Chapter 172 – Activation
The black dragon had only just descended from the skies when it let out a furious roar, spewing a torrent of deep crimson flames.
The fire twisted violently, surging like a blazing sea that swallowed the entire field of vision.
A scorching wave of heat rushed forward. The dragonfire burned through the air itself, reaching Charles in the blink of an eye.
---
And yet—
just one meter before him—
it stopped.
---
As if slamming into an invisible barrier, the flames collided and spread outward, forming a dome-shaped shield in front of him.
The crimson fire continued to pour forward relentlessly, burning without pause. A faint cracking sound echoed in his ears, and from the corner of his eye, Charles saw the black dragon crystal embedded in the ground beginning to fracture.
He immediately understood—this defense would only hold once.
But that was enough.
---
Letting out a quiet breath, Charles glanced at the dragon in the sky—
then turned and sprinted toward the depths of the platform without hesitation.
---
If the flame barrier could withstand dragonfire, then his plan had a chance of succeeding.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as he had hoped.
Though he fled at full speed, the dragon didn't pursue him.
Instead, it beat its wings and circled slowly around the platform.
"You devoured the Night Lion. I can feel it."
A deep, steady voice came from the dragon's mouth.
It sounded rough—but calm. There was no obvious anger in its tone.
Standing atop the platform, Charles turned back and looked at it silently.
He said nothing.
"I should kill you," the dragon continued.
"But you are… special."
"So—hand over the wood. Perhaps I will consider making you my friend."
The dragon—no, the Lord of Light, R'hllor—spoke with a voice no different from that of an ordinary man.
Calm. Authoritative.
Yet beneath that calm lay unmistakable arrogance—
like a king standing above all others, looking down upon a mere subject.
---
At this point—
what was left to say?
Charles didn't bother responding.
He simply raised a middle finger.
Though the dragon didn't understand the gesture, it clearly wasn't anything good.
Its golden vertical pupils shrank sharply—
and with a furious roar, another sea of dragonfire surged down from the sky!
But just like before—
the flames failed to reach their target.
They halted once again before an invisible barrier.
The black dragon flapped its wings and slowly descended.
"You can block flames," it said hoarsely.
"But you cannot withstand the bite of a true dragon."
"You are special… but only as a mortal."
With that, it landed on the platform.
Its massive head lifted high as it spoke in a solemn tone:
"Accept my goodwill. You may gain something beyond your expectations."
"…That careless?"
For a fleeting moment, Charles felt a strange sense of unreality.
But the thought vanished instantly.
The moment the dragon stepped into position—
onto the trap—
his expression turned sharp.
Without hesitation, his lips moved rapidly, chanting a series of short, abrupt, and incomprehensible syllables.
As the incantation echoed—
strange patterns began to appear across the ground.
The dragon froze for a split second.
Then, as if sensing danger, it immediately spread its wings, preparing to take off—
But it was too late.
Countless gray, rope-like shadows burst forth from beneath the rocky ground.
They twisted through the air, writhing and intertwining as they surged upward—
instantly binding the dragon tightly in place!
---
At the same time—
the dragon's shadow, cast upon the ground, warped violently.
It transformed into black cords, silently wrapping around its neck, tail, wings, body—
and even its jaws.
---
The sudden restraint enraged the dragon completely.
A chilling aura erupted from its body as it roared hoarsely, struggling with all its might.
---
It poured all its strength into breaking free.
The shadow binding its mouth trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.
At the same time, the surrounding light surged brighter and brighter—
as if a power connected to the very origin of the world had been awakened.
---
The shadows binding its body began to hiss and steam, twisting under the pressure.
Even the restraints around its limbs started to shake.
If the Other God could bring darkness—
then as the Lord of Light—
he could summon light.
But Charles had already anticipated this.
The moment the platform was flooded with radiance—
he immediately looked up at the sky.
And in the next instant—
the bright daylight dimmed.
Dark clouds surged in from all directions—
gathering, converging—
until the sky was swallowed whole.
The Land of Always Winter had never been a benevolent place.
Compared to light—
it favored darkness.
And so, the radiance was temporarily suppressed.
Even so, wresting control of the very sky from a native god was no easy feat.
Yet on the surface, Charles remained perfectly calm.
"You said it yourself—I devoured the Night Lion. This won't work on me!"
Those words only further enraged the dragon.
It gathered all its strength into its jaws. The shadows restraining its mouth—already barely holding—finally shattered apart.
With a violent motion, its massive head slammed against the ground, jaws snapping wide open as it unleashed a torrential sea of crimson flames!
Dragonfire exploded in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the rocky surface was scorched pitch black, and the intricate runes etched across it were burned into indistinct blurs.
But Charles remained unshaken.
"Destroying it is useless," he said calmly.
"The array is already active."
"Despicable!"
The black dragon roared in fury, writhing and struggling violently against its restraints.
Breaking free at the mouth had already drained much of its strength. As for escaping the rest—
that was impossible in such a short time.
And then—
under Charles's quietly pleased gaze—
a glow began to bloom across the dragon's body.
A radiant light flickered to life, growing brighter and brighter.
It shone like a blazing sun, dazzling and filled with immense spiritual power.
The moment it appeared, it dispelled the surrounding darkness, and even its mere presence caused the shadow bindings around the dragon to hiss and steam, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
The situation seemed extremely dangerous.
Yet—
this was exactly what Charles had been waiting for.
"She's leaving the body!"
Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on the staff and charged straight toward the still-bound dragon.
Seeing him approach, the dragon unleashed another torrent of flames.
But Charles had already layered multiple defenses around himself.
Even the overwhelming heat couldn't stop him.
Step by step—
he closed the distance.
But what happened next—
was beyond his expectations.
Or rather—
it went far too smoothly.
Bracing against the flames, staff in hand, he had only taken a few steps forward when the radiant light that had been struggling to escape the dragon suddenly shifted—
as if drawn by something.
It shot straight toward Charles.
Like a falling star, trailing brilliant streams of light—
it crashed into his body.
"…Trying to possess me?"
The thought had just crossed his mind—
when a scream erupted.
It came from the dragon—
and yet seemed to echo from all directions at once.
The sound was filled with pain, sharp and piercing, as if the entire world itself were howling.
At first, it resembled a dragon's roar—
but gradually, it twisted into something else entirely.
A shrill, agonizing wail that spread across the plains.
And yet—
it couldn't change its fate.
Its essence was being devoured.
As its spirituality drained away, the dragon's body began to shrink.
Blinding streams of light surged from within it—like an endless river, like a gale woven from brilliance—pouring continuously into Charles's body before vanishing without a trace.
From the outside—
it looked like Charles had gained everything.
But in reality—
he was far from fine.
His vision blurred.
A wave of dizziness washed over him.
His thoughts grew sluggish and unfocused.
Faintly—
three colors began to swirl around him.
Light. Darkness. Gray.
They intertwined, circling his body before merging beneath his feet—
spreading outward into a rippling, mirror-like surface.
At the same time—
a familiar bronze gate appeared within his mind.
Ancient. Majestic.
Covered in weathered carvings.
It was the very foundation of everything he had relied upon these past months.
But the moment it appeared—
it began to tremble violently.
Then—
it shattered.
The bronze gate exploded into fragments, scattering into nothingness before his eyes.
At the same time, a cool sensation formed in his hand—
as if something had appeared there.
But Charles had no time to pay attention.
Because the instant the gate shattered—
a sudden sense of weightlessness overtook him.
Lines of text rapidly appeared before his eyes:
---
[You have touched the World's Truth (Light).]
[Second Gate Activation Progress: 3/3]
[You have successfully opened the Second Traversal Gate.]
[You have obtained partial control over the First World's Origin.]
[The time flow of your First World is now synchronized with the Second World.]
[Both worlds now share traversal gate charging time.]
[Within the Second World, you may freely open the gate to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" world.]
…