Dragon Maken War Chapter 236

Chapter 236 - Clash of the Legends (1)

1

It happened when Reygus and Kayalia had left.  They had declared their opposition towards Atein.  Almarick searched out Atein, and he asked the question.

“Why did you let them go?”

Even if he possessed the highest authority within the Great Darkness, Atein couldn't coerce Reygus and Kayalia to stay.  However, wouldn't it be possible for Atein to imprison them?

Atein gave his answer.

“There are two reasons why I didn't do it.  There is a rational reason, and there is an emotional reason.  Which one do you want to hear first?”

“I'll hear the rational reason first.”

“Why?”

“If I hear the emotional reason first, I think I'll get mad.”

“I see.  I made a deal with Kayalia.”

“A deal?”

“Kayalia is the first being that had transcended what I had designed.  It might have something to do with her experience of living multiple reincarnated lives.  I believe it created a new variable.”

When she stood in front of Atein once again, he realized she possessed transcendent power.  Her current power couldn't be compared to her past self.  The core of Atein's plan revolved around the Great Darkness, and from his perspective, she was someone that deserved to be feared.  

“Since she is dependent to the Great Darkness, I might be able to subdue her.  The probability of success is high, since I possess a higher authority than her.  However, she is an existence that has become one with the Great Darkness.  My body is alive, and I am merely connected to the Great Darkness.  In the process of fighting her, she might cause massive damage to the Great Darkness.  She could do this if she wanted to be reckless.”

Atein didn't want to take such a risk.  This was why he had made a deal with Kayalia.

He would let Reygus and Kayalia go.  He would give them the chance to fight him as free willed individuals.  In exchange, Kayalia would place restrictions on her authority within the Great Darkness.

“It was a deal that was acceptable to both parties.”

Kayalia also didn't want to resolve the fight at that moment.  There was a chance that she might perish without being able to cause any harm to Atein.

This was why the two of them had made a deal.

Almarick accepted that answer.

“I see.  What about your emotional reason?”

“This fight might be the last fight between me and humanity.”

Atein spoke as he looked into the empty air.  There was a far away look in his eyes.

As long as Almarick could remember, Atein had been like this.  Atein fought the current reality in front of him, yet his gaze was always far away.  He was always looking at places that others couldn't see.

Even if he won this fight, Atein's fight wouldn't end.  This was merely the first button being buttoned up in Atein's plan.  If he wanted humanity to last forever, there were countless problems he had to fix.  

However, when one was putting an enormous plan into action, there was nothing more important than the first step.

“This is why I want to see all the possibilities.  I want to do it before the fight against humanity ends.  I want to see all of it before I make the irrevocable choice….”

He was basically trying to place a fence around humanity in order to keep them safe.  He wouldn't completely take away their free will, but he would take away their choice to choose evil.  He would stop them from self destruction.

“Reygus' revolt….  Yes.  If I'm to be honest, I expected it.  That's the type of man he is.”

Atein truly felt regret.  He knew Reygus' personality, yet he had chosen to hide the decision he would make in the future.  

This also didn't mean that he had tried to hide the truth in order to delay making a decision.  Atein had conducted an experiment with the Plain of Darkness, and his hopes had been high.  He knew in the corner of his heart that it was hopeless, yet he desperately wished the Plain of Darkness would give him hope.

However, the result was what it was.

“Reshoo realized that no system created by humans could prevent tragedies.  He despaired at this truth, and he agreed to join my cause.”

Reshoo had told Azell about this in the past.  The world made by humans lifted up those that were evil and greedy.  They were punitive towards people that were good and selfless.

If a person with evil intentions harmed a good person, there should be a punishment.  However, this common principle wasn't often followed.  Even if the principle was kept, it wasn't as if the one that had lost one's life would come back to life.

A fundamental solution was needed.  It would be an ironclad rule with no loopholes.

Reshoo had experience countless tragedies, and he had come to a decision when Baion met his death.

“Almarick, this might be abrupt, but I want to hear your answer to this question.  Why do you continue to follow me to the end?”

Atein hadn't decided to revive the four Dragon Demon generals, because he had absolute trust in them.  He had done it out of respect for the four of them, who had lived through the same era as him.

Even if all four of them turned against him after being revived, Atein wouldn't have regretted his decision.  This was why Atein felt thankful towards Almarick, who had decided to remain next to him.

Almarick spoke.

“As you probably know, my aim in life in different from Reygus.  As I've told you before, I believe true order is needed if the world is to find peace.”

Long ago, Almarick had been a king of a region, and he had lost to Atein.

It was the same for Reygus.

The two of them ruled their lands differently.  They were polar opposites.

The only thing common was the fact that they had ruled through the absolute charisma they possessed.  In the eyes of the normal people, they were gods walking amongst men.

Reygus' country was lawless, and everyone lived a freewheeling life.  If a tribe was living like that, it might have been understandable.  However, he was in charge of a small nation.  It was almost unbelievable that Reygus had been able to maintain his society.  

On the other hand, Almarick had been strict in enforcing his law and order.  There was clear ranks in his society, and a person was punished if they acted out beyond what their station allowed.

It was obvious as to why Reygus and Almarick had been on bad terms before they served under Atein.  Numerous fights had occurred between the two.

“However, no rule I can think up can bring perfect order.  Even nature is unpredictable.  That is why my choice might have been inevitable.”

Almarick looked like a fierce beast.  At  a glance, he didn't look like someone who followed societal norms.  That wasn't true.

For example, one just had to watch wild beasts form a pack.  There was a clear hierarchy and order within the pack.  The peace of the pack was only disrupted only when the leader of the pack starts to lose its authority.  It brought confusion within the pack.

“I cannot live by myself. I built my own pack, and I put in place a clear hierarchy.  However,    neither the humans and the Dragon Demons could escape their base nature.”

Almarick had lived for over a thousand years.  He believed that humans weren't that different from beasts when it came down to it.  They possessed more intelligence than beasts, but he also observed humans show more ugliness than good.

“That is why I want to see it once.  I want to see true and eternal peace.  I want to see the absolute order.”

“You are with me, because you want to see that?”

“I am green compared to you.  Still, I've lived for a long time.  No matter how hard I worked at it, I was unable to achieve my ideals.  I have a chance to do so right now, and I believe it is a cause worth risking my life.”

“What do you plan on doing after that?”

Atein sounded amused as he asked the next question.  Almarick was speechless for a brief moment.

He never thought about what he would do after he achieved his ideal world.  If Almarick could achieve his ideals, it would be akin to an end to an epic story.

“I'm not sure.  If your majesty's is able to create the ideal world, wouldn't a swordsman like me be useless?  It might be really late, but maybe I'll study magic.”

“No, you will still be an important asset to me.  Even if our fight against humanity ends, there are countless problems we still have to solve.  We'll have to fight.”

Atein smiled.  Almarick looked at him for a brief moment before he spoke.

“If I really don't like the ideal world, I can go against you.  I'll become your majesty's enemy.”

“At that point, it'll be a meaningless fight.  You won't be able to win.”

“Yes.”

Almarick didn't hesitate as he gave his answer.  Atein nodded his head.

“I see.  I have one request, Almarick.”

“What is it?”

“Please survive until the end.  I want you to see me make the ideal world.”

This time Almarick didn't answer immediately.  He thought over it for a brief moment, then he spoke.  Laughter was infused within his words.

“If my fate allows it, I'll willingly do so.”

2

Koo-goo-goong, koo-roo-roo-roong……!

He could hear consecutive explosions outside. 

Almarick had been deep within his thoughts.  He immediately broke out of his thoughts when he felt the ground shake.  He mumbled to himself as he looked at the seal that was layered with magic circles.  

“We were made a complete fool.”

The news about the other seal was delivered through the Great Darkness.  

From the perspective of Azell's party, they were probably jumping in joy.  Things were turning out exactly as they had planned.

A member of Reygus' party had the ability to use the Extreme Extinction.  The Dragon Demon King worshippers were taken unawares.  Reshoo was supposed to be guarding this site.  However, Reshoo had headed towards the other seal, so it was the worst case scenario for Almarick.  

When Reshoo left, both sites were attacked simultaneously.

The nearby waypoints had already been destroyed.  The waypoints that were moderately close were being attacked by the members of the Guardian Shadows.

Azell's party appeared at the location of the seal.

Azell, Laura, Kairen, Leticia, Arrieta and Kayalia were participating in this battle.  It wasn't just them.  The strongest members of the Guardian Shadows were there too.

The Dragon Demon Prince Seigar, Achmage Beorein Michael and his disciples were present.  Moreover, the White Sword Count Rakadi, who was considered to be as dangerous as Kairen, was here alongside his family.

On top of that, over 2,000 Guardian Shadows were present.  Basically, they were planning on settling the fight here.  It was an all out assault.

Almarick realized that he had been their target all along.

'It wouldn't have mattered Reshoo hadn't moved from this place.  Even if he comes to my rescue, they made it sure that I'll be dead.  That is their goal.'

The problem right now was the fact that Azell's party had seized the initiative.  The pillars of the Great Darkness couldn't be moved even by Atein.

Kayalia's betrayal meant that Azell's party had gained information that Atein had wanted hidden.  Moreover, Azell's party hadn't even given Atein's side the opportunity to respond.  They had put everything on the line in order to win this battle.

'They are my enemies, yet they made an excellent and decisive decision.  Hue hue.  It has been a long time since I've been pushed to the edge of the cliff.'

This wasn't the first time he had experienced this.  In the Dragon Demon war, he had been driven into a dead end, and he had been killed.

However, if he looked back on his long life, he had faced many life threatening situation.  He was able to spurn the allure of the grim reaper until he finally met his end in the Dragon Demon war.

“This is great.”

Almarick let out a ferocious laughter.

His heart started to beat faster.

His escape route was blocked, so he would have to fight powerful enemies with his life on the line.  His life had always been a series of fights.  How could he not be excited for this fight?

On top of that, the foe waiting for him was Azell Karzark.  Azell had been the culprit behind his first death.  This was the best stage for this fight.  He could wish for nothing more.

“How much time do we have left?”

Almarick asked his underlings.

Ten magicians were sticking close to the seal, and they were desperately carrying out their task.  Whether they could finish their repairs would determine the fate of Almarick

“At the very latest, it'll be done in 10 minutes.”

“I guess I'll have stay alive until then.  I'm guessing you don't need my Dragon Demon magic any more?”

“Yes.  I pray for your success.”

The magician was resolute as he answered Almarick.

His underlings were dying outside,  yet he had been stuck here.  His Dragon Demon magic had been needed to continue the repairs.  However, the step where the magicians needed his Dragon Demon magic was at an end.  He had no reason for staying here.

“It would have been fun if Reygus had come here.  On the other hand, Azell Karzark is a more extravagant meal compared to that dead bastard.  I have no complaints.”

Almarick mumbled to himself as he exited the building, which had been hastily constructed with magic.

“Come Dragon Demon weapon…….”

A frightening wave of Dragon Demon magic swept over the battlefield.  Almarick appeared at the heart of the battlefield, and he raised his great sword.  It was half translucent as if it was made out of glass, and blue lightning started to erupt from the sword.

“Storm's Scream.”

Chapter end