Chapter 716

======[ Peirus ]======

“…I made a mistake in judgment.”

Peirus sighed with a troubled expression, stroking his chin.

Things had gone awry. He had awakened the Insect-Dragon from its slumber through the spirit he planted in Nidhogg’s skull, but the awakened Insect-Dragon began to rampage uncontrollably, refusing to follow his commands.

For Peirus, who had no intention of causing massive destruction to the Imperial Capital, this was a baffling situation.

“I completely took over its brain, but I never expected it to sever the brain’s commands and move on its own.”

Unlike Isabella, an insect enthusiast who even slept with bugs to breed them, Peirus lacked knowledge about insect monsters.

His specialty was handling the souls or corpses of the dead, not rolling around with bugs. This was a miscalculation on his part.

The newly resurrected Insect-Dragon was essentially a fusion of hundreds of millions of insect monsters, making it impossible to control by simply dominating its brain.

The collective consciousness of the billions that made up the Insect-Dragon’s body.

The bugs, loyal only to their mother Isabella, immediately discarded the brain that had been taken over by the foreign spirit as soon as forced commands were transmitted.

For any other creature, this would have been akin to suicide… but surprisingly, the Insect-Dragon Nidhogg could move and rampage just fine without a brain.

The resurrected Insect-Dragon retained the characteristics of insect monsters, allowing it to use the ganglia scattered throughout its body as a substitute for the brain.

Of course, compared to a brain, these were simple organs, so it lost intelligence and judgment, relying solely on instinct…

Regardless, this allowed Nidhogg to break free from Peirus’s control and rampage according to its own impulses.

“…I should have embedded dozens of spirits to dominate the entire body. Not just take over the brain like I did with other specters.”

This was a fatal miscalculation for Peirus.

Choosing the most efficient method, as a magician, had backfired. He could almost hear Isabella’s mocking laughter in his ears.

—

That was why the resurrected Nidhogg fought like a beast rather than a dragon.

Without a brain, it couldn’t make proper judgments and could only react instinctively to external stimuli.

Until now.

【 Krrrrrh…. 】

The dragon, having moved the bugs near its skull to devour the existing brain, finally completed a new brain after nearly twenty minutes.

This was the moment the Insect-Dragon Nidhogg broke free from Peirus’s influence and gained complete freedom.

With its brain finally complete, the Insect-Dragon abandoned its previous fighting style of flailing its tail and forelimbs and began to fully awaken the power and authority within its draconic body.

The first step was controlling the vast amount of dark energy pooled beneath its feet to summon an army of the dead.

The reverse-soul technique it awakened by devouring and absorbing the brain embedded with spirits.

With its brain restored, the Insect-Dragon controlled the dark energy with its will, manifesting a large-scale reverse-soul technique in the sky to summon an army of over a thousand specters.

For it, this was a simple task. After all, countless deaths had accumulated in this city, leaving an endless flow of vengeful spirits.

If not for the frequent purifications by the clergy and the recent spirits siphoned off by the apostles to fill the Holy Grail, there would have been over a hundred thousand specters rising.

—

The pillar of light summoned by Lacey was crushing the climbing specters in seconds, but it was impossible for her to handle the ever-increasing number of skeletons alone.

If her enemies were only the skeleton army, it would have been manageable, but a far more powerful foe wasn’t about to leave her alone.

【 Kahaaaaa…! 】

“Everyone, be careful! This thing’s movements have changed!”

Ferne shouted, sweating profusely.

The Insect-Dragon, having restored its brain, began actively utilizing dark energy, unlike before when it rampaged like a beast. Both offensively and defensively.

The rising dark energy enveloped the Insect-Dragon’s body like armor, blocking the spirits’ attacks, and each counterattack was enhanced with dark energy blades, showcasing power incomparable to before.

– Kwaaaaaang!

In a single strike, the upper body of a high-level spirit was sent flying.

Of course, the shattered Rock Spirit could, as it always had, gather the broken rock fragments to repair itself…

‘Too slow!’

Since its entire body had been shattered, it required significant time and vast amounts of mana to recover.

In other words, the Rock Spirit could no longer stop the Insect-Dragon’s movements.

The Insect-Dragon, having shattered the Rock Spirit with a dark energy-covered forelimb, turned its gaze toward the pure-white human emitting the unbearably unpleasant pillar of light and raised its tail like a scorpion.

“Senior Lacey! Dodge!”

Before Damien’s warning could finish, Nidhogg’s tail shot toward Lacey like a beam of light.

Unlike before when it flailed its tail like a whip, it now thrust it forward like a spear, stiff and straight. A whirlpool of dark energy drawn from the ground enveloped the dragon’s tail, spinning fiercely like a drill.

“This monstrosity…!”

“Archbishop Elmain! I’ll retreat for now!”

The pillar of light couldn’t withstand such power. Lacey had no choice but to withdraw the pillar of light crushing the specters and hastily retreat.

– Kwaaaaaang!

As she entrusted her body to Bels and dodged to the side, the massive tail, like a pillar, slammed into the spot where she had just been, piercing and shattering the ground like paper. Lacey swallowed dryly.

“Krrrg!”

“Kahk! Kraak!”

A sound like nails scraping against metal.

Taking advantage of the disappearance of the pillar of light, the specters, now rapidly increasing in number, raised their rusted weapons and let out grotesque cries, their black jaws clattering.

Despite purifying so many, there were still around five thousand in the army.

Even non-human vengeful spirits were mixed in, with skeletons sporting elongated snouts and reverse-jointed legs, or even quadrupedal skeletons scattered among the ranks.

【 Graaaaaaak! 】

Nidhogg roared once more, looking down at the specters.

As if its cry was a signal, the disorderly arrayed skeleton soldiers let out shrill cries and charged forward.

In all directions.

“These pests, they’re not even targeting us?!”

Ophelia shouted.

The thousands of specters summoned by the Insect-Dragon weren’t charging toward the high-level magicians or masters like her, but spreading out across the Imperial Capital like starving beasts.

As if they had no intention of facing the strong who could sweep away dozens or hundreds alone.

“Then just leave them be! The Imperial Army will handle it!”

Ferne shouted while repairing the shattered spirit.

“That sounds good. We shouldn’t waste time on specters now…!”

Floheta nodded in agreement with Ferne’s words, pointing her index finger toward Nidhogg.

Mana gathered in the air, forming dark clouds that unleashed a massive lightning strike onto the Insect-Dragon’s back.

【 Kahaa-! 】

The next moment, the Insect-Dragon used its tail to hurl dark energy toward the lightning. The dark energy, rising like water, transformed in the air, spreading out like a net.

– Pajijijijik!

The lightning summoned by Floheta was blocked by the dark energy net, scattering in all directions.

Unlike before when it endured attacks like a beast, it now displayed a defense method as efficient and refined as that of a high-level magician.

Floheta’s wariness reached its peak. Through that single exchange, she realized the monster before her had at least the intelligence of a magician.

‘It’s gained intelligence…! No, awakened? This is dangerous. If that’s the case…!’

It would begin to wield power on a completely different level.

A mindless creature gaining intelligence was akin to a wild beast evolving into a beastman.

Evidence to confirm her fears soon appeared before her eyes.

【 Kraaaaaah! 】

A massive shadow enveloped the ruined streets like a curtain of night.

The Insect-Dragon spread its wings.

Not just the outer wings like before, but both outer and inner wings.

The meaning of this action was clear.

Flight.

– Hwaaaaak!

Wings spanning dozens of meters, made of chitin and membranes, moved up and down, summoning a typhoon.

A massive surge of air slammed into the ground, pushing away the debris scattered across the streets and the humans surrounding the Insect-Dragon.

“Kuh…!”

Damien, who had leaped into the air to target the Insect-Dragon’s head, was flung away like a thrown ball, and the high-level magicians hastily erected mana barriers, being pushed back.

“This bug bastard, don’t tell me it’s going to…!”

The flapping of wings grew faster. The area beneath the Insect-Dragon’s feet turned into a clear open space.

Even Ferne had to give up shooting arrows and hide behind the Rock Spirit’s neck to endure the storm-like wind pressure.

And then,

【 Krrrrrrr…. 】

Very slowly, Nidhogg’s legs began to rise, defying gravity.

The dragon was taking flight.