Page 168

Lightning poured down.

This time, it showed no sign of stopping, continuing endlessly.

Amidst the relentless barrage, Vulcan and I endured the lightning together.

Vulcan was convinced that he had erased my soul.

However, I hadn’t been erased—instead, I had simply walked out of the soul realm of my own accord.

Under normal circumstances, having my soul realm taken would have meant losing both my soul and my body.

But even if my soul realm was stolen, the body of Vikamon could not be claimed.

That was because the soul realm Vulcan had seized was originally my own.

‘I’m not Vikamon.’

Vikamon’s body had been an empty shell from the start, devoid of any soul.

I had simply occupied that vacant vessel by chance.

In other words, no one had held true dominion over Vikamon’s body in the first place.

Vulcan had only managed to infiltrate the void of Vikamon’s body because my soul realm and his had become entangled.

But in reality, neither of us had legitimate ownership of Vikamon’s body.

However, in the end, one of us would claim it.

And so, we clashed to determine which of us would remain.

“Grrrk!”

Vulcan gritted his teeth, enduring the divine lightning.

He strained to keep his three eyes open, fighting through the pain.

And I was no different.

The lightning’s searing agony burrowed deep into my soul.

As expected of the goddess's lightning—the power was immense.

I had summoned lightning countless times before, but this was by far the most potent.

“Haa, haah... You think… this will be enough to end me…?”

Just as Vulcan claimed, this alone wouldn’t be enough to settle things.

“I’d... rather be devoured by the wyrm… than surrender…”

Rumble!

I could feel the dragon approaching, tearing through the Mystic Cult’s stronghold.

Vulcan glared with fierce determination, refusing to yield.

As expected of a hero immortalized in history—he had no intention of backing down.

His iron will was beyond the breaking point of any ordinary man.

Yet, Vulcan remained unaware of one crucial fact.

I hadn’t summoned the lightning simply to defeat him.

“Vulcan.”

I forced myself to speak through gritted teeth.

“Do you… know what a dragon's remnant… despises the most?”

The remnant of the ancient dragon that had taken root in my body was from the Frost Dragon.

To suppress that remnant, I had used the Fire Dragon’s mark.

And there was nothing the Frost Dragon remnant detested more than heat and flame.

And now, within me, burned a fire the dragon's remnant loathed above all.

Dragon remnants are territorial by nature.

Once they settle in a host, they rarely seek to leave.

But now, a foreign flame had invaded the territory the dragon had claimed.

Twitch—

Agitated by the divine lightning, the dragon remnant stirred once more.

“...So that’s what you were scheming.”

Vulcan growled in irritation, moving his arm.

But he quickly realized—no power surged forth.

His eyes slowly widened.

He finally sensed the threat.

No matter how formidable the dragon remnant was, it couldn't act freely when faced with the Corrupted Flame.

And yet, we were both still being ravaged by the goddess's lightning.

The divine lightning carried the power of purification.

The Corrupted Flame, born from corrupted fire, was fundamentally of the dark element.

Even for Vulcan, igniting the Corrupted Flame in this situation was impossible.

“Y-You…!”

Vulcan belatedly grasped the situation and roared.

He struggled violently to escape the lightning’s grasp, but I locked my legs around him.

“You’re… not going anywhere.”

We had such a good time, didn't we?

We’ll be together for a long, long time.

I clung to him tightly, preventing his escape.

He flailed more violently, but I didn’t loosen my grip.

Standing firm was my specialty.

“Let… let me go! I said let go!”

Vulcan screamed in fury, spitting through his teeth.

But I simply waited, unmoved.

Creak—

Until, at last, the dragon’s remnant opened its maw.

The dragon’s remnant was a gluttonous beast, devouring everything in its path.

It had tried to consume Nikita—and even me.

Now, with a new meal before it, there was no way it would resist.

Vulcan’s soul struggled violently.

Had we still been in the soul realm, he might have had a chance.

But here, in the real world, it was different.

Moreover, in this place, we shared control over Vikamon’s body, each holding half.

No matter how much he thrashed, he could only muster half of Vikamon’s strength.

“You… resented the world, didn’t you?”

I didn’t know how to release Vulcan from his resentment.

But as long as he hated the world, he was my enemy.

Because I had come this far only to protect it.

“My desire to protect… was stronger… than your grudge.”

That was why I won.

As Vulcan let out one final, despairing cry, the dragon remnant’s jaws snapped shut.

Crunch!

It swallowed half of Vulcan’s soul in a single bite.

Vulcan had no time to resist—he was devoured by the dragon’s remnant.

As he realized his end was inevitable, his eyes trembled with dread.

Since our souls were intertwined, I witnessed his final moments with brutal clarity.

And then, Vulcan's memories surged into my mind.

Beneath the setting sun.

In a distant past, a young Rosli stood face to face with a great hero.

In his youth, Rosli had questioned him.

「Wolfram, what are you fighting so desperately for?」

Wolfram.

The name of a great hero.

He stared forward, unwavering.

All Rosli could see was his back.

「Because I’m curious… about what the world will look like when it reaches its end.」

「Hah, you always spout such nonsense.」

Back then, Rosli couldn’t understand his words.

But now, I could.

My eyes widened.

‘So, I was right after all.’

Wolfram had been just like me—a transmigrator.

Someone who had once lived and experienced this world.

‘Wait, was there really a distant past arc in Dungeon Academy Slayer?’

Even as someone who had been obsessed with Dungeon Academy Slayer, I had never known of this past.

And yet, it had connected to the present, stretching into the now.

「Still, I am a bit curious. What kind of world do you dream of?」

Once, Rosli had dreamed of a peaceful world.

But in the end, he fell into darkness, reincarnating as Vulcan, consumed by a grudge that sought to burn the world.

"Wol, Fram."

Then, Vulcan’s final words followed.

"Why… did you give me a chance?"

Wolfram was not here.

Thus, Vulcan’s question scattered into the void, unanswered.

Instead, he gazed into the distant horizon.

"……I see. Perhaps I am still being ground under the massive wheel of fate."

Fwoosh!

Vulcan's entire soul was engulfed in black flames.

"A nightmare."

The black flames finally consumed him completely, turning to ash.

"A nightmare of being crushed beneath the wheel of fate."

With those final, hollow words, Vulcan vanished.

Crunch, crackle—

The moment his presence fully disappeared, I immediately surged with power.

The third eye that had appeared on my forehead faded away.

I had completely regained control of my body.

I clenched my fist, and the descending lightning extinguished.

A delayed wave of pain surged through my entire body.

The taste of iron filled my mouth, and my skin burned with searing heat.

I felt as if I would lose consciousness at any moment.

No matter how resilient my body was, it had still been scorched by divine lightning.

There was no way I could be unscathed.

And yet, it was not over.

The remnants of the ancient dragon within me were watching, licking their lips.

Having devoured Vulcan, the dragon’s vestige had grown far larger.

It opened its maw without hesitation.

It had become too powerful to be restrained by a mere flame dragon's sigil.

‘It would be nice if you were satisfied and left.’

But the dragon’s remnants showed no intention of retreating.

The situation grew dire.

If I were devoured by the dragon's remnants, I would inevitably become a draconic beast.

I couldn’t let that happen.

So, I desperately drew upon my next resort.

The only thing capable of stopping the dragon's remnants was fire—

Fire so immense that even the dragon would not dare covet it.

‘That fire… I already have it.’

Deep within me, there was a tiny ember.

Long ago, it had been planted by the late spirit lord.

The Flame of Fire.

Though the ember had grown faint, it still lingered within me.

I guided the ash left by Vulcan’s flame and transferred it onto that ember.

Fwoosh—

Flames ignited within me.

The Ashen Flame opened its eyes.

A flame that had once burned with hope to protect the world—

Later twisted into a flame of vengeance to destroy it.

Now, it was reduced to mere ashes,

Passed from Vulcan to me.

Crackle—

At that moment, something black and sinister hidden within the ashen flame caught fire.

I recognized it immediately—it was the very thing that had corrupted Rosli’s flame.

‘A fragment of nightmare.’

Long ago, the Demon Sovereign had planted this nightmare in Rosli.

It was the source that had given him the Corrupted Flame.

As the nightmare was incinerated, the ashen flame roared violently.

The massive surge of flame startled even the dragon's remnants, forcing them into a hasty retreat.

Despite growing larger after consuming Vulcan,

They knew they were no match for this flame.

Ashen Flame.

Once a flame of hope to protect the world.

Later a flame of resentment to burn it.

And now, reduced to mere ash.

A flame passed from Vulcan to me.

‘It’s nothing compared to Lucas’s Flame of Resolve, but…’

Still, at last, I had gained my own flame.

I sensed the dragon’s remnants curling back in fear.

If they ever rampaged again, I would have to use this flame to suppress them.

A heavy feeling lingered in my chest.

Since our souls had been intertwined,

The seething hatred Vulcan had once harbored for the world clung faintly to my heart.

But I could not carry on his hatred.

Instead, I could only strive to push the world forward,

So that no such hatred would ever be born again.

Thus, I would continue to burn the Ashen Flame he had passed on to me.

That was my role from now on.

"You…"

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice.

I lifted my gaze and saw the group that had stormed the Mystic cult with me.

At the front stood a woman staring at me.

Her honey-blonde hair glimmered like the sun, and her vermilion eyes were filled with desperate emotion.

I gazed at her and smiled faintly.

Though my body was torn and my soul was battered, I smiled.

The only thing I felt in that moment was fleeting joy.

"Isabel."

And then, Isabel ran toward me.

True to her martial arts training, she closed the distance in an instant and threw her arms around me.

Her familiar citrus scent flooded my senses.

The warmth of her embrace wrapped around me, soft and comforting.

Her eyes were brimming with tears.

She couldn’t smile—she could only cry.

For a moment, I didn’t understand why.

But then, through my dazed mind, realization slowly dawned.

She had been worried about me.

I had lost my sense of self and even the sadness that once drove empathy.

That was why I hadn’t immediately recognized her concern.

But now, I understood.

I slowly raised my arms and embraced her in return.

"I’m safe."

"I know… That’s why I’m like this."

Her arms tightened around my back.

I could feel her determination—she didn’t want to let go.

"Thank goodness… truly…"

With tears falling from her eyes,

Isabel wept for my safe return.

Only then did the victory finally sink in.

Just as she said—it truly was a relief.

【 Φ?? ?? The ‘Vulcan Annihilation Operation’ has ended. 】

【 Next Scenario ??%!2? 】