Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 775 - Bone Dragon

Chapter 775 -775 Bone Dragon

The current location was the basement of the Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy situated in the Interstice, but turning to look behind, there was no door on the wall covered with disgusting black mucus that would allow Shard to leave, thus the flame split by Sister Delphine was indeed very important.

Even indoors, the place was shrouded in fog, different from that of the real world. The former was just damp and cold, but the chill of the latter couldn’t be stopped by clothing.

At the same time, during the previous forays into the Interstice, only the physical state was affected. However, this time upon entering the Interstice, the spiritual influence that was unique to Relics finally emerged.

When he began standing in place and conversing with “her,” Shard didn’t feel too uncomfortable. But as soon as he started to walk away, each step intensified the strange disorienting feeling, similar to being half-asleep, into something far worse.

By the time Shard reached the basement stairs, he had to support himself against the wall to rest. Luckily, he was still under the protection of Divine Afterglow State, and with the help of the Ever-Youth Leaf and the simple amulet he had created based on Elven Knowledge, he gradually adapted to the place after resting for several minutes.

Knowing time was short, Shard didn’t linger any longer and hurriedly left the basement. Perhaps because all the windows in the corridor were shattered, the fog on the first floor of the castle was even more exaggerated than in the basement.

The castle in the Interstice was somewhat different from the real one, so Shard didn’t waste time looking for the main doors, choosing instead to exit through a window into the overgrown courtyard of the castle.

Thanks to his plant collection task for Mr. Copus last week, he had gleaned a bit about the plant species that could thrive in the Interstice. Thus, Shard was able to identify several rare plants among them, including Corpse Grass, Serpent Heart Herb, and Rotten Soul Flower.

The lush growth of these plants also indirectly indicated that the power balance between life and death within the Interstice had been completely lost.

From the location of the Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy, the distance to the seal on the mountainside was actually shorter than the journey to the Nature Chapel in the city center. However, Shard thought it more likely for Joey Barton to appear at the foot of the mountain, so he headed towards the city anyway.

The further loss of control in the Interstice had caused significant spatial distortions. Shard discovered that the abnormal space even caused dangerous areas like “looping alleys” and fractured spaces to appear inside the Interstice.

In the course of his progress, he encountered such a looping alley, a seemingly endless stretch of alleyway in which one could never reach the exit that appeared to be just in sight.

His keen senses alerted him to the irregularity, and fortunately, he also possessed Spatial Power. Following “her” suggestion, he drew a circle with the Night Watchman beneath his feet, then knelt on one knee, drove the sword hilt into the Earth below, resting his forehead on the hilt:

“Spatial Stabilization Aura!”

A distinct sound of shattering glass reverberated around him. When he looked up again, the decaying alley within the fog appeared unchanged. But after walking just a few steps forward, he left the confines of the alley:

“Worthy of an Angel-Level Relic, it’s a pity…”

After waving his longsword a few times, producing a whooshing sound, Shard solemnly sheathed it and continued into the veiled, ancient city.

The Interstice’s suppression of sound meant that even if a Steam Bomb exploded in the distance, Shard was likely unable to hear it. However, the fog only had a normal effect on obstructing the spread of light, so from a high vantage point, he could still observe occurrences in the vicinity.

The first large-scale anomaly Shard encountered was a flock of crows flying over his head. At the time, he thought a dark cloud had appeared overhead, but when he looked up, he saw that it was a dense mass of black birds.

He was standing on the spire of a marble building at the Five-Forked Road, which was the Carsonrick Commercial Bank in the real world. As he leaned on the gargoyle statue, trying to figure out his next step, the swarm of crows came flying in.

Shard quickly hid behind the massive gargoyle statue, squinting to see someone flying above the crows.

“High Ring Sorcerer?”

He couldn’t tell from the distance, but soon, he understood why the figure was flying at high altitudes. Further into the thick fog, a giant shadow swiftly emerged, eventually bursting through the fog layer and appearing above Shard’s head.

It was a huge skeleton with wings on its back and a long tail studded with bone spurs, with red lights flickering in its eye sockets. When it appeared, it was as if there was a gravitational pull around the skeleton that attracted all gaze, and no line of sight could escape its presence. As an immortal creature from the Interstice, the bone dragon had an extremely contaminating presence. Even Shard did not dare look at it for too long.

“Oh, my Mia, a bone dragon!”

Compared to the bone dragons Shard encountered in the Valley of Dead Silence during the Fifth Era, this one was noticeably smaller and less oppressive. Even so, this was a genuine bone dragon, the most formidable undead creature one could encounter in the modern Sixth Era under normal circumstances.

“I knew it, there’s more than just evil spirits in the Interstice of Life and Death.”

He tried to make himself as small as possible, hoping that neither the flock of crows overhead nor the bone dragon would notice him. But as if to respond to Shard’s thoughts, the terrifying airborne undead let out a dull roar, swung its neck from side to side, and then spewed a deadly black breath forward.

The crows couldn’t dodge in time, and like wheat harvested by a scythe, they fell from the sky in droves. The man who had been flying with the flock of crows also plummeted to the ground, and although he managed to slow his descent at the last moment with a sorcery similar to “Feather Spell,” he seemed badlly injured.

Unfortunately, the spot where he landed was right below the rooftop where Shard was, at the Five-Forked Road.

Clutching a large book with a yellow cover, the man staggered to his feet, immediately called out his Eleven-Ring Life Ring, and prepared for battle, while the flying bone dragon also lowered its altitude.

Flapping its wings, it glided low over the ground, which was paved with long stone bricks, and spewed black breath as it skimmed the surface. Even at a considerable distance, Shard could clearly sense how terrifying the breath, infused with death, plague, and curse powers, was.

The Five-Forked Road was spacious, and the surrounding shops appeared long abandoned, allowing ample room for dodging. But as the breath swept across from left to right, the unknown High Ring Sorcerer had no choice but to stand his ground and resist.

Holding the book up high, he opened a page and allowed an eggshell-like protective layer to form around him, taking the full brunt of the attack.

“Familiar arcane technique that looks like the Heaton Seal from the Sun Church? No, it looks more like something from Zaras Academy of Sorcery… Oh!”

Having already spewed its breath across the ground, the bone dragon gained altitude again, and while the black fog on the ground had yet to clear, it spotted Shard hiding behind the gargoyle from above.

Boom!

His body spinning in mid-air, the enormous tail with sharp bone spurs swept fiercely towards him. The rooftop was only so large, and Shard had no way to dodge; he could only leap vigorously into the air. Behind him, the spire-topped marble building had been completely destroyed.

Adjusting his posture in the air, he subconsciously wanted to use “Sunlight Ray,” or rather, “Sunlight Cannon,” to strike at the bone dragon’s head. But he immediately realized that there would be many more battles to come, and he absolutely couldn’t afford to waste too much Spirit here.

“Lagre’s Leap.”

As the bone dragon’s massive head lunged to bite at Shard, he had already vanished into the air, appearing against the wall of a building on the southeast corner of the street. With a fierce push off with his feet, he used the power of sorcery to spring away, dodging another swipe of the bone dragon’s tail. Mid-leap, the chain hidden in his sleeve shot out, wrapping around the flagpole of a protruding window on the southwest side of a building.

Swinging hard on the chain, he circled halfway overhead at the Five-Forked Road, then rolled on the ground to dissipate the force before getting up steadily and standing firmly on the ground.

The bone dragon’s breath on the ground had gradually dissipated, and that supposed Eleven-Ring Sorcerer from Zaras seemed to still be alive, but he was down on the ground, struggling to get up, looking severely injured.

Shard ran quickly toward him, then the two of them rolled on the ground together, avoiding the bone dragon’s diving claws. Those claws left two deep gouges in the already shattered ground.

“Sir, are you alright?”

He looked poisoned, and Shard helped him to his feet, trying to take cover inside a nearby building while rummaging in his pocket for twigs to detoxify him. On closer inspection, Shard noticed the emblem of Zaras Academy of Sorcery indeed emblazoned on the book the Eleven-Ring Sorcerer was holding.

If it weren’t for the suppression of their powers in the Interstice, even if the professor lost, he wouldn’t have been defeated so miserably. Shard remembered how, in the Valley of Dead Silence, Miss Orland, a Thirteenth Rank Witch, had used only one move, “Moonlight Greatsword,” to defeat an opponent even more ferocious than the bone dragon overhead. Even if the current Circle Sorcerer System wasn’t as powerful as the Witch System, an Eleven-Ring had the qualifications to fight a bone dragon.

“I’m fine, it just appeared so suddenly, and I’m not adept at dealing with flying creatures,” said the brown-haired middle-aged professor, spitting blood.

The two of them had already taken refuge inside a building near the intersection that looked like a haunted house, and the bone dragon, having regained altitude, had not found them for the moment. But it did not leave either and was hovering in the thick fog above the intersection.

“Where did that thing come from?”

Shard asked curiously while detoxifying, but the bone dragon’s toxin was not within his ability to handle. After a moment’s thought, he found the solution in his Elven Knowledge. Then, he took out a fresh green leaf from his pocket, wrote Elven Runes representing “Health” and “Strength” on it with a fountain pen, and used both the leaf and the twig as Spellcasting Materials to perform detoxification.

By doing so, he effectively cast an “Enhanced Detoxification,” and although it used up more of his Spirit, the effect was very clear.

“Thank you. My name is Raven Ogle… That dragon, it flew down with me from Sicarl Mountain. The Chosen One summoned It, that terrible dwarf has gone mad, he’s trying to fuse with a Level 0 Relic. Although human souls have their limits, he certainly can control a few powerful undead individuals at once. This dragon, originally Sleeping in the deep of Sicarl Mountain, according to the records, was killed by a witch in the early years of the Fifth Era.”

The professor said to the young man in the mask, not concealing these details. Shard frowned slightly:

“Joey Barton is on the mountain?”

The green light in his hand was expelling the toxin, and the professor’s complexion seemed much improved:

“Although I don’t know who you are, you are here for the Chosen One too… Yes, on the mountain, the Church has already spotted him, he seems to be heading for the summit.”

“Did I guess wrong?”

Shard was somewhat surprised, but then he thought that things might not be so simple.

“However, the witches also sent a message, Joey Barton was seen near the middle of the mountain.”

The professor added, and Shard nodded, knowing he couldn’t jump to conclusions yet:

“Professor, is it alright to tell me, a stranger, all this?”

The middle-aged professor leaning against the filthy wall smiled a bit:

“Even if I tell you, what can you do? The Interstice is already in chaos; if you’re willing to go up the mountain to stop Joey Barton, that would be more than welcome, wouldn’t it? Besides, you saved me; I should repay you.”

“Alright, is there a way to deal with that dragon outside? If it doesn’t leave, neither can we,” Shard said, and then added:

“I’m not high level; I can’t beat it.” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

“Answer me one thing first, your accent sounds like you’re hiding something in your mouth, you’re alone in a dangerous place, wearing a black coat, of average build… Are you a ‘God Summoner’?”

“That question has no meaning right now.”

“True.”

The Enhanced Detoxification was finished, and the professor from Zaras tried to stand up but held his forehead as if feeling dizzy:

“I have a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic on me that can deal with it, but it needs preparation time, which is why I didn’t use it just now. You take it and go defeat that bone dragon. As payment, the Relic is yours, but you must swear to the deity you worship to help me deliver a letter to the Nature Chapel in the Interstice.”

Shard pondered briefly:

“I’m glad you can trust me. That relic, it’s my reward for saving you, and the reward for delivering the letter is for me to open it and check the contents.”

The professor hesitated slightly:

“Very well.”

He opened his hefty tome that looked to be several hundred pages thick, and stopped somewhat towards the back. The left page was filled with dense, tiny letters while the right page depicted with extremely fine strokes, a white crystal stone containing a dragon inside.

He placed his hand over the page on the right, then with a swift motion, he seemed to “grab” the white crystal stone out of the paper. Simultaneously, the tiny letters on the left and the drawing on the right disappeared, as the Eleven-Ring Sorcerer sealed the relic into the book using an unknown method:

“This is now yours. A Keeper of Secrets Level Relic, the [Higgs Dragonhead Stone]. It can only be used when slaying dragons. The target must not only possess a ‘dragon’ attribute but also be at least ten times the user’s size; otherwise, it won’t trigger its trait. Holding this stone still, watching the target for more than ten seconds, allows you to use Dragon Breath once…”

He paused for a moment:

“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking, and it requires very little exertion on yourself. The breath is only effective against dragons, on non-dragon targets it will only have an intimidating effect. The negative trait is that there’s a certain probability that after using the stone, the user will irreversibly transform into a mad Dragonhead humanoid, but the likelihood is very low. To contain it, simply place it in pure table salt.”

The white crystal stone in his hand felt rough on the surface, even causing a painful sensation when held tightly. On close inspection of the cloudy interior of the crystal stone, there was not only the ingeniously detailed white-haired dragon that looked as if it had been miniaturized and sealed within the crystal, but one could also make out a line of tiny letters. These weren’t any of the scripts Shard was familiar with, and didn’t even seem to be from a human civilization:

[If you’re a dragon, that would be all too perfect.]

“Are you sure that a dragon’s breath wielded by a human can defeat that Bone Dragon? Is this just a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic?”

Shard asked again.

“This relic specifically counters dragon species, especially impure ones such as Half-Blood Dragons and Undead Dragons. Moreover, even the lowest level relic can overcome the highest level relic when applied in the correct scenario. However, I must warn you, the attribute of the Dragon Breath you exude is related to your own strength. If you’re adept at using powers like flame, toxin, or thunder, you may end up with a hoarse throat and severe lung damage after using the relic.”

This relic certainly made sense.

“No worries, I possess healing abilities.”

“Now, you too can become a Dragon Slayer.”

The professor joked, as he turned the pages of the book again, searching for potions to heal his own wounds. His body bore not only toxins but other injuries as well; the battles on Sicarl Mountain were fiercer than those in the city.

But Shard shook his head:

“What kind of Dragon Slayer am I? I’ve heard that the Chosen of Balance truly slew a Pureblood Great Dragon.”

“I’ve heard as well. But she is the protagonist of the Era, the destined hero meant to write epics. How can we compare with her?”

Clutching the Dragonhead Stone in hand, Shard left the building and returned to the Five-Forked Road. Looking up at the mist-covered sky, he caught a glimpse of the Bone Dragon circling overhead:

“Ten.”

The dragon did not notice Shard immediately, continuing to circle above.

“Nine.”

It still hadn’t located Shard, but he already felt the stone in his palm heating up, and a hot sensation in his lungs.

“Eight.”

The dragon’s movements slowed as it took three seconds finally to spot Shard.

“Seven.”

Seemingly confirming its target and gathering strength, the Bone Dragon didn’t dive immediately but roared in the dense fog. The sound was muffled due to the suppression of the Interstice, creating an abnormal heaviness. Shard immediately felt a mental oppression, a primal panic within his heart. This was the innate ability of dragon species, but of course, it had no effect on him.

“Six.”

The dragon dove, and Shard felt his lungs burning with pain as if aflame.

“Five.”

The Bone Dragon plunged down swiftly, like a meteorite crashing to the earth. Had it hit him directly, even with Shard’s current physical robustness, he would likely be shattered beyond recognition by Mia.

“Four.”

The dragon was almost upon him, the wind pressure and psychic contamination from its descent instinctively made Shard want to dodge. He suppressed that impulse, kissed the Moonstone Ring on his left hand, and aimed it upward:

“Muddle!”

“Three.”

Translucent yellow moonlight scattered across the sky, and the chaotic power influenced the Bone Dragon’s judgment as Joey Barton’s summoned entity. Its descent noticeably slowed, but due to the Bone Dragon’s inherent strength, the Arcane Technique [Muddle] did not cause it to turn against Shard.

“Two.”

Shard retracted his left hand, eyes fixed on the dragon hovering midair. He felt as if his chest was swelling, and the urge to vomit that threatened to burst forth made his entire upper body unbearably uncomfortable. The [Higgs Dragonhead Stone] in his left hand was endowing him with power using the Whisper Element—a highly dangerous act, as a slight mishap could plunge him into madness, transforming him into an actual dragon.

“One.”

The Bone Dragon shook its tail in the air, its crimson skull eye sockets staring down at Shard below.

Shard, with his mouth tightly shut, took a deep breath. From his eyes, nostrils, ears, and even the gaps between his lips, radiant silver light uncontrollably burst forth:

“Roar!”

The voice came first, followed by a shockwave from the sound waves that swept across the entire block. From Shard’s open mouth towards the sky, a dazzling beam of Moonlight, like a Light Cannon, shot straight up into the sky. The beam struck the Bone Dragon head-on and obliterated it within the light, then the Dragon Roar of the Silvermoon tore through the white mist in the sky, leaving a massive hole in the fog.

The silver Light Trace lingered in the sky, as if the light had left a permanent mark on the heavens. As bone fragments fell silently to the ground, Shard bent down, pressing his hands to the ground, and began coughing in agony:

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough, oh, my lungs feel like they are on fire. Isn’t the power of moonlight supposed to be completely harmless to the human body?”

[After all, you are a human, not a dragon.]

“She” was chuckling, seemingly quite pleased with the outcome.

“If this [Dragon Head Stone] could be used on any target, it would at least be of the Sage Level ranking.”

He took a water bottle out of his pocket and drank two sips of water treated with [Satiety Food], the cool sensation finally making his lungs feel a bit better.

Turning back to the building, Professor O’Gray of Zaras was still concocting a Magic Potion to heal himself. His injuries were not mere physical wounds, so Shard could not offer any help.

“You really are a God Summoner, although you are deliberately suppressing your own strength, that kind of silver moonlight is unmistakable.”

Seeing Shard return, the professor looked up and said. Shard shook his head:

“Give me the letter, I need to get to the Nature Chapel as soon as possible.”

“Was that your destination all along?”

“Since there are no answers, I can only trust my own guess…”

“Here is the letter. I actually suggest that you could cooperate with the Church to deal with Joey Barton together. If you show your sincerity, the Church would be glad to have the help of a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer.”

Shard shook his head, turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment before asking:

“Do you know where the Headmaster of Saint Byrons, the ‘Silver Guardian’ Professor Andre Pigman, is right now?”

Professor O’Gray, picking up a conical glass bottle, quietly asked:

“Then could I also ask you a question, God Summoner? This time, will you call upon a deity?”

“I have no answers either.”

The professor nodded:

“Then I understand. Professor Pigman hasn’t entered the Interstice; he’s in the real Midshire Fort.”

“The Church’s three Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers and the Academy’s Thirteen Ring haven’t come to the Interstice city?”

This just didn’t seem reasonable.

“If the Holy Tree Scar Ritual succeeds, as long as the Interstice doesn’t collapse at that time, it can at least push Midshire Fort’s problems back by three years, which is why we need enough High Ring Sorcerers at the Ritual Core on the mountain. Besides, the seal of the Nature Chapel is theoretically the most secure. The Church of Nature has occupied this place for a thousand years, operating in the Interstice since the beginning of this Era—do you really think they don’t have any additional measures?”

As he spoke, he tilted his head back and drank the purple potion in his hand. By the look on his face, it tasted awful. But, following that, the professor crunched up the thumb-sized glass bottle in his mouth, his expression grotesquely fierce:

“I’ve increased the content of a Magic Potion catalyst in the glass bottle I use during battles to enhance the effects of the potion. Oh, it’s not made of glass, it just sounds like it. I’m coughing blood, not cut by the bottle.”

With his mouth full of blood, he gave Shard a grin and waved another bottle in his hand:

“Want to try it? It’s my unique invention, although not many people are willing to use it, it’s definitely useful. The Academy has accepted my patent application, and it’s in the final review process now. I’m planning to research a few more flavors…”

Shard turned and ran, hoping this “unique invention” would never become widespread.