Episode 688

Zeke watched the unfolding chaos from within Terrakan’s body.

As he observed the dire situation, something unexpected happened. A powerful dark energy surged from Claudia, whose soul had been overtaken by the Demon King.

Hoshgar, momentarily taken aback, quickly regained his composure and focused his magic on the circle, trying to block the Demon King’s grasp on Claudia’s soul.

“Ugh…”

The intense energy emanating from Claudia made Hoshgar wince.

At that moment, Terrakan stepped forward, removing the gloves from his hands.

Crackle!

He directed his unique Draker power of magic reflection towards Claudia.

Her eyes, now black as night, turned to Terrakan.

【Immortal one. Does it not pain you to see your beloved suffer?】

Terrakan’s eyes wavered at the Demon King’s words, prompting Hoshgar to shout.

“Terrakan! Don’t listen to the Demon King! What he truly desires is your body!”

The Demon King’s ultimate goal was none other than the immortal Terrakan.

However, even the Demon King couldn’t penetrate Terrakan’s mental defenses.

Thus, he sought to inhabit the body of the strongest dragonkin, Bahamut, as a second-best option.

Hoshgar maintained the barrier and called out to Claudia.

“Claudia! Snap out of it! You can’t let the Demon King control your soul!”

Whether it was Hoshgar’s desperate plea or something else, Claudia’s body began to tremble.

Her eyes, both blackened, flickered with a faint light, and she clutched her head in agony.

When she finally looked up, one of her eyes had returned to its original color.

With great effort, Claudia called out to Terrakan and Hoshgar.

“Everyone, run! The Demon King isn’t after me…”

Just as she tried to say more, an even stronger wave of dark energy surged.

Claudia resisted, summoning the power of purification.

A golden aura radiated from her, clashing with the Demon King’s dark energy, creating a swirling black mist.

Inside her weakened body, the forces of darkness and purification battled fiercely.

“Argh!”

Blood trickled from her eyes and mouth.

Terrakan, alarmed, took a step forward.

But it was Claudia who stopped him.

“Don’t come!”

Nearly consumed by the Demon King, Claudia cried out to Terrakan.

“Terrakan, I’ll hold him off somehow… Please, protect our children…”

In that moment, Claudia’s body lifted into the air.

Rumble!

Transformed into a half-dragon, Claudia, now imbued with the Demon King’s power, spread her black wings and leapt out of the tower window.

Boom!

With four pairs of black wings unfurled, Claudia—no, Bahamut—disappeared into the distant sky.

Watching Bahamut vanish into a mere speck, Terrakan collapsed to the ground, his expression hollow.

Hoshgar approached him with a look of sympathy.

“Terrakan.”

Terrakan, having lost his beloved, was in a daze.

Temeter approached, handing over the two children she held.

The twins squirmed into Terrakan’s arms.

Finally, Terrakan began to regain his senses, meeting the eyes of his children.

Seeing this, Hoshgar snapped her fingers, summoning a chair, and sat down heavily, addressing Terrakan.

“Before she gave birth, Claudia told me something about a contract with the Demon Lord.”

At the mention of the Demon Lord, Terrakan looked up at Hoshgar.

“Claudia made a contract with the Demon Lord?”

“Yes, when the demons attacked, the Demon Lord himself appeared here.”

She pointed to the child with brown eyes.

“Geo. This child won’t be targeted by demons due to Claudia’s contract with the Demon Lord. But…”

Hoshgar gestured to the other child.

“Claudia didn’t know she was carrying twins, so only Geo was protected by the contract. This means other demons might target the remaining child.”

Terrakan’s eyes turned draconic at her words.

“No demon will lay a hand on my and Claudia’s child.”

Hoshgar continued with a stern expression.

“Think rationally. I hope you’re right, but we can’t be sure. The Demon King finds ways to exploit gaps we never anticipate.”

Temeter handed her a glass of water, which Hoshgar drank before continuing.

“And the real issue is… the Demon King’s true target wasn’t Claudia.”

Terrakan clenched his jaw.

“I know. The Demon King’s real aim is to consume my soul and seize the power of the immortal.”

Hoshgar shook her head.

“No, the Demon King wasn’t after you.”

Terrakan looked at her in confusion, and Hoshgar pointed to the child in his arms.

“The Demon King’s target was that child. The one with an unknown power even Claudia couldn’t detect.”

Terrakan’s eyes widened at Hoshgar’s revelation.

“The Demon King is after this child?”

Hoshgar nodded.

“Yes, given the circumstances, it’s the only conclusion. Claudia accepted the Demon King into her body to protect this child.”

Terrakan’s hands trembled as he held the child.

But the children, unaware of the gravity of the situation, simply gazed up at him with wide eyes.

Terrakan looked down at their eyes—one with Claudia’s mysterious blue, the other with his own brown.

‘Claudia…’

She had resisted the Demon King’s power to the end, sacrificing herself to protect their children.

Terrakan couldn’t betray Claudia’s final wish.

He rose from the floor, determination in his eyes.

He approached Temeter, handing over Geo with a quiet request.

“Take care of Geo, Temeter.”

Temeter, in her humble guise, nodded at Terrakan’s words.

As Terrakan prepared to leave with the other child, Hoshgar called out.

“Terrakan! Where are you going? Didn’t you hear me? The Demon King and the demons will target that child!”

Terrakan paused, then turned back to her.

With a resolute look, he replied.

“I’m taking the child somewhere safe.”

“What? Where could be safer than Troy right now? The crumbling Seven Kingdoms? The arrogant Mage’s Tower? Or the Draker’s Sword Guild?”

Terrakan shook his head.

“I’m going to see Chronos.”

Hoshgar was taken aback by Terrakan’s declaration.

She knew how much Terrakan had suffered under Chronos’s fate-driven philosophy.

For him to willingly seek out Chronos was unthinkable under normal circumstances.

It was a testament to Terrakan’s desperation.

Terrakan turned away again, speaking over his shoulder.

“It won’t take long. Please, watch over Troy in the meantime.”

With those words, Terrakan left with the child.

Zeke, residing within Terrakan, suddenly felt a shift in his surroundings.

‘What’s happening?’

The scene changed, and a familiar figure appeared before Terrakan.

“Chronos.”

Terrakan, holding the child, had come directly to the clock tower to face Chronos.

Standing before the massive, frozen clock, Chronos looked at Terrakan and the child in his arms.

Terrakan knelt before her.

“Chronos, great dragon of time, please protect this child.”

Terrakan pleaded with desperation.

Chronos, expressionless, simply observed him.

With no response from Chronos, Terrakan raised his head, his voice filled with urgency.

“Great dragon of time! You must know what’s happening outside the clock tower! Bahamut, consumed by the Demon King, is leading other corrupted dragons to destroy the Seven Kingdoms! They’re crushing all races, especially targeting the dragonkin!”

The clock tower was a place few could reach.

Thus, it had taken time for him to arrive, during which much had transpired in the world.

Thanks to the hero Terrakan Draker, the demon threat had nearly been quelled, but now, under Bahamut’s command, they were forming a new legion.

Bahamut had created a massive gate linking the demon realm and the mortal world, summoning demonic beasts and monsters to systematically destroy the Seven Kingdoms.

As Hoshigar had warned, the demons relentlessly pursued Terrakan’s child, forcing him to traverse a path that was nothing short of hellish to protect the child.

After enduring countless hardships, he finally reached the clock tower and stood before Chronos. Yet, she said nothing, merely gazing at him in silence.

Terrakan cried out to Chronos once more, his voice filled with desperation.

“Say something! Anything about that cursed prophecy! Speak of fate, if you must!”

Only then did Chronos finally speak.

“Terrakan, do you remember what I told you before? That you would soon face a difficult decision.”

Terrakan nodded slowly, his expression pained, as Chronos glided toward him, reaching out to the child cradled in his arms.

“The time for that decision has come. If you wish to keep this child safe… you must make a choice.”

Terrakan spoke, his voice resolute.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the child.”

Chronos replied slowly, her words deliberate.

“You must destroy Bahamut with your own hands.”

Terrakan’s eyes wavered at her words. He had believed that sealing the demon king’s soul would restore Bahamut to his former self. But now, Chronos was telling him he must destroy the one he loved most.

His lips trembled.

“Is there no way for Bahamut to return?”

“To break free from the wheel of fate, Bahamut’s sacrifice is necessary.”

Terrakan longed to escape the destiny that Chronos spoke of, but despite his struggles, it had led him to this moment.

He looked down at the child in his arms, who bore Claudia’s strikingly blue eyes and smiled innocently.

Turning back to Chronos, he spoke calmly.

“I will do it. But please… ensure the child’s safety.”

Chronos nodded at Terrakan’s words and took the child from him. As she held the child, she spoke.

“Terrakan, this child holds the only hope of breaking the wheel of fate.”

Suddenly, the massive clock behind her began to move.

A deep, resonant hum filled the air.

Moments later, the power of chaos within her flowed into the child. Astonishingly, the child’s blue eyes began to change.

A soft, crackling sound accompanied the transformation as the blue eyes turned jet black, sealing Bahamut’s power deep within the abyss.

Shortly after, a loud noise erupted as the space behind her began to split apart.

Terrakan, alarmed, shouted out.

“Chronos! What are you doing?”

As he tried to rush toward her, his body froze, unable to move.

Zeke watched as Chronos, holding the child, slowly approached the rift in space.

Beyond the rift, another realm appeared.

Zeke was stunned to see a familiar face on the other side.

“Mother?”

Standing on the opposite side of the rift was none other than Laura Agamemnon.