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Parallel
Chapter 281: Cheat

Chapter 281: Cheat

A few minutes before Kashi’s trump card, Absalon rubbed his face as he recalled a conversation he had over the Rink with the draconian a few days ago.

“Are you certain this will work? We will suffer disastrous losses if your gamble is off by one second.”

“Hehe, don’t worry. If my estimates are off, we’ll have much bigger things to worry about.”

Absalon pulled up the system menu to look at the in-game clock. 11:59 pm. Well, it was now or never. Absalon steeled his heart and then relayed a command. “It’s time! Implement Operation Devil’s Gambit!”

Absalon’s order sent a chill through the coalition army’s bones. To say that the battle’s outcome hinged on this one order was not an overstatement. Thankfully, Absalon had trained his forces to calmly carry out orders regardless of their misgivings or thoughts.

A knight at the head of the army suddenly grabbed a lowly undead. He could crush this small fry with ease, but he only knocked its sword out of its arm, spun in place, and then flung the undead toward the coalition’s rear with everything he had.

The undead panicked as it flew into the coalition’s anti-aerial bombardment used to prevent the undead from using these exact tactics to circumvent their army. Shockingly, however, the undead sailed through the salvos without so much as a scratch. It was like the bolts and magic attacks willingly parted ways to let it pass. The undead was even more shocked because it saw several of its brethren get skewered or obliterated by the aerial bombardment.

The Drugher landed at the army’s rear, but another knight picked it up before it could process its survival, and launched it with all her might toward the distant Oni Hill.

Whoosh! The Drugher could not understand what was happening as it sailed through the air, but its instincts took over once it saw Oni Hill’s massive doors. It did not care if the humes had lost their minds. It would gain unimaginable power once it touched that door!

Bang! The Drugher crashed into the ground just before the doors. Without a second thought, it rapidly shot off the ground and reached for the door.

Far away, Absalon’s knuckles whitened as he tightly gripped his staff. The general’s heart rose to his throat as the brief second stretched into several thousand eons.

‘Was I too hasty?’ Absalon wondered if he perhaps put too much trust in Kashi’s words. Without any means of communication, he could not confirm whether Kashi completed his side of the gambit. ‘Whatever. We’ll deal with it if anything goes wrong.’

Absalon strengthened his resolve. Kashi had always pulled off the impossible. It was time for the rest of them to pull their weight. Even if Kashi somehow failed this time, they would clean up the mess. With those thoughts, Absalon’s staff began to glow as he closely monitored the Dugher’s bony finger.

Tak! The world went silent as bone met stone. Unbelievably, nothing happened. No great power descended from Oni Hill and the Drugher did not undergo any major transformations.

“GROOAR!”

A terrible roar snapped Absalon’s attention to the sky. The embattled general broadly grinned he saw Belrug bite into Gunder’s back. “That mad man. He actually did it!”

“Everyone! Our crazy Guildmaster completed his promise!” Absalon’s eyes blazed with flames as he glared at the undead army. “You have endured for so long. It is time! Go Crazy!”

“UOOO!” Excited roars exploded from the coalition army as their eyes burned with naked bloodlust. These soldiers had felt stifled for so long. Despite their overwhelming strength, the nature of the battle forced them to adopt a defensive posture that absorbed relentless beatings. Without the threat of Oni Hill’s transformation, the Maggots could finally go all out!

Several soldiers excitedly broke formation as they charged into the undead’s midst. They did not need to care about any undead that slipped through. They trusted their partners to catch anyone they missed.

Absalon smiled at the battlefield’s rapid transformation. The Hopeful Maggots poured into the undead’s ranks like a flood of locusts. The stunned undead’s frontlines crumpled in the blink of an eye as the Maggots intensified their counterattack.

“We should join Kashi.” A visibly fatigued Leila stated as she flew over to Absalon atop silver petals. “They can handle the rest.”

Absalon’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the young woman. The old general was beyond impressed by the vice-guildmaster. Beyond her appalling strength, Leila’s tactical nous, coupled with her ability to manage the soldiers’ morale with both words and actions amazed him even more. It was no exaggeration to state that the Maggots may not have lasted this long without this woman’s display on the frontlines.

Absalon buried his thoughts and instead looked toward the forest. “Mm. The rest of you can go ahead. I promised to help Stryke with the Li—”

BOOOM! Absalon’s words froze in his throat as a terrible earthquake suddenly struck the battlefield. To the general’s amazement, a giant section of the ground at the undead army’s heart suddenly crumbled inward, revealing a large sinkhole.

Hundreds of undead groaned in terror as the sands mercilessly sucked them in. The Maggots, however, only paid attention to a three-meter stone ball that shot out of the sinkhole. The vomited stone shot over the Undead Army in a long arc that would end at the rear of the Maggots.

“Commander! Do we destroy it!?”

Absalon raised his hand to give the order, but then he suddenly stopped as his eyes brightened. “Do not worry! Let them through!”

“Them?” The nearby Leila’s brows shot up in surprise. But, moments later, her lips ever-so-lightly curled.

BANG! The stone egg did in fact land behind the Maggots. However, the seemingly sturdy stone egg shattered on impact, revealing two figures to the public: a widely grinning tora holding the shoulder of a slightly pale intimidating Orc.

Stryke, still in their fusion state, released Renark, and then, without a word, stomped his foot against the ground. The Maggots gaped as hundreds of rock spires shot out of a gigantic mandala in rapid succession, each one taller than the last. In the blink of an eye, the final spire reached the top of Oni Hill.

Whether it was due to overexerting themselves, or running out of time, Stryke and Hogosha split apart once the final spire reached Oni Hill’s Apex.

A panting Stryke turned around and winked at the floating Absalon and Leila. “Sorry, we kinda beat the Lich.” He then pointed at the top of Oni Hill. “See you at the top!” Leaving those words behind, Stryke laughed as he leaped onto the closest spire and then started jumping upwards.

Hogosha, meanwhile, politely bowed to Absalon and Leila, and then quickly followed Stryke’s path.

“RAGELOCK!”

Renark’s brows twitched as a voice filled with rage thundered over the battlefield. He turned to look at Durst who was charging at him like an enraged bull. The orc chieftain gripped his axes tight, but then suddenly looked at the top of Oni Hill. “Not now.” With those words, he promptly threw Durst to the back of his mind and quickly charged up the spires.

“Face Me, Coward!” Durst was too enraged to care about anything. He jumped onto the spires and rapidly chased after his most hated enemy. Never too far away, Ragnar promptly followed, but it was hard to read the young orc’s thoughts.

Absalon watched the brief interaction with a concerned gaze. “Should we interfere?”

“Why?” Leila snorted. “Kashi chose to bring them in. We should let him suffer a little too.” With those words, a clump of petals surrounded her and then shot towards the top of Oni Hill.

Absalon smiled as the petals darted towards the sky, and then tapped his Rink. “Nyte. Blade. Sasha. You three are in charge. I better be able to plant some trees when we get back!”

“Yes, Boss!” The trio chorused.

Absalon scanned the battlefield one more time. Unless something catastrophic occurred, the battle had permanently shifted in their favor. Only a free rout remained. They did not need his nitpicking for that. The general released a sigh of relief and then started levitating upward when a bolt of lightning shot to his front.

“Hey! Don’t you dare leave us behind!” An indignant Jade angrily roared as she fell and grabbed Absalon’s right arm. By her side, Lunette, who she’d held by the waist on the way up, grabbed Absalon’s shoulder.

Fortunately, the duo came under Absalon’s gravity-negation spell once they touched him, so they stopped falling.

An amused Absalon glanced at Jade as he rapidly ascended. “Why didn’t you climb like the rest?”

“Why would I do that when I have a free ride?” Jade’s matter-of-fact tone lacked even a semblance of shame. “This is so much more comfortable.”

“W-wow.” Absalon stuttered. He could not find in himself to argue with such flawless, selfish logic. He glanced at Lunette, who at least had the decency to bow her head in slight embarrassment. ‘The guildmaster is lucky.’

“What the hell is going on!? Are Oni Hills’ defenses no longer working!?” Not everyone was pleased to see the Maggots rapidly advancing toward Oni Hill’s mountaintop. Several Chaos Order Transcendents stood up and glared at the mountain in anger. They could not help but feel like they had been conned somehow.

“It would appear Kashi somehow disabled the mountain’s defenses.” Damah Dumm provided the answer with an enigmatic smile. The mertian’s eyes sparkled with intrigue as he gazed at the draconian locked in battle against Alia. “This child seems to be hiding many secrets. Do you not think so, Nornesh?”

“Hng,” Nornesh replied with a noncommittal grunt. The Divine Dragon’s brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at Hektor. For some reason, he’d been feeling a familiar aura around the child. However, that was impossible!

Unfortunately, Nornesh could not interfere in the battle. The Chaos Transcendents would not stand for it. The Divine Dragon did not fear the little twerps, but there was a chance the Transcendents would slaughter Kashi and the rest in the ensuing chaos. He could not take that chance. Not when he finally had hope.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Nornesh watched Absalon and the rest of the Maggots descend upon Oni Hill’s mountaintop. Their infusion instantly turned the tides of battle! Their inclusion finally freed up the deadly Syèl and Shokō to unleash absolute demolition on dozens of Primates. Even Durst and Ragnar put aside their hatred of Renark to focus on eliminating the Primates first.

Nornesh could tell how this battle would end, so he turned his attention back to Hektor. The familiar feeling grew more intense with each passing moment until the young man’s eyes finally snapped open.

Nornesh ignored the terrible power that exploded from Hektor and instead frowned as he sensed that presence shoot toward the sky. No longer muddled by the battlefield’s chaotic mana, Nornesh’s breath caught once he sensed the presence’s mana. There was no doubt about it! That was a Divine Dragon’s aura!

Nornesh could not hide his shock as the presence boldly entered the vicinity of Belrug and Gunder’s battle. It was seemingly unfazed by the chaotic mana blasting outward as a result of the battle. But then again, that made sense. In this world, if dragons claimed they were second-loved by mana, no creature would dare claim first!

The Divine Dragon Nornesh sensed latched onto Gunder’s shoulder. Moments later, Nornesh turned white and quickly cut off his ability to hear. He recognized the first few guttural sounds! That was the beginning of a dragon’s true name!

This creature knew Skyrm’s true draconic name! This information all but confirmed Nornesh’s speculation. That presence was definitely a Divine Dragon! Furthermore, it must be Skyrm’s close friend or family for it to know that name and be alive!!!

As if to confirm Nornesh’s conjecture, Skyrm roared and expelled the evil spirit Gunder from his soul. Nornesh’s heart leaped to his throat as he nervously clutched the armrest, all the while hoping Skyrm awoke from the ordeal with an intact mind.

Centuries of torment could break the strongest minds. No one wanted to deal with an insane Divine Dragon!

Fortunately, only three seconds passed before Skyrm opened his eyes.

Nornesh carefully studied the great dragon’s eyes. Fortunately, they had no signs of madness or ill-intent. But a second later, Nornesh was shocked to see tears pool in Skyrm’s eyes. What the hell was happening? What could move a Divine Dragon as time-weathered as Skyrm to tears?

Skyrm’s next words and actions obliterated Nornesh’s doubt.

“My Child… He did not lie to me.” Skyrm instantly transformed back to his humanoid form, charged forward, and hugged the air. Just as everyone wondered if the Divine Dragon was insane, Skyrm looked at the space between his arms with a warm smile. “You must be frightened. I am sorry. I waited a thousand years for this moment, and am unable to control my emotions. Won’t you let me see you?”

In response to Skyrm’s probe, a purple haze blanketed the space between the Divine Dragon’s arm. Moments later, the haze dissipated, revealing a snow-white dragon cub. The old dragon’s heart melted as he gazed into Rex’s beautiful violet pupils. “You have your mother’s eyes.”

“M-Mother!?” Rider suddenly appeared before Skyrm and Rex with fear, shock, and hope alternating in his eyes. The stone-faced hybrid’s expression was a mess as he stood roughly five meters away, not daring to get any closer. His voice cracked in disbelief as he muttered, “Z-Zeno had a child? I-I had no idea. I would have searched everywhere if I knew! I would never have let this child languish for a thousand years.”

Skyrm patted Rex’s stubby head as he sent a cold glance Rider’s way. Currently, Rider was undoubtedly stronger than him, but the dragon's innate pride was so deeply ingrained that the hybrid did not dare approach any closer. “Lucius Ludarak. You ask if Zeno had a child while knowing she was a virgin when you two met.” The atmosphere rapidly turned thick and dangerous as Skyrm’s aura began running rampant and chaotic. “Are you insinuating my daughter cheated on you?”

“N-No, that’s not it, I swear!” Rider rapidly denied as sweat pooled on his forehead. The hybrid’s mental state was just as, if not more chaotic than Skyrm’s. “You only had one child as far as I know. I cannot think of anyone else whom you would call your child! But, it can’t be Zeno. She—”

Rider was about to say ‘died,’ but he suddenly recalled an old conversation and turned to look at Oni Hill’s mountaintop. The hybrid’s eyes almost exploded when he saw Kashi waving at him with a shit-eating grin.

“Now you believe me?”

Despite being high up, Rider easily picked up the draconian’s words. That’s right. In Merriheim, Kashi did claim that Razznik saved Zeno. At the time, Rider did not take his claim to heart, but he stuck around for that one percent chance that Kashi was telling the truth.

If Zeno had a child, then she must have lived for some time after her supposed death. Tears welled up in Rider’s eyes as he looked at Rex. This child was proof that Zeno existed somewhere. It did not matter that she loved someone else. It was enough to know that she somehow survived his foolishness and cowardice.

“That’s a relief,” Rider laughed through his tears as he observed the little dragon in Skyrm’s arms. “It’s alright. Everything’s fine as long as Zeno’s alive.”

Skyrm’s anger skyrocketed at Rider’s murmurings. “Are you rejoicing because your cowardice did not cost her life!?” The skies darkened as the Divine Dragon’s mana began to run berserk. “YOU BASTARD! She’s dead! All because of you! I watched her di—”

“Actually she’s not dead.”

“Apologies Lord Skyrm. I did not kill her.”

Two voices drifted into Skyrm’s ears in unison. The Divine Dragon’s bloody red eyes glared at Cathek who floated to Rider’s side with a thin smile. Skyrm then glanced at Oni Hill, where Kashi waved with a smile.

Skyrm frowned as he observed the strange draconian. He felt something familiar from the draconian’s eyes, but he did not have the time to deal with an Elder Dragon. He instead turned his attention to the kafu. “What do you mean? I watched you kill her with my own eyes.”

“Sorry about that,” Cathek revealed a confident smile as he pointed at the lake atop Oni Hill. “The being you saw there was just a clone Razznik made to throw off pursuers. He kept clones at the end of a few immensely dangerous dungeons to trick people into thinking they were Zeno’s true body—"

“You bastard!” Rider angrily grabbed Cathek’s collar. Intense rage and hatred burned in his eyes as he seriously contemplated tearing off the kafu’s neck. “You knew all this time!? You knew and you let me think she was dead!?”

“I am under no obligation to tell you anything.” Cathek brightly smiled as he matched Rider’s glare. Unperturbed by the hand around his neck, Cathek looked at Skyrm. “I know of three such locations on Destia alone, let alone the whole world. I suspect Razznik gave you a fake location to protect Zeno until her rebirth. At least, until she returned, Razznik could not be sure you would not meet some mishap and accidentally leak her location.”

Rider frowned. “That is just like him.” He then glared at Cathek. “So, where is she? Where is Zeno!?”

Cathek shrugged as he issued a lazy smile. “Are you perhaps hard of hearing? I just told you Razznik did not reveal her whereabouts to anyone for her safety. Do you really think he would have told me of all people?”

Rider’s hands trembled as he turned red with rage. He almost tightened his grip around the kafu’s smug neck, but Skyrm suddenly spoke.

“Stop. He is just as in the dark as we are.” Skyrm looked at Rex and then stated. “Who is this child’s Dragoon? We can probably find out a clue from them.”

“D-Dragoon?” Cathek’s smug expression faltered for the first time. The Cathek’s brows twitched for a few seconds before he ultimately burst out in the most animated laughter. “Hahaha! I see! I see now! We were always dancing in his palms! It was a checkmate from the very beginning!”

Both Rider and Skyrm stared at Cathek with stunned gazes. They could not understand why the kafu appeared to have lost his mind.

“Of whom do you speak?” Unlike Rider, Skyrm was completely in the dark as to who Cathek was talking about.

Cathek managed to stifle his laughter long enough to point at Kashi. “Forgot the dragoon. He probably has the answers you seek.”

Kashi, meanwhile, was smiling as he looked at the crestfallen Queen Alia. “Hey, don’t feel too bad. To be honest, the odds were completely stacked in my favor. If I still didn’t win with all these advantages, I would have bashed my head in.”

Queen Alia bit her lips as she stared at Hektor. “A Dragoon. So, he was your true trump card. A dragon’s true name is special. Only another dragon can call out their name. The only exceptions include dragon spawn and contracted beings like dragoons.” She turned to Kashi and asked, “How long ago did you plan it? We never factored Hektor into our consideration. Even if his dragon did not know illusion spells, you could have had Hektor himself reach Skyrm and call out his name. We would never have suspected him.”

Even as Alia spoke, she could not believe it. Could a human being plan this far ahead? When did Hektor disappear from the public eye? If the young man had been training to be a dragoon all this time, that meant that Kashi had already planted this Trump Card several months in advance!

Kashi chuckled. “To be honest, if you guys did not get in my way so much, I should have been the trump card. You all forced me to expose my draconian form before I even found out about Skyrm’s situation. After that damned prophecy, I knew you would never let me reach Skyrm. So, I needed to raise someone who you wouldn’t suspect. In the meantime, I continually improved my draconian attributes and used that form as often as possible to tunnel your visions in on me. The more you focused on me, the less you would consider another variable popping up.” The draconian’s smile widened as he added with a wink, “Sorry, I cheated a little, but I guess it’s my win.”

Queen Alia wanted to say something, but three terrifying auras descended upon Oni Hill. Alia swallowed her words as she looked at Skyrm, Rider, and Cathek, the latter smirking as he waved and winked at her.

Cathek’s smile did not assuage Alia’s fears though. She could not imagine what the Divine Dragon’s retaliation would look like, They had tortured him for a few centuries after all.

“You are Kashi, correct?”

A mixture of relief, disappointment, and shame washed over the daeben queen when Skyrm did not so much as spare her a glance before speaking to Kashi.

Kashi looked at Skyrm and Rider. He paused, and then after a moment of thought, softly said, “Do not worry. Zeno is definitely alive. I will take you to her after this is over.”

Skyrm’s heart palpitated as he looked into Kashi’s eyes. Upon closer inspection, he finally knew where he saw eyes that held that same pride and arrogance. The only difference was that Kashi’s held a lot more empathy compared to the other man’s rage and ambition.

This familiar aura.

Could it be?

Skyrm hesitated, but then muttered tentatively, “…Razznik?”

“I do wish you would not compare me to that indecisive brat.”

A silence akin to Death’s final breath seized the entire world. Skyrm, Rider, and Cathek were instantly drenched in sweat from the apocalyptic pressure that crashed upon Drakase. If these three men reacted like these, the others’ reactions could only be imagined.

The Transcendents fell to the ground in quick succession as if the presence did not permit any being to share its skies. All over Drakase, soldiers, mercenaries, and undead collapsed, sprawled against the ground like a giant palm flattened everything.

Atop Oni Hill, only Alia barely remained standing as everyone else either dropped to a knee or also prostrated flat before the terrifying presence.

Blood burst from Kashi’s gums, feet, and eyes as he fought to stay on his feet, fueled by the most stubborn of pride. The draconian bit his gums as he stared at the egg that should have shattered by now. “H-HOW!?”

“Why do you seek an answer you already know?”

The voice was not particularly loud, but it thundered in every living being’s soul. It was like the heavens had arrived to pass judgment on the world!

Everyone stared in disbelief as a bright line split through the black egg’s center. Moments later, a gloved hand reached out of the light and grabbed the egg. With the leverage, the being pulled himself out of the Gate and soon appeared before the world.

Long, red flaming hair. Red eyes that seemed to burn the world, and three terrible scars running down his eye. This being whose very presence caused the cosmos to tremble in fear turned to gaze at the bleeding draconian.

Kashi gritted his teeth as he glared at the all too familiar face that should never have returned. How could he not recognize it? If Suzuki grew out his hair a little and gained some muscle they would look identical! “Why? How are you here!? We stopped the spell!?”

“Why, you ask?” Razznik cracked his knuckles and then fixed Kashi with a deathly glare. “I. Cheated.”