WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 34

Lady Fray held a small orb in her hand, which showed her everything that Chloe was seeing right now. This device was similar to the bildschirm that were used in the Ásgarðr Arena. There were runes linking the two devices together, but they operated under different principals. One captured light and stored it as images. The other projected light to showcase images. The link between them allowed the light captured by the absorber to be viewed by the reciever.

It was called Ubertragen.

“Lady Fray, I do not know how well you can see this, but it seems your fears have been founded. Wutend and Unglau are battling against Ende. I don’t think there is anything we can do for her either. Her mind is far too gone.”

“I can see what is happening just fine,” Fray said after watching the battle some more. “You did an excellent job discovering them. Please return home for now.”

“Understood.”

The Ubertragen went dead several moments later. Fray assumed Chloe and her squadron had left the area and were making their way back home.

She ran a hand through his hair, wishing to grab a fistful of her locks so she could tear them out, but resisting—if only just.

“It seems our troubles are never ending,” Fray’s guest said with a smile.

Fray returned the look with a strained one of her own. “You aren’t wrong. I believe the situation in this realm is coming to a head. It won’t be long now before we are forced to confront the Zehn Todesharr in a full-scale battle. If we cannot defeat them here and now… I don’t want to think about what will happen.”

A shudder coarsed through her as she thought about what would happen if the Zehn Todesharr succeeded in their goal of resurrecting the Sekbeist Overlord. That monster had been more akin to a natural disaster than a person. He had swept through the nine realms, destroying everything in his wake, and not even all nine Great Overlords had been able to kill him. The most they could do was seal him away at great personal cost to themselves.

The Nine Great Overlords were no longer here.

If the Sekbeist Overlord was revived, it could spell the end of life on this planet. The Sekbeist would sweep over them all, enslave everyone they could, kill everyone they couldn’t. Their natural resources would be sucked dry to feed the Sekbeist army, which would only grow when they drained her people of all their Spiritual Power to create more Sekbeists.

That was not a future she wished for.

“I apologize, Lady Hilda,” Fray continued. “We were having such a pleasant conversation. I hate that it was ruined because of this.”

Hilda’s smile was very calm and placid as she sipped her tea—tea prepared by the man quietly standing behind her. “I would not say our time together was ruined. If anything, I think it was very fruitful. Thank you so much for telling me all the dirty details of my darling daughter’s time on Gudeverdenen. I’m afraid she doesn’t like telling me about some of the things she gets up to.”

“That is true of most daughters… and sons,” Fray added at the end. “And think nothing of it. I’m also pleased to know about what sort of trouble Eryk has been getting up to on Miðgarðr. It makes me happy to know that he has been able to find happiness with Kari and his other wives.”

Their conversation before this moment had been very pleasant, and while she didn’t like how they could no longer speak of their family, Fray was glad to have learned so much more. Hilda had already shared quite a bit with her already. But she had plenty more to share. Eryk and his wives had apparently gone on many adventures before unfortunate circumstances brought him to her.

Hilda lifted her left leg, set it on the floor, then lifted her right and placed it on her left. “What are our plans now?”

“Right now?” Fray heaved a deep sigh. “The most we can do at this moment is prepare. It won’t be long before the Zehn Todesharr turn their attention to us. There are only three more Great Overlords left: Nebel of Rikevrann, Tiamat of Vindenket, and Wodan of Gudeverdenen. Of the three, they will save Wodan for last since he will be the hardest to free.”

“I see. So you are going to sacrifice Nebel and focus on protecting Tiamat,” Hilda said.

Fray nodded. “Yes.”

There was no point in denying or justifying herself, nor would Fray ever do something so senseless. Every choice she made was what she believed would help the greatest number of people. Nothing more and nothing less.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Fray blinked before going over to answer it. Three people stood on the other side. She recognized the first two as Hilda’s second and third husband, but she did not know the old man who was with them.

“Dante. Rainer. I heard you two went out on a mission.” Fray smiled at them as she stepped back and kept the door open. “Please come in, and do introduce this gentleman to me as well.”

“Sure thing. But first…” Dante grinned as he stepped over the threshold. “My darling, beloved wife! Your studly hug pillow has returned to you! And he brought an old friend!”

Hilda’s exasperated smile was only matched by Valence’s deadpan stare. The woman stood gracefully to her feet and began walking over to them.

“Dante, it is good to see that you remain ever the flippant one, even during times of… dur… ress…”

An interesting pause took place as Hilda stared at the old man. Fray remained silent and off to the side as the old man placed a hand against his chest, bowed lowed, and croaked, “it is a pleasure to see you in such good health, Lady Hilda.”

“Garret…” Hilda looked truly shocked and emotional to see this man. She placed a hand against her trembling lips. “I cannot believe… I thought for sure… oh, Garret. I am so sorry. Had I known you were still alive, I…”

“Please, My Lady, do not concern yourself with this old bag of bones.” Garret straightened from his bow. “There was little you could do given the situation. Merely the thought of you wishing to help me is enough.”

Fray soon learned that Garret was Hilda’s head butler from when she was still the Empress of Nevaria. His family came from a long line of people who served the Astralia Royal Family, and when she ascended the throne, he became her personal butler. As she watched Hilda fawn over this old man, Fray could not help but feel like they seemed closer to a worried grandaughter and her doting grandfather than servant and master.

“We were actually going to wait for you at Vahn,” Rainer admitted after Hilda finished her fawning. “But Garret said he wished to see you right away, to see how you were doing.”

“Heh. Ever the dedicated butler, this guy,” Dante said with a smirk.

They were once again seated. Hilda sat between Dante and Rainer, Garret sat on a separate chair, and Valence had not moved from his place behind Hilda. Fray had the amusing thought that being behind Hilda was Valence’s favorite position.

Garret had just finished telling them about what happened, how he had escaped from Vahn alongside two people named Bjork and Ingrid, how they protected him with their dying breaths, and how he was eventually captured. There were a few gaps in his memory. This was natural, however, for someone who had undergone such a traumatic experience. Humans had a way of coping with the bad things that happened to them by forgetting so they could move on.

“Well, I am very happy to see that you survived,” Hilda said.

Garret bowed his head. “I cannot tell you how happy I am that we both survived as well. I do hope you still have need of a good butler?”

“Of course. There will always be a place for you among us.”

“And you, Lady Fray. Please allow me to extend my thanks to you for protecting Lady Hilda,” Garret said with a bow toward her.

“You are most welcome,” Fray said with a smile. “Though thanks are hardly needed. I could not very well let Eryk’s mother-in-law die when I had the power to save her.”

“Eryk? You know Eryk?” Garret blinked several times as though shocked to hear the name.

“Not only does she know Eryk, she’s his aunt,” Dante said with a chuckle. “You’ve been gone for so long, so there’s a lot at you’ve missed…”

As Dante began telling Garret about the return of Eryk, Kari, and Siv, Fray ignored the small chill travel down her spine. So much was happening. A lot of it was bad. She was glad to see that some good had come from all this.

***

Garret opened his eyes and sat up in his comfortable bed. He looked out the window. The night sky was a dark canvas with a smattering of stars.

He climbed out of bed, put on his black and white butler uniform, and made his way out of the room. The hallway was empty. Yet his footsteps made no noise as he practically glided across the hall.

“The array you need to ruin is a kilometer east of your current location. Find it and destroy it,” a voice spoke on his head. He’d been hearing this voice for almost half a year now. Garret used to resist the voice, to deny it, but that had become harder and harder as time went on, especially since following the voice’s words made his head hurt far less.

“Yes, Master,” Garret mumbled in a low voice.

He was just about to reach the entrance when a door on his left opened. Hilda stepped out from the other end, blinked once, and smiled at him.

“Oh, Garret. What are you doing awake? You should get some more rest—uugh!”

Hilda was so open and defenseless that she had no time to mount a proper defense when Garret retrieved a blade from within his jacket and stabbed. While she was not fast enough to avoid being stabbed, her reflexes were good enough to avoid something immediately fatal. Instead of being stabbed through the chest, Garret’s dagger penetrated her shoulder, though that hardly mattered. She fell to her knees and gripped her now bleeding shoulder as he yanked the weapon out.

“Garret… what… are you… doing? Why… did… you…”

Hilda’s eyes fluttered closed as she slumped to the floor. The toxin on his dagger was powerful enough to put someone of the God Race out, so a human stood no chance against it.

Garret didn’t remain there, heading to the entrance hall, slipping outside, and traveling toward the defense rune array that kept the Sekbeist from entering Vahn.

“You’re on a time limit now. It won’t be long before Hilda’s husbands discover her. You must be fast.”

“Yes, Master,” he replied, his voice dead.

The defensive rune array was located inside of a building that was shaped similar to a barracks. Several Valkyries were guarding it. Two stood at the front door, there were four on each corner of the roof, and there were another eight patrolling the perimeter. It was clear this place was very important.

“Use the device I gave you,” the voice said.

Garret dropped his knife and reached into his sleeves again, pressed his hand to a rune on his arm, and summoned an object from within. It looked innocuous, just a small disc-shaped object, but there were ominous symbols drawn in blood on the surface. Pumping just enough Spiritual Power into the device to activate it, he threw the thing in front of the Valkyries guarding the entrance.

“What the heck is this?” asked one of them.

The other looked down, her eyes widening. “Get back! That’s—”

The woman was unable to finish her sentence as the device exploded with enough power to disintegrate the defenseless Valkyries. Not even their bones remained. It wasn’t just those two women either, but all the women who had been surrounding the building—and the building they were guarding was also gone.

A slight tingle traveled down Garret’s spine as he looked up, watching as the barrier protecting Vahn suddenly appeared, flickered, and then vanished as though it had never existed.

The moment the barrier disappeared, loud shouts and exclamations rang out from around him. Garret could not hear them himself. He couldn’t hear much of anything.

Except the voice.

The voice that took the pain away.

“That was an excellent job. Good work. Now, pick up the knife and stab yourself. That will end all your pain.”

“Yes, Master.”

Garret knelt, grabbed the dropped knife in both hands, and held it before his chest. Someone was shouting in the distance. He thought maybe they were calling his name, but he stopped listening and plunged the dagger directly into his chest.

***

“GARRET!!!!”

Dante screamed as he raced over to the man seconds after he stabbed himself. He already knew before arriving next to the old butler that it was too late. Blood bubbled from the wound in his chest, black and obviously slick with whatever poison had his wife knocking on death’s door. Gritting his teeth as he fell onto his hands and knees, Dante screamed.

“FUCK DAMN IT! WHY GARRET?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!”

He could not understand what had possessed the man to stab Hilda and flee into the night. Garret had been loyal to the empress ever since her inauguration over fifty years ago, and he’d been loyal to the Astralia Royal Family for even longer. He was as much a part of their family as Dante himself. The pain Dante now felt at this betrayal was great enough that he could have vomited blood.

“I don’t think Garret was the one who did this.” A hand landed on Dante’s shoulder, and he looked up to find Rainer looking down at him. “Remember how the Sekbeist had some means of controlling people’s actions? They used to employ a collar. My guess is they have created a more refined method that’s not as easily visible.” Rainer’s lips became a thin line. “Of course, none of this matters now. We have much bigger concerns at the moment.”

“You’re right.” Dante stood up and sucked in his angry and uncertain tears. “We need to get back to Hilda.”

“There is that too… but I actually meant something else.”

Dante glared. “What could be more important than saving our wife?”

“Dante,” Rainer said softly, his hollow smile filled with bitter helplessness. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice what Garret destroyed. You should have felt it when the barrier disappeared.”

“When… oh. Oh, fuck,” Dante muttered.

At that moment, an explosion went off in the distance. Dante didn’t know how far away it was. He turned his head to see a plume of smoke and fire rise into the sky, soon followed by one, two, four, and eight more. Detonations soon echoed all around them. The ground shook. Buildings exploded. People began screaming as they emerged from buildings and started running in every direction.

Dante didn’t understand what was happening at first, but then he saw them, small black shadows dotting out the stars, creatures on wings soaring through the air. He didn’t know what kind of Demon Beast those were. What they were didn’t matter. It was what they were dropping that mattered.

Monster core bombs.

“Fuck is right,” Rainer said, staring at the explosions, same as him. He took a slow breath. “Dante, head back to Valence. Take him and Hilda to Lady Fray. Let her know what is happening, ask for reinforcements, and see if she has a means of curing Hilda’s poison.”

“Okay. I’ll leave the defense of Vahn to you.” Dante clapped a hand on Rainer’s shoulder. “Don’t you die on me, brother.”

“Don’t worry.” Rainer smiled grimly, eyes gleaming with deadly intent. “I’ve got way too much to live for to die now.”

***

Fray was sleeping on her Divan when someone began knocking on the door. She blinked her eyes open, sat up in bed, and stretched. The cool wind streaming through the window hit her naked body. She shivered a little as she climbed out of bed, found her robes, and slipped them on. The knocking continued as she tightened her sash and walked over to the door.

“Yes, yes. I am coming,” Fray said with a sigh. “There is no need to be so impatient.” She opened the door. “Can I help you—Oh. Alaiya? What are you doing here? I thought you were tailing Gorrick and Unglau?”

The woman standing before her was decked in the silver armor of a Valkyrie, though it was covered in dings and scratches, like she’d not had the time to remove them. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head. This meant her wide forehead, large blue eyes, and sharp features were on full display. She looked like a very severe woman.

Alaiya placed a hand on her left breast, bowed reverently, and straightened. “I was, My Lady, but my squad and I lost them when they began traveling out to sea. We do not know if they just merely changed direction, or if they used some kind of technique to keep us from sensing them, but we lost all traces of them several hundred kilometers away from sea level.”

Fray frowned as a small shiver traveled down her spine. “If they were able to escape even your sight, then they must be desperate not to let us know what they are doing.”

“Those are my thoughts as well,” Alaiya admitted.

“I understand. Thank you for giving this your all. Please go and get some sleep. I’ll give you some time to rest, then have you return to your original patrol route later,” Fray said, dismissing Alaiya.

Yet the woman did not leave, instead lingering there as she placed her hands behind her back and scuffed at the ground with her foot. This was not Alaiya’s normal behavior. It wasn’t out of place either, so Fray saw nothing wrong with getting to the bottom of this.

“Is something troubling you?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry, My Lady, but would it be okay if we spoke?”

“Not at all. Please, come inside.”

Fray kept the door open as she turned around and walked further into the room, stopping in the center. She heard the door click closed. Then the soft padding of feet came ever closer to her. The shiver that had been running down her spine since this afternoon became a full-blown shudder, causing her entire body to feel like someone had electrocuted her.

Her danger sense was screaming at her.

Spinning around, Fray smacked away Alaiya’s hand, striking her on the forearm and also knocking the knife out of her hand. Alaiya did not bother trying to reclaim her knife. Another one appeared in her left hand, which she swung at Fray. It was also blocked when Fray grabbed the woman’s forearm and tried to overpower her. Before she could toss the other woman back, however, Alaiya leapt into the air and kicked at her. While Fray dodged backward, a blade suddenly jutted from a slot within Alaiya’s boot and sliced into her robes and skin. It was just a shallow cut, but the burn she felt caused a different sensation to well up inside of her.

“Heh. Good job dodging that… though it looks like you couldn’t dodge it completely,” ‘Alaiya’ said. “I wonder if the reason you couldn’t dodge is because of your trust in me, or is it because most of your Spiritual Power is being used to power the barrier?”

“Hello, Gorrick,” Fray said in a flat voice. “I suspected you were behind this the moment Alaiya stopped sending me daily reports. Let me guess. You made it seem like you were leaving to lure us into a trap, and then you killed Alaiya’s squadron, captured her, and used your Mind Control Array to subvert Alaiya into your slave.”

“You’re close.” ‘Alaiya’ smirked, and it was indeed a dastardly look that didn’t fit the woman’s cute face. “I actually captured Alaiya’s entire squadron and enslaved them. They should be causing a ruckus inside of the barrier any second now.”

“What?!”

An explosion rocked Fray’s house moments later. Fray would have rushed over to see what was happening, but Alaiya exploded into action herself, flying forward like she had wings on her feet.

Left with no choice, Fray grimaced as she jumped backward, raised her foot, and launched a kick that caught Alaiya in the midsection. Sadly, her attack did not do nearly as much damage as it should have.

Alaiya landed on the ground, crouched low, and pushed off again. She launched a kick that Fray dodged by swaying backward. That was not the end of it, however, as several black crescents of death energy came close to cutting into her. Fray clicked her tongue as she swayed from side to side while moving backward. She could not afford to get hit by even one of those attacks right now, but she lacked the Spiritual Power necessary to actually block them herself.

“You’re wide open!” Alaiya shouted.

Fray’s eyes widened when the woman was suddenly in her guard, but they bulged when she was struck in the solar plexus with an attack so powerful it felt like her entire ribcage had shattered. She gasped as her feet left the ground. Her world exploded with white as she slammed into the wall, which shattered around her as she flew through it.

Swinging her legs around, Fray landed on her feet. She skidded backward for several meters. When she stopped, Fray winced and knelt with one hand pressed against the ground and the other pressed to her broken ribs. With a grimace, she reached into her storage space, pulled out a Miracle Pill, and popped it into her mouth.

Her ribs snapped back into place and healed in less than a second.

She stood up as Alaiya walked out of her now destroyed house. Fires were burning in the city further out, the scent of smoke and brimstone carrying on the wind. More detonations rocked the area around her. The Lightning Giants and dragons were both rushing out of their caves and village to see what the fuss was all about. Fray was also sure her Valkyries would be able to deal with the remaining three members of Alaiya’s squadron.

“Damn,” Alaiya grunted as she kicked a rock at Fray, who clicked her tongue and swatted it aside. “I thought for sure that would be enough to break the barrier, but I guess you’re made of sterner stuff than I remembered. Do you remember it, little Fray? Back then, you were so cute and naive. I fondly remember the tears you should when I took control of your friend and forced her to try and kill you.”

“You are a very sick man, Gorrick. I will take great pleasure in ending you,” Fray said, apologizing in her heart to Alaiya. She knew the woman before her was unable to disobey this man. Knowing Gorrick as she did, Alaiya was probably still fully conscious but was unable to control her actions or mouth. Her body had been hijacked by him.

“Gee hee hee!” Gorrick chortled. “That’s a good look for you. I like that. Seeing you look so determined makes me want to figure out how much time and suffering it would take to break you.”

Fray wasn’t about to make any retort. Conversation was useless when talking to this man. He would take whatever words were thrown at him, twist them around, and throw them right back—and it would hurt. Twisting the proverbial knife was one of Gorrick’s greatest pleasures.

And yetjust before Fray could renew her assault and kill Alaiya as quickly and painlessly as possible, three people appeared before them. They were Dante, Valence, and Hilda. Dante and Valence were both pale, white as sheets. Meanwhile, Hilda was lying limply in Valence’s arms, black blood staining her front and oozing down her body.

“Fray! What the hell is going on here?!” Dante demanded.

“What are you three doing here?! Get back!”

“Ah ha ha ha! What great timing!” Alaiya shouted as she burst toward Dante, Valence, and Hilda, none of whom had the strength to content with a woman of her stature.

Fray acted without even thinking. She put on a burst of speed and appeared in front of the trio. Alaiya’s eyes gleamed with triumph, and Fray knew she had fallen into Gorrick’s trap, but there was nothing for her to do now except try and deflect whatever attack awaited her. And that was when it happened. Her body convulsed something searing hot burned her insides, causing her to stumble forward—right into Alaiya’s dagger. She felt the weapon slide into her stomach. The pain was like lava flowing into her vains.

“Ah ha. Aha ha ha! I can’t believe you fell for that,” Alaiya said with a twisted and mocking grin. “This is why you godlings are always losing. You’re so sentimental. You don’t even think about sacrificing yourselves for someone else, even though you know that doing so will mean everyone else dies with you. Oh. I feel like I should mention that this poison is one we created just for you. It’s made from the venom sack of a Chimirin.”

The words hurt, moreso because she knew they were true, but Fray tried hard not to let that get to her as she used the last of her strength to reach out, grab Alaiya’s face, and snap the woman’s neck. Alaiya jerked back. She fell onto the ground and twitched several times before stilling. The scent of urine soon filled the air.

Fray gasped as she removed the dagger from her stomach. She threw it away, but then fell onto her knees, and then over onto her side. The world was spinning. She felt so weak. Everything was going black.

Someone turned her onto her side. A youthful man appeared in her vision. He was shouting something, but she couldn’t hear him. Her vision soon faded and everything went black.

***

“Hey! Hey! Fray! Damn it! Come on! Don’t die on me now!” Dante shouted as he lifted the woman into a sitting position and tried to staunch the flow of blood gushing from her stomach, even though he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“Do not waste your time,” Valence said at last, sighing. “Look at how pale her face is. She is dying. I doubt she will last more than a few more minutes.”

“Don’t say that!” Dante snapped. “We need her! Fray is a master alchemist, so she might have pill that can cure Hilda!”

Dante was trying his best to be optimistic, but when he saw Valence’s defeated smile and the tears flowing down his eyes, his own face drained of blood. He felt weak. Even though he didn’t want to, he glanced at the limp woman in Valence’s arms, covered in blood, not moving a centimeter. Her chest was no longer rising and falling.

“No…” he muttered.

“I’m afraid… Hilda is no longer with us,” Valence said.

“That… can’t be.” Dante gasped as he dropped Fray and fell face first into the dirt. “After everything we’ve been through, after surviving long enough to see our daughter again, there’s no way… there’s just no way she can die like this!”

“I understand how you feel,” Valence said. “But we… cannot give up just yet.”

“Why not?” Dante looked up, face now covered in tear streaks. He ignored the explosions around him, the cries of battle in the distance. Nothing mattered to him anymore. “Why shouldn’t we give up? We have nothing left to live for anymore.”

“But we do have something to live for,” Valence said.

Dante would have rolled his eyes if his heart didn’t feel like someone had ripped his heart out. “Oh, yeah? Enlighten me then? What do we have to live for now?”

“Our children and grandchildren.”

The answer was simple. Just four words. But they made Dante close his eyes as he envisioned their sons, daughter, and their kids. He gritted his teeth to keep his eyes from stinging. Resignation hung about him like a cloak, but he stood to his feet.

“You’re right,” he muttered. “At the very least, we need to save our kids and grandkids before kicking the bucket.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them, there was no hesitation left. “What do we do?”

Valence smiled, though it was small and sad. “We need to bring Eryk and his wives out of closed-door training.”

Dante bit his lip before nodding slowly. “Bringing them out of closed-door training is dangerous… but it’s not like we have much of a choice. Okay, I’ll go to Sterk. Hopefully, he’s still at his house here. We’re screwed if he isn’t. What are you going to do?”

Valence looked down at Hilda, then glanced at Fray, and only then returned his attention to Dante.

“I am going… to find a place to put their bodies. I would rather they not be sullied by the battle. After that, I will find Geirolf and Catalyna. They have children who will need to be protected, and the more people protecting them, the better.”

“Right,” Dante breathed out. “Okay. I guess we both have our duties then. Let’s… let’s get this done so we can rest.”

“Yes,” Valence agreed.

While Valence held Hilda in one arm, Fray in another, and rushed off to find a safe place he could put them, Dante hurried to find Sterk. A nightmare was occurring on Miðgarðr. Dante didn’t want to get his daughter and son-in-law involved, but they may be the only people who were capable of saving the rest of his family.

***

Unglau kept a firm grip on Hriedmar as they descended onto the peak of Westfang Mountain, though he let go the moment their feet touched the ground. He did not like this disgusting creature. He did not like any of the races on this filthy planet, but he especially hated the Dweorgs, for it was they who created the seals that had trapped his master for so long. Unglau really hoped he would be allowed to kill Hriemdar once he outlived his usefulness.

“Halt! I will not allow you to go any further, Sekbeist!!”

A roar echoed all around him before a massive dragon descended from the skies. He was an old creature with red scales glistening in a fire burst pattern. His body rippled with powerful muscles as he opened his mouth. Streaks of fire gathered there and coalesced, turning into a bright white flame that was launched without hesitation at Hriedmar.

“Smart lizard,” Unglau muttered before waving his hand. The fire dispersed. “Not smart enough.”

As if to counter his words, another dragon appeared above him, this one midnight black with scales gleaming like stars in the sky. Space warped around Hriedmar. Unglau grimaced as he once more waved his hand and sent his Spiritual Power into the other technique. He used the Concept of Negation to devour the technique and prevent it from harming his pawn.

That was not the only dragon present. There were at least seven others flying around him. All of them had differently colored scales and different body types. Unglau did not care to study them further. He only wanted to complete his mission.

“You lizards are annoying,” Unglau said.

He targeted the first dragon that attacked him—the red one. Waving his hand in an almost absent gesture, he sent out a wave of negation energy that swept over the dragon, overwhelmed it, and consumed it. When the black miasma from his attack dispersed, nothing remained. Even the memory of the dragon had been erased.

“What… terrifying power!” the black dragon roared in shock.

Unglau killed that one next. He aimed at it, but the dragon tried to dodge, flapping its wings to gain altitude and barrel roll away. With a click of his tongue, he launched multiple projectiles instead of a single wave. The black bullets were each about the size of a human head, but there were millions of them, and he controlled them all to curve around and attack the black dragon. Even though he was able to dodge a few, that hardly mattered when so many filled the air.

The black dragon was pumped full of holes. His body then descended and he disappeared when a massive creature made of negation energy emerged from Unglau’s hand and devoured him whole.

The other dragons roared in agony as if seeing another of their brethren lost pained them, as if the gap in their memory caused physical damage, but that only seemed to spur them on further. They attacked with greater ferocity. The white one sent a starburst attack that warped time and locked them in place. The golden one launched several crescent blades of magma at them. Each and every one of them sent an attack that would have destroyed this mountain if it hit.

Except none of them hit.

They all vanished when Unglau released a wave of negation energy that swept out like a storm, slammed into the techniques, and erased them.

“So this is the strength of a Sekbeist Lord,” the golden dragon murmured.

“Damn it. We do not have the power to contend with this,” said the purple one.

“It doesn’t matter. All we can do is stall for time,” said the one with white scales and feathery wings.

“Hmph. Stalling for time? You don’t have the strength.”

Snorting in disdain, Unglau unleashed another wave of negation energy, which spread across the flat mountain top and slammed into the dragons. Their anguished cries was like music to his ears. They fall to the ground, their arms and legs gone, devoured by the concept he wielded so expertly. These foolish lizards were truly stupid if they thought a couple of overgrown reptiles who’d barely touched a higher level concept could contend with them.

Once they were powerless, Unglau killed them one by one, erasing them from existence like he’d done for the other two dragons.

“Come,” Unglau ordered Hriedmar, who had no choice but to obey.

They walked into the temple. Unglau wrinkled his nose in disdain at the very obvious feeling of solitude and worship this place had. Statues of Tiamat stood proudly on display, some of the woman in her Drakvarian form and others in her dragon form. All of them made the woman look majestic and proud. Unglau hated it. He hated all of it.

So he erased the statues.

He took Hriedmar deeper into the temple, erasing every statue of Tiamat they found, until they eventually emerged into the final chamber—what could be considered Tiamat’s tomb. It was not as big as Unglau would have thought. Surely, the tomb of Tiamat would be bigger? But it was just a room shaped like a cylinder, with a dais in the very center and a crystal coffin standing upright in the middle of that, surrounded by a complex rune array. Inside of the coffin was Tiamat herself. Her small body was frozen, eyes closed like she was just sleeping, wings spread out behind her.

“You know what to do.” Unglau turned to Hriedmar. “Break the seal now.”

Hriedmar said nothing, could say nothing, as he moved to do Unglau’s bidding.