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When the Shadow Kingdom spread across the Dragon Graveyard, massive shapes slowly emerged from the darkness.
One by one, dragons took form.
Revived from the shadows, they threw back their heads and roared, unable to resist the urge to soar into the sky, wings beating as they flew freely once more.
It had been hundreds of years. Hundreds of years since their deaths.
Their bodies had long since decayed, their dragon souls sunk into deep slumber. If not for the overwhelming strength of a dragon's soul, they would never have been able to endure this long. They would have vanished from the world ages ago.
The thunderous roars and the sight of dragons flying through the air shook the entire kingdom. People rushed outside, staring at the sky where dragons had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Shock. Fear. Confusion.
Dragons had disappeared for so many years. Why were they suddenly back?
Yet not long after, the dragons vanished again.
The citizens had no idea what was going on, until someone stepped forward to address them.
"According to experts, what you just witnessed was only illusion magic, prepared for the upcoming festival."
"No real dragons appeared. Please don't worry. It was merely performance magic."
"Everyone stay calm. Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors. Once again, don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors."
With the kingdom's official explanation, the people gradually settled down. The incident soon turned into a joke, and no one took it seriously anymore.
But none of that mattered to Kazuma.
He stared at the dozen or so dragons he had revived and frowned slightly.
"It's still been too long," he muttered. "Even dragons couldn't hold on forever."
Shaking his head, he recalled the experiments he had conducted in Edolas. The shorter the time since death, the better the soul was preserved. Once too much of the soul had dissipated, even the magic of the Shadow Kingdom could no longer summon it back.
"Roar! Human… no, you are our king now. Thank you for granting us—"
Before they could finish, the dragons lowered their heads in unison before Kazuma. From the moment they were drawn into the Shadow Kingdom, they had become his subordinates. They understood clearly that the man before them was both the one who had given them new life and the ruler of the entire world of shadows.
"Mm. Go back for now," Kazuma said calmly. "I'll call for you when you're needed."
After sending the dragons back into the Shadow Kingdom, he turned his gaze to Wendy beside him.
"Wendy, it's your turn. Use the Sky Dragon's secret art."
Kazuma spoke.
Wendy immediately stood at attention. The sight of dragons flying out from the shadows earlier had left her completely stunned. When she saw those massive beings kneel at Kazuma, her mouth had fallen open in awe.
"Th-then, Guild Master… I mean, Niisan," she asked hesitantly. "What should I do?"
After thinking for a moment, she scratched her cheek awkwardly. She honestly wasn't sure.
"Doesn't the Sky Dragon have a secret art that gathers dragon souls?" Kazuma said. "Use that magic to collect the souls of the dragons here."
"I understand," Wendy nodded.
She crouched down and began drawing a magic circle on the ground. Thanks to Irene's careful, hands-on guidance in the past, there were no mistakes in her formation. Once the circle was complete, she began to chant the secret art.
"O wandering dragon souls, drifting once more… let me hear your voices!"
"Milky Way!"
As soon as she finished, Wendy sat down on the ground in a duck-like posture, closed her eyes, and let out soft, draconic hums.
She searched for the consciousness of the ancient dragons. Their lingering remnants seemed to respond, and the scattered bones around them began to tremble.
Before long, Wendy located a dragon's soul. Using Sky Dragon magic, she gathered the shattered fragments together.
"Roar!"
"Roar my ass. Get in there," Kazuma said flatly.
Darkness surged, swallowing the newly gathered soul as he pulled it into the Shadow Kingdom. Then he gently rubbed Wendy's head.
"As expected, Sky Dragon magic really works," he said. "It uses a special method to recall and reassemble weakened souls. Once that's done, I can bring them into my Shadow Kingdom."
"Don't stop, Wendy. Keep going. If you run low on magic power, tell me."
"I'll supply you. Let's get all these dragon souls today."
"Okay!"
Wendy nodded eagerly, a bright, happy smile on her face. Her magic was finally helping. She was helping Kazuma-niisan save Grandeeney's kin.
If Grandeeney ever returned and learned about this, she would definitely be happy.
At that moment, inside Wendy's body, Grandeeney saw everything unfold and was overwhelmed with emotion. She nearly rushed out on impulse, but forced herself to endure it.
"I can't make a decision so easily," Grandeeney thought. "I need to discuss this with the others first. Only then can I act."
What remained of Grandeeney within Wendy was only her dragon soul, without a physical body. If she left on her own, her soul would dissipate.
She existed here to evade the Black Dragon Acnologia, and to help Wendy resist the Dragon Force from within. That task was already complete.
The power to counter Dragon Slayer magic had taken root inside Wendy. She would no longer risk turning into a dragon because of it.
.
.
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