Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 208 The Indomitable Will [2]

Owl-Mighty's words pressed down on my mind like bolts of lightning, numbing my mind for a couple of seconds as I struggled to understand what it was trying to say.

Mental resilience higher than mine...?

'Shouldn't the Bone Dragon be a terror-ranked one?'

Even if its mental resilience was greater than that of his rank, which was very possible considering that I was the living proof of that... How could its mental resilance be higher than mine?

If there was one thing that I didn't lose out to anyone about, it was my mental resilience which was extremely high with a score of 8.23.

.....I was confident in it, and was why I felt confident in my ability to subdue the will and make it my own.

The same was true for Atlas and Delilah.

They too were comfortable with giving the Dragon Bone to me given how high my mental resilience was.

And yet, it was telling me that its mental resilience was higher than mine?

"How...?"

'How is this possible?!'

Rumble! Rumble...!

The surroundings continued to shake, and the cold continued to pierce at my skin.

I stood rigidly on the spot, unable to move a single muscle of my body as I stared at the imposing figure ahead of me.

Its presence loomed over the entire surroundings, covering every inch of it.

Sniff. Sniff.

The Dragon's nostrils flared open as it sniffed the air.

"Well..."

The Dragon spoke, its voice a deep, resonant rumble that reverberated through the air like distant thunder.

As it spoke, a sinister hiss accompanied the start of every 's'.

"...A familiar ssssmell."

The tension in the air was palpable as the Dragon's massive head loomed closer, its fiery eyes locked onto me.

Thump! Thump!

It moved around me, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly until its head hovered just to my right.

Thump!

I could feel its hot breath on my skin as it sniffed me, tickling the back of my neck.

"Come now. Don't be so shy. I am talking to you. Have a conversation with me, human..."

Human.

Human.

Human.

Human.

Human.

The word repeated in my mind, over and over again, jumbling my thoughts into a chaotic mess and making it hard for me to think.

"Uhk..."

A groan inevitably escaped my lips as the Dragon's lips curled into a vicious smile.

"There we go. Sssomething."

Slithering out of its mouth was a thin tongue.

".....There's something about you human that feels familiar, and yet I can't really pinpoint where I have seen you."

The Dragon brought its head closer to me once more, its enormous eyes locking onto mine.

I saw my own reflection within their fiery depths.

Within those eyes, all I saw was insignificance.

My insignificance.

"I have been imprisoned for so long. I have yet... to properly learn about the ways of the world. Why do you think that...?"

"....."

I swallowed my saliva, feeling a lump in my throat that made it hard for me to speak.

....I didn't know how to answer.

But under its pressuring gaze, I felt compelled to answer.

As if I had no choice but to answer.

"I do not know."

"You do not...?"

The Dragon's lips twisted further as its head leaned back.

"Liar."

Liar.

Liar!

Liar!!

Liar!!!

Liar!!!!

My head was once again bombarded with the sound of the Dragon's voice as its words resounded deeply within my mind, forcing me to take a step back from the pain.

The sheer intensity of its voice felt like the loud strike of a drum, each word reverberating through my skull, making it nearly impossible to think clearly.

"You human are a cunning one..."

Thump! Thump!

The Dragon walked around me, its step sinking deeply into the snowy ground.

"....I can feel your heart. I can sense your thoughts. And I can recall youuur... smell."

Sniff! Sniff!

Yet again, its nostrils hovered around me as it started to sniff me.

"An unpleassssant smell."

It eventually brought its head back.

"....It reminds me of that human who trapped me for thirty yearssss."

Its head rapidly flicked back to me, its voice deepening.

"I don't like that smell!"

Smell.

Smell!

Smell!!

Smell!!!

Smel!!!!

"Ukh...!"

I stepped back, unable to control my mind as the dragon's words continued to reverberate loudly within my mind.

Hallucinations of my own death continuously replayed over and over again at that moment.

"I..."

I swallowed my saliva.

"I was in Ellnor when you were discovered. Perhaps, that's the reason I smell like that."

"....."

With a smile, the Dragon leaned its head back.

"Is that so...?"

"Ah, yes truly."

".....But I don't think so!"

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble...!

The entire surroundings shook as its voice bellowed throughout the mountain plains.

Thump!

Its step pushed the snow to the side and I started to lose my footing. But that was all it took for me to finally free my body.

"Run!"

Owl-Mighty appeared before me and grabbed onto my shirt with its beak as it dragged me back.

"Ukh!"

"We must run human! Don't let yourself be devoured by the Dragon's will. You will turn permanently disabled if you do so!"

"I know!"

I didn't need Owl-Mighty to tell me this as I dashed down with all my might as the Rock Dragon flapped its wing to remove the icicles that were stuck on its wing.

Running with all my might, I could hear its voice echoing loudly within the world.

"I ssssmell her presence in you!"

Each time,

"I sssssee her in your eyes!"

It spoke,

"I hear her in your mind!"

My mind would shake.

"Haa... Haaa... haaa..."

Scrunch. Scrunch. Scrunch...!

Deep imprints were left behind as I ran down the mountain.

"Haa... Haa..."

The back of my throat hurt with each breath that I took. From the moment the Dragon woke up, the temperature of the surroundings had chilled even more.

Rumble! Rumble...!

The snow behind tore apart as the Dragon followed us from behind, its steps causing the land to shake.

"Did you think I wouldn't know?!"

Thump!

"Did you think I wouldn't be able to smell her...!?"

Thump! Thump!

The Dragon drew nearer and nearer.

"I have been rendered in this state because of her! The almighty one that I am!"

Thump!

I continued to run forward.

I ran as if my life depended on it.

"Roooooar!"

A loud roar resounded, and I felt the snow beneath my feet move.

"Hu...! Hua..!!"

My eyes widened at the sight.

This...!

"My mind, my rules. My rules, my world. You... are within my world...! There issss no place that you can run to!"

Thump! Thump...!

I started to get carried by the snow. I tried to push myself out, but it was too late.

"Hu... aah!"

I hastily turned around, and my breath almost left my body.

Just a few inches from me was the Dragon's opened mouth. Its sharp teeth reached out for my head as it tried to bite me.

Clank!

I was only just barely able to dodge it thanks to the snow that started carrying me down.

"Ah...!"

That was the last thing I saw before the snow swallowed me up whole and I felt my body get dragged down by the snow.

.

.

.

It was dark.

And it was cold.

I was conscious, and yet, I couldn't move my body at all.

As if imprisoned, I was stuck within this cold prison.

It was just me and my thoughts.

Tik. Ta...

A faint sound echoed from above.

It was faint and I could hardly pay any attention to it.

'Why did this happen?'

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

Even if we hadn't tried to convince it, the Dragon will shouldn't have been so powerful. Why was it so powerful?

Why...

'...'

Tik. Ta...

In reality, it was hard to figure out why.

For thirty years, the dragon had been sealed.

For thirty years, it had tried to free itself from the prison that it had been subjected to.

....And coupled with the fact that it was Dragon.

Tik. Ta...

'I was naive.'

To not take such things into account.

It was extremely naive of me.

And now,

I was paying the consequences of it.

I..

Tik. Ta...

"Hm?"

Light suddenly entered my vision from above.

It was bright, and my eyes squinted.

Then, something tangled up against my body, slowly bringing me up to the surface. That was when two red-blood eyes stared back at me.

It was Owl-Mighty.

Surrounding us was a small prison made out of black roots.

"Human..."

It spoke slowly, but from the tone of its voice, its tone was extremely grim.

".....This might be the last time that I see you."

Owl-Mighty didn't mince on its word.

Because it lacked the understanding of emotions, it said things how they were.

....And I understood it.

"I do not understand how its mental resistance is so powerful, but given your current state, you can't subdue it, let alone leave."

"....."

I sat quietly while listening to its voice.

....I understood where it was coming from. It was wrong. Indeed, there was no way for me to fight it given my current state.

There was still a gap in our mental states.

"Unless you know of a way to—"

BANG!

Owl-Mighty's words were abruptly cut off by a loud banging noise as the prison of roots shook fiercely.

"There you are.

The Dragon's deep voice dripped with amusement as its eye peeked through the gap of the prison.

".....I was looking for you."

BANG!

Its large foot stomped over the roots, causing the entire thing to shake.

But it still stood firm.

....It didn't budge.

Mainly because it was created through my own mental power.

"Oh my, quite a sturdy cage."

BANG!

The Dragon stomped on the cage again.

BANG! BANG! BANG...!

It continued to do so as I watched it helplessly do it from where I sat.

I...

Didn't know what to do.

I was entirely helpless and my eyes drifted toward Owl-Mighty who quietly stared at the Dragon.

That was when I was suddenly reminded of its words.

'Unless you know of a way to—'

It's words had been cut off by the Dragon's sudden appearance, but I could tell what it wanted to say.

'Unless you know of a way to increase your mental power.'

That...

I knew of a way.

I lowered my head to stare at my right forearm.

In particular, my gaze fell over the first leaf and my entire body started to treble.

"H-how long do you think the cage will last?"

My voice trembled as I asked.

Owl-Mighty's reply came shortly after.

"Quite a while, why?"

"Haha."

I laughed while staring at the leaf.

'The cool down for the ability is one day...'

I swallowed my saliva.

"....Surely the barrier can last more than one day, right?"

"Yes. More than that."

"T-that's good enough."

Biting my lips, I pressed the first leaf.

That was the moment that marked the start of it all.

The start of when I started to understand emotions.