Chapter 322: The Shadow Dragon, Durin (2-in-1 Chapter)

Dragonspine, Albedo's Camp

The thick clouds in the sky obscured the sun. Even though it was already dusk, the golden light only illuminated the backs of the gray clouds, unable to penetrate through and reach the snowy peaks.

"Will this compass really help us find those corrupted monsters?" Amber asked, her red bunny ears twitching slightly as she looked at the compass in Albedo's hands with curiosity.

"Not just that. It can detect the direction of all residual traces of Durin's power on the mountain and indicate the concentration of that energy," Albedo replied with a smile.

"Good. Then let's head straight to where the concentration is highest. Hmph, that place must be connected to 'The Doctor'!" Eula said, crossing her arms with a cold snort.

She was right. Since "The Doctor" was researching Durin's power, it made sense that his base would have plenty of it. Searching starting from the areas with higher concentrations would likely yield better results.

"Let's set out now," Nolan said after a moment's thought.

Even though night was approaching, the sooner they found "The Doctor," the sooner they could solve this problem. They couldn't let his creations continue threatening the adventurers on Dragonspine.

The biggest concern was that monsters imbued with Durin's power might escape the mountain and cause even greater problems beyond.

According to Albedo's research, the power of the dragon was notoriously difficult to dissipate naturally. Just like with Dvalin, who was corrupted by Durin's energy—without Lumine's purification ability, even Barbatos wouldn't have been able to help.

If a monster infused with Durin's power, like a low-level slime, managed to escape and was defeated by a powerful Hilichurl Chieftain, the energy could very likely transfer to the chieftain, creating an even greater threat.

This made immediate action crucial.

"Understood," Albedo nodded slightly, infusing elemental energy into the tracking compass to activate it.

The compass displayed five concentric rings, each representing arrows pointing in different directions. Each ring indicated a different level of energy intensity.

If the arrow on the outermost ring lit up, it meant the pointed location had a low concentration of Durin's power.

And so on.

If the fourth ring's arrow was illuminated, it indicated a higher concentration. If the arrow in the center—the first ring—lit up, it marked the location of the most potent source of Durin's energy.

At that moment, arrows on all five rings lit up, pointing in different directions.

It seemed there were many corrupted monsters or remnants of the dragon's power scattered across the mountain. Without delay, Nolan and the group set off in the direction indicated by the innermost arrow.

As night fell, the snow on the mountain took on an even grayer hue.

The group of four took flight using their wind gliders, and with Nolan's presence, there was no need to worry about finding high ground for gliding.

It didn't take long for them to reach the location indicated by the compass.

It was a hidden underground fissure, emitting an eerie red glow for reasons unknown.

"Um... it looks empty inside, doesn't seem like a place where someone would be. Should we check it out?" Amber asked, feeling a touch of apprehension.

"It does seem strange. Let my avatar go in first and take a look," Nolan said, appearing a bit hesitant.

Currently, the "Sword God" had already reached the mountain's summit and had discovered the artifact domain. Unfortunately, the portal there was not functional.

For now, entering was impossible.

Summoning the "Sword God" back was perfect timing to explore this mysterious place.

"Good idea!" Amber smiled and patted Nolan's arm with her gloved right hand to show her agreement.

Neither Eula nor Albedo had any objections.

While they weren't afraid of the odd scene, it was wise to avoid unnecessary surprises.

Nolan nodded slightly.

He instantly summoned the "Sword God" from the summit, and she began to descend into the fissure.

Through the eyes of "Sword God," the scene inside the fissure was transmitted directly into Nolan's mind.

At first, it appeared as an ordinary, unremarkable tunnel, albeit one bathed in an ominous red light.

The ground was slightly uneven, scattered with many fragments of rock and what appeared to be Hilichurl footprints.

This suggested that they were not the first visitors here.

Soon, after flying for about a hundred meters, Nolan finally saw the source of the eerie red glow.

It was an enormous heart, still pulsing slowly! Tendrils of dark purple energy coiled around it—or rather, flowed from it. The energy was emanating from this colossal heart.

"It must be the heart of the Dragon Durin. To think that after all this time, it's still beating!" Nolan couldn't help but exclaim.

"A heart? What heart?" Amber's bright eyes widened slightly with curiosity.

"At the end of the passage beneath the mountain fissure, I saw a massive heart radiating Durin's energy. This might just be the dragon's heart," Nolan explained openly.

"Interesting. Such a thing exists," Albedo remarked, intrigued. As a scholar, he shared some similarities with "The Doctor" in terms of his quest for knowledge, always eager to explore the unknown.

This included studying Durin.

However, unlike "The Doctor," Albedo would never put others at risk for the sake of research. The two were fundamentally different in that regard.

Having unexpectedly discovered what appeared to be the dragon's heart, Albedo naturally wanted to investigate.

After Albedo shared his intentions, neither Nolan nor Eula objected.

Nolan had already thoroughly scouted the area through the eyes of the "Sword God" and found no trace of "The Doctor" or other significant threats.

"Still, to be safe in case we get cornered after going in, it would be best if one or two of us stayed outside to stand guard," Nolan suggested after some thought.

The terrain inside was too well-suited for an ambush; caution was necessary.

"Yes, exactly. Let me and Nolan stay out here. Besides, I'm not that interested in some dragon heart," Amber said, nodding repeatedly.

"Fine, then Albedo and I will go in. I'm curious to see what makes this heart so special!" Eula said, crossing her arms.

This arrangement ensured that "Sword God," Albedo, and Eula were inside, while Nolan and Amber stayed outside. This way, they were prepared to handle danger on either side.

The place felt unsettling, as if things were not as simple as they appeared.

Dragonspine, at the eerie heart's location

"Sword God" floated mid-air, watching as Eula, dressed in thigh-high black leather boots that accentuated her shapely legs, and the blonde-haired Albedo entered.

"So this is the dragon's heart? Truly strange," Eula said, crossing her arms again, letting them support her chest, which was covered in sheer black fabric, to lessen its weight. She glanced sideways at "Sword God" as she spoke.

"…"

"Sword God" silently nodded.

"There's a strong concentration of Durin's power here. Perhaps this is the source of the other remnants of the dragon's energy throughout the mountain," Albedo remarked, tilting his head slightly as he looked up at the pulsing heart.

"If that's the case, then 'The Doctor' likely harnessed the dragon's power from here," Eula said. "Or, perhaps, he found traces of it elsewhere and used those to track down this location, much like you did, Albedo. Still, it doesn't seem like anyone's been here recently."

Eula raised an eyebrow, feeling a touch of doubt.

While she wasn't a scholar and wasn't knowledgeable about research, she understood that if one wanted to study Durin's power, nothing would be more fitting than the heart before them.

It was surprising that "The Doctor" wasn't here.

"Hmm, you might be right," Albedo muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Clap, clap, clap!

Suddenly, the sound of applause echoed behind them. Startled, they turned around.

"Ha, as expected of the Captain of the Knights of Favonius' Reconnaissance Company. Your instincts are sharp. I had intended to ignore your intrusion, but it seems you've come too soon—my masterpiece isn't finished yet!"

A rift in space suddenly tore open about ten meters away, and from it emerged "The Doctor," hands clasped behind his back, wearing a black mask.

With him came a Cryo Hypostasis and a Frostarm Lawachurl, both tainted with Durin's power.

"Oh, so you've finally decided to show yourself, No. 2 of the Fatui Harbingers—'The Doctor'!"

Albedo's expression showed slight surprise, but he was confident in his strength. With Eula and the "Sword God" by his side, he wasn't too troubled by this ambush.

Right, Nolan and Amber were still outside. If they could flank the enemy and enter, the advantage would be on their side.

But would someone as intelligent as "The Doctor" overlook this? It was likely that trouble awaited outside as well.

"Hmph, an unwelcome guest!" Eula drew her weapon, the blade slowly wrapping itself in ice as she prepared for battle.

"Sigh, I don't enjoy meeting as enemies, but you've interrupted my experiment," said "The Doctor" with a smirk, wasting no more words.

He raised his hand with a slight gesture. The Cryo Hypostasis and the Frostarm Lawachurl, monsters corrupted by Durin's power that should have been uncontrollably violent, obediently charged at Albedo and the others.

It seemed that "The Doctor" had indeed made significant discoveries.

Observing through "Sword God," Nolan felt a flicker of surprise. "The Doctor" could command these monsters! However, he had already fought "Sword God" before.

Did he think that simply adding two strong monsters would be enough to defeat them? Did he have another plan up his sleeve?

The Frostarm Lawachurl roared, clasped its hands into fists, and swung down at them with great force.

In the cramped space, Eula had nowhere to dodge. She swung her greatsword to meet the attack head-on.

Bang!

The clash of the greatsword and the monster's fists triggered an invisible shockwave, causing spiderweb-like cracks to form on the ground and walls.

The Frostarm Lawachurl, strengthened by Durin's power, was indeed formidable.

Seeing this, Albedo drew a one-handed sword from his Vision and summoned rock spikes from the ground to pierce the giant monster.

The confined space made dodging impossible for the massive Lawachurl, forcing it to take the attack directly.

However, the Cryo Hypostasis responded just in time.

It formed sharp ice spikes around its cubic body, spinning rapidly like a saw and easily shattering Albedo's rock spikes.

Through "Sword God," Nolan watched with a frown of mild astonishment.

These two monsters were working together? That was concerning—if the Fatui managed to create an army of such monsters, it would be disastrous!

With this thought, Nolan turned "Sword God's" gaze toward "The Doctor." He wondered if different segments of "The Doctor" could share memories in real time.

If not, perhaps leaving this segment trapped here would prevent him from bringing his findings back to the Fatui!

"Heh, don't look at me with such a malicious gaze. I've prepared an opponent for you as well!"

"The Doctor" had no interest in fighting this projection, which wasn't worth the effort, but the young man outside, who appeared to be the true form of the golden projection, piqued his interest.

He would make an excellent test subject!

He chuckled lightly and said, "Come forth, Durin!"

"What?!"

Albedo was stunned by "The Doctor's" words. Durin was supposed to be dead. How could he appear now when even his heart was right here?

Wait—Albedo seemed to realize something.

Could it be that the unfinished work "The Doctor" mentioned was actually Durin?

While everyone was caught in confusion, a deep and heavy heartbeat suddenly echoed from the dragon's heart. The invisible soundwave made Eula and Albedo's heads throb, nearly knocking them unconscious.

"Sword God's" body, composed of concentrated sword energy, almost dispersed from the shock.

"She" quickly raised a golden barrier, enclosing everyone within it while golden Windwheel Asters bloomed at their feet, providing both protection and healing.

The dragon's heart continued to emit muffled thumps.

Each beat carried a mental attack, causing ripples across the golden barrier, though it managed to hold up under the strain.

The injuries they'd sustained quickly healed under the healing effect.

"Heh, everyone, I'll go keep your companions outside company for now. Otherwise, an incomplete creation might misbehave and even attack me," "The Doctor" said, feeling some discomfort from the soundwaves himself. With a final smile, he stepped outside.

The two monsters, affected by the soundwaves, became even more frenzied and began pounding relentlessly on the golden barrier surrounding "Sword God" and the others.

"Damn, Eula and the others are in trouble!"

Nolan said to Amber outside. Durin hadn't yet revived, but just the sound of its heartbeat was troublesome enough. If it fully appeared, who knew how strong it would be?

"What? Then let's go in and help them!" Amber said, worried for Eula and the others.

Nolan nodded and was about to move when he saw "The Doctor" step out.

Now, they were in trouble as well.

(End of Chapter)

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