Chapter 285: Maha (2)

On the day Elvis and his travel party departed, Louis set out for the Maha.

“So this is the Maha…”

He had heard countless tales of this place, but this was his first time visiting it in person.

Louis shook his head at the dense fog blocking his path.

Just like the stories said.

No matter how hard he strained his vision, he couldn’t see through the mist.

An impenetrable fog that traps those who enter…

As a barrier created by dragons, ordinary beings would likely find it impossible to escape once they stepped inside.

Louis stared into the fog, then pulled a small compass from his pocket.

It was a device he had received from Silver Flower Castle just before his journey to the Maha.

This compass would prevent him from losing his way within the barrier and guide him straight to the heart of the Maha.

“Well then, shall we take a look around the Maha?”

Clutching the compass, Louis plunged boldly into the Maha.

Soon, he found himself enveloped in a milky-white fog, and he clicked his tongue.

“What is this… I can’t see a thing.”

The fog within the Maha was even denser than it had appeared from the outside.

It was literally impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Adding to the disorientation, his sense of direction seemed strangely distorted, and his perception of mana felt stifled, as if something were blocking it.

This unfamiliar sense of confinement caused Louis’s brow to furrow sharply.

Without this compass, it would be impossible to navigate in and out of here easily.

Now fully understanding why even dragons forbade entry to the Maha, Louis gripped the precious compass tightly.

“Hmm… this way, perhaps?”

The compass’s luminous arrow pointed in one direction.

Louis flew swiftly in that direction.

How long had he been flying?

“Huh?”

As if he had teleported, his vision suddenly cleared, and the suffocating sensation vanished.

The wall of fog surrounding the Maha had ended.

But his relief was short-lived.

“Ugh…”

Louis’s face twisted in disgust at the overwhelming stench of rot that assaulted his lungs.

What is this? It smells like a sewer that hasn’t been cleaned in centuries!

The stench alone was unbearable, but the bizarre energy mixed within it was even more disturbing. Sensing this, Louis scanned his surroundings.

Is this… demonic energy?

Elder Sandra had once said: “The Light Race is cunning, but the Demon Race is simple-minded, brutal, and savage.”

The nature of the energy now assailing Louis’s senses perfectly matched that description.

A rough, blood-soaked, and oppressively damp aura filled the air.

Amidst the nauseating stench and nerve-wracking energy, Louis turned his gaze forward.

The fog had dissipated, revealing a vast, unobstructed view.

Though it was clearly mid-morning, with the sun high in the sky, the Maha Sea was dim and tinged with a bluish hue.

As his eyes followed the seascape, reminiscent of the sea at dawn, a black pillar rising above the horizon came into view.

I could easily believe the Demon King would emerge from there at any moment.

If only thunder and lightning were added, the scene would be straight out of a movie or manga depicting the Demon King’s castle.

After this brief observation, Louis resumed his advance.

As time passed, the black pillar gradually drew closer.

Finally reaching its base, Louis tilted his head back to gaze upward.

…What’s so huge about this thing?

Even Louis, who rarely showed surprise, couldn’t help but be awestruck by the overwhelming size of the black pillar soaring from the sea.

This isn’t just a pillar—it’s the size of a decent-sized building!

What was even more astonishing was that this pillar wasn’t merely a simple structure.

A familiar sensation emanated from it.

Spatial attribute.

The massive pillar itself was a concentrated manifestation of spatial energy.

As Louis stared mesmerized at the pillar, a voice suddenly spoke from behind.

“Guh-ha-ha! What do you think? Impressive, isn’t it?”

Louis turned around without showing any surprise.

There stood an old man with a goat-like beard, floating in mid-air.

Louis bowed his head in greeting.

“It’s been a while, Headman Bartholomew.”

The dragon currently holding the position of Elder of the Spatial Attribute, and the one who had requested Louis’s assistance.

He gazed at Louis with a warm smile.

“Insuk-ah, I thought my neck would break waiting for you.”

“It’s only been two days, hasn’t it?”

“Tsk! Only two days? Two whole days!”

Though he grumbled aloud, his eyes remained fixed on Louis with fond amusement.

It was understandable. Louis was the first Zero Rank Dragon with the spatial attribute to appear in thousands of years. Unless something drastic happened, it was inevitable that Louis would succeed him as an Elder.

I heard he hasn’t accepted the Elder position yet, right?

In this situation, there was no need to needlessly pressure Louis.

Exactly! After all this time waiting for a successor, we can’t let him slip away!

He needed to coax Louis as skillfully as possible, ensuring he took over his position as soon as possible.

This is the only way I’ll find peace.

Balotus was consumed with the thought of somehow coaxing Louis into following him. He beckoned to Louis.

“Come on, follow me. Everyone’s waiting.”

With that, Balotus soared swiftly upward along the pillar.

Everyone?

Louis paused briefly, puzzled by Balotus’s words, before chasing after him.

They flew for quite some time.

Thud.

Louis landed at the pillar’s summit.

There, he confirmed the existence of the “everyone” Balotus had mentioned.

Besides Balotus, two more elderly women stood at the top of the pillar.

“Elder Sandra? Elder Silvio?”

Elder Sandra, the Time Attribute Elder.

Elder Silvio, the Wind Attribute Elder.

They waved at Louis.

“Welcome.”

“You’re a bit late.”

Balotus spoke, noticing Louis’s questioning gaze, as if wondering why they were here.

“If it were just a quick patch job, it wouldn’t be so bad. But the barrier repairs we’re doing today are more dangerous than you might think. That’s why I called for guards.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Louis asked.

“Pouring attribute power into barrier repairs will leave you barely able to lift a finger for a while. If we’re attacked while defenseless, even we’d be in trouble.”

Sandra and Silvio added to Balotus’s explanation.

“The Maha is far more dangerous than you realize. Creatures mutated by the leaked demonic energy lurk here.”

“Especially watch out for Waldo. He may be small, but don’t underestimate him.”

”…Waldo?”

Louis tilted his head, the name sounding vaguely familiar. Then, something clicked.

“Ah, Waldo!”

“You’ve heard of him?”

“My grandfather gave me a horn for my birthday. He said it was Waldo’s horn.”

Sandra’s face twisted into a scowl. “Pamus… that old coot! What did he give a child?”

“Alright, let’s drop the story for now. Louis, are you ready?”

“I’m always ready. Though I still don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Your task is simple. Just add your spatial attribute to what I’m doing.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Kluk, it is easy enough.”

Of course, whether it was truly that simple would only become clear once they actually tried it.

Balotus smiled faintly, thinking to himself.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

With those words, Balotus began to unleash his Origin.

A black Origin with spatial attributes flowed downward through his body.

Seeing the spatial Origin instantly make contact with the barrier, Louis also released his own Origin.

Immediately, Louis’s Origin was drawn into Balotus’s.

Startled by the sudden connection of their Origins, Louis glanced sideways at Balotus.

He asked me to lend him some, but he’s just sucking it all up.

Grumbling inwardly, Louis refocused his attention, determined to understand what Balotus was doing.

He used his Origin to perceive the events unfolding through their connection.

A moment later, he couldn’t help but marvel.

“What is this? How can something be so… crude and simple?”

The barrier blocking the Mahyeol was a spatial attribute barrier.

It wasn’t a Sacred Scripture, nor did it involve any special techniques.

It was simply a wall forged by pouring the raw Origin of the spatial attribute into it.

Yet, this made it purer and more resilient than any Sacred Scripture.

Only then did Louis fully grasp why Balotus had requested reinforcements from him.

“Damn it… was I just a backup battery?!”

The massive amount of spatial attribute Origin required for the extensive repairs.

His existence had merely served as a backup battery for this purpose.

“Alright, focus now. The real work begins here.”

”…Hup?!”

Just as Balotus had warned, what they had done so far had been child’s play. The Origin began to drain rapidly.

Louis, drenched in a cold sweat, focused intently on harmonizing with the Origin.

A full day had passed since Louis had been reduced to a mere auxiliary power source.

“Ugh…”

Louis slumped heavily onto the ground.

Since being born a dragon, have I ever felt this utterly drained?

It felt as if his Dragon Heart had been completely emptied.

He now understood why Balotus had requested protection from the other dragons.

If I just close my eyes now, I’m sure I’ll pass out…

Balotus approached Louis, who was breathing raggedly.

“How’s it going? Simple enough?”

”…Simple indeed. So simple it makes me want to go home. Why don’t you just handle this yourself?”

“Heh heh, where do you think you’re going, you little brat? We’re just getting started.”

”…”

“And it won’t be so bad for you either. As you repeatedly empty and fill, your vessel will naturally expand. Once the repairs are complete, your capacity to manipulate the Origin and your overall reserves will have grown.”

”…Are you sure?”

“Of course! I’ve been through it myself.”

Balotus smiled knowingly, as if to say, “I’ve experienced it all myself.”

He patted Louis on the shoulder.

“Then get some rest. You’ll have half a year of hard work ahead of you.”

“Ah…”

Half a year.

The realization that he would have to repeat this grueling process for half a year finally broke Louis’s spirit.

And so, from that day forward, the repair work of Balotus and Louis continued relentlessly.

While Balotus and Louis were fully focused on reinforcing the barrier,

Sss…

Within the Maha’s fog,

a change occurred within the swirling vortex of darkness.

Beyond the vortex, a crimson-black energy began to seep out.

Crackle… Crackle…

The vortex’s rotation gradually slowed, as if strained by the escaping crimson-black energy.

And then, finally—

Whoosh!

The vortex shattered, and a crimson-black entity burst forth.

The crimson-black entity shot out like a bullet, hovered briefly in the air, then locked onto a direction and began to fly away.

Ten days had passed since Louis had been reduced to a mere auxiliary battery under the guise of maintenance work.

Louis chuckled in disbelief as he observed himself.

”…It’s actually growing.”

Every day, he was drained to the very depths of his Origin, collapsing into unconsciousness.

At first, he’d thought he was simply being overworked. But to his surprise, each morning he awoke to find his Origin’s capacity had increased.

And its purity seems higher, and my control over it faster.

Perhaps it was because he’d recognized this change.

Now, Louis decided to embrace his role as an auxiliary battery.

If you can’t avoid it, might as well enjoy it, right?

If it had grown this much already, how vast would his Origin become in six months?

Imagining it made the task seem almost enjoyable.

“Heh heh, how long are you going to laze around? Get up and finish your quota for today.”

“Yes, yes, I’m going, I’m going.”

At the voice of Balotus, who was urging him on, Louis dusted off his rear and stood up.

And at that moment…

”…Huh?”

The Balto Elder was the first to sense something amiss.

His gaze fixed on the wall of mist.

Soon, the others’ eyes followed, their faces hardening in unison.

”…Wasn’t someone from the clan supposed to visit today?”

“Hmm, not as far as I know.”

As Sandra and Silvio exchanged words, a crimson-black object burst forth from the mist.

Then, the dragon’s massive body shot straight upward.

Whoosh… Whoosh…

Silvio frowned as he watched the Black Dragon flapping its wings in the sky, looking down at them.

“That’s a foul and unpleasant aura.”

“Where did it come from?”

“Has our clan ever had such a creature?”

The Elders each muttered a word as they stared at the Black Dragon.

Meanwhile, Louis’s expression hardened instantly upon recognizing the Black Dragon.

That bastard…!

How could he not recognize him?

The Mad Dragon he had been so desperately searching for—Chulsoo88 himself.

There he was.

Louis blinked at Chulsoo88, hovering in the air with flapping wings.

What the hell has he been doing to bulk up like that?

Enveloped in a crimson-black aura, the Mad Dragon had grown even larger than before.

Moreover, it radiated a power Louis had never sensed before.

Hoo- hoo-

Under the watchful eyes of Louis and the Elders, the crimson-black aura swirling around the Mad Dragon’s body swiftly coalesced inward.

Elder Sandra, observing this, demanded, “Who are you? Reveal your name!”

Despite her shout, the Mad Dragon casually ignored her. Its gaze remained fixed solely on Louis.

The Mad Dragon lowered its altitude slightly, and a low voice rumbled from its throat.

“Truly… I’ve longed to meet you.”

Louis’s eyelids twitched at the unexpected remark.

The Mad Dragon’s greeting made it seem as if it were seeing him for the first time.

And then…

“What’s going on?”

The voice wasn’t Mad Dragon’s, nor was it Chulsoo88’s. It was a disturbingly low and gravelly tone, accompanied by an unsettlingly different aura. Louis felt a sense of foreboding, as if he were looking at a being that appeared familiar yet was fundamentally different.

Testing the waters, Louis asked, “Why are you putting on that ridiculous voice? Did you catch a cold while I wasn’t looking?”

Balotus turned to face him. “Do you know this one?”

Before Louis could answer, Mad Dragon’s laughter echoed through the air. “Heh heh heh. I’ve always despised variables.”

”…”

“Elements that disrupt the rules I’ve established, the outcomes I’ve ordained.”

”…What the hell are you talking about?”

“Therefore…”

As Louis tilted his head, utterly bewildered by the nonsense, Mad Dragon’s eyes flashed. ”…You must disappear. Lotberia’s variable.”

The sky trembled as Mad Dragon’s eyes gleamed.