The World After the Bad Ending
Chapter 226

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Chapter 226

The Empire, being the largest land in the world, borders many regions inhabited by ancient dragons.

So much so that two of the three remaining ancient dragons reside within the Empire's territory.

Among them, which is the most dangerous?

This had been mentioned once before.

The Ice Dragon.

The master of the ancient dragons in the Bad Ending — a dragon capable of freezing and destroying the world.

Unlike the other ancient dragon, the Earth Dragon, also in the Empire’s territory, the Ice Dragon is the one whom Duke of Whitewood prioritizes in containing above all else.

Sharin and I were climbing the Dragon Ridge in search of that Ice Dragon.

The Dragon Ridge is near the grounds of Zerion Academy.

Therefore, if the Ice Dragon goes on a rampage, Zerion Academy is at risk.

“Ancient dragons are all connected to each other.”

As I ascended the ridge with Sharin floating beside me in mid-air, I shared what I knew.

“So if we can just drive the Ice Dragon back, the other ancient dragons will quiet down as well.”

If even one ancient dragon senses something amiss, the others will also hold back.

Ancient dragons are hard to deal with, but at least they could be controlled this way.

“You sure know a lot, husband~”

“I use ancient dragon magic. Of course I should know.”

Though, all this knowledge is based on the game, of course.

Sharin, unaware of that, simply found it fascinating and said nothing more.

It wasn’t the first time I’d revealed unusual knowledge, so it wasn’t anything new to her.

“Nothing but snow from here on~”

Before we knew it, we were surrounded only by snow.

Even on the frozen cliffs, snow had piled up, increasing the number of dangerous sections.

Thankfully, from halfway up, Sharin had enchanted us with magic to prevent us from sinking into the snow.

The Dragon Ridge is one of the largest mountain ranges in the world.

As a result, it took us a long time just to ascend.

By the time dusk fell, snow had started falling from the sky once more.

Technically, it was snow being blown up by fierce winds, but either way, it made little difference.

Sharin and I had long since shed most of our human limitations.

In my case, the Flame of Ash kept me perpetually warm, and Sharin used magic to stay protected.

Thanks to that, we didn’t feel much discomfort despite the biting wind and snow.

Thud!

Suddenly, the entire Dragon Ridge began to tremble.

Avalanches erupted from all directions, and snow poured down upon us.

“Sharin!”

Sharin grabbed me and soared into the sky.

Beneath us, the landslide swept violently down the mountain.

Yet even after the avalanche, the tremors continued.

Something massive kept thrashing around.

“The Ice Dragon.”

“Phew, the temperature just dropped even further~”

Despite using magic, Sharin frowned at the cold.

The Ice Dragon’s frost penetrated even through magic.

Not even Sharin’s spells could fully defend against it.

Magic is a power derived from deceiving the world.

But ancient dragons possess the ability to see through magic.

Therefore, their power cannot be completely blocked.

Except by one thing.

Zerion’s magic was different.

An overwhelming torrent of mana that even terrified ancient dragons.

A fear embedded deep in their minds had kept them quiet for thousands of years.

But even that seemed to be a thing of the past now, as the dragons stirred again.

A blizzard raged.

As Sharin shivered from the cold, I wrapped her in my warmth.

The Flame of Ash had a natural advantage over the Ice Dragon, protecting her from the cold.

“Sharin, fall back immediately after casting your spell.”

If not, she’d risk being frozen.

Sharin looked up at me from my arms and exhaled through her nose.

“What do you take me for~?”

With a sniff, Sharin drew her staff.

Multiple spells began layering on her staff.

Soon, a different warmth radiated from her.

Her expression settled, and she smiled confidently.

“Who do you think carved the ancient dragon magic seal on your body?”

To think she could even deceive the power of an ancient dragon.

That’s our genius mage, Sharin.

BOOM! BOOM!

Meanwhile, the tremors grew stronger.

Proof that we were nearly there.

“Sharin.”

“Mm-hmm, I’m ready. I’ll be using a modified lightning spell, so time it right when you call it.”

Whoosh!

Soon, beyond the blizzard, the enormous ridge appeared.

At the summit of the ridge—

A massive dragon moved its colossal body along the mountain.

The Ice Dragon.

Its overwhelming size was enough to steal away all attention.

A creature so absurd it felt like a lie.

But it was real.

And it was there.

Amid the snowstorm, white flower petals fluttered.

Standing tall before the Ice Dragon was a woman.

The world’s most renowned hero, and the only one still active.

Duke of Whitewood.

Raksid Anubecia.

She was pushing back the Ice Dragon, whipping up petals from the World Tree.

The Ice Dragon roared and unleashed beams of ice, trying to overpower her.

But every time, Duke of Whitewood evaded or blocked them, holding the dragon back.

If the Ice Dragon descended, the nearby settlements would be destroyed.

Evacuation orders had already been issued.

But no one knew how much longer Duke of Whitewood could restrain it.

That’s why we came.

“Sharin, can you launch me toward Duke of Whitewood?”

“Yes.”

We had prepared thoroughly.

I was in peak condition.

Now, all that was left was to make full use of that condition.

As soon as I spoke, Sharin moved her staff.

Her mana surged.

The galaxy twinkled in her eyes.

Every star in that galaxy poured mana into her staff.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Her ultimate staff roared.

Struggling under the massive flow of mana, the staff barely endured.

A lazy smile spread across Sharin’s lips.

Unleashing magic freely gave her joy.

Perhaps because of the intense surge of power,

The Ice Dragon, locked in combat with Duke of Whitewood, turned to look our way.

But it realized too late.

“I’m sending you nooow~!”

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There was magic in those words.

"Yeah, give it all you've got."

As I took my stance, the final staff moved.

Whooosh!

In that instant, a gust of wind surged from behind and blew me away with a loud thud.

The wind crashing against my face and body felt like blades.

But my body, forged like steel, didn’t even get scratched.

I raised my hand high toward the sky.

It was something I had once done with my younger sister, Xenia.

The ring on my finger shone, howling toward the heavens.

Come, Lightning Caller.

Rumble rumble rumble—

Above, black clouds gathered, not bearing snow but a storm of blue electricity.

Just as a blue lightning bolt tore through the sky and began to descend toward the earth—

A large-scale spell unfolded in the direction the lightning was falling.

A massive magic circle was drawn in the sky.

Had modern mages seen it, they would’ve stood dumbfounded, entranced by the spectacle conjured by a single person.

In the distance, I could see Sharin bleeding from the nose and grinning faintly.

It was clear she was feeling the ecstasy of draining her magical power for the first time in her life.

Boom—!

The blue lightning finally pierced through the magic circle.

At that moment, the lightning transformed—its color turned a deep red.

This was lightning of an entirely different magnitude than before.

Even I, watching, felt a chill run down my spine—but without hesitation, I poured all my strength into the magical engravings.

My amber eyes transformed into those of a dragon, and the lightning struck me.

――――――――!

The lightning swallowed all sound, sending my entire body into a violent frenzy.

It would have been a fatal blow under normal circumstances, but my body absorbed every bit of the lightning.

As the magic engravings glowed, the remnants of the ancient dragon roared.

Crackle!

Red lightning spread throughout my body.

I had become a dragonborn wreathed in lightning.

True · Celestial Dragon-form

A dragon that should not exist in this world—the Celestial Dragon.

This was the moment that dragon was reborn into this world.

Boom!

As I landed, the surging current spread out in all directions.

With that alone, the cold vanished, replaced entirely by electric energy.

My vision was filled with the form of the Ice Dragon.

Just moments ago, it had charged down the mountain without hesitation, but now, it stopped for the first time.

In its eyes—confusion.

The one who once beat down the ancient dragons, driving them into hiding all across the land.

The Transcendent Sage, Zerion.

And now, a man wrapped in that same power stood before it.

Its reaction was only natural.

“Young man?”

At the same time, Duke of Whitewood called out to me, recognizing who I was.

Between the flowing strands of her white hair, I could see she was badly wounded.

She must have sustained those injuries while holding off the Ice Dragon.

Frankly, it's impressive she's managed to hold it back with just those wounds.

“I came to support you.”

“Hah.”

Duke of Whitewood let out a breath of disbelief.

“If I were 500 years younger, I’d be dragging you home to be my husband.”

“You’re still very much in your prime. What are you talking about?”

“It’s that kind of flirting that causes chaos around you.”

She smiled faintly, clearly aware of my current state.

“So, can you move?”

She asked while keeping her eyes on the frozen Ice Dragon.

Sharp as ever.

“It’s rough.”

I may have made a flashy entrance, but to be honest, my body feels unbearably heavy.

It seems my steel-forged body absorbed too much electricity.

Still, my presence alone carries tremendous pressure.

Even just shifting my gaze made the Ice Dragon flinch.

“I figured.”

Duke of Whitewood exhaled.

Ancient dragons don’t bother understanding human speech.

Just like people don’t wonder about ants’ communication, dragons are the same.

To them, humans are nothing more than ants—not worth the attention.

But now, one very dangerous ant had appeared.

If even a human would scream and run from an ant cloaked in lightning, so would a dragon.

This pressure—the force that drives even dragons to recoil.

Crackle!

As I gathered my strength, the current around me surged even more violently.

Finally, the ancient dragon took a step back.

Its body was now covered in visibly raised scales—a clear sign of fear.

“That’s right. Go back quietly to where you came from.”

It wasn’t like it would understand me, but I spoke anyway.

At that moment, the Ice Dragon’s mouth slowly opened.

[Zerion… You… you're alive?]

A sweet feminine voice rang out from somewhere.

My eyes slowly widened in shock.

I glanced at Duke of Whitewood, but she was still facing the dragon, showing no sign of having heard anything.

It wasn’t her voice.

[I heard for sure… that you were dead!]

As the voice echoed again, my face froze completely.

Whose voice is this?

The Ice Dragon.

It was the voice of the dragon before me.

And I was the only one who could hear it.

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