Blood Spike was not dead.
Although she had discarded the body of the girl she was using, now her body was made of red hardened blood. Her bloodlust aura thickened around her, weighing down the air.
The only intent that surrounded her was that of causing death!
Her eyes shone with a low, cruel light of contempt as she looked at him. "Why should I be dead? I have not finished killing you."
He couldn't help it. Fear slid down his spine, making his brain work faster than usual. He knew she was unhinged, but not at this level!
But then he steadied himself and his eyes narrowed. "What? You said you are not going to kill me!"
She blinked and frowned. "I did say that."
Vacuse took a deep breath. "So I won?"
Her face hardened, then narrowed. She hesitated, then scowled. "You… win."
Vacuse took another deep breath when he heard that, but he didn't relax. He felt as if she might change her mind the next second, and what could he do? She was that far out of his league.
But Vacuse imprinted what had just happened into his memory. He hammered down the weight of the humiliation she caused. He would remember it one day.
She snorted, her face radiating dissatisfaction. "To think you would be able to defeat me. I didn't expect it, but then again…"
She went silent for a while and just studied him. She wasn't happy about what happened, but she forced herself to allow it. "A Great Dungeon… is not easily cleared. It's a vast place of both opportunity and danger. But sometimes it's only danger.
"Be careful. It would be a shame if you die."
And with that, she actually turned around and went back to the ship, floating over without looking back. Only when she touched down did she turn back with a slight smile.
"Don't look for me, Vacuse Vorrakyn. It is not yet time for you to mate with me."
Vacuse resisted a shudder. Something must be seriously wrong with her.
She snorted, shaking her head. "What all of you care about is the loot to be found in the Dungeon. Most fail to see the history."
"History?" Vacuse asked flatly.
"Yes. Power and knowledge come hand in hand, after all. Ignorance kills faster than lack of power… wait, lack of power can kill just as fast. Ah! Anyway, just balance the two!"
Vacuse watched without saying anything as she jumped into her ship, and then in the next instant the whole thing was swallowed by the dark portal. At the last moment he was flung away while the stage turned into a dot and disappeared as well.
Just like that, Vacuse was on his dragon construct and time ceased its pause.
"What are you talking about…?" Kagerou blinked, staring at the space where the ship had been, but it was long gone, as if it had never been standing there with strange people sprouting nonsense.
They all stared at Vacuse, baffled.
Not only because of the ship's disappearance, but also because of the way Vacuse himself looked. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novelFirｅ.net
His hair was rough, his robe torn, and an aura of anger and dissatisfaction clung to him. He was also holding a broken void umbrella while clutching his side.
He appeared as if he had just survived a dangerous battle.
They wanted to ask questions, but the way Vacuse looked at them made them shut their mouths. In fact, they had never seen him that angry before. It clung to him like a storm.
"Continue to Burnis City."
Vacuse spoke shortly and returned to the middle of the construct, where he sat with a thoughtful, dark expression on his face, as if he had a lot to think about, and none of it was any good.
The others bowed to him and settled down as well. Even Kagerou didn't make any jokes as the steel dragon construct spread its wings once more and shot into the distance, the carriage trailing behind.
Indeed, Vacuse was angry.
He thought his power had increased, especially with the Soulbearers he took with him, but then he painfully realized that tools would never be as powerful as their master.
Vacuse must get stronger.
Strong enough to decide his own fate.
What Blood Spike did was a reminder of why he sought the way of power in the first place.
It was simply to be able to do what he wanted without anyone dictating to him.
Drenvar did it in his past life, and now a number of different forces were trying to do the same.
And what was the common factor between all of them? They were more powerful than Vacuse.
"…Blood Spike… I will kill you…"
He settled himself into meditation.
Examining everything that Blood Spike had said.
One thing that Vacuse could say was that the bastard bitch was much closer to him than he expected. She must be using some kind of technique to spy on him.
He also knew that Great Dungeons were not as they seemed, especially the one in Burnis City.
And like that, days passed while they shot through the sky like a beam of light. Vacuse meditated most of the time and communicated with Rith on the Initiate powers of the Dragons.
One of them was the perception that made him react with superhuman precision, far more than the average Soulbearer. And then there was destruction.
Dragons are creatures of destruction, and they can use that power.
Another one was flight.
It is true that their wings made it possible for them to fly, but it was also true that they possessed the power of flight.
And then there was the strong body they had. Their bones were among the strongest things in existence.
Finally, Vacuse began to learn what a Dragon truly is.
There was no space to practice physically on the dragon, so he settled on learning the theory.
Blood Spike might be a crazy bitch, but she had also raised valid points concerning Vacuse, and since it was related to his strength and power, Vacuse listened.
After all, his aim, as he shared with the Void Dragon, was to be the most powerful there is.