Chapter 1815: Chapter 1815
A knight's charge from above should have held the advantage in both momentum and force, but with his feet planted on the earth, Jenkins relied on the effects of Titan's Power to withstand the blow from the fat giant's mace, nearly knocking the creature from its mount.
But it came at a cost. The soft soil beneath Jenkins's feet fractured into a spiderweb of cracks, and the soles of his shoes were almost worn through.
The fat giant, failing to steady himself, crashed into his companions behind him. Seizing the opportunity, Jenkins, wearing the Air Bomb Ring, swung his hand toward the sky. A violent explosion of air brutally halted the ghost riders' charge mid-stride. In the next moment, a sweeping white sword dance erupted from the ground, nearly annihilating the entire flank of the spectral cavalry.
But before Jenkins could feel a moment of triumph, a black mist descended from the sky, propping up the suits of full plate armor scattered across the ground and mending the skeletal warhorses that had been cleaved in two. The exact same number of ghost riders rose into the air once more to rejoin their ranks, as if all Jenkins had done was put on a brief, pointless show.
"How can they even resurrect?"
He complained aloud as the demonic phantom behind him ascended once more, forcing the ghost riders to flee higher into the sky. Perhaps realizing that Jenkins held the absolute advantage in close-quarters combat on the ground, the specters did not charge downward again.
The fat giant raised his mace high, like a war cleric from an ancient tale, and a black spiritual light flared from his body, linking him to all his companions. A captain-level specter took out its staff, while the other ghost riders raised their right hands, their black gauntlets glinting under the twin moons.
"Are they mocking me for not having a shield ability?"
An inexplicable whisper spread from the sky, the interconnected black light coalescing to summon a terrible power. Just before a colossal white skull appeared in the air and rained bone spikes upon the earth, Jenkins transformed into a mouse and leaped into the farmland with his cat.
"This isn't working."
He could see that he was truly outmatched, yet he was reluctant to drink the potion that would only last for an hour. As his mind turned to the matter of awakening the Dragon Soul, he suddenly realized that the red flame within him had done nothing but flicker under the enemy's suppression since the battle began.
"Does the Dragon Soul's awakening require me to use its power myself? But I don't have any dragon-related powers at all."
If Chocolate hadn't accidentally drunk that vial of low-concentration dragon blood last autumn, Jenkins might have had a similar ability by now. But there were no 'what ifs' in this world, only the harsh reality.
Reality forced Jenkins to consider other possibilities. He looked up at the red dragon circling overhead. Perhaps it was the surge of mental energy from the battle, but his Spiritual Communion ability suddenly connected him to the great beast.
The red dragon didn't ask why. As it circled above Jenkins's head, it tore open its own skin, letting large drops of blood rain down. But it was bleeding as it flew, forcing Jenkins to constantly shift his position to follow the falling crimson droplets.
Although legends of dragonslayers bathing in dragon's blood to gain its power existed in this world, the truth was that dragon blood was an extremely potent biotoxin to humans.
An unprotected human who bathed in dragon blood would find the invasive fluid seeping into their body, triggering all sorts of bizarre physical mutations that would ultimately lead to death—something akin to organ transplant rejection. Therefore, specific rituals were required to utilize dragon blood. Jenkins's body, however, wasn't susceptible to its corrupting influence, and he had no time to prepare a ritual anyway. He could only try this direct approach.
The reality, however, was that after receiving a baptism of dragon blood, Jenkins felt not the slightest change. Other than earning a disgusted look from Chocolate, who scampered away, he had gained nothing.
Seeing the specters in the sky about to launch their next attack, Jenkins had another idea: he would try to actively stimulate the long, thin, fiery-red flame in his chest. He had attempted this before, but the flame had rejected his spirit. At the time, he had assumed it was because the Four King Souls had not yet been gathered.
While looking up at the specters circling above him, he slowly channeled his spirit toward the Dragon Soul. A sharp pain shot through his chest, but Jenkins gritted his teeth and didn't stop. This time, his spirit was accepted.
The long, fiery-red flame swelled as his spirit poured into it. But the expansion, far from granting Jenkins more power, began to affect his heart, making him feel dizzy and light-headed.
The world before him split into double images, and the already dim night sky seemed to fill with bizarre, shifting patches of color. Jenkins heard roars in his ears, coming from every direction.
Just then, the ghost riders launched another charge. This time, it wasn't a flowing river of spectral energy, but a seamless, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree assault from above.
A flash of white sword energy shot toward the sky, but because Jenkins was dizzy and disoriented, the light vanished as quickly as it appeared. Seeing the ghost riders about to descend and overwhelm him, the cat hiding nearby let out a sigh.
With a soft cough, the cat spat out a bright yellow orb. It radiated a warm light, and the unicorn standing beside the cat stared at the orb with wide, curious eyes.
But this time, Chocolate's help wasn't needed. As Jenkins stood in the field, the cold wind whipping around him, his dizziness seemed to transport him back to Black Town—or more accurately, back into the story of "The Dragonslayer's Legend."
He looked up at the night sky, but his eyes saw not the howling specters, but countless dragons. The ground beneath his feet felt not like solid earth, but like the silver dragon, Anettasia.
"I feel like you're thinking some very strange things."
The earth beneath him spoke.
Jenkins looked down in astonishment. Though his senses were failing him, he knew the dragons were a hallucination. In reality, he was still standing in the field, facing the ghost riders.
"Are you real or not?"
"Of course, I'm real,"
Anettasia said, and then prompted Jenkins,
"We should make this conversation quick. Although this is a mental exchange, time isn't flowing much slower than in reality."
"What exactly is happening right now?"
"The Dragon Soul, forged by ancient humans, is awakening. It has drawn your spirit into contact with dragons. You are human and elf, with no connection to dragonkind, so you must truly possess the power of a dragon to meet the conditions for inheriting the soul, just as the first humans intended. The ancients used rituals to acquire a dragon's power, but you don't have time for that. Besides, I suspect your elven bloodline would reject any ability that might pollute it.
Therefore, the Dragon Soul can only guide you toward a spiritual change. I am likely the dragon you are most familiar with, which is why your spirit was drawn to connect with me."
In truth, Jenkins was most familiar with the red dragon, but he didn't point that out.
"So, what power do you need? This is only a mental communication; I cannot provide you with any material aid. Sophia and I are currently far out at sea. It would be too late even if we rushed over now,"
the silver dragon said.
"Any power will do. I have no specific request."
"Very well. Jenkins, relax your spirit and feel the power I grant you. For centuries, I have sometimes wondered if I could still be called a silver dragon. But I was born a silver dragon, and that power will remain with me forever. Savior of the Eighteenth Epoch, please accept this power. May you press ever forward on the wind." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novelꜰire.net
A silver light flooded his vision, completely dispelling the bizarre illusions. It also revealed the menacing forms of the ghost riders poised behind the veil of his hallucination.
Jenkins paid them no mind. Instead, he frantically checked his body, terrified he might have grown an extra organ. Thankfully, he hadn't.
He coughed, but the sound was far from his own. It was raspy and hoarse, as if thick phlegm were caught in his throat.
He coughed harder, so much so that he had to clutch at his chest. Worried, he summoned all his ability light dots. To his relief, the single remaining bubble wasn't occupied.
The power Anettasia had given him hadn't formed a new blue heteromorphic ability. Jenkins was surprised, but he quickly understood why.
The long, fiery-red flame in his chest was now pulsing joyfully, sending a continuous stream of vitality to every corner of his body.
He coughed violently again, feeling something trying to force its way out of his throat. But the silver dragon had only given him spiritual power; his human-elven hybrid body lacked the organs to wield it.
A flash of inspiration struck him. Feeling that strange, nauseating urge, he simultaneously activated Ice Solidification. The light dot of the ability immediately flared with color, but this time, instead of condensing moisture from the air, it caused Jenkins to instinctively open his mouth.
Finally, he could no longer bear the strange sensation in his throat. He let out an irrepressible roar at the sky. A pillar of freezing white light erupted from his mouth, seeming to connect with the very depths of the heavens. As he moved his head, it painted a curtain of light across the sky.
Even though the ghost riders also wielded the power of ice, any who were touched by even a sliver of that beam were instantly frozen solid, mount and rider alike, before plummeting to the ground.
At the same time, even those who weren't hit by the pillar of light were affected by the sound of a "Dragon's Roar" issued by a human-elven hybrid. Every single enemy slowed to a crawl, and even after the roar ended, their movements were sluggish to recover.
This time, the cough that escaped his lips sounded normal again.