Chapter 122
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Chapter 122: The Indispensable Performer
Even if Herax could communicate with the child in Naya’s belly, now wasn’t the time to stop moving.
The black and white armored figures each swung a weapon—a greatsword from one and a lance from the other—striking down to pierce Herax’s body.
A hint of fear flashed in Illya’s eyes.
“Herax, what are you doing! Get up!”
This time, Herax finally heeded Illya’s command.
He broke free from the weapons embedded in his body, unleashing an energy wave that knocked back the black and white foes.
“Roar!”
With a powerful roar, his body completely regenerated.
“Phew! Good thing Herax has 8 lives. Go, Herax, tear them apart! This time, no more mistakes!”
Herax ceased his connection with Naya’s belly, instead flapping his wings as he turned to engage the black and white armored enemies.
But it was clear that Herax struggled to hold his own against both opponents.
Even with Illya supplying him with continuous magic, he was still barely able to withstand their coordinated attacks.
Seeing this, Naya set Illya down.
“You have the black and white duo—we’ll be the black and white duo too.”
Naya rose and leapt into the fray.
The moment Naya joined the battle, the tide instantly shifted.
Illya watched in astonishment as Naya bit down on Semira’s white armor, ripping pieces away with her massive dragon jaws.
“How… can this be?”
Semira was utterly shocked.
She’d already used her system’s energy along with her own magic to reinforce the armor’s defenses, so how was this silver dragon still managing to devour it?
Moreover, the energy from her system wasn’t even connected to the earth vein’s energy!
[Host, nearly all of the earth vein’s world-class energy was absorbed by that dragon. Now, her energy is assimilating ours. The “eating” is just a visible gesture, what actually matters are the rays she’s emitting.]
[What kind of rays?]
The system altered Semira’s vision, allowing her to see the invisible rays as a silver glow.
[What… is that?]
[It’s the energy radiation of a Dragon God.]
[Dragon God? Radiation? Is she a Dragon God?]
[Uncertain, but, Host, we cannot defeat her.]
After Naya took several bites out of the white armor, she suddenly felt a slight pain in her belly.
The pain was brief, transforming into a source of heat that intensified, hinting at an impending explosion.
“Uh…”
Naya burped.
A blinding silver light burst from her body, followed by the sound of a shockwave explosion.
This time, the rays became visible, prompting Semira to raise her hand to shield her eyes.
The light engulfed her domain, and Naya’s rays dismantled it entirely.
Back in reality.
In her dragon form, Naya lay on the ground, feeling overwhelmingly heavy, her limbs unable to move.
“Mama!”
Illya ran to Naya’s side, panicked.
“Mama, what’s wrong?”
“My belly… the little ones… restless…”
Naya spoke softly.
Illya’s small figure hugged Naya’s forelimb, her eyes full of worry.
“Can I help you? What should I do, Mama?”
“Just stay with me… that’s all I need…”
Naya held Illya close.
The system had already revealed the truth of her transformation to her.
In ancient times, turning humans into dragons was one of Herax’s 12 impossible tasks.
After facing countless challenges, Herax discovered a method.
It was the same phenomenon Naya had heard of near Rex City—following in the footsteps of the Dragon God.
Allowing the Dragon God to assimilate each human who followed their path.
The earth vein energy was further consumed by the two souls in Naya’s belly, who had been ravenously absorbing it for this very moment.
“Boom!”
Silver rays radiated from Naya’s body.
She looked like a miniature sun, her light penetrating through everyone present.
The rays passed through the palace walls without causing physical damage.
Instead, like radiation after a nuclear blast, the rays affected the genetic makeup of everyone they touched, triggering mutations.
The spectacular light show lasted a full three minutes before it faded.
At that moment, Iris finally arrived, carrying the Dia Kingdom’s king by the back of his collar and entering the palace.
Everyone was silent.
The silver dragon lay on the ground, motionless.
Illya slipped out of Naya’s embrace and looked at Iris with shining eyes.
“Mother, you’re finally here!”
“Yes.”
Iris gave Illya a gentle smile.
But when she turned to the silver dragon, there was a trace of apology in her gaze.
The seed she had planted within Naya’s body yesterday had now borne fruit.
She dragged the king past the cautious paladin, who clung to her daughter, and approached Hipper, tossing the king before her.
“Hipper, now, use your skill on your father once again.”
Hipper raised her head, her blood-red eyes blinking as she looked at Iris, confused.
“You’re already a true member of the vampire clan.”
Hipper bit her lip, then lowered her gaze to her father.
“Submit to me, you old man.”
With no adverse effects, Hiper naturally used her power, her eyes felt no pain and no longer wept blood—only a simple red glow remained.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Iris turned to the paladin mother and daughter, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
“Thank you for playing along, my dear Casimir knights.”
Semira, who was in the Paladin’s arms, also got the explanation from the system. She stared blankly at the scene in front of her, completely lost in thought.
Her domain had been completely exploited by these cunning dragons.
They had forced her to activate her domain, trapping both Naya and Illya inside. Inside the domain, Illya summoned Herax, who would instinctively recognize the energy within Naya’s body.
Herax could then communicate with the energy within Naya, conveying ancient knowledge to the two small souls inside her and igniting the fuse Iris had planted in Naya’s body the day before, thereby fulfilling Herax’s thousand-year-old wish.
Thanks to Semira’s arrogance, she had assumed her power boost would allow her to destroy both dragons at once, leading her to foolishly pull Naya into the domain as well.
Iris understood those who possessed a system all too well.
With a system’s support, they couldn’t resist using every last bit of energy for a final desperate stand.
Iris had seen countless heroes in dire situations unleash their ultimate moves.
Yet it seemed that the paladin Samiya still didn’t fully grasp what had just transpired.
All she knew was that her daughter had once again been defeated within the domain by Illya and Naya.
“Dragon, what is your true objective?” Samiya demanded of Iris.
Iris ignored her question, raising a hand that crackled with red electricity.
Samiya immediately released Semira, brandishing her greatsword.
“Hyaaah! e…”
“Boom!”
The explosion interrupted Semiya’s voice.
“Clang!”
Her iron sword slipped from her grasp.
To her astonishment, Samiya found herself speechless, looking down to see a gaping, bloody hole burned through her abdomen.
Behind her, a distant structure crumbled to the ground.
“Mother!”
Semira’s eyes filled with horror.
She rushed to Samiya’s side, supporting her.
“S…”
Semiya couldn’t muster any strength in her body. She looked at Semira, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Mother, please hold on! System, help me—please, I beg you, help me!”
What… just happened?
She had been gathering her power only a moment ago. So why, in the next instant, had that red dragon’s magic pierced her mother’s body?
Why?
Semira was utterly bewildered.
Iris advanced slowly toward the paladin mother and daughter.
Suddenly, a hole burst open in the palace rooftop, letting sunlight stream down and halting Iris’s steps.
A blond man clad in a black coat leapt through the opening.
Upon seeing his reassuring figure, Semira called out excitedly.
“Uncle!”
Meanwhile, more Casimir knights arrived, entering through the palace gates to reinforce them.
“Phobos.”
The man raised his hand, and sunlight condensed within it, forming a massive golden sword, half again his height.
The hilt had two crossbars, and the rear of the grip featured a structure resembling a cross, with the blade radiating sunlight, glowing with golden brilliance.
With her time-stop ability still on cooldown, Iris made no rash moves.
She gazed intently at this man.
His dull, lifeless eyes showed none of the spark typically seen in Casimir knights.
But with her sensitivity to living energy, Iris could sense the incredible energy density of the greatsword in his hands.
Casimir knights seemed almost born to counter her.
Whether it was Samiya and her daughter, or this man before her, the swords they wielded were not physical in the traditional sense.
Just as Semira had previously pointed a wooden sword at Illya, these knights could enchant their weapons with sunlight.
The man before her had taken it a step further—he didn’t need a physical weapon, instead directly molding a sword from pure energy.
Without a tangible form, it would be immune to Iris’s [Annihilation] skill.
So, Iris hesitated, watching as the Casimir knights carried Samiya away.
“Uncle.”
“Miss.”
Semira wanted to stay and assist the man, but the other Casimir knights forcibly pulled her back.
Finally, the man took a step forward, and the battle was on the verge of erupting.
The golden sword swung toward Iris, who sidestepped, moving away from the man before transforming into a crimson dragon.
“Roar!!!”
Unlike Naya, Iris was a true dragon through and through, and only by assuming her real form could she unleash her full power.
Facing an unfamiliar foe whose strength was still unknown, Iris had to be cautious. She used magic to protect her wings, forelimbs, and tail.
She clashed with the man’s greatsword by beating her wings, swinging her tail, and striking with her limbs.
That sword, with its dual crossguards, should have felt cumbersome to wield, yet it spun in the man’s hand as lightly as a feather, producing a heavy impact each time it struck Iris’s body.
So fast!
Even with a greatsword, the man was swift enough to leave afterimages with each swing.
But Iris wasn’t one to be easily overpowered. She took every blow with the high-defense parts of her body.
Feeling the impact of the greatsword on her wings, Iris let out a quiet snort.
If that’s all you’ve got…
Then it’s nothing special!
Just as Iris prepared to go all out and kill the man—
“Lord Henas.”
At the call of another male voice, the man threw the golden greatsword toward Iris, who batted it away with her wing.
Boom!
It was a flash bomb!
The sword exploded against Iris, blinding her with intense sunlight. A few seconds later, her vision cleared, but the blond man with those dead eyes had vanished.
Though she couldn’t see him, her sense of living energy allowed Iris to detect the fluctuation of human energy.
The man had disappeared in an instant.
Which meant… he had been rescued using spatial teleportation magic.
Iris gazed across the now-empty hall, her expression contemplative.
Never mind.
She turned to check on Naya.
Iris reverted to her human form, while Naya, still in her silver dragon form, lay motionless on the ground.
She had wanted to help Iris earlier, but it seemed her own energy was completely depleted. She couldn’t even transform back to her human form.
Iris walked over, resting her hand on Naya’s dragon body.
“You did well, Naya.”
She infused Naya with energy.
Only then did Naya have the strength to return to her human form.
A silver-haired figure fell from the air, and Iris caught her.
As she looked at Naya, Iris’s stern battle expression softened, replaced with a gentle smile.
“Mama! Mother!”
Finally reconnected, Illya ran over to join Iris.
Not participating in the fight had been the right decision for her—rushing in would only have held Iris back. That man’s combat skill was extremely agile, even if he couldn’t kill Illya, he could have toyed with her easily.
“Mother, what happened to Mama? Why did she suddenly become unable to move?”
Illya looked up at Iris, her brow furrowed in worry.
“It’s alright, your Mama just needs a little rest,” Iris replied gently.
Naya bit her lip, reaching out to give Iris’s arm a little squeeze.
But her grip was so weak it barely tickled, and Iris let her hold on without reacting.
“Hmph!”
Naya buried her head in Iris’s chest. Even though none of them were hurt, Iris was once again keeping secrets from her.
So, she was a little annoyed.
Seeing her Mama clinging to her Mother, Illya’s frown relaxed.
Thank goodness—Mama was okay.
“Hipper! Are you alright?”
Illya looked past Iris toward Hipper, who was hiding at the back of the palace.
Hipper quickly closed her eyes.
She didn’t want Illya to see her like this.
Remembering Illya’s promise to take her around the world and let her taste all of the delicacies in the world, Hipper felt a sharp pain in her heart.
As she fully transformed into a vampire, her abilities had also evolved, allowing her to exert a second layer of control over others.
Now, her mental strength was above that of her father, the king.
At this moment, Hipper realized that everything had been part of Iris’s plan.
Even her transformation into a true vampire.
Iris had known about Hipper’s limitations from not being a full-blooded vampire. So, she led her back to the palace, letting her freely use her powers, until her vampire blood fully took over, allowing her to achieve her full potential as a vampire.
Hipper had trusted Iris, believing that her dragon blood would prevent her from fully turning.
But now, in hindsight, she realized she had been naive.
After all, Iris was the Dragon Queen—expecting her to be kind was foolish.
Dragon blood could elevate Hipper’s mental strength, but it couldn’t suppress her vampiric bloodline if she recklessly used vampire abilities.
“Your Highness!”
Baris, who had been blown away by Naya’s energy wave, saw that everything had quieted down and hurried over to Hipper.
And there, kneeling before her, was also the king.
“Hipper, now you can seek your truth and avenge your mother. Say goodbye to your cage!”
Seeing that the king had submitted to Hipper, Illya spoke to her in a cheerful tone.
She didn’t understand why Hipper had closed her eyes—she’d already seen her red eyes before.
“Dragons! I will not fall for your schemes again!” Hipper declared.
Why was she acting strange again?
Illya tilted her head.
“What are you talking about, Hipper? Hurry and ask your father what really happened in the past, and then come with us.”
Hipper opened her eyes, and a blood-red light shone from her crimson pupils.
“Leave Dia Kingdom, dragons! We will not bow to you. As Lady Semira said, even if you launch a coup and establish a puppet regime, the citizens of Dia Kingdom will not yield to you! The honor of Dia Kingdom endures, and I share its fate!”
Illya looked at Hipper, thoroughly puzzled.
“Hipper, what nonsense are you talking about? We came here only to help you find answers. We have no intention of invading your kingdom. Alright, hurry up and ask the king about your childhood, and then we’ll leave.”
“Baris, draw your sword. Burn your last light for Dia Kingdom.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Baris drew his sword from his side.
Thank goodness, the princess hadn’t betrayed the kingdom.
She was still worthy of his protection.
With a determined gaze, Baris pointed his sword at Iris and her group, his eyes filled with resolve to fight to the death.
“Illya, we’re leaving.”
Iris turned around with Naya in her arms.
“Flanna, Bella, take Illya.”
Flanna and Bella, hiding in the shadows, stepped forward, lifted Illya onto their shoulders, and began to carry her away. Illya beat her fists against Flanna’s back, struggling fiercely.
“Wait, Mother! Hipper, why won’t you listen to me? You’ve misunderstood us, Hipper! Hipper…”
Hipper watched them leave, taking a deep breath before closing her eyes once more.
I’m sorry, Illya. I can’t go with you. I promised your mother that I would become the Queen of this kingdom.
“Your Highness, they… they’re gone?”
“Yes. For the dragons, razing Dia Kingdom’s capital would take only a few emperor-class dragons, but a robber is still just a robber.”
Baris looked at Hipper in astonishment, amazed at her insight.
If those dragons had openly staged a coup in Dia Kingdom, the Empire of Goss would have had grounds to wage war on the dragons.
To the dragons, invading a kingdom by brute force would do more harm than good.
But then, what was the point of the chaos the dragons had caused here?
Baris was bewildered.
Wait!
He looked at the king, kneeling before the princess.
Was the king still under the princess’s control?
His eyes widened, and at the same time, Hipper’s gaze flashed with red light.
“Forget that I am a vampire, Baris,” Hipper commanded softly.
A crimson ring appeared in Baris’s dark pupils as he pressed his right hand to his chest and gave a knightly salute to Hipper.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Hipper looked around at the corpses scattered across the palace hall.
Next, it was time to shift the public’s opinion.
Her dealings with Iris had only just begun.
The wizard Of SILVER
Damn… Iris’s plan is so cruel, cunning, yet marvelous… But I can’t help but feel sorry for Hipper… What an unfortunate fate for her.