Chapter 115

Chapter 115
## Chapter 115

## The Way Back

Skeletal structures rapidly began to manifest from the obsidian mass hovering in midair.

The osseous frame, starting with the spinal column and rib cage, expanded swiftly before halting after forming arms, legs, and a cranium.

Immediately following, crimson phantom flames ignited within the hollow, dark orbital cavities.

[Hooo—]

Whoosh—!

A dense aura of dark magic, blazing like an open flame, radiated from the newly formed skeletal physique.

This marked the exact instant Arch-Lich Dwell McCain achieved total resurrection.

‘To think he can reconstruct himself so rapidly utilizing nothing but dark magic as long as his core remains intact. It truly feels like a cheat every single time I witness it.’

While Hans silently expressed his amazement, Dwell, newly capable of controlling his physical form, instantly threw himself to the ground in front of him, calling out in reverence.

[Oh— Immortal King! I believed I had been utterly destroyed by the champion… As anticipated, your power is magnificent!]

The final memory he possessed was of the champion’s sacred energy devouring him, reducing his entire being to a mere core.

Yet, upon regaining consciousness, he discovered he was already resting within the palm of the Immortal King.

‘I am uncertain why the champion refrained from erasing me entirely on the spot, but even under those circumstances, I should have ended up entombed deep within the sanctuary.’

He possessed no knowledge of how much time had slipped by since that day, nor how he had been liberated from his captivity…

[Dwell McCain.]

Nevertheless, the supreme reality at this moment was that the Immortal King stood directly before him.

Wooong—

Their binding pact was instantly re-established the very second his name was uttered.

[Ah— This Dwell McCain hereby swears absolute fidelity to the Immortal King!]

Mirroring the events of three centuries ago, a fresh bond of master and servant was forged in this place.

While the Arch-Lich burned with newfound fervor, a ghostly silhouette shimmered nearby before crystallizing into the form of a woman.

This was Banshee Queen Olivia, attired in a dark weeds-of-mourning dress featuring a mesh veil descending from her headwear.

[This maiden, Olivia… offers greetings to Your Majesty…]

[Indeed, Olivia. For what purpose have you arrived?]

[I have returned to deliver a status report… regarding the directive you previously assigned to me…]

The task he had entrusted to Olivia involved uncovering every scrap of information regarding the ‘Oath of Heaven’s Defiance’.

A brief period had passed since he issued that command, occurring right after Harley ventured into the Northern Mountains.

[Oh— Completed already?]

Olivia proceeded with her intelligence briefing.

She explained that she had initially conducted an exhaustive investigation across the entire western territory.

Beyond merely inspecting locations she could access firsthand, she directed her efforts toward mapping out their networks by tracking individuals entering and exiting zones concealed by magical barriers.

She had already uncovered multiple clandestine safehouses, and that tally was projected to grow as more time elapsed.

[Presently, we have pushed our tracking parameters to encompass regions of the central Empire… where we have pinpointed a site believed to be a principal headquarters… and are currently monitoring it…]

To think her reach had already stretched into the heart of the empire.

Unsurprisingly, her efficiency was thoroughly intimidating.

[Hehehe— Splendid, splendid. Excellent execution, Olivia. I shall remain reliant on your skills moving forward.]

[This maiden… shall surrender her flesh and spirit to Your Majesty…]

Olivia offered a deep, respectful curtsy in response to Hans’s commendation, clutching the borders of her skirt with both hands.

[Lady Olivia is devoid of both skeletal structure and physical flesh, so how precisely can she surrender her flesh and spirit…]

[Dwell.]

[…At once! Immortal King, issue your decrees!]

Dwell, who had been momentarily disregarded in the corner, murmured under his breath before quickly lowering his skull again when Hans addressed him.

[There is an assignment for you. Align yourself with Olivia for the time being and provide her with backup.]

[Your desires shall be executed!]

Maintaining an abundance of underlings proved highly efficient.

He needed only to hand out directives, and they would handle the complexities of execution.

[Olivia, bring them to heel alongside Dwell. You are permitted to enlist Karam if the situation demands it.]

[All actions shall align with the King’s path…]

Should a target location prove excessively fortified, he could simply dispatch a more formidable servant to handle it.

And if even they proved incapable of breaching the defenses…

‘That would indicate the location is a crucial stronghold.’

And that specific site would soon face the wrath of the returned Immortal King.

—

“Perish!”

Crack—!

Harley’s massive fist pulverized a creature’s skull.

This represented a mundane event that had played out an innumerable number of times.

The frequency of beasts they crossed paths with swelled as time marched on, yet the traveling company suffered no additional casualties.

Astonishingly, this success was entirely credited to a single individual.

“Hahaha—! Advance upon me, the lot of you—!”

His thunderous battle cry, infused with a peculiar resonance, reverberated across the immediate area…

“Kuwooh—!”

“Kieeeeek!”

…Provoking the beasts and forcing them to concentrate their aggression entirely on Harley.

The ultimate destiny of the monsters that sprinted toward him was predetermined.

Thud!

Splat—!

Severed limbs tore through the air, and crimson fluid sprayed, coating the terrain.

They were being completely dismantled by hand.

“…I recognized his strength previously, but this…”

“Mmh, I comprehend your meaning perfectly.”

The fellow travelers, who managed to survive with far greater ease due to the presence of the vanguard warrior drawing widespread hostility, shared their observations.

Even the adversaries they combated grew bewildered whenever Harley erupted into booming laughter, transforming them into effortless targets.

“I must inform my peers once we make our return. Never provoke that individual if you value your survival.”

“…A fair number of people quietly dismissed his capabilities. I intend to caution my close associates as well. I have no desire to attend a collective memorial service.”

Harley’s physical state showed minimal wear, despite his savage onslaught.

He remained the identical tribal fighter defined by colossal, aggressive musculature and a predatory smirk.

Yet, the performance he displayed was completely divorced from his past efforts.

His bare strikes shattered the beasts’ carapaces without effort, and his fingers slid through their dense hides with ease.

His rapid, high-mass strikes sent anything crossing his path airborne through mere momentum, and his hardened muscle fibers remained unmarked by any incoming blows.

“Nevertheless, it appears he has no intention of utilizing his twin axes whatsoever.”

“They no longer meet his standards. I have caught wind of certain ascetics from an obscure sect who engage in combat in that fashion, though it is… well… it hardly resembles standard martial arts…”

“It is purely visceral.”

The scout Hans and Charlton exchanged quiet remarks.

While the group stood in collective admiration, a single person observed him with a deeply dissatisfied expression.

“…Ugh.”

It was the non-human artisan, Zaonic Steelstone.

As they resumed their march after the skirmish settled down, he found himself unable to suppress his thoughts and stepped up to Harley, challenging him directly.

“Listen here, Harley! There is a matter I require you to clarify!”

His inquiry centered on the contradiction he had sensed while tracking Harley’s actions.

It seemed a reasonable point, questioning why he failed to preserve Elinne if his combat prowess was truly this immense.

Harley, naturally, had predicted this exact line of questioning.

‘I cannot camouflage my true capabilities indefinitely. Attaining this level of authority serves no purpose if I must permanently hide it.’

Predictably, he had constructed a plausible justification in advance.

“Ahem, ah— Quite so. I grasp your perspective entirely! However, this matter is deeply intertwined with my history.”

“…History?”

Harley cleared his throat, casting a relaxed glance over Zaonic and the remaining companions.

The others offered no overt commentary, yet they were surreptitiously observing him with genuine curiosity.

After all, his current state was vastly altered from his condition prior to departing into isolation.

They had been deprived of specific insights due to their rapid evacuation, leaving them equally inquisitive.

‘I intend to request that Zaonic instruct Howard in craftsmanship, so it serves no purpose to leave him harboring suspicions.’

Furthermore, the figures assembled here were all highly capable individuals.

It would be advantageous to foster a positive connection with them.

He gave a subtle nod and began to speak deliberately.

This marked the opening scene of the seventh segment of ‘Harley’s Great Adventure’, an epic narrative currently in production.

“Initially, matters proceeded smoothly. The adversary was troublesome, but breaking away by myself was well within my capabilities. However…”

The Twin Head Ogre alongside an assortment of beasts tracked his steps without pause.

Harley had successfully evaded that perilous predicament owing to Elinne’s assistance.

Yet, a smooth journey was an impossibility within the heart of the Northern Mountains, which had completely deteriorated into a corrupted domain.

And the horror that manifested before him just as he managed to catch his breath…!

“Oh, another wave of beasts is closing in. We shall resume this chronicle at a later time.”

“Ah, ah—!”

“…Indeed. This environment does not permit casual storytelling. Everyone, adopt combat formations.”

In this manner, a sequence of skirmishes, brief intervals of rest, and constant travel persisted.

As they steadily advanced through the recurring cycles of combat, Harley’s narrative drew closer to its resolution just as they neared the edge of the highland range.

“It arrived as… a development I failed to foresee. I anticipated my own demise, yet…”

Resembling a tool that shattered completely while intercepting a projectile intended for its wielder, the mining tool Elinne collapsed into fragments, absorbing a lethal blow meant for his chest.

And Harley, restored to life through that ultimate sacrifice, finally achieved enlightenment.

“In the center of that catastrophe, I triggered an awakening. A power that lay dormant within my lineage. And I recognized that this exact trait was the reason I was subjected to modifications, as well as the force that enabled me to endure the process.”

He additionally communicated segments of the earlier portions of ‘Harley’s Great Adventure’ to provide context for their comprehension.

This encompassed the events of Act 4, Scene 3, where he endured modifications at the hands of the malevolent dark spellcaster Hans.

Naturally, the environment prevented a leisurely recounting of the entire epic, forcing him to present a highly condensed summary, yet it elicited an astonishing reaction.

The collective perception of the group shifted entirely.

They no longer viewed him as an eccentric individual sporting a bizarre outfit who happened to possess immense physical strength, but rather as a legendary combatant who had conquered immense trauma and was defying fate to safeguard his true self.

‘As anticipated, the realization of a persona relies entirely on the narrative background.’

It required more than a distinct visual profile.

The tribulations a persona endured within the narrative transformed into defining tests, and their survival struggles turned into an authentic battle for existence.

Their character attributes crystallized, turning far more tangible, which served as the primary catalyst for others to feel a deep connection—.

That represented the genesis of a true ‘legendary chronicle’.

“A-and then what occurred?”

Zaonic swallowed hard, entirely captivated by the tale.

And he was far from the only one enthralled.

Harley calmly delivered the final touches to the lore… no, the history, amidst their intense engagement.

“Indeed, within my veins… the heritage of a dragon was coursing. And utilizing the final window of opportunity Elinne provided, I successfully triggered that legacy and broke free from the disaster.”

Upon concluding his statement, Harley raised a single arm and contracted his muscles.

The crimson scales that instantly materialized over his lower arm provided undeniable confirmation of his words.

“Good heavens, a Dragonborn… True dragons are exceedingly rare in this modern era.”

“It appears an individual of Dragonborn heritage existed among his predecessors. The lineage likely failed to manifest correctly due to the devastation wrought by the great conflict three centuries past. That explains why the latent authority within his lineage remained suppressed for so long.”

The scholar of magic, Fabiella, nodded with a solemn expression, reinforcing the background details using his personal archive of knowledge.

‘Oh? That works perfectly, I will adopt that point.’

As expected of an intellectual possessing vast information, he appeared entirely swayed by the theory he formulated from his own understanding.

“The draconic heritage manifest during a lethal emergency. This mirrors a chapter directly out of an epic chronicle.”

“It clarifies his extraordinary nature. He was never a commonplace mortal from the start.”

The traveling companions nodded in unison, finally rationalizing the source of Harley’s immense power.

“Yes… If events transpired in that manner, it was unavoidable. And given that resolution, even Elinne would have surrendered itself with pride… *Sniff*.”

Zaonic wept in isolation, honoring the final moments of the mining tool that had collapsed in a grand act of self-sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Harley recognized a fundamental truth as he observed their emotional responses.

‘It appears I possess an inherent gift for this craft.’

Swaving the perceptions of others through a fabricated narrative.

It was a capability that could easily qualify him as an author or a theatrical writer, yet if misapplied, it could be used to mislead individuals and guide them according to his desires.

And society typically identifies such a figure as— a ‘swindler’.

‘Such labels bear no relation to my character. Honestly, it is because of those dishonest actors that honorable individuals like myself are viewed with suspicion.’

He was dedicating his efforts continuously toward global harmony, a stark contrast to a deceiver who misled people for personal gain.

It felt highly offensive to be categorized alongside such entities.

As their dialogue reached its conclusion…

“…Our destination is within reach. The Iron Fortress should be visible once we clear this ridge.”

After navigating an endless sequence of perils, the group finally transitioned out of the highlands and crossed back into civilization.

However…

“Ah—.”

“Mmh, as anticipated.”

The towering and fortified strongpoint, which had historically stood unyielding to earn its reputation as ‘Iron’, received them with a devastating profile, partially brought to ruin and painted in gore and remains.

The area experienced a temporary reprieve from conflict, with personnel actively clearing the defensive grounds.

“…Let us accelerate our pace before the horde launches another assault.”

The company followed Robin, their commander, moving with somber strides as they advanced toward the battered Iron Fortress.

The conflict had not yet reached its end.