Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 53 Beast

Do not spread it, do not know it, or disaster is destined to strike.

Do not try to understand it, and even less borrow its power, unless you desire to become it.

Pray that if you do encounter it, may its massive feet not trample you. Pray that its horde will not pass through your homeland. If you are forced to meet it on a narrow path, the fool will take up his sword and fight to the last moment, while the hero will simply end it all—the latter is better for you and your people.

Among the materials Rean obtained were the suggestions left by the earliest researchers.

It is said that these are rules they heard from the ancients, ironclad rules that must be mastered in the study of beasts.

But clearly, later researchers did not take it seriously.

It is our origin, our ancestor. If it is truly so dangerous, then what are we?

It can bring longevity and power; can you really resist it? What reason do we have not to become better?

It is so loving, so generous; ah, to become a part of it might not be a bad choice.

Even that ancient research notebook, accompanied by self-contradictory murmurs, eventually descended into madness.

As for the other records, they didn't hesitate at all and simply stepped on the gas pedal to the floor.

Perhaps, in their view, this thing has been without problems for hundreds of years, and is just an "open-pit oil field" that can be developed and used at will.

"That's how everyone before us did it, and they didn't cause any major problems, so what's wrong with us just using it?"

It's roughly the same feeling as "climate crisis" or "industrial pollution".

Everyone knows that messing around like this will eventually lead to disaster, but it seems like this bomb won't explode in their time, so they'll just play around with it.

With limited time, Li En only glanced at the summary made in delicate handwriting and the key points marked with underlines, but he already felt that something was extremely wrong.

"After all, I know it really will explode, and it will explode very soon."

Rean had indeed heard of the evil god Elsena.

If my Heroic Spirit Encyclopedia isn't lying to me, this super bomb will explode in the sky right on time two years from now.

Based on the information, at the very least, that bomb would have wiped out Radiant City and turned the kingdom into a primitive wasteland.

Then it will evolve into a secondary disaster, starting to affect other areas. If it is not handled properly, the next era of civilization may begin.

"Why is it always about a world-ending crisis?!"

Rean never expected that his casual case of eliminating a serial killer would eventually lead to the main storyline of "Elsena".

"Is this what happens when you borrow the power of a 'beast'?" Without the repeated emphasis on the underlined words in the document, Hek's madness and Dina's despair left a deep impression on Rean.

Just like those ancient proverbs, borrowing the power of beasts is a one-way street with no turning back.

Horned followers are individuals who walk alongside beasts and have assimilated with them; their humanity and bestiality are constantly in conflict and fusion.

A little more here means a little less there, but how can man possibly defeat an infinite "source," an ocean that a small fire cannot extinguish?

No matter how much it struggles or adds fuel to the fire, it is ultimately destined to be assimilated by the "sea".

Alternatively, choosing death before going completely insane is the only way out, just like "Haiya".

What will happen after assimilation?

Beasts possess only instincts, and individuals possess only instincts.
"A monster without a heart, without feelings."

Upon entering the cave, Rean immediately spotted Maria smiling.

How can she still pretend to be an ordinary person?

In his notes, Rean saw that the modifications she underwent as Experiment 113 were many times greater than those of ordinary horned creatures.

She even went so far as to perform outrageous operations that left the experimenters speechless, which is why she was listed as a key research target.

No matter how you look at it, she should have lost all humanity long ago.

"It's been a long time, my lord."

The complete head of the former third-in-command of the slave market was now lying on the ground.

Half of it had been burned to ashes, and the other half had been crushed into a bloody mess, but no one present cared.

The female head was reattached to the nun's body, with obvious stitches.

Her recovery ability has always seemed subtle, or rather, completely under her control.

But looking at the nun who was currently bowing and praying to him with her hands clasped together, Rean was reminded of their first meeting.

The woman who always watched the children play gently at the orphanage welcomed Larry and herself in the same way every time.

"You," Rean said, his feelings complicated, just about to speak.

"You, you actually dared to lie to me!!"

But a hoarse roar came from the side.

Rean glanced at it and gave a subtle smile.

On one side of the cave, the half-crippled 'Volcano Howl' Kverdov was panting heavily, looking quite miserable.

His right arm was gone, the boiling magma around him had cooled, one eye was blind, and the remaining one was staring intently at Rean.

Its entire body had completely transformed into a dragon-like form. Lying there, it looked like a deformed little Tyrannosaurus Rex with a strange human head, covered in wounds.

The broken tail looked even more ironic at that moment.

The powerful leader, facing Rean, opened his mouth wide and struggled to stand up, but seemed to have no strength.

And the fact that he became such an opponent is almost tragic.

The last horned beast lay there, with the heads of a human and a beast drooping on either side of its shoulders, exuding a scorching aroma.

He is Tianba (8), the leader of the horn disciples, and also a Tian generation (SKY) who has completely transformed from a human to a beast.

Elsena is known as the boundless behemoth that controls the horizon of the sky and the sea. The Horned Ones also use "Sky" and "Sea" to distinguish their degree of completion, and only the Sky-class beings who have reached completion are worthy of having a number.

This name also implies that the cult has bred at least seven more.

Unlike Hek, who forcibly evolved and actively bit off his secondary head, Tenba's two heads are both his. The fact that he has grown a beast head from nothing again means that he has also completely completed the "evolution" from human to beast.

The information states that this monster is not in the same league as the newly hatched horned creatures.

Rean didn't want to know how strong he was, but now that the strategy of using one enemy to devour another seemed to have succeeded, he no longer needed to know how strong the other was at his peak.

The unlucky fellow, who was also tricked by Rean, can only stare intently at Rean now.

He was left with only his upper body; his lower body was still lying in the lava. His entire body consisted of only half a shoulder, two heads, and one hand, yet he was still alive.

"Isn't this young master Carlo Hilda? Do you know your family is gone?"

Rean, on the other hand, reciprocated with the information he had just learned.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! (My house? What happened to my house?!)!" The beast, seemingly still possessing some rationality, actually panicked upon hearing this.

"How pitiful, you can't even speak anymore?" Rean pretended not to understand at all, even though he could clearly understand animal language.

Rean didn't even glance at him, instead turning his gaze to his old acquaintance, Kverdov, who had nearly driven him to the brink of despair a couple of days ago.

“Why would I lie to you? We’re on the same side. The Hilda family has been labeled as cult rebels and has been attacked by the Radiant Guard. These cultists are the enemy of the entire Radiant City. How can you believe what the enemy says?”

Rean walked over with a smile, seemingly wanting to help his ally.

Kverdov remained skeptical, his single eye still showing wariness.

But the next moment, his eyes were glued to it.

"This is a small gift"—a bottle of moderate-strength medicine, which may be exactly what Kverdov needs right now.

The other item, however, made his eyes widen in disbelief.

It was a red gem, as red as blood and as red as a heart, radiating a dazzling brilliance.

"The Blood of Heroes!"

With the treasure right before his eyes, the dragon's greed immediately blinded him, his gaze sweeping up and down as the gem was tossed to him.

"With it, not only can I complete my mission, but I can also evolve by tearing off a piece!" For a pseudo-dragon like Kverdov, who is unable to integrate his own abilities, the blood of a hero to replenish his foundation is extremely important.

In reality, if he hadn't been in dire need of it and hadn't planned to keep some for himself from the beginning, there would have been no need for him to get involved personally.
He didn't even pay attention to the treatment potion that was thrown at him; he was content as long as the other party was willing to cooperate with him.

His one arm had already risen urgently, ready to grab the gem in mid-air.

"Judgment of the Realm of Sin." A whisper, yet a murmur.

"Detecting evil." A red light rushed towards us.

"Evil Breaking Slash."

But along with the gem came a mundane "declaration of war" and the silver light of a slash.

God knows how much sin and evil Kvirdov has accumulated; the evil he unleashed at this moment has once again broken the historical record that Rean has witnessed.

And the Armor-Piercing and Evil-Slaying Slash, which was integrated into the War Sword and Armor-Corroding Armor, naturally unleashed its maximum power.

"you"

Even at this moment, Kverdov, looking completely bewildered, was utterly unable to comprehend what had happened.

Why are you attacking me? Why not the other side?! Didn't you say you were on our side? Aren't paladins supposed to be honest?

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and incomprehension.

His throat and half of his jaw had been cut open, with only the back of his neck and periosteum still stained.

Rean's sword was completely stained red, and he was somewhat surprised. Kveldov didn't have the regenerative ability of demons, so he couldn't kill or cut them down.

"Break through the evil!" Then, let's make two more cuts.

"Stop! I..." The ruthless slave trader leader actually tried to reason with him!

At this moment, the noble paladin behaved like a seasoned bandit in full view of everyone.

One strike after another, like a happy lumberjack, the joyful paladin slashing harder and harder.

"Crack." With a cracking sound, the last bit of periosteum and bone was severed.

The "Volcano Dragon's" head, as hard as iron, was finally severed. Even now, its unseeing face was still filled with shock and incomprehension.

"Why do you want to kill me?"

"Aren't we on the same side? Don't we have no grudge against each other?"

"Why!!!"

But no one answered him.

Even at the moment of his death, he still held the ruby ​​firmly in his only arm.

In fairy tales, powerful and evil dragons often die from greed, arrogance, and underestimating their enemies.

The way the fake dragon died was perhaps quite fitting for the occasion.

Rean didn't look at the corpse again, but turned to look at the remaining two "beasts".

As for Kverdov? Like Eugene, he was important while he was alive, but after his death, no one will care.

After the death of the third-in-command in charge of equipment sales and the fourth-in-command in charge of accounting, the slave market also lost its top leader who ruled over everything.

Predictably, the remaining second-in-command, who was only kept under surveillance, would not be able to control the situation, and the slave market would fall into chaos and turmoil for a considerable period of time.

In this process, they found it quite difficult to maintain their own businesses and trading networks. They naturally had neither the time nor the inclination to care about the changes in the dock area or the rising powers.

His life was always a big problem, but his death was a good thing for Rean and the entire dock area.

So, they killed him.

"His death will make things much easier for Dimon and me. While the slave market is in turmoil, we'll start a legitimate business in the docklands. Life will be much better for people there, especially the children; they'll have a proper livelihood when they grow up."

Rean calmly recounted his criminal motives, and to onlookers, the scene appeared unusually comical.

The convicted paladin recounts his reasons for murder to the serial killer villain.

Maria, who had been watching silently, simply smiled.

I knew you didn't care.

Rean sighed. He had no intention of persuading his opponent, nor was it possible.

Perhaps he was just saying what he wanted to say.

Perhaps he was speaking to Sister Mary, who was once the "Holy Mother".

Now? What's before me is just a pseudo-human whose body has been taken over by a demon.

The original people are long gone.

But perhaps it can be regarded as a tombstone or a cenotaph?

Rean is currently visiting a grave.

"Aaaaaah!! (Damn it!)"

At that moment, Tianba, who had been drawn to the attention, was also pierced by a wooden short sword, which was still faintly burning.

From the area near the wound, the flesh and blood rapidly turned to wood. The powerful demon was already on the verge of death, but this time, the attack, which was countered by the power, quickly turned it into an ugly, struggling wooden sculpture.

This is rosin, a calming spice in its literal sense.

Legend has it that during the Age of Beasts, Elsena loved to lie on the edge of a pine forest scorched by fire, falling asleep peacefully while inhaling the scent of pine resin.

And it is because of this habit that when its beastly essence comes into contact with rosin, it becomes extremely inert and enters a dormant state.

Those unlucky souls who received the Beast Factor will be dragged into a long slumber in wooden bodies.

For beasts, this is an aid to hibernation; but for mortals who accept the beast's essence, it is destined to be eternal slumber.

The powerful celestial beast struggled for a moment before being killed in a single blow.

Even Talia, the one who pierced through, was utterly shocked.

This is the advantage of intelligence; and it's also thanks to Sallyman for sending this wooden sword via her magical pet that it was a great help.

Rean had no desire to see what other tricks the Heavenly Beast had up its sleeve.

"Don't you care about anything?"

Rean was met with that fake smile once again.

She watched from beginning to end, even as the false dragon died and the Great Horned Disciple was assassinated, she still watched with a smile.

Rean sighed and drew his sword again.

At this moment, the previously silent Heroic Spirit Encyclopedia suddenly provided a prompt.

[Evolution material detected: a shattered pseudo-dragon soul (gold). May it be extracted?]

(End of this chapter)