Chapter 596 - 440: Coal Ball’s Departure and the Duke’s Summons
Chapter 596: Chapter 440: Coal Ball’s Departure and the Duke’s Summons
His silhouette, stretched long by the fading glow of the sunset, looked lonely and desolate.
Lonely, and desolate.
「The next day.」
Black Stone Territory, on the training grounds.
"HRAAAGH!"
Raylo let out a low roar as the Knight Sword in his hand carved a sharp arc, cleaving viciously into the training post before him—a post made from the hardest Black Iron Wood.
"CLANG!"
A piercing sound, like the clash of metal on metal.
Sparks flew.
That incredibly hard training post, so thick it would take a person’s full embrace to circle, was cleanly split in two right down the middle!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror.
The surrounding Knights let out a series of stifled gasps.
This was already the tenth training post Raylo had sundered today.
Raylo ignored the stares from those around him.
Expressionless, he simply watched the severed half of the post topple over. His chest heaved violently, his forehead beaded with sweat.
For the entire day, he had spent nearly all his time on the training ground.
He was pushing his body to its limits in the most frenzied, self-torturous way, squeezing out every last ounce of his power.
He wanted to use physical exhaustion to numb himself.
"My lord."
Ed’s voice came from behind him.
He handed over a clean towel.
Raylo took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Is something the matter?"
he asked.
"A letter from Thunder Dragon City!"
"The Duke has issued a command! You are to proceed to Thunder Dragon City at once!"
"There are urgent matters to discuss!"
Thunder Dragon City?
Raylo stood up, walked to the water basin on the training ground, and violently splashed his face with the icy water.
The bone-chilling cold cleared his muddled mind somewhat.
’So, this is me now?’
Raylo gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Then, he picked up a nearby razor and began to carefully shave his beard.
Afterward, he returned to his tent and changed into a new, clean set of the black, close-fitting attire befitting the Black Stone Lord.
He once again hung the Divine Weapon Broken Flow at his waist.
Facing a mirror, he straightened his collar, smoothing out every last crease.
When he had done all this and stepped out of the tent once more,
he had once again become that same Count Raylo—always poised, always calm, always powerful in the eyes of others.
Outside the tent, Ed and Kado were already waiting.
Behind them stood a Knight, dusty from travel, clad in the standard armor of the Thunder Dragon Knight Order.
The Knight’s face bore an unconcealable trace of anxiety.
Seeing Raylo emerge, he immediately dropped to one knee.
"Lord Earl Raylo!"
"By order of the Duke, you are to proceed to Thunder Dragon City at once!"
Raylo raised his head and looked to the sky.
"Lightning!"
he called out.
"ROAR!"
A piercing dragon’s cry broke through the clouds from above.
A flash of blue lightning instantly descended before Raylo.
He turned and shouted back toward the tent.
"Moonlight, we’re leaving."
Then, with a single leap, he landed on Lightning’s broad back.
Moonlight quickly came out of the tent and hopped in front of Raylo.
"Ed, Kado."
"While I’m gone, I’m leaving Black Stone Territory to you."
"Please rest assured, my lord!"
Ed and Kado said.
Raylo nodded.
"Lightning, let’s go!"
He gave the command.
"ROAR!"
Lightning let out a heaven-shaking roar, and his massive membranous wings, wreathed in thunderclouds and lightning, gave a powerful beat!
"BOOM!"
There was no howling wind.
In an instant, his form, along with Raylo and Moonlight on his back, transformed into a brilliant streak of blue lightning that tore across the sky!
The bolt of light shot upward without the slightest pause, vanishing over the southern horizon in a flash.
The wind howled past his ears.
Raylo sat cross-legged. In his arms, Moonlight was curled into a ball, already fast asleep.
「Night fell.」
The night was as black as ink, the stars like shattered diamonds sprinkled across a velvet sky.
A streak of blue lightning, like a silent blade, cut through the tranquility.
Lightning’s speed was beyond extreme.
As a Thunder Dragon who had just entered Adolescence and was famed for his speed and destructive power, his flight could no longer be described as merely "fast."
He shrouded his draconic body in thunderbolts; each beat of his wings was like a flicker of lightning in the sky.
Below, the earth—mountains, rivers, and forests—retreated rapidly from view.
Raylo sat quietly, cross-legged on Lightning’s broad back.
In his arms, the sound of Moonlight’s even breathing was clearly audible in the quiet night.
As the first golden rays of the third day’s dawn pierced the clouds and spilled across the land,
the silhouette of a magnificent city appeared at the edge of the horizon.
Thunder Dragon City.
They had arrived.
Lightning’s speed gradually began to slow.
He let out a low draconic cry, as if announcing his return to the city.
Raylo stood up and stretched.
"Alright, let’s go down."
Raylo patted Lightning’s neck.
"ROAR!"
Lightning let out a roar. His massive draconic body circled once in the air, then descended directly toward the Royal Palace in the center of Thunder Dragon City.
Unimpeded, Lightning rode the thunderous light straight down, landing in the plaza directly in front of the Royal Palace.
"BOOM!"
His massive body landed with a dull thud.
Raylo jumped down, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the Royal Palace.
Lightning beat his wings, and his enormous body once again soared into the sky, flying toward the tallest tower in Thunder Dragon City.
The study in the Royal Palace was just as Raylo remembered it.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows cut the morning sunlight into bright beams that projected into the room, making the dust motes dancing in the air clearly visible.
Two rows of massive, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves occupied two entire walls, crammed with all sorts of thick tomes that exuded the ancient scent of ink.
The air was filled with a scent that mingled parchment, ink, and the faint aroma of cigars.
Raylo, holding Moonlight, stood at the entrance to the study without immediately entering.
He just quietly watched the tall figure standing with his back to him before the large windows.
Aiden Duke.
"You’re back?"
Aiden Duke didn’t turn around. He gazed at the bustling scenery of Thunder Dragon City outside the window, his voice calm and deep.
"Yes, Father."
Raylo walked in.
"That Thunder Dragon of yours is quite impressive."
Aiden Duke’s voice sounded again.
"He’s only just entered Adolescence, yet his aura is already so solid. Given time, his achievements may not be inferior to Astra’s."
He slowly turned around.
His gaze fell upon Raylo.
But at this moment, his eyes were filled with complex emotions.
There was relief, pride, scrutiny, and also a hint of gravity.
"You’ve grown up."
Aiden Duke looked at Raylo for a long time before finally saying those three words.
The son before him was a completely different person from the one who had left Thunder Dragon City all those years ago.
"Sit."
Aiden Duke gestured to the chair opposite his desk.
Raylo did not stand on ceremony and sat down as instructed.
Father and son sat facing each other across a wide, mahogany desk.
Silence.
A long silence.
Only the sunlight from outside moved slowly, changing the shapes of light and shadow in the room.
"Father."
In the end, it was Raylo who broke the silence first.
"You summoned me back in such a hurry. What exactly has happened?"
Aiden Duke did not answer immediately.
He took a carved wooden box from a desk drawer.
He opened the box and took out two top-quality cigars from the Red Dragon Empire in the South.
He handed one to Raylo.
Raylo was taken aback for a moment.
He hesitated, but still took it.
Aiden Duke put one in his own mouth.
He struck a match in the most primitive way.
"SCRAPE."
An orange-red flame flickered in the dim study.
He lit the cigar and took a deep drag.
"The Light Holy See is about to declare all-out war on the Dragon Realm."
Aiden Duke’s voice was very calm.
He exhaled a thick, white ring of smoke.
The swirling smoke obscured his sharply defined features.
"The most reliable intelligence has come from the Red Dragon Empire."
"In one month, the Pope will hold a ’Holy Light Baptism’ ceremony in the Holy City."
"After the ceremony, he will announce an expedition against the Red Dragon Empire."
"The first wave, an advance force of 30,000 men from three Holy Temple Knight Orders, led by three newly promoted Holy Knights, will immediately march to the battlefield."
Three Holy Knights meant three Catastrophe Level powerhouses.
He knew what this meant.
This would be an unprecedented catastrophe, one that would sweep across the entire continent.
No country, no faction, could remain uninvolved.