Chapter 64: Bottom of the Ice Cellar, A Crowded Party

The Bronze and Fire King's Dragon Bone Cross, whether in substance or significance, was a treasure beyond measure in this world. At its best, it could be used to research the authority of a Dragon King; at its worst, it could be processed into a Philosopher's Stone, the lethal weapon known as the Fifth Element.

Zoran's motive for wanting it was simple. The authority of the Bronze and Fire King held little personal use for him; after all, Shendu had already escaped the Demon Netherworld and required no substitute of his own kind. However, Zoran wanted to use it to see in advance if the authorities of this world were qualified substitutes for what he needed for his Transposition Spell.

To Angers, he wasn't asking for permission, he was giving notice. What the Moon Demon set his sights on could not escape, even if it grew wings.

…

That night, deep beneath the academy, in the Ice Cellar.

The Dragon Bone Cross was stored here under layers of protection, a security detail nearly as formidable as Section 13. Zoran did not take the front entrance. He picked a spot and simply opened a hole, or rather, a tunnel, directly through the earth.

With a rumbling sound like an earthquake, he forcibly opened a pitch-black, well-like passage beneath his feet. Gravity's opposite, gravity's pull, bore his body aloft, suspending him within the shaft. The soil beneath him parted continuously to either side as if a super-sized tunnel boring machine were clearing his path, though his speed was far greater.

He dropped into the water. This was the stainless steel piping that provided circulating water for the Ice Cellar. Silently, a repulsive force pushed the water in the pipes away in all directions, surging it up the tunnel he had carved as if the liquid itself feared his presence.

Suddenly, he caught a scent.

"It seems someone beat me to it," Zoran murmured to himself. Repulsive force squeezing the water aside, he drifted unhurriedly toward the Well of Oblivion where the dragon bones were kept.

He had encountered this aura not long ago. Xia Mi, or rather, the Dragon King Jormungandr. She was here to steal the bones of the King of Bronze and Fire.

"It seems we've chosen the same path." Zoran hummed a nameless tune, his silhouette ethereal as down, all currents yielding to make way for him.

…

On the other side.

A dark shadow, shaped like a swimming fish, moved easily through the currents. Xia Mi broke through the layers of the Ice Cellar's defenses with ease, reaching the very bottom.

The path ahead was a dead end; the pipes here stretched in another direction. The shadow stood on the pipe wall and reached out, releasing her unique domain. With a gentle push, she shattered the pipe wall and sliced her wrist. Blood seeped into the water, her high-purity dragon blood destroying the Yanling barrier that stood in her way.

The shadow proceeded for a time until she faced a massive natural grotto. In the center of the pool within the cave stood a circular metal altar. The Bronze and Fire King's Dragon Bone Cross rested there silently.

This was what the shadow had come for. She stepped onto the altar, looking at the object and whispering, "We meet again..."

Her tone was somewhat dazed. Before her lay the withered skeleton of a boy. The pure copper-colored bones were interlocked, his small arms outstretched, gripping the slender bones behind him that were once a pair of wings, resembling Jesus nailed to the cross. In the world of half-bloods, the Dragon Bone Cross could be called the "Holy Grail," a testament to its value.

The shadow's gaze lowered. She cut her artery, letting the dragon blood flow freely in an attempt to awaken the slumbering skeleton.

"Stand up, Constantine," she whispered. That was the name of one of the twin Kings of Bronze and Fire, and the name of this skeleton.

Time passed slowly. The skeleton, drenched in dragon blood, remained as still as ever. Dragon Kings were notoriously difficult to kill, but the skeleton before her was truly, fundamentally dead. The King of Bronze and Fire had vanished completely from this world.

The shadow's eyes were filled with loss. She embraced the skeleton with a sorrow born of shared fate.

In the next instant, she turned her head, looking toward another dark figure in the shadows nearby.

"So sorry. It seems I'm interrupting you all." The other shadow stretched. She had an exquisite figure; even as a mere silhouette, her graceful curves were apparent.

Mai Sakatoku. She, too, was here for the dragon bones. She belonged neither to Cassell College nor the Secret Party; she had her own organization, working under a man known as "The Boss." Stealing the bones was a task The Boss had assigned earlier. Though she hadn't been able to contact him for a few days for some reason, the work still had to be done. So, she came.

The shadow lit a firebrand, her gaze landing on Mai. Mai stood with her arms crossed, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, with two sharp straight blades strapped to her proud, long legs.

"I am here to pay respects to a friend. What are you doing here?" the shadow asked in a normal tone, seemingly unconcerned by the sudden arrival.

"Stealing things, of course!" Mai pointed to the bones on the altar, her gaze shifting to the darkness on the other side. "But hey, it looks like we aren't the only two who want this toy."

As if to answer her, a third person's voice emerged from the darkness where their gazes met.

"The Ice Cellar, guarded so strictly by Cassell College, and so many rats appear in a single night. How ironic," the third person sighed.

"Rats? Aren't you a thieving rat as well?" A smile played on Mai's lips.

At that moment, the third person stepped out of the darkness. He wore a light gray formal suit with a cravat, looking more like he was attending a ball. Caesar Gattuso's shadow, Parsi Gattuso, revealed his true form without hesitation.

"As a member of the Board of Trustees, everything in this academy is the property of the Board. I, Parsi Gattuso, naturally have the right to inspect it."

As his words fell, the sound of clapping rang out. A fellow with a KFC paper bag over his head walked out. His outfit was truly hard to look at without laughing.

"Quite a party. Mind if I join?" he asked.

Deep in the Ice Cellar, an unexpected fourth person had appeared.

"This is getting difficult. It seems everyone is here for the dragon bones." Mai's expression turned helpless. "Looks like we'll have to use the most primitive method."

"Seconded!" Mr. KFC raised his hand. He was heavily muscled, possessing a striking visual impact.

The air in the grotto grew tense. All four people present had come with the same goal, and none of them were easy targets.

In the center of the altar, the shadow closest to the bones suddenly sighed. She slowly stood up without speaking, stole one last glance at the bones, and scanned the crowd.

"To challenge me, you need qualification."

"Then I suppose our qualifications aren't enough?" A smile appeared on Mai's beautiful face.

"Not enough," the shadow shook her head.

The moment the words left her lips, a visible, translucent domain expanded rapidly from her. The metal floor of the altar cracked instantly, sweeping toward the other three like a sledgehammer. The magnetic field within the domain shifted violently; countless shredded metal fragments rose in the field, turning into a surge of literal killing intent as the domain expanded.

This was the power of a Yanling, an unknown, terrifyingly powerful one.

Inside the grotto, the faces of the other three changed instantly. Mr. KFC's muscles bulged as he activated his own Yanling in an attempt to block the expansion. Parsi Gattuso reacted even faster, his single Golden Pupil shining terrifyingly bright as a silent domain surged forward to counter the attack.

Only Mai Sakatoku remained motionless. Her Yanling was Dark Light, a mastery of stealth. But against the omnidirectional strike of such a powerful Yanling, she had no means of resistance.

Everyone had underestimated the shadow's power. The situation tilted instantly after she released her Yanling. The swirling metal fragments were destroying everything; even the Dragon Bone Cross in the center of the altar could not withstand such devastation. The skeleton was being gradually ground down in the battle.

The three looked at the shadow on the altar in despair. This power was beyond the control of any ordinary person. Parsi Gattuso drew an old-fashioned flintlock pistol from his coat, prepared for a desperate final stand.

The shadow had crushed them in an instant. From the start, this had never been a back-and-forth duel.

Just then, from the top of the grotto, a massive surge of water erupted, crashing to the ground. This was followed by the sound of rhythmic clapping.

As the clapping echoed, the Yanling domain that was grinding everything to dust paused in the next instant. It was barely a step away from the three.

Within the hearts of everyone present, the same doubt flashed: Who was this fifth person who had arrived so late?

The clapping ceased. The voice came from the top of the grotto; he sounded as if he were standing in mid-air, speaking down to them. He spoke with a deep, elegant voice, possessed of a unique rhythm.

"I say... what do you people think you are doing with my property?"