Chapter 278:
Two hundred years ago, in the final battle, Altima fought a fierce bloodbath surrounded by countless elf fleets and Goliaths.
Her brilliant golden wings had been torn long ago, and her huge body was full of fatal wounds.
Yet she resisted to the end.
Even though all her troops had died and many champions had kneeled, she did not stop her counterattack.
It was not because she hated the elves and the gods.
It was because of one goal.
She wanted to use the power of the Creator God Rasa to transform and dominate the whole of Astera.
Altima was the first dragon who had lived for thousands of years and witnessed the rise and fall of history.
There were many kingdoms and civilizations in Astera, but for some reason, civilization and technology did not develop over time.
Was it because the elves did not tolerate it while preaching the peace of the world?
Was it because of the seeds of the demon world that intermittently invaded?
She had willingly taught humans countless knowledge, but no plausible change had occurred.
The romantic era of slaying monsters with swords and magic had passed, but nothing had changed except for airships and Goliaths.
Altima was disappointed.
With Astera and its creatures that did not change.
And so she came to one decision.
If you do not try to change, I will change you. With Rasas power.
The Creator God Rasa was a being that only a few divine beings, including her, knew.
Some claimed that he was a conceptual being, and some said that he had left after creating Astera.
But Altima knew that Rasa existed and how to summon him.
I will make one wish to Rasa. To get rid of everything that hinders me and make a new world possible.
That was the Wish Magic.
The origin of magic and the ultimate spell that she had never achieved even after studying for thousands of years.
With that magic, she wanted to annihilate the elves and demons and make Astera reborn.
But the elves somehow knew and attacked her relentlessly.
They mobilized their divinity to seal her power and poured ether cannons from countless airships.
But those things were not fatal.
What inflicted a fatal wound on her was surprisingly the champion who had received her power.
He rode the Goliath she had made and stabbed his sword into his weakened masters chest.
The dragon heart broke and the ether began to flow backwards.
Im sorry, Altima. There was no other way.
Why why
I was mistaken. I thought the elves hated us and blocked our development. But it wasnt that.
What are you trying to say
Do you know? The demons are watching us. Thats why Astera didnt develop for thousands of years. We couldnt develop because we didnt want to provoke them.
Golden light began to spew out from the dragons body.
Her ether scattered and the champion twisted his lips.
I heard it from the elves. And I became convinced. For the peace and future of Astera, you have to d*e.
But there was one thing he didnt know.
Altima was the first dragon whose soul was immortal.
Then other Goliaths joined in and she was pierced by countless swords.
As the dragon heart broke completely, Altima screamed horribly.
Aaaaaah!
What a pleasant sound.
One of the elves muttered mockingly.
Altima remembered his voice and the name of the champion.
And she opened her eyes after two hundred years.
Familiar ether surrounded her.
This ether Time Stop Magic. Who is playing with me in front of me?
The dragon soon faced no mage in the origin of magic.
But now Arma and Leobold were the ones who cast Time Stop Magic.
He saw everything around him stop completely and spoke to Altimas soul.
Nice to meet you, Altima. Im Leobold. Let me tell you in advance that this era is not your era. Two hundred years have passed since the war ended.
Two hundred years The era needs me again
Thats not it. I need you.
Whatever you want, I have no obligation to listen to you.
You have a proud and capricious personality as they say. Its true
Because shes a gold dragon
She boasted a much stronger combat power than other dragons, and her soul was also immortal
So most dragons couldnt even lift their heads in front of her
She also had many champions, and it seemed like Gram Empire itself was her subordinate
She had a nickname for that: Dragon Queen
Of course Altima didnt like that nickname
The only name that suited her was Emperor
-Pride is a word that only suits those who are not qualified. Leobold, was it? Seeing that you have cast Time Stop Magic, you must not be an ordinary person. Who are you?
Leobold Vandus. The king of Bagran and the person who has your champion as a subordinate.
Her soul flickered brightly for a moment.
There is still a living champion?
Valgard Gram. Hes lost some hair, but he still remembers you.
Ah Valgard. My loyal champion.
By the way, why is Time Stop Magic lasting so long?
Altima counted the numbers in her mind and asked.
-King, you are not an ordinary human.
Its natural if you keep this magic for a long time. I have a specific purpose for collecting and summoning your soul. I have something to ask you.
Before that what happened to the war?
If youre asking about the Great War, the human side lost. Civilization was reset and the elves established Elvrande and began to oppress other races.
Really, nothing has changed Im sick of it
Maybe we can cooperate with each other.
Me and humans? Youre delusional.
This answer clearly showed how she saw humans.
Altima had a stronger power than any god, and her personality was also arrogant.
Even if he was a king, an ordinary human could not be equal to a dragon.
Of course Leobold was not an ordinary human.
When the ether heart started, the halo appeared and her soul swayed greatly.
This power how many divine beings have you devoured?
I didnt eat any. I just knocked them down. Anyway, at this point, do I qualify to cooperate with you?
-Ill have to listen. Tell me why you called me.
Tell me how to summon Rasa.
Why do you ask?
I have something to talk to him. Its not for a great wish.
You have to pay a fair price if you want to ask me something.
Isnt it enough that I collected and awakened your soul?
Listen to me. Release this magic right now and become my champion. Then Ill give you whatever you want.
I refuse.
Altima then realized that this human was not normal.
No human could be so confident in front of her.
Has it been 200 years? Its time for my name to fade and my position to shake. A mere human is being cheeky.
There are not many people who pray to you. The name Altima is almost forgotten. The only ones who care are the elves.
-Elves Thats right. Those pointy-eared ones had long lives. There must be some who are still alive.
If you want revenge, help me.
Ill refuse this time.
If you dont listen to my request, you cant get out of here.
Altimas soul smiled faintly at his confident voice.
He was mistaken about one thing.
Altimas power was not all in the dragon heart.
In her heyday, she was worshiped by many races and had several temples.
The giant ether stones installed there were linked to her and still gave her power.
It was impossible to keep Time Stop magic forever, and Altima was looking for a chance to escape.
Leobold pretended not to know and checked his watch.
Cancel the magic in a minute. By the way, does Altima have the strength to run away?
I feel a faint flow of ether. It seems that she is constantly receiving power from somewhere like the underwater temple where I found Valgard.
Even if she slept for 200 years, she still has some power. Where will she go?
She is likely to go to the Holy Kingdom. There are still many people who remember her. Especially, she is likely to take over the body of Saint Veronica.
That meant that Altima would learn about Leobolds identity and Earth.
It felt a bit awkward, but it was better to let her have freedom and use her than to pressure her.
I just need to summon Rasa. I dont need anything else.
There are 10 seconds left until Time Stop cancel.
As the ether of time faded, Altimas soul reacted slightly.
Time Stop was completely released and her soul disappeared by teleportation.
People finally got out of the magic of time and buzzed.
Did you hear something like a scream just now?
What happened to the excavation?
Camilla came out with a prepared statement.
As Altima disappeared like that, Valgard also quietly hid his appearance after leaving a note in his room.
Im sorry. I will repay you someday for saving my life. And if possible, I will persuade my master not to be an enemy of the king.
It was doubtful whether that would happen.
Leobold folded the note and put it in his pocket.
***
The place where Altimas soul ran away from the excavation site was the Holy Kingdom.
She was a dragon, but she had some powers close to divinity.
One of them was that she could have and manage her own believers.
Even after 200 years, you havent missed a prayer for me. Ill appreciate you.
Altima headed for where she felt someone who was her believer.
It was Altimas shrine located in the corner of the Grand Temple that served the Astera Pantheon.
Originally, Elvrande sent judges to the Easthart Alliance region under the pretext of eradicating Altimas faith, but it fizzled out due to various reasons such as dragon appearance.
Thanks to that, her shrine was still there.
The one who was praying in front of it was Saint Veronica.
It didnt mean much, and she just stopped by for a short while at the shrine that was left alone without pilgrims and prayed.
The saint of the Holy Kingdom was a position that served all of Astera Pantheon.
That caught Altimas eye.
You still remember me, how nice. Ill use your body specially.
It was very unfair for Veronica.
She didnt have a great faith, and she just prayed for a few minutes when she happened to be discovered by Altima.
There was a system in the Holy Kingdom to prevent this kind of thing, but it was in a corner and the kingdom itself was declining, so it wasnt managed well.
As a result, the saint was eroded by Altimas soul.
Her body twitched as if struck by lightning, and their memories merged.
Ahh flesh is indeed a good thing
She was a saint, but she couldnt escape the human limit, so she couldnt withstand the full power of the dragon.
But it would get better over time.
As the ether heart started, Veronicas eyes turned gold.
This is the limit for now. I cant even control my champions properly
But I can.
He said and appeared.
It was Valgard.
He knelt in front of her and she smiled ecstatically.
Valgard, my champion.
Its been a long time. Well, it must have felt like a short nap to you.
Sleep? There was no such thing. All I remember is the pain of having dozens of swords stuck in my chest.
She seemed to have no memory after her soul was shattered.
Then Altima must be in a state of hatred for the elves and the humans who betrayed her.
The descendants of the one who betrayed you are in Gram Kingdom. Randolf Gram, the king there.
Altima did not answer, but tried to recall Veronicas memory.
All kinds of strange knowledge came in.
What is this? Earth? Megacity? Yu Ji-ha?
Veronica was connected to a king named Leobold in her past memory. The scenery you see now is Leobolds hometown. In other words, he is from another world.
Its beautiful
Valgard was puzzled by the sudden remark.
What scenery did she see?
Whats so beautiful?
Everything Its completely different from this Astera Its developed and refined And finally it reached beyond that sky to the black space
Is that where the king was? Well, that spaceship was amazing. If they can make such a ship, their level of civilization must be very high.
Is the kings name Yu Ji-ha?
Yes. He is using a different name now. The man you met recently is Leobold, and Yu Ji-ha. He was the human I served until recently.
He felt a little guilty for revealing the secret, but he probably expected it.
It was thanks to his consideration that Valgard could follow Altima like this.
Altima felt dizzy as she scanned through more memories.
I guess Im out of strength. Be careful.
She asked Valgard, who supported her.
Were you always that strong?
He wasnt that strong before. To be precise, his body couldnt handle the power of the ether heart. But now he has done some research on ether and is making a new body.
A civilization that can make bodies Thats amazing
Valgard sighed inwardly as he saw her eyes flicker with greed.
Dragons were usually like that, but she was especially greedy among them.
She didnt have a good purpose for protecting humans and fighting elves and gods, and it was more like showing her possessiveness.
Who wouldnt stop someone from breaking their stuff?
The problem was her position itself.
She was a gold dragon, so her influence was different from other dragons, and it was no exaggeration to say that the entire Gram Empire was hers.
Even if the war ended like this, they would have to be ruled by Altima instead of the elves.
A few humans didnt like that and secretly joined hands with the elves they had contacted.
The result was betrayal.
Valgard didnt want her to go through that again, and he didnt want to fight Leobold either.
It would be better to lie in the coffin again.
He advised her as he sat her down on a chair.
My old master. If you want to live long, listen to me well. Dont go against the king.
Are you disappointed? Did you like him more than your master?
A brief memory of his happy life flashed through Valgards mind.
To be honest, working under Leobold wasnt that bad.
This is advice. If you want to go against him, you have to be prepared to d*e again.
Altima snorted.
My soul is immortal.
I thought so too, but what the king is doing is no joke. Even if you have the power of your prime, I doubt you can match him.
What did you see and hear?
Valgard closed his mouth at that point.
It was the least courtesy for Leobold.
I cant tell you. But one thing is certain. You must never be his enemy.
Youve become a coward while wandering without me, Valgard.
I dont care what you call me. You shouldnt fight him. Neither should I.
Fine, Ill take your advice.
But Valgard knew she hadnt given up her greed.
She was so strong that she didnt need to hide her emotions, and it showed in her eyes and attitude.
But I have to deal with the traitors, right? The descendants of the b*****d who stabbed me in the chest.
Thats Gram Kingdom. Ive left it for you until now. Theres also an elf city nearby.
Humans and elves are together? Thats strange.
Its a city called Denova, but theyre pretending to be human on the surface, so everyone is hush-hush. The most important thing is money, right?
Teach them that theres something more important than money. I need your power to make this place my kingdom.
Ill give you as much power as you want. Its what you gave me.
That was the covenant between Altima and Valgard.
His ether heart started working and began to give Altima power in earnest.
Altima took a deep breath in her chest and cast a wide-area curse.
That day, the entire leadership of the Holy Kingdom, including the pope, archbishops, and holy knight commander, became her puppets.
Leobold and Arma watched through the Siviri satellite as the Holy Kingdom fell into her hands.
What a waste of a plan.
It wasnt that great of a plan anyway. At best, they wanted to join hands with the elves and revive their divinity to increase their influence.
They have no gods, so theyll make them In some ways, Altimas revival is what they wanted.
Altima wasnt a god, but she was something similar.
Anyway, she had gained considerable power now.
She still didnt have her original power, but she could move the holy knights, and more importantly, she had Valgard, so she could chew up any kingdom.
But her goal wasnt Astera or anything like that.
Arma analyzed her conversation with a micro-drone and found out an unexpected fact.
Earth? Why Earth?
She seems to have learned about Earth thanks to absorbing Veronicas memory. She thinks its her ideal world.
Its more developed than Astera.
But that was because ether technology had stagnated.
As Leobold felt, humanity had a hard time entering space without ether energy.
So if Earths technology and Asteras ether engineering were combined, it would be Leobolds ideal world.
She doesnt know how great ether energy is and just thinks Earth is a good place.
Her interest is not bad. But the problem is that her interest becomes greed. Shes determined to invade Earth and make it hers.
Where will she attack?
Leobold could tear her apart in an instant with just a part of the legion strike fleet he had left behind.
There would be some damage because of magic, but long-range bombardment was hard to stop even for a dragon.
Anyway, Altima was planning something to attack Earth.
To attack, you have to go there first. Maybe shell open the door we want.
They had their own plans, but the more methods, the better.
Leobold sat on his throne and crossed his legs, looking at Altima with a smile.
She didnt seem to realize her situation yet.
Anyway, Leobold was able to learn more about Earths situation through her.
Really Its a mess.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m fre𝒆webnov(e)l.com