Chapter 176

Chapter 176

"I'm fine."

I turned back to look at the Black Dragon. After its breath attack ended, it stood there gasping loudly.

Its body was covered in wounds of all sizes, with thick, black, corrupted blood pouring out from each one.

The black corrupted blood ran down from the wounds, tracing along its scales.

It flowed down its trembling legs that could barely hold its body up, all the way to the crystal-blue floor of the Crystal Lake.

Pooling into a small dark lake.

I understood immediately.

It was spent. That last breath attack had been its final desperate move.

Just staying on its feet right now was probably taking everything it had left.

"Still won't go down......"

I smiled and walked forward.

"Then let me finish this!"

I burst forward at full speed, channeling every bit of strength into my blade as a brilliant white arc of light shot straight for its skull.

The Black Dragon only managed a weak, symbolic raise of its scarred front claw.

Too slow.

It couldn't stop a strike like this. Nothing could.

The gleaming blade tore through scales, muscle, and bone without losing a beat, bursting clean out the other side.

The Black Dragon's head flew high into the air.

After landing, I casually flicked the blade, shaking off the filth that wasn't even there.

The Shadow had been purified the moment it touched the blade.

Then the massive head came crashing down.

It hit the crystal floor and splattered black corruption everywhere.

I turned around.

The Black Dragon's body slowly toppled over.

"Wow......"

The Youngest Princess stood there staring, completely stunned.

I turned the blade back into a key and put it away without thinking.

I made a point of ignoring the Youngest Princess's starry-eyed gaze and headed toward the platform.

Just a kid looking up to someone. That's all.

"Come on, let's get up to the platform."

"Oh......"

The Youngest Princess followed behind me as we climbed the steps.

The Eldest Princess was still trapped in the barrier tree. She looked up at the sound of footsteps.

She studied the two of us with a look of surprise.

"I've lost count of how many times I've said this, but you never stop surprising me."

I smiled and shook my head, then just dropped down and sat on the ground.

I was actually pretty tired. I shifted into a more comfortable position and asked,

"So, what's the situation now?"

"Don't worry. The Sunsteal Runic Array has been fully purified. I've taken back control here.

The Shadow's forces won't be growing anymore."

I nodded, then added,

"By the way, The Shadow is still attacking the power towers down below. They might make it up here soon."

"They won't. Once you made it up here, I cut off the teleportation array. Now that the Sunsteal Runic Array is fully purified, the Shadow has no way to reactivate the array without going through me."

The Eldest Princess continued,

"Most of the Salt Fortress's systems have already been corrupted by The Shadow. To protect myself, I had to cut all connections between the Sunsteal Runic Array and the Salt Fortress for the time being.

That means the Sunsteal Runic Array we're standing in right now is completely separate from the fortress below.

And at this height, The Shadow can't do anything to us.

We're safe here."

"What do we do next?" the Youngest Princess asked from beside me.

The Eldest Princess looked at her and answered, "Next, I'll gradually purify the corruption in the circuits and take back control of the fortress one step at a time."

I followed up, "Will it be hard?"

"No. With the Sunsteal Runic Array behind me, it'll just be a one-sided war of attrition. Once the Runic Array was purified, the Shadow's attack had already failed."

"Do you need my help?"

The Eldest Princess shook her head. "This is delicate work. There's not much you can do."

"Fair enough." I shifted my position to get more comfortable.

Might as well rest for a bit.

"What about me?" the Youngest Princess asked.

"You either. This is something only I can handle."

"Okay."

The Eldest Princess turned to look at me.

"Knight."

"I'm here."

"I'm sorry to say, the plan we talked about — killing The Shadow's core — that's not happening anytime soon."

"Yeah."

"At least not until I've retaken this fortress and driven The Shadow's core back underground."

"I know."

"We're not ready yet. Not even close. The Shadow is far more troublesome than I expected. To make sure we succeed, I need much more preparation, and that's not going to happen overnight."

The Eldest Princess went on, "After everything that happened, I realize we completely underestimated The Shadow.

One weapon alone probably isn't enough to charge into The Shadow's lair and kill it.

Please take this weapon with you when you go. You helped us through this crisis, so the weapon is the least you deserve.

Honestly, I feel like it's still not enough. You found the power of a knight on your own.

This blade only amplifies what you already have.

But unfortunately, I've lost control of the Salt Fortress, so I can't give you more right now."

The Eldest Princess looked at me with complete sincerity.

"Don't worry, I'll have more to offer next time. Please take the blade and don't argue about it."

"Of course." I nodded and accepted.

The Eldest Princess turned to the Youngest Princess.

"There's also something I need to ask of you, Youngest Princess."

"What is it?"

The Eldest Princess spoke with a hint of apology in her voice.

"I'd like you to come back and sing for me every now and then."

"What?" The Youngest Princess looked completely lost, and then her expression slowly turned a little strange.

I glanced over too.

The Eldest Princess paused, then seemed to realize how that sounded.

"No, what I mean is, your singing seems to do more than just purify The Shadow. It also helps ease my condition."

"Your condition?" The Youngest Princess wasn't quite following.

I spoke up. "You mean your sleep? Or... your death?"

"Yes." The Eldest Princess nodded.

"Just hearing it for that short while earlier, the exhaustion and pain that had been building in my mind for so long — it lifted quite a bit."

The Eldest Princess then looked at the Youngest Princess.

"I need time.

More time while I'm still awake.

At least until I've taken back this fortress and driven The Shadow away, I can't die yet."

The Youngest Princess hesitated, then nodded.

The Eldest Princess continued,

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to stay here. Just come by once in a while.

With you here, I'll have the upper hand in the fight against The Shadow over the magical circuits."

"No problem!" The Youngest Princess agreed without hesitation.

"Eldest Princess......"

I hesitated, struggling to find the words.

This was only a dream. In real history, both the Eldest Princess and the Youngest Princess had already faded into the past long ago. What remained here was nothing more than a dream someone had left behind thousands of years ago.

"You'll all leave. I know that." The Eldest Princess smiled and spoke first.