CHAPTER 67: IN THE WORLD WATCHED BY THE WARDEN

Holdrake’s eyes went bloodshot as he felt the 17th Warden holding his life in his firm palm.

He’s merely a fragment of will! How can he possibly be this strong?

With chains of darkness coiling around him like snakes, a single wrong move would have utterly ended Holdrake’s existence right there and then. He was so close to achieving his ambition, yet the ties between dragons and wardens ran far deeper than anyone expected, for them all. The realization vexed him. He desperately wanted to fight and thrash against the chains, but something inside urged calm. It was an inner voice of reason coming from the ’human’ part of him.

After all, Jett was the star of this test. Soon he would be tried by the 17th Warden, and, with enough effort, he could defeat the 17th Warden’s scheme and would consequently free Holdrake. It felt as if his life was finished, yet it truly wasn’t, and Holdrake finally grasped that truth. Meanwhile, Jett focused on the 17th Warden, whose darkness further blanketed the skies. The man slowly faded into the background. The entire world grew dark and seemingly over.

Without hesitation, Jett raised his hand above his head. "CERVEN!"

His Crimson Lightning Bolt gathered from countless arcs, stretching into a spear whose brilliance lit the space around Jett. Next, he summoned more clouds that spread like the Milky Way around him in every direction. He then struck the clouds with Cerven, its form spidering through them like a dog marking territory. Countless roars boomed from the masses, each roar paired with a flash that heralded the Crimson Storm.

"Very well," the 17th Warden’s voice echoed across the heavens. You reacted quickly and refused to plunge into my dominion. Every living being, even those who dare call themselves demons or undead, fears my reign of night and shadow. Mortals falter beneath darkness, all the more when it comes from the Ruler of Night and Shadows. Your lightning, however, is truly formidable.

Jett’s lightning scoured away the boundless colors of night, staining everything around him crimson in a truly wide radius. That alone earned praise from the 17th Warden. Yet within the dominion, gaps opened like Swiss cheese, and the 17th Warden’s shadows slithered through them toward Jett, threatening his life.

I can already sense him closing in on me, Jett thought, Cerven detonating within his swirling white clouds to counter the other Warden’s power. He found those gaps so fast and nearly reached me that I can’t relax at all.I still haven’t located him precisely. The longer I keep the clouds active, the more mana I burn away. I must finish this quickly.

Just then, a hand suddenly punched through Jett’s back, blasting a hole in his chest. He spat a mouthful of blood and glanced down, spotting the black glove of the man he faced directly now.

The 17th Warden’s voice struck from behind: "You don’t wish to fight me by my rules, Successor, or do you feel entitled to defeat me on those same terms?"

Looking over his shoulder, Jett spotted a crack in the night’s vista that peeled away to reveal a sliver of the 17th Warden. It was merely a veil akin to Jett’s Shadow Clouds, yet on such a higher level that his own Shadow Clouds could not ever possibly aid him at all.

"You are not here to play games, are you? You are a Ruler—the Warden. You must impose your will in absolutely everything you do, or people will look down on you and exploit your naivete. You do not respond to my Night; you shatter it. If you cannot break my dominion, you are truly unworthy of carrying this burden."

He withdrew his hand, and more blood fountained from Jett’s chest. Luckily—or perhaps by design—the 17th Warden hadn’t struck Jett’s heart. Had he done so then and there, Jett would have died absolutely outright, and his story would be finished completely utterly forever.

He gritted his teeth.

Impose my will in everything I do, he says...I’ll impose my will on myself, then!Break my fucking limits and end this trial now!

"CRIMSON STORM SHALL CLAIM THIS NIGHT IN AN INSTANT!" Jett arched his head back and screamed out.

[Your Ruler’s Will has temporarily turned into Warden’s Will.]

[You have used your Warden’s Will on yourself.]

All three hues of Jett’s lightning erupted at once, bathing him in flickering brilliant arcs. Emerald bolts raced violently through the clouds, driving them to swell and stretch even ever farther. The puffy masses billowed thick, completely engulfing Jett. Within their cover, sapphire lightning formed a shield. Meanwhile, crimson lightning howled, threatening to summon an apocalypse. Beyond that turbulent veil, the 17th Warden slowly curled his lips into a faint smile and initiated his move.

"Bold move, but your mana has gone wild, and one lone defense skill won’t be truly enough to protect you," he muttered under his breath, lunging once again toward Jett.

Upon entering the Lord of the Heavens and the Storm’s dominion, however, the 17th Warden could not locate Jett. Thunder boomed, nearly rupturing his eardrums. He sensed the young man’s presence watching him from every direction.

"I see. You have become lightning itself. Truly commendable," the 17th Warden said.

Another thunderclap answered, as if shouting "yes" to the 17th Warden. The clouds then burst with raw lightning energy, bolts snapping in every direction like popcorn in a microwave, shredding the night as though it were paper and they were scissors. Though crimson, an emerald aura coated each bolt, driving them faster than ever before. The first hints of light began to surface inside the dominion, like a red sunset peeking in. From the distant border of his realm, the 17th Warden watched the spectacle unfold in silent awe at his successor’s furious display of power.

"Perfect execution of the Will, yet there’s still much room to grow—many matters to decide," the 17th Warden said, genuinely smiling as his Successor’s power tore through his night. "Still, I can see that you truly possess the strength of mind and the resolve required to bear this burden."

He flicked his fingers.

"That’s the final test," he muttered.

What he did was simple: he just removed Holdrake’s chains.

...

Chains of darkness completely vanished. Holdrake yanked himself free and away from the Storm that had already nearly killed him several times. Perhaps Jett controlled his powers so precisely that Holdrake had been spared any harm, but Holdrake still honestly couldn’t care less about that. Yet, when he tried to move, blinding emerald light hammered his eyes.

He suddenly felt someone squeezing his throat.

Opening his eyes, he saw the Warden staring at him, body wrapped in an aura of three lightning colors as his mana burned.

War...den...

"Yeah," Jett nodded. "There’s ’war’ in Warden, even though my role is to keep the world’s equilibrium. I have countless wars ahead, truly countless weighty choices to make alone. Now I’ve reached yet another grave decision to confront. Holdrake, I’m going to kill you."

Holdrake’s golden eyes widened at the blunt declaration.

Jett tightened his grip on the man’s throat. "Just as my predecessor said, you are a squandered miracle. The resentment you both carry could have been used to save the true Holdrake—your son. Instead, you fused together and stole his body from him. You squandered miracle after miracle, and there will not be a third. Yet your feelings have reached me. I will speak with the Light Dragon Clan, make them fully realize what they have lost, ensure that humans and dragons can conceive children, and wield your dragonslayer magic to secure lasting bridges between our races. I shall accomplish it in my own way."

"What would you do in my place?" Holdrake hissed through his teeth. "If you were to lose your family, you would have surely gone mad too!"

"’What ifs’ have no place in this conversation, Holdrake," Jett replied. "Actions truly shape me—they already have. I can only believe in myself and move ever forward."

"War...den... I hate... you," Holdrake whispered, as life evaporated from his eyes.

One soul drifted from his body, then split into two spirits that fled together like lovers. After passing beyond the 17th Warden’s domain, the souls dispersed, entering the rightful circle of reincarnation. In years to come, a human and a dragon, burdened by heavy yet forgotten pasts, would be born anew. Hopefully, within the world watched over by the Warden, they would meet once again among countless others and, united, someday give birth to a living fruit of their shared love.

"Yeah... reincarnation really is real, after all. Even though you two hate me, I wish you the best, and for Holdrake to receive a second chance as well, so that you three might become a true family. I will strive to craft a world where that can happen," Jett said.

Sudden applause resounded from behind him.

"Well said," the 17th Warden remarked. "You see, child, I didn’t truly expect the Sky Clan to suffer such great any backlash from my decision. Because your powers are directly tied to them, would you possibly be interested in inheriting the Sky Dragon bloodline?"

"Me, becoming a dragon?" Jett asked aloud.