Chapter 395: Redemption
"If it's really as you say, why go through the extra trouble?"
Elefseria was genuinely puzzled, his ancient, bushy eyebrows knitting together in a deep frown. He leaned heavily on his gnarled wooden staff, the faint, ethereal glow of his magical essence shimmering in the dim light of the Magia Dragon guildhall. Since this young mage possessed the overwhelming strength required to effortlessly kill that catastrophic entity, why not simply choose to end its life? Going through the meticulous, incredibly complex effort of sealing the beast's magic seemed entirely unnecessary to the old Guild Master.
In Elefseria's long, blood-soaked memories, the Five God Dragons were absolutely not benevolent beings. They were walking natural disasters. In the distant past, the Water God Dragon alone had casually drowned countless coastal cities, dragging millions of innocent human souls into the crushing, lightless abyss of the ocean.
Even the rumors over the past century suggested the beast was still causing massive, unavoidable disasters for humans. To Elefseria, such a violently destructive creature simply deserved to die.
"Uh... how should I put this? This guy has redeemed himself now."
Ren scratched his cheek with his index finger, his tone casual but his expression reflecting a slight, lingering conflict. He understood the old man's deep-seated hatred, but the reality he had witnessed in Elmina painted a completely different picture.
"Redeemed? What do you mean by that?"
Elefseria genuinely did not understand the meaning of those words when applied to a being of such apocalyptic malice. To him, asking a Dragon God to redeem itself was like asking a hurricane to apologize for tearing apart a village.
Ren gave a small nod, shifting his posture before delving into a detailed explanation. He recounted his arrival at the Water God Dragon's grand temple, vividly describing the sights and sounds of the coastal town. He spoke of the thriving, peaceful community of Elmina, the genuine reverence the townsfolk held for their aquatic guardian, and the absolute lack of malice within the dragon's current domain.
After listening to the thorough account, Elefseria's glowing eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated shock. His weathered face twisted into an expression of absolute disbelief. "That's impossible!"
The Mercphobia that Elefseria remembered was a terrifying, evil dragon who slaughtered entire fleets without blinking, viewing human lives as utterly insignificant ants beneath his massive claws. To suddenly hear that this same nightmarish tyrant now loved the people like his own precious children and actively protected human lives sounded completely absurd. It was more unbelievable to the old man than hearing that the sun had suddenly decided to rise from the west.
Ren simply spread his hands in a calm, non-confrontational gesture. "That's the truth of the matter. In fact, if you think about it, you've probably noticed it too. In recent years, far more people have managed to return alive after attempting the Hundred Year Quest."
He paused, letting the logic sink in. "That is exactly why you sent me to the Water God Dragon's side first. He was the most accessible, the least openly hostile of the five."
"..."
Elefseria fell utterly silent, his grip tightening on his wooden staff. He had indeed noticed that the Water God Dragon hadn't been outright slaughtering the human mages who foolishly ventured into his territory lately. However, the old Guild Master had stubbornly assumed that the beast had simply grown bored, treating the weak humans with utter contempt and ignoring them. He had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that the situation would be exactly as Ren had described.
"If the opponent standing before me were still a bloodthirsty, unrepentant evil dragon, I wouldn't hesitate for a single second to carry out the mission," Ren stated, his voice firm and unwavering, carrying the heavy authority of the First Wizard Saint. "But he has genuinely changed his ways."
Ren looked directly into the old man's glowing eyes. "Although his past atrocities might be completely unforgivable to you, to me, he is exactly as I see him right now—a protector. So, I've come back here to ask for your honest opinion, since you are the official requester of this century-old mission."
Elefseria frowned deeply, his heart suddenly plunged into a violent, churning conflict. He naturally harbored a profound, agonizing hatred for the Water God Dragon. After all, if he didn't despise these creatures with every fiber of his being, he wouldn't have been so tragically obsessed with issuing suicidal missions to eliminate the Five God Dragons for over a hundred agonizing years.
His entire guild, his friends, his family—they had all been wiped from the face of the earth by the catastrophic power of the dragons.
But... if it was truly exactly as Ren said, and the Water God Dragon had miraculously become a staunch ally to humanity, actively protecting the weak, then the fundamental nature of the mission indeed needed to be changed.
"I still don't quite believe it. I must go and see this miracle for myself," Elefseria finally declared, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.
Elefseria decided right then and there that he had to confirm this staggering revelation with his own two eyes. He needed to stand before the beast and see if the Water God Dragon had truly become a creature friendly to humans. If it was just a twisted disguise, a sick joke, or a deceptive illusion meant to lower their guard, the ancient Law Dragon would undoubtedly be able to see right through the lies.
Whoosh—!
A massive, incredibly intricate teleportation magic circle violently expanded across the stone floor of the Magia Dragon guildhall. Brilliant, blinding light flared upward, accompanied by a heavy distortion in the very fabric of space, and then both Elefseria and Ren vanished instantly from the dusty, ruined chamber.
The very next instant, the oceanic atmosphere hit them like a tidal wave. They materialized perfectly within the grand, pristine halls of the Water God Dragon's temple.
Deep within his watery sanctuary, Mercphobia immediately felt the familiar, highly advanced spatial fluctuation echoing through his domain.
As the blinding light of the magic circle faded, Elefseria and Ren appeared together, standing side-by-side inside the heart of the Water God Dragon's majestic temple.
"Water God Dragon," Elefseria breathed out, instantly recognizing the towering human form of Mercphobia the moment his glowing eyes landed on him. Even in a human guise, the sheer, suffocating density of his magical pressure was unmistakable.
"Elefseria."
Mercphobia slowly turned his gaze toward the spectral old man, his expression remarkably serene. He actually knew of the legendary guild master quite well.
After all, they were currently known throughout the world of human myths as the Five God Dragons, but in the distant, bloody past, they used to be widely feared as the Six God Dragons. That was until the sixth member of their catastrophic pantheon had been brutally defeated and slain by Elefseria himself.
[Akarin's Note: Dogramag, the Earth God Dragon, was originally the sixth member of the God Dragons. He was supposedly slain by Elefseria over a century ago, cementing the Magia Dragon Guild Master's legendary status and reducing the mythological group to the 'Five God Dragons'.]
Although Mercphobia didn't particularly care much about that fallen Earth Dragon's death—since the God Dragons were never grouped together because they were on friendly terms, but rather because of their equally absurd power levels—it still meant something.
At the very least, it definitively proved that Elefseria possessed the overwhelming strength and sheer, unyielding willpower to be qualified to sit at the exact same table as the God Dragons.
"Ren here says that you've miraculously changed for the better, but I simply refuse to believe it. I want to see this so-called redemption for myself," Elefseria stated firmly, his ethereal form floating slightly as he looked directly, unflinchingly into the calm, sea-blue eyes of Mercphobia.
Mercphobia's stoic, melancholic expression remained completely unchanged. "Believe it or do not believe it. That is your choice. As for wanting to see the truth of this place, look as you please. I have nothing to hide from you."
Elefseria didn't bother standing on ceremony. He immediately turned and began thoroughly walking around the expansive grounds of the Water God Dragon's temple. He cast his magical senses outward, sweeping over the entire coastal town below.
Sure enough, just as the young mage had claimed, Elefseria saw the undeniable proof with his own eyes. He saw the lush, carefully irrigated farms, the meticulous medical care facilities, and the active, highly coordinated rescue operations designed to pull stranded sailors from the violent coastal storms.
These monumental efforts were clearly not just for show. As an incredibly arrogant, prideful entity recognized as one of the Five God Dragons, there was absolutely no logical need for Mercphobia to put on a pathetic, benevolent act for the sake of any human. He could wipe them all out with a single breath if he so desired.
In other words, this bizarre, peaceful sanctuary truly was the Water God Dragon's own genuine will.
"You really have changed?!" Elefseria whispered, turning to look back at Mercphobia. Even after verifying it with his own magical senses and seeing it with his own two eyes, the ancient guild master still found it incredibly hard to process.
"People change over time. It's only natural, and completely normal, for a Dragon to eventually change as well," Mercphobia replied softly, his voice carrying the deep, echoing resonance of the ocean depths.
"Then what exactly caused this miraculous change of heart?" Elefseria demanded, stepping closer, his glowing eyes desperate for an answer that made sense.
"Yes... the true turning point for me was Karameel," Mercphobia admitted, a faint, incredibly tender smile gracing his usually stoic features. "Actually, to tell you the truth, I didn't even want to save her at the time. After finding her drowning at sea, I only intended to use her as a fleeting toy to pass the time."
He paused, his gaze drifting toward the grand windows of the temple, looking out over the submerged, sparkling city. "But then... as time passed, we somehow became familiar with one another. We spoke, we shared moments of quiet, and before I even truly noticed what was happening, I was already happily walking the path of coexistence."
While Mercphobia was speaking these painfully honest words, Elefseria stared intently, almost fiercely, into the Dragon God's sea-blue eyes. The old man knew that whether a person or a beast was lying could almost always be explicitly revealed through the micro-expressions hidden deep within their eyes.
As it turned out, Elefseria didn't detect even a single, microscopic hint of a lie or deception in Mercphobia's calm gaze. In fact, given his overwhelming power, there was indeed absolutely no need for him to lie to a mere phantom of an old man.
"Though I am like this now, actively trying to protect these fragile lives, I freely admit that I once killed millions of humans," Mercphobia continued, his tone shifting into one of heavy, burdened solemnity. "I don't wish to make any pathetic excuses for my past atrocities. To the me of that ancient time, slaughtering humans was simply a very natural, instinctual act."
He looked back at Elefseria, his eyes entirely devoid of malice, but filled with a terrifying, absolute truth. "Just as when you humans carelessly step on a wandering ant while walking down a dirt path... would you ever stop to apologize to the ant?"
Elefseria flinched slightly, the brutal, undeniable logic of the analogy striking a painful chord within his ancient heart.
"Perhaps, among the countless humans I casually eradicated, there were your beloved relatives, your sworn guildmates, or your dearest friends," Mercphobia said, slowly spreading his arms wide, leaving his chest completely undefended. "If that is the case, it is only natural, and entirely justified, for you to hunt me down for revenge. If you want to take action and end my life to balance the scales of your grief... then come. Strike me down."
Mercphobia spoke those words to Elefseria with absolute, unwavering sincerity. Deep within his weary soul, he already harbored a quiet death wish, exhausted by the immense burden of his uncontrollable, overflowing magic. He truly didn't mind even if Elefseria and Ren decided to team up against him right here and now.
Elefseria closed his glowing eyes, his ethereal form trembling slightly as he constantly organized the chaotic, violent storm of thoughts raging in his mind.
After a long, agonizing while, he finally opened his eyes, releasing a heavy, exhausted sigh that seemed to carry a century's worth of sorrow. Did he hate the Water God Dragon? Of course he did. Only he remained as the sole surviving phantom of his once-glorious guild, and far too many of his cherished comrades had been brutally slaughtered by the very entity standing before him.
That was the exact, singular reason why he had been so relentlessly persistent in wanting to brutally kill the Five God Dragons for the past hundred years.
But what Mercphobia just said was also an undeniable truth. At that chaotic time in history, Dragons and humans were almost naturally, biologically antagonistic toward one another. Dragons could slaughter humans with impunity, and humans, naturally, would develop the magic to slaughter Dragons right back. It was a vicious, endless cycle of survival.
Elefseria finally turned his weary gaze away from the Dragon God, looking toward the young Wizard Saint. "Ren... back in the guildhall, you said you possess a method to securely seal the Water God Dragon's power instead of killing him?"
Ren nodded his head, his expression turning serious. "I can definitely do it. But given the current situation, I strongly advise against taking that route."
"Why not?" Elefseria asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. If the beast genuinely wanted peace, stripping his destructive magic should be the perfect, bloodless solution.
"Because some dangerous people currently residing in this town seem to desperately want to kill the Water God Dragon specifically to harvest and consume his meat," Ren explained, his voice dropping to a low, warning tone. "If I forcibly seal his magic now and render him helpless, he will immediately be in fatal danger from those predators."
Ren then went on to vividly describe the three highly aggressive individuals he had encountered shortly after arriving in Elmina.
"Dragon Eaters... the dark guild Diabolos?" Elefseria muttered, his ethereal eyes widening slightly in recognition at the mention of the grotesque moniker.
"You actually know them?" Ren asked, arching an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Elefseria slowly shook his head, his expression turning incredibly grim. "No, I've only heard dark, unsettling rumors of them from the northern territories. They are lunatics who gain absolute Dragon powers by hunting and violently devouring fresh Dragon flesh. In a moment of desperation, I actually once issued this very same Hundred Year Quest directly to their guild... but they arrogantly refused to take it."
The old man's glowing eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits as he looked out over the sparkling waters of Elmina. "I certainly didn't expect those rabid dogs to set their greedy, gluttonous sights on the absolute pinnacle of power—the Five God Dragons as well."
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