Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 184

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 184

His name was Trigion Mael Breeden.

A ruler of a kingdom, known by the moniker “King of Knights.”

He was a respected leader and a great sword that protected his realm.

The kingdom thrived, and peace seemed eternal.

But catastrophe struck suddenly, and the kingdom fell.

The king, having lost his people, despaired, cursed the gods, and descended into corruption.

The fallen Knight King committed numerous atrocities and was punished by the gods, sealed away by the Warden’s Rope. His knights were turned into undead.

These undead knights yearned for the resurrection of the Great Knight King, Trigion. But when the world of Kurayan perished, the Warden’s Rope disappeared with Trigion still sealed.

In their despair, the knights awaited the return of the Warden’s Rope. Miraculously, it returned, and Trigion’s seal was broken.

As Trigion regained his senses and examined his new body,

―Are you awake, Master?

An alien voice echoed in his mind.

‘Who the hell are you?’

―I am Hyeonmu, Master. Do you not remember?

‘Hyeonmu?’

―I am the Master’s assistant AI. Have you forgotten?

‘Interesting. A separate consciousness within a human mind.’

―Separate consciousness?

Hyeonmu sensed something unusual.

Though a degraded version of Triox Five, Hyeonmu was a highly intelligent AI capable of independent thought and judgment.

―Urgent consciousness check.

Hyeonmu quickly began to assess Cha Jin-cheol’s consciousness.

Meanwhile, Trigion, who had taken control of Cha Jin-cheol’s body, stood up.

Clank! Clank!

There was a faint metallic sound from his limbs.

Trigion’s eyes flashed with curiosity.

‘What is this body? Metal mixed with flesh?’

Cha Jin-cheol’s mechanical limbs were unlike anything Trigion had seen.

Trigion carefully moved his arms and legs.

‘Combining human flesh with machinery… what sorcerer performed such an abominable experiment?’

―Master’s consciousness is compromised. Initiating all connections severance and activating AI Hyeonmu return to Triox Five protocol.

‘Triox Five? Return protocol?’

Trigion’s eyes sparkled.

He had never heard these terms before, but he understood their meaning by searching Cha Jin-cheol’s memories.

Though a knight, Trigion was also adept in magic.

Using a searching spell, he examined his body.

He clearly saw the structure of the mechanical arms and legs.

Then he noticed the heart.

Attached to the human heart was a mechanical device.

It was a mana engine.

A marvel of West District’s magitech, designed by Kim Hyun-soo and completed by Triox Five, the mana engine amplified the heart’s mana.

Trigion quickly grasped the mana engine’s structure and understood its principle.

Next, his consciousness reached the junction of the brain and spine, where a small metal box resided.

The fingernail-sized metal box was heavily enchanted, housing an active presence.

The presence of the AI named Hyeonmu.

‘What is this? A golem’s core?’

Thinking of it as a golem’s core made it easier to understand.

Humans had implanted a golem’s core, allowing its consciousness to intervene.

The mechanical limbs, aided by the golem, could exert maximum power.

It was astonishing.

To Trigion, all this was revolutionary.

‘So, there’s a main body somewhere?’

If what was in Cha Jin-cheol’s body was only part of the main body, it was astounding.

‘If just a part is this powerful, how incredible must the main body be?’

Trigion’s imagination ran wild.

He hadn’t been in Cha Jin-cheol’s body long, but he was already adapting to it, along with its mind and new technological marvels.

But his time was cut short.

Boom!

A loud explosion shook his body.

He felt a significant threat.

Trigion finally opened his eyes.

He saw a man trying to attack him, being desperately blocked by others.

The attacker was Zeon, and those defending were the Awakeneds from the West District.

“This crazy bastard is trying to kill the captain.”

“Damn it! Everyone, attack him.”

The West District Awakeneds charged at Zeon.

Zeon sighed lightly.

“This is not the time for this. Your captain is not himself.”

“Shut up.”

“Die!”

The West District Awakeneds ignored Zeon’s words and attacked.

Zeon dodged their attacks, his gaze fixed on Cha Jin-cheol.

Cha Jin-cheol’s eyes glowed red, brightening and dimming like a camera focusing.

It was clear something was off.

Then Cha Jin-cheol’s eyes steadied.

The red light stopped flickering, firmly settling in his pupils.

At that moment, Zeon knew for sure.

The entity sealed by the Warden’s Rope had fully taken over Cha Jin-cheol’s body.

“It’s too late!”

Even so, Zeon couldn’t let it be.

He didn’t know what had possessed Cha Jin-cheol, but he couldn’t let it roam free.

To reach Cha Jin-cheol, he first had to overcome the Awakeneds blocking his path.

Boom!

Zeon’s fist struck the abdomen of the foremost Awakened.

The Awakened collapsed without a sound.

Zeon leapt over him, attacking the next Awakened.

His physical prowess surpassed most Martial Arts Awakeneds, combined with eight years of combat experience in the desert, making him an unstoppable force against the West District Awakeneds.

Crack!

“Keuuk!”

Zeon swiftly tore off or broke the mechanical arms of the West District Awakeneds blocking his path.

In an instant, the Awakeneds in front of Zeon collapsed.

Other Awakeneds tried to stop him, but Brielle intervened.

“Hiyah!”

She pulled something out of her pointed hat and threw it between Zeon and the Awakeneds.

The object was a bomb of sorts.

Boom!

It exploded, releasing a thick smoke.

“Ugh!”

“What is this?”

The West District Awakeneds looked bewildered as they inhaled the smoke.

Their limbs suddenly felt weak and unresponsive.

Brielle smirked triumphantly.

“Hah! Your throats hurt and you can’t move, right? I specially made this bomb for such an occasion.”

For Mechanized Awakeneds who had forsaken their human bodies and integrated with machinery, lubricant was essential.

Whether in small or large quantities, lubricant was vital for their mechanical parts to function smoothly.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Brielle’s bomb had a property that solidified lubricant. Even a small amount inhaled would solidify the lubricant, making movement difficult.

The effect lasted only about a minute at most.

It merely slowed down the Mechanized Awakeneds temporarily. But that brief delay was a significant help to Zeon.

While the West District Awakeneds were stumbling, Zeon reached Cha Jin-cheol.

Trigion, who had taken over Cha Jin-cheol’s body, spoke with glowing red eyes.

“Who are you to dare obstruct my resurrection?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Zeon swung his fist without warning.

Boom!

Trigion was sent flying by the punch from the Inferno Gauntlet. His chest was deeply dented.

An ordinary person would have been killed instantly by such an injury. But Trigion shrugged it off and stood up as if nothing had happened.

“A rather powerful attack. But it’s not enough to harm me significantly.”

“Let’s see if you can keep talking like that.”

Zeon charged at him coldly.

The dragon’s eye embedded in the Inferno Gauntlet emitted a powerful light.

In that moment, Trigion’s red eyes blazed furiously.

“A cursed dragon’s eye. I cannot forgive anyone who uses a dragon’s power.”

His voice was filled with venomous hatred towards the dragon.

It was inevitable, as it was the dragon acting on behalf of the gods who had sealed him with the Warden’s Rope.

Fwoosh!

Gray energy burst from Trigion’s body.

It was the unique gray aura of Mechanized Awakeneds.

The gray aura spread like a web, enveloping the West District Awakeneds. The Awakeneds, already stiff from Brielle’s bomb, couldn’t avoid it.

“Keuuk!”

“Ughh! Captain, it’s us.”

The faces of the West District Awakeneds turned pale.

From the moment the gray aura enveloped them, their mechanical bodies were no longer under their control.

Cha Jin-cheol’s will had overridden their bodies.

No one had told Trigion how to do this.

From the moment he took over Cha Jin-cheol’s mechanical body, he instinctively understood how to enhance its strength.

Mechanical bodies could be strengthened with the right parts. Conveniently, there were plenty of suitable bodies around him.

The West District Awakeneds.

Four keywords flashed in Trigion’s mind: Disassemble, Extract, Combine, Amplify.

He would disassemble the Awakeneds’ mechanical bodies, extract useful parts, combine them with Cha Jin-cheol’s body, and amplify its power.

His imagination became reality.

Crack!

“Argh! Captain.”

“Save us!”

With the screams of the West District Awakeneds, their mechanical bodies were torn apart. Useful parts were extracted from the disassembled bodies.

The parts flew at terrifying speed and fused with Trigion’s body.

In no time, Trigion’s body doubled in size.

His limbs thickened, and his upper body swelled.

He resembled a gorilla.

While the appearance lacked the dignity of a king, it could be refined later.

The tremendous mana flowing within the composite metal body.

Trigion felt a surge of power and liberation.

“Who can possibly stand against me?”

His roar echoed through the castle.

―Oh! The King has resurrected.

The first to respond was the Knight Commander fighting Lee Ji-ryeong.

―Ohhh!

―The King has returned.

The undead knights went berserk at his cry.

“What the…”

“What’s happening?”

Lee Ji-ryeong and the Awakeneds looked bewildered.

The undead knights’ combat power had suddenly surged.

Lee Ji-ryeong urgently looked at Trigion.

“So, that’s the real boss?”

He wanted to withdraw and confront Trigion immediately. But the Knight Commander wouldn’t let him.

―No one approaches the King without my permission.

Trigion addressed the Knight Commander.

“Gregoric, my faithful servant.”

―Oh! My King.

“Destroy them all and let us emerge into the world. We will plant our flag in Neo Seoul.”

―Neo Seoul?

“The kingdom the humans built here. I will subjugate it.”

―Everything will be as you command, my King.

The Knight Commander’s aura intensified.

Trigion’s resurrection had given him a powerful boost.

The undead knights’ combat power also increased.

Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyes trembled.

“What…”

“Get a grip. If we let them out, Neo Seoul will be in danger.”

Zeon’s voice snapped Lee Ji-ryeong back to reality.

This wasn’t just about conquering a dungeon.

If they failed to stop them, Neo Seoul’s very existence would be threatened.

Lee Ji-ryeong spoke to Zeon.

“Step back. Without sand, you can’t fight them.”

“Who said I don’t have sand?”

“What?”

At that moment, a spatial rift opened behind Zeon.

Shhh!

Red sand poured out like a river from the subspace.

[Translator – Peptobismol]