Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 603 - 556

Upon hearing the Giant Dragon’s response, Kolosis’s mental state visibly deteriorated, like a man hanging on to his final breath who had found peace. His figure trembled, and so did his speech.

"Lord Koranac... I have finally... achieved it... after so much sacrifice... after such a long wait... You, at last, have answered me!"

The Giant Gemstone Dragon lowered its head just as Kolosis remembered, its tone softening like that of a benevolent father. "You have worked hard, Kolosis. But I... should have withered away long ago. I entrusted this power to you, and your tribesmen, I can no longer sense their existence."

The Dragon Priest hunched his body, lowered his head, letting the shadow of his robe hide his face.

"This was... a necessary sacrifice..."

"Sacrifice?" The Giant Gemstone Dragon looked perplexed, spreading its wings to sense its surroundings. Then the Dragon’s roar and condemnation made the Crystal Dragon’s Nest nearly collapse. "Kolosis!! What have you done!!!! You killed your own kin!!! You destroyed them!!! You shattered everything we swore to protect!!! You have betrayed me!!! How dare you summon me into this sinful vessel!!!!!"

The furious Giant Dragon opened its jaws wide, magic power gathering in its chest, transformed into Dragon Breath, aimed at the negligent Dragon Priest. The accumulating magic power, before it reached a level that the Dragon Priest would fear, dissipated.

The Giant Gemstone Dragon Koranac retracted its anger, lashing its tail against the nearby crystal clusters. The angry expression remained on its face, but the dragon did not pursue the Dragon Priest’s responsibility any further.

"Enough, nothing can be undone now, blaming you won’t help. Stand up, Kolosis, my... only friend."

The Dragon Priest Kolosis, who lay prostrate on the ground, willing to be punished, then lifted his head.

He had accepted himself, he had forgiven himself! Indeed, all I have sacrificed was worth it! Morocoy failed! Ohmhead failed! The Giant Dragon failed! Only me! Only I, who gave everything, have succeeded! I resurrected the Giant Dragon! I will bring about the rise of the Giant Dragon anew! I am the greatest Dragon Priest!!

The ecstatic, mad Dragon Priest failed to notice that a black tendril had grown from the anterior vertebrae of the Giant Gemstone Dragon Koranac, then scratched its head and retracted.

After adjusting its emotions, the Giant Dragon looked down at the Dragon Priest kneeling before it, maintaining a majestic posture.

"So, it was you who forged the Dragon Crown, Kolosis." The Giant Gemstone Dragon raised its proud head with an insinuating gesture, waiting for the Dragon Priest’s response.

"Yes, my lord, I forged the Dragon Crown, but a piece is still missing. I just need to seize the power of the sage Destan, and I will present you with a perfect crown!!!!" Kolosis invited the revived Giant Dragon for one final gem hunt.

But the Giant Dragon refused.

"No, Kolosis, you have already committed too much evil for my sake, this crown is drenched in blood, cease your actions, it is enough for me as it is. I will use it to crown myself as king and bring an end to the era of the Holy Light!!!!!"

"But..."

"No buts!!!! Kolosis!! Are you questioning my power!!!!" The dragon spread its wings, intimidatingly glaring at the kneeling Dragon Priest.

Kolosis pressed his head even lower, waiting for the dragon to calm down.

Indeed, the dragon did calm down.

The Giant Gemstone Dragon returned to a benevolent demeanor, watching over the Dragon Priest.

"Kolosis, present the Dragon Crown! You will stand by my side, greeting the dawn of a new era."

Kolosis remained silent. About a minute passed before the zealotry on the Dragon Priest dissipated. Kolosis gripped his hand and stood up. "Respected Giant Dragon, I am of course willing to offer the Dragon Crown to you. But before that, there is one thing I do not understand."

"Noble Firstborn of the Dragon, Giant Dragon Koranac, why is it that your voice, after your resurrection, is completely different from what I remember!"

The sinister questioning whisper seemed to come from hell itself, causing the grand Gemstone Giant Dragon to shudder. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Mr. Holderock, huddled behind the crystal clusters, trembled all over. Had he not removed his fleshly disguise, he would have been drenched in sweat by now.

He urgently conversed with Lyle, disguised as the Giant Dragon, using the Evil God Flesh Mass wrapped around his skull.

"What do we do! Lyle! We’ve been exposed! I overlooked the matter of the voice, damn it, the ancient knowledge I absorbed didn’t include the voice of the Giant Dragon Koranac! This is it! What do we do what do we do what do we do... we’re going to die going to die going to die..." Mr. Holderock began a rhythmically paranoid rant inside Lyle’s mind.

[Shut up! I have a plan!]

The Lyle-version of the Giant Gemstone Dragon retracted its benevolent gaze, replacing it with an indifferent expression.

"Kolosis, are you saying that my voice is completely different from before? Are you, doubting me?!" The giant dragon glared with wide eyes, displaying its intimidation.

Yet, unexpectedly, the usually timid Kolosis actually stood up to the dragon this time.

"If you are the Firstborn of the Dragon, of course I would respect you! But what if you’re not?! How can I be sure that the Spirit Summoning Spell awakened your soul and not some other evil spirit! Koranac, forgive my insolence, but now I must check your body to see what caused the change in your voice, or whether... you’re harboring something inside of you!!!!"

Before the Dragon Priest could move, Koranac suddenly roared.

"Back off!"

"Kolosis, you say my voice is different, do you think the problem lies with me?!!!!"

"Nonsense, if your voice is different, is the problem supposed to be with me?"

"Exactly. My voice is different, so the problem is with you!" The Giant Gemstone Dragon spoke, even his words carried an air of self-evidence.

The Dragon Priest Kolosis was dumbfounded. What was going on with the world? Could it indeed be my fault? Kolosis felt his logical thinking was being challenged, or perhaps he had gone mad, to be hearing such lunacy.

You have a problem and you blame me?

The Dragon Priest looked at the giant dragon again, attempting to see a hint of forced unnaturalness on his face.

Nothing; he could see every scale clearly on that huge dragon face, yet he didn’t see a trace of self-doubt.

This dragon seems crazy, he truly thinks the problem with his voice is my fault.

The Giant Gemstone Dragon’s impudent words completely disrupted Kolosis’s train of thought, and it took him a while to regain his senses. During this process, where he feigned exposing a flaw, the giant dragon did not attack him. Kolosis’s mind was filled with doubts.

Could he be right?

"Res... Respected Giant Dragon, please resolve my doubts..." Kolosis swore that if his answer didn’t match his logic, he would certainly find out who was behind this mockery and make them pay for fooling him.

The Giant Gemstone Dragon sneered with a disdainful smile, his dragon teeth somewhat dazzling.

"Kolosis, I was resurrected by you. Isn’t it possible that there was a problem with your Spirit Summoning ritual? Isn’t it possible? You, an incompetent Spirit Summoner, could have twisted my voice with a failed spell?!!!!!"

Shit! What he says makes so much sense! Kolosis introspected. As for that Spirit Summoning ritual that he had constructed, in truth he barely understood it, knowing only that it could make the Giant Gemstone Dragon move again; surely his dedicated research would bring the dragon back to life. Suddenly, Kolosis recalled that the resurrection of the dragon was indeed a ritual anomaly—he had accidentally brought it back to life!

"So, the difference in his voice, it really is my fault! My fault for not mastering the art of Spirit Summoning! For failing to perfectly replicate the Giant Dragon’s voice." Kolosis snapped back to reality, the Dragon Priest’s gaunt frame suddenly trembling. What had he done? Not only had the ritual gone awry, twisting the dragon’s voice, but he had also slandered its existence like a traitor.

Kolosis was completely panicked. He hastily knelt on the ground, apologizing profusely.

"How might I obtain your forgiveness, esteemed Giant Dragon."

The Giant Gemstone Dragon nodded benevolently, satisfied.

"Kolosis, that you can acknowledge your mistake pleases me. First then, let’s adjust my voice back."

"Respected Giant Dragon, can the Spirit Summoning Skill truly replicate your voice again?"

"Of course, want to learn about Spirit Summoning? I’ll teach you."

Kolosis was won over.

"Truly, Lord Koranac is so erudite, I didn’t even realise you were proficient in Spirit Summoning."

The Giant Gemstone Dragon chuckled.

"I am a dragon mentor... Yemotar the Father of Dragons’ proudest Spirit Summoning apprentice."