Elden Lord of Cinders

[Flowing Water Talisman]

[A badge engraved with the image of a cascading waterfall]

[Increases the power of consecutive Ash of War use]

[Power increases further with repeated use]

[A red-haired girl kept watch at the edge of the falls]

[Bit by bit, she carved this badge]

[Hoping it might offer someone a little help]

So she made it herself...

After reading the talisman's description, Lloyd glanced at the vivid little flower before him and couldn't help but shower her with affection a few more times.

He kept at it until her head was nearly buried in the ground like an ostrich before finally letting her go.

Once he'd finished tending to his little flower, and after making one last sweep of the Eternal City, Lloyd opened his map and teleported to Liurnia of the Lakes.

From the information he'd gathered earlier, reaching Volcano Manor required first getting to the Altus Plateau.

There were generally two routes to the plateau.

One was to find both halves of the Dectus Medallion, locate the Grand Lift of Dectus, present the medallion, and ride the massive elevator up.

The other was to scale an Ancient Ruins Cliff to the north of Liurnia.

He already had the Dectus Medallion from his earlier explorations, but after some thought, he decided to take the cliff route instead.

"Gotta get 100% completion."

With that, Lloyd blew the Spectral Steed Whistle, summoning his newly triple-jump-trained little steed, and rode north along the lake.

Following the canyon along Liurnia's northern edge, he eventually reached a small village at the canyon's end, where a tall ladder waited.

"Miyazaki, huh? First you make jump puzzles, now you're into climbing puzzles too?"

With a muttered jab, Lloyd dismissed Torrent into his inventory and began the ascent.

There wasn't much to say about the climb. Even a low-level build would be overpowered here, and the enemies were nothing but regular foot soldiers.

Even if he stood still and let them swing at him, the damage was negligible, and a single light attack with Bloodhound's Fang was enough to wipe out their health bars.

And then...

Militiaman? Kill.

Land Octopus? Kill.

Bats? Kill.

Winged Dame... kill?

After climbing another ladder, Lloyd spotted a flesh-toned humanoid sprawled across some planks not far away, singing softly to herself.

He paused, thought for a moment, then put away his weapon, sat down, and opened his mouth.

Because he'd heard plenty of songs back in the Ancestor Spirit Forest—and had lately run into quite a few mobs that didn't immediately aggro—he figured he'd try showing a little goodwill of his own, maybe avoiding a fight altogether...

Bang!

The Winged Dame was dead.

But it wasn't Lloyd who struck the blow.

She'd listened to him for a moment—then simply flew headfirst into the wall beside her and killed herself.

"Hey, no."

He stopped singing and walked over to the Winged Dame's corpse.

Even though he'd technically won, Lloyd felt as if he'd been the one wounded.

"Was it really that bad?"

The body on the ground didn't move, but the frozen look of terror on her face seemed to answer his question without words.

After dealing with the Winged Dame, he kept climbing.

Some time later, he came across a narrow exit—wedged right in the middle of it was a golden dung beetle that looked… off.

Something about it seemed familiar, so Lloyd pulled out his staff and blasted it from a distance—blew it to pieces, in fact.

Once its health bar hit zero, the strange golden beetle tipped backward, and the dung ball it had been rolling suddenly exploded.

Boom!

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Oh great, now we've got exploding crystal bugs too? What is this, Soul 22?"

After disposing of the bomb beetle, he found an elevator. At the top was a Site of Grace. Just ahead stood a massive golden fog gate, with two summon signs beside it—one for the shrimp-cooking "Thug," and the other for "Great Horned" Tragoth, whom he'd met back during the Festival of Combat.

Since both were solid allies, Lloyd summoned them without hesitation. After a brief bit of catching up, he stepped through the fog.

On the other side waited a massive Magma Wyrm.

Magma Wyrms were once human—twisted into their current form after the Dragon Communion ritual, unable to withstand the power they had taken in. It looked like an enormous, pitch-black lizard, towering over a man in height. When it reared up, magma pooled at its feet, and molten rock spewed from its jaws.

And unlike true dragons, they still retained a trace of human instinct—often clutching a sword forged from their own discarded scales, swinging or smashing it with crushing force.

And then...

They killed it in seconds, chatting and laughing the whole time.

It wasn't that the wyrm was weak, but rather that this trio was simply that strong.

"Great Horned" Tragoth was a veteran of the Festival of Combat—one of the finest warriors among the gathered champions. His Bull-Goat armor was among the heaviest in the Lands Between, and the Giant-Crusher in his hands was no less imposing.

The Thug, for his part, might have been chased around by a gigantic crystal shrimp when Lloyd first met him—but that "shrimp" was more dangerous than many Flying Dragons. The broken-necked dragon corpse lying nearby at the time had been proof enough.

Anyone who could hold their own, counterattack, and even follow the Guidance of Grace after tangling with that thing had to be formidable.

And with Lloyd added into the mix... the Magma Wyrm never stood a chance.

Still, after watching the creature collapse, Lloyd couldn't shake a strange feeling.

Huh… did Miyazaki go soft on me?

This area felt like it should've been a mid-to-late-game zone, yet the actual fight hadn't even matched the pressure of the Eternal City—hell, it was less threatening than the packs of dogs when he first entered Caelid.

Especially considering this wasn't even a new boss—he'd fought a Magma Wyrm before, back when he'd claimed the Moonveil in Caelid. If anything, that one had been stronger—and it hadn't allowed summons.

But now? Easier fight, summonable allies, and a recycled boss...

Miyazaki out of ideas?

He was still mulling it over when his two companions sheathed their weapons, ready to chat a bit more before heading off.

That's when a strange sound began to echo.

Dong, dong…

Dong, dong...

In the enclosed cavern, it was a dull, heavy noise—like something hammering from within.

They listened closely. Then, all three turned toward the Magma Wyrm's corpse.

The sound was coming from it.

It was the thundering beat of a heart—each pulse like a hammer strike, like the crack of distant thunder.

Thump... thump...

The sound grew louder.

Then, with each thunderous beat, the Magma Wyrm—supposedly dead—rose once more. This time, it was not magma that flowed around its body, but something that looked like fire fused with lightning.

Flame lightning.

It was the power of the mad dragon that once rebelled against the Ancient Dragon King, a power the Dragon Mother Greyoll had spoken of to Lloyd.

And that dragon's name was—

[Mad Dragon Bayle]

"Roar!"

The "Magma Wyrm" lifted its head. With a frenzied bellow, its thunderous heart erupted, spilling torrents of flame lightning. The frail body couldn't withstand such power—bolts ripped through its flesh, exposing muscle and bone, even blowing off one of its hind legs.

Yet the madness and rage in its roar did not fade. It reached out, seized its severed leg, and fused it with its Scalesword using the raging lightning, forging a new weapon wreathed in flame and thunder.

Behind it, countless arcs gathered, shaping into vast wings of flame lightning—wings large enough to blot out the sky, radiating an overwhelming might.

When the transformation was complete, it lowered its head, glaring at the three "insects" before it.

Boom!

A dragon claw slammed down, wrapped in red-gold lightning, the impact exploding outward and engulfing the arena in an instant.

But that strike was only an appetizer.

The moment the flames flared, Bayle-possessed Wyrm swept the claw blade in its other hand across the field. As the arc ended, it lowered its head, heat surging in its massive black maw, then exhaled Dragonfire in another sweeping blast.

From the start, it attacked like a rabid beast.

Its power had leapt far beyond its previous form—flame lightning raging, fire spraying, and those titanic wings sealing the cavern's sky.

Though the cave walls limited its movement, its ferocity and strength far exceeded the trio's expectations.

It wasn't long before the Rogue, still wounded from the earlier fight, was the first to fall. His body was unharmed, but his spirit couldn't withstand the roaring thunder and was sent back to the shrimp-cooker's shack after a blast of fire.

Tragoth didn't last much longer. His heavy armor blocked plenty of blows, but the dragon's relentless assault—attacking faster than even some of Lloyd's player-mod speed mods—left him no room to recover. Claw strikes, fire breaths, and lightning rained without pause.

A few punishing combos later, even the mighty Bull-Goat Knight collapsed, his spirit fading away.

Only Lloyd and Bayle remained.

But Bayle didn't attack. Lloyd didn't advance either. Man and dragon stood still, staring each other down.

"You… aren't right."

Bayle's flame-lit eyes burned with madness. Before Lloyd could respond, the dragon sneered, raising its claw blade.

"But… it doesn't matter."

"Remember my name, Dragon Eater."

Lightning flared brighter around the blade.

"My name is Bayle. From the past, to the present, to the future—I will be the nightmare of all Dragon Eaters."

"Even death will not end it."

Boom!

Flame lightning erupted—but Lloyd simply stepped back twice, evading the terrifying blow.

Though his allies had fallen, Lloyd hadn't been idle. Since the moment the fight resumed, he'd been dodging and studying the creature's movements.

He'd seen it.

For all its wild ferocity, sweeping arcs, and unstoppable appearance, its attacks—whether the explosive lightning or the crushing strikes—had one subtle flaw: the damage window was fleetingly short.

Its arrogant tone, overblown swings, even its taunts—all served to hide this weakness. Perhaps that was its intent: use raw force to crush an opponent's will while masking precision technique beneath chaos.

It was an exceptional warrior.

But the one facing it was better—and had already found its flaw.

For the first time, Lloyd drew his dagger.

A claw slammed down—he rolled aside and slashed.

Lightning burst—he slipped past, stabbing again.

The vast wings flared, raining bolts of flame, but in every gap between strikes, Lloyd's dagger carved into Bayle's hide.

The damage was low, but the strikes were fast—and each hit carried bleed.

Pfft—

Blood burst forth.

Bayle's body stiffened for a moment before it swung a claw. Lloyd dodged, and it immediately followed with a tail sweep.

This time, Lloyd didn't evade. He raised his shield to block. The hit shaved off some of his health, but it gave him a long opening to attack. Without hesitation, he switched to Elizabeth's Poleblade and unleashed a full combo.

Pfft—

Another spray of blood.

Two bleeds in quick succession, combined with the onslaught, were enough to drop the Mad Dragon's—no, the possessed Mad Dragon's—health bar to half.

Then the fight changed again.

As the battle raged, something's gaze was drawn to the scene. The moment Bayle's health hit half, it seized the opportunity and hurled down a fragment.

Focused entirely on his one-on-one with Lloyd, the Mad Dragon was caught completely off guard. The fragment struck its heart in an instant.

Dark brown, fleshy sludge began to writhe.

The torn wounds, the severed limbs—even the health Lloyd had just whittled down—were restored in moments under the influence of that foul filth. The mind within was forcibly seized, and the body became a frenzied, corrupted earth dragon.

"…Oh, you've got to be—"

Before Lloyd could even finish, Bayle's control over the body was ripped away.

Now in full possession of a dragon's body and the power of flame lightning, the filth slowly opened its eyes. It fixed its gaze on the lone Lloyd, malice spilling from its pupils without restraint.

It was like it was saying: Now I've got you.

Without warning, a fleshy spike shot from the dragon's chest, moving too fast to dodge, piercing clean through Lloyd's body.

Pfft—

One brutal strike with that nerve blade was enough to shatter two Great Runes and nearly empty his health bar, leaving only a sliver.

But instead of panic, Lloyd let out a breath of relief.

"It's nothing."

Seeing the corrupted dragon's confusion, he shook his head.

"It's just… with that thing before, I'd already figured out most of its first phase. But if it actually made it to a second phase transformation, I wasn't sure I'd win…" He smirked faintly. "But you…"

Boom!

A torrent of filth erupted, flooding Lloyd's position.

Taking advantage of his words, it had launched a sneak attack, aiming to kill him on the spot.

But when the haze cleared, Lloyd was still standing, unharmed, staff in hand, a faint blue barrier shimmering around him.

"Thops's Barrier. Ever seen it?"

He gave the staff a little wave, his smile fading.

"I don't know how you were raised, but cutting in when someone's in the middle of a good fight…" His tone sharpened. "That's not very polite, is it?"

Boom!

A massive claw, laced with flame lightning, slammed down—only to hit empty stone.

In a blur, Lloyd slipped past the strike and appeared right in front of the dragon.

"Hound's Step is so damn handy. Maybe next time I'll track down one of those Night's Cavalry and see what else I can pick up…"

Muttering to himself as he layered his dual stats, he blinked away from a snapping maw and, in the same motion, drew Moonveil, slashing the corrupted dragon hard.

Bang!

The stacked damage tore a massive chunk from its health bar. But with a surge of filth, it instantly regenerated.

"Eh? You…"

Boom!

Another filthy barrage crashed down. Lloyd evaded, striking back in the gaps.

But just like before, every bit of damage was instantly healed. The corrupted dragon had noticed too. Its attacks became even wilder, and there was mockery in its eyes.

Its health was endless. Lloyd's stamina was not. The outcome seemed inevitable…

Or was it?

As the corrupted dragon watched, Lloyd slipped away from another attack and pulled out a strange staff.

It was… probably a staff, but the dragon wasn't certain—it had never seen one like it. Over a man's height, thick as an arm even at its narrowest, with no Glintstone at its tip. Instead, its head was shaped like an axe.

Plain as it looked, an ominous aura radiated from it—something so deep, so maddening, that even filth like it instinctively recoiled in disgust and fear.

Driven by that unease, it attacked even harder.

But Lloyd simply dodged at an unhurried pace, using the openings to stack buffs—Power Within, Sacred Oath, Golden Vow—then switched back to the Poleblade to trigger more bleeds.

He cycled his spell slots to a certain black incantation, swapped every talisman and ring to boost dark damage and sorcery power…

And when the timing was right, he slipped into a dead angle in the dragon's vision, slowly raising the staff…

"You like healing, huh?"

Lloyd raised Manus's Staff, abyssal power beginning to gather at its tip.

"Then… have you ever heard the story of Dark Bead?"

Buzz—

Darkness erupted.

Even with its instincts warning it and evasive movements coming the instant danger approached, the darkness moved like it was alive—writhing, latching onto the Filth Dragon like black tentacles, rending scales and flesh, gnawing and corroding everything it touched.

And it didn't stop at the surface. Even the heart burning with flame lightning, and the fragment of Defiled Essence embedded within, felt its threat.

The next moment, without the slightest hesitation, the Defiled Essence severed its connection to the fragment entirely, discarding that power—and everything tied to it.

It proved to be the right call.

With just a single strike, the darkness had pierced through its health bar within the bounds of the Law, reaching straight for its essence, attempting to use the fragment as a conduit to corrupt it.

If it had been even a heartbeat slower, it would have been wrapped in that darkness and defiled at its very core.

"Tch… quick to run, aren't you?"

After confirming the filth had fled, Lloyd lowered his staff and glanced at the dragon sprawled on the ground.

Once the corruption left and its veins had been torn through by the darkness, the dragon had been as good as dead. Yet from its heart, a strange force surged from some rift in time and space, keeping the body clinging to life.

"Ah… mighty human. What a disappointing turn of events..."

Even lying broken, even inhabiting the shell of a Magma Wyrm, its proud gaze didn't waver—it stared Lloyd straight in the eye.

"If I could, I'd fight you at full strength…"

"But sadly, I'm not whole here. And that old beast is still on my tail…"

"If I'm right, he's probably already caught my scent."

"Can you pass along a message for me?"

Lloyd gave a small nod.

"What message?"

Bayle's lips curled into a grin.

"Tell Placidusax…"

"…tell him Bayle fucked his mother."

Lloyd: "...?"

Bro, what?

Before Lloyd could respond, the earth dragon closed its eyes, leaving him only with a final message.

"Since you crave a dragon's strength, we will meet again."

"When that time comes, I will guide you to me."

"And then… let's finish what we started."

"Ahahahaha—!"

The thunder-flame heart ceased its furious beating.

A system prompt flashed before Lloyd's eyes:

[Obtained weapon: Bayle's Claw Blade]

Stowing the weapon, Lloyd lit the nearby Site of Grace. After checking that both the Thug and Tragoth had only taken minor wounds, he continued forward.

Beyond the exit, he stepped into the Altus Plateau.

A short walk later, past a cluster of strange, abandoned wagons whose purpose he couldn't guess, a sphere of golden flame flared before him.

It swelled, shaping itself into a mirror-like surface—revealing another space within.

At its center floated an Ancient Dragon with four heads. As the mirror fully opened, all four heads turned their gaze outward.

"Who are you…?"

"You carry Bayle's scent…"

Lloyd blinked, putting the pieces together.

"Placidusax, right?"

Placidusax nodded.

"I am. Is there a problem?"

Lloyd blinked again.

"Not really. Bayle just asked me to pass you a message before he died—but I'm not sure you want to hear it."

Bayle… dead? And he left a message?

The four heads exchanged glances, then focused back on Lloyd.

"Speak."

Lloyd hesitated

"Uh… it's not exactly polite. I'd recommend you don't—"

"It's fine. Say it."

With the invitation given, Lloyd couldn't refuse. After a moment's pause, he looked into the mirror, met Placidusax's gaze, and mimicked Bayle's cadence—slow, deliberate.

"Bayle said…"

"Tell Placidusax…"

"…I. Fucked. Your. Mother."

The words landed.

The four-headed dragon in the mirror went still.

The air froze into a strange, heavy silence.

...

[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]

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