Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 36

Krasias had existed since the dawn of Kurayan.

Although he bore the form of a dragon, no one in Kurayan considered him to be one.

Not even the other dragons themselves.

Krasias’s epithet was “The Greedy Dragon.”

This is because he coveted and collected all the anomalies and abilities existing in Kurayan.

His colossal three-kilometer body was a manifestation of these abilities.

Although he existed at the apex of the world called Kurayan, Krasias exerted no influence.

He merely observed, akin to a god.

In fact,, among the gods that existed in Kurayan, none possessed power comparable to Krasias.

Beneath Krasias’s passive observation, wars raged incessantly within Kurayan every day.

Kurayan was vastly different from Earth.

The development of civilization was similar to that of Earth, but the method was completely different.

Instead of science, magic and all kinds of supernatural abilities led to the enlightenment of human civilization.

The inhabitants were also different from those of Earth.

Humans, elves, dwarves, diverse races, and creatures firmly occupied their domains, establishing a delicate balance.

With limited land but numerous races, war remained incessant.

Had one side gained a decisive advantage, perhaps the wars would have ended sooner. However, the powers of humans and other races were almost evenly matched.

War stained with hatred and fury persisted for thousands of years until it abruptly ceased one day.

Because the end had arrived for Kurayan.

The sudden apocalypse dismantled everything.

The planet turned upside down, covered in molten lava.

Seas and rivers evaporated, and the sky was shrouded in black ash. The planet itself began to collapse.

Reason and cause remained unknown.

One day, the apocalypse abruptly happened, causing the gradual demise of two-thirds of the diverse races and humans inhabiting Kurayan.

Amidst the despair, the last thought of humans and other races was of Krasias.

They pleaded for salvation from Krasias.

Krasias spoke.

–The demise of this world is inevitable. For the beings of this world to continue existing, another world must bear the cost. Do you accept this fate?

The representatives of humanity and the other races responded as follows.

“The desire to live is an inherent longing for all living beings. How can we deem that as wrong? We want to live. Even if it means trampling upon another world. If it ensures survival, we will do anything. You are the guardian of Kurayan, are you not? Oh, mighty being with power surpassing that of gods. Please, look upon us with favor. We are all but your children.”

Krasias pondered their plea for a long while.

–Very well! I shall investigate if there exists another world where you can migrate.

Using dimensional detection magic, Krasias sought a place where the inhabitants of Kurayan could relocate.

At that moment, Kurayan was collapsing, leaving little time.

Hence, Krasias needed to hurry.

Ultimately, the place found was Earth.

Given more time, they might have found another planet devoid of life. Unfortunately, they lacked that luxury.

–The land I found already harbors billions of humans. If you wish to live, you inevitably must kill them and seize their land. Do you still accept?

Krasias asked, and representatives of humans, other races, and even other dragons agreed without hesitation.

Except for one individual who opposed – Akaruk, one of humanity’s representatives.

“No, how can we take away the land of another world just so we can survive? I’m against it.”

Akaruk’s epithet was a “Noble Knight”.

From head to toe, Akaruk embodied the essence of a knight.

War among themselves was inevitable, but the invasion of another world was something he could not condone.

He stood alone in opposition, wielding his sword.

But with one hand, he couldn’t stop ten. Moreover, those gathered were among Kurayan’s mightiest.

In the end, Akaruk fell to them.

The one who turned the deceased him into an undead was the Gold Dragon, Haeltoon.

Haeltoon turned Akaruk and his followers into undead, making them guardians in preparation for the migration to Earth.

Krasias wielded all his might to open a dimensional portal and was the first to cross to Earth.

For Krasias, possessing the power of an entire planet, it was feasible.

The first thing Krasias did upon arrival was to terraform Earth, making its environment similar to Kurayan’s—an essential step for the successful settlement of Kurayan’s inhabitants.

However, this terraforming caused problems.

Krasias’s power was indeed immense, seemingly ensuring the success of the terraforming magic. Yet, at that moment, an enormous backlash struck him.

It was as if the planet, Earth, was resisting becoming subservient to Krasias and Kurayan.

Earth’s backlash brought about tremendous consequences.

The immediate result was the entire Earth turning into a desert and bringing about Krasias’s demise.

As Krasias perished, all the powers and abilities he had amassed over time spread across Earth.

It was also thanks to him that humans on Earth Awakened.

“Ah, fuck! Are you saying Earth became like this because of those creatures from Kurayan?”

Zeon’s face contorted upon hearing the story.

He never anticipated such hidden reasons behind Earth’s desertification.

Now he understood why Dyoden harbored such resentment toward the other races.

Even Zeon himself, had he known all these circumstances a hundred years ago, might have succumbed to rage like Dyoden and indiscriminately slaughtered the other races as well.

Dyoden asked.

“If you’re a guardian, does it mean the dragon is not far from here?”

“That’s right.”

“Heheh! The Gold Dragon, Haeltoon, right?”

Dyoden chuckled, revealing his white teeth.

Akaruk trembled.

The madness emitted by Dyoden was so severe that he, an undead, felt fear.

“Human!”

“Speak, Noble Knight.”

Dyoden’s tone shifted.

Though Dyoden harbored disdain for everything Kurayan-related, he couldn’t disregard Akaruk.

Akaruk was a true knight.

When the decision for migration to Earth was made for the sake of everyone’s survival, he alone opposed it.

He fought alone to prevent the misguided decision, and in return, became an undead.

One couldn’t disrespect a man who understood honor and justice.

Akaruk said.

“Dragons are powerful.”

“I know.”

“Though you’re mighty now, you cannot match a dragon.”

“I know that too.”

Dyoden replied calmly.

He had already hunted a dragon before.

Though he wasn’t alone.

He was with hundreds of Awakened.

At that time, two-thirds of the awakened who participated in the dragon hunt died, and even the survivors mostly ended up disabled.

The injured survivors didn’t live long, following those who had passed before them.

There were only a very few people, including Dyoden, who survived intact.

He had deeply felt how powerful a dragon was at that time.

A dragon was a powerhouse of magic in itself.

Moreover, it possessed formidable magic resistance.

This rendered attacks from Magic-type Awakened ineffective. In addition, its scales, which were stronger than adamantium, even repelled attacks from Martial Arts-type Awakened.

If it hadn’t been for numerous Awakened using firearms and even suicide dive attacks, they would never have been able to kill the dragon.

Even back then, Dyoden already possessed considerable strength. But even then, he felt despair in the face of the dragon’s overwhelming presence.

And the dragon he had hunted at that time was the youngest and least powerful among all the dragons that crossed over to Earth.

To defeat such a dragon, most of the early Awakened died. That’s why he couldn’t fathom the strength of the Gold Dragon, Haeltoon.

However, Dyoden never despaired.

For a hundred years, he tirelessly roamed the desert, honing his skills.

His current prowess was incomparable to when he first hunted a dragon.

Akaruk offered his sword to Dyoden.

“Take my sword. It’s a blade blessed by the gods. It will aid you.”

On the sword Akaruk extended, there were inscriptions of unknown significance.

They were symbols carved when blessed by the gods.

With the demise of most gods alongside Kurayan’s destruction, the blessings on the sword had largely diluted. Still, the remaining power would undoubtedly be of assistance.

Dyoden accepted Akaruk’s sword.

“I will use it well.”

“What persuaded Krasias were the humans and the other races, but it was the dragons who manipulated them into doing so. I hope you understand that.”

“That does not mean that the responsibility of the humans and other races of Kurayan go away.”

“Knowing that… is enough.”

Now, Akaruk’s body was nearly reduced to ashes, with only part of his upper body and face remaining.

Gazing at the ashen sky, Akaruk murmured.

“Before I die, I wanted to see the blue sky…”

Sshhh!

In an instant, even his face turned to dust, completely vanishing.

That was the moment.

The undead knights, who had been standing quietly, stepped aside.

A passage opened up between the undead knights.

It wasn’t clear to Dyoden and Zeon what this meant.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The two walked through the passage opened by the undead knights.

Midway through their journey, something happened.

Suddenly, all the undead knights raised their swords high into the sky.

It was their ritual, honoring Lord Akaruk and blessing Dyoden’s future.

Zeon looked at the faces of the undead knights one by one.

Their faces, which a while ago only radiated morale, now seemed to emit a subtle warmth.

Their appearance sparked a strange feeling in Zeon.

It seemed he was understanding what unwavering determination in death meant.

As the two nearly passed the undead knights—

Sshhh!

Just as the undead knights held their sword-raised stance, they began to crumble into dust.

As Akaruk embraced his rest, they too had freed themselves from the shackles of undeath.

It wasn’t only the undead knights that turned to dust; even the massive castle in the middle of the desert seemed to dissolve into dust, leaving no trace behind.

That’s how the enormous castle and the undead knights vanished from behind. But Dyoden never looked back.

Nothing could make him look back.

Dyoden only walked forward, and at the end of this path lay the dragon he had been searching for.

The being he had been searching for was not far away.

Whoom!

Dyoden suddenly glanced at Akaruk’s sword.

The sword seemed to be weeping for its owner’s death.

The same applied to Kreion.

For a moment, while gazing at both swords in his hands, Dyoden grasped them together. Then something incredible happened.

Clank!

Both Kreion and Akaruk’s swords disassembled into individual parts.

The sword blades of Kreion and Akaruk merged into one. The already crimson-hued sword blade blazed red like the sun.

Even the handles were identical.

The two handles merged into a new form.

In this manner, the two swords combined their parts into a new shape.

Instantly, a dazzling light erupted from Dyoden’s entire body.

Zeon closed his eyes for a moment due to the powerful blinding light.

Despite his eyelids shielding his vision, the light was disorienting and dizzying. Hence, Zeon had to wait for the light to vanish.

Fortunately, the light disappeared after a short while.

Only then did Zeon cautiously open his eyes.

“Woah!”

Zeon let out an exclamation without realizing it.

It was due to the altered appearance of Kreion, combined with Akaruk’s sword.

The enormous blade of Kreion bore the inscriptions from Akaruk’s sword.

Furthermore, its overall form had transformed into something far more imposing.

Merely facing Kreion felt like it could devour one’s soul.

Dyoden tightly gripped Kreion’s handle and muttered.

“Friend! The time is near.”

[TL/N: Ooou we finally find out what happened to the Earth, ngl I’d be the same as Dyoden but I’d spare the dark elf mommys tho if there were any ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]