Chapter 212
Pssssht!
Smoke billowed from Ataraxia’s entire body as his skin began to swell.
Mana poured out like a torrential downpour.
The change was almost suffocating.
‘Mystique.’
Park Chan-woo was witnessing a dragon’s transformation for the first time.
He had seen Ataraxia’s true form often enough.
But he’d never had the chance to watch him shift from human form into his true form.
Perhaps he was the first human to ever witness it.
‘A powerful barrier forms during the transformation.’
First, the mana’s wavelength changed.
Its momentum, its density—everything.
It formed a massive defensive barrier, as if to protect Ataraxia.
‘I see. It’s a spell carved in advance.’
All of it originated from the dragon’s heart.
It seemed dragons engraved barrier modifiers directly into their hearts to protect themselves while transforming.
And it wasn’t just any barrier.
It was a 13-layer barrier.
Because during transformation, they were defenseless.
The transformation took about three seconds.
For those three seconds, airtight defense was necessary.
Gurgle, gurgle!
The Kirin Clan were the same.
Breaking through that barrier in their current state was a tall order.
In the end, whoever transformed first and struck first would heavily tilt the outcome.
Transform, then suppress them faster.
===
Ataraxia wasn’t the only problem.
That human—no, the one who used Absolute Magic, the one who might be a dragon—kept drawing their eyes.
If that being truly was one of the Primordial Dragons, there was no chance of victory.
They wouldn’t even be able to run.
‘He doesn’t seem interested in joining the fight.’
‘Killing Ataraxia comes first.’
‘If he has no intention of fighting… we still have a chance.’
The three reached the same conclusion.
First, destroy Ataraxia.
They’d decide what to do after that later.
Frankly, they didn’t even have time to think.
They had to pour every ounce of focus into dealing with Ataraxia alone.
…Soon.
They finished transforming.
“Kirin Clan whelps. Are you ready?”
A massive body covered in glossy black dragon scales.
A black dragon stood there—nearly eight meters long.
‘The Dragon of Despair…’
Park Chan-woo couldn’t help being impressed.
His presence alone sent chills down the spine.
True to the name Despair, his mana was thick and viscous.
The very nature of it felt like it was binding everything down.
If Ataraxia’s mana—his will—had been aimed at him…
‘…I would’ve died.’
Park Chan-woo’s resistance only applied to Demon Lords.
Thanks to the title Lord Slayer, he could instead impose fear on the Lords of the Abyss.
But he had no resistance or immunity against other species.
Meaning, if Ataraxia had turned hostile in his true form, Park Chan-woo would’ve been drenched in cold sweat and likely collapsed into a near-death state.
But Ataraxia’s mana wasn’t aimed at him.
All of his mana and killing intent were focused solely on the Kirin Clan.
“…It’s been a while since we fought a dragon.”
“A dragon’s heart is a great delicacy.”
“If you admit defeat now, I’ll let you live.”
The Kirin Clan had finished transforming as well.
A wondrous form: the face of a lion, a long horn jutting from the forehead, a bull’s torso, and a horse’s legs.
They were half the dragon’s size, and individually, their mana couldn’t compare to Ataraxia’s.
But the mana of the three was linked as one.
And together, they overwhelmed Ataraxia’s mana.
‘As expected.’
‘Even after transforming, the mana in his heart is more than half depleted.’
‘No matter how exceptional he is, he can’t handle three connected Kirin Clan at once.’
The Kirin Clan’s Mystique—Connection.
The longer they stayed together, the deeper their bond, the stronger they became.
They had been together since birth, their bond honed to an extreme.
The Kirin Clan were confident.
This battle was theirs.
…But.
Whoooom!
Whoooooom!
Heaven and earth roared.
The surroundings began to change, centered on Ataraxia.
…Before they realized it,
they were no longer inside the Tower.
Twilight.
A dim, vermilion sky greeted them all.
At the same time, the Kirin Clan went pale.
“A Domain Declaration…!”
“Ataraxia. You have a Domain?”
“I’ve never even heard of such a thing…!”
…Never.
Not once had Black Dragon Ataraxia revealed his Domain.
Not every dragon possessed a unique Domain.
If he had one, he should have shown it long ago.
Until now, no one had ever seen Black Dragon Ataraxia declare a Domain.
Flap!
Ataraxia floated into the air.
“Do you know why I’m called the Dragon of Despair?”
Ataraxia smiled.
Was it because he belonged to the Tribe of Despair?
Don’t be ridiculous.
It wasn’t that simple.
“Everyone who has faced me—everyone who has experienced my Domain—has come to regard me as Despair.”
Above the twilight sky, countless despairs filled the air.
Countless weapons, immeasurable in number, packed with the grudges of the dead.
All of them bared their fangs at the Kirin Clan.
…Why had no one seen it?
Why had no one spoken of Ataraxia’s Domain?
Because everyone who experienced it died.
Not a single one survived.
The Species War was a stage watched by all.
He couldn’t reveal his Domain there.
Of course, this wasn’t a Domain he’d intended to use on mere Kirin Clan.
…Before him stood the greatest god.
The visage of a dragon.
The one who became the master of dragons.
Now that Sephiro had granted permission—
‘I’ll show you.’
He would carve the dignity of the dragon race into them properly.
“Despair, fall.”
—
The Kirin Clan immediately gathered their horns and formed Mystique.
A giant serpent was summoned, coiling around them tightly.
They had summoned the shape of Ouroboros, the serpent god that swallowed its own tail.
This was the Kirin Clan’s true power.
They could summon and control the form of a god that existed long ago.
Though it was far from the real god, the Kirin Clan’s Mystique was still terrifying for being able to contain a god’s form and will.
Ruuumble!
Craaack!
Ouroboros blocked the weapons of the dead that poured down like heavy rain.
But this was the Domain of Despair.
If it could be stopped by simply blocking, Ataraxia wouldn’t have declared his Domain in the first place.
“W-what is this…!”
“Kuh!”
“It pierced a god’s power?”
It was unbelievable.
The weapons punched through Ouroboros’s absolute defense.
Worse, they tore through a body overflowing with Mystique.
How?
‘So this is Ataraxia’s true power.’
Park Chan-woo watched the massacre in silence.
Now he understood why Black Dragon Ataraxia never revealed his Domain lightly.
Because once identified, it could be exploited.
Those who experienced it for the first time would be crushed and die.
But those who had seen it once could handle it far more easily.
Despair reduces all resistance and immunity to zero.
It forcibly severs them.
Of course, the countermeasure was simple.
From the beginning, keep your distance so you don’t get trapped in the Domain, or escape immediately.
The Domain seemed to extend about a one-kilometer radius.
‘It can reduce all resistance to zero, but only the instant you enter the Domain.’
There was another way to exploit it.
Prepare a potion that increases resistance in advance.
The key point was that the Domain applied its effect only once.
Meaning, if you had a way to restore resistance after the effect was applied, the Domain could be countered.
Park Chan-woo nodded inwardly.
He could figure it out because he was observing from outside its influence.
If he’d been trapped inside, he wouldn’t have been able to analyze it so calmly.
But now that he had seen it once, he would never be caught in Ataraxia’s Domain again.
“Aaaagh!”
“T-to die this futilely…!”
“A-ta-rax-i-a!!”
—
Park Chan-woo quietly stared at the Kirin Clan horns that had fallen.
When you die in the Abyss, the corpse disappears.
But the Twelve Species often left behind vital parts like these.
Dragons left hearts.
Kirin left horns.
“…I’m sorry.”
Ataraxia bowed his head.
He had returned to human form, but his face and eyes were full of remorse.
“I missed one.”
Two Kirin Clan horns lay on the ground.
He had killed two out of three.
The problem was the last one.
Sensing death, the Kirin Clan had done everything they could to ensure at least one survived.
As a result, one Kirin Clan member managed to escape.
“It’s fine.”
Park Chan-woo didn’t care.
The one who should worry wasn’t him—it was Ataraxia.
He needed to kill all three to keep the secret of the Domain safe.
Of course, it was far more likely the survivor hadn’t noticed the Domain’s weakness.
Everything had ended too quickly.
‘Two Kirin Clan horns.’
Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly.
He would’ve been grateful for even one.
And not only that—
‘Ancient Bengalodon King.’
The corpse of the beast was lying there as well.
It had been caught inside Ataraxia’s Domain, all resistance reduced to zero, and died without ever understanding what was happening.
Maybe that was why.
Ding!
[You have acquired the Traces of the Ancient Bengalodon King.]
[One of the Tower’s Wills is impressed.]
[This is a truly unexpected strategy.]
[Acquire 5 Superior Spirit Stones.]
[You have acquired 5 Platinum Boxes (★★).]
[Due to the excessive number of remaining rewards, Unopened Boxes, you will receive a special opportunity.]
[Once, you can combine unopened boxes to create a higher-level box.]
[A Combination Zone is generated.]
[Please place the unopened boxes in the area.]
[The grade of the completed box will vary depending on the quantity and quality of unopened boxes placed on the area.]
[The Combination Zone can only be used once, and will last for 1 hour before disappearing.]
[The path to the 20th floor has been opened.]