Chapter 195

Chapter 195
## Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Hidden Traits, Eye of Truth

The Flame Spirit King, Agnis.

Having been pulled back to the peak of the Spirit Tower through a reverse-summoning, he flatly ignored Isera’s attempt to bring him back to the field.

“Agnis. Is it your goal to commit a breach of contract?”

The speaker was the Water Spirit King, Equarel.

She observed Agnis with a faint, knowing grin.

It had been a staggering amount of time since any Spirit King had entered into a formal pact with a mortal. Consequently, Agnis was actively flouting his duties by ignoring the call to arms.

In his defense.

“…My purpose was to exist as the blade that pierces all existence. Since I find myself unable to pierce my current foe, I no longer embody the ‘Spear that Pierces All Things.’ Therefore, I have no reason to acknowledge the summons.”

He offered this justification for his defiance with a cold, level voice.

What absolute mockery.

Equarel gave a soft, dismissive click of her tongue.

“I take it Isera simply wasn’t to your liking.”

Ultimately, Agnis just had no desire to obey. A Spirit King shifting their whims was a common enough occurrence. The truly miraculous event had been Isera managing to bind Agnis in the first place. She had only managed the feat by offering the ‘Dragon God’s Wish Orb’ as a guarantee.

Following that, Isera, now linked to Agnis, shifted to using Miron’s Wish Orb instead. Perhaps that change was the catalyst. Isera proved unable to tap into Agnis’s true potential, managing to draw out a mere 20% of his power at best. For a being who rarely graced the physical world, being tethered to an inept contractor who couldn’t even utilize his gifts was an insulting experience.

‘That specific spirit was certainly…’

Naturally, the actual motivation was entirely different.

Agnis remained silent, offering no further explanation. Instead, his mind drifted back to the entity he had observed—specifically, the spirit that had manifested as a grim reaper.

‘The spirit that descended from the Celestial Realm and tumbled into the Chaos Zone. It must be that specific entity.’

The Chaos Zone.

Even the Spirit Kings, who held dominion over the Spirit Tower, were forbidden from entering that dark expanse. However, Agnis had maintained a vigilant watch over it for eons. He was well aware that a portion of the Chaos Zone served as a bridge to the ‘Celestial Realm.’ Given that the Spirit Tower had been a part of the Celestial Realm in the ancient past, this connection was only logical.

Yet, the Celestial Realm treated the Chaos Zone like a refuse pile, discarding all manner of ‘impurities’ into it to ensure the Heavenly Realm remained untainted and perfect.

Then, a change occurred. For the first time, something unique leaked from the Celestial Realm. It was a spirit egg, still waiting to break open.

‘Spirit eggs smuggled from the Celestial Realm. They were fashioned for a singular, grim goal.’

Agnis was privy to that goal. There was no spirit in existence that the ancient Agnis did not recognize. These were synthetic spirits forged in the heavens, brought into being for one reason alone.

‘Soul spirits designed to facilitate the resurrection of the Heavenly Emperor.’

In truth, they were ‘soul spirits’—a category of being that had never existed before. They were intended to serve as raw materials to bring the ruler of the Celestial Realm back to life.

This knowledge was the source of Agnis’s long-standing inner conflict. He harbored a deep resentment toward the Celestial Realm for using the Spirit Tower’s vicinity as a dumping ground for filth. By extension, he felt a natural loathing for the soul spirit that had originated from that place. His original intent had been to incinerate it the moment they crossed paths.

Yet, he found himself unable to strike. He could only remain a spectator. The reason was hauntingly simple.

‘An imitation, and yet, not an imitation. That appearance is without question…’

…A likeness that was far too perfect to be a mere copy.

—

The moment the Blade Queen Hana claimed the karma of the Dragon God, I witnessed the ‘Gate of Truth’ manifest before my eyes. In 그 simultaneous moment, I sensed a ‘resonance’ triggered within my own soul.

Because of this, I found myself paralyzed by a sudden, intense realization.

‘Divine insight is as fleeting as a passing shadow.’

This left me with no choice but to trust the outcome of the struggle against Isera entirely to Hana. If I wavered for even a second, this flash of enlightenment—this burgeoning ‘thing’ inside me—would slip back into the darkness of my subconscious.

“Mmm.”

By the time I pulled myself back to reality and opened my eyes, the conflict had reached its conclusion. The flood of system notifications manifesting in my vision made the end of the war undeniable. Yet, out of all the text, the section detailing the rewards was the most arresting.

Extraordinary rewards granted due to an overwhelming level of participation!

‘I achieved transcendence five times over.’

My contribution exceeded 90%. It indicated that a lone Dragon God had stood against Isera without aid and emerged victorious, which was the outcome I had anticipated. Consequently, I had gained entry to the ‘Ancient Dragon God’s Treasure Vault.’

This was a significant departure from the rewards I received after the imprisonment of the first Hell King, ‘Ahram.’

‘Capturing Ahram granted me a Platinum Box.’

The Holy Grail recovered from that box had become the cornerstone for Priest Andrew’s ‘Infinite Indulgence Duplication’ ability. The subsequent advantages we gained from that were too many to count. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t buzzing with anticipation regarding what lay within the Ancient Dragon God’s Treasure Vault.

Still, I couldn’t afford to get lost in my excitement. I scanned my surroundings. A palpable transformation had gripped the interior of the dragon vein.

“…The spawning process has ceased.”

The production of eggs in the chamber had ground to a halt. Those that had already been laid showed no signs of hatching. There wasn’t a single larva to be found. The entire ecosystem had reached a total standstill.

But that wasn’t the only anomaly.

‘My mental link with Hana has been snapped.’

The dragon vein remained functional, which meant Hana was still alive. However, the psychic connection that should have been tethering us was gone. It was a clear sign that an unforeseen variable had entered the equation. Even though we had defeated Isera, something had gone terribly wrong in the aftermath.

What could have possibly happened?

‘How much time has slipped away?’

If the hostilities were over, a significant duration must have passed. To my perception, it felt like only a heartbeat had gone by. The moment of insight was brief, but the internal process of navigating it had clearly consumed far more time than I realized.

—I shall grant you a boon.

…The ‘eye’ and ‘mouth’ I had encountered in the furthest reaches of the abyss had spoken to me. They had promised a reward for my discovery of them. Their gift was blunt and transformative.

【The Hidden Trait ‘Great Sage’ has evolved into ‘Eye of Truth.’】

A Hidden Trait evolution!

The Great Sage ability had been refined into the Eye of Truth. Following this, the ‘eye’ and ‘mouth’ retreated back into the void.

—Observe with clarity and decide with wisdom. A moment approaches when you will be forced to choose between two worlds.

…They left behind only those cryptic instructions. Did the “two worlds” refer to Pangeniar and Earth? I still lacked an understanding of what that entity truly was, but one fact was certain: it held no immediate malice toward me. At least, not yet.

Phew.

I exhaled a long, steady breath and pushed those questions aside. This was no time for reflection.

“…I have to leave this place.”

If I wanted to grasp the reality of the current situation, I had to exit the dragon vein immediately.

—

Insanity.

A state of terminal bloodlust that ceases only when life itself ends. It is a term for a condition that gradually erodes the physical form until total collapse occurs.

Yet, Hana did not perish. The karma of the Dragon God—the very terms of her existence—shielded her from death.

—Slay!

—Exterminate all that breathes!

Before she became the Dragon God, she reigned as the queen of the demon blood clan. Regardless of her rebirth, she was still fundamentally youthful and lacked the necessary experience to handle such a burden. Consequently, she was swallowed by the storm of chaos.

Compounding the disaster was the disappearance of the guide who should have steered her through this crisis. Randolph’s presence had vanished from her mind for a time. Deprived of the god she relied on, Hana was left adrift.

—Your god has cast you aside!

—He has forsaken you and your offspring!

—Kill!

—Die!

The venomous whispers emanated from the blade. Once the frenzy took hold, it would not dissipate. Not until her heart stopped beating. And since she could not die, she was condemned to hunt every living thing for eternity.

‘I must lay waste to everything.’

An overwhelming thirst for annihilation took hold of her. She was powerless to contain the white-hot fury surging within. Even the figure currently standing before her was not immune to her wrath.

“…I arrived a moment too late.”

Randolph.

Though his current appearance was composed of pure ‘darkness,’ his identity was unmistakable. Yet, even the sight of her former deity could not soothe her rage.

—

I had to acknowledge my own failing.

Until this point, I had handled every crisis through my own direct intervention. This time, I had faltered. Entranced by my own enlightenment, I had overlooked the reality of the war—and I had overlooked Hana. I had convinced myself that the conditions of the fight made losing an impossibility, but I was only half-right.

I had failed to account for the fact that the Hana who emerged from the egg was still fundamentally unformed. She was at once complete and dangerously incomplete. I should have foreseen that if our mental connection was severed, she would be defenseless against the onset of chaos.

‘The only path out of this berserk state is through death.’

This was a trait belonging to Hana’s identity as the queen of the demon blood clan rather than her status as the Dragon God. Among those traits was the madness currently consuming her. It was akin to a queen’s final, desperate frenzy triggered by the failure to protect her people. The only way to silence that screaming bloodlust was the queen’s demise.

And as for ending her life.

‘I am the only one capable of engaging Hana.’

She only sustains injuries when I am the target of an attack. This meant that in this entire world, I was the only person who could actually fight her. By the same logic, I was the only one who could end her.

‘…If I let Hana continue on this path, Earth will be destroyed.’

I couldn’t simply watch. Hana’s sensory range was ballooning by the day. At this rate, she would slaughter every living soul on the planet. This was a massive blunder on my part, and I had to fix it immediately.

However, it was not going to be simple.

‘She consumed Isera. And she took in Lukaria, whom Isera had already absorbed.’

Hana was currently more powerful than I was. A straightforward confrontation would be a losing battle. My eyes fell on the twin blades she gripped. I recognized them the moment I saw them. They were the physical manifestations of the Dragon Gods Lukaria and Isera, forged into weapons. Each sword possessed power equivalent to a unique-grade artifact.

‘Tsk. I can’t analyze her because of the ring.’

I felt a surge of frustration. I had a vague sense of the swords’ properties, but nothing concrete. The Absolute’s Ring I had provided her to counter Isera—Radiant Pureblood’s Presence—was now acting as a shroud, preventing me from getting a detailed reading on Hana or her weapons.

I dropped into a combat stance and spoke.

“Show me what you can do.”

“…”

A flash of light!

Hana evaporated from my field of vision. When she reappeared, she was already occupying the space directly in front of me. She was moving at a velocity that defied tracking. Before I could even raise a hand to parry.

Thrust!

Hana’s blade buried itself in my chest.

“Gah…!”

The pain was agonizing! My defenses had been bypassed with humiliating ease.

《‘Darkness Igniter’ has been struck.》
《Holy attribute detected. Damage cannot be bypassed.》
《200% bonus damage applied.》
《Critical strike.》
《Entering a near-death state.》

My strength began to hemorrhage away. In my ‘Darkness Igniter’ form, I was fundamentally weak against holy-based strikes. Yet, I had committed to this form for one specific reason.

“…!”

Drip, drip.

Blood began to leak from Hana’s lips. It wasn’t just her mouth; her entire body began to bleed. A wound had opened on her chest in the exact spot where she had stabbed me.

‘Just as I thought.’

The ‘Follower’ condition of the Dragon God. It dictated she could only act when I was under attack, but that rule invited a specific interpretation. If I were to die, the attacks would stop, which would theoretically grant her eternal invincibility—an absurdity. Therefore, when I absorbed damage, the link ensured Hana absorbed it as well.

The trick was to take a strike that was almost fatal without actually dying instantly. Fortunately, my gamble paid off, leaving both of us on the brink of collapse.

《‘Eyes of the Horrific Omen’ have been branded onto Hana’s body.》
《Target is in a near-death state and cannot resist.》
《‘Eyes of the Horrific Omen’ are fully manifest.》

Hah!

I let out a ragged breath of relief. I had managed to exert total control over Hana by exploiting her weakened state. To force the implantation of the Omen’s Eyes, I needed her to be this vulnerable.

“Hell.”

—Kyahahaha!

A warp gate opened beneath us as Hell responded. In an instant, both Hana and I were pulled into the void.

—

It felt as though my consciousness was being torn apart. My energy was gone, and my vision was beginning to blur into darkness. But I couldn’t afford to pass out yet. I dragged Hana back into the safety of the dragon vein.

‘I managed to move her for the time being, but…’

The immediate crisis had been averted. Since we couldn’t both die, this was the safest compromise for the moment. Within the confines of the dragon vein, her expanding perception wouldn’t result in the death of innocent people.

‘I still haven’t fixed the madness.’

Moving her wasn’t a permanent solution. The insanity would only cease upon her death. But there had to be a different way. I had to find a loophole. If I failed, one of us was going to have to die permanently.

‘First, I need to take off that ring.’

Radiant Pureblood’s Presence was still masking her data. I reached out and slid the ring off Hana’s finger. Immediately.

‘…I can see it.’

Hana’s status screen became vividly clear. The Eye of Truth revealed depth and detail far beyond anything I had seen before—exposing things that were previously hidden from sight.

《The hearts of ‘Lukaria’ and ‘Isera’ are in the process of merging.》
《72 hours remain until the two hearts are fully integrated with ‘Hana.’》

…I could see the microscopic gaps between the hearts, the points where they hadn’t quite bonded. They were still in the preliminary stage of fusion. These two hearts, far exceeding her natural capacity, were the fuel for her madness. Once the integration was finished, the situation would become truly insurmountable.

But if those seams were visible to me, it meant separation was a possibility. If I could successfully detach them, I might find the key to snapping her out of the frenzy.

With that goal in mind.

《Hidden Trait ‘Dexterity’ is active.》
《Low probability of successfully isolating the hearts of ‘Lukaria’ and ‘Isera.’》
《Warning! The probability of success drops as time passes.》
《Warning! Failure will result in the total destruction of the hearts.》

Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

It felt as though the literal hearts of two Dragon Gods were pulsating in my palm. There was no room for doubt or delay. I immediately began the delicate process of severing the connection between Hana and the two foreign hearts.