Chapter 432: The Power of the Sun (6)

“My heart...?”

Toska cried out, his voice filled more with fury than pain, even as Posetia’s power stirred violently within him.

“You wretched bastard. Are you saying you’re going to steal the heart that not Yula herself could take from me?”

Rumble...!!

As Toska rose, his massive head scraped the ceiling, and the entire chamber quaked as if it might come crashing down.

“My memories... My very existence... I gave all of it away because of you... And now you’re trying to use me again?”

“No. You weren’t erased. Just hidden away.”

Crunch—!!

Karyl gripped the rapidly spinning grey sphere of mana and shoved it through the gaps in Toska’s ribcage, aiming for the bones guarding the heart.

The swirling mass morphed into a sharp spike and pushed toward the golden heart embedded deep within.

“You, Golden Dragon, are the one who blessed the Digon bloodline. Your name, once forgotten, is now remembered by all. One of the first Bladers... and the dragon who stood against the god to the very end.”

Crack...!

Karyl forced his hand through the cracked ribcage and seized the Golden Dragon’s heart.

“GRAAAAH...!!”

Toska’s pained roar shook the entire hall. As gray mana engulfed his massive form, Karyl summoned the sword of Polsetia once more.

Arcane Book of Polsetia—First Spell: Golden Deception

The Grand Grimoire hovered above Karyl’s head. The pages opened, and mana flowed out toward Karyl’s sword, wrapping around the blade.

FWOOSH...!!

Dozens of radiant arrows rained down upon Toska’s heart. At that same moment, Karyl drove his sword into the very center of it all.

The impact shook the entire cavern. Yurin Huygar collapsed to his knees, watching the battle unfold with unblinking eyes.

“Grrrrk... Grghhhk...”

Even with his heart pierced by Polsetia’s sword, Toska was still breathing.

“Honestly, I’d rather not destroy you.”

Karyl tightened his grip on the sword. Instead of tearing through the heart, Polsetia’s mana wrapped around it, almost as if trying to heal it. Before long, the mana-forged blade fused with the heart, forming a direct link between them.

“You’re trying to connect with his thoughts... Be careful. If you link your soul to his while he’s in this unstable state, the backlash could be serious,” Allen warned.

“I know. I just want him to feel my will. Even if this thing is just an echo of Toska, a lingering fragment of his will must still be in there.”

With that, Karyl pushed the blade even deeper.

“If he truly was a Blader to the very end, and could leave behind just one memory... then he wouldn’t have forgotten the purpose of the Great War of the Spirits and Gods.”

Shlunk—!

The blade sank deeper into the heart, causing the Golden Dragon to shudder violently. Moments later, Toska collapsed.

Looking down at the fallen dragon, Karyl gently brushed his scaled forehead with his hand.

“Toska, I know your will remains sealed, leaving only this fragment of you behind. But I believe it endures because it remembers what is too important to forget.”

Vmmm...

A gentle light flowed from Polsetia, as though it resonated with Toska.

“Remember the ideals you tried holding onto even after being sealed by Yula. The memories you carved so deeply into your bones that they lingered even after your will faded. That fury... that not even the Platinum Dragon could ever match.”

“I... I...”

Toska’s maw trembled with every word Karyl uttered.

“Are you really going to give up like this? If so, I’ll melt your bones and forge them into armor, as the bare minimum respect for one who once defied fate. I’ll consume your heart myself.”

“Grrgh... Rrrghhh...”

“At the very least, that’ll help build the world you once dreamed of, before your memories were lost.”

Toska writhed in pain, trying to shake Karyl’s hand off his forehead. But the more he struggled, the harder Karyl pressed down.

“But are you really okay with that? Was your dream so insignificant that melting your flesh down into armor is enough to fulfill it?”

“Enough...! You human dare speak of dreams to me?! You know nothing of the agony I’ve had to endure for thousands of years!!”

CRACK!

“Toska!” Karyl shouted, slamming his hand down. “It’s only been a few thousand years.”

His words fell like a guillotine, and the massive dragon froze, trembling as if struck by lightning.

Allen simply stared at them. He didn’t understand at first why Karyl was so angry with Toska, but he quickly caught on to his emotions, thanks to their soul contract.

“Tch. You bastard...”

If Karyl merely sought to defy Yula, he would just use Toska’s husk as a tool. These massive bones could produce enough enchanted armor to equip an entire knight armor.

But Karyl had defied time itself to arrive here. He had tasted the bitterness of defeat—forced to gather the fragments of his shattered spirit and piece them back together. It was because he resonated with Toska’s fury and shame that he couldn’t bring himself to abandon the anguished dragon.

Of course, the Spirit Kings and the Bladers were legendary figures history would never forget, but when it came to bearing the weight of defeat, none had carried a heavier burden than Karyl himself.

Those entities had been sealed away, granted respite in a hollow slumber. But Karyl had fought and defied time itself, clawing his way through the bleak and desolate corridors of Pharel for a chance at redemption.

“Toska, I can’t give you your life back, but I can help you rise once more on your own. You may no longer possess blood and flesh, but you can still stand and fight once more! Even with just these bones...!”

Karyl looked him straight in the eye.

“Put your faith in me. If you follow me, I’ll help you reclaim your will from the Thousand-Year Ice Cave.”

“Faith... in you...? How could I...”

Toska slowly lifted his gaze to Karyl—perhaps he had grown numb to the pain, or perhaps his desire now burned hotter than the agony.

“It is futile. Even in this pitiful state, I am still a dragon. A pact with a dragon is forged through will. But my will has been sealed by Yula. Unless you drag me out of that ice prison, making a new pact is impossible.”

Toska spoke in a low, rasping voice.

“And even if the seal breaks, my will would crumble with it. Yula planned it that way. She never intended to let me go.”

Indeed, those sealed within the Thousand-Year Ice Cave were destined to vanish should their seals be broken.

However, Karyl merely smirked at Toska’s refute.

“Who’s to say I can’t get you out of here and bring you to the Thousand-Year Ice Cave?”

“What...?”

That was when Karyl finally said what he had been waiting to say.

“A familiar.”

“...!”

Toska’s eyes widened.

“Pacts with dragons are considered sacred, though I see it more like taming. In any case, since you’ve been dead for a long time, you can no longer make a draconic pact. However, you’re a Bone Dragon now, so I could bind you to me through necromancy.”

Allen instantly caught on, a wide smirk spreading across his face.

“Yes, that’s it... heh heh...”

He chuckled to himself, the way a child would after outsmarting a strict parent and getting away with a mischief. Indeed, this loophole was their way of making a fool of Yula. The thought of the Golden Dragon baring his fangs at Yula after being banished by her was simply exhilarating.

“The divine seal on Toska is stronger than any pact, but a familiar contract is different. It doesn’t touch the will. It binds the body. Yula sealed his will and locked away his flesh. But you, Karyl, you can bypass the will entirely and place a familiar contract directly on the body. It’s like inscribing a new curse over the old one.”

Allen waved his fingers as if drawing up the formula for a brand-new spell.

“Even Yula wouldn’t have foreseen this. No one makes a dragon their familiar. Not even a Bone Dragon. What dragon would ever entrust themselves to a human? These creatures look down on humans.”

Allen then pointed to Karyl. “But there are humans stronger than dragons.”

As he listened in silence, Yurin Huygar found himself nodding in agreement.

“There’s just one condition. A familiar contract is a bond of subjugation. Golden Dragon, if you truly want revenge, then you must be willing to become Karyl’s sword and claws.”

Allen left the choice to him.

“Personally, I’d want to see the bastard who killed me die with my own eyes. No matter what it takes,” he said with a shrug.

“Trusting a human again...?”

“Trust? Hah. Seems like even dragons will grow dull if locked away for too long. You think this is about trust? No, revenge isn’t something you entrust to others. It’s something you take for yourself. Use Karyl. Use him until nothing’s left.”

Allen looked at Toska with a cold, piercing gaze. Just as Karyl understood Toska’s plight, Allen knew all too well what it meant to burn with vengeance.

“If you’re not strong enough to drive a sword into your enemy’s face, then you’d better be ready to sink your teeth into their neck for the one who can finish the job. Isn’t that right?”

“Still... Do you really think I could be of use like this?” Toska asked lamely.

“Don’t worry. Figuring out how to use you is my problem,” Karyl reassured. “All you need to do is follow orders.”

At that, the dragon let out what seemed to be a chuckle. His smile—it was a sign of life, even though its bearer was supposed to be dead.

“And here I thought I was just a remnant of myself. But the more we speak to one another... the more I feel like my will is still intact.”

“A dragon’s will is nothing like a regular soul. That yearning you’ve carried since the Mythical Era... it’s no wonder it held you together, even without a conscious mind.”

“Then let’s see what happens when that will is unsealed and is finally reunited with the flesh. I’m curious myself.” Allen Javius chuckled.

“The Second Calamity is almost upon us. Those who went into the Pharel in the Ice Cave probably won’t make it back in time. To tell you the truth, we need to be prepared for failure. That tower is unforgiving.”

“Which means we’ll have to stop the Tarak with the ones who are still here. Luckily, the ones we sent to the Thousand-Year Ice Cave were mostly second-stringers anyway.”

“I disagree. I think they might be the most important players in the war to come.”

“Hmm...?”

“The Tarak about to emerge are completely different from the ones that came before. This won’t be a battle, but a full-on war. The reason they were once called

calamities

... It all began with this second wave.”

Karyl’s expression turned grim.

“This ain’t a singular enemy.”

He looked Toska in the eye.

“They’ll emerge all across the entire continent.”

The Second Tarak: The Calamity of Proliferation, Hekqet.