Chapter 492: It was not a coincidence

Within moments, his human form had been replaced by that of an immense dragon.

His enormous body dwarfed the ship behind him.

A pair of gigantic wings unfurled from his back, stretching across the surrounding space, while a thick dragon tail extended behind him.

Faint crimson light burned between his dark scales, giving his terrifying appearance an even more imposing presence.

[Transformation Bonus: Power +50.]

[Power Index: 80 → 130.]

The nearest construct immediately turned toward him.

Caelus narrowed his eyes.

He drew back his enormous fist while keeping Origin Lock ready.

However, he deliberately refrained from activating it.

At that moment, the clock’s two hands aligned at the top of its face.

A brilliant beam of energy shot directly toward him.

BOOM!

The attack struck Caelus squarely in the chest.

Intense heat spread across his scales, but he didn’t bother avoiding it.

Instead, he continued advancing through the beam.

And the next moment, his enormous fist smashed directly into the construct.

CRACK!

The clock’s face shattered!

His knuckles pierced straight through its center before bursting out the opposite side.

The surrounding metallic rings broke apart, scattering countless fragments through the empty space.

The mysterious light radiating from within the construct abruptly disappeared.

Caelus came to a stop.

Broken pieces of the enormous clock floated around his arm.

For a moment, he simply stared at the remains.

’It broke?’

He hadn’t even used Origin Lock.

Yet the construct had been destroyed with a single punch.

Behind him, Bertram was equally dumbfounded.

"Brother Caelus... you saw me hit that thing earlier, right?"

"I saw you."

"Then why the hell did your attack work?!"

Caelus opened his enormous claws, allowing the broken center to drift away.

"I haven’t figured that out myself."

However, one thing was certain.

His attack had worked.

And judging from the complete lack of movement among the broken pieces, the construct was genuinely destroyed.

The remaining three clocks immediately reacted.

Their enormous rings began rotating at an astonishing speed as they spread out around his dragon form.

Two moved toward his wings while the third approached from beneath his arm.

Their bodies flickered continuously, with different sections appearing in several places along the same path.

Caelus focused his attention on the third construct.

Just as it began charging another beam toward the ship, he moved.

His enormous claws caught one of its outer rings before it could finish turning.

With a powerful pull, he forced the construct’s face toward the empty space beside them.

The beam discharged, sweeping harmlessly away from Bertram’s defensive barrier.

CRACK!

The metallic ring bent beneath his grip.

Caelus tightened his claws and crushed it directly against the clock’s face.

The entire construct shattered between his fingers.

’So it wasn’t a coincidence.’

His suspicions had been confirmed.

For some reason, his attacks could damage these things.

Before he could think further, the remaining two constructs fired simultaneously.

Two beams struck his back.

Caelus turned with the impact, swinging his enormous dragon tail toward the nearest clock.

BOOM!

His tail smashed through its rotating rings, splitting them apart with tremendous force.

The clock’s center was sent spinning through space.

However, Caelus immediately reached out, caught it in his claws, and crushed it as well.

Three down.

Only one remained.

The final construct abruptly flickered into existence behind him.

"All anomalies must... must..."

"Oh, shut up."

Caelus turned around and seized the enormous clock with both hands.

Before it could release another beam, his claws sank into its metallic face.

With a powerful movement, he tore the entire construct apart.

CRACK!

The distorted voice abruptly stopped.

Broken pieces scattered in every direction.

And with that, the final Enforcer was destroyed.

Caelus remained motionless for several seconds, carefully observing the scattered fragments.

None of them showed any signs of movement.

Nor did they attempt to reassemble themselves.

At the same time, the strange spatial distortions surrounding the ship gradually began to disappear.

’Looks like that’s the end of it.’

Caelus finally released his transformation.

His enormous dragon body rapidly shrank, the black scales disappearing as he returned to his human form.

He then flew back toward the ship.

Sylvia was already waiting near the doorway.

As soon as he stepped inside, she caught his arm.

"You didn’t use Origin Lock, did you?"

"No. I thought I’d need it, but those things broke before I even had the chance."

Sylvia frowned thoughtfully.

"Then how did you manage to damage them?"

"That’s what I’m trying to figure out."

Caelus had a few suspicions.

The most obvious possibility was his connection to the Axiom Origin.

After all, it had recognized the constructs immediately.

However, he still couldn’t understand why that connection would allow him to destroy something even Bertram couldn’t scratch.

And if those constructs were truly the Akashic Records’ Enforcers, why had they attacked in the first place?

The more Caelus thought about it, the stranger the entire encounter seemed.

Meanwhile, Bertram returned to the ship’s controls with a troubled expression.

"I don’t like this at all."

He shook his head.

"I’ve traveled this route more times than I can count, but I’ve never encountered anything like those things before."

"Has something similar ever happened in the past?" Caelus asked.

"Not to me."

Bertram’s answer only deepened his suspicions.

Caelus turned toward the window.

As the ship gradually moved away, the broken remains of the Enforcers disappeared into the distance.

’Akashic Records, just what are you trying to do?’

He had originally wanted to obtain some answers regarding the Records.

Yet this encounter had only left him with even more questions.

Fortunately, the remainder of their journey proceeded without any further disturbances.

No more spatial distortions appeared, nor did they encounter any additional Enforcers.

After traveling for some time, countless bright gates finally came into view.

Beyond them stretched the magnificent Northern Star Region.

Enormous planets revolved around brilliant stars, while countless celestial bodies filled the distant expanse.

Bertram gradually reduced the ship’s speed as they approached the outer boundary.

Caelus, meanwhile, retrieved Nico’s card.

He had been planning to contact him and ask where they should head next.

However, before he could do so, several ships suddenly appeared in the distance.

Then more followed.

Within moments, an entire formation of vessels had spread across the route ahead.

Their pale hulls bore magnificent golden eagle insignias, making their affiliation immediately recognizable.

It was a fleet belonging to the Adler Imperial Family.

And judging from their formation, they had come prepared.