Kanberich held out his left hand, and within it ignited a flame. From this flame, he sculpted a scene, flicking embers onto the table, illustrating his words as he went. He even went so far as to alter the shade and texture of his flame to give visuals to the idea of someone becoming altered by mere proximity to a dragon descendant.

“This fundamental pillar of my cultivation — this process of “becoming more like a dragon” in the metaphysical sense — is a side effect of the dragons’ original purpose as weapons of war. Their power is unlike any other, infinitely close to yet infinitely far from the pure creation that resides in the Foundations of the World — in short, the closest man has ever come to replicating the true nature of “Law” or “Creation”. In falling short, it also becomes severely unlike the very thing it mimics in particular ways, much like a realistic, not-quite-human puppet feels even less human-like than a child’s toy. This property, in turn, causes the essence of dragonkind to stain and subtly warp the world wherever dragons live. Those who battle with them — or alongside them — are inevitably changed. During the many wars in which dragons and dragon descendants have been employed, those who fought alongside them and the few who managed to slay them have both manifested a vast variety of extraordinary abilities, often in contravention of common cultivation limitations. I, personally, prefer to refer to this as the Dragonslayer’s Gift, but Draconization or Dragonstaining are also known terms for the phenomenon. I admit that my term is somewhat contradictory, because while those who battle with and slay dragons do receive the Gift, it was most often those who fought alongside dragons who did so, as they were exposed to the creatures far more often. Certainly, slaying a dragon descendant and using its body for cultivation resources is nearly guaranteed to confer some semblance of the Gift, but an Ankhezian Dragonrider of old had a retinue of tens of thousands who all worked around the dragon for their entire lives, soaking up its power even while it laid idle, not to mention the widespread use of whatever it might shed.”

“What of Arches’ Order of the Dragon? As far as I am aware, they practiced a False Path method, despite having access to a living dragon,” Victor asked.

Kanbu chortled.

“Living? Alive, at best. Dying, more likely, only very slowly. Not-quite-dead. There is not a chance Ten Billion Fathoms was, at any point in the last half-millennium, anything close to truly “living”. But… You are not wrong. Ten Billion Fathoms is a True Dragon Descendant, not a lesser species such as a Wildfire Kite. Even severely weakened by its incarnation in a body wrought from the flesh of lesser descendants, animals, and humans, and with three legs in the grave, it would still hold enormous power. From what I have read of the Order prior to the Meat Market Incident, I can safely guess that they managed to evoke a form of the Gift, but through misguided methods, without understanding of the phenomenon or perhaps even its existence. They, if anything, were an example — even with an outright moronic method, dragonstaining still takes place and still empowers those subject to it.”

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With a wave of his hand he erased the flame-diorama, and finally put forth that scroll. Even still, he only unrolled it partially, just enough that its aura spilled out. Victor reflexively closed Daywolf’s faceplate, flinching back as if he were about to be burned. Zel couldn’t blame him — this didn’t even compare to mundane fire. Her own Thundergods hissed and bared their fangs, their grey forms flaring blue and arcs jumping inside their open mouths, revealing the blades that were their tongues. It was truly akin to the tyrannical presence of a dragon descendant, yet also like nothing she had felt before. The Wildfire Kite’s aura had felt thin and lukewarm by comparison, with a strong physical aspect, almost evoking some properties of typical beastly aura. Meanwhile, Eisengeist had already been subdued by the time she arrived into its presence. The greatest difference between the draconic aura produced by Kanberich’s method and that of dragon descendants was something that could not accurately be put into words — for lack of a better expression, it was subtly twisted in a manner that openly spoke of its purpose for subduing dragons and usurping their strength.

Having gotten the reaction he wanted, Kanberich continued his lecture: “My method is only one of many that permits the practitioner to draw out the strength of dragons. Zelsys, for instance, has harnessed it directly through her body. I wager that her muscles, internal organs, and other tissues have subtly become more akin to those of dragon descendants since she has started consuming Eisengeist’s flesh on a regular basis. A wizard such as yourself might naturally harness it through external acts of spiritual strength, such as spellcasting. My method is not necessarily superior — it is merely a specific way of harnessing the power. I can pass on my technique in full, and even should you not specialize in it, the Dragonslayer Flame will burn your foes all the same. I am… Noncommittal in that way. I could never imagine only ever wielding a single weapon in my life. There is, of course, a catch, as there always is..."

Finally, the old dragonslayer unfurled his scroll across the table, and its aura spilled out in full, such that Zelsys had to flare her own to protect herself. Scorched marks instantly appeared across Daywolf’s surface, and Victor in turn brought up the Oculus. He chanted a sutra, gesturing with both hands as his third jangled the staff-spear in place, and a numinous pressure descended. Bonefire spilled out of his armor’s many gaps and fiercely crawled across him, struggling against the Dragonslayer Flame. A moment later, Kanberich rolled up the scroll as quickly as he had opened it, and Victor visibly deflated inside his suit as the scorching, tyrannical pressure lifted.

With a mischievous flame in his eyes and a smirk on his face, the dragonslayer goaded the young wizard: “That was but a taste of what you will experience should you chase strength through my method. Quick, Safe, Easy — you can only ever choose one. So choose.”