NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Beheading (5)
Tenidas struggled to stand up from the snow, shaking off the snow covering him, and walked step by step to Gray's side. He gently rubbed his head against Gray.
Gray reached out and patted his back.
"There probably won't be any reinforcements..." the Black Cat asked weakly inside the armor, "Are you sure you want to die here in battle?"
"Yes." Gray nodded, "Are you afraid?"
"A little. I don't know what it's like when a soul completely dissipates. They probably won't spare me either..."
"Should I negotiate with them?"
"No need. I'm a great Black Cat, maybe the greatest ever. Death is death, why say anything? If they reject me, it would be embarrassing... hahahaha. Will the history books remember me?"
"Richie will certainly write it down, if he survives."
"That would be great... luckily, he knows my name, the great Bolaisidong. It's a bit of a shame he doesn't know my full name."
The black dragons quietly watched Gray from the sky as they circled above.
"Wait! Just wait a little longer, we're coming to save you! I'm almost done with them! Aw! It might take a little more time!" This was Aikleion, sending information from a fierce battle in the distance, looking extremely battered.
"I feel like I'm about to collapse! I might get sent back to the soul box!" This was Lucy's message.
Of course, there was Richie's cry, "Father... I don't know what to do. Dragon Valley is still silent... I don't know what to do."
Various messages intersected in Gray's mind.
"Vivian." Gray looked at Vivian beside him.
*Vivian's eyes were already dazed. The wind blew past her, messing up her fiery red hair. Her long dress was tattered, and her body bore numerous wounds.*
*Looking at Gray, she slowly smiled and said softly,* "Actually, I have no thoughts on justice. I'm still a selfish demon even now. But I want to die here with you in battle..."
"Thank you." Gray looked at Catherine on the other side, "Catherine."
"I... have nothing to say." Catherine took a deep breath and glanced at the gray sky, "I think this is probably the right choice. It's an honor to be your Guardian Angel, to have this time, to truly feel the Holy Light with me. Though it's unbelievable, it's uplifting."
With that, Catherine also slowly smiled.
"Thank you, Catherine." Gray bowed deeply.
"I should be the one thanking you." Catherine responded with a smile.
"Have all the final affairs been handled?" the leading black dragon asked.
Gray raised his head and answered calmly, "Almost."
"Hehehe, fine, I'll give you the chance to say goodbye. As the Lich King, you deserve such courtesy."
...
"Richie." Gray's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Richie, who was frantically pacing, froze abruptly, his eyes wide open.
The storm blew past him, and snowflakes danced.
*"I'm sorry I can't be with you as you grow up. From your birth until now, I haven't spent much time with you. I'm not a qualified father. But I love you. I think I should at least set a good example."*
...
Gray spoke softly, "Take good care of your mother. Don't harbor hate, hate recovers nothing. Don't let darkness corrode your heart, corrode your soul, not for any reason. Promise me, okay?"
...
Richie wept like rain, his mouth slightly agape, unsure of what to say.
*At that moment, time seemed to stand still.*
*Across from him, Abraham looked at him in confusion.*
...
"Promise me, okay?" Gray asked again.
...
Richie wiped his tears, nodded, "Okay... Father."
"Tell your mother I love her. And... I'm sorry."
Listening to that voice, Richie was already sobbing uncontrollably.
*Not only Abraham, but also Sarina and Delia, as well as the two golden dragons fighting them, stopped and looked at Richie in astonishment.*
...
*It seemed as if the whole world went silent.*
The golden dragons in Dragon Valley were silent, the demons in the abyss were silent, the holy spirits in the other dimension were silent. The silence was suffocating.
Only the wind howled.
Under everyone's gaze, Gray stepped on the stirrups, mounted Tenidas, and held his sword to his chest.
"Thank you, my heart, thank you for your unwavering determination. Thank you, my faith, for your guidance, that kept me from faltering until the end. Thank you for letting me die as a knight."
Gray raised his head and looked at the group of dragons ahead.
"Can we begin?" the leading black dragon asked.
"We can." Gray raised his longsword high and shouted, "Tenidas! Charge——!"
"Hiss——!"
With Vivian and Catherine, Gray rode Tenidas, braving the wind and snow, charging head-on toward the leading black dragon...
...
"Crack——!"
The mirror suddenly shattered.
Shelley stood in her room, her eyes slightly widened, staring blankly. She reached out to touch it but accidentally cut her fingertip, quickly pulling back and putting it in her mouth.
"What's going on?"
The maid beside her craned her neck to look.
"Could it be because it was used too long? Madam, this mirror was passed down from Count Caspar. It's said to be decades old."
"Such an old mirror? Then it should indeed be replaced." Shelley turned her face to look out the window.
In the sky, clouds were rolling and relaxing.
The bright sunlight shone on the earth.
Merchants were shouting energetically, and passing traders bickered over the price difference of several copper coins.
The cook in the kitchen tasted her freshly brewed soup, slightly furrowing her brow.
Masons were laying bricks on a half-built wall.
Everything looked so beautiful. No one realized what they had just lost.
...
In the blizzard, Richie's body trembled slightly. He slowly raised his head and looked at Abraham in the distance. Tears and anger spread, seemingly boundless.
"Looks like they've succeeded." Abraham's lips curled into a smile, grinning.
"Shut up——! I will kill you!" Richie roared, leaping into the air, speeding towards Abraham.
With a heavy blow, Abraham, the golden dragon, staggered back.
"Kill you!" Without pause, Richie swung his sword, chasing after Abraham. He knew Gray's Gale Technique, Great Strength Technique, and Shield Technique. Every strike was made with all his might.
Abraham looked at the maddened child in terror, only able to transform his claws into huge dragon talons, blocking clumsily and retreating bit by bit.
One wind blade spell after another flew at Richie, the wind cutting into his body like scythes, each strike going deep to the bone. However, Richie seemed to feel no pain, not defending at all, crazily charging forward.
Perhaps, as said earlier, he was more like a Lich than his father. A Lich's rage was destined to be unending.
Richie's sword slashed Abraham's face, and in the intense pain, Abraham swung back, throwing Richie away. This strike was also made with all his strength. Richie fell like a meteor again, heavily hitting the stone array in front of the channel, creating a deep pit, and the gravel flew.
His sword was knocked away, lost in the snow.
Abraham wanted to rush up and deliver the fatal blow to Richie, but at that moment, a golden dragon pounced on him, biting him and throwing him away.
Only with difficulty did Abraham manage to stop in mid-air, looking terrified.
To be precise, it was a bone dragon still struggling to shake off its remaining flesh—Andrejewitsch.
Flapping his wings, Andrejewitsch blew away the dust at Richie's landing spot, landing before Richie.
Under the fierce assault, the once handsome Richie had lost half his face, revealing his jawbone. However, this mattered not to a Half-Lich.
He breathed heavily, supporting his body with difficulty, climbing onto Andrejewitsch's back.
"Today... you must die here." Unfolding his wings, Andrejewitsch carried Richie into the air, charging at Abraham again.
Abraham roared, transforming into his golden dragon form, and fought Andrejewitsch in mid-air.
The storm persisted, the fierce winds sweeping up snowflakes into every corner, seemingly endless.
Richie fought Abraham, Delia, and Sarina fought the other two members of the Golden Dragon Clan.
The booming sound of magic constantly echoed, spreading. It became a unique scenery outside the desolate Dragon Valley.
...
Dragon Valley was quiet, the golden dragons still silent.
Time passed bit by bit.
Richie's threat within the key had long ceased, but this cessation might be scarier than the threat itself.
After a long time, the voice of the Golden Dragon Great Elder finally sounded, "My clan, the situation is beyond our control alone. From the moment we signed the alliance, we should have known that the wheels of history had started turning, and no one can stop them. In this war, no one can remain untouched."
All the golden dragons listened quietly.
"Stopping the magic array in Dragon Valley means we'll forever lose the place where we grew up. This is something none of us wants to see. But if we don't, the Golden Dragon Clan might disappear completely from Keltos Continent. Just now, because of our hesitation, we've made a huge mistake. We might face the most severe retaliation from the Undead Clan, and neither the black dragons, heaven, nor hell will side with us. Whether we go out of Dragon Valley to destroy the evidence against us or to make amends for our mistakes, now we must go out. Otherwise, all that awaits us is destruction. Now, I seek your opinions, should we end the magic array? This decision should be made collectively by the Golden Dragon Clan."
"Agree to end it..."
"Agree to end it."
"Agree."
"Alright, I agree."
"Agree to end it."