Chapter 36

Krasias had existed since the very beginning of Kurayan.

Though it bore the form of a dragon, no one in Kurayan considered it a mere dragon—

Not even the dragons themselves.

Krasias was known by another name: the Devouring Dragon.

Because it coveted and collected every miracle and supernatural power that existed in Kurayan.

Its colossal body, stretching over three kilometers, was itself a convergence of countless abilities.

Though it stood at the very pinnacle of the world, Krasias exerted no direct influence.

Like a god, it merely observed.

In fact, even among the gods of Kurayan, none possessed power comparable to Krasias.

Under its silent watch, wars raged endlessly across Kurayan.

Kurayan was vastly different from Earth.

While its level of civilization was comparable, the means were entirely different.

Instead of science, magic and all manner of supernatural abilities had shaped its progress.

Its inhabitants were different as well.

Humans, elves, dwarves, other races, and magical beasts all occupied their own territories, maintaining a delicate balance.

But land was limited, and so many races existed—

War was inevitable.

If one side had gained overwhelming dominance, the wars might have ended quickly.

But the strength of humans and other races was nearly equal.

Thus, wars stained with hatred and rage continued for thousands of years—

Until one day, they ended abruptly.

Because the end of the world arrived.

The sudden apocalypse destroyed everything.

The land overturned, the world was swallowed by lava.

Oceans and rivers evaporated, the sky filled with black ash.

Even the planet itself began to collapse.

No one knew why.

No one knew how.

Two-thirds of all humans and other races perished.

In their despair, they turned to the only being they could think of—

Krasias.

They begged it for salvation.

And Krasias spoke:

—The destruction of this world is inevitable. For the beings of this world to survive, another world must pay the price. Is that acceptable?

The representatives of humanity and the other races answered:

"To live is the fundamental desire of all life. How could that be wrong? We wish to live. Even if it means crushing another world beneath us, we will live. If survival is possible, we will do anything. Are you not the guardian god of Kurayan? O great being, stronger than the gods themselves—please look upon us with mercy. We are all your children."

At their desperate plea, Krasias pondered for a long time.

—Very well. I will search for a world where you may migrate.

Using dimensional detection magic, Krasias searched for a place where Kurayan's lifeforms could relocate.

Even as it did so, Kurayan continued to collapse.

Time was running out.

Eventually, it found one—

Earth.

Had there been more time, perhaps it could have found an uninhabited world.

But there was no such luxury.

—The land I have found is already inhabited by billions of humans. If you wish to live, you must inevitably kill them and take their land. Is that acceptable?

Humans, other races—even the dragons—

All agreed.

All but one.

Akaruk.

"One cannot justify stealing another world just to survive! I oppose this."

Akaruk was known as the Noble Knight.

From head to toe, he embodied the very essence of knighthood.

He could not accept invading another world.

War among themselves was one thing—

But conquering another world was entirely different.

Alone, he rebelled.

With a single sword, he stood against them.

But one man could not hold back ten hands—

And those gathered were among the strongest in Kurayan.

In the end, Akaruk was slain.

The one who turned his corpse into an undead was the Gold Dragon, Hieltun.

Hieltun transformed Akaruk and all his followers into undead, making them guardians.

Preparation for their migration to Earth.

Krasias unleashed all its power to open a dimensional gate—

And was the first to cross into Earth.

Only a being with the power of an entire planet could accomplish such a feat.

Upon arriving, Krasias immediately began terraforming—

Reshaping Earth's environment to resemble Kurayan.

It was necessary for Kurayan's lifeforms to settle successfully.

But that was where everything went wrong.

Krasias's power was immense, and the spell seemed to succeed—

Until a massive backlash struck.

It was as if Earth itself rejected being subjugated by Krasias and Kurayan.

That backlash caused a catastrophic result.

The entire planet turned into a desert—

And Krasias died.

As Krasias perished, all the powers and abilities it had devoured scattered across Earth.

That was why humans awakened.

And so—

The world became a desert.

And Awakened began to appear.

"Damn it… so Earth ended up like this because of those Kurayan bastards?"

Zeon's face twisted in anger.

He had never imagined such a truth lay behind the desertification of Earth.

Now he finally understood why Deioden harbored such hatred for other races.

If he had known this truth for a hundred years—

He too might have fallen into rage and slaughtered them without hesitation.

Deioden spoke:

"If you were made a guardian, then that means the dragon isn't far from here, does it?"

"That is correct."

"Heh… so it's the Gold Dragon, Hieltun."

Deioden grinned, baring his white teeth.

Akaruk trembled.

Even as an undead, Akaruk could feel fear—the madness radiating from Deioden was that overwhelming.

"Human!"

"Speak, noble knight."

Deioden's tone had changed.

Though he hated everything from Kurayan, he could not treat Akaruk the same way.

Akaruk was a true knight.

When everyone chose to migrate to Earth in order to survive, he alone had opposed it.

He had fought alone to stop that wrong decision—and paid the price by becoming undead.

A man who knew honor and justice could not be treated lightly.

Akaruk spoke.

"The dragon is strong."

"I know."

"You are strong… but you cannot face the dragon as you are now."

"I know that as well."

Deioden replied calmly.

He had already hunted a dragon once before.

Not alone—

But alongside hundreds of Awakened.

At that time, two-thirds of those who participated in the hunt died.

Most of the survivors were left crippled.

Those who survived with injuries did not live long, soon following the fallen.

Only a very small number, including Deioden, survived intact.

Back then, he had felt it to his very bones—

Just how powerful a dragon truly was.

A dragon was the culmination of magic itself.

It also possessed overwhelming anti-magic resistance.

Because of that, attacks from magic-type Awakened were ineffective.

And its scales, stronger than adamantium, deflected even the blows of martial-type Awakened.

If countless Awakened hadn't held it back through sheer physical combat and suicidal assaults, it could never have been killed.

Even then, Deioden had already been incredibly powerful.

Yet before the might of the dragon, even he had felt despair.

And the dragon they hunted at that time—

Was the weakest and youngest among those that crossed over to Earth.

Even so, most of the early Awakened died trying to kill it.

So imagining the strength of the Gold Dragon Hieltun was nearly impossible.

But Deioden did not despair.

For a hundred years, he had never rested.

He had wandered the desert endlessly, honing his strength.

Now, his power far surpassed what it had been back then.

Akaruk extended his sword toward Deioden.

"Take my blade. It is a sword blessed by the gods. It will aid you."

The blade was covered in unfamiliar inscriptions—

Divine characters engraved when it had received the gods' blessing.

With the fall of Kurayan, most of the gods had perished, and much of that blessing had faded.

But even what remained would surely help.

Deioden accepted the sword.

"I will use it well."

"It was humans and other races who persuaded Krasias… but it was the dragons who instigated them. Remember that."

"That does not erase the responsibility of Kurayan's humans and other races."

"…I know."

By now, Akaruk's body had nearly turned to dust.

Only part of his upper torso and his face remained.

Looking up at the ashen sky, he murmured,

"I wanted… to see a blue sky before I died…"

Crumble—

In that moment, even his face turned to dust and vanished completely.

Then—

The undead knights, who had been standing still, stepped aside.

A path opened between them.

Neither Deioden nor Zeon failed to understand what it meant.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

The two walked down the path the undead knights had created.

When they reached the middle—

The undead knights suddenly raised their swords high into the sky.

It was their own ritual—

Mourning their lord Akaruk, and blessing Deioden's path ahead.

Zeon took in each of their faces.

Just moments ago, they had seemed like nothing more than lifeless husks—

But now, it felt as if a faint warmth lingered within them.

The sight stirred something deep within him.

He felt as though he finally understood what it meant—

A will that does not yield, even in death.

Just as the two nearly passed through them—

Crumble—

The undead knights began to disintegrate into dust, still holding their swords aloft.

With Akaruk's rest, they too were freed from the shackles of undeath.

And it wasn't just the knights.

The massive castle that had stood in the middle of the desert also began to crumble into dust, as if erasing all trace of its existence.

Soon, everything behind them—

The castle and the undead knights—

Was gone.

But Deioden never looked back.

Nothing could make him turn around.

He walked forward, eyes fixed ahead.

At the end of this path—

The dragon awaited.

The being he had sought for a hundred years was now close.

Hummm—

Deioden glanced at Akaruk's sword.

As if aware of its master's death, the blade trembled.

Crayon did the same, resonating with a deep hum.

For a moment, Deioden looked at both swords in his hands—

Then brought them together.

And something astonishing happened.

Click!

Crayon and Akaruk's sword disassembled into separate components.

The blades fused into one.

The already crimson blade burned brighter, glowing like the sun.

The hilts merged as well, forming an entirely new shape.

Piece by piece, the two swords combined into a single, transformed weapon.

At that moment—

A brilliant light erupted from Deioden's entire body.

It was so intense that Zeon had to shut his eyes.

Even with his eyes closed, dizziness overwhelmed him.

He could only wait for the light to fade.

Fortunately, it didn't last long.

When it finally disappeared, Zeon slowly opened his eyes.

"Whoa…"

An involuntary gasp escaped him.

Crayon had changed.

The massive blade now bore the divine inscriptions from Akaruk's sword.

Its entire form had become far more imposing.

Just looking at it felt as though one's soul might be sliced apart.

Deioden gripped the hilt tightly and murmured,

"My friend… it won't be long now."