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Chapter 122: Side Story - How the Golden Boy Spends His Winter Vacation

Somewhere far away from the continent.

A mysterious land not even marked on the Empire\'s standard map.

The Forest of the Forgotten, Ploitoon.

A forest filled with trees perpetually adorned in a tapestry of autumn hues, their leaves eternally crimson.

"Hmm~ I\'m pretty sure it was around here...?"

A blond boy traversed the forest.

His light footsteps crunched upon the scarlet leaves, carrying him deeper into the woods.

He strolled amidst the overflowing crimson trees as if on an autumn picnic.

"Strange... I\'m certain this is the right place, according to my memory."

As if searching for something, the boy muttered to himself, constantly scanning his surroundings.

While he furrowed his brows and tilted his head in contemplation, a faint figure materialized before him.

"Who dares to disturb my slumber?"

A voice laced with chilling bloodlust echoed through the air.

The emergence of an overwhelmingly powerful presence caused the surrounding mana to tremble faintly.

The sheer pressure emanating from the figure distorted the very fabric of space around it.

The shadowy figure spoke, gazing down at the boy standing before it.

"To trespass upon my domain with such audacity... You shall pay for your arrogance with your life."

"Aren\'t you being a little too uptight?"

"What?"

"We\'re both of the Dragon Clan, let\'s help each other out. If we remain so closed off, all we\'ll hear are whispers about snakes~!"

"What... are you talking about?"

The figure seemed momentarily taken aback, its expression unreadable.

The boy, staring at the shimmering heat haze, let out a knowing chuckle.

"Found you at last. The leader of the Red Dragons... Plagueis."

"How do you know that name...?"

Plagueis, concealed within the shadows, frowned in bewilderment.

He had employed Recognition Reduction Magic so potent that it could deceive the very laws of the world.

No ordinary being should have been able to perceive him.

Yet, this boy saw through the Polymorph, instantly discerning his true identity.

"You\'re not human."

"Bingo~!"

"Then what are you...? A Goblin? An Archangel? Or perhaps... a demon?"

"I told you, I\'m a Dragon."

"Don\'t be ridiculous! Among all the Dragon offspring I know, there\'s no one like you!"

"Really now?"

"I\'ll ask again. What are you?"

"Now that hurts~ I haven\'t forgotten you, but you\'ve gone and forgotten me...!"

The boy dramatically scratched his head, feigning offense.

He sighed and bit his lip in thought for a moment before slapping his forehead as if struck by a sudden realization.

"Aha~! You don\'t recognize me because I\'m in this form, right?"

"What...?"

"Sorry, sorry... Just wait a second. I\'ll return to my original form."

The boy waved his hand dismissively, urging patience.

He bowed his head and muttered something in an unknown tongue, then raised his hands high above his head and clapped them together with a resounding snap.

-Snap!

His thumb and middle finger collided, producing a sharp sound.

The sound wave, born from the somewhat theatrical gesture, sliced through the silence of the forest and shot outwards.

Simultaneously, the boy\'s demeanor underwent a drastic transformation.

"How about this... Recognize me now?"

His brilliant blond hair shifted, turning as white as snow.

His eyes blazed with an intense blue light.

Tiny blue sparks crackled around his fingertips.

The boy\'s appearance had transformed in an instant, and Plagueis, who had remained composed until now, stiffened in shock.

"...Impossible."

"See? You recognize me now."

"H-How... How can a Thunder Dragon still be alive? Your Clan was wiped out over 200 years ago...!"

A remnant of the past, appearing so abruptly.

Plagueis stammered, unable to conceal his astonishment.

The white-haired boy simply stared at him, as if observing his reaction.

His playful smile had vanished.

All that remained on his face was a chilling gaze, devoid of any warmth.

His voice, as cold as winter, declared,

"I\'ve come for retribution, Plagueis."

"R-Retribution, what are you..."

"When our Clan was hunted. When we begged for your help, you turned your back on us and scurried away like a rat. This is the price for that betrayal."

-Crackle!!

Azure lightning bolts erupted around the boy, crackling with ferocious energy.

His white hair whipped around him in the turbulent air.

The boy brushed his bangs aside, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Thanks to you lot... I\'ve experienced some truly delightful things."

"W-Wait...!!"

"The screams of my mother, begging me to run while I still could... They still ring clear in my ears."

"Don\'t be absurd! How can you blame us?! It was the humans who hunted the Dragons!"

"Yes, that\'s right... I knew you\'d try to weasel your way out of it."

Hatred flickered within his crystalline pupils.

Plagueis, feeling an oppressive weight crushing down on him, cried out,

"Stop spouting nonsense! Back then, we..."

"You made a deal with the humans, didn\'t you? In exchange for revealing the location of our Clan, you secured your own safety."

"H-How could you possibly know that...?"

"Because I heard it directly from the mouths of your brethren."

"Our brethren? All those who knew of that agreement are dead...!"

Plagueis\'s voice trailed off, his face contorting in horror as a chilling realization dawned upon him.

"Don\'t tell me... for the past 200 years, the one who has been hunting down the Lord-level Dragons..."

"That\'s right, it was me."

"..."

"I\'ve killed the Green, the Blue, the Black, even the Gold... Now it\'s your turn."

The boy\'s casual confirmation sent a shiver down Plagueis\'s spine.

For a moment, Plagueis stood there, frozen in terror.

Then, his eyes blazed with crimson fury as he roared,

"How dare you utter the word \'death\' in my presence! I am the pinnacle of all Dragons!!"

"Whatever you say."

"You may be a Thunder Dragon, but you\'re still just a child, barely 300 years old! You are no match for me!!"

-Crack, boom!

With a sickening crunch of bone and flesh, Plagueis\'s body began to transform.

The shimmering heat haze dissipated, and his form swelled in size.

Crimson wings sprouted from his back, and a massive tail lashed behind him.

Plagueis, having shed his Polymorph, stood revealed as a colossal Fire Dragon, radiating overwhelming power.

"I\'ll tear you limb from limb!!"

Bathed in the eerie glow of his crimson aura, Plagueis opened his jaws wide.

Intense heat gathered within, forming a swirling vortex of ethereal flames.

The sight was enough to steal the breath of any onlooker, yet the boy merely smirked.

"What a load of crap. You pathetic excuse for a Dragon."

The boy\'s hand shot up towards the sky once more.

Crackling, buzzing noises filled the air as azure lightning crackled around him, painting the atmosphere with its electric fury.

"The Book of Sacrifice."

Oh, Primordial Thunder Dragon.

Your descendant calls upon your might.

Take this fleeting future, and grant me power in the present.

Nine hundred years of my life, I offer.

Grant me your divine power.

"Pierce through."

-Zernoth Style Forbidden Magic, Third Verse of Paradox-

-Assassination-

-Boooom!!!

As the incantation left his lips, a blinding blue light engulfed the boy, expanding outwards to encompass the entire forest.

He clenched his fist, feeling the raw power of the electric current coursing through his veins.

Without a moment\'s hesitation, he launched his fist forward, aiming for the heart of his enemy.

-Thud...

A dull thud echoed through the air as Plagueis, who had been preparing his fiery breath, was struck.

Or rather, it wasn\'t quite a hole.

The majority of Plagueis\'s body, except for his long Dragon neck and tail, had simply vanished.

-Thump, thud...

Moments ago, he had been a magnificent beast, brimming with life. Now, he was nothing more than scattered chunks of flesh.

What little remained of his body crashed to the ground with a sickening thud.

As crimson blood pooled on the forest floor, the boy casually wiped his hand on his clothes.

"Ugh... This is exhausting."

He stepped onto Plagueis\'s severed head, his face etched with fatigue.

He had sacrificed a significant portion of his lifespan for this power, and the strain was evident in the blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

As he wiped the blood from his mouth, a raspy voice reached him from below.

"With a single... blow... How is this... possible..."

"What? You\'re still alive?"

Even with his body gone and only his head remaining, Plagueis clung desperately to life.

The boy frowned at the Fire Dragon\'s tenacious grip on existence.

"Even for a Thunder Dragon... such power... is unheard of..."

"Just die already. My lifespan aches from overusing my powers."

"Who... are you...?"

With his dying breath, Plagueis gasped out one final question.

The white-haired boy spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"Ugh, just die quietly. Stop asking pointless questions."

"Damn you..."

"...Fine, since you\'re about to kick the bucket anyway. I\'ll answer that much."

Listen well.

This is both revenge for the blood spilled in the past.

And a promise of the endless suffering your Clan will face from now on.

"My name is Zernoth."

The last of the Thunder Dragon Clan.

The Empire\'s hidden shame, a living testament to a history they tried to erase.

And...

"Your reckoning."

-Crack!!

Zernoth\'s fist shot out once more, crushing Plagueis\'s skull with a sickening crunch.

The once-mighty Dragon\'s head was now nothing more than a pulpy mess.

Zernoth stumbled back, collapsing to his knees with a groan.

The metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils.

He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, before looking up at the sky.

"...I miss you, Mom."

A single sentence escaped his lips, filled with longing and a profound sense of emptiness.

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