Chapter 312
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Chapter 312: The Dargon (2)
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"What did that human just say? A L-Lizard?"
"A lizard? To us, beings with noble blood?"
The dragons reacted in disbelief to this unheard-of blasphemy.
Despite being trapped in the otherworld for a long time, the dragons weren't ignorant of humans.
As for elders who lived on the surface prior to their confinement to the otherworld, they had seen firsthand what kind of species humans are.
The humans they had encountered were all insignificant creatures. They trembled at the mere mention of the word ‘Dragon.’
Of course, not all humans were like that. Some had charged at them with hostility.
"You heard me right, you lizards."
But they had never seen a human-like Damien Haksen, who openly insulted dragons by calling them lizards.
"How dare you be so arrogant!"
"Human! Do you know what you're doing?"
"Are you trying to make us all your enemies?"
The dragons reacted violently.
In truth, the dragons had underestimated Damien somewhat.
No matter how renowned a knight he was in the human world, they thought he would be dwarfed by the dragon's achievements.
But the Damien they actually faced was a completely different person from what they had expected.
"Enemies? Did you say enemies?"
Damien pointed at the Red Dragon Balhard and shouted.
"You've already declared war on me when you sent that little bastard to take me by force.."
Damien glared at the elders one by one.
"Don't get me wrong! I didn't come here to play house-house with you! I'm just here to find out the location of the demons!"
"What an arrogant human."
At that moment, a solemn voice came from the sky.
At the same time, a shadow spread across the entire field. A giant dragon descended with a huge storm. It was a Red Dragon with dull red scales.
Damien's eyes changed slightly.
The dragon in front of him had a much stronger aura than the other elder dragons.
The Elders' faces began to tense as the Red Dragon appeared.
"Human, I'll ask you this. Were you the one who made him like that?"
The Red Dragon pointed at Balhard and asked.
Damien replied casually.
"So what?"
At Damien's answer, the elders began to murmur.
"I didn't expect it, but that human really did make Balhard look like that..."
"It's absurd. How could a mere human..."
Although they were confined to the otherworld, the dragons were not ignorant of the surface world. They had their own ways of gathering information.
Therefore, the dragons knew very well what kind of existence Damien Haksen was.
A genius who had reached the Master Class at a young age. But even the Master Class wasn't enough to deal with a dragon.
And Balhard was the strongest dragon among the young ones.
"How dare a being as insignificant as a human... lay a finger on my son?"
Rage contorted the dragon's face. Damien responded with a curious expression.
"That idiot is your son? No wonder you two look alike."
In that instant, the Red Dragon flew into a rage.
The mana in the enviroment resonated with his emotions, engulfing the entire world in flames.
The flames engulfed Damien as well. Yet, they couldn't even touch a hair on his head.
As soon as they neared Damien, they lost their heat and dissipated.
This was thanks to the sapling of the World Tree rooted in Damien's soul.
The World Tree held such immense natural power that spirits gathered around it.
No matter how powerful the Red Dragon was, it was impossible for him to harm Damien with fire.
"A mere human can withstand my magic?"
The Red Dragon looked even more displeased.
"Human, my name is Typhon. You've probably heard of the Storm Dragon Typhon."
Damien's eyes widened slightly.
Typhon was one of the dragons said to have ruled the part of the continent in the past.
He was a legendary monster with power on par with the evil dragon who was said to have had his head crushed by the Church's First Holy Emperor.
"It's an honor to meet a legendary lizard in person."
Damien said mockingly. Typhon's eyes turned bloodshot.
"To act that way after hearing my name! It seems you won't listen unless I speak to you in a different language!"
Typhon's body was engulfed in flames.
Soon, the flames subsided, and a giant man appeared.
He had a broad upper body and was full of muscles. It seemed like he could kill a person just by brushing past them.
Polymorph. It was a legendary magic that allowed one to transform into any creature.
No other mage could replicate it, as it was a magic that only dragons could use.
"Human, consider yourself honored. I'll personally educate you."
"You seriously think you can fight me in that form?"
Typhon laughed mockingly at Damien's question.
"Isn't this form more than enough?"
Typhon punched towards Damien. The speed was so fast that the punch moved first, followed by the sound.
Since he wasn't using his nameless mana art, Damien didn't have the invincible protective aura that he was known for.
Even so, Damien didn't dodge Typhon's punch. Instead, he drew power from the sapling.
The energy of the World Tree took root throughout Damien's body. Damien felt his physical strength greatly enhanced.
He caught the fist flying towards his face with his palm. A shock that could crush even metal ran through his palm.
As Typhon's fist stopped moving, he said with a shocked expression.
"...How can a mere human be blessed by the World Tree?"
"What difference does it make?"
Damien replied bluntly. Typhon's brow furrowed.
"Fine, you don't want to answer! I'm going to smash your head right now!"
Typhon immediately swung his other fist. The fist tore through the air and was about to strike Damien's jaw.
But Damien moved first. He closed the distance and punched out.
Damien's fist struck Typhon squarely in the chest.
Combined with his physical abilities enhanced by the World Tree sapling, his attack sent Typhon flying back with a tremendous roar.
Typhon crashed into the ground and created a deep crater. The impact was so great that the whole ground was shattered.
"What was that? Did Typhon just get pushed back?"
"No way! How could a human, even in physical form, beat Typhon...?"
The elders murmured in astonishment.
A transformed physical body naturally drew power from its original form. The stronger the original body was, the stronger the transformed body became.
Typhon had once ruled the western part of the continent. Naturally, his physical form was also incredibly powerful.
Then, a massive burst of pressure erupted from the crater where Typhon was buried.
Soon, a gigantic dragon emerged with an earthquake. Typhon had undone his polymorph and returned to his original form.
"Oh, I see now! You're no ordinary human! I'll deal with you properly now!"
Damien felt the tremendous pressure coming from Typhon and twisted the corner of his mouth.
"That's good. I just happened to have a technique I wanted to try out."
In the past, Damien had fought against the thoughtform of the First Holy Emperor, Bartholomeo, in the Church.
In that battle, Damien had copied Bartholomeo's techniques and realm.
Bartholomeo was well known as the First Holy Emperor of the Church and the first person to awaken divine power.
But before that, he had known for another thing.
Dragon Slayer.
That's how optimized Bartholomeo's techniques and realm were for killing dragons.
It wasn't for nothing that Bartholomeo could shatter an evil dragon's head with a single blow.
Damien extended his hand. Mana began to gather, and the aurablade took the shape of a giant hammer.
The shape of the hammer was a bit peculiar. Instead of a flat head, it had a sharp point, like a stake.
"Human, You’re courting death!"
Typhon charged towards Damien. The ground shook with every step he took.
Just as Damien was about to charge towards Typhon,
"Typhon, stop!"
A young voice called out from the sky.
Damien looked up and saw something flapping its wings and descending.
At first, Damien couldn't figure out what creature it was.
Since it was in the otherworld, it was likely a dragon. But he couldn't help but doubt it. It looked very different from a dragon.
First of all, it was covered in soft fur. Its wings were feathered like a bird, unlike a dragon's. Its head was small, and its snout was short.
"Iris! Why are you out here?"
Typhon shouted in a panic. Then, the mysterious creature said in a cold voice.
"How can I stay inside when you're causing such a commotion, Uncle Typhon? Stop fighting immediately!"
"B-but this human..."
The strange creature glared at Typhon and said firmly.
"Stop it."
And so, Typhon immediately retracted his mana and pressure.
Damien couldn't help but be surprised. He never thought this foul-tempered Dragon would obey so readily.
"Damien Haksen, I told the elders to bring you here, but I didn't expect a fight to break out. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it sooner."
The strange creature stood in front of Damien and spoke.
Though not as large as a dragon, the creature was still quite big.
"What kind of creature are you?"
Damien couldn't help but ask. The creature replied calmly,
"I'm Iris, a hatchling."
"...You're a hatchling?"
Damien looked at him with a very suspicious expression. Iris replied indignantly.
"It's true, so please don't doubt me. It's just that I'm an Ancient Dragon, so I look different from other hatchlings."
Ancient Dragon.
Damien's expression turned to one of surprise.
Damien had been taught a variety of knowledge by Dorugo.
In addition to dark magic, he had also learned about general magic, alchemy, and dragons.
Just as elves originated from the World Tree, there were also beings called the progenitors of dragons.
These were the five Ancient Dragons.
They were said to be closer to gods than dragons, and they had taken root in the continent, creating countless dragons.
"...You're an Ancient Dragon?"
Damien looked at Iris with a very doubtful expression.
Compared to the legends of Ancient Dragons that Damien had heard, Iris was too small and had a much weaker aura.
"...I'm still a hatchling, but I'm definitely an Ancient Dragon."
Iris said in an annoyed voice.
"Besides, I didn't call you here for this pointless conversation."
Iris looked down at Damien and said.
"Tell me everything about why the Oath was broken. Then I'll answer your questions as well."
***