Chapter 1516: Done Here

Erend eventually stepped out of the great hall, leaving the remains of the Obsidian Dragon behind in the ancient chamber.

The Dragonborn would remain there, resting within the place where he had spent countless years in silence. Perhaps one day someone from this world would discover the cave and uncover what remained of him. Perhaps no one ever would.

Either way, the Obsidian Dragon had sounded like someone who did not particularly care what happened after his story had ended.

Erend had gained far more from him than he had expected, and that was enough to bring a faint smile to his face as he walked back through the cave.

Among everything he had received, the ancient techniques were probably the most valuable. The knowledge would give him another path toward improving himself as a Dragonborn and eventually reaching a higher level of control over his own power.

The ranking system had been useful because it gave him a clearer understanding of the Dragonborn hierarchy, but compared to the techniques, Erend felt that practical knowledge would benefit him far more in the near future.

Erend eventually emerged completely from the cave and waited outside for Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven.

They were taking longer than he had expected. He had no idea what they were discussing with the other remnants of the Obsidian Dragon, though perhaps they had simply spent more time exchanging information.

Maybe later, the four of them could compare what they had learned and discuss the conversations they had with the different will of the Dragon.

Erend suspected that they had probably received similar information, but there would undoubtedly be small differences between their experiences.

Aesa was the first to emerge after him.

Erend almost found himself surprised. Considering her usually cold and direct personality, he had expected her to be the last one out rather than the first. She stopped beside him at the cave entrance, and Erend noticed a faint smile on her face.

It was a rare expression from Aesa. For someone as normally reserved as her, that small smile meant quite a lot.

"Got something good?" Erend asked.

Aesa nodded. "I can’t believe that Dragon has been dead for so long and still managed to give us information this valuable."

"Yeah. I didn’t expect to get this much either. What did you hear from him?"

"The rankings and the ancient techniques. Aside from that, he mostly encouraged me not to let my past consume me." Aesa took a slow breath, allowing the cold air to fill her lungs. "I think I’ll follow that advice."

Erend smiled. It certainly sounded like Aesa had gained something important for herself. The Obsidian Dragon had truly been a wise Dragonborn.

Not long afterward, Sylven and Eccar emerged almost at the same time.

Their expressions were different from each other. Sylven looked unusually relaxed while Eccar appeared deep in thought.

"What’s wrong?" Erend asked as he looked at Eccar.

"Did you two also hear about the rankings?" Eccar asked, looking between the three of them.

"Of course," Erend replied.

Aesa simply nodded once.

"Didn’t we all receive basically the same information?" Sylven asked.

"Yes. That’s exactly what’s bothering me." Eccar frowned. "It turns out there are so many Dragonborn scattered throughout the cosmos. Some of them are probably much stronger than us. We’re actually not that strong compared to them. Doesn’t that worry you?"

"Of course it worries me," Sylven admitted. "But they’re far away. We don’t need to think about them right now. We should focus on controlling our Black Rage first. The ancient techniques the Obsidian Dragon gave us will probably be useful for that."

Eccar remained silent for several seconds. His thoughtful expression gradually softened.

"Yeah... yeah. I think you’re right."

Erend and Aesa both nodded in agreement.

"We’ve already obtained everything we needed from this world," Erend said. "So let’s move on to the next one."

Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven agreed without hesitation.

They still wanted to spend more time exploring this fascinating world. Elyndor had given them countless mysteries and experiences, and there were undoubtedly many things they had yet to discover.

But they could not afford to waste more time. Their journey was far from over, and the Black Rage remained an unresolved problem.

The familiar coordinates began pulsing inside Erend’s mind. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the destination.

Then he raised his hand.

Space immediately began to distort in front of them as a portal gradually formed, revealing the path toward the next world they needed to visit.

The four Dragonborn stood before it for a moment before Erend stepped forward, and their journey continued.

—

The four Dragonborn had no idea what awaited them in the next world. They had no information about the place they were heading toward and could only follow the coordinates that continued pulling them deeper through the portal.

At first, nothing seemed unusual. But as their journey through the portal continued, they gradually began sensing something wrong with the Magic surrounding them.

The energy flowing through the space was unstable. Some currents fluctuated violently, or carried traces of corruption that made the entire passage feel unpleasant.

The four Dragonborn immediately became more alert. They didn’t need to say anything. They had traveled together long enough to understand when something was wrong, and each of them instinctively prepared themselves for whatever might be waiting on the other side.

The closer they came to the portal’s exit, the stronger the uncomfortable sensation became. The unstable Magic pressed against their bodies and faint traces of corrupted energy continued drifting through the passage.

Then the light ahead suddenly grew brighter.

The four Dragonborn barely had time to react before a powerful force seized their bodies and hurled them forward.

They were flung out of the portal.

The moment they emerged, they felt the air immediately felt heavy.

The atmosphere itself seemed to carry enormous pressure. The unstable Magic surrounding them made the entire environment feel hostile.

The four Dragonborn instantly spread apart and prepared for danger, their senses fully alert as they examined the unfamiliar world around them.

—