Chapter 82 — WHO ARE YOU ?
(Back in the base world)
On the other side, the Kingdom of Dragonil was plunged into indescribable chaos. The sky, still tinged with dark gray and golden traces left by the failed solar catastrophe, was crossed by hundreds of screaming dragons driven mad by the lingering residues of Almadraco. Thick black columns of smoke rose from the devastated districts, while the ground trembled continuously under the violent impacts of titanic battles. Entire buildings collapsed with a dull roar, sending up clouds of dust that obscured the streets already littered with debris.
At the heart of this chaos, the five hundred clones of Alexander moved like a perfectly orchestrated army. Each of them, though possessing only a tiny fraction of his original power, fought with breathtaking precision and efficiency. Their movements were fluid, almost choreographed. Entire waves of corrupted dragons fell under their coordinated assaults. More than five thousand dragons already lay on the ground some still twitching in spasms, others completely motionless, their wings broken and scales cracked.
Vulcan, in his colossal form as the Dragon of Earth and Lava, roared relentlessly. His massive body, made of molten rock and bubbling magma, dominated the battlefield. Powerful torrents of lava erupted from his maw with a deafening roar, sweeping away entire groups of winged enemies who tried in vain to encircle him.
"You never end, do you?!" he thundered in a deep, powerful voice that made the surrounding mountains vibrate like war drums.
"I will reduce you all to ashes, down to the last one!"
Higher in the sky, Obliranca floated with her body completely rigid. Her usually noble and serene face had lost all color. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled slowly down her temple. Her white wings trembled slightly, as if they refused to beat normally.
She had just felt the aura.
That ancient, overwhelming, divine, and destructive presence she hadn't sensed in centuries. An energy so pure and terrifying that it seemed capable of bending the world itself.
"…I must be dreaming," she murmured in a barely audible, almost broken voice.
"It's not possible… He can't be awake. Not now… Not after all this time…"
Alexander suddenly appeared beside Dominus. His expression was dark, almost haunted. He frowned deeply as he too felt the colossal energy rising from the depths of the palace.
"This is a nightmare..." he said in a grave and tense voice. "Abraham… is truly awake."
He closed his eyes for a moment, precisely analyzing the magical flows crossing the kingdom. His face grew even graver.
"If Abraham has awakened, it means someone managed to steal the Dragonic Power Stone. That stone didn't just amplify the dragons' power… it kept his seal in place for centuries… Long ago, he tried to destroy this world. Completely. He wanted to reduce everything to ashes to purify creation according to his own vision. We had to imprison him in that tomb, using the Stone as both key and chain. The energy it contained was precisely what kept him sealed."
Alexander clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked. His eyes shone with a cold, calculating light.
"I'm starting to understand….. The Illuminati… They were actually looking for this stone the entire time. That's why they orchestrated this attack on the kingdom… I hadn't realized."
His gaze lost itself for a moment in the void, as if plunged into a distant and painful memory.
**Five years earlier Border between the Kingdom of Tesstarosa and Solgaleo**
The desert of red rocks and burning winds stretched as far as the eye could see. Alexander walked alone, his coat flapping in the hot wind. He had strayed from his usual path during one of his solitary journeys, guided by a strange magical pulse he couldn't ignore. In the middle of a hidden valley, half-buried under the sand, he had discovered an ancient forgotten temple. The time-worn columns were covered in nearly erased runes.
"What the hell is this…?"
In the center of the main hall stood a massive black stele, engraved with a perfect hexagon. Seven names were inscribed in a very ancient language.
Thanks to the vast knowledge he had accumulated over the years, Alexander had managed to decipher them. Seven strange phrases, like a doomsday protocol:
"First, the sky will begin to roar…"
"Then the earth will tremble…"
"Next the flood will devour everything…"
"Destruction by flames will consume the ashes…"
"The screams will announce the end…"
"And finally shall come the judgment…"
Alexander had understood at the time that this was a warning about the Seven Veils of the Illuminati. He had been tracking them for years but didn't have enough information about them or at least didn't know it was the Illuminati he was hunting. He had left the temple without touching the stele, but that memory had just resurfaced with terrifying clarity.
Back in the present, Alexander didn't have time to reflect any further.
**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**
A massive explosion erupted from the depths of the palace. A colossal ray of pure, blinding golden light shot vertically into the sky like a divine spear, piercing the clouds and illuminating the entire kingdom for miles around. The energy was so intense that the air itself seemed to twist, sing, and vibrate at a shifting frequency.
Dominus widened her eyes, genuinely impressed for the first time.
"Ohhh… What a massive amount of energy… It's absolutely magnificent…"
The column of light gradually widened, becoming brighter and wider, bathing the entire kingdom in an almost religious golden glow. Then, slowly, a silhouette began to emerge from the heart of the beam.
Abraham.
His presence was overwhelming. Two meters of perfectly sculpted muscle. A vibrant aura of unprecedented intensity radiated around him in waves of golden energy that bent the ground and distorted space and time around his figure. Obliranca began sweating profusely, breathing heavily. Noël, who was holding the unconscious Flora in his arms, froze completely, eyes wide. Even Vulcan, in his titanic form, remained motionless, as if petrified by this crushing, divine presence.
The entire capital now shone under this mad, sacred golden light, as if an ancient god had descended among mortals. Alexander murmured in a low, tense voice filled with infinite gravity:
"Abraham…"
---
Meanwhile, inside the palace:
Damian and Kana were running through the ruined corridors, jumping over debris, avoiding gaping cracks in the floor and pieces of ceiling threatening to fall.
"Where are you, Alma?!" Damian panted, out of breath, his face covered in sweat.
"This palace is a real maze… she could be anywhere after everything that's happened!"
Kana, running beside him, clenched her teeth, worry clear on her face.
"I hope she's okay… I hope that blood flood earlier didn't hurt her or worse that a dragon didn't kill her."
Suddenly, as they passed through a doorway, Damian slowed down and frowned. He raised a hand to stop Kana.
"Wait… There's something behind this door. A strange aura."
Kana drew her weapon, on guard, heart pounding.
"Be careful. It could be a dragon that's completely lost its mind because of the spell."
Damian nodded, drew his sword, and slowly pushed open the large door, which creaked ominously.
Inside the spacious, half-destroyed room, his eyes widened in horror. Alma was there, unconscious, held up by the neck by a young boy with broken white hair. He held a sword transformed into a spear leaned casually against his side, with a cold and detached air, as if he couldn't care less about the girl's life.
Damian immediately frowned, a dark and burning anger rising within him.
"Hey you!!! You bastard, who the hell are you?!"
The boy slowly turned his head toward them. His icy blue gaze was empty of emotion.
"Are you the ones responsible for the disaster currently striking the Dragon Kingdom?"
Damian raised his hands to show he wasn't immediately hostile, while remaining ready to pounce.
"We had nothing to do with it! Release her right now! What did you do to her?!"
The boy answered in a calm, almost indifferent voice, as if talking about the weather:
"I found her outside, unconscious. The only reason I took her is because of this necklace. It's very beautiful… and it's made with draconic merguez, a rare material that humans shouldn't be using for jewelry. I planned to question her when she woke up… and kill her. Is that a problem?"
Damian felt rage surge violently. Veins appeared on his face, his eyes burning with fury.
"My name is Lancelot. And I am the Dragon of the White Blade."
Kana murmured, shocked and incredulous:
"I've never seen this boy before… where did he come from?"
Damian fully drew his sword, pointing it at Lancelot.
"Release Alma. Right now."
Lancelot casually threw her to the ground toward them. Alma's body rolled limply across the cracked tiles.
Damian's face twisted even more with fury. His voice became low and threatening:
"I don't know where you came from, but one thing's for sure if you ever touch Alma like that again, you'll pay dearly. And give me back Alma's necklace right now or I'll kill you…"
Lancelot smiled coldly, grabbing his sword which instantly transformed into a pure, scintillating white blade. He let out a slight arrogant smile.
"Well then, come and get it, asshole."
The two boys glared at each other fiercely, the air crackling with explosive tension between them. Kana watched them, incredulous, ready to intervene at any moment.
**What should happen now?**
To be continued…