Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 49

Zeon emerged through the mouth of one of Kaeshu’s nine heads.

A colossal Chimera lay sprawled on the sand, its mere presence sending shivers down one’s spine.

Each of its nine heads extended in different directions, tongues lolling out.

There was no sign of life anywhere on Kaeshu.

It was undeniably dead.

“I defeated this thing, right?”

Zeon exclaimed, a exhausted expression on his face.

Though he had employed unconventional methods, he had defeated the colossal monster using his own abilities—a guardian of a dragon bordering on S-rank.

No Awakened in Neo Seoul could have achieved such a feat.

While he wanted to bask in the afterglow of victory, it wasn’t a time for leisure.

Even at this moment, Dyoden would likely be advancing towards the dragon.

There was no time to linger here.

Zeon left behind the massive carcass of Kaeshu and moved forward. As he did, the sand beneath his feet rose, trailing behind him like a tail.

It looked exactly like a moth following a light.

A-rank was indeed different.

Not only had the mana available for manipulation significantly increased, but his senses, dominance over sand, and physical agility had all risen incomparably.

Previously, he had had to force his strength to control the sand, but now it felt as if the sand itself was struggling to follow Zeon.

As if the relationship between A and B had been reversed.

That was how Zeon was feeling right now.

Suddenly, Zeon looked ahead.

A profound darkness obscured his vision, but he could feel it.

Countless Chimeras were hiding behind that darkness.

They might not be on the level of a guardian like Kaeshu, but their sheer numbers posed a significant threat, lurking in the darkness like concealed predators.

In the past, Zeon would not have been able to sense the presence of a chimera hidden in a dark place. However, after advancing to A-rankl, he could feel their presence as vividly as if seeing them with his own eyes.

“There is nothing more foolish than jumping in defenseless when you know the enemy is hiding.”

He had no intention of making such a foolish choice.

Fortunately, Zeon had a good option.

Zeon manipulated the sand that followed him like a moth.

Gaaah!

The sand whirled violently, flying into the cave.

It was an application of the Sand Mixer skill.

The sand, like a cloud, filled the narrow cave and shot forward.

Kraaack!

Kiak!

From the front, desperate screams of Chimeras echoed.

The high-speed rotation of the sand obliterated the hidden Chimeras in its path.

Zeon entered the cave, where the sand had swept through.

The cave walls and floor were covered with the mutilated bodies of Chimeras.

Squelch! Squelch!

With each step Zeon took, the pooled blood on the floor made a gruesome sound.

Finally, the sand that had dealt with all the monsters returned to Zeon’s surroundings.

The sight of the sand swirling around Zeon, like a cloud, was remarkably natural.

Previously, If he had used a skill with this much power, his mana would’ve depleted rapidly, leaving him to struggle. But now. it didn’t matter.

It was just like scooping out a few buckets of water from a huge lake.

With such power at his disposal, Zeon felt confident that he could continue using skills without worrying.

“Great!”

Zeon smiled in satisfaction and quickened his pace.

After walking for a while, another massive underground chamber came into view.

This time, Zeon didn’t know which guardian might be waiting inside, so he entered the chamber with heightened tension.

However, the scene inside was quite different from what he expected.

There was indeed a Chimera that seemed to be a guardian.

The colossal creature, easily over twenty meters from toe to head, was unmistakably an Ogre.

However, unlike a regular Ogre, it had an unusual feature—two heads attached to its torso.

Officially known as the Twin Headed Ogre.

The Twin Headed Ogre had eight arms attached to its torso, and wings on its back.

It was another Chimera born from the fusion of different monsters.

Along with the giant one-eyed Cyclop, Ogres were classified as the most dangerous among bipedal monsters.

With a colossal body, immense anti-magic abilities, and tremendous strength, it considered most Awakened as nothing more than a meal.

The Twin Headed Ogre was several times stronger than an ordinary Ogre.

If Gold Dragon Haeltoon considered it as a guardian, then this creature was likely a special entity as well.

Yet, this formidable Twin Headed Ogre was brutally defeated.

Its robust skin, boasting powerful defense, was split open, revealing crimson innards, and its two heads rolled far from its torso.

There was no need for confirmation; it was obvious who had left the Twin Headed Ogre Chimera in such a state.

“Dyoden!”

The only person who could casually and effortlessly kill such a massive Twin Headed Ogre was none other than Dyoden.

It was evident that Dyoden had passed through here.

Zeon hastily passed the Twin Headed Ogre, entering a cave behind it.

Inside the cave, countless Chimera corpses were scattered around.

This, too, was a trace left by Dyoden.

Dyoden had crushed anything and everything that stood in his way.

It was clear that no Chimera could even briefly hold Dyoden back.

Zeon moved following the Chimera corpses.

As he advanced, the number of Chimera corpses increased exponentially.

The stench and foul odor emanating from the Chimera corpses were nauseating, to the point where Zeon’s head began to spin.

Nevertheless, Zeon continued to move diligently, without a single change in expression.

After walking for a while, another massive underground chamber came into view.

In this underground chamber, a gigantic monster that seemed to be a guardian lay in a pitiful state.

The giant was a gruesome amalgamation of various Chimera corpses.

“Is it a Corpse Golem?”

If Kaeshu and the Twin Headed Ogre Chimera combined monsters to create life, the Corpse Golem was a monster created entirely from nothing by Haeltoon.

Gathering Chimera corpses to create a single entity required much more effort than Kaeshu or the Twin Headed Ogre Chimera. However, it was undoubtedly worth the effort.

It was just that powerful.

But even the Corpse Golem couldn’t hold back Dyoden.

A core was visible in the chest area of the Corpse Golem.

It was the same Magic Stone as Kaeshu’s.

Haeltoon had used the Magic Stone as the core to create the Corpse Golem. However, unlike Kaeshu’s, the Magic Stone in the Corpse Golem was filled with sinister energy

Absorbing the aura of such a Magic Stone would undoubtedly lead to adverse effects.

Kwaang!

Zeon detonated Claymore, blowing away the Magic Stone.

The Magic Stone shattered into pieces, and the sinister energy within dispersed like smoke.

As Zeon passed by the body of the Corpse Golem, it happened.

Kwarrung!

As if an earthquake had occurred, the entire underground space shook.

Cracks formed on the ceiling and walls, allowing sand to pour in.

Kwaang! Kwarrung!

The shaking did not stop with a single occurrence.

While Zeon continued to move forward, the entire underground space continued to tremble, and an immense wind blew from the front.

His face contorted, and a fierce gust made his whole body feel like it would be blown away.

Even before reaching the location where they were, it was clear something significant was happening.

“Dyoden is fighting the dragon.”

The evidence lay in the tumultuous atmosphere and mana fluctuations within the underground chamber.

Though still far from approaching them, Zeon felt a chill on his skin, and cold sweat ran down his spine.

His body, reacting before his brain could process. His head was next.

No thought came to his mind, as if his mind had gone blank.

The dragon’s enormous presence blew the thoughts out of Zeon’s head.

Zeon got down on one knee without even realizing it.

Even though he hadn’t directly confronted the dragon yet, an overwhelming fear overwhelmed him.

Zeon gritted his teeth.

Cold sweat streamed down his face in a constant flow.

‘Is this the power of a dragon?’

Now he understood why the dragons existed at the pinnacle of the world called Kurayan.

Even as an A-rank Awakened, merely being in the same space as the dragon affected him so profoundly.

A regular Awakened would likely have already vomited blood and perished.

It seemed impossible for B-rank or lower Awakened individuals to inflict any harm on the dragon, no matter how many gathered.

“Damn it!”

Zeon cursed and forced himself to get up.

With sheer willpower, he escaped the dragon’s overwhelming presence.

His entire body was drenched in sweat, like he had taken a bath.

“Who would get scared to this extent?”

Zeon muttered as if casting a spell on himself, and moved forward.

Shoosh!

The further he advanced, the stronger the wind blew, causing the sand trailing behind Zeon to scatter like grains. Nevertheless, Zeon did not stop walking.

After a while, Zeon finally arrived at a massive underground chamber.

The colossal underground chamber, impossible to estimate in size, was entirely made of gold.

The walls and ceiling, all made of gold, surrounded a fierce battle between a Gold Dragon, towering over 150 meters, and a small human.

It was Haeltoon and Dyoden.

Kuaaaang!

The vast underground space shook as if it would collapse soon due to their clash.

Thanks to some magical handling, it held firm. Without magical reinforcement, it would have undoubtedly collapsed.

“Crazy!”

Zeon’s eyes widened as he saw the two beings fighting.

Haeltoon, with his enormous body, moved effortlessly, continuously casting spells.

Sometimes explosions of flames erupted from thin air, and bursts of electricity shot out. However, Dyoden smoothly evaded all the attacks and counterattacked Haeltoon.

Dyoden kicked off the wall and moved at a speed so fast that it was invisible to the eye.

Tap!

With just a few strikes off the wall Dyoden had come close to Haeltoon and swung Kreion with all his might.

Kuaaaang!

With a deafening explosion, Haeltoon’s massive body was pushed backward.

Thanks to the Absolute Shield he was unharmed, but impact still could not be ignored.

Haeltoon’s eyes flashed in surprise at the immense impact that shook the Absolute Shield.

—How can a mere human possess such strength?

“Don’t underestimate humans, you lizard brat!”

Dyoden shouted, striking Haeltoon again with Kreion. In response, Haeltoon unleashed Reverse Gravity.

Instantaneously, gravity reversed, and Dyoden’s body soared into the sky.

Without wings, escaping the reversed gravity was impossible. However, Dyoden had Kreion.

Kreion possessed the ability to fly.

Relying on Kreion, Dyoden escaped Haeltoon’s magic.

“Kaaah!”

Dyoden, with Kreion in the front, collided with full force.

Kwaaaang!

The Absolute Shield vibrated, as it was on the verge of shattering.

Upon this, Haeltoon was greatly astonished.

Even until Dyoden defeated all the guardians, Haeltoon didn’t think he would be a significant threat.

As the master of magic and possessing the strongest physique, there was no reason for Haeltoon to fear a mere human.

In Haeltoon’s perspective, Dyoden was nothing more than a slightly dangerous toy. However, the actual strength displayed by Dyoden in their collision far exceeded Haeltoon’s expectations.

Although having a human form, Dyoden’s inherent combat strength and brute force were not human.

“Take this, you damn lizard!”

Kuaaang!

Haeltoon’s head was forcefully pushed backward by Dyoden’s intense strike.

Haeltoon’s golden eyes, which were slowly returning to their original position, were full of anger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Instantly, a barrage of lightning bolts fell like rain throughout the entire underground chamber.

With immense thickness, the lightning bolts filled the entire underground chamber, leaving no space for Dyoden to evade.

“Hahaha! You cannot defeat me with this much.”

However, even after taking a direct hit from the lightning barrage, Dyoden remained unscathed.

He emitted madness and charged towards Haeltoon.

Seeing Dyoden, akin to a berserker, Haeltoon involuntarily showed a face of astonishment.

Zeon watched Dyoden’s fight with his fists clenched.

It was frustrating, but this was not a level of battle where he could intervene.

“Shit!”

“Do not be so upset. Soon, you will become as strong as Dyoden, if not stronger.”

At that moment, a serene voice came from right beside him.

Turning his head, he saw the Spider Woman lying on the floor with her upper and lower body separated, glancing at him.

Zeon instantly knew that it was Dyoden’s handiwork.

“Who are you?”

“Eblis Leionia. That was my name when I was human.”