Chapter 132

Against the Heavens

I turned back time a little, to 10 minutes ago.

If you really thought about it, you could say that among bad situations, things were unfolding in the best possible way.

The wording was a bit subtle, but at the very least, Aiden couldn’t come up with any other interpretation.

‘……It’s faster than expected.’

At the very edge of the mountain’s outer perimeter, running along the cliff and scanning the shoreline, he reached that conclusion.

It went without saying, but no matter how violent a storm was, even one that brought torrential rain, the sea level wasn’t something that rose that easily.

And yet now, it was surging upward with such momentum that you could plainly see it with your own eyes.

He clearly knew that someone was artificially manipulating the surrounding environment, and from the look of it, he could also tell their temperament was extremely impatient.

But in a situation like this, the part he could view positively was…

“Over there, you bastard—!”

“I’ll use your intestines as a jump rope—!”

…Thanks to the royals getting this fired up, they were actually following along well, exactly as Aiden led them.

At this rate, I had to assume there was no immediate risk of getting crushed by that water level and drowning.

‘But…….’

◆ Trait: Dragon Speech

A language imbued with the ‘power’ possessed by dragons. It is a primordial language that forms the foundation of manipulating mana and invoking miracles. The deeper the level of comprehension, the greater the miracles that can be produced.

▶ You can visually diagram the ‘flow of mana.’

‘……Oh?’

The instant he read the text, Aiden’s eyes widened.

Dragon Speech was essentially an exclusive trait of dragons — an ability akin to a language that only dragonkin could comprehend.

The sheer value of such a power was obvious. Not long ago, even a dragon Aiden had subdued was treated as having less than half its combat strength simply because it could not use miracles, despite its overwhelming physical might.

For a human to learn this… that was likely unprecedented.

If this was real, then…

This was something capable of completely overturning the present situation.

‘But it says the comprehension has to be deep…….’

There was no doubt it was an incredibly attractive ability, yet the prerequisite attached to actually using it was concerning.

Aiden closed his eyes and began calculating in his head.

If there were no teeth, he had survived by using his gums. That had always been the driving force behind his survival. To eliminate a penalty like this……

“…….”

Hm.

There was something he could try.

“……?”

Morrigan’s eyes widened as she sensed Aiden staring at her without a word.

Tilting her head as if to ask whether he had something to say, she watched as Aiden slowly rubbed his cheek and opened his mouth.

“Morrigan.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s merge.”

“…….”

As Morrigan’s mouth fell open, another mutter slipped from Noel’s lips behind them.

……This time, had it been a gathering of refined gentlemen, she would likely have been beaten and thrown out for the level of that remark.

▣

“……Tch.”

Julius clicked his tongue and looked around.

‘What the hell is this situation.’

As he watched the sea level swell to the point that it was practically filling a narrow basin with water, that thought crossed his mind.

Most of the royals present had lost their heads over Aiden Kellermain and were following him, but among the few who hadn’t, most still had enough composure to observe their surroundings.

From that perspective.

Watching the water rise at a pace fast enough to justify why that man was leading so many people toward ever higher ground made a chill crawl down his spine.

If it hadn’t been for that man, their response would have been delayed.

And a delayed response meant people would have died in droves.

‘But…….’

Continuing like this was nothing more than a stopgap measure. The situation showed no sign of stopping, enough to make that painfully clear.

There had to be some additional countermeasure. As Julius ground his teeth with that thought—

Fortunately, someone had clearly thought of that before he did.

Beneath a sky torn apart by rain, something shot up into the heavens.

Surely—

From the very position where Aiden Kellermain should have been running at the very front.

Flapping wings, drawing everyone’s gaze as it soared upward, the figure of that man—

‘……A dragon-man?’

The word surfaced naturally in his mind.

Half man, half dragon. A dragon in human form.

He had never actually seen a dragon-man, but if such a being existed, it would surely look exactly like that.

“Child, I beseech.”

And then, suddenly—

As that voice flowed from such a being,

A shiver ran straight down Julius’s spine.

“Child, I beseech, so I pray—answer.”

It could be seen as merely weaving together sentences, like a prayer, like an appeal to someone.

But anyone capable of handling supernatural power beyond a certain level would instinctively realize it.

“—From the zenith of all creation, unto the world.”

From the tip of that man’s lips,

A new ‘law’ was being forged.

Something that should never have been possible.

And yet, at the end of that man’s words, it was being woven into reality.

“I beseech.”

Then—

“Defy the heavens.”

Heaven and earth overturned.