Chapter 226

"I’ve slain an Apostle!"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Theo suppressed the frantic pounding of his heart, but the harder he tried, the more violently it beat—like the engine of a malfunctioning magic train.

The two aura cores, the Dragon’s Heart and his dantian, resonated wildly, competing with each other as if to prove their superiority.

Their rhythm grew faster and faster, until Theo’s vision spun, leaving him momentarily disoriented.

The twin engines of power that had always worked in harmony to grant Theo limitless strength were now on the verge of breaking down.

Even breathing was a struggle.

There was no time to revel in victory, for the Nirvana technique stabilizing the domain of his glass space was beginning to falter.

"Companion!"

Lodbrok immediately recognized the precarious state Theo was in and rushed toward him.

Theo’s breakthrough into a new realm had also allowed her to recover much of her former strength. She was now nearly at 90% of her peak power—just shy of the divine.

But there was no time to celebrate.

Theo’s previously unyielding mental barriers were now strained, dangerously close to collapse.

Having witnessed countless descendants of the Ragnar clan, Lodbrok understood the stakes all too well.

This was a pivotal moment.

Would Theo ascend to greater heights? Or would he fall into the abyss?

There was even the risk of demonic possession.

And if that happened...

"He’ll succumb to madness!"

Even the Mad Dragon King had made a disastrous choice at this crossroads, spending a lifetime enslaved by insanity.

Theo, who had inherited the Mad Dragon King’s lingering will, faced an even greater danger.

Once again, he was exposed to the specter of the Dragon King’s madness.

Lodbrok steeled herself. No matter what, she had to prevent Theo from falling.

Even if Turangje tried to exploit her distraction, she couldn’t afford to hesitate.

Flash!

But before Lodbrok could act, someone else darted toward Theo.

"You bastard!"

Turangje let out a feral roar, charging directly at Theo.

His fiery eyes were filled with rage—so much so that it was hard to believe this was the same werewolf who had been fighting Lodbrok with gleeful abandon moments earlier.

Blood King had been his lifelong rival. If anyone were to claim his life, it should have been Turangje, not some Ragnar whelp.

Black Claw – Duel Frenzy.

Turangje’s claws extended, sharp and gleaming like hooked blades.

He slashed through the air, the black streaks of his claws cutting a rift in space as they descended toward Theo’s head.

Clang! Crash!

Two crossed swords intercepted the attack, not only deflecting it but pushing Turangje back with immense force.

Theo’s eyes, bloodshot and clouded with something dark and unrecognizable, glared at his opponent.

The infernal flames surrounding him burned hotter than ever, writhing like living beasts.

"Dangerous..."

Turangje’s instincts, honed from years of survival in the wild, screamed at him.

Theo was exuding an aura not unlike the Mad Dragon King’s, but there was something even greater, something far more terrifying.

It was as though Turangje was staring at the very god he served.

But before he could fully process the thought, Theo moved.

Slash!

In an instant, Theo closed the distance, his right hand sweeping forward.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Boom!

Lightning, wreathed in hellfire, roared as it cleaved through Turangje, splitting his body in half.

Turangje’s severed head rolled to the side, his final vision the devastating storm of lightning that continued to surge forward, obliterating the werewolf kin behind him.

Hellfire surged like a tidal wave, consuming everything in its path.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Vampires, werewolves, and fanatics—all were swallowed by the inferno without discrimination.

There were no screams.

No howls.

It all ended in an instant.

Ssshhh...

As the storm of flames subsided and the hellfire vanished as if it had never existed, the battlefield fell into eerie silence.

Only Theo remained, standing unsteadily in place.

Black lightning crackled across his upper body, illuminating his form in a haunting glow.

***

"What…!"

"What in the world is happening?"

"I’ve never even heard of a glass space like this! This is insane!"

The three former contenders for succession, who had been following Theo, trembled as they watched him.

Kincarnon clenched his fists, realizing Theo had finally revealed his true strength.

What shocked him most was not just Theo’s overwhelming aura but the fact that he had managed to take down two Apostles—enemies even the Nine Dragons had relentlessly pursued without success.

It was a monumental victory.

One that utterly overshadowed all of Kincarnon’s accomplishments over decades of effort. If Winterer heard of this, any lingering doubts about Theo’s legitimacy as a leader would surely be dispelled.

And yet, the thought filled Kincarnon with bitterness. He understood now that he could never hope to surpass Theo.

Lezé, meanwhile, felt a mix of relief and unease. While she was glad for their victory, she couldn’t ignore Theo’s alarming state and moved closer to him.

Ansio, on the other hand, silently screamed as he pieced together the full scope of what had occurred.

He had heard the rumors about Theo creating a glass space and populating it with dragons.

Such achievements had earned Theo the title of being blessed by dragons, second only to the legendary progenitor Sigurd.

But no one could have predicted that an actual ancient dragon would appear.

"If this is true…"

Ansio realized there was no longer any way for him to exploit Theo.

Now it made sense why the Mad Dragon King had entrusted him to Theo—it was because Theo was beyond anything Ansio could manipulate.

"That dragon… could it be…?"

"A-a legendary dragon!"

"But… its appearance… it’s just like…!"

Some of the more observant members of the unit began to realize Lodbrok’s identity, their voices trembling with awe.

Arin covered her mouth to stifle her scream.

"The Guardian Dragon! It’s the Guardian Dragon!"

The other unit members quickly dropped to one knee, bowing deeply.

The Guardian Dragon was a figure of legend in the Ragnar clan’s history, a being revered alongside Sigurd.

Even if it was only a myth, the belief that the Guardian Dragon’s blood flowed through their veins was ingrained in every member of the clan.

"We greet the Guardian Dragon!"

"We humbly bow before the great Lodbrok, Guardian of Ragnar’s descendants!"

Lodbrok paused, her gaze sweeping over the kneeling warriors.

Had this been the heat of battle, she might have dismissed their reverence, but now that her true form was revealed, she couldn’t act carelessly.

Flash!

Her body shimmered with radiant light, shrinking into a humanoid shape. Yet her vertical pupils, radiating an almost primal terror, remained.

The resemblance to the mythical descriptions of Sigurd’s companion was uncanny, and the unit members lowered their heads even further in deference.

"Step aside. I must see to my companion… your master."

Realizing their mistake, the unit members hurriedly cleared a path.

Yet, even as they moved, one question lingered in all their minds:

"Companion?"

That title… wasn’t it the one the Guardian Dragon had reserved for the progenitor Sigurd?

"Companion, are you alright?"

"Lod…brok…"

Theo exhaled weakly, forcing himself to suppress his rampaging mana. Seeing Lodbrok, he managed a wry smile.

"My circuits… they’re burning."

It wasn’t just his circuits.

His entire mana flow was overheating. This was the aftermath of forcibly opening an unfamiliar glass space.

"Amon has caused a shift."

Lodbrok immediately recognized the mark of the magical tome she had given Theo and tried to find a way to shield him.

In matters of magic, she was confident she could offer assistance.

But then…

"This…!"

Lodbrok’s eyes widened in shock.

The scale of Theo’s accomplishment far exceeded her expectations.

The vastness of his consciousness was overwhelming, to the point where even attempting to intervene risked erasing her existence.

The chaotic fusion of swordsmanship, magic, past experiences, and present achievements had created an unprecedented storm.

Simply remaining conscious within this maelstrom was a feat of sheer willpower.

"Is this truly the size of a human’s consciousness?"

Theo, now with his eyes shut tight, was in deep meditation, trying to quell the storm within.

This was a realm where even a dragon like Lodbrok could not tread—one accessible only to humans who walked the path of the sword.

"What would Sigurd have done? Sigurd…"

Forced to recall the greatest swordsman she had ever known, Lodbrok dredged up memories she had long buried.

If it meant saving her companion, there was nothing she wouldn’t do.

"From here, it depends on the young lord’s resolve."

A voice interrupted Lodbrok’s thoughts.

"And who are you?"

"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Newitz, an old man of little importance."

Hearing this, Lodbrok, still connected to Theo’s consciousness, immediately understood.

Newitz was Theo’s mentor in his past life.

Though she didn’t know how he had come to be here, something about his presence felt serendipitous—as if he might hold the key to Theo’s survival.

"Do you have any solutions?"

"Solutions… I regret to bring age into the matter before the great Guardian Dragon, but perhaps…"

"Such trivialities do not concern me, old man. Can you save my companion?"

Newitz silently observed Theo.

Despite this being their first meeting, he felt a strange familiarity with the young man.

There was an unshakable sense of purpose that had drawn him here, as though it was destiny.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

"More than anything… this boy’s mana core is remarkably similar to the Dragon’s Heart I once envisioned in theory."

If that were true, then Newitz might indeed be able to help.

He had devised a theoretical framework for the Dragon’s Heart long ago. While incomplete, Theo’s approach seemed eerily aligned with his concepts.

"Then perhaps…"