Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1412 - 198: King of the Undead

Maintaining a prolonged state of sleep, indifferent to external affairs, rarely venturing outside, possessing a territorial awareness, and favoring residence in cavernous rooms—these habits, combined, had led the girls to intuit the identity of the Undead King just before their encounter. When Pannis opened the doors of the prayer hall, the girls’ speculation was confirmed. Indeed, where the statue of Danacus once stood in the center of the prayer hall, now it was gone, replaced by a colossal skeletal dragon sprawled in its place. Its immense skull rested on its forepaws, while its broad bony wings draped behind it like a blanket. From the neck, which should have been silent, came a clear voice.

To the vast majority, a Bone Dragon was a creature of legends, and had it not been for historical records of three Bone Dragon sightings, many scholars would doubt their very existence. Without question, a Bone Dragon must originate from the corpse of a Guardian species, a group known for their longevity and relative scarcity; hence, preserved remains were exceedingly rare. Additionally, most Dragons, nearing death, would return to rest in the Dragon Cemetery, deep within the Dragon Mountain Range, where the Energy of Death was incredibly sparse, further diminishing the material possibility for the rise of Bone Dragons. Besides the issue of remains, the transformation of a Dragon into a Bone Dragon was an exceptionally difficult process. Drakes were born from the will to guard the Yarran World as envisaged by Lord Yarra, and their souls possessed very unique properties. Therefore, only if the corpse remained in an extraordinarily special environment, would there be a slim chance for the soul to be eroded by the Energy of Death, transforming into an Undead that could continue to exist in the world. These two factors were why Bone Dragon sightings were so incredibly rare. Compared to their scarcity, the power of a Bone Dragon was also formidable; each one possessed the strength of a Demigod, just as they did in life.

The girls exchanged looks, and although they were mentally prepared, the appearance of the Bone Dragon still startled them. Over the years, they had encountered numerous Undead, but it was their first time seeing a Bone Dragon—reputed to be the strongest among all Undead. Fortunately, having previously encountered Guardian species like the Red Dragon Bast and Golden Dragon Mina in the Magical Beast Forest, their surprise was mitigated, but even so, they were so awestruck by the immense Bone Dragon that they were momentarily speechless.

Of course, Pannis was not among those lost for words. Over a hundred years ago, Pannis had personally battled at least a dozen Bone Dragons and had even seen a large number of still-living Guardians, so he was not troubled by the surprise. What did trouble him was that this Bone Dragon had accurately addressed him by his true name, signifying that it must recognize him. The Bone Dragon could only have got to know him during the expedition a century prior. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"Hmm, are you the King of the Undead? I think I remember you now. No wonder you are considered the first of the Undead to awaken; you must have been awake since then," Pannis observed the skeletal dragon sprawling on the ground. The dragon was entirely composed of ghastly white bones. The dim oil lamp light, reflecting off the bones, emitted a chilling glow. Inside the huge skull of the Bone Dragon, two Soul Fires, almost the size of human heads, pulsed, filling its hollow eye sockets with green flames that occasionally leaked thin streams of the Energy of Death. Pannis rubbed his chin, his gaze roaming with interest over the Bone Dragon’s form. After a few seconds of silence, he seemed to suddenly come to a realization, and said with a half-smile, "That’s right, we’ve met you before. You were the Bone Dragon that would hide in the back. Heh, we had suspected back then that you might be one of the Undead with Divine Wisdom; now it seems we were right."

"Indeed, I’m one of the earliest to awaken among the Undead, but you can forego the title of King of the Undead," the Bone Dragon chuckled, bemused. "It’s really unexpected to be noticed by you. Mr. Kyle, your observation is so sharp. Even amidst such a fierce attack, you were able to detect what set me apart so quickly."

"Not sharp at all," Pannis retorted, curling his lips in self-mockery. "Although there were many Undead, noticing one that constantly hides in the background is certainly peculiar. And I didn’t realize it right away; I only became aware of it after entering the temple. On the contrary, your observant nature is truly keen to have recognized my name."

"Heh, Mr. Kyle must be joking," the Bone Dragon finally lifted its skull from its front limbs and shook its head as it spoke, "You should guess that it was that Lord who told me your name; otherwise, I couldn’t possibly have known it."

"I thought as much," Pannis said thoughtfully, "I am now quite curious. Would you mind sharing your own story with us?"

"Of course, I can." The Bone Dragon maintained its pre-death habits quite thoroughly—at least in terms of laziness. Just as before, it was absolutely the same. After shaking its head, it immediately laid its skull back onto its front limbs and slowly began, "I am a young dragon who once lived at the end of the Third Epoch. To be precise, I was born in the early Second Epoch, and up to now, I have only experienced tens of thousands of years, which makes me part of the younger generation within my clan. During the War of Faith at the end of the Third Epoch, due to the chaotic battle among the pantheon, the entire Continent began to destabilize. My two companions and I, tasked with a mission from the elders of our clan to protect the Yarran World on the brink of collapse, left the Dragon Mountain Range with sixty young Guardians, planning to persuade all parties to stop their intense fighting for the sake of Yarran World’s stability, much like at the end of the First Epoch."

"Hmm, it seems that endeavor truly exhausted a great deal of effort," Pannis moved, stroking his chin as he spoke, "For three combat-type Guardians to take action at the same time, it must have been a world-scale disaster to warrant such a level of attention."

"You’ve noticed, huh?" the Bone Dragon swayed its massive skull, "That’s right, I am indeed a combat-type among the Drakes."

"I’ve known from the beginning," Pannis shrugged, "After all, I consider Mina a friend, and I’m quite familiar with the aura of your energy."

"Right, that Lord mentioned to me that you have a good relationship with that child, Mina," the Bone Dragon sighed with a human-like quality, speaking dejectedly, "I truly feel guilty for placing such a heavy burden on the shoulders of those two young kids."