Duke Pendragon Chapter 254

'I won't die. I will not die!'

However, all the rocks were slowly clambering towards the golem in an effort to reconstruct the monster's body.

“Keugh!”

Raven kept on hacking at the creature with a resolute gaze, enduring through the pain of melting skin.

“Keugh!”

“Father…”

The elves fell to the ground one by one after exhausting the power granted to them by the Earth God since birth.

The blessing of the Earth God was the source of life for the Red Moon Valley elves. They weren't wizards, and using the sacred power of a deity was the same as consuming their own lives. They had sacrificed their very lives to delay the reconstruction of the golem.

One, two, three… The elven warriors started to collapse to the ground, their faces were pale without any color. Soon, more than ten elves fell. As the number of fallen warriors started to increase, the channeling of sacred power began to decrease gradually. The stones started to rush towards the golem at a quicker pace.

Kwakwakwa!

At that moment, Raven spotted a jet-black sphere the size of a human head. It was buried deep below dozens of stones and densely flowing lava.

“Kwaaagh!”

Letting out a beastly roar, Raven threw his sword towards the sphere with all his might. The sword flew towards the sphere while letting off a blue spirit.

Thud!

As soon as the sword stabbed into the black sphere, the core of the golem, a deep light quickly dyed the entire object. Soon, it shattered into dozens of fragments.

The solid stones forming the body of the golem began to crack, and the lava quickly hardened into black stone. Soon, the entire golem turned into sand and fell apart.

The burning heat disappeared like a lie, and Raven knelt in front of the large sand mound, the residue of the defeated golem.

“Pen, Pendragon!”

Eltuan and the elves rushed towards him right away, even though they were near exhaustion as well. Raven remained motionless as he kneeled with his head bowed down.

“Hurry up!”

The elves hurried to Raven's sides at Eltuan's shout.

Chhh!

“Keugh!”

She groaned. Her hands had suffered burns when she tried to take off Raven's helmet. However, she helped him to the floor along with the elven warriors regardless of the pain.

“Hmm…!”

At last, Raven lay on the floor in a comfortable position. The elves' eyes quivered when they saw his figure. More than half of his hair had burnt off and his skin was in no better shape. His face, which was so beautifully shaped that it was comparable to the elves, had become disfigured. His nose and one eye were charred horribly.

“Why are you only watching!?”

Eltuan shouted urgently before taking out a yellow powder to spray over Raven's face. The other elves tried to take off his armor to heal his body. However, the White Dragon Armor, which was charred and melted in some places, did not budge an inch.

“Ugh…”

The elves were at a loss. Then, a groan flowed from between Raven's lips.

“Pendragon! Hey, wake up!”

Eltuan spoke tearfully.

He had been put into such a miserable figure because he had been trying to help the Red Moon Valley elves. Of course, a dozen of her own warriors had crossed the Mana River, but a human being had suffered such fate while fighting for her tribe. It was enough to arouse a feeling beyond ardent desperation in her heart.

“What about… The… Golem…”

“It's dead. It disappeared after turning into sand. Stop talking and just stay still.”

“I'm… fine… Just a little rest… and I will be good… Just like always…”

Raven struggled to speak due to the pain. He took a deep breath and continued.

“I… will take… the lead…”

Raven's voice reminded her of screeching iron. The heat of the lava had caused damage to his throat and lungs as well.

“Okay. I get it, so please get some rest.”

Eltuan's eyes turned red as she tightly held on to Raven's hand. She already knew he was different from ordinary humans. She had seen it on their way here. Not only did he possess superhuman strength, but his recovery was extraordinary as well.

Eltuan thought it was due to the dragon's power. She believed it would restore him once again.

'However…'

Eltuan had no idea how long it would take to fully recover from injuries of this degree. Above all, this place was a labyrinth full of all kinds of monsters.

He was their strongest power, and they would be placed in big trouble if they were attacked by monsters in this situation.

According to his words, the golem was the last gateway before the Troll King, but she could not rest assured. If the Troll King was to attack with the other monsters…

Rumbleeeee!

Along with a loud roar, the floor started shaking.

“W, what is it?”

The elves started to look around in surprise. The stone walls started to shake and the entrance and the exit began to open.

That wasn't the only thing.

Kwakwakwa!

The entire space began to transform. The large rocks filling the walls and the ceiling started to morph with a large roar, and the stone hall started to change.

The large space expanded even larger to hundreds of feet, and the ceiling started to turn into a circular shape with an open top.

“Be careful, everyone!”

The elven warriors stood alert in the middle of the huge space. Although they were exhausted from consuming their sacred power, their eyes were full of determination.

Boom!

With a heavy roar, the rocks blocking the huge ceiling disappeared completely. However, the sky wasn't visible.

Darkness.

An endless darkness overflowed beyond the ceiling.

“What the…”

Eltuan looked up towards the ominous, wicked circle of darkness in shock.

It was then.

Kwwwwwwaaaaauughh!

A loud roar filled all sides of the hall, which was now thousands of feet wide and long. Elves warriors looked around in a hurry, even though they could hardly remain on their feet.

Their eyes soon opened in a huge shock.

Wuaaah! Kyaaaahk!

Monsters.

Hundreds of monsters were coming out of entrances on all four sides.

Trolls, ogres, lycanthropes…

Just five or six of such powerful monsters would be more than enough to wipe out the remaining elves, but there were dozens. In addition, the number of harpies, goblins, and lizardmen numbered many times more.

The eyes of the elves quivered at the overwhelming sight.

“…..!”

Eltuan felt death upon her.

As long as Raven was in a critical condition, they had no chance of winning.

But she believed.

Even if all of their bones were buried in this place, the guardian of the Pendragon, the Dragon Queen would eventually avenge them.

“Brother…!”

Eltuan unsheathed her blade, then shouted in a desperate voice.

“Today we will die here! But we will die fighting, until the moment we cross the Mana River to the side of the Earth God!”

The elves' eyes stopped quivering. Strength and determination once again filled their eyes.

“Under the Red Moon!”

“To the Earth God's side!”

The elves responded to Eltuan's roar.

Whooosh!

The divine power of the Earth God soared above the elven warriors as they prepared themselves for death. The elven warriors formed a semicircle as they vented the last of their powers. They lowered their postures and prepared to charge the monsters.

It was then.

“Wa…it…”

It was still feeble, but his voice contained more life than before. Eltuan turned her head in bewilderment.

He was standing up.

His armor, which once shone brilliantly, was now no different from scrap metal. He relied on his sword to slowly push himself up.

“Pen, Pendragon…!”

“I… told you…”

The elves stared at him in disbelief, and Raven struggled to continue.

“As always… I, will stand in the front…”

Paaa…

A weak, unsteady spirit began to illuminate Raven's blue blue eyes. It soon transferred to his body, then engulfed him in a blue haze.

“Ah…”

A strange feeling encompassed Eltuan's heart, and she began to speak. But then.

“My lordddd!!!”

A loud voice rang out from behind her and the elven warriors.

Everyone jerked their heads around.

“…..!”

The first thing they saw was a brawny knight running towards them with all his might. Hundreds of armed soldiers followed behind him.

But that was not all.

Kiyaaaaahk!

 Dozens of griffons wrapped in silver-white armor flew through the wide, tall door. The entrance could accompany three or four of the creatures at a time. And finally, running through the entrance was…

“Orc…!”

Orc warriors clad in armor were charging towards them like a storm, emitting a furious energy.

“Lorddd!”

The moment she saw the knight running towards them with a beastly roar and the flag that rose behind him, Eltuan realized their identity.

It was a symbol of a dragon with its wings spread open, standing boldly in this wretched space.

“Pendragon…!”

Upon seeing the flag and the troops of the Pendragon Duchy, a cry of hope erupted from Eltuan's lips.

“Killian… Karuta…”

Raven was surprised as well.

When he first heard the loud voice, he had thought it to be an auditory hallucination. Why would Killian and Karuta be in this place? They should be fighting against the forces of Arangis Duchy with the rest of the coalition by now.

But it was really them.

It was Mark Killian and Karuta. The head knight of the Pendragon Duchy and the orc friend had travelled to the South based on nothing but their trust in him, and now, they had arrived here.

“My lord! Are you all right!?”

Killian ran forward with a red-hot, distorted face. It was hard to tell whether he was crying or angry.

“Sir Killian…”

Raven felt a deep heat climbing from his heart as he called out his loyal knight.

“Keugh! Yes! It's me! My lord, I am sorry to be so late!”

Killian knelt on one knee. His lord's face, which had once shone like the brilliant sun, was now disfigured. He did not care for the monsters nor the elven warriors. The most important thing for the loyal knight was that his lord was still alive. His appearance did not matter in the slightest.

“What a grand sight! That's what happens when you go bullshitting off by yourself. Kreung!”

Karuta growled fiercely as he walked towards the two men. But Raven smiled in response. He knew the sincerity contained in the orc's voice.

“I should be back to normal soon.”

“Keung! You look more manly now. Anyways…”

Karuta shifted his gaze.

The corner of his mouth slightly curled when he saw the monsters advancing towards them from far away.

“As expected, Karuta made a good friend thanks to the grace of the Earth God. As soon as we reunite, you've prepared such an exciting stage for us. What do you think, you orcs!”

“Kuwuaggh!”

The Ancona Orc warriors roared, and Orc Fear soared like fire.

Kuwaaaaaaahhh!

The monsters roared in response with an even fiercer momentum. Hundreds of monsters began to charge without hesitation.

“Sir Killian. We will talk later.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Killian jumped up and looked back towards the knights and soldiers of the Pendragon Duchy.

“The lord is safe! So…!”

He paused for a moment, then shouted with a blaze in his eyes.

“Let's beat all those bastards to death!”

“Sirrr!!!”

The shouts of the Pendragon warriors echoed throughout the hall.

But then.

Whooooh!

The dark sphere filling the ceiling began to spin like a vortex while making a strange sound.

“Hm!”

Raven became wide eyed as he looked up.

Kwaaa…

Something white, contrasting with the black, began to appear from the dark sphere.

“That's…”

It was not the Troll King. He knew that the Troll King didn't appear from such a bizarre sphere. It meant something he didn't know was coming out.

Kwakwakwa!

The first thing he saw was a white leg bone. It was as large as a pillar. Soon, more body parts made of bone began to appear one after another.

“…..!”

Everyone was filled with astonishment.

Appearing from the far side of the dark vortex, floating in the air, it was…

“Dragon…”

It was a Bone Dragon, the strongest undead.

Kyaaaauuuuu!

The dragon looked down at everything on the ground with blood-coloured eyes and a jaw full of large, sharp teeth.

The eyes of the deceased.

Nevertheless, the overflowing energy contained within its eyes were enough to bring devastating fear to all living beings, including the monsters.

But only one person, Raven, was able to overcome the fear with the Spirit of the White Dragon.

“Why would a Bone Dragon be…”

His hands started trembling.

It was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

The golem was the last guardian of the Troll King's labyrinth.

A Bone Dragon should not have been here. A Bone Dragon was the strongest undead, and even thousands of troops were no match for it. No black wizard had ever succeeded in summoning such a horrifying being in history. It should not have been here.

However, this was reality. The Bone Dragon looked down on all the creatures of the space with folded wings.

Kwaa…!

The dragon spread its wings. Thousands of bones were wrapped around its body like armor, following the dragon's movement as if they were alive.

Soon, dark red energy began to gather in the dragon's empty chest, then started to climb up its throat.

“…..!”

He had never experienced it before, but Raven knew intuitively what the dragon was about to do.

“Dragon Breath…!”

It was composed of bones, but as a bona fide dragon, it was able to use its breath.

The only power capable of stopping the Dragon Breath was…

“Chaaah!”

Boom!

Perhaps he would really die this time around. Nevertheless, Raven clenched his teeth and walked to the front. There was a thread of possibility that he could fight against it, or rather, he was the only hope.

The spirit climbed over Raven's body and began to spread. However, it was incomparably lighter in color and narrower in scope.

Kwakwakwa!

The moment the dark red current formed outside of the Bone Dragon's mouth.

Booooooooom!

With a tremendous roar, the dark sphere on the ceiling exploded. Like a giant arrow of god, something pierced through the sphere and destroyed it.

Fwooooosh!

The brilliant silver-white spirit unfolded like a tidal wave, fighting against the evil energy filling the space.

The being floated in the air. Five horns jutted out of her head like a crown of the one reigning over the world, and her presence illuminated the area. A blazing cry erupted from deep inside Raven's heart.

“Sol…!!”

The Queen of All Dragons, the one bound to Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon through the soul - Soldrake descended to the labyrinth. 

Chapter end