[Vol. 8] Chapter 199: The Earth Magic Dragon Tartanos
The height of those mountains… was visibly shrinking at a fast speed!
It wasn’t just because they were collapsing. Large parts of the mountains were vanishing unnaturally, breaking the basic laws of nature. It was more like something was sucking away the rocks, turning them into something new!
Even though the Austre Empire’s forces were well prepared, and the bird- and wolf-type [Graemes] remained stable in this extreme environment, the true shock didn’t come from the earthquake itself.
More than a hundred Imperial agents and technicians used the latest magical gear and war machines to keep their balance. But what truly stunned everyone was what they saw next.
They looked up, a new “mountain” was slowly rising from the center of the valley, shaking the earth as it came into view!
But… it wasn’t a mountain.
It was a living creature.
It was the target of their mission.
“...The Earth Magic Dragon Tartanos. So this is… a real Mythical Beast.”
Using his gear to stay steady, Miles looked on with a serious expression.
He had guessed that the true form of the Earth Magic Dragon, the monster even the Sword Saint couldn’t fully kill, would be terrifying. But now, seeing it for real, Miles realized even his imagination had fallen short. Tartanos was far beyond anything he had expected.
Vast, fearsome, and ancient.
That’s the feeling that came over Miles the moment he saw it.
Its shape looked like a mountain, tall and massive, but it was actually a giant serpent made of rock.
The snake had black scales, tightly packed all over its body. Its head had two twisted horns, dragon-like, but not quite. Its eyes glowed blood-red, like ghostly lanterns from the underworld. Around its body swirled thick black magical energy, so intense it almost looked like it had become part of the air.
Its presence was so overwhelming that even someone like Miles felt like he couldn’t breathe, as if a mountain was crushing down on him.
And in just a few seconds, this half-dragon, half-serpent had already risen several thousand meters into the sky, and it was still rising. The snake’s body seemed endless, coiling up from deep underground, shooting toward the sky like it meant to devour the sun and stars!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!!!
As the Earth Magic Dragon appeared, the mountains around the valley continued to collapse, their height falling at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Miles could hardly believe what he was seeing.
What kind of power could do this, to turn entire mountain ranges into a living body? If no one stopped it, the Chaos Magic Valley might disappear from the map today.
And when this monster finished absorbing the mountains, how big would its body become?
But just then, at the exact moment the serpent's massive head rose above the mountain peaks—
CLANG!!!!!!!
A sharp, thunder-like metallic sound echoed in all directions!
It was the trap left behind by the Sword Saint. A powerful killing formation made of sword aura, covering the valley’s borders!
Blades of sword energy shot through the air. A fierce storm of wind and magic exploded from all sides, slashing violently at the serpent’s body. Its protective black scales clashed with the attack, and the battle looked like dull blades grinding against wood, or crashing waves smashing into rocks.
Dark black blood splashed through the sky!
…Wait. How could a rock serpent bleed?
Miles was stunned for a moment, then he took a closer look and suddenly understood.
That “blood” wasn’t from its body. It came from the insides of the snake’s “scales.”
Those weren’t just scales, they were actually crystals of highly concentrated magic!
This monster had formed armor made from magic itself. What a strange and terrifying method!
Although the Sword Saint’s sword formation around the valley was extremely powerful, perhaps even set up specifically for this moment, the power of the Earth Magic Dragon’s awakening was simply unstoppable.
Even with the formation doing everything it could to hold it back, the fierce, rootless sword aura still couldn’t stop the giant serpent from breaking free. In the end, all it could do was tear its body into pieces and leave it covered in gushing dark blood.
“Sssssssss!!!!”
After a brief pause, Tartanos let out a sharp, shrieking roar that was both like and unlike a snake. In that instant, the dark, dirty magic that had been building up in the Chaos Magic Valley for hundreds of years rushed toward its body like rivers flowing into the sea.
The strange environment of the valley... vanished.
At the same time, the "scales" that had been slashed open by the sword aura began to heal rapidly, so fast it could be seen with the naked eye. It was like a snake shedding its skin. The damaged outer layer was peeled off and replaced with a fresh new body and armor. In just seconds, the giant serpent looked completely healed, as if it had never been hurt at all.
After absorbing all that energy, Tartanos's strength surged wildly, and the so-called Earth Magic Dragon let out another hoarse, furious roar:
“Sssssssss!!!!”
But just as it was preparing to rise even higher into the sky, finally escaping from the earth and returning to the surface world. A blinding sword light suddenly flashed across the valley and came flying in from above!
That slash began as just a few meters long, no bigger than a small gust of wind. But in the blink of an eye, it expanded, growing into a gigantic sword aura over a thousand meters long, tearing through the sky like it could split the world in half. With no unnecessary movements, it smashed straight into Tartanos's massive body!
BOOM!!!!!!!!
This single strike was absolutely earth-shaking, far more powerful than even the full force of the earlier sword formation. Even though the serpent had just been powered up, its mountain-sized body was blown backward uncontrollably, crashing into the mountains behind it.
Dust and smoke filled the air. When things finally cleared again, they could see that the place where the serpent had been hit was now pouring out black blood, and a huge chunk, almost a third, of that part of its body had completely vanished, exposing the dark rocky core inside.
“Whew... So the Sword Saint really was here, waiting,” said Miles, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Yes, they had indeed come all this way to slay the Earth Magic Dragon. And yes, they had been given a secret trump card by the Emperor, supposedly designed specifically to deal with this monster.
But after all, this was the Holy Empire’s territory, not Austre Empire. Trying to sneak in without being caught by the Church and still kill Tartanos quickly using only the troops they could bring in… was nearly impossible.
The most important part of this entire mission, the key to the whole plan, was whether or not the Austre Empire’s strongest warrior, the Swift Wind Sword Saint, Bevis Bernard, was actually here.
Bevis had guarded the Earth Magic Dragon’s seal for over a hundred years. If even the Emperor could predict the dragon’s awakening, then surely Bevis, the one watching over it, knew as well.
He would definitely show up to stop Tartanos from reviving.
As the most powerful person in the Austre Empire, Bevis had countless disciples and followers across the world. Even in a monarchy like Austre Empire, where power was heavily centered around the Emperor, Bevis still commanded immense respect, like a legend above all.
The Sword Saint rarely involved himself in worldly matters. Most of his affairs were handled by his six main disciples. So, when the Emperor personally sent troops across the border this time, it wasn’t just to collect the rare items produced by Tartanos. It was also an effort to help the Sword Saint deal with his long-time burden, and hopefully build closer ties between them.