Chapter 429 – The Disappointed Black Dragon

Though now rendered utterly feeble, the proud Tandak showed no intention of conceding weakness. Feeling waves of frailty coursing through his body, he barely maintained his bravado as he gruffly addressed Aisha:

“My great-granddaughter, it seems you’re the one who brought this gentleman here, aren’t you? Splendid, absolutely splendid! Now besides that Minotaur Shaman, that damned female ranger, and that despicable Old Mage, there’s another Master-Level powerhouse who knows I’m completely debilitated. But so what? It doesn’t matter anymore, none of it matters! No matter how much we try to conceal it, most people should have guessed the truth by now. Go ahead and expose it all you want.”

Despite his words of indifference, the severely aged Tandak still clenched his fists tightly. Clearly, in his heart, the King was deeply dissatisfied with his great-granddaughter’s foolish actions.

Yet even Ovakain couldn’t refute Tandak’s displeasure at this moment, for in this matter, even the wise and tolerant Black Dragon had to admit that Aisha had indeed acted improperly. She had been too trusting of a strange Master-Level powerhouse, and had overestimated her own charm.

However, Aisha, who hadn’t yet witnessed the various extremes of darkness, obviously couldn’t comprehend this. In her view, she had clearly found a powerful ally for the Kingdom, yet now she was being reprimanded by her great-grandfather. For a moment, this “Little Girl” couldn’t help but feel wronged, her face flushing red.

Seeing Aisha in this state, Ovakain couldn’t help but feel his heart soften.

He subtly stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of Aisha before addressing Tandak:

“Enough, Your Majesty the King. I believe your physical condition has likely become an open secret among the Kingdom’s professional circles – a fact you yourself must be well aware of. On my way here, I even witnessed evil minotaurs openly attacking towns… So… I’m afraid your attempts at concealment have become rather pointless…”

“Yes! Exactly, I’ve concealed enough too. A true warrior doesn’t deny defeat. As you can see, I was defeated, and fled back in panic like a clown. Now I’ve been reduced to this pitiful state. Though I don’t know why those despicable scoundrels of the Nightmare Cult haven’t yet come to smash my old bones to pieces… but it doesn’t matter anymore. Now I’m just a dying old fossil. So you, what purpose brings you to seek out this old fossil?”

Slumping despondently on his throne with self-abandonment, Tandak didn’t even care about the crown slipping from his head. Just as he self-mockingly stated, he was no longer the powerful combat professional of old – he was merely a dying old man now.

Gazing with some lament at the spiritually broken Tandak, Ovakain sighed quietly in his heart.In a certain sense, Ovakain’s arrival—or rather, the arrival of Punk and Kane—had helped Tandak escape disaster. With the Minotaur Shaman of the Nightmare Cult slain and the female ranger Zola having defected, only the mage Sorsend remained, preoccupied with planning the “hunt” for the two Master-Level powerhouses, Punk and Kane. At this point, the Nightmare Cult had no time to target Tandak, a lingering king who no longer posed a threat. It was precisely because of this that Tandak had luckily not been killed immediately, allowing the Huaibien Kingdom to persist until now.

However, Ovakain naturally had no knowledge of the events unfolding within the Nightmare Cult. He only knew that the situation was highly abnormal, clearly indicating that this mysterious yet intricately branched cult was scheming something, which left him deeply unsettled.

Thus, the cautious Ovakain solemnly addressed Tandak:

“Your Majesty, I believe it is necessary for us to cooperate. I must inform you of dire news—a disaster-bringer no less formidable than the Nightmare Cult has arrived in this Raging Wave Desert, and the local cult has grown increasingly rampant. I hope…”

“Cooperate? Are you mocking me, a useless warrior?!”

Before Ovakain could finish, Tandak erupted in a furious roar. To this muscle-brained warrior, cooperation between two Master-Level experts could only mean fighting enemies together—a notion that struck a raw nerve, given his current loss of combat capability:

“Don’t tell me you can produce a Legendary potion to heal me! I know my own injuries all too well. Perhaps there was hope right after the curse struck, but now, after such delay, the curse has seeped into my soul. Look at my right hand—take a good look!”

As he spoke, Tandak violently ripped his sleeve open. The sound of tearing fabric was accompanied by gasps of shock from Aisha and the Captain of the Guards in the Royal Hall.

There, on Tandak’s right arm, veins writhed like living worms burrowed beneath the skin. As they voraciously siphoned his vitality, these mutated vessels lengthened incessantly, now densely interwoven into a sinister, chaotic pattern of parasitic tendrils.

“Abyssal energy corruption!”

Witnessing Tandak’s horrifying state, Ovakain’s expression instantly turned grave.

Still gripping the armrests of his throne, Tandak continued to roar:

“See? Look closely! I’m already a dead man walking—a worthless cripple! I can no longer protect my kingdom. Neither the Nightmare Cult nor any new calamity is something I can handle anymore. You and I both should understand this by now.”

After his outburst, Tandak slumped back onto the throne, breathing heavily as if all strength had deserted him. Clearly, this despairing warrior had given up.

Seeing Tandak in such a state, Ovakain could only shake his head and sigh.Initially, he had considered trying to use his Legendary Equipment to alleviate Tandak’s condition, but upon witnessing the Abyssal energy corruption deeply rooted in his soul, even Ovakain could only shake his head in resignation.

His Legendary Equipment’s ability was to stabilize and repair souls, but it lacked the power to purge infections, let alone deal with this Abyssal energy curse that had merged completely with Tandak’s soul. In other words, Tandak was right—he was beyond saving, doomed to die without a doubt!

Watching the warrior gasping for breath on the throne, Ovakain was at a loss for words. On one hand, witnessing this curse saturated with Abyssal energy had significantly heightened his wariness of the Nightmare Cult. On the other hand… he knew he could no longer rely on Tandak’s assistance. Even if Ovakain were to tell this despondent tyrant, “Gathering intelligence, stabilizing the nation, and mobilizing the people to resist the Nightmare Cult would be a tremendous help”…

But… it was clear that Tandak was merely waiting for death, and someone awaiting their end would have no mind for such tasks.

“Alas, in that case, I shall take my leave now.”

Disappointed, he turned toward the door, unable to suppress a deep sigh.

Behind him, both Aisha, who had been full of anticipation, and the guard captain, who had worn a bitter smile all along, fell into silence.

For a moment, the entire Royal Hall became utterly still once more…

Just as the black dragon, head bowed, took two steps forward intending to depart, suddenly, a young man in opulent robes appeared at the hall’s entrance with a delighted expression. His arrival was accompanied by a cheerful declaration that starkly contrasted with the hall’s atmosphere of despair:

“Great-grandfather, I bring you wonderful news”!

(End of Chapter)