Chương 383: The Might of a God

The light of darkness devoured everything in its path. Mountains simply ceased to exist, erased so that not even rubble remained behind. Valleys flattened into smooth stone as though reality itself had been wiped clean. The expanding black radiance neither exploded nor burned. It merely advanced with quiet inevitability, consuming the world one piece at a time, its silent advance somehow more terrifying than any explosion. The Paragons ran.

Even for beings whose bodies had long surpassed human limitations, the pace was monstrous. They crossed entire mountain ranges in moments, their feet shattering stone with every stride. Yet despite their incredible speed, the darkness continued to close the distance with relentless certainty. High above, Atherius soared beside Ember, both colossal dragons keeping just ahead of the expanding catastrophe. Even from the sky, the sheer scale of the phenomenon was terrifying. It simply... Wouldn't stop.

"How much farther?!" Yuki shouted desperately, struggling to maintain the relentless pace.

"I don't know!" Caesar yelled back, refusing to release her wrist as he practically dragged her forward.

"Just keep running!" Yuki gritted her teeth. For once, even she had no sarcastic remark to offer. Every ounce of her concentration was devoted to placing one foot in front of the other as the black light continued swallowing mountain after mountain behind them. Then, Someone stumbled.

"Evelyn!" Her foot caught against an exposed stone, sending her tumbling violently down the mountainside. Callum reacted.

"EVE!" Without hesitation, he abandoned the others and threw himself after her. But... He wasn't fast enough. Evelyn rolled across jagged rock before finally catching herself, desperately trying to stand. The darkness was already upon her, its edge racing toward her with horrifying speed. Another moment... And she would simply cease to exist. Callum didn't hesitate for a moment. He launched himself from the cliff and crashed beside her, wrapping an arm around her just as the black light reached them. Yet...

Nothing happened. Both of them slowly looked upward.

"What's happening?" Evelyn whispered, unable to understand why they were still alive. Callum stared just as blankly.

"I... I don't know." Perhaps the phenomenon had finally reached its limit. But somehow... that explanation felt far too optimistic. The ground began to shake. An enormous mountain beside them shifted. No... It wasn't moving. It rose. Callum's pupils shrank.

"I didn't think we'd meet him again this soon." The mountain split apart. What they had mistaken for stone unfolded into a massive claw. Then another, and another. The earth itself trembled as countless colossal tails unfurled behind it, stretching farther than entire mountain ranges. The guardian of the Undying Valley slowly awakened from his slumber. Xerax. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The draconic god rose in absolute silence.

The mere act of standing caused valleys to quake beneath his unimaginable weight, while loose stone and earth cascaded from his body like an avalanche. The last time the Paragons had encountered him, he had simply observed them from afar. He hadn't spoken or intervened. He had merely watched. This time... He moved. Xerax extended one enormous claw toward the advancing darkness. His talons closed around the expanding black light itself. Then... He squeezed. The darkness broke.

The corruption fractured like brittle glass, exploding into countless black shards that dissolved into nothingness. Silence followed. The Paragons instinctively covered their ears despite the absence of any sound. The sheer pressure released by the destruction reverberated through their bodies rather than through the air, making every muscle tense beneath the invisible force. The darkness was gone. Only an endless stretch of perfectly smooth stone remained where entire mountain ranges had once stood.

Not even dust survived. Xerax lowered his gaze toward the devastated landscape. A deep growl escaped his throat before his enormous eyes shifted toward Callum and Evelyn. Both froze. For the first time... The god spoke.

"Human... what caused this?" Callum forced himself to his feet despite every instinct screaming at him to flee. His heart pounded so violently he could hear it echoing inside his chest, but he still lowered his head in respect. He bowed deeply.

"O, great guardian..." His voice remained respectful despite the fear threatening to choke him.

"It was a Spawn. It somehow retained one of its abilities after death. We fought it... and we succeeded in killing it." Callum hesitated, his eyes drifting back toward the endless scar carved into the landscape by the black light. Even now, seeing the destruction firsthand, he struggled to comprehend what they had survived.

"But its ability remained active after its death. I do not know how it retained its power. I only know, this was the result." Xerax narrowed his silver eyes, his ancient gaze following the path of destruction that stretched across the valley. A low hiss escaped between rows of impossibly large teeth as recognition slowly replaced curiosity.

"Those Mors Auctoris bastards again." His voice dripped with contempt.

"Always meddling with forces beyond their comprehension." Callum's heartbeat skipped.

'Mors Auctoris...?'

'How... how does a god know about them?' Before he could ask, Evelyn stepped forward.

"You know Mors Auctoris?" The enormous dragon slowly turned toward her. For several long moments, he simply observed her in silence, his ancient eyes studying her as though searching through memories buried beneath countless years. Then... Something resembling recognition flickered within his gaze.

"You." His voice softened.

"You're her daughter. Aren't you?" Evelyn stiffened.

"I... I don't know what you mean. I grew up an orphan; I don't have parents." Xerax continued studying her before releasing a deep, ancient sigh.

"Is that truly what you believe, child? I have met your mother." His eyes seemed to look far beyond the present, toward memories that no one else could see.

"You may have been abandoned in body, but why is it that humans never see beyond such simple truths?" Another quiet sigh escaped him.

"It is true. You were abandoned, and yet... You were never abandoned at all." Evelyn stood frozen, unable to respond. The words should have meant nothing, yet something about them left her unable to dismiss them.

"And yes." Xerax continued.

"I know of Mors Auctoris."

"We have fought them... for far longer than you can imagine." Callum slowly raised his head.

"That's impossible."

"Mors Auctoris only came into existence after Dagon descended into madness and nearly destroyed half the world." His confusion only deepened.

"How could you have been fighting them before that?" A faint, almost amused rumble escaped Xerax.

"Dagon?"

"You mean the Black Dragon of Despair?" Callum's mind froze.

'He knows Dagon...?'

'Does that mean... is Dagon here?' If Dagon truly existed somewhere within the Undying Valley, then every child currently trapped there was already facing something far beyond their ability. Before Callum could voice another question, Artoria stepped forward.

"You know my husband?" Her voice shook. Panic was visible beneath her normally unwavering composure. Caesar and Yuki immediately grabbed hold of her, physically restraining her from rushing toward the ancient dragon. Xerax regarded her with quiet curiosity.

"Your husband." He nodded slowly.

"Yes. He once mentioned having a wife." His expression hardened.

"Yet you should be dead. So, what happened?" Artoria met his gaze without wavering.

"I did die." She spoke with absolute certainty.

"I fought an angel. I lost, it corrupted me. I existed as a Spawn for many years... until my junior finally killed me. Then... a strange boy brought me back. He restored me. He returned my humanity. He is my savior, I owe him my life." The valley exploded. Xerax slammed one colossal claw into the earth, and entire mountain ranges fractured beneath the force of the impact. His roar shook the heavens themselves, forcing every Paragon to instinctively lower themselves beneath the overwhelming pressure of his fury.

"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!"

"You claim an angel corrupted you... and yet dare suggest you remained yourself afterward?" His silver eyes blazed with ancient anger.

"Impossible! A soul cannot be restored once it has been annihilated! It cannot be remade! It cannot return!" Artoria stepped backward.

"What do you mean?! I've told you exactly what happened!" Xerax leaned closer, his enormous face eclipsing the sky above them.

"You lie." His voice became terrifyingly quiet.

"And about something as vile as an angel, that alone warrants death." His jaws slowly opened. Within them gathered a radiant sphere of divine light. A force capable of erasing not merely a body... but the very existence of a soul itself. The Paragons could only watch in horror. Even Artoria remained frozen, unable to move beneath the weight of the ancient dragon's power. Then... Everything stopped. The light vanished. Xerax closed his mouth. For several long moments, silence filled the valley.

"I see." Understanding slowly dawned within his ancient eyes.

"So, it was the Vessel. How... convenient." The killing intent disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Xerax withdrew, his immense body settling once more among the mountains as though nothing had happened. Only before fully returning to his slumber did he speak one final time.

"Do not squander this second life, human." His gaze rested upon Artoria alone.

"For one day... You will come to regret it if you do."