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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“So, this is the thoughtform you developed.”
“Yes. We believe it originated from beyond this dimension, but…”
The Four Dragons first discovered Kaitel when they sensed his intention to use their thoughtform. Before Robert’s lives began to repeat.
Desperate to escape the trap set by the Goddess of the Moon, the Four Dragons hadn’t thought much of Kaitel. There had been countless humans who tried to use them.
It was intriguing that a follower of the Goddess of the Moon would try to use them, but they simply assumed his body would collapse, unable to withstand the power.
By this time, they had already established a general understanding of the concept of regression.
They had found a target to initiate the regressions, but the Goddess’s interference, preventing them from fully realizing their intentions, was the biggest problem.
Since two targets were needed for the regressions to continue, they had to find another person who could withstand the flow of time, separate from Robert Taylor.
The Four Dragons, having forgotten about Kaitel, dismissed him.
They simply thought they would sense the thoughtform again in a few days. It had been a long time since they had contacted the imperial family, but they had never achieved any results.
Time held no meaning for the Four Dragons. A few blinks of their eyes, and months would pass.
After letting a couple of months pass, the Four Dragons finally sensed something amiss.
A human was successfully harboring their thoughtform, allowing them to faintly connect with human senses.
“Huh.”
It was a sensation they hadn’t felt in a thousand years.
Trapped within the flow of space and time, even the slightest touch felt like pain, a tingling sensation on their skin, and the Four Dragons chuckled softly.
They had finally found it. A human to become their sacrifice.
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Robert Taylor had to repeat the regressions.
Originally, they had planned to completely break his mind through the regressions, but after embedding the Regression Stone within him, they realized the Goddess of the Moon had interfered.
They had inadvertently created their own downfall, but they couldn’t give up on resurrection.
They had to be alive to do anything.
Now that the thoughtform had been implanted, they planned to slowly assimilate Kaitel while Robert Taylor repeated the regressions. His fiery personality was also helpful.
The greater the emotional turmoil, the wider the cracks became, so they spent their time eliminating those around Kaitel.
His teacher, for example, or the ministers who had long supported Kaitel. It was quite entertaining to watch the human blame everything on himself.
To see him slowly descend into ruin, unaware that he was breaking down.
The desperate struggle of a passionate human trying to achieve his dreams was rather amusing.
Sometimes, he would lose control and hold a sword to his own father’s throat, or execute his younger sister, who pitied Robert.
At first, it had only been confinement, but as the Four Dragons’ thoughtform grew stronger, rampages became more frequent.
Unification of the continent. The previous Emperors had also spoken of such things.
“But they all died by my hand.”
Their senses had mostly returned. The Goddess of the Moon’s power had faded, unable to bind them any longer, and their thoughtform, implanted within Kaitel’s body, was growing stronger.
The more Robert died, the stronger they became. They were gradually regaining their former power, waiting for the time to destroy the empire created by the Goddess.
The Emperor who had unified the continent, the warrior who had reached the pinnacle of humanity, the swordsman who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the mage who had created the grimoire containing the essence of magic.
They had all died by the hand of the Four Dragons. And hadn’t they been the ones to kill hundreds of demons and leave only four alive?
They knew that their nemesis was gradually growing stronger, but they weren’t worried.
He was still weaker than them, so they had used Kaitel to kill him whenever he tried to twist fate.
They had been relieved when his spirit broke and he repeatedly killed himself, but they had also seen him take up the sword again.
Why wouldn’t he break?
Kaitel, who had even forgotten his own dreams, was no longer of interest to the Four Dragons.
Robert had finally achieved what he desired. He had reached a level no other human had ever attained, and no human would be able to defeat him.
If they were going to kill him, they had to do it early in his regression, but as time passed, Robert began to avoid all such attempts.
As if he knew their intentions. They wondered if the Goddess had intervened and searched for her presence, but they couldn’t sense it.
Then how?
It was strange.
Whenever he was about to break, he would form connections, and Robert Taylor would rise again, fueled by his emotions.
He would unleash unbelievable power whenever he neared death. Like the heroes of the past, like the leaders of humanity who had challenged the demons from the demon realm.
He was stronger than them, his spirit firmer. But they didn’t feel threatened. He was just at the level of a demon, after all.
The Four Dragons knew that his sword couldn’t reach them.
They had been somewhat relieved that Robert, having experienced a hundred deaths and begun his 101st life, desired death.
“But…”
The Four Dragons, having completely taken over Kaitel’s mind, chuckled. It was a hollow laugh.
The imperial palace, obtained by eliminating all their followers, their plan finally complete… They had thought they had reached the end.
They had believed they would succeed perfectly, even with Robert Taylor in the picture.
“…You’ve managed to survive.”
They hadn’t expected him to defeat two demons and reach this point.
The flash of light stretching towards the sky was undoubtedly Robert’s mana. Robert was the only human who possessed such pure mana.
That level… even demons struggled to reach it.
The expressions of the demons watching also hardened. They probably knew better than anyone that they would die if they challenged him.
They were nothing but meat shields if it wasn’t for them.
Had that Goddess interfered after all? The Four Dragons clicked their tongue and slowly rose from the throne.
It was still too early to manifest in their dragon form. They needed at least an hour to gather the necessary power.
How long would it take for Robert to arrive here? The Four Dragons’ brows furrowed slightly as they estimated the time.
He would arrive within minutes, at most. Even two demons attacking him simultaneously had only resulted in mutual destruction.
The power they sensed from Robert now was on a completely different level.
“What are you going to do?”
The three-headed wolf asked.
Considering that the remaining one wasn’t much help in battle, this one was the only demon who could stand against Robert.
The Four Dragons stroked their chin with their slender hand and sighed quietly.
Why wasn’t there a single useful one among them? If they just had an hour, they could easily crush him.
“He probably didn’t come alone.”
The Saint who was with Robert, and Adele Igrit, whom they hadn’t been able to kill in the North.
They couldn’t sense their presence now, but they would surely arrive soon. They weren’t planning to touch the portal beneath the Church.
They would just have the demons attack it when they arrived.
The crack, which had deviated slightly from their expectations, had widened and was now threatening to strangle them.
They would have planned more carefully if they had known this would happen, but… they no longer had the ‘power’ to turn back time.
They had used up all their time-manipulating power for their resurrection.
Their red eyes scanned the void. A powerful presence, felt from afar, was approaching them.
Tearing through the air, shattering the army of the dead they had raised.
They recalled the first time they met Robert.
Had they known they would be facing each other like this back then?
The Four Dragons descended from the throne and slowly walked forward.
They sent the two remaining demons in different directions and shaped a bone from their arm into a sword. It was a sword they often used when fighting in human form.
“…Five.”
Four.
As the countdown continued, the Four Dragons’ gaze shifted to the ceiling. He was coming quite boisterously.
Well, it was natural, considering he desperately wanted to kill them. By this point, the Four Dragons no longer thought of it as buying time. They would win anyway.
Their characteristic arrogance resurfaced, overwhelming their other emotions.
Thud.
As their countdown reached zero, a human figure appeared, crashing through the shattered ceiling.
The human, enveloped in a white light, looked like a demigod. Perhaps that wasn’t wrong.
From this perspective, they, the Four Dragons, looked more human.
“It’s been a while. No, is this the first time you’ve seen me?”
The Four Dragons chuckled.
Robert simply stared at them silently. Many emotions surged within him, but strangely, he felt calm.
He didn’t know why, but his mind felt frozen, cold. It looked like Kaitel, but it was just a shell. Within it, the Four Dragons resided.
“I’m impressed by you, human. Honestly, I didn’t think you would endure all those regressions. Ordinary humans break down, unable to withstand even a single death. You know that they can’t even endure torture, let alone death.”
“…”
“I acknowledge it. That you are the strongest among humans. Daring to raise your sword against me… yes, I’ll forgive you. But of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll let you live. Everything ends today, right here.”
When the Four Dragons first appeared, they hadn’t killed humans for any particular reason.
Did a human have a purpose when they stepped on an ant?
They hadn’t particularly desired the world’s destruction, they had simply removed what was in their sight.
It had grown into this. A massive wave they hadn’t even imagined had finally reached its peak.
How could they not be amused?
Rumble-
The dragon’s heart, a heart only a dragon could possess, pulsed, and a light even brighter than what Robert had unleashed enveloped the world.
The light, containing the essence of the sun, began to melt the imperial palace. Amidst the slowly melting ruins, the Four Dragons spoke.
“I know you’ve come to stop me.”
This massive dragon loved amusement and pleasure.
The Four Dragons, finally recalling what they had initially sought, cackled. Blood trickled from their lips, staining Kaitel’s white clothes.
“Then try to stop me.”
Twilight.
The only time when light and darkness coexisted. The hourglass, flowing towards destruction, was flipped, heralding the end.
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