C306 - A Peculiar Power (1~)
Even the Dragon Lord has weaknesses.
That statement genuinely surprised Cale. He didn’t hide his astonishment.
"Do you know his weakness?"
"Yes."
There isn’t a being without weaknesses.
What surprised Cale was that Exion knew that weakness.
"What is it?"
He didn’t ask indirectly, and his interlocutor didn’t respond that way either.
"He’s aging."
Hmm?
Cale didn’t immediately understand.
"From what I know-"
He pointed at Exion, the 3-Star Dragon.
"Aren’t the Dragon Lord and you the same age?"
Exion nodded.
He averted his gaze from Cale.
The library was entirely covered by curtains, except for a single window.
The light that entered illuminated the table where they were sitting.
Cale saw the shadow cast on Exion’s face.
"Yes, we’re the same age. But the Dragon Lord walks through a different time than I do."
Ah.
Finally, Cale understood.
"Time, of course, it’s time."
The Dragon Lord’s specialty is time.
And the Dragon Lord has used it well.
A time prison.
Creating a reference point to seal the world’s energy. Or using a power similar to Cale’s Instant to wield his strength in slowly flowing time.
The Dragon Lord must have used time in many other ways.
Cale’s eyes gleamed.
"Ha."
A brief sigh escaped from Cale’s mouth. He spoke with a smile.
"In the end, time was fair even to the Dragon Lord."
Exion lifted the teacup and spoke.
"That’s right. The Dragon Lord can make a minute for us feel like ten minutes for him. In that slow time, he could do things we couldn’t in a minute."
In short, when the Dragon Lord fought against an enemy, he could attack ten times more in the same minute.
"But as you said, time was fair."
Cale saw the smile on Exion’s lips that he tried to hide behind his teacup.
"Even if he made ten minutes pass as one, he lived those ten minutes."
Exion’s indifferent voice contrasted with the emotion on his face, a resolute knight’s expression.
"His mind can endure it. But his body lived those ten minutes."
"So, has he aged?"
"Yes. His body isn’t that of an almighty God."
Exion lowered his teacup and didn’t hide his smile.
Then he said that the Dragon Lord wasn’t an almighty God.
"Attributes are never omnipotent."
Cale nodded, understanding.
Because he had seen many things while being with Dragons.
Eruhaben couldn’t turn everything to dust.
Sheritt couldn’t protect unconditionally.
Mila couldn’t unify everything.
Rasheel had tenacity, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be defeated.
'Dragons’ Attributes aren’t absolute truths.'
They weren’t absolute powers.
They were "specialties," unique peculiarities of each Dragon.
And the range and strength of those specialties varied between each Dragon.
Cale spoke.
"But according to the information I have, the Dragon Lord Neo. They say he looks very healthy and young, as if time flows backward and he becomes younger."
The report Cale received questioned whether the Dragon Lord was using his Attribute to reverse his time.
"…Ha-"
Exion couldn’t hold back his laughter.
"He’s not a God."
Exion leaned toward Cale from his chair.
"He’s a Dragon like me. And a being who will eventually die, just like you, Human."
Cale looked at the emotions in Exion’s eyes and spoke.
"Then does the Dragon Lord want to be a God?"
"I don’t know."
Exion shook his head. For the first time, confusion appeared on his face.
"Since young, Neo always took pride in being a Dragon, believing Dragons were the greatest."
Neo.
Exion spoke of him as if he were a friend.
"But he realized that Dragons weren’t the greatest or the best."
"Did he meet a Wanderer or a God?"
"…!"
Exion paused momentarily, but quickly regained his composure.
"Yes. He met a Wanderer for the first time. One day, she came to him."
Wanderer.
A Hunter from the Five Colored Blood Family.
It was the first time Cale had heard about them in detail.
Cale sank deeper into the sofa, focusing on Exion’s story.
"She was searching for the heir of the Purple Blood Family."
"…The heir of the Purple Blood Family?"
"Yes. As you know, the Purple Blood Family has always been led by Dragons. Wanderers traveled between dimensions searching for the next dragon heir of the Purple Blood Family."
The Purple Blood Family wasn’t a hunter clan that existed in just one dimension.
"And Neo allied with them. He traveled with the Wanderer across dimensions and met the former leader of the Purple Blood Family. After that, he became the Leader of the Purple Blood Family."
Exion paused before continuing in a neutral tone.
"I followed him."
Cale looked directly into Exion’s eyes.
Exion also looked into Cale’s eyes and spoke.
"Because I thought it was the right thing to do."
Cale asked.
"Destroying Apitoyu was the right thing?"
Was that the right thing for you?
Exion responded immediately.
"No."
He shook his head and smiled again. He leaned closer to Cale and whispered.
"When you do something, do you think first about the side effects or your own desires?"
Exion let out a brief laugh.
"If you see a great advantage, and you know you’ll get a big benefit, small drawbacks don’t matter."
Cale briefly closed his eyes. Small drawbacks. To Exion, the destruction of a world was a small drawback.
Opening his eyes, Cale asked him.
"…What is your desire?"
What desire made you consider Apitoyu a small drawback?
Exion answered.
"Dragons who follow Neo do so for a simple reason."
"The Source of the World?"
"Ha-ha."
Exion laughed again.
"The Source of the World makes us stronger, but not enough for a Dragon to bow down to another. A Dragon’s pride isn’t that fragile."
"Then why do they follow him?"
Exion’s smile disappeared. When Cale thought the shadow on Exion’s face had darkened, Exion, in his human form, spoke.
"Eternal life."
What?
At first, Cale didn’t comprehend those words.
"Neo promised eternal life to the Dragons who swore to follow the Purple Blood Family."
Exion continued, and Cale quickly found the answer.
"…Virtual Reality."
Exion nodded.
"Yes. As expected, you know about it. They call it a virtual reality game, but we call it something else."
"Do they have a special name for it?"
"Not just Dragons. Hunters who know the information also call it that."
To them, virtual reality was-
"New World."
Or.
"New Dimension."
A new birth of dimensions across the worlds.
Looking at the silent Cale, Exion murmured.
"No one wants to die."
Cale shook his head.
"No. There are those who accept death."
Cale, and also Kim Rok Soo, had seen many people accept their deaths.
Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo had done so in the past.
Though now rejuvenated, Eruhaben, who had accepted his short lifespan.
Additionally-
'Most of the inhabitants of Apitoyu planning to fight against the Dragon Lord must be prepared to die.'
White Snake Wisha and King Denis of Har Kingdom, among others.
They must have considered their own deaths to some extent.
Despite knowing this, they keep moving forward.
"Of course, they exist."
Exion acknowledged Cale’s words. He admitted there are those who accept death.
"But that’s accepting it. I don’t want to die. Because living is fun."
Exion was more attracted to eternal life than becoming a God. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t seek to become a God like the 1-Star Dragon Ryan. Nor did he become a follower of the God of Chaos like the 2-Star Dragon.
Simply put, he was rooted in this world as the Dragon Lord’s Sword.
That’s why Cale was curious.
"Then why did you decide to betray him now?"
For the first time, Exion avoided Cale’s gaze. He looked at his dark library before speaking hesitantly.
"…Life must go on."
Then, Cale asked.
"Are you talking about your child?"
"Yes. I-"
Exion’s face filled with regret. Showing deep remorse, he couldn’t continue. Finally, he opened his mouth.
"I-"
"Wait."
Cale raised his hand.
"Did you fall in love with a human, marry her, and decide to betray the Dragon Lord for your child? Additionally, by being friendly with humans, you started caring for your human subordinates and now want to protect them too. Is that it?"
Cale mentioned some clichés from genre novels he had read for years.
Just in case. And he saw it.
"…How did you know? Were you inside my mind?"
Exion’s pupils trembled as he couldn’t hide his emotions for the first time. Cale averted his gaze and said.
"I’ve just seen a lot of similar things."
In reality, Cale usually focused on others’ stories, but Exion was a Dragon who had tried to destroy this world and was someone with whom he formed an alliance out of convenience.
Cale needed to keep that clear. That’s why he raised a doubt that came to his mind.
"But, even if you don’t betray him, can’t you protect your subordinates while under the Purple Blood Family? Wouldn’t it be easier to enter the virtual reality to protect your child?"
Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to live together an eternal life?
"That’s impossible. I need Apitoyu. More precisely, I need a regular supply of the Source of the World."
Cale turned his gaze to Exion.
"I gave the Source of the World to my wife."
Because humans’ lives are short. Exion didn’t want to lose the one he decided to have as a partner. The impact of another’s death was greater than his own.
"And as a result, although my wife is human, she’s no longer human."
Her life had significantly extended, and she had grown stronger. Thanks to the energy she contained, though she was human, she no longer was. Though there were side effects, it wasn’t something Exion would share with Cale.
"Anyway, thanks to that, my wife and I had a child. Our child is growing inside her. And that child inherited her mother’s energy."
It was a great relief. The child could live longer than normal humans.
"But-"
There was something different about the child compared to the mother.
"…The child is gradually losing the Source of the World. So, he needs to absorb it periodically. It’s my fault."
Cale spoke what came to mind.
"Because of the Dragon Blood?"
"Yes. Unlike his mother, the child has Dragon Blood."
Inheriting Exion’s blood, the Dragon Blood stirred in the child’s body.
To protect himself, the child consumed the Source of the World inside his mother’s body to suppress the agitated blood.
Seeing the fierce struggle of the child from the womb, Exion had only one option.
"But Neo has no intention of keeping Apitoyu. He just wants to destroy it."
Exion straightened his posture.
"I need Apitoyu, or more precisely, a regular supply of the Source of the World. That’s why I planned to make a deal."
But seeing Cale’s power, Exion realized the deal might be difficult.
"I planned to offer the location of the Dragon Lord’s Lair and his weakness in exchange for a regular amount of the Source of the World. I don’t need much, just enough for my child to survive."
"Wait."
Cale interrupted him.
"The matter of the Source of the World isn’t something I decide. That’s something we need to ask the Source of the World itself."
"Yes. I’ll propose to the source. But to defeat Neo-"
Exion tilted his head.
"I need your power."
Cale observed the bowing Dragon.
"I plan to put my whole life in your hands."
He slowly lifted his head and said.
"Can you win?"
Ah.
A small sigh escaped his mouth.
"I don’t need an answer."
Exion had already gotten the answer by looking into Cale’s eyes. That’s why he spoke with conviction.
"I’ll support you."
The Source of the World. The World Tree. And all the creatures of this world.
I too.
Cale shrugged.
'What’s so special about me? Why me?'
Waving his hand indifferently, Cale continued.
"As for the Source of the World, talk among yourselves. Just give me the information."
He leaned from the sofa toward Exion.
"The place where you sent the signal isn’t the Dragon Lord’s Lair?"
Despite the indifferent and nonchalant attitude, Exion smiled. In fact, this was reliable.
He was someone who proved things with facts.
Exion spoke.
"The place where Dragons gather isn’t the Dragon Lord’s Lair. Neo has hidden its location. But, knowing his childhood, I could guess the location of his Lair and found it while he traveled to another dimension."
And.
"You said the Dragon Lord’s weakness is aging."
"Yes, that’s what you said."
"It won’t be visible externally. But internally, his body is aging so much that it’s barely surviving."
"Is his body already at its limit?"
"Yes. And specifically-"
Exion smiled more broadly.
"The Dragon Heart."
Cale’s eyes gleamed.
Exion continued.
"His Dragon Heart is probably at its limit. No, more precisely."
The Dragon Heart.
The Dragon’s Core, where his mana and essence reside.
"It’s exceeded its limit and is barely holding together."
Exion raised his hand. He lifted a finger.
"Just once."
Just once.
"If someone can get close to the Dragon Lord and strike his heart."
Exion revealed to Cale how to confront the Dragon Lord.
"His Dragon Heart will shatter immediately."
And then...
"Neo will be finished."
