CHAPTER 127
127 The Black Land
Instead of an answer, a sword strike came forth. Rondar's sword, which had cut down Jerakson, now aimed for Belkarim's Seed.
But unlike with Jerakson, he didn't possess a piece of her soul this time. He couldn't close the distance the same way he did before.
'It's stopping.'
An energy field surrounded Belkarim, similar to her barrier, where time slowed down drastically. The sword that reached it would lose its speed and eventually come to a near standstill.
When escaping the Erosion, he had used the World Tree's explosive growth to shatter it, but Rondar's sword possessed no such trick. Thus, the sword would inevitably stop, and Belkarim would be safe.
That's what should have happened.
[...!]
Blood scattered. The sword flowed through the energy field, slashed the wolf, and drew blood. Startled, Belkarim immediately created distance and watched him warily.
[To think you could handle it this quickly...]
Jinwoo flicked his sword to shake off the blood, preparing for the next strike. The tip of the blade was faintly imbued with the power of the Seed he had taken from Jerakson.
"Is this Jerakson's power?"
[...Yes. That creature hated being oppressed and constrained more than anything. Perhaps because his nature is imbued in it, his Seed is impervious to any external pressure.]
He had understood this instinctively the moment he absorbed the Seed, but hearing it explained made it even clearer.
Jerakson, who had broken out of his cage in a rage against the false sky that imprisoned him. He despised any existence that oppressed him. The power of the Seed, born from that hatred.
'Must be exhausting to be like that.'
He didn't sympathize, but it was certainly a difficult personality to live with. As long as one didn't live alone in the world, external pressure from others was inevitable. To put it negatively, it was interference, but to put it positively, it was connection.
But Jerakson had been hostile to it all, becoming an incarnation of hatred himself. The Seed of Erosion planted in him had absorbed his nature and sprouted the power to reject all external pressure.
A pitiful life—no, a pitiful dragon's life—but the power that grew from it was helpful.
[You cut down Jerakson's Seed just moments ago, yet you can wield it in such a short time... Have all your memories returned?]
"Who knows."
Many memories had returned, but there was still much he didn't know. There was no need to tell Belkarim that.
He didn't sense an obvious enmity from her like Jerakson's hatred, but he didn't sense any goodwill either. It meant she had a separate objective...
[I have no intention of fighting you here. It is enough that you have regained a certain amount of your memories and recovered Jerakson's Seed.]
Light descended from the sky. One by one, the lights covered every corner of Belkarim's domain. Her slaves, workers, and minions were all engulfed in light without exception.
If this were the power of Erosion, he could cut it down like a Black Flame. If it were the power of a Seed, he could use Jerakson's authority to repel it. But this was neither.
It felt like a type of magic or spell. It wasn't something that could be easily cut with a sword.
"Why."
Belkarim was also enveloped in the same light. He could feel her presence fading.
"Why do you want me to regain my memories?"
He didn't understand the reason. Jerakson's motive was easy to grasp. He hated the being who had imprisoned him in the past, and he hated Jinwoo, its reincarnation, just the same. Compared to that simple animosity, Belkarim's motive was a mystery.
Was she a loyal subordinate in the past? If so, he felt no respect or anything of the sort from her. Or did she hold some kind of grudge and wanted him to remember it? If so, he didn't feel much hatred from her either.
[I am always and only protecting my domain.]
Leaving only those words, Belkarim vanished. Johann and the maid were nowhere to be seen. The fragments of the ice castle, shattered by the dragons, were also gone. All that remained was a massive, mountain-like pile of dirt.
Everything related to Belkarim had disappeared. And the aftermath was most apparent in the sky.
"Jinwoo, the moon is out."
"It's gotten dark."
The sun had set, and the moon had risen. The blue sky was stained dark, and the faint light of the morning stars dimly illuminated the passing clouds.
The day that seemed it would last forever under Belkarim's rule had finally come to an end.

The blue portal was found quickly. It was discovered in less than a day, making a mockery of how it had remained hidden until now.
"It seems it was being distorted by a powerful force."
They didn't jump into the portal right after finding it. Kalesian wanted to stay for a moment to inspect it.
"A powerful force?"
"Portals are more delicate than you might think. The magic that constitutes a door to another world could hardly be crude. That's why they seem to be easily distorted by surrounding forces."
"Are you saying the portal couldn't appear because of Silbaern's or Belkarim's influence?"
"In simple terms, yes."
Jinwoo thought for a moment and then asked.
"Does this happen often on the 5th Floor?"
"I wouldn't know. Ordinary dragons can't use blue portals anyway, so few bother to study them. Even if someone did, they're not the type to go around blabbering about their research findings."
Because Kalesian was a half-dragon who hadn't completed his shedding, he was able to use the blue portal. It was impossible for the ordinary dragons living on the 5th Floor.
Therefore, they had little interest in blue portals. That was why research and analysis on them weren't widely circulated. However.
"I see... I think I've heard somewhere that portals aren't found in the Black Desert."
"The Black Desert?"
"It's the most dangerous place on the 5th Floor. It's the very first place young dragons are taught they must never approach."
So there were rumors like that circulating among dragons. He had assumed that since they were such individualistic beings, they wouldn't care about rumors at all.
Regardless, he had learned quite a bit about the beings known as dragons. Not just from what Kalesian told him, but also from fighting and defeating dragons like Silbaern and Jerakson one after another.
If he ever went to the 5th Floor, the Dragon Star Realm, the experience he gained this time would be a great help.
After finishing his inspection of the portal, it was time to enter. This was the way back after defeating Jerakson, the Sky God. He was curious about what had happened to Earth.
"Well, at least the Erosion won't appear anymore. We took care of the one who was eyeing Earth."
"I suppose so."
"It'll be a different story if another one decides to invade..."
Kalesian's voice trailed off. That was right, there were still more than ten Lords remaining. One of them might take an interest in Earth now that Jerakson's influence was gone.
"But the possibility is low. Earth has already lost much of its planetary essence. Over the past few decades, most of its essence was sucked away by Jerakson. They probably won't bother targeting what little is left."
As Kalesian said, the chances were low. For a Lord in the Spirit Realm to extend their influence to a lower world required a considerable effort on their part. Was the current Earth worth that much trouble?

"Let's go back and see for ourselves."
Everything was something to be checked upon their return.

He returned to Kalesian's mansion. Servants with a business-like demeanor greeted Jinwoo, and Kalesian went ahead to Mahiri's side to wake her.
Although a long time had passed in the Spirit Realm, not as much time had passed on Earth. This was because the encounter with Belkarim and the fight with Jerakson had all happened within a single day.
In the end, only as much time had passed as he had spent in Silbaern's forest.
'I'm sorry I couldn't find it.'
Upon returning to the mansion, Jinwoo spoke to her through a branch of the World Tree. He had lost the glass bead and the original sapling had broken, but he had managed to bring back one branch.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest gives a benevolent smile.]
She, too, comforted Jinwoo, saying it was alright. It seemed that even if the words weren't transmitted, the situation Jinwoo had experienced had been. She seemed to know most of what happened: encountering Belkarim after Silbaern and defeating Jerakson.
[Still... be careful...]
'Careful?'
[The Seed...]
The emotion conveyed from her was one of 'caution.' She was clearly wary of the Seed of Erosion.
This was the complete opposite of Belkarim, who had encouraged him to regain his memories and, of course, the Seed. As he thought, she didn't approve of him absorbing the Erosion.
He didn't know which one of them was right for now. Perhaps there was no right side at all. Both might be acting solely for their own benefit.
It was entirely up to Jinwoo to judge which choice was best for him.
For now...
'Jerakson's Seed will be useful when fighting other Lords. Though the best thing would be not to fight at all.'
He would be careful, but he couldn't give up the power of the Seed. With Jerakson gone, there were no more invaders targeting Earth. But there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be any in the future.
He needed the power to fight back if another Lord targeted Earth, or himself, in the future.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest affirms.]
She seemed to understand that part, as she didn't say anything more. She only advised him not to rely on it too much and not to let down his guard.
After his conversation with the World Tree ended and his fatigue was completely gone, Jinwoo contacted Ma Doo-sik. He was curious about the movements of the Erosion.
—Hunter Kang Jinwoo! It's been a while. I heard you went to New Delhi for a vacation. How is it?
"I'm resting well. More importantly, I was curious about something..."
After giving a suitably fabricated update, he asked about the Erosion. Ma Doo-sik lowered his voice and replied.
—It's a matter we're still investigating on our end, so we're not certain yet, but you're well-informed.
Since it hadn't been long, nations were reluctant to make announcements. Not only did they not know the cause, but they were also busy trying to grasp the exact phenomenon.
With that as a preface, what Ma Doo-sik told him was exactly what Jinwoo had expected.
—That's right. At some point, the appearance of Erosion just stopped. There's been no news of the Erosion that used to appear several times a day worldwide. We've even received reports that the Black Land is recovering.
"Recovering?"
That was unexpected. He had thought the Erosion would stop appearing, but the land already stained black was recovering?
—It's a phenomenon that's only been discovered in one place so far, so it's not certain. However, it requires investigation, so we plan to form an international joint investigation team. From our side, Hunter Chartia has volunteered.
That certainly sounded like something Chartia would jump at. She had always wanted this land to regain its greenery.
—It seems like it will be a fairly large-scale investigation. Much larger than the one for the island in New York. If you're interested, Hunter Kang Jinwoo, I can recommend you at any time.
What Jinwoo was wary of now was the possibility of another Lord invading Earth now that Jerakson was gone.
If the sudden recovery of the Black Land was only because Jerakson was gone, that was fine. But if another power had intervened, that was a different story. He needed to see it with his own two eyes.
"I'll return to Seoul right away. Can we talk again then?"
—Of course. I'll be waiting.
After hanging up, Jinwoo hurried to prepare for his return.