Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 583
Chapter 583
Tesserina asked,
“Is that a problem?”
“Haven’t you experienced it yourself? What happens to those who absorb Krasias’s will? Even a mere parasite evolved to the point of threatening a dragon. Then what do you think would happen to a dragon that harbors Krasias’s will?”
“It would gain incomparably greater power.”
“Exactly. It would obtain power that surpasses the limits of a dragon.”
“Then could it be that Lord Nigel also…”
“That’s right. I too obtained a crystal containing Krasias’s will. Thanks to that, I was able to gain power that transcends the limits of the dragon species and evolve into my current form.”
Nigel revealed his secret without hesitation.
Perhaps it was because Zeon already knew.
Zeon had seen Nigel kill Pilgrim and absorb the violet crystal.
There was no point in hiding the truth in front of Zeon—it would only make things look worse.
Zeon asked Nigel,
“Then you must have absorbed the crystal that dragon possessed as well?”
“No. I will not absorb any more.”
“Why? If you absorb the crystals, you would become stronger.”
“That is precisely the problem, sand mage.”
“You mean becoming stronger is the problem?”
“Yes. The stronger you become, the more you lose your sense of self.”
Zeon frowned and asked,
“Are you saying you get consumed by the residual will of Krasias?”
“So you already know. That’s correct.”
“…”
“At first, it felt nothing but good. The more residual will I absorbed, the stronger I became. But there were times when I was no longer myself. The more I absorbed, the shorter the time I remained whole. That was when I realized—the residual will I had absorbed was actually bait.”
“Bait?”
“Yes. Bait—and a sacrifice—for Krasias’s resurrection. Without realizing it, I bit down on it.”
“For someone of your level to be influenced by mere residual will…”
“Kuhahaha!”
Suddenly, Nigel burst into loud laughter.
At his laughter, everyone inside Arkelon, including the villagers, suffered.
Even the spell Tesserina had cast to block out sound was useless before the authority of the half-dragon.
“Damn it!”
“Ugh!”
Levin and Serion could not escape the pain that rattled their brains.
Zeon spoke to Nigel,
“What’s so amusing?”
“Because you know nothing. Krasias is not a being someone like me could even dare to compare to.”
“Is the difference really that great?”
“No matter how much I struggle, my origin remains that of a dragon. But Krasias’s origin is not that of a dragon. Only the shell is the same—his essence is fundamentally different from us. He is something of a higher order. There is no comparison.”
“…”
“Why do you think Krasias terraformed Earth? You don’t actually believe he did it simply because the beings of Kurayan asked him to, do you?”
“Wasn’t that the case?”
“Krasias is not such a benevolent being. If anything, he is more selfish than any other lifeform. He places himself above all else. The reason he attempted terraforming was for his own survival.”
At Nigel’s unexpected words, Zeon and Tesserina looked at each other.
Even Tesserina, who came from Kurayan, could only blink in shock at a truth she was hearing for the first time.
“You’re saying… Lord Krasias terraformed Earth to survive himself?”
“That’s right. If he truly cared for the beings of Kurayan, he would have poured everything into terraforming without leaving anything behind. But he left residual will—he left room. What do you think that means?”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. Knowing he would be destroyed by the backlash of terraforming, he left behind seeds for resurrection. The more one absorbs the residual will, the more their own personality disappears, and Krasias’s will takes over. I realized that far too late.”
“…!”
Zeon let out a low groan.
All the doubts and suspicions he had held until now were resolved at once.
Nigel might not know, but Zeon had encountered many beings who had absorbed Krasias’s residual will.
The parasite that had infested Tesserina’s original body, Kalinan in the Forest of Origin, Dantal in the Steel Fortress, and Pilgrim, who had been killed by Nigel.
All of them had undergone drastic evolution after absorbing Krasias’s residual will.
Beings that had surpassed the limits of their species.
Such evolution without any cost was impossible.
“The more residual will one absorbs, the stronger they become…”
“And the stronger they become, the more they are dominated by Krasias’s personality.”
“My god…”
At the horrifying truth, Tesserina covered her mouth.
“The most frightening part is this—those who have absorbed Krasias’s will can sense each other’s presence. If they are too far apart, they won’t know, but within dozens of kilometers, they become aware of one another. And at that moment, they are consumed by the urge to devour the other’s residual will and grow stronger.”
“Then killing Pilgrim and absorbing his residual will…”
“That’s right. The will inside me drove me to do it.”
“For someone as powerful as you to be swayed by something like that… it’s hard to believe.”
“You must believe it. Because it is the truth.”
“…!”
Zeon fell into thought.
Now he finally understood why Krasias had scattered his residual will across the world.
‘The residual will grows by devouring other residual wills. It keeps repeating that process of growth. And in the end, it is reborn—not as fragmented will, but as a complete being with a full identity. He isn’t trying to return as residual will… he intends to be reborn here as a complete existence with full power.’
The more he thought about it, the more chilling it became.
A transcendent being capable of terraforming an entire planet refusing to accept destruction—and attempting to be reborn in such a way—was terrifying.
“Damn it…”
“Curse all you want. I did the same. To think I would be reborn not as myself, but as Krasias.”
“How many beings have absorbed Krasias’s residual will?”
“Not many remain now. The strong have devoured all the weak. Soon, the few that remain will go to war.”
“Whoever the final victor is… will be reborn as Krasias.”
“I won’t allow that. I will crush them all and seal the crystals containing the residual will.”
A fierce smile spread across Nigel’s face.
Zeon knew well how strong Nigel was. And yet, he could not shake off his unease.
“Are you confident?”
“There is nothing I cannot do.”
“…For the future of Earth, I suppose I must root for you.”
“Sand mage.”
“Yes?”
“You will serve as my insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“Yes. Insurance.”
Nigel looked at Zeon and smiled.
---
Zeon stared blankly at the object in his hand.
In his hand was a black gauntlet.
It was something Nigel had left behind.
After giving Zeon the black gauntlet, Nigel had left Arkelon.
Only after Nigel departed did everyone aboard Arkelon return to normal.
They were relieved that Nigel was gone, but Zeon’s mind was anything but at ease.
“…Haa.”
“No need to sigh like that. It just means Lord Nigel acknowledges and trusts you that much.”
Tesserina, who was beside him, tried to reassure him.
She had been just as shocked, but as expected of a dragon with immense mental strength, she had quickly regained her composure.
Zeon looked at the gauntlet and asked,
“I suppose I have to use it?”
“It’s an item created with Lord Nigel’s authority. And considering his request, it would be best to equip it.”
“…Haa. I guess I have no choice.”
With a sigh, Zeon put on the black gauntlet.
It fit perfectly, as if it had always belonged to him.
“Whether I like it or not, it seems I’ll be living with this thing for the rest of my life.”
“Hehe. It suits you.”
“That’s a relief.”
Zeon nodded and looked at the black gauntlet.
The matte black surface had a strange quality that drew one’s gaze.
At that moment, someone approached him.
“Lord Zeon!”
It was Serion.
She looked at him with a worried expression.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“That person earlier… could it be…”
“Yes. A dragon.”
“As I thought…”
Serion nodded as if she had expected it.
Letting out a faint sigh, she said,
“If I told anyone that we met a dragon in the middle of the desert, no one would believe me.”
“There’s a dragon living in Neo Seoul too, so what’s so surprising?”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Serion nodded at Tesserina’s words.
“There’s no need to be surprised by something like this. This is only the beginning. A massive change is coming.”
“That’s a bit much for the nerves of a fragile elf to handle.”
“Hah. Someone hearing that would think you’re actually fragile.”
“You may think that, Lady Tesserina, but I’m really just an ordinary elf.”
“An ordinary elf who became the guardian of other races in Neo Seoul for over a hundred years? No one would believe that.”
“That was just out of necessity…”
“No need to make excuses. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
“I’ll trust you, Lady Tesserina.”
“Trust Zeon more than me.”
“I will.”
Serion nodded immediately and looked at Zeon.
Even in Kurayan, she had never seen dragons this frequently.
Dragons were absolute beings and were never friendly toward elves or humans.
They regarded humans as nothing more than dirt beneath their claws.
And yet, for some reason, those very dragons were extremely favorable toward Zeon.
With such strength, one would expect arrogance, but Zeon had none of that.
He always tried to remain quiet, as if he weren’t even there.
If Zeon had been power-hungry, Neo Seoul might have already faced a terrible disaster.
Serion felt relieved that Zeon had such a calm nature.
Thud! Thud!
Even as Serion was lost in thought, Arkelon steadily continued walking.
Three days passed like that.
Then suddenly, Arkelon came to a stop.
“What is this? Why has it stopped?”
Pabilsa looked around with a puzzled expression.
There was nothing but desert.
Only an endless sea of sand stretched before them—there was nothing that could have caused Arkelon to stop.
At that moment, Tesserina, who was atop Arkelon’s head, spoke.
“A barrier.”
“A barrier?”
“A great barrier has been spread across this entire area.”
Though invisible to human eyes, it was clearly visible to Tesserina.
The unusual flow of mana surrounding the area—
It was a phenomenon that only appeared when a great barrier was deployed.
At that moment, Zeon came out from inside.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Then… this is the destination?”
“Yes. The Forest of Origin is inside.”
“The Forest of Origin…”
Hearing their conversation, Serion was startled and raised her voice.
“Wait! There’s a forest inside there?”
“Yes.”
“You’re saying there’s really a forest in the middle of the desert?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible…”
Just as Serion stared at the great barrier in disbelief—
Suddenly, the space rippled, and dark elves with pointed ears appeared.
They were dark elves.
“My god…”
The dark elves seemed startled by the appearance of the massive turtle, but soon discovered Zeon and smiled.
“Lord Zeon! You’ve arrived.”