Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Buzz—The raging Originium energy began to spiral out of control, transforming wantonly into various forms of energy: light, heat, electricity, ice, and fire.

Nesario was startled by this sudden turn of events. The Royal Guard Academy had taught Originium Arts, as well as methods to counter casters.

The Originium Arts unleashed by the professional sorcerers left a deep impression on Nesario. This guy in front of him wasn't using Originium Arts at all; he was just going berserk!

"Run! This guy's going to blow this place up!"

The Sarkaz didn't even come to protect their comrades; instead, they chose to run away!

Then, amidst the rampant Originium energy around him, Nesario saw the face of the creature in his hand clearly—black crystals pierced from under its skin, and its entire face looked terrifying, as if it had been touched by a demon.

"Damn it! A late-stage infected person!"

Nesario was practically swearing out every swear word he'd ever heard. Of all the times, he'd taken a late-stage infected person hostage? What was the difference between this and dancing with a bomb in your hand?!

He kicked the bomb that looked like a humanoid figure away, but it was too late. The Originium energy was completely out of control—a violent explosion occurred inside the pipes, and the steel used to build the mobile city deformed under the intense impact.

Hearing the explosion behind him, Captain Sarkaz immediately lunged to the ground, a strong gust of wind swirling from behind him—mixed with fresh Originium dust.

"Damn it! Hold your breath if you don't want to die!"

Originium powder can not only enter the human body through respiration, but skin contact can also aggravate Oripathy. Sarkaz, who lack Oripathy inhibitors, can only slightly delay their death through this method.

"That kid is probably dead... Captain, what do we do next? This commotion was too big, and several of them escaped."

"Prepare to break out; if you stay here, you'll be surrounded."

What should we do with that shipment...?

"...I'll go destroy it."

Sarkaz mercenaries never appear in a place without a reason; they usually come for a commission.

This time, they were helping the nobles of Victoria transport Originium artifacts—of course, the experienced captain deduced from some clues that there was something even bigger behind this.

But he knew very well that knowing too much was not good for a mercenary.

All he needed to do was focus on delivering the goods, but it seems that things are now ruined.

"I really don't know what's wrong with the employer, forcing someone with late-stage Oripathy into the company. I've been sleeping in fear these past few days, afraid of being blown up."

As the impacting winds weakened, a large amount of Originium dust dissipated, and a Sarkaz mercenary began to complain that their team would never take late-stage Infected individuals on missions.

"Who knows, but this deal has already fallen through. We don't even know if we'll have a chance to get out of here alive."

"It's very close to the city exit, so there's still a chance."

The mercenaries watched their captain walk deeper into the area. Once the captain had disposed of the goods and disposed of the evidence, they would launch their raid.

......

New World Survey Team Star Base

Several days have passed since the operation to subdue Nergigante, and the investigation into the dragon is beginning to yield results. However, Azure Star herself is anything but happy, as Neltharion has ultimately been "killed" by Nergigante.

Of course, no conclusion can be drawn yet, because Nesario himself said that his death here would not cause any problems; but he has not reappeared, and Azure Star's mood remains somber.

After learning about the whole incident, the Commander-in-Chief immediately sent people to search for traces of Nergigante and Neltharion at the bottom of the cliff—but strangely, both the man and the dragon had disappeared. The Commander-in-Chief instructed all hunters to report any traces of Nergigante or Neltharion found in the New World.

Nergigante might not be dead yet, so the research team cannot stop their investigation.

"Lord Star, the scholars have made new progress in their research on Nergigante."

"What is it?"

"When the Nergigante's spines encountered powerful energy, they underwent a change in activity, beginning to divide and proliferate, their morphology closely resembling... reproductive cells."

"What does this... mean?"

Azure Star is very skilled at hunting, but in professional fields, she naturally can't keep up with the scholars.

"In other words, Nergigante may reproduce asexually, and its hunting of Elder Dragons may be for the purpose of procreation. Of course, this is still just a hypothesis."

"Neltharion was stabbed several times by Nergigante's spikes during the battle... Will this cause any problems?"

"Well... we have too little research on Lord Nesario, and his situation is too special, so I cannot make a judgment."

"Thanks for your hard work."

The investigation team's mission continues, and Azure Star cannot remain in a state of despondency forever.

......

Pain, burning—Neltharion felt wounds all over his body. Surviving the high-energy stone bombs, Neltharion's physical body was strong enough.

"Damn it... it's definitely Oripathy."

Nesario knew very well that his wounds were not caused by anything else, but by fragments of Originium from the explosion.

"What did I just bump into?"

The violent explosion threw Nesario into the air, where he crashed into something and was brought to a stop.

Nesario ran his hand over the ground—besides his own blood, there were fragments of wood, shards of glass, and a pool of liquid.

Nesario looked at the liquid on the ground and noticed that it appeared orange-black under the firelight—the color of Originium Liquid.

"This is completely hopeless... the external wound has come into contact with the Originium fluid..."

Nesario is probably really going to have to leave Victoria, because all the most effective treatments for Oripathy are currently in Colombia.

Chapter 101 Unleashing a Bloodbath!

An unusual sensation kept coming from the wound. The entry of the Originium liquid did not cause pain. It was as hot as boiling magma. Nesario only felt his blood vessels being burned.

"This isn't good..."

Nesario sensed the approaching death. He didn't know much about Oripathy; he didn't have the lofty ambition to save all the infected, nor did he have the disgusting idea of ​​exploiting them. What Nesario longed for was not to contract Oripathy—the incurable disease was too troublesome, and he didn't want to spend his future in drugs and experiments.

But now, that idea seems to have become a pipe dream.

"I should have known better than to meddle..."

Nesario had a safer option: tell the school to let the Victorian military handle the incident, and he might even be commended afterwards.

But he was too greedy! Military commendations and extra points at school were not enough for Nesario; he wanted to swallow the smuggled goods, and if they were valuable items, his strength would increase dramatically in that instant.

"The result was a bunch of Originium Elixir... and I even got myself involved."

Is Originium Extract precious? Absolutely precious. This stuff is the lifeblood and foundation of Originium Industries. So much Originium Extract is extremely valuable, whether for making weapons or explosives, or for industrial development, but Nesario can't use it right now.

The burning sensation gradually spread throughout my body, and my consciousness began to blur. This time... it's really over.

—thump—thump

The sound of my heart beating was incredibly clear; was this what they called a final burst of energy before death?

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Each time it grew stronger and more turbulent, an unfamiliar power erupted from Neltharion's heart, like an enormous vortex, greedily absorbing all the Originium energy from his body.

*Thud*—A sharp spike pierced through Neltharion's chest; *Thud, thud*—a continuous stream of spikes emerged from Neltharion's body.

Shoulders, arms, legs—endless spikes formed sharp armor, firmly protecting Neltharion; a pair of enormous bone spurs grew from his back, immature and seemingly useless.

The Originium fragments that grew on the body of the Originium Patient showed no intention of appearing on Neltharion's body; on the contrary, these spikes became the master of Neltharion's body.

"Roar--!"

A beastly roar came from Nesario's throat as he turned his head sharply—the Sarkaz captain, who had been lurking behind a corner in the distance, was instantly awakened.

The first thought of this seasoned Sarkaz warrior was not to finish off Neltharion, but to escape; there are many branches of Sarkaz, including some races that usually seem quiet and gentle, but will fight to the death when pushed to the limit, and those guys can unleash more powerful force the more seriously injured they are.

The kid was badly injured by the explosion, and the subsequent Oripathy outbreak alone could kill him. There's no need for me to fight him to the death.

"Roar!"

The sound, which was originally some distance away, suddenly came from behind his head, and the powerful wind pressure blew up Captain Sarkaz's hair—BOOM!

A heavy punch landed on his back like a cannonball, sending excruciating pain through his bones and internal organs, along with a piercing, bone-chilling pain—his back had been stabbed by some sharp weapon.

Pain did not diminish the Sarkaz's fighting spirit. The captain suppressed the rising blood in his throat and then swung his sword in retaliation—the broad blade slashed against the pipe wall, sparks flying. This sword could cut a person in half!

*Crack*—The blade struck something, but it wasn't flesh; it felt like bone.

Neltharion raised his hand to block the sword. The heavy blade severed most of the newly grown spikes, but was ultimately intercepted. After the spikes broke, as the energy in his body was consumed, new gray-white spikes quickly sprouted, almost covering Neltharion's entire hand.

The uncontrolled beast savagely grabbed the blade, its immense force pulling the mercenary captain close in. Close combat was an essential part of a mercenary's life, and the captain used the momentum of his charge to close the distance. At the moment of imminent contact, he steadied himself and unleashed a powerful punch aimed at "Nesario's" cheek. But before the punch could hit, "Nesario's" claws had already seized him.

The captain felt his strength suddenly give way as his feet gradually left the ground, and "Nesario" lifted him up.

With a deafening bang, "Nesario" slammed the enemy in front of him viciously onto the ground. The sturdy steel pipes twisted and deformed, along with the bones of the poor fellow beneath him.

Thud! The atrocities hadn't stopped. The spiked arm rose and slammed down, and with a muffled thud, the Sarkaz's black horns began to shatter.

Thump—thump...smack!

The sound gradually changed, from a muffled thud to a viscous one; Captain Sarkaz initially tried to fight back, his fists incredibly swift, but with each counterattack, the spikes pierced through all the bones in his hands; like himself, he eventually became lifeless.

"Nesario" realized that the enemy was completely dead, and he began to look outside—the air was filled with not only a large amount of repulsive energy, but also the stench of blood.

hunting!

The spiked monsters charged toward the pipe exit before the waiting Sarkaz mercenaries could react.

......

Exhaustion, pain, and soreness—not a single part of his body felt at ease. Nesario's consciousness gradually returned, and he slowly sat up from the ground, finding himself still in the dimly lit pipes.

What's wrong with me?

Nesario struggled to stand up, but the movement aggravated his chest, sending a sharp pain through his heart.

"Hiss—damn it..."

Upon touching the heart—and sure enough, a sharp bone spur pierced through the chest cavity.

'Last time it was just a dream, this time the nightmare has become reality...'

He tore off a piece of his tattered cloth and bit it into his mouth—then he exerted force, a sharp pain piercing his entire chest, reaching its peak the moment the spike was pulled out.

After doing all this, Nesario lay down again, completely exhausted.

"Ha...ha...the Originium couldn't kill me? Why?"

The pain made his memories clearer, and Nesario recalled what had happened a few minutes earlier—the guy in front of him, who was in the late stages of Oripathy, had exploded. The violent impact and Originium fragments had left him covered in wounds, and to make matters worse, he had been knocked into a large box of Originium Elixir.