”
Alberu, Rosalind, and the Dragon Hybrid stepped forward.

Before the Lion Dragon stood Erhafen. Behind him was the Dragon Hybrid.
Erhafen and the Dragon Hybrid. When their golden eyes—each bearing a subtly different hue—met, the thunderous roar that Erhafen unleashed shook the world around them.

Kwaaaaaaang—-!

“Cough!”
“Ugh! Shields! Raise your shields!”
“Quickly, cast a barrier!”

It was as though golden fragments torn from the sun itself were detonating across the sky above Pursulsi.

Kwaaaaa—Kwang! Kwaang!

The relentless thunder of collisions.
Wind and dust, explosive force—the people could scarcely maintain their senses.

“The true power of dragons…!”
“It’s insane! Absolutely insane!”

There were few words left to utter. The previous battles paled in comparison; the colossal clash unfolding before them was nearly impossible to witness.
Archie of the Whale Tribe contorted his face.

“…Damn it! I can’t see anything!”

The explosion of golden dust, the blinding radiance—the people could not properly observe the battle between the Lion Dragon and Erhafen.

Kwaang! Kwaaaaa—!

They could only perceive that they were fighting through the endless detonations of golden dust and the roar that accompanied them.

“Ah!”

That was when it happened.
The golden dust that had enveloped the Ancient Dragon and the monster split apart.

Torn like a blade had sliced through it—the Whirlpools shattered.
What emerged from those fractured Whirlpools was a colossal white shield.
A shield of such noble, pristine radiance that it seemed it could never be broken.

“No, this can’t be!”
“Surely not!”

The Soldiers watching covered their mouths with their hands, unable to stop the words that escaped them.
The Knights and Mages could barely draw a breath.

A foreboding sense of dread washed over them.

The shield began to methodically carve through the Whirlpools.
The Lion Dragon’s face became visible for a moment. Its expression remained utterly unchanged, and that lifeless, emotionless countenance sent chills through all who witnessed it, mingling terror with an icy dread.

Clang—!

Then came the sound of impact against that shield.

The Bone Dragon, black as night, with the Crown Prince, Rosalind, and Choi Han mounted upon it, surged through the gap torn by the Lion Dragon’s Whirlpools and launched their assault.

Charging into the fierce battle of such mighty warriors was a perilous undertaking.

“Your Highness!”
“Tower Master—!”

Witnessing those who, like the Ancient Dragon, poured forth every ounce of their power, the observers clenched their fists tightly.
Yet the shield remained unbroken.

Clang, clang-clang!
Every projectile was deflected by the shield.
Whoosh—!
The raging flames could not scorch the shield in the slightest.
The swordsman who had continued his assault upon the black dragon retreated a step, dropping to one knee with his head bowed.

“Grrrrgh!”

The black Bone Dragon’s armored form was driven backward as it collided with the shield.
In that moment of being pushed back, an inexplicable dread swept through the allied forces.

Soon, that dread became reality.

The monster grasped the shield with both hands, then swung it toward its front.

Kwaaaaa—–!
Golden wind was compressed against the shield and tore free.
Through the erupting golden light, the monster advanced relentlessly with its eight dragon wings.

And finally.

“No, this can’t be—!”

With someone’s cry of despair, the monster discovered the Dragon at the end of the Whirlpools, breathing heavily and roughly.

“Huff. Gasp.”

The Dragon breathed heavily as though it had expended every last drop of mana.
Crackle. Crackle.
Mana could not gather properly around the Dragon. A great being with no strength left to wield mana had only one option.

In the moment when the remaining golden Whirlpools unleashed a massive explosion and collided with the shield.
The great being—the Dragon—clashed with the Lion Dragon alongside that golden light.

Kwaaaaaaang—-!
Golden light erupted once more, painting the world white before everyone’s eyes.
When the fleeting white world faded and sight returned to them.
The people saw the knight-like white monster firmly positioned in the sky, and at the same moment, they looked downward.

“…Ah.”

The great being was falling.
The monster remained in the sky.
The Dragon descended to the earth.

With eyes closed and wings drooping limply, no one could easily open their mouths at the sight of the great being plummeting from the sky.

Shock and astonishment.
These two emotions engulfed Pursulsi in that moment.

Boom—!

The Dragon crashed headlong into the ground.

* * *

The moment the falling Dragon finally struck the earth.
A man whose face and body were concealed beneath a robe reached up and fingered the mask covering the upper half of his face beneath the hidden hood.

“Is an Ancient Dragon nearing the end of its days truly insufficient?”

In his hand rested a single recording crystal.

A figure spraying blood as if their entire body might burst, rushing toward the altar.
An image of Kale Heniatus was being repeatedly displayed from the recording crystal.

White Star.
He gazed quietly at the recording crystal he had received from the Bear King Sayehr and opened his mouth.

“…Kale Heniatus would be incapable of combat in such a state, so he must be considered absent for now.”

His gaze turned toward where the Dragon had fallen.

“And the only Ancient Dragon worth relying on is in that pathetic condition.”

White Star lifted his head. The monster positioned in the sky had ceased its attacks and now simply stood motionless, as it had before.

“…I should observe a bit longer for now.”

White Star slowly retreated from his position and concealed himself in the shadows.

At that same moment, another figure. Kale burst into admiration as he watched the Ancient Dragon plummet to the ground.

“Wow. The acting that comes with age really is something else!”

Clap, clap, clap.
Raon beside him applauded with both front paws.

“Golden Dragon Grandfather, you truly are magnificent!”

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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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