Legacy of the Dark Sage - Chapter 967: Four Magic Cores of Legends
Kyran was inwardly surprised that rather than referring to him as the Dragon Lord, The Emperor referred to him as someone possessing the Draconic Core. While it was true that the Dragon Lord possessed the Dragon Core, thus, it was not wrong for one to be referred to as such, Kyran could not shake the feeling that there was an underlying reason that prompted The Emperor to mention the Draconic core, rather than the title of the person possessing one entailed.
Then again, the Dragon Lord title might only be known in the Lower Realm, and someone from the Higher Realm, where Dragons still existed, and whom they had a Dragon King- oh, right, he was already called Dragon Emperor- calling someone from the Lower Realm Dragon Lord might be inappropriate.
The two titles seemed similar, to begin with.
Two beings with similar titles could be confusing, even if they were from different realms.
For the record, it was a known fact in the Higher Realm that the Dragon Clan had previously retreated to the Lower Realm to hide the Heart of the Cosmos. After they returned to the Higher Realm, rumors circulated that the Dragon Emperor— then Dragon King— was fond of a human from the Lower Realm.
The rumor stated that the Dragon Emperor was so fond of the human that he gave him blood to allow him to use Draconic magic. Since few were aware of the Dragon King’s existence, they decided to call the human Dragon Lord.
At least, this was the story that the Higher Realm knew. It was not that different from what was known in the Human plane. However, there was another side to the story of the Dragon King bestowing his blood on Kyran’s ancestor, Zane.
Kyran heard it from Zephyr, and Ames also confirmed it.
The Dragon King did not give his blood to Zane simply because he was impressed by the latter’s selfless act of protecting his family against all odds. What got the Dragon Lord’s attention was Zane’s ability to draw Draconic magic energy in the surroundings into his body. Unfortunately, he did not know how to utilize it and only believed his innate magic was Strengthening magic.
After observing for a moment, the Dragon King realized that Zane possessed the Draconic core. However, it appeared to be in a half-dormant state. As for the Strengthening magic he believed to be his innate magic, it was the magic energy he drew into his empty second magic core.
The Dragon King then decided to stimulate Zane’s Draconic core by giving him a drop of his blood. After the Draconic core was stimulated, it had been easier for the Dragon King to teach Zane Draconic magic. This truth was known only to a few, including the Quilins, who stayed behind to guard the Shaiha. And Kyran only learned of it from Zephyr.
In any case, Kyran had always believed that the title Dragon Lord was practically analogous to someone possessing the Draconic core.
For some reason, however, The Emperor addressing his possession of the Draconic core rather than referring to him as the Dragon Lord made Kyran believe there was more to the story of the Ancient Magic Cores.
In the first place, why did the Ancient Magic Cores appear only to specific family lineage in the Human plane? This was pointed out in his copy of the Ancient Magic book and was similarly mentioned in the one Stella possessed. There were some differences in the context, but overall, Kyran felt it strange that the Ancient Magic Cores would only appear in humans from the Human plane.
Initially, Kyran surmised that the reason behind this was that the Human plane was a remnant of the Land of the Ancients. But after studying the tablets Axil and her faction found, Kyran felt that there was more to the story— a history that had been forgotten.
And the things Kyran was about to learn might change his understanding of the Ancient Magic Cores.
“So it is true…”
A look of zeal soon replaced The Emperor’s angry expression. Although his face was hidden under the hood of his robe, the sound of zeal present in his voice was apparent.
This allowed Alastor and Kyran to know how the Emperor felt.
“Deus said his clone was destroyed by some unknown magic. It is not Draconic that much was certain. Could it be that there is another one possessing one of the four Magic Cores of legends in this backwater plane?”
Alastor frowned after hearing The Emperor voice his thoughts.
To be honest, Alastor and the Coven knew about a human running around the Lower Realm that possessed the Void core. They tried to keep an eye on that human, but because he seemed to be going around the Lower Realm with the Tower of Tribulations’ help, they had difficulty keeping an eye on him.
If not for the recent event, which was the death of Flos and Obstruction, Alastor and the Coven would not be aware of that human’s whereabouts. They knew at once that he was behind their deaths because of the anomaly that happened to the planes Flos and Obstruction used to possess.
But how can the person who possessed the Void core and the Draconic core be in the same plane at the same time? This was truly unexpected.
If Alastor and The Emperor knew that the Soul core was also in Somuli, they would likely be shocked beyond belief, especially the latter. After all, the Higher Being, whom he had wanted to overthrow, had wanted these Four Magic Cores.
“Do not do anything reckless, The Emperor,” Alastor immediately warned, looking at The Emperor sternly. It was one thing to covet one magic core. But from the zeal he could hear from the latter’s voice, it was apparent that he would not be satisfied until he got hold of the Void core as well.
The Emperor chuckled as he looked at Alastor.
“And what if I do? What can you do?”
“I told you not to tempt the balance between the two realms—.”
“You keep saying that, but don’t you see that the appearance of two of the Four Magic Cores of Legends in the Lower Realm has already tempted the balance?”
While The Emperor said this, he looked at his target and said, “Surrender the Draconic core, and I will spare your life.”
Kyran scowled at The Emperor’s arrogant words. Although he did not think utilizing 70% of the Draconic magic would give him an edge against the latter, it was enough to help him guard against the penetrative capabilities of those strange golden rays. He would then pretend to escape so he could lure them away from Somuli. Once he gained enough distance, he would warp back to the Human plane.
The reason Kyran chose to warp back to the Human plane was obvious. At that moment, the location of the Human plane was still hidden from the outside. Although what happened a year ago nearly exposed its coordinates to the outside, this had been prevented because of Nolan’s timely ascension.
Kyran chose to ignore The Emperor and immediately used the Dragon Steps to escape.
“!”
Alastor and The Emperor were shocked after seeing Kyran’s figure vanishing, reappearing several thousands of meters away from them.
The Emperor’s eyes turned bloodshot at his target’s audacious action. Did he really believe he could escape from him?
“I’ll rip you apart and take the Draconic core!” The Emperor growled as his figure disappeared.
Kyran did not turn to look and only focused on escaping. Nonetheless, he kept his vigilance and continued to utilize all his senses to keep an eye on his surroundings. His grasp of the magic fluctuations around him improved since he was using 70% of his Draconic magic. He managed to sense The Emperor’s location even if he did not look at him directly.
‘This guy…’ Kyran could not help but grit his teeth as he realized that he could not gain an advantage in distance against The Emperor. ‘What kind of movement is he using? Is he a combat mage?’
Kyran initially thought The Emperor was a pure mage. But the latter’s movement speed was not something a pure mage possessed. Even if he cast powerful saint-tier speed spells or even drank a speed pill or potion to boost his speed, it was not enough to compete with Dragon Steps.
Meanwhile, Alastor felt conflicted.
What The Emperor said about the appearance of two Four Magic Cores of Legends in the Lower Realm tempting the two realms’ balance was correct. As someone who was tasked with preserving the balance, he had to make a move.
However, what kind of move should Alastor make? If he tried to capture Kyran, The Emperor would see it as him challenging him. But if he did not do anything, allow the latter to capture Kyran, then the balance would tip over the Higher Realm’s favor.
The existence of the Four Magic Cores of Legends was an anomaly. If any of the leading figures of the two realms exploit the mages possessing these magic cores, then the balance would crumble.
What was the best course of action?
Just as Alastor was thinking this, he looked to his side and saw the Sovereign of Bulwark.
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