Chapter 112

Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Party Disbandment (1)

The remains of a dragon represented an immense fortune, with absolutely nothing going to waste.

Such components were heavily utilized across numerous rituals, offering not only premium physical ingredients but also colossal reservoirs of magical energy.

Furthermore, dragons were presently teetering on the brink of total annihilation.

Reflecting on its immense worth, he needed to meticulously gather every single remnant, down to the smallest shred of tissue.

‘Though I have no intention of putting it up for sale.’

He possessed more than enough funds, and such rare assets would inevitably find a purpose later.

With Hans managing the peak of mystical arts, preserving the haul was not a concern.

Naturally, he had no intention of merely locking all these resources away.

He intended to put the necessary pieces to immediate use…

And chief among those elements was the dragon’s life force.

Dragon Blood.

“Mmm… The results are undeniable. My progress had felt somewhat stagnant recently.”

Heinz the Second, having finally saturated his system with premium vitality after a prolonged drought, murmured softly while flexing and relaxing his fingers.

“Hybrid Evolution” failed to trigger a massive advancement in his vampiric traits because that specific ability only functioned through acts of cannibalism.

Even so, he could discern that an unquantified metric—Heinz’s fundamental power level—had advanced an entire grade after consuming the dragon’s life force.

‘This must be the result of the vampire lineage trait, “Blood Kin (True Blood)”, undergoing growth.’

Every single one of his attributes had experienced a comprehensive surge, and the performance of his hematokinetic arts had also grown vastly more efficient.

While he had not yet achieved the rank of Sacred Blood, draining the vitality of an entity as mighty as a dragon had clearly granted him a monumental surge of development.

“So draining the essence of a superior entity was indeed the requirement to ascend to a Sacred Blood.”

Heinz wielded might that vastly eclipsed vampires of an equivalent rank, a benefit derived from his array of diverse abilities.

Particularly due to “Hybrid Evolution”, the underlying vampiric factor supporting his strength operated on an entirely different plane compared to his peers, yet its advancement had eventually hit a wall.

‘The baseline trait has already evolved to its limit; further feeding seems to merely expand my maximum energy reserves rather than granting true martial ascension.’

Then again, Heinz had enjoyed a relatively tranquil existence of late.

He had even refrained from draining the True Bloods during the past conflict with the Brokoslack Clan, choosing instead to bring them under his banner to fully integrate their faction.

Preserving a multitude of competent subordinates yielded greater strategic value than merely increasing his isolated strength, leaving him with zero regrets…

‘Besides, I secured a highly respectable return on this venture. Abundant prospects will arise down the road, so there is no reason to obsess over this single instance.’

He could simply savor the fruits of his labor on this day.

Sensing that his complexion had taken on a finer sheen, he gently ran his fingers along his jawline, noting the familiar, flawless texture.

‘…I cannot be certain.’

Gently lowering his arm, he cast his gaze toward the ongoing butchering of the dragon.

The animated corpses, whose necrotic signatures had been insulated by Hans to maintain pristine preservation, labored with absolute focus.

Not a single droplet of crimson stained the ground of their intense workspace, an unnatural cleanliness given the nature of the chore.

That outcome, naturally, was orchestrated by Heinz the Second, the True Blood vampire overseeing the location.

‘Still, I refrained from consuming the entirety of it.’

Vital fluids were intricately tied to the surrounding anatomical structures; a careless, total extraction risked ruining the physical components.

It would also be overly avaricious to squander the entire fluid volume of a dragon solely for consumption.

‘Furthermore, regardless of how potent dragon vitality proves to be, the returns diminish sharply if one continuously feeds from an identical origin.’

Consequently, he managed to reserve a massive reserve of the fluid for alternative operations.

Such essence served as a foundational catalyst for all manner of incantations, ensuring its future utility.

‘As an illustration… the markings on Harley.’

Advanced markings demanded components of a corresponding grade.

He remained uncertain whether Harley required such enhancements at this precise moment, however.

-Individual Name: Harley

-Race: Dragonborn (Hybrid)

-Common Traits: “Mind Hub”, “Persona”, “Clear Mind”

-Individual Traits: “Mutation”, “Physical Transformation”, “Bio-Aura”, “Frenzied Beast”, “Voracity”, “Mad Dragon’s Heart”, “Madness Control”, “Gem Eye: Coercion”, “Super Regeneration”, “Calcos-style Combat Tattoo”

-Special Notes: Integrated the ‘Mad Dragon’s Heart’, which held potent hereditary traits, causing the majority of his anatomy to be supplanted by draconic material, shifting his race to Dragonborn. Regulates the internal insanity via the organ and draws in ambient insanity from his surroundings. The fusion of ‘Gem Eye’ and ‘Dragon Eye’ has amplified his capacity to dominate the volition of others through sheer pressure.

“Nngh—”

In an isolated section of the draconic butchering ground.

Harley, crouched low like an injured predator, was battling intensely to command his own anatomy.

‘To think my fundamental race underwent a shift… That underscores the magnitude of this metamorphosis.’

Harley’s physical form had never been that of a baseline human to begin with.

He was a product of biological synthesis derived from artificial engineering, blending the hereditary traits of countless magical predators and anomalies.

This reality failed to manifest clearly within the status readouts due to his inability to fit a singular racial classification, though ‘Mutant’ remained the most accurate label if forced to choose.

This time, however, the dominant portion of his anatomy had been overridden by elite draconic traits, fundamentally altering his core classification.

The designation of ‘hybrid’ persisted merely due to the surviving remnants of his original state.

Snap— Crack—!

His frame, which had expanded past three meters in height following the consumption of the ‘Mad Dragon’s Heart’, began to contract.

The structural realignment persisted for several moments, persisting until his fangs, talons, protective plating, and alternative altered features receded into his frame, restoring his original silhouette entirely.

As the butchering of the dragon approached its final stages,

“Phew—”

He at last reestablished absolute sovereignty over his physical form, pushing himself upright and releasing a heavy breath.

Swoosh—

Simultaneously, a localized gust swept outward from his position, rustling the nearby flora.

‘What?’

This occurrence stemmed entirely from his radical lung capacity interacting with the rhythmic pulsing of the “Mad Dragon’s Heart”.

The velocity of the air was not extreme, yet it remained absurd for a draft generated solely by a standard respiration.

‘As expected of a draconic core. It doesn’t just hold internal power; even the ambient energy of the area aligns itself with my movements. Mastering this will require dedicated effort.’

The Mad Dragon had suffered a complete loss of structured spellcasting, compensating by channeling raw force in its most fundamental state—a trait Harley had now absorbed.

He remained incapable of casting spells despite his ascension to a Dragonborn, but the surrounding energy would now provide vastly more powerful reinforcement to his physical maneuvers.

‘I must dedicate a larger portion of my cognitive focus toward monitoring this for the foreseeable future. A momentary lapse could easily trigger an unintended catastrophe.’

This presented an entirely new obstacle stacked upon his existing struggle to regulate his vastly amplified physical might.

“Ah— Everything feels incredibly tense! I’ll need to loosen up during the return trek! Bwahaha!”

Harley extended his limbs, offering a boisterous burst of laughter.

‘To think a quest that initiated with the retrieval of Zaonic’s pickaxe would culminate in this location.’

It had proven to be a remarkably tumultuous odyssey, stretching from the pursuit across the Northern Mountains that kicked off with the Twin Head Ogre all the way to confronting the dragon and bringing it down.

‘Yet I harbor no grievances, given the massive benefits I reaped.’

Heinz had shattered his developmental plateau, while Harley had transformed into an absolute titan.

His actual mass registered in the multi-ton range despite using “Physical Transformation” to compress his dimensions in defiance of standard mass laws, a consequence of his incredibly dense internal composition.

It seemed entirely surreal, given his height hovered at a mere 2.3 meters.

‘I must practice manipulating the ambient forces to lessen my effective weight. Left unchecked, I won’t even be capable of stepping inside a dwelling.’

He had inherited a physical form that required constant vigilance across every environment, as standard terrain could easily give way beneath his stride.

The solitary saving grace was the enhanced metabolic economy provided by the “Mad Dragon’s Heart”, which constantly harvested ambient energy.

Had that trait been absent, he would have been forced to feed continuously just to keep his physical form functional.

“Tsk, though I still feel a lingering emptiness. Time to nourish myself.”

…Such a statement originating from an individual who had been consuming meat without pause seemed absurd, yet it was unavoidable.

Because a monumental quantity of vitality had been expended during the structural metamorphosis, his internal stores were heavily depleted now that his entire physical makeup had fundamentally shifted.

He was required to restore what had been drained.

‘The provisions are endless, so there is zero reason to ration. Every bite acts as a supplement that accelerates my adaptation!’

His focus locked onto the massive mound of dragon flesh resting to one side.

“Gulp.”

Harley cleared his throat and strode directly toward the pile, systematically packing away nourishment like a predator bracing for a deep winter freeze.

—

The breakdown of the draconic entity concluded swiftly, owing to the deployment of numerous animated servants.

[Excellent execution, Malcolm.]

Hans signaled his approval with a nod, surveying the remnants neatly categorized by type, encompassing the flesh, structural frame, and internal systems.

[The honor is mine…]

As Death Wizard Malcolm, who had directed the automated laborers to conclude the butchering, offered a deep sign of respect and retreated, Hans naturally strode toward the collection of draconic skeletal structures to inspect them.

[Ah— Truly spectacular.]

The display was grand enough that a distinct aura radiated from the mere collection of bones.

Likely an aftereffect of cellular hyper-activation triggered by the corruption, the skeletal components were dense and remarkably robust, rendering them flawless components in their own right.

‘This process would typically prove highly volatile due to the lingering consciousness of the dragon.’

The exalted consciousness of a dragon rarely submitted to being raised as an animated servant following its demise.

Consequently, an intricate sequence and an extended period of degradation were mandatory for such an endeavor…

‘Yet no preliminary corruption is required here, as it has already been thoroughly compromised by insanity. A significant hurdle has been cleared for me.’

The most complex and tedious phase of the operation had already been resolved by circumstance.

It was equivalent to a scenario where the culinary components were already prepped and seasoned, leaving him with nothing more to do than apply heat and consume them.

‘Naturally, alternative practitioners of the dark arts would find this highly volatile to manage, given the taint of the void’s insanity… ’

However, such a variable posed no obstacle for Hans, whose domain over ‘death’ stemmed from that identical void.

‘There is no purpose in delaying. Shall I initiate the process immediately?’

The arrangements were executed with extreme velocity.

Utilizing “Forbidden Knowledge”, he constructed a dark barrier to contain the ceremony, directed his servants to erect a rudimentary altar, and modified a portion of the draconic internal systems to serve as foundational offerings.

The setup appeared remarkably rudimentary relative to the magnitude of the invocation, but could an Immortal King ever be bound by the constraints limiting a standard necromancer?

With that, the ceremony commenced.

Positioned at the epicenter of the altar, flanked by a multitude of animated servants arranged in a precise configuration,

Hans stood before the draconic skeleton and slowly raised his arm.

[Now— By what designation were you known? Reveal it.]

The instant Hans brushed his hand against the collection of bones, necrotic force began to pool outward from the Immortal King’s Heart anchored in his chest.

The surrounding flora began to shrivel from the silent spread of decay, and frost crystallized across the terrain as the temperature plummeted past the freezing mark.

[Indeed, Heratos.]

Hummmm—!

A colossal tide of dark magical force instantly saturated the vicinity, entering into alignment with the animated servants comprising the altar.

It then began to gradually filter into the draconic skeletal frame.

[I stand as the Sovereign of the Departed and the administrator of mortality, and thus I award you a secondary existence.]

Such an outcome would have been entirely out of reach while the dragon lived.

Indeed, how many entities of that caliber would ever willingly choose the path of an animated thrall after perishing?
Especially when the very individual who claimed their life was seeking to bind them into absolute servitude?

[You shall gain the capacity to traverse the terrestrial realm once more. Naturally, a minor compensation is required.]

Yet it required little effort for Hans to sway a broken consciousness that retained only fractured impulses following its demise.

[…From this moment, I am your master.]

He was the Immortal King, an entity who had mastered the absolute peak of death magic.

Swoosh—!

The death energy and dark magical force saturating the area were drawn into the draconic remains within a single instant.

The fabric of space trembled from the immense torrent of power, causing several of the animated servants anchoring the altar to fracture and collapse.

Within the boundaries of the wildly churning barrier,

And amidst the decaying flora that had withered under the stress of the ritual,

[———!]

A fresh animated horror finally unsealed its gaze.

—

“Bwahaha! Let us make our departure then!”

Harley, securing the dimensional storage device laden with draconic flesh, set off toward the southern territories where his allies awaited.

“It is time I monitored the status of Heterosis after this extended absence.”

Heinz the Second cast a disinterested look across the area and vanished from view.

What remained within the woodland, which had been reduced to a devastated wasteland by the scale of the engagement, was…

[Hehehe— Seeing as I am present, perhaps an exploration of the area is in order? I trust there are viable prospects awaiting discovery nearby.]

Immortal King Hans, flanked by a legion of animated servants.

And…

[Roaaaaaaar—!]

[Shriekkkkkk—!]

A pair of Bone Dragons.