CHAPTER 124
124. Reckless**

The Erosion shattered, and the sky opened up.

Just as Kalesian had said, a great number of dragons were flying there, summoning lightning, pouring down a rain of fire, and destroying the snowy mountain with beams of light.

A wolf ran among them. Its ashen mane flowing, the wolf leaped, treading upon the very air, and bit into the neck of a dragon.

The bitten dragon thrashed in agony, struggling to shake the wolf off, but the beast never let go of its prey. Its powerful jaws finally tore the dragon’s neck clean from its body.

No matter how physically formidable a dragon was, it could not survive with its head severed from its torso.

‘Belkarim!’

She was a presence Kalesian hadn't mentioned. The one who had not shown even a hint of herself while her domain was being destroyed by the unidentified swarm of dragons was now darting between her enemies, tearing them all to shreds.

The World Tree split them apart. The tree's growth, which had been suppressed by the barrier, exploded the moment the barrier broke.

In the blink of an eye, its branches shot out, dominating the entire celestial battlefield. The freely flying dragons were unnerved by the branches sprouting before them; some were caught or impaled, losing their lives.

[How…! How did you get out of there?!]

Belkarim stared this way in astonishment. Jinwoo didn't answer, merely stroking his sword. Distinguishing friend from foe was paramount.

The dragons had attacked Belkarim's domain, and Belkarim was fighting back. There was no need to actively intervene in their battle.

[Tsk…!]

Belkarim looked as if she wanted to charge over at any moment, but there were still too many dragons. Although a few had been neutralized by the World Tree's branches, several times that number remained.

The battle in the sky continued. Belkarim's performance was akin to a wolf slaughtering a flock of sheep. Her strength was such that it made dragons look like mere lambs.

Jinwoo and his party were safely protected in the shade of the World Tree, and onto that very tree, the corpses of slain dragons steadily fell.

As the dragons killed by Belkarim crashed down, the World Tree devoured their blood, mana, and souls. With that power, it expanded its domain further, making Jinwoo's party even safer.

It was taking advantage of the conflict between two powers to explosively expand its influence. By the time it had grown to a formidable size…

[Enough! Return, you fools!]

A voice echoed out. It wasn't Belkarim's. But the voice, resonating in both head and soul, was unmistakably that of a Monarch.

The dragons retreated at once. Belkarim gave chase, her claws and teeth bringing down two more. Of course, the World Tree deliciously consumed their corpses as well.

‘This voice is…’

He remembered hearing it. How could he forget? It was the only Monarch who had, at least in part, descended upon Earth.

The Lord of Oppression and Ceiling had descended from the heavens, leading the surviving dragons.

A temporary lull fell over the battlefield.

If there is only one enemy, you can risk your life and fight. If you die, you lose; if you survive, you win. But when there are two enemies, you can no longer risk your life so easily.

Belkarim did not consider them allies in the slightest. The Lord of the Ceiling was even less so. In fact, his hostility was directed more intensely at them than at Belkarim.

[I heard that Silbaern died… so you were hiding in a place like this.]

The one leading the dragons was a dragon himself. He was far larger than the other dragons, even larger than Silbaern. He had black scales that resembled Erosion itself, and his golden eyes surveyed the world with contempt.

He glared at the World Tree. To be precise, he saw straight through its shade to Jinwoo, who was hiding within it.

It wasn't surprising. With his eyesight, piercing such a thin veil of shade was no challenge. Moreover, he and Jinwoo shared a strange pull toward each other.

Naturally, it was not a pull in a good sense. It was the kind where neither could tolerate the other's existence.

‘It’s because of the soul I took from him before.’

The reason was immediately clear. When that being had descended a part of himself to Earth, Jinwoo had not let it escape.

He had pursued the entity that tried to flee after causing trouble, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and severed and absorbed its soul. A fragment of that soul still remained within Jinwoo, and it yearned to return to its main body.

There were two ways for a split soul to become one. The first was to be absorbed by the original. The other was for him to absorb the original.

Jinwoo naturally wanted the latter, and the entity wanted the former.

[You dare look upon me and not kneel? Insolent whelp!]

Their intentions were conveyed without words, and the Lord of the Ceiling grew furious at Jinwoo's lack of submission.

That a piece of him was cut away on Earth was, in a sense, tolerable. It was merely a stray thought, barely even a clone. Not bowing before a mere thought was infuriating, but not incomprehensible.

But now, he had descended in his true form. Yet Jinwoo was still toying with his sword, glaring this way. It was obvious he was anticipating the moment he could use that sword to sever the Lord of the Ceiling's head.

He could not tolerate it. Upon seeing him, the proper response was to fall to one's knees, bow one's head, offer up the stolen soul, and beg for forgiveness. And yet, those insolent eyes!

His fury took shape, making the heavens tremble. The blue sky turned black as storm clouds collided, unleashing thunder.

His attacks rained down, but the World Tree did not stand idle. The verdant leaves sprouting from its outstretched branches blocked the downpour of fury.

At the same time, Belkarim saw an opening and lunged. She found the World Tree vexing, but for now, it was a lower priority. The immediate task was to eliminate the Lord of the Ceiling, who now dominated the sky.

So, while he was distracted by the World Tree, she intended to tear into his flank, but…

[You cunning rat!]

She did not succeed so easily. In the end, it only served to further stoke the Lord of the Ceiling’s fury.

However, not even he could afford to look away with Belkarim before him. In a one-on-one fight, he was confident he could dispose of her, but a moment of carelessness could put him in danger as well.

In that opening, the World Tree dropped its defense and stabbed at Belkarim. Right now, it was functioning solely to protect Jinwoo. Like a hedgehog with its quills raised, it responded to every threat that approached.

Belkarim, who had been sufficiently wary, immediately retreated. Blood and flesh scattered from the clash of the three, and as their magic and authority collided, thunder roared and the earth shook. But none of it was a fatal blow to any of them. For them, this was all just a scratch.

Belkarim was cautious, the World Tree was sharp, and the Lord of the Ceiling was enraged. However, his rage was a tool to unleash his potential, not something that would make him lose his reason. His fury was an emotion under calculated control.

"Quite a mess, isn't it? How are you feeling?"

"I'm not so injured that I can't move."

In the midst of the chaos, Jinwoo and Kalesian were watching for an opportunity. While they claimed to be looking for a chance, they were actually recovering. The energy Jinwoo had poured into the World Tree's growth had been greater than expected.

Thanks to that, it had grown enough to assert itself as a third power amidst the two warring Lords, so it wasn't a wasted sacrifice.

Even so, he was in no condition to jump into that fray immediately. Even if his body and energy were at their peak, they were beings against whom victory could not be guaranteed—stronger even than Silbaern.

He couldn't confront them right after pouring a significant amount of his energy into the World Tree's growth.

"Then it's decided. We'll watch for now. There's no reason for us to be hasty."

As Kalesian said, Jinwoo focused on recovering his energy. Of course, he never let go of his sword.

‘My recovery is very fast.’

On a positive note, his recovery speed was faster than he had imagined. Since he had transferred his energy to the World Tree rather than completely expending it, getting it back was also quick.

However, he couldn't fully withdraw his energy from the World Tree. The tree was now the entity holding both Belkarim and the Lord of the Ceiling in check. If it showed the slightest weakness, it could be attacked by both simultaneously.

‘Those two… they’re not doing more than just testing each other for now.’

The Lord of the Ceiling and Belkarim were fighting fiercely. But while the energy they exchanged was destructive, it wasn't enough to inflict fatal wounds on each other. Attacks that made mountains roar and rivers run dry were nothing more than feints to them.

[Stand down, Jerakson. You cannot win in my domain.]

At a glance, the battle seemed to be in Belkarim's favor. The Lord of the Ceiling, the black dragon of Erosion called Jerakson, was not able to exert his full power.

[Night never comes here. You, who rules the firmament, can only display half your strength in a sky without a moon. With that, do you think you can defeat me and deal with that annoying tree?]

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

Belkarim, the wolf who swallowed the moon. By her will, the moon never rose over this snowy mountain. An eternal sun would have granted great power to a god of light, but to the Sky Dragon who ruled the heavens, it meant he had only half his strength.

Viewed another way, it was remarkable. Even with only half his power, he was making his presence fully known in this three-way conflict. It was nothing to be humiliated about, yet Jerakson took it as an insult.

[You think a thing like you can oppress me! Me, Jerakson! The ruler of all skies, the king of all winged creatures! I am the Dragon Lord, Jerakson!]

His roar spread like a typhoon. Belkarim narrowed her eyes and lowered her stance. A fierce wind clawed at her mane, halting her movements.

The World Tree's branches also rustled chaotically, unable to calm the rampaging energy. Perhaps due to Jerakson's roar, energy began to boil from within the World Tree, refusing to settle.

Watching this, Jinwoo suddenly recalled a scene from the past. When was it? He seemed to remember a vast sky and a being flying through it.

The low voice that he muttered along with the memory, even amidst the roar and chaos, struck everyone's ears perfectly.

"It's been a while, Chirpy."

The clamor did not subside. The wind still howled, and the shaking branches of the World Tree were still in turmoil.

But those at the center of it all were wrapped in silence. Jerakson, in particular, felt his heart stop for an instant from a rage so immense he himself could not contain it.

[Yooouuuu wreeeetch!]

Never since ascending to the Throne of the Heavens that ruled the Spirit Realm had he been this enraged. Even for a dragon, a race of reason and knowledge, he knew no way to maintain his composure in this moment.

No longer thinking of the consequences, his body plummeted like a meteor.