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Chapter 206: The Last Dragon
Chapter 206: The Last Dragon
Chapter 206: The Last Dragon
The Asterians did not know much about the floating continent.
All they knew was that it was extremely cold.
However, rumors spread as a large military force was stationed there and merchants came and went to buy resources.
—The floating continent is the base of the demons.
—Some elf adventurer managed to get up there, and there was a branch of the World Tree there too.
—I don’t care about anything else, but there is definitely a dragon there. I saw its wings clearly.
—Even a specific testimony came out that the dragon had blue wings and breathed fire from its mouth.
Despite these rumors, no one had actually been there.
It was impossible to reach the floating continent with a ship equipped with floatstones.
Even the largest airship built by the great houses of Elvrande concluded that it was difficult to land on the floating continent.
Some predicted that it might be possible to ride a strong updraft, but no one dared to try.
There were all kinds of turbulence around the floating continent, and it was dangerous to get caught in them.
Thus, even after 200 years since the floating continent rose, nothing was known about its ecosystem, resources, or anything else.
Even the exact time and cause of the floating continent’s rise were unknown.
It was because the elves hid the history of the dragon war.
Anyway, because of these rumors, the crew of the Altemaho sailed very carefully.
As they approached the floating continent, the turbulence became worse and the ship rocked as if it would capsize at any moment, but they could not turn back.
It was because Granden, who claimed to be a guard knight of the capital, shouted at them.
“This ship cost tens of golds already! Do you want to waste that money? Do you want to go back to the lord without even trying to land on the floating continent?”
Captain Hampton wanted to remind him of his promise with the lord that he would return if the ship was in danger, but he was afraid of the sword hanging on Granden’s waist.
A sword nearby was more frightening than a document in the captain’s room.
Of course, Granden, who claimed to be an honorable knight, would not swing it at a commoner.
Anyway, Altemaho continued to sail stubbornly in a precarious situation.
And finally, they broke through the sea of clouds and witnessed the true face of the floating continent.
They would have marveled at the magnificent scenery if it weren’t for the strange creature that suddenly appeared in the sky.
“Captain, what is that?”
“Oh, oh? It’s coming this way!”
The huge creature with dark blue wings roared as soon as it spotted Altemaho.
—This is not a land granted to you!
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered and heavy rain poured down.
Thunder and lightning began to strike.
It looked like the end of the world to the frightened crew.
“Aaaah!”
“The sky is collapsing!”
“Get a hold of yourselves! It’s just rain!”
Even Granden, who shouted like that, shuddered at the sight of the blue wings between the white lightning.
‘Is that a dragon?’
The legendary creature that had not shown itself since the dragon war 200 years ago?
He tried to see it clearly by leaning on the railing, but it was not easy.
The ship rocked as if it would flip over and it was dark because of the clouds and rain.
He hurriedly ran into the captain’s room and put his hand on the communicator.
“What we saw was definitely, I’m sure it was a dragon!”
As soon as he finished reporting, there was a loud noise as if the sky was torn apart.
And Altemaho tilted slowly to the left and lost altitude and began to descend.
It was not due to any manipulation by the crew.
“…I wanted to see my daughter healthy…”
Granden muttered and closed his eyes.
But he did not die.
Some exploration ships ejected from Sibiri satellite at low orbit caught Altema in time.
“Altitude is recovering.”
“What was that attack? It looked like a fireball stretching horizontally.”
“It is estimated to be Lightning Breath unique to Blue Dragons.”
“Dragons actually existed…”
He could confirm its existence by looking at its clear image on gravity radar.
Its length was about 50 meters and its weight was close to 2,500 tons.
It was smaller than Plague Beast class, but it was amazing considering it was a carbon-based life form.
“Maybe it’s not even carbon-based.”
“It has been confirmed that it breathes.”
He had too many questions about it.
He wanted to catch it and ask questions, but it didn’t seem like it would listen obediently.
“It might have some story behind hiding in the floating continent after the dragon war.”
Arma checked the records and tilted his head.
“It hid in the clouds right after breathing. Maybe it’s surprisingly cowardly?”
“A dragon is cowardly… A race that fought against the gods?”
“Maybe it survived the war by being cowardly and lasted until today.”
Well, there was no rule that only the strong survived.
“Survived the war and hid in the floating continent for 200 years… It feels like a deserter.”
Leobold was curious about its combat power.
Could it really compete with the gods?
Or was it just a big lizard?
“Prepare the assault armor. Let’s test it.”
“Understood.”
The assault armor ejected from Settler pierced through the darkness and flew toward Bandas territory.
***
Blue Dragon Zigarion hid in the clouds and watched the airship through True Eye magic.
—What are they? How did they get here?
It was almost impossible to reach the floating continent with a ship equipped with floatstones.
That’s why Zigarion lived alone for 200 years.
There was an ecosystem on this barren land, and he could live comfortably as a king there.
Of course, such a seclusion was not befitting of the dragon’s reputation, who fought against the gods in the past.
But Zigarion was a coward.
He hid from the champions of the gods and the elves during the dragon war because he was afraid of them.
He didn’t understand the dragons like Altema who had a solemn mission and fought cruel battles.
—I’m not Altema! I just need to live moderately. What mission? What mission?
So he pretended to participate in the war and ran away, hiding on the floating continent that was rising at that time.
—Protecting my life is the most important thing.
He sometimes wanted to go down to the changing ground after the war, but he held back.
—This is not a land granted to you!
He roared as soon as he spotted Altemaho and summoned dark clouds.
He poured heavy rain and struck thunder and lightning.
He hoped they would turn back, but they didn’t.
They broke through the sea of clouds and approached his territory.
Zigarion panicked and breathed out his Lightning Breath.
It was his strongest attack, but also his last resort.
He couldn’t use it again for a while after using it once.
He hoped they would fall, but they didn’t.
Some small ships came out of nowhere and supported them.
Zigarion felt a chill down his spine.
—They are different from before. They are dangerous.
He quickly hid in the clouds again and watched them cautiously.
He saw them preparing something that looked like weapons.
—They are going to attack me. They are going to kill me.
Zigarion felt fear and anger at the same time.
—How dare they invade my land? How dare they threaten my life?
He decided to fight back.
He had no choice but to fight back.
He didn’t know when those annoying champions of the gods or his kin would pop up.
—I hate those cursed golems that attack me whenever they see me, but I hate those who babble about the great cause even more.
The great cause was that dragons should once again rule over Astera.
They argued that since the land was plagued by endless wars and conflicts, only the absolute power of dragons could bring order to everything.
Altema was the representative dragon who advocated for this cause, and he had the absolute support of his kin.
But to Zigarion, he looked like a mad dragon.
—A war to end all wars? What a nonsense!
—I won’t stop you from doing whatever you want, but please don’t force it on me. It’s annoying.
That’s how Zigarion hid in the floating continent for 200 years.
It was a long time that would have driven any ordinary race insane, but he endured it surprisingly well.
He was sometimes bored, but he could watch the land through True Eye, so it wasn’t such a bad life.
—The elves are expanding at an astonishing rate. They are really scary.
—But what is this about returning what humans did to them? It wasn’t this bad, was it?
Zigarion had a longer lifespan than elves, so he remembered the history of Astera relatively vividly.
There was such a time in the past.
A time when various races and monsters of Astera lived together.
At that time, humans were the mainstream of the continent, and elves lived in the forest, so they didn’t have much contact.
But no one can live alone forever.
The first human who intruded into the forest encountered an elf, and that’s how the exchange began.
However, that exchange was not always positive.
The civilian massacres and slavery that elves were currently inflicting on humans also occurred back then.
But as far as Zigarion remembered, it wasn’t that massive.
—The elves claim that they have been oppressed by humans for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t that bad.
—There were definitely slaves, but they are exaggerating some cases.
If human’s original sin was 1, then elves were returning more than 10 times.
Zigarion knew this better than anyone, but he didn’t feel the need to intervene and tell them.
—If I tell them, those horrible elves might invade the floating continent…
What mattered to him was not the truth, but the peaceful daily life.
That’s how Zigarion enjoyed his life as the king of the floating continent while watching the land.
There was nothing but monsters in the floating continent, but it wasn’t so bad.
If only that airship hadn’t suddenly appeared one day, his peace wouldn’t have been broken.
He couldn’t forgive the airship that invaded his territory, but he was also afraid of it.
—Could it be that elves have found a way to land on the floating continent?
That would be a disaster.
He didn’t know if his peace that he had maintained for 200 years would be shattered.
He was restless until he came to the conclusion that he had to do something about the airship.
He couldn’t reveal his lair like this.
—This is not your land!
The king of the floating continent!
The blue dragon Zigarion is here!
He fired a lightning breath at the airship that invaded his territory and hid in the clouds.
He was afraid of retaliation, but it didn’t happen.
Zigarion felt his courage rise as he flew through the clouds.
—It’s just an airship. There’s no reason to be scared!
But he couldn’t help hiding in the clouds and watching the movements of the airship.
When the airship landed on the ground and stopped moving, Zigarion finally came out.
—It’s a bit small. It doesn’t look like an elf’s airship from the decorations.
All airships built in Elbrande had a symbol of World Tree on their bow.
It was typical of elves who worshiped trees as gods, but there was some reason for it since World Tree was so huge.
It could be seen from the floating continent as well. That said it all.
Zigarion observed the airship for a while, but nothing seemed unusual.
—Is it a human ship that got swept away by turbulence?
Then there’s no reason to be scared of it.
He was about to step forward confidently when something popped out of the sea of clouds.
It was so fast that even Zigarion couldn’t tell what it was.
“Deploy gravity brake, ether thruster reverse thrust.”
That’s how an assault armor landed on the floating continent.
Leobold was riding this assault armor, which had detached its honeybird wing pack and camouflaged itself with hologram.
So to Zigarion, it looked like a two-legged Goliath.
Of course, it was much bigger than the recent Goliaths, but it was not much different from a dragon’s perspective.
He knew that Goliaths were stronger than they looked, but they were no match for him.
Maybe if a group of Elven Knights armed with grand magic circles came at him, it would be a different story.
Naturally, Zigarion’s shoulders twitched and lightning flickered from his nostrils.
—You dare to invade my territory, you mortal! You must have something worth risking your life for!
Arma quickly deciphered the dragon’s words and displayed them on Leobold’s sight.
“Is that so?”
‘You’re a cowardly dragon who talks big.’
They had already calculated this blue dragon.
His lightning breath was powerful, but it couldn’t compare to the ether laser or railgun that the Plague superiors shot.
More importantly, it was too slow.
It barely broke the sound barrier, so it was impossible to catch up with the assault armor’s movements.
‘Arma, warn him a bit. If he listens to me here, I won’t kill him.’
He rubbed the seal magic circle that Lucia had engraved on his chest and erased it.
Instantly, the ether circuit activated and a huge amount of ether poured in from the settler’s fusion reactor.
A golden glow burst out of the assault armor, and Zigarion was stunned for a moment.
—This, this is…
It was an ether that rivaled Altema, who had fought fiercely in the dragon war 200 years ago.
Who the hell was inside that thing?
—Could it be… a dragon?
***
“I confirmed the effect of ether blocking. It seems that a certain metal in the floating continent erases the presence of dragons.”
‘That proves that the ether blocker was developed here.’
But judging by Astera’s level of civilization, he was somewhat puzzled.
The reason was that their technology level was woefully inadequate, except for some fields where they had amazing artifacts of magic.
Therefore, it was a realistic judgment that the civilization of the prophet was hidden somewhere.
‘Our goal is to find that place, and even meet the prophet. We must not forget that.’
“In order to do that, we need to beat up that dragon and get some knowledge out of it.”
Violence was not such a good method, but it was also true that there were not many other ways to communicate.
‘Especially if the opponent is a dragon. I guess I have to use a coercive method here.’
His will was transmitted to the assault armor through the central nervous system fluid.
Dingo was an old-timer who had been made over 100 years ago, but thanks to dozens of repairs, he could somewhat accept his will.
Zigaleon chose to confront rather than flee, sensing his fighting will.
?I must have been excited and mistaken something! There’s no way that mechanical doll can spew out such ether!
It was a glow caused by the assault armor receiving too much ether from the fusion reactor, but Zigaleon did not know that.
?Lightning Breath! It’s the attack that terrorized the Astera continent 200 years ago!
Of course, he had never fought in the dragon war 200 years ago, as he had only run away.
Leobold got bored watching when the breath would be spewed out.
‘Too slow.’
When synchronized with the assault armor, he could judge and move the machine in 0.005-second units.
The blue dragon opened its mouth and electricity radiated in that short time, but it felt like an incredibly long time to him.
Arma warned him after waiting for a while.
“It would be better to avoid the Lightning Breath.”
‘Let’s try blocking it with a plasma shield first.’
The assault armor itself was not so weak either.
It would be like a fly in front of an ether laser or an ion cannon fired by a plague-class ship, but this dragon was not that much.
Zigaleon was furious when he saw that the mechanical doll did not dodge and poured out his breath.
?Die!
High-energy plasma spewed out like a fireball.
Leobold deployed a plasma shield to block the front instead of avoiding it in a situation where he could avoid it.
A golden lightning that seemed to burn his eyes swept over the assault armor and the ground together.
?Huff, huff… It must be dead by now.
Zigaleon gasped and confirmed his victory.
No matter how advanced the civilization on the ground was, they could not block his breath.
He was a bit exhausted from using it twice a day, but he would recover if he rested in Lare.
He blinked his yellow eyes in fatigue and witnessed an unbelievable sight.
The thing, the mechanical doll, was alive!
?What, what is it? How did it block my breath?
‘Not bad power.’
The blue dragon’s breath was definitely great and penetrated the plasma shield.
But it was not enough to inflict damage on the assault armor specialized for ultra-high mobility combat in space.
“Judging by the damage rate of the outer armor plate, the Lightning Breath just now is similar to a Plague Beast-class,” Arma said.
It meant that it would be hit hard enough by a halfnium2 warhead if it had the same destructive power as its size.
‘What about weaker weapons? Let’s test it.’
The arm unit of the assault armor popped out and changed into a railgun barrel.
It was a regular armament, but it had never been used because it was useless against plagues.
But what about dragons?
As soon as the assault armor started firing two railguns, Zigaleon was dumbfounded.
?What, what are you shooting?
He didn’t know what it was, but it was incredibly fast and painful.
He hastily cast a barrier magic, but the kinetic energy carried by the bullet easily penetrated it.
That’s how dozens of bullets hit Zigaleon’s whole body.
?Graaaah!
He couldn’t stand the terrible pain and fainted on the spot.
His huge body began to fall without resistance.