Not A Regressor-Chapter 313: Faded Promise (5)

“Uh... um.”

Clearly overwhelmed at the sight of Kellion kneeling with his head bowed, Song Ha-Eun hid behind Kwon Oh-Jin like a startled cat.

At least, she understood a little more why the dragonkin reacted so excessively toward her. Still, complete strangers suddenly bowing toward her and calling her their savior flustered her. They begged her to save their entire race as the dragon’s Virgin Maiden.

“Please,” Kellion desperately said as he bowed his head at Song Ha-Eun’s feet.

Ever since the Dragon God had fallen into a deep slumber, the Dragonian Kingdom had slowly headed toward ruin. The dragonkin had been born to serve the dragons. Just as ants began to die after losing their queen, the dragonkin headed toward destruction after losing their dragon.

“We... need a savior.” Tears streamed down Kellion’s cheeks.

Without the dragon’s blessing and knowledge, the dragonkin could not withstand the mana lingering within their own bodies. When Caelus was alive, the Stigma of Draco barely managed to suppress the rampaging mana within them. Now that he was gone, the slumbering Dragon God was their last possible salvation.

“For the past hundred years... countless dragonkin have perished, unable to endure the surge of mana.”

He recalled a girl who used to smile so brightly, a boy who once ran and laughed with energy, the youth who swung his weapon courageously, the elder who led the kingdom with wisdom... They had all died, writhing in pain, and unable to control the mana running wild within them.

“I-I could only watch it all happen.”

All he could do was wait for the Dragon God, who would not awaken, and call out for salvation that never came.

Kwon Oh-Jin silently looked down at the weeping Kellion with a bitter expression.

So, that’s why the dragonkin were so helpless against the demonkin’s invasion.

Of course, the demonkin forces were strong. However, the Dragonian Kingdom had already spent a hundred years in decline as its power withered away. The demonkin had only pulled the plug on a dying patient’s life support.

“Are there no other dragons left?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked, thinking of the Thousand Curses Dragon he had fought before entering the rift.

If saving the dragonkin required the presence of a dragon, did it really have to be the Dragon God specifically?

“The other dragons...” Kellion trailed off and chewed on his lips as if swallowing something bitter.

The deep wrinkles etched onto his aged face twisted with sorrow.

“Most of them are already dead, and the few survivors hide away in their lairs, refusing to emerge.”

“Most of them are dead?”

“That’s right.”

Dragons were powerful beings, complete in their very existence. Each one was a living weapon of mass destruction, so who in the world could have driven such creatures to extinction?

“It’s the Heavenly Demon’s doing,” Kellion said.

It’s him again?

A nasty feeling like crushed gravel spread in Kwon Oh-Jin’s mouth. He exhaled deeply and hung his head.

“The evil god that the demonkin worship, the Heavenly Demon, killed the dragons.”

“He killed them himself?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

Kellion shook his head.

If the Heavenly Demon hadn’t done it himself, then who?

“He used the Serpent to kill them.”

After being saved by the Heavenly Demon, lies had dominated Cassia Colgrande’s mind and turned her into his puppet.

So, that’s what she was doing all this time in the Demonic District.

Now that he thought about it, Cassia had mentioned that her hands were stained with more blood than she could count while living as the Heavenly Demon’s puppet. He was already aware of this, but to think the blood staining her hands included that of dragons...

A memory of Cassia resurfaced. At the hospital rooftop under the darkened sky, she had looked ready to cry as she left to seek atonement. She was wrapped in bottomless shame and guilt, clinging to a desperate desire not to be abandoned. How much blood had those slender hands spilled?

Kwon Oh-Jin gritted his teeth, recalling the Heavenly Demon who had made her that way. Tricking others with sweet lies and turning them into his puppets...

So, that’s your method, huh?

It was truly a method that someone like Kwon Oh-Jin would use.

A bitter taste spread in his mouth. His chest grew heavy as if a weight had been placed on it.

Song Ha-Eun, who had been silently listening, scratched her head. “Well... so all I have to do is wake up that Dragon God guy, right?”

Kellion, still bowing, suddenly looked up. “Y-Yes! With the power of the Draconic Eye that the dragon’s Virgin Maiden possesses, you can guide the soul of the Dragon God back into his body!”

Hope flickered in his eyes.

“If the Dragon God awakens, we can drive out the demonkin army that has overrun the kingdom!”

“But where is the Dragon God’s soul exactly?” she asked.

“There is a massive crystal called a Soulstone in the lair where the Dragon God sleeps.”

“So, we just have to find it and bring it back?”

“There’s no need to search for it.” Kellion shook his head. “The Soulstone lies right next to the sleeping Dragon God. If you can just reach that place safely, the rest will be as simple as using the Draconic Eye to draw his soul back into his body.”

The method itself was very straightforward. The problem was getting to that lair in the first place.

Kwon Oh-Jin recalled how the Dragonian Kingdom looked. It was crawling with demonkin and demonic beasts. At a glance, there had been at least a hundred demonkin. The number of demonic beasts likely reached tens of thousands.

“Where exactly is the Dragon God’s lair?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“It’s hidden deep in the innermost part of the kingdom,” Kelion replied. “It’s protected by a powerful barrier, so the demonkin probably hasn't breached it.”

“Do you know how to get there?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Why else do you think I’ve been leading the dragonkin until now? Of course, I know where the Dragon God’s lair is.” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“Are there any other dragonkin who know the location?”

“No. To prevent outside intrusion, the lair’s location has been secretly passed down only to the elders.”

So, Kellion is the only one who knows, huh.

“Do you happen to have a map?”

“A map of the kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“Wait just a moment.” Kellion lightly placed his fingers on the wooden table.

A soft blue light shimmered as a projected map out of mana that spread over the surface.

So this is how they store maps.

Certainly, storing it mentally was the most secure way.

“Where exactly is the lair?”

“Here.” Kellion pointed to the deepest part of the city, carved entirely out of a canyon. “But even if you find the location, you won’t be able to see the lair itself.”

“Is it because of the barrier?”

Kellion nodded. “I must personally go there and lift the barrier for you to gain access.”

He himself was the key to opening the lair.

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes at the map.

Facing them head-on is impossible.

He didn’t know how capable the dragonkin were in combat, but their kingdom had fallen in less than ten days to the demonkin army. Even with the dragonkin’s help, charging in head-on was out of the question.

Isabella, also studying the map, furrowed her brow. “It seems like there’s no other way other than sneaking in.”

“Unless they’re idiots, they’ll have guards posted.”

Kwon Oh-Jin could simply enter alone using the Black Curtain to hide his presence, but it became far more complicated with Kellion and Song Ha-Eun tagging along.

“In this kind of situation... Only one method will work.” Isabella deeply sighed.

Even without her saying it, Kwon Oh-Jin already knew what she was thinking. A highly effective, but equally risky method to infiltrate a key enemy stronghold...

“We’ll have to use a decoy,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

They would have to draw the demonkin away using bait while Song Ha-Eun and Kellion slipped into the lair.

But I can’t send the two of them in alone.

What if Song Ha-Eun were attacked while guiding the Dragon God’s soul into its body? Kelion couldn’t be fully trusted yet either, so someone needed to protect her.

I have to go with them.

Isabella was still physically stronger than him in terms of raw combat, but Kwon Oh-Jin possessed the Black Heaven. It came with risks, but he was the better option if it meant protecting Song Ha-Eun.

However, the decoy team would be at even greater risk if he went with Song Ha-Eun.

“I’ll be the decoy.” Isabella raised her hand.

“Are you sure about that?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

Hundreds of demonkin and tens of thousands of demonic beasts were extremely dangerous even for Isabella.

“Yes. I wouldn’t last long in direct combat against an army, but I can at least lure them away and escape.”

“Still, we’ll need more people.”

Even if Isabella was strong, drawing the attention of an entire enemy-occupied city alone was impossible.

Kellion clenched his fist with determination. “We’ll help too.”

Kwon Oh-Jin turned and warned him, “You’ll die.”

Isabella would survive being chased by the demonkin, but the other dragonkin...

“Even if they’re lucky and manage to escape... Most of them will still die.”

Kellion’s expression darkened.

After a brief silence, his wrinkled face faintly smiled. “We’re ready to die.”

The old dragonkin elder stood up, his hand brushing over the Stigma on his left chest.

“Haha. Still, this land is where we’ve lived and grown. If we can shed blood to protect it, there is no greater honor.”

Despite his words, his eyes grew heavy with shadows.

Kwon Oh-Jin sighed as the elder steeled himself for the worst. The place where they lived, their home, was just that important. Sometimes, it was worth risking everything, even their lives, to protect it.

“There is a way to reduce casualties,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“What is it?”

“Not just one decoy, but several.” Kwon Oh-Jin pointed to three locations on the map.

All the areas were near the large circular structure where the captured dragonkin were being held.

“We’ll stir up chaos at three spots simultaneously.”

“If it’s around there...”

“Yes. If trouble breaks out there, the demonkin will think we’ve come to rescue the captives.”

That would naturally force the enemy to split their forces toward the building with the imprisoned dragonkin.

“If the decoys then escape toward the outskirts instead of the city center, the enemies will only be more confused.”

From the demonkin’s perspective, the group causing the commotion would logically head toward the prisoners. If they ran in a completely different direction, it would throw the enemies into disarray.

“There will still be casualties, but the odds of survival will be higher,” Kwon Oh-Jin explained.

“The castle entrance aside, those other two locations are deeper within the kingdom. How do you plan to get the decoys there?”

“I already have something in mind.”

A way did exist to draw the enemy’s attention without sacrificing the dragonkin.

“Thank you.” Kellion gratefully bowed.

Helping them awaken the Dragon God was already more than enough, yet Kwon Oh-Jin also tried to help them reduce the number of casualties as well. It was hard to believe this kind of compassion came from an outsider they had only met a few hours ago.

“May I ask you just one thing?” Kellion said.

“Yes.”

“Why are you helping us this much?” Kellion wasn’t really in a position to ask such a question since he was the one begging for his people to be saved.

In truth, the plan using decoys could have easily been dumped solely onto the dragonkin. After all, the bait would only become more effective with more decoys.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and shrugged. “Who knows...?”

Suddenly, the image of Cassia’s tear-streaked face flashed across his mind.

As if telling someone else’s story, he murmured, “Maybe I just want to change...”

This person called Kwon Oh-Jin.