Chapter 1463

Shiverwock shouldered its dokkaebi club, and stomped out. “Damn it, she’s just like that son of a bitch.”

It certainly wasn't the type to be sent running errands. It was an absolute being who crushed everything that entered its domain with its overwhelming charisma and mighty roar! It was named Shiverwock for a reason.

“Man, what a pathetic life,” it said, though its steps were anything but lazy.

Soon, a mob of monsters blocked its path. “Grrrr...”

Some of them positioned themselves behind Shiverwock, apparently preparing for a sneak attack.

“I smell it.” It could sense the smell of humans. It sniffed around, and just before a blade mantis's blade could touch its nape, it slightly raised its club. “Alright, alright, let's have some fun, shall we?”

Boom!!

The club made one massive boom, and then the surrounding fell silent.

When the dust settled, all that remained was Shiverwock, walking away. Behind it lay a pile of mangled monster corpses, so thoroughly crushed that their original forms were no longer recognizable.

Shiverwock hummed as it advanced freely. It then felt the residual scent of humans beyond a thick wall. “Hmm. Is this where it's coming from?”

Without hesitation, it picked up its club. Then, it began to sway and started to dance. “Come on out! Come on out! Let's play a game together!”

Shiverwock's bulging muscles rippled as it continued its bizarre dance, gathering power in its swinging fist. It hummed a tune with strange, nonsensical lyrics. “Old man from the mountains, drain the cow's blood, or my club will put a dent in your head!”

Then, clenching its fist, it slammed it right into the empty wall.

[Dokkaebi Frenzy]

Boom!!

Shiverwock instantly blew away the wall to discover an artificial space inside. It contained a solitary bed where a young woman lay, passed out.

“Hoho, what a life you have here! Hmm. Nice bone structure.” Shiverwock stroked its chin, checking out Lady Rune Bertas, who lay unconscious. Perhaps because the barrier enclosing the room had been broken, she began to stir.

Shiverwock had heard the story, so it pretty much understood the situation.

They had said there was a high chance that Duke Bertas, the Commander of the Imperial Mage Corps, had a high chance of being involved.

Judging by her appearance in the deliberately secluded and isolated space, it seemed she was pretty pampered at home. Her father probably thought he’d never be suspected if he made it known that he was missing his own daughter.

Once she came to, she groggily groaned, “Ugh. Who are you?”

She didn't seem to realize the situation herself. Rune rubbed her eyes, got up, and then paused just as she was about to continue speaking.

Shiverwock returned to its original, gigantic size and stared right at her, making her quickly go pale with fright. “Hey. You’re a duke's daughter, right?”

“Gasp!” She flinched, not expecting it to speak.

It continued, “Well, forget the small talk. I have an important proposition for you.”

“W-what is it? More importantly, who exactly are you?”

Instead of answering, it asked, “Have you ever thought about exercising? You're weak as a kitten right now, but if you really commit to working out, I think you could get some killer muscles, just like me!”

“W-what did you say?!”

That was definitely not something to say to a delicate and very noble-looking young woman.

“Trust me,” it insisted. “You totally deserve the best muscles! I’ll teach you everything from the ground up!”

“D-don't be crazy!! Kyaaak!!! Why are you coming closer?! Isn't there any... anyone?! Please! Get this crazy monster away from me! Prince Khrones!!”

She had no defenses facing Shiverwock, one of the heads of the demonic cult known as the Muscle Research Group in Heins Territory. Legend had it that even the knights of Heins, when falling into their hands, would end up bedridden for a week after finally escaping.

Of course, their methods did achieve some bizarre results. Shiverwock’s acquired obsession with muscles was truly something else.

* * *

With everyone watching, Evangeline calmly asked the young man, “You know my dad?”

She instantly became defensive, but he just shrugged at her wary gaze, confirming, “Sure do.”

“How do you know him?”

The man smirked. “Am I really under any obligation to tell you that?”

“Fair point,” she admitted.

“If you're curious, stay curious.”

He clapped his hands, nodding contentedly. “Thanks to you blinding that useless guy over there, we lost control of the dungeon. But thanks to you gathering everyone here, my job just got a whole lot easier.”

His arrogance was enough to make any young noble furious, yet not a single one of them dared to speak up despite their supposed pride. After all, the power he subtly exuded was simply beyond imagination.

“Since everyone's here, it’s about time to get to work. Clear them all out.”

Following his command, the man who had been struck by Evangeline's Fear shouted, “My Lord! That girl is dangerous!”

“I know. That filthy halfling... That mere hatchling exudes a pretty strong presence.” He looked at Evangeline with a satisfied expression before turning to his subordinate and saying, “Don't tell me you're about to complain that you can't even handle the rest of them, hmm?”

In other words, he was saying he’d step in and suppress her himself.

The minion was deeply wary of Evangeline, but perhaps his fear of their lord ran even deeper.

The spatial mage, too, sweated profusely and then nodded. “I-I can do it.”

“What are you all doing then? Move it!”

The black robed figures finally began to pull out their respective weapons.

There was a being with a massive longsword; a being with greatswords in both hands; and even a being wearing gauntlets that looked like one hit would send you straight to the afterlife.

They all looked human, but their power was truly astonishing.

Khrones, realizing the situation was getting serious, urgently shouted, “Everyone, on guard!!”

“Don't resist. If our Lord commands it, it happens. Resisting will only increase your pain.”

The man with the sword said calmly.

“Yeah. You're young and too reckless.”

The young man sitting on the throne spoke to Evangeline in an arrogant tone. “I’m sure you’re confident in your power. But what are you going to do if my subordinates kill all of them while I keep you busy?”

“You think you can pull that off?”

“Why couldn't I? You don't actually think you can fight me and protect all of them at the same time, do you?”

Evangeline gave a cold sneer, though internally she was burning with anxiety.

‘What the heck, he has more mana than Mom?’

Having more mana than Perserque meant he was a mage of the 9th Circle or higher.

Of course, the total amount of mana wasn't the only measure of mastery, and Perserque's true power wasn't just simple magic, but it was clear that his mana level was beyond the normal range.

She had no clue where a monster like him had come from, or what he could want from them. Whatever it was, the sudden appearance of such a powerful being who could break the balance was a horrible turn of events.

“You must've felt so superior, being born with dragon blood while surrounded by short-lived races like humans,” he mocked. “Pathetic.”

He motioned, and dozens of wind blades instantly flew toward Evangeline.

Evangeline gripped her divine dragon sword Twilight tightly and quickly deflected them.

The young noblemen and women caught in the middle heard the young man say Evangeline was half dragon, but none of them could afford to care. One of them shouted, “Lady! We have to retreat first!”

Even after seeing her strength, they were extremely tense because of the mana the young man subtly exuded.

“Kehehehe!!” With a bizarre laugh, the man with the dagger scattered like a shadow, bypassed Khrones, and tried to stab the neck of a terrified young noblewoman.

Fwoosh!!

Unfortunately for him, Evangeline instantly spun around and enveloped him in her powerful Fear, causing him to stagger. Khrones seized that opportunity to stop him.

‘I let my guard down this time. Dad warned me over and over not to underestimate my opponents...’

If she had left the young nobles somewhere safe and come alone from the start, none of it might have happened.

There was a big difference between fighting without restraint and fighting while protecting others. Even so, she wasn't about to stand there and passively take it.

The wind blades instantly flew toward her again. Unfortunately for her, they weren't just simple wind blades—each one had enough power to injure the average dragon. For a normal hatchling, especially a half-dragon, the blades were nearly fatal.

Yet, Evangeline didn't care at all.

Flap!

A pair of wings suddenly burst through the air behind her and blocked every wind blade.

“What?!”

“Hmm...”

The figures in black robes were astonished, and the young man wore an intrigued expression, remarking, “Interesting. I’ve never heard of a manifestation like that.”

Evangeline had no response.

“You're not just some mixed-blood half.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

She had asked to keep it a secret, but that was just a precaution to avoid simple hassle. Unlike on Earth, the existence of dragons in Tionis sometimes came under extreme scrutiny. Of course, that was no reason to hide the truth given her situation.

The young man had intended to pressure Evangeline without revealing his full strength, hoping to watch her fall into despair. Instead, his arrogance had placed him in an awkward situation.

Of course, even though she had replied flippantly to him, she wasn’t completely relaxed.

‘He’s stronger than I thought...’

The young man who remained seated on his throne was powerful. Of course, if she'd had time to prepare, she could've dealt with him whenever she wanted. Yet, since there were four others who surpassed Master-class Transcendents, the obstacle was completely different.

She was suffering from both a lack of experience and a lack of training. Evangeline couldn’t deny that she had been slacking off on training since she started streaming. She had also been lazy, thinking that there was no point in strenuous training when she was getting stronger automatically from viewers’ attention.

The situation would’ve been much better if even one of the young lords or ladies could hold off the attackers for a short while. Considering that even Prince Khrones, the unparalleled genius, could barely survive against a single black-robed figure, however, things didn't look good.

“I guess I’ve been goofing around too much lately.” Evangeline sighed and slowly flew up, then landed in front of the others.

Khrones, feeling his own helplessness, clenched his fists so hard that blood trickled down his wrists. “Lady... I’m sorry.”

Although they greatly outnumbered the enemy, the difference in fighting strength was the complete opposite.

Having Evangeline bear all the burden alone served to rile up the competent geniuses like Khrones, Ratius, and Crama who were watching the situation with rage.

“Damn it... Damn it! I got scared?! What a joke!!” Ratius desperately forced his body to move against the crushing mana radiating from the young man.

Genius. While it was a grand title, they were still young, only a level commonly seen on the continent.

“My Lady...” Eosha, who had been holding her fiance’s hand with a pale face, also called out to Evangeline with a face full of indignation, “I’m sorry... I can't even be helpful...”

Just then, even in the bad situation, Evangeline cracked a smile. She comforted, “I'm the one who brought all of you here in the first place.”

The young man, annoyed, sent wind blades her way again. Yet Evangeline showed a sturdiness he couldn't comprehend and batted them away with her wings. “I’m talking to them right now!! Where are your manners, you idiot?!”

“Woah, woah, my apologies,” he surprisingly replied. “Turning your back on an enemy right in front of you—I thought you might’ve gone crazy.”

“Says the guy who can't even leave his throne. All talk and no action.”

Hearing that, the young man stopped smiling for the first time. Fireballs, incomparable to any of the spells he cast before, formed around him. It was some sort of high-circle flame magic.

“You sure have a foul mouth for a dirty mixed-blood.”

Evangeline just chuckled. “Lady Eosha, don't worry. I have a finishing move.”

She then slowly turned her back.

Eosha was stunned. “A finishing move?”

“Yes, a finishing move.” With those words, Evangeline put away Twilight. The moment she took a deep breath, her expression twisted. “I really didn't want to do this if I could help it.”

The space above her head abruptly cracked apart. The fractured sky split open like splintering glass, and a low growl echoed from within.

The young man, who had been calmly sitting on his throne, jolted to his feet. Realizing something, he shouted, “Stop her!!”

The black-robed figures charged at Evangeline all at once. Their speed was astonishing, but she had already finished her preparations.

[Breath of the Stars]

A partial manifestation projected her true body into reality. What emerged through the torn space was the head of her true dragon form.

The cluster of starlike energy gathered inside its open jaws before shooting toward the ceiling. Before anyone could interfere, it unleashed a tremendous shockwave and erupted into a massive stream of Dragon Breath.

The beam shot straight upward and instantly melted the dungeon's ceiling, creating a massive hole. Normally, creating an opening to the outside from a dungeon existing within a dimensional rift would've been nearly impossible.

Yet she did exactly that. By concentrating an unbelievably dense and absurd amount of breath into a single point, she had forcibly created a rift.

“Who cares if we're underground? I just have to punch a hole through it.” Despite staggering from the enormous mana drain, Evangeline raised her middle finger at the young man. Completely free of all tension, she delightfully declared, “We have service again, hehe.”

When one was outnumbered, the solution was simple.

Call in more allies.

The dungeon might've been protected by layers of defensive magic, but it certainly wasn't built entirely from adamantium or helixium.

Of course, the fact that it existed in a separate dimension complicated things. Still, the young man never imagined Evangeline would blow a hole through the ceiling, so he immediately hurled a fireball at her.

She only needed a brief moment. Her breath had connected the dungeon to Tionis, and once she activated the bracelet that served as her beacon, all she had to do was call for reinforcements.

Evangeline didn't even bother defending herself. Instead, she twisted that bracelet around her wrist until it shattered and shouted, “Mom!!! This jerk's beating me up!!”