Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 210 Liya
"The snake is finally gone."

The snake, having exceeded its time limit, finally disappeared reluctantly after flashing continuously.

"I will be back!!"

The snake's last shadow appeared in the sky in a corner of the city, and it continued to shrink.

Even many citizens heard it, their faces filled with panic, not knowing what had happened. Rean didn't know whether it was a joke or the truth.

Perhaps this unpredictable situation is what he desires most.

"Does this guy actually crave being remembered by others from time to time? Is he actually quite lonely?"

"Ah! Don't bite me, don't bite me! Men, don't touch me!"

Having shaken off the snake shadow that had reappeared at some unknown time, Rean finally felt a pang of sadness at parting.

But the bleeding bite mark seemed to indicate that Rean had vaguely guessed the truth.

"Do you need treatment?" A soft, metallic voice sounded beside Rean.

"Never mind, let the wound remain for a while."

Looking in the direction the snake disappeared, Rean was a little lost.

It wasn't that Rean was truly attached to this guy—this was the first heroic spirit Rean wished he could return to on the very first day—but rather that Rean couldn't quite understand the snake's choice.

He can come back.

Moreover, he does seem to have some attachment to the world.

"But he didn't come back."

The snake did not hide its displeasure. The reason for its long slumber was that the continuous reincarnation of the Thousand-Faced Dragon prevented the "past Thousand-Faced Dragon" from existing.

This is what puzzled Rean.
"No matter what the Thousand-Faced Dragon plans to do, can the value I, a reincarnation, evolving from scratch, truly compare to that of a snake?"

Obviously, the answer is no.

Rean also understands that the "possibilities" brought about by the reincarnation of the Thousand-Faced Dragon may be more important, but can this "possibility" really make these top figures fall into eternal slumber without hesitation?

It is precisely because it is Lee Eun-suk that it is even more incomprehensible. Lee Eun never thought of himself as a noble person. He considered himself just an ordinary self-interested person. He would pay if he contributed part of his income to benefit the world, but he would refuse without hesitation if it affected his life or even cost him his possessions or life.

What is it that causes the Thousand-Faced Dragon to continuously enter the cycle of reincarnation?
"Forget it, there's no need to dwell on things that are too far in the future. At least, the reincarnated dragons are constantly creating new things."

Rean glanced at the "maid" beside him who had already begun bandaging him, and felt a strange unease, especially with another blank "mechanical girlfriend" staring at him from behind.

"Thank you."

Do I need to buy snake venom antivenom?

"No need. He should be non-toxic, and it wouldn't be that difficult for him to poison me."

Watching "Lia" frantically tying a bow for him with her unfamiliar metal arm, her expression quite complicated, Rean's feelings were also complicated.

She is a separate individual from Ophelia, a product of the soul contract, but perhaps also the person who understands her best in this world.

"Also, in this world, it's generally called an antidote. They have something similar to snake venom serum, but they don't have this complete system."

"I see, I've recorded it."

Liya opened her eyes wide and absorbed the knowledge Rean was sharing.

She did gain some of Rean's "knowledge," but she was far from being able to use it effectively. On the contrary, she was probably more like a time traveler than Rean, revealing her bewilderment at arriving in this place.

"Are races puppets, metal golems? Or living armor? Forget it, it's pointless."

Her birth was the result of Snake's meticulous planning, and also a product of the bug in that Kamen Rider.

"Snake venom? Serum? Don't understand?" Ophelia tilted her head, her slightly more agile self unable to comprehend the words of her other, more intelligent self.

Meanwhile, Lia also has to explain some nonsensical things to Ophelia, who has a blank expression on her face.

Lia is Ophelia's second thought line and also Kamen Rider's "two" creations.

"Snake, you're really a master at exploiting bugs; this is such an outrageous move."

The first operation involved using Ophelia's already-existing bugged job, Masked Dragon Knight, to separate Lia's second thought line.

In a sense, the metal maid before him was just like Rean's Black Dragon Armor.

Ophelia used her professional abilities as a Kamen Rider to construct this new "living armor" with her "Life Box Arm" as the core.

At this point, she possessed a second thought process, but she was actually even more rigid than the original Ophelia.

Then, he had Rean and the "living armor" sign a magic pet contract and a sorcerer contract at the same time, making the living armor Rean's overlord.

Then Rean uses the contract of the Masked Dragon Knight to "summon" her again.

In this process, it is necessary to absorb Rean's "needs" and adjust the power obtained, which is equivalent to secondary processing. The snake added a large amount of "solar material" to it. In the end, this "ultimate weapon" was formed.

"Clang." Now, the metal backpack on Liya's back, resembling a sundial, is one of the results.

Her right hand has several golden fingers, and a large amount of solar material became the raw material for the second processing, allowing it to complete a "second rebirth" according to the blueprint provided by the snake.

In a sense, she is a man-made "sun god warrior" and an indestructible sun blade.

"Is the name Liya okay?" The obvious difference in personality and characteristics made Rean hesitate about giving her a new name.

“Li Ya? Li Ya really likes (Chinese).” Her first words left Li En a little bewildered.

She's so much like an earthling.

This is partly due to the "enlightenment power" of the pet contract, which allows low-intelligence creatures like rats and bats to gain a certain level of intelligence and knowledge, and even to understand human speech. It is more of a two-way soul contract, which allows her to subconsciously absorb a large amount of "common sense".

In theory, she is not only a part of Ophelia, but also a hybrid newborn formed by tearing off a part of Ophelia and merging it with another part of Rean. However, Ophelia lacks common sense and knowledge, so she naturally bases her life on "Rean's common sense".

"I never imagined that the fact that I am a transmigrator would be known by the metallic lifeforms, and that the local lifeforms would be turned into 'Earthlings'."

But Rean didn't dislike this somewhat clumsy yet hardworking figure, mainly because he hadn't heard his hometown language in a long time.

"Thank you for your hard work." But her birth was inseparable from the dedication of another person.

"It's okay, uh, it's okay."

Meanwhile, Sallyman lay on Rean's lap, her body burning hot.

To give steel-like life a more vibrant mind and greater spirituality, the most direct way is to immerse it in spiritual energy.

Throughout the entire process, Suliman was used as a live battery, and now she should be completely out of power.

"I will settle her in first, then I will serve my master."

Meanwhile, Lia, who was comforting Ophelia, was communicating with Rean telepathically. As expected, her psychic abilities were activated by Suliman's psionic battery.

This also means that she is almost a complete holder of the soul.

"But her true form is still Ophelia, more like a secondary form. Uh, so we seem to be a trinity?"

Rean felt something was very subtle. He could feel his soul power constantly flowing into Lia. It was not wrong for her to be Rean's Familiar (Rean's Familiar Contract had been confirmed to be possessed).

But he could also sense that the soul power that had been poured into Lia was flowing through her and into Ophelia.

Ophelia in the first thoughtline remains unchanged, but is gradually healing her amnesia through the shared soul channel. Meanwhile, "Lia" in the second thoughtline gains a wealth of knowledge and memory fragments from Rean, and instead gains a clearer sense of self, even becoming a "machine from Earth" in a certain sense.

"We need to protect Ophelia."

Rean felt increasingly uneasy. If Ophelia died, then Lia from the second thought line would naturally be finished, and he, having lost his magical pet and sect leader, would also suffer a severe blow.

But if Lia dies and her physical body is destroyed, she can be summoned again by replenishing materials; her true form is still inside Ophelia.

"This is really messy."

Rean couldn't figure out the relationship either. He silently patted Sallyman's head on his lap to help her relieve the discomfort of her mental exhaustion.

"Child, hehe, child."

Even though she was delirious from the fever, she still stared at Liya with wide eyes, seemingly grinning foolishly.

"Really." Rean sighed. This girl was really too silly.

Previously, it had refused to act as a psionic battery, but after the snake said, "This will be your child," it obediently overloaded itself to contribute.

To be honest, "Lia" can be used as your own weapon or as Ophelia's weapon. She is a part separated from Ophelia and yourself. Even if you consider her a child, she is not your child, Suliman.

He shook his head, deciding to thank the girl for her dedication.

"The most perfect masked dragon knight, huh?" Rean smiled as he watched Lia walk toward the metal body on the other side of the mansion, remembering the function of her design.

After his initial attempt, he agreed with the snake's assessment that Lia was a masterpiece in every respect.

Perhaps, at this moment, it truly deserves the name "Kamen Rider".

With her by his side, Rean finally felt somewhat confident in surviving the threat of the Owl.

"Crack!" A sudden sound of something breaking came from inside the mansion.

"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to make a cup of coffee for my master. It looks like we need to order new cups and a new kitchen."

Wait, the kitchen? What did you do to my kitchen?
The kitchen walls, which were beginning to collapse, said it all.

"Well, it looks like I'll have to teach a lot more." Rean didn't want to be a teacher; he knew his own limitations.

“Child.” Sallyman was still grinning foolishly; her mental exhaustion seemed to be having a short-term impact on her intelligence.

"Lana seems to have been taught quite well by Suliman. Uh, there are many maids in her mansion. Please, Suliman."

"Let me raise the child? Okay." The mentally challenged girl, who hadn't yet regained her senses, readily agreed, smiling contentedly.

(End of this chapter)