Chapter 138: Home (VI)

Boom! Boom!

Despite being several kilometers away, Fin could hear the deafening sounds that filled her with worry.

Everyone must be safe…

She didn’t know exactly what was happening, but she knew monsters were attacking their home. And in the midst of this battle, where those loud noises originated, was the master she served. In such an extraordinary situation, all Fin could do was clasp her hands together and pray fervently for Louis and the twins’ safety.

Suddenly, the continuous explosions ceased.

Fin looked up. “Is it… over?” She dared to hope just a little.

And at that moment…

Whoosh!

Louis and the twins appeared near Cris. Seeing Fin’s delighted face, they hurriedly flew towards her.

“Louis! Twins!”

Despite Fin’s enthusiastic greeting, Louis remained grim-faced.

He turned to Fin and said, “Get ready. They’ll be swarming here soon.”

“Oh…” A hint of fear flickered across Fin’s face.

Louis’s words meant that the forward defense line had been breached—despite three hatchlings being out there.

Fin quickly banished her fear and stoked her determination.

Meanwhile, Louis handed some elixirs to the twins while popping a few himself into his mouth.

This was to replenish their depleted mana levels.

Munch, munch, munch.

Watching the twins vigilantly scanning their surroundings even as they sipped their elixirs, Louis couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

These two… They’re true dragons after all.

Though usually troublemakers, in times like these, they proved themselves invaluable allies with unwavering resolve.

Despite their youth, Louis was once again reminded that both Khan and Kani were indeed dragons. Having restored some of his mana with the medicinal herb, he quickly began drawing motion crystals around them. As he completed roughly three designs…

Crunch… Crunch-crunch.

The surrounding forest trembled, accompanied by an ominous sensation.

“Louis!”

“We’re here!”

The twins tensed up, staring into the woods. Louis felt equally anxious. Soon, what made all three hatchlings nervous appeared before them.

Keeeeeer.

A spine-chilling cry echoed as a massive creature emerged from the forest first.

It’s him!

There was no doubt about it. It was the strange-looking monster that had shot at him from the cliff earlier. The same beast. In no time, countless other monsters followed behind it like a rising tide, encircling them completely.

The mysterious monster stepped forward, with its army of minions at its back. A low rumble emanated from it:

Louis’s face hardened at the sinister voice.

So we were their target after all.

White dragon. That could mean either Louis or his mother—or both. Regardless, it didn’t matter to him. He had no intention of dying himself, nor would he let his mother perish.

With a snap of his fingers, two of the three crystals activated, forming a black whirlwind while the third created a spatial distortion field around them.

As if this was the signal they’d been waiting for…

Fssshhh…

Another wave of monsters surged towards them, accompanied by an unsettling energy. Witnessing this, Louis muttered through gritted teeth:

“You’ll regret ever setting foot on our land.”

Steeled in his resolve, Louis charged towards the enigmatic creature leading the invasion.

“We’re coming too!” The twins followed closely behind.

“Ah…”

Fin couldn’t help but fidget as she watched the battle unfolding outside the distortion field. Louis and the twins were holding back countless monsters, yet despite dispatching so many, even more seemed to surge forward. Their valiant efforts barely made a dent in the endless waves of creatures.

The trio moved with boldness across the battlefield, alternating between transformation and dragonification. Yet beneath this daring display lay an air of extreme peril. These were monsters unafraid of dragons—how long could Louis and the twins withstand their relentless onslaught?

As Fin observed from within the safety of the distortion field, her heart raced with anxiety.

I need to find some way to help them…

Though she had honed only a few offensive sacred scriptures herself.

Though her mastery was lacking due to recent acquisition, wouldn’t it be better than having no skills at all? Fin shook her head as she dismissed the thought.

No, my priority now is protecting Lady Cris.

Why else would Louis stubbornly face the monsters when he could easily escape? It was all for his mother within the crystal. With this in mind, Fin cast every protective spell she knew around the crystal, hoping against hope that Madam Louis would remain unscathed.

Just then…

Buzz.

A vibrating sound emanated from somewhere nearby. Absorbed in casting protective spells, Fin failed to hear it.

Buzz buzz.

The sound repeated, yet Fin remained oblivious, her focus unwavering on safeguarding the crystal.

The monstrous roars and explosions from all directions were sufficient to drown out any small vibration sounds.

Buzz buzz.

At that moment, Fin hearing the vibration sound was really a coincidence.

”…What is this sound?”

It was clearly different from the distorted screams outside.

Buzz buzz buzz.

As if trying to draw attention to its existence, Fin cocked her head at the peculiar noise. Yet there wasn’t anything nearby emitting such vibrations.

Buzz.

Once again, the vibration sounded.

“Ah…!”

Finally, Fin realized what it must be—the sound was coming from within her own pocket dimension. She hastily opened it up.

Her space contained various items needed for assisting the dragon, along with miscellaneous objects Louis had passed on to her.

Amidst it all, Fin discovered an object emitting a vibrating sound. Her eyes widened in recognition.

“This is…!”

The source of the vibration was none other than a communication stone—a relic from Louis, who had handed it over when he was purging unnecessary items, claiming they wouldn’t need it for years.

As the signal grew faint, Fin hastily channeled energy into the stone, her voice trembling as she called out:

“H-hello?”

No sooner had she spoken than a desperate voice came through on the other end:

The voice on the other end was a tapestry of urgency, joy, and concern. It wasn’t supposed to be heard for several years yet.

Fin responded promptly:

“Genelocer!”

There was no immediate response to Fin’s call, but it didn’t last long.

“Yes! I’m Fin here!”

“Louis is currently… Oh no… L-Louis is in danger!”

“It’s just that…”

“I-I’m not sure exactly where it is. Just somewhere in the straits between Spring and Summer Continents…”

“Well…”

Fin didn’t know how to describe this place. She genuinely had no idea about its location.

At that moment, Fin glanced at Crystal and exclaimed with delight:

“Oh! It’s where Louis’s mother resides!”

“T-That’s…”

With those words, the communication stone went dark.

Clutching it tightly, Fin prayed silently:

Please… please come quickly, Lord Genelocer.

She desperately wanted him to arrive as soon as possible.

While Fin communicated with Genelocer,

Louis was left tongue-tied.

Damn, this is never going to end!

He couldn’t even remember how many monsters they had defeated so far. They unleashed all sorts of sacred scriptures regardless of their number or type while Louis’s twin brother swung his sword vigorously enough to draw lightning from the heavens, drenching himself in sweat in the process.

On top of that, he’d been sucking down emergency-use medicinal herbs at regular intervals…

And yet the waves of monsters continued unabated.

At this rate, we’ll wear ourselves out before them.

They tried taking out the creature controlling the other monsters first, but it proved too cunning; whenever Louis approached, it sacrificed some of its minions to create a diversion and escaped narrowly each time.

It was as if Louis and the twins were waiting for their opponents to tire themselves out. As this situation continued, Louis gritted his teeth.

It’s time for a risky move!

Louis sent a message to the twins:

The twins nodded in response to Louis’s message. True to their reputation as skilled actors, they feigned extreme fatigue while slowly backing away.

Louis did the same. He halted his advance, exercised utmost restraint against using the Sacred Scripture, and began retreating.

Meanwhile, four eyes watched this scene unfold.

The creature that had uttered these chilling words before advanced gradually once again.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in Louis’s eyes.

Come a little closer.

Louis waited until his opponent was perfectly within range. When he and the twins had retreated behind their final line of defense—spatial distortion fields—

Now!

Louis’s eyes flashed as he transformed into a dragon and soared into the sky. Soaring high above, Louis dove towards the monster like a hawk targeting its prey.

Sensing this, the creature’s movements suddenly sped up.

Of course, Louis wasn’t about to miss his chance.

I’ve been waiting for this moment!

In an instant, Louis created spatial distortions that impeded the creature’s movement. At the same time, he hurled his Extreme Fire Sword at it.

Kwaaang!

A deafening explosion accompanied by intense heat erupted from ahead. Louis, who had been closely observing his opponent, flinched as he spotted something through the hazy smoke—a massive tentacle hurtling towards him. He swiftly dodged it and got a clear look at his adversary.

Fizzle…

The creature bore faint burn marks on its body—marks that were rapidly healing before his eyes.

What kind of resistance is this?!

Louis had believed his Extreme Fire Sword would surely inflict damage, but the monster appeared almost unscathed.

I thought controlling other monsters meant it wouldn’t be strong itself!

He was sorely mistaken. The creature’s resilience and regenerative abilities far exceeded Louis’s expectations.

But Louis wasn’t one to give up so easily.

If once won’t do it…

His eyes gleamed as he spun mid-air, transforming back into human form.

The tentacles immediately targeted him.

Wham!

Despite aiming for Louis, the tentacle as thick as a log missed its mark; Louis had already vanished from that spot.

Whoosh!

Predicting Louis’s spatial movement, another tentacle lunged at him again.

Whoosh!

Yet once more, Louis evaded effortlessly, as if anticipating their attack.

And that was when things truly began—Louis started his artistic display of dodging maneuvers.

By the narrowest margin, mere inches away, Louis escaped every single assault.

Every time Louis evaded the creature’s attacks and moved, a black energy lingered in the spots he had just occupied.

How much time passed?

Louis used spatial movement countless times before finally appearing directly in front of the monster.

“Huff… huff!” Louis panted roughly, his face pale as he struggled to catch his breath from exhaustion. Yet despite his weary appearance, his eyes sparkled brightly with determination.

Skreeeeeee! The beast let out an ear-piercing scream, perhaps frustrated by its repeated failures to catch Louis.

In response, Louis flashed it a sly grin.

Click.

The tips of Louis’s fingers touched each other, producing a clear, crisp sound. It was then that all his previous arrangements came together perfectly.

The spatial attribute energy Louis had scattered around the monster began to move simultaneously, forming motion crystals.

Skreeee?

Sensing something amiss, the creature tried to escape, but it was too late.

Zzzz.

As the resonating motion crystals emitted a blinding light, they materialized into an enormous sword above the beast’s head.

“This is going to hurt.”

Louis’s sinister grin widened as he initiated the vertical descent of a colossal Extreme Fire Sword, easily over 164 feet long, directly towards their target.

Krrrk!

With a deafening impact, the massive blade struck true, sending Louis flying from the force of the aftershock.

Louis had poured everything into this final attack, leaving him without the strength to maintain his physical form.

“Louis!”

“Louis!”

“Lord Louis!”

The surprised twins hastily caught Louis and retreated with him in their arms. They found themselves near Cris by now. The only good thing was that Louis’s attack seemed to have halted the monster army for the moment.

Huff… huff…

As he struggled to breathe heavily while keeping an eye on the front, Fin approached Louis from behind.

“So… so is it over?” she asked tentatively.

Upon hearing her question, Louis felt a sudden surge of frustration. Despite feeling like he might die at any second, he couldn’t help but snap back angrily:

“Hey, Fin!”

“Yes… yes?”

“I told you not to say stuff like that!”

“What? Uh… What do you mean?”

“You know! Like how we’re gonna be fine or whatever!”

“Huh? Why’s it matter?”

“Well, because…”

Just as Louis was about to explain further, an ominous sound came from up ahead.

Crunch-crunch.

A strange resonance echoed through the air, followed by a chilling cry:

Kreeeee!

The smoke and dust cleared, revealing the creature they’d been fighting. Despite having two-thirds of its body blown away, it still breathed and regenerated rapidly.

Louis finished his explanation at the sight of this. “See what I mean? Whenever you say something like that, our enemies always come back to life somehow.”

It was almost like there was some kind of universal resurrection spell in effect here.

“Ohhhh…” Louis sighed heavily and tried to get up on shaky legs. “Ugh!”

“You guys… Can you do more?”

“Yes! We can!”

“Louis… Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Louis forced a smile for his concerned twins, but inside, he wasn’t doing so well. His overworked dragon heart was sputtering, and to make matters worse, the monster’s body had almost fully regenerated.

Its regenerative ability that could repair more than two-thirds of its damaged flesh in just a few seconds was truly impressive.

This is insane! Is it an amoeba or something?!

Louis gritted his teeth.

Oh boy, this is not good…

The dragon heart screamed in agony as their attacks seemed futile against the beast. To top it off, there were signs of movement from the monster army once again. The situation couldn’t get any worse, and gloom settled over Louis’s eyes at that moment.

Krak!

A black meteorite fell from the sky.