Chapter 186

Ding!

[A quest has arrived.]

[Scenario Quest #9]

Your opponent is a traitor who has been lurking within the clan for a long time. His current patron is .

Eliminate the traitor.

Difficulty: A+

Reward: Orb of Disgrace

Failure Penalty: Death

The quest message appeared before Theo’s eyes, but his attention was elsewhere.

“Identity, huh… You’re really asking that as a question, little brother?”

Torkel chuckled softly, spreading his arms wide.

“What else could it be? Of course, it’s me.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chaotic swirl of dark energy and madness surged upward, forming a tempest.

Crack! Kaboom!

Black demonic energy collided with golden lightning, creating explosions in all directions.

Theo now stood toe-to-toe with Torkel, exuding a force no less imposing than his.

“The rightful heir to Ragnar, the one who will soon ascend to the throne and redefine the clan—think of me that way, little brother.”

Theo watched as Torkel’s eyes began to turn pitch black, the whites of his eyes vanishing.

“Redefine Ragnar? You?” Theo’s voice was sharp with scorn. “With the identity that Ragnar itself has rejected for so long clinging to your back?”

“Ragnar’s identity!”

Torkel roared, clearly incensed by Theo’s words. His face and neck bulged with veins as if they were about to burst.

“Is the right of the victor! I am claiming only what belongs to me as the rightful heir!”

By now, his eyes had turned entirely into black orbs, resembling polished onyx.

Seeing Torkel’s transformation, Theo recalled a piece of history every member of Ragnar was required to know—the legend of the Dragon Emperor’s visage.

The Dragon Emperor, consumed by madness to the point where both his mind and body were overtaken, was said to have eyes where the black pupils and whites were indistinguishable.

“So, the throne you’re after—it’s not Father’s, is it?”

“Of course not! He’s nothing but a cowardly usurper who seized the throne during a moment of weakness. That seat originally belonged to Grandfather!”

Grandfather.

There was only one person they could refer to with such reverence: the Dragon Emperor himself.

“As the Dragon Emperor’s sole heir, I will now claim the rightful throne.”

Torkel spurred his iron-clad warhorse forward, charging at Theo.

Theo responded instantly, pushing off the ground with immense force and swinging the Drake Fang upward.

KA-BOOM!

Their second clash echoed thunderously.

***

There were only two places near the resurrection altar where even seasoned warriors hesitated to step.

One was where the two dragons, Julius and Ed, clashed violently.

The other?

BOOM! CRACK!

CRASH! RUMBLE!

It was where Theo and Torkel were battling.

Blades flashed and clashed with Torkel’s black spear.

Three swords, crackling with lightning, rained down like thunderbolts on the spot where Torkel had stood moments ago.

CLANG! CLANG!

The intensity of their duel was such that even Troivan’s forces found no opportunity to intervene.

“Theo… no, Acting Captain of Unit 5—is he really this strong?”

“To hold his own against the Commander of the Black Iron Brigade… unbelievable!”

“I’ve heard stories, but no matter how many times I see it, his growth is beyond explanation.”

The squad leaders of the White Armor Vanguard were both astonished and overjoyed.

The stronger their member, the more powerful their unit as a whole.

At this level, Theo wasn’t just one of the strongest heirs in Ragnar’s history—he was nearing the ranks just below the Nine Dragons themselves.

This battle was undeniable proof that Theo’s ambition to become the next leader of the White Armor Vanguard wasn’t just empty words.

Of course, Theo’s ability to match Torkel right now was only possible because of his enhanced state, with all his buffs fully active.

Under normal conditions, Theo wouldn’t be able to exchange more than a few blows with Torkel, who was already considered a perfected warrior.

But for Theo, this fact was irrelevant.

What mattered was that, for the first time, he could face Torkel with his own strength.

And that meant victory might be possible—if he played his cards right.

WHOOSH!

“You’ve done your homework… studied me thoroughly, haven’t you?” Torkel said, his face twisting slightly as he glared at Theo.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Despite revealing even the hidden aura of the Dragon Emperor, Torkel hadn’t managed to overpower Theo yet—a humiliation that stung deeply.

“You were someone I always knew I’d have to surpass one day,” Theo replied calmly.

The three swords hovering around Theo aligned themselves, glowing with energy.

“Well, now it feels like I’m ready to do it.”

“Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts,” Torkel growled.

Theo couldn’t help but notice the distorted rage on Torkel’s face, barely hidden beneath his helmet.

FLASH!

BOOM!

Their weapons clashed once more with a thunderous explosion.

Black energy and golden lightning spilled out in all directions, fighting to consume each other.

‘He’ll aim for my left collarbone next.’

For a moment, Theo’s vision was obscured by a veil of darkness.

Suddenly, a spear blade pierced through the shadows, thrusting deeply toward him.

Theo managed to deflect it with his Soul Blade, while his other two swords—Dragonslayer and Moonlight—sliced toward Torkel’s waist from both sides like a set of shears.

But Torkel spun his body like a whirlwind, deflecting every attack.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Theo’s control over three swords through telekinesis was a remarkable feat, but Torkel’s ability to fend them off with a single spear—and even find openings to counter—was nothing short of extraordinary.

Torkel’s mastery of the spear was so refined that Theo couldn’t help but compare it to the legendary Plum Blossom Sovereign.

Without the powerful insight provided by the Orb of the Blade, Theo knew he would have already been swept away by Torkel’s dazzling spear techniques.

SWISH! SWISH!

‘His spear techniques, footwork, movement patterns… even the tiniest habits—they’re all too similar to the Dragon Emperor’s.’

Theo’s mind flashed back to the countless reports he had studied as an intelligence agent.

The Black Snow and the intelligence bureau had compiled extensive records on the Dragon Emperor, from trivial details like his eating habits to personal letters exchanged with his friends.

Even back then, Theo had found it strange.

The Dragon Emperor had been sentenced to total eradication—every record of him was supposed to have been destroyed.

Reports stated he had been decapitated by Kyle’s sword, so all documents regarding him should have been burned.

And yet, the records remained.

At the time, Theo had dismissed it as preparation for a potential rebellion.

But now, in hindsight, it felt as though someone had expected the Dragon Emperor’s return.

Could the Black Dragon have foreseen this? Was that why the Black Snow had been trained to identify traces of the Dragon Emperor so quickly?

And could Torkel’s sudden death have been orchestrated by the Black Dragon and the Black Snow?

‘How is the Dragon Emperor still alive?’

If he had been decapitated, survival should have been impossible.

Then another thought struck Theo—one tied to the dark energy radiating from Torkel.

‘If Torkel truly allied with the Blood Cult, could the Dragon Emperor have done the same?’

was an Outer God, a being that transcended the laws of life and death.

If such a being had a hand in it, wouldn’t resurrection be possible?

“The Dragon Emperor’s descent into madness began after crossing the Grand Barrier under the guise of an expedition into the Demonic Abyss…”

Theo recalled a document from his past life that echoed this sentiment.

‘So, the Dragon Emperor might really be… returning?’

Suddenly, many of Theo’s unanswered questions began to make sense.

Why had the Black Dragon and Julius been chasing “something” for so long?

Why had Ragnar tolerated spies in their midst for years, only to begin purging them recently?

Why had Troivan been so obsessed with obtaining relics of the Primordial Dragon?

And why had the Blood Cult allied so closely with Troivan?

BOOM!

Theo forced Torkel back, his expression cold as ice.

“I was wrong,” Theo said. “Troivan didn’t just ally with the Blood Cult—they’ve been one of the cult’s pawns from the beginning. Isn’t that right?”

Torkel’s glowing black eyes glimmered ominously beneath his helmet, but he gave no response.

“If Troivan was created by the Dragon Emperor with the Blood Cult’s help… then everything makes sense now.”

Theo recalled the words Troivan’s leaders always uttered when facing him:

“We are the true heirs.”

To them, at least, it hadn’t been a lie.

Troivan genuinely believed they were the rightful branch of Ragnar.

This explained Ed’s infiltration of Ragnar to gather relics, the unwavering loyalty of his followers, and the deep roots of their ideology.

Torkel, too, must have been one of the seeds planted by the Dragon Emperor and Troivan long ago.

It was likely the Black Dragon had only recently discovered Torkel’s true identity.

“Pathetic,” Theo said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Once, you fought to destroy , and now you grovel at its feet, convincing yourself you’re ‘the real deal.’ What a joke.”

Theo’s laughter was genuine, sharp with mockery.

“You call this ‘truth’? To me, it just looks like a desperate excuse to justify betrayal.”

Torkel finally spoke, his voice heavy and menacing.

“You know nothing of the truth, yet you act as if you do.”

“Your so-called ‘truth’ doesn’t interest me in the slightest,” Theo shot back.

Torkel paused before continuing, his voice low and chilling.

“I despise you, Theo. You were lucky, chosen by fate to rise to your position, and now you strut around as if you understand everything. It disgusts me.”

“Lucky?” Theo’s tone was indifferent. “Perhaps, from your perspective.”

Theo didn’t bother arguing further.

In his eyes, Torkel had been born into privilege, raised under the care of a capable mother, and favored by the Dragon Emperor.

But Theo also knew Torkel had fought hard in his own way, just as Theo had.

This wasn’t a battle of right or wrong.

It was a fight to determine who had struggled harder.

“Still,” Theo said coldly, “it doesn’t matter. Whatever you aimed for, your plans are nothing but ashes now.”

The Black Flower was beyond Torkel’s reach, thanks to Theo and Julius.

Torkel’s exposure as a spy left him no foothold in Ragnar.

Even the Black Iron Brigade was trapped by the White Armor Vanguard.

By all accounts, Torkel’s plans had failed.

Or so Theo thought.

“Plans? Failed? Me? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Torkel said with a smirk.

Theo frowned, sensing something was off.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The sound of hooves pounding the earth grew louder.

KREEEAAAAHHH!

A monstrous roar echoed from the skies.

“What the…?”

“To the west! Black cavalry! And… to the east? Wyverns?”

In the distance, black-clad cavalry thundered forward, raising clouds of dust.

Their banner bore the unmistakable insignia of the Black Iron Brigade.