Arc | Chapter. 57: The End of the Arcane (Patreon)

Chapter. 57: The End of the Arcane

Regis’karr had been watching, and just when he was worried that things didn't work out it happened. It started with everything within his perception stopping except for his thoughts; the floating particles, the other dragons around him, the rain of light in front⁠— it was as if time itself had been stopped.

And then, it resumed. He blinked as a bubble of dark blue engulfed the top of the Maw of Dragons, the light of arcane magic disappearing, and the runic circle in the sky began to flicker, threatening to disappear.

At that moment, Regis’karr realized that the deal had been sealed. His eyes closed as the thoughts he had been struggling with for the past month became a reality.

Arc was a monster…

He smiled to himself

Yet, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * * * *

Malz trembled, her body felt heavy, each movement was as if moving through a swamp of darkness. It was so hard, so dark, and so cold. Weakness overwhelmed her, a gripping cold enveloped her, and a soothing warmth called. She had tried, she had done her best, but whether she had succeeded, she didn’t know.

Now death was calling, now the darkness wanted to claim her back, and she embraced it.

Perhaps she was weaker than she imagined it, or perhaps the Dragon of Frost with arcane magic was stronger than what she initially thought. She had been defeated so fast. Had it been enough time? She didn’t know, but now it didn’t matter. All she could do was hope, as for the outcome of the battle, she wouldn’t get to see the end of it.

Unfortunately.

She really was looking forward to the Frost dumbass having his ass kicked. Malz really wanted to laugh, but her body had no strength to do so, her vision was dark, and everything was rapidly growing cold. Things were soon going to end, but she accepted it.

As for Arc?

She could only wish her luck. Even though she could see nothing, her eyelids began to close, the dull pain around her body slowly began to fade, and as everything came to an end. It happened⁠— the light returned. Malz gasped for air as she felt all her injuries cease to be, and looking down for a moment, she noticed the fact that all her injuries were still there.

So how?

And the Dragon of Frost cried in protest before the noise of ice shattering resounded.

A painful scream echoed through the place, Malz turned only to see Arc step forward and speak with a cold tone.

“I, the one who will administer judgment and condemn you to a painful death.”

At that moment, Malz realized just how far apart the both of them were.

But it made sense.

She stared at Arc’s back.

Arc was the most talented hero in history after all…

* * * * *

The Dragon of Frost couldn’t understand it. He couldn’t comprehend it. He backed off, his body barely responding to him as his mana nearly ceased to circulate. He had lost all connection with the ice around him, and everything Frost related; it was something that shouldn’t have been possible, and yet it was happening before his very eyes.

He backed off, terrified of the Heroine of Frost whose wounds were now healing.

How could an SS Tier skill be so… powerful?

It just didn’t make sense, it had nearly closed off his connection to arcane magic⁠— now it was all but a figment, and his normal skills felt unavailable. Why? The Dragon of Frost didn’t understand it. No skill, no anything should have had the capability of seizing complete control of an element like that.

And yet, Arc’s skill was doing that.

How?

It literally didn't make sense— and the Dragon of Frost winced feeling frostbite all around his enormous body. He was a dragon, the one who had been blessed with the element of Frost, the one that had been chosen by the world at his birth to wield it. And yet…

He was freezing?!

How? Again, his mind spun in confusion and disbelief, but Arc making a sword of ice quickly snapped away from his stupor— bringing him back to reality. That’s right. He was going to die. He was going to die if he didn’t do something to her⁠— if he didn’t fight back against the Heroine of Frost his life would soon be forfeit.

There was no revival, no second chances, no nothing.

And she stepped forward. His heart skipped, and he swung⁠—

“Stay away!”

A ripple of ice flew, the little arcane magic he had powering it, it was still very much an SS Tier attack and yet⁠— Arc lazily slashed. The blast was sliced in half before disintegrating into nothingness. And all the Heroine of Frost did was shake her head in disapproval.

“Don’t you understand?” she asked. “This is your punishment. Not only for betraying me but for attempting to kill one of your kind.”

At that moment, a casing of ice formed in the back. Something that the Dragon of Frost didn’t comprehend, but that didn’t matter. Not while she was standing in front of him. Her icy eyes met his gaze, sending a shiver down his spine. He recoiled, and instinctively he screamed, swinging his tail.

“You wouldn’t understand!”

And a blast of ice hit forward, it was the size of an iceberg that impacted the Heroine of Frost. Then, it shattered⁠— thousands of pieces exploded into every direction as the woman stood there unharmed. Why?

The Dragon of Frost backed in fear.

Why? Any person hit by that would have at least been pushed back. And yet she was completely unfazed. It didn’t make sense, nothing after she had used her skill did. What kind of twisted thing could she have used?!

The Dragon of Frost suddenly felt anger, it just didn’t make sense. It was bullshit. He still had access to arcane magic; it wasn’t a lot but it should have been enough. He tensed and swiped his claw.

“Arcane Magic: Everfrozen!”

And a gust of ice hit, one that was completely brushed off by the Heroine of Frost as she took a step forward. The Dragon of Frost felt fear for just a moment before it turned to resolution. He had to kill her, he at least had to mess up the stability of her skill in order to escape. He felt the arcane magic within him, unlike mana it seemed to grow once more if he cycled it, it would expand refilling his reserves⁠— rapidly so.

He backed off as the woman took steps forward, they were slow and uncaring, her eyes digging into him, and yet the Dragon of Frost remained steady. He could feel his limbs freezing, threatening to shatter like glass just like his left claw, but he had it⁠— a small amount of mana was able to keep the cold at bay.

The moment felt like it lasted forever, the arcane magic within him rapidly growing, even though it lasted nothing more than a second, and then, Arc raised her sword. The Dragon of Frost’s eyes narrowed, and she, swung⁠— Now!

And he swiped with a flare of frost, the sword was suddenly deflected as he screamed one of the many spells he had learned, and this time it was amongst the strongest ones.

It was at the peak of SS Tier!

“Arcane Magic: The Coldest Maelstrom!”

And he swiped with his tail; the entire world was engulfed in shards of ice, exploding everywhere as the land shook. The Dragon of Frost felt all of the magic drain from his body at that moment, and⁠— the ice vanished, exploded out of existence.

He blinked as Arc stood him, his eyes growing wide.

“What⁠—”

And she kicked upwards. The Dragon of Frost felt multiple bones break through his torso as he was launched high into the air. His surroundings a deep blue as he realized the skill had been unaffected by the attack.

She had withstood that?

No⁠— he had to come back from this.

She wasn’t unkillable.

It was a simple SS Tier skill⁠—

Then Arc let out a sigh, calling his attention as he kept going into the air.

“You don’t get it do you?” She looked up to him. “In this place, all Frost belongs to me; arcane or not.”

He swallowed, feeling her murderous intent. His thoughts stopped, for he couldn’t focus on anything else but the words that left her mouth next.

“In this place, I am the God of Frost.”

His mind paused⁠—

And she slashed with a flash of light, his vision cutting in half as a numbing pain assailed him.

Then, a moment later blood exploded.

* * * * *

The Dragon of Frost, died. His body exploded into a rippling of blood and gore, as it began to rain. The external walls of [Frost, Stasis, Eternity and a Prophecy] were brought down, reconnecting time with the outside once more.

The Dragons around me gaped, as the system notifications resounded in my head.

[ You have vanquished the: Dragon of Frost, from the world. Tier: SS. ]

[ You have leveled up. ]

[ You have leveled up. ]

…

I got six levels in a single moment, a confusing thing that was quickly answered by another prompt.

[ For protecting E̴͕̻̔̿̊̑͜r̸͉͍̅̒͑̍ŗ̶̗̭̬̮̦̇̈̓͜ǫ̸͈̽́̽͑̂͋̋̕r and purging the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏ bonus experience has been awarded. ]

So that’s how it is now. I quickly surmised as the dragons landed around me, and before they could even ask questions I turned to Regis’karr who was the first to land.

“Go grab a gourd to heal Malz, she is dying.”

He blinked, confused for a second before quickly vanishing in a blink. The dragons looked around in confusion as the ends of the entrails finally reached the ground, a chunk of flesh falling before me.

Without thinking twice about it, I knelt and grabbed it, lifting it up. The dragons were about to say something but before they could react I bit it. I broke through the incredibly hard flesh and swallowed without even tasting, and I continued⁠— I continued to eat the flesh of the Dragon of Frost much to the horror of the dragon elders around me.

““What do you think you are doing?!””

Many of them asked, but their words fell on deaf ears as I feasted upon the coarse meat, and then a moment later a notification came.

[ You have ingested a blood biotoxin of draconic origins. ]

Finally…

And I turned, throwing away the slab of meat as my body began to tingle, forcefully suppressing whatever side effects it was having through my SS Tier skill, only letting it touch upon what I actually wanted. My muscles ached, my energy spiked, and my mana expanded⁠— all while I ignored the questionings of all the present dragons.

I walked forward towards the very peak of the Maw of Dragons, the elders followed me and Regis’karr quickly returned, feeding Malz’s sticking head from the ice. One that I melted as soon as I registered she was safe.

A minute passed, as Regis’karr and a very injured Malz caught up, all of the elders now furious behind me. But I just focused on what I had to do.

What I must do.

* * * * *

Malz felt pain, but was grateful, she understood that she had been saved⁠— she had seen Arc kill the Dragon of Frost, however, now she was getting the wrath of the elders, all because she had consumed a dragon’s flesh.

Malz didn’t question it, whether it was as a victory prize or for something else, it was her right to do so. However, the elders didn’t seem to agree, and especially not the Dragon of Earth who caught up to her after she reached the top of the Maw of Dragons.

“What do you think you are doing desecrating the corpse of our kind like that?!” he screamed.

The Dragon of Earth loomed over Arc, his face getting uncomfortably close to her as he threatingly hissed.

“Moreover, ignoring us. Do you think just because you defeated him you have the right to treat us like this⁠—!?”

And she kicked, in a single moment the Dragon of Earth was thrown away from the peak, the sound of bones breaking echoed in the air as he hit the ground with the other elders groaning in pain. Malz blinked in surprise and shock⁠—

She was declaring war on all dragons?!

Then Arc turned to them and sat down, an ornate throne of ice forming for her. She looked down on everyone present, her eyes glancing at all the elders but Malz and Regis’karr, it was cold, unfeeling and more than anything, hostile.

“I will only say it once,” she began. “From now on, I am the Dragon of Frost, and the Heroine of Frost.”

Her voice echoed in the air, the elders attempted to say something but she pinched her hand and they froze, some with their mouths hanging open.

“I didn’t say any of you could speak,” she said coldly and assertively. “Since I am the highest figure of authority here, as the Dragon of Frost, I will be changing the Maw of Dragons and how things work around the Grand Dragon Elders.”

Malz gulped. What was she even doing…? Arc remained resolute as she continued.

“From now on, I am the Queen of the Grand Dragon Elders, and all dragons.”

Her eyes narrowed, the temperature dropping to impossible levels as time itself seemed to come to a crawl. The elders began to shiver, fear gripping them as Arc continued her statement.

“Those who refuse to submit to my reign will be killed by my hands.”

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What do y'all think? I'm tired, hope the chapter was good.