The air in the cavern was thick with ozone and the immense heat radiating from the newly arrived Dragon. The creature was colossal, its scales shimmering crimson crystal, and it moved with the immense, ancient power of a true Dragon Lord.
The Lava Dragon fixed its gaze on the sole surviving Player. With the speed of a falling mountain, its massive, scaly claw slammed down onto the spot where WhiteTrash stood. The impact pulverized the Player instantly. WhiteTrash's system HP bar vanished, and his essence dissolved completely, leaving nothing behind
The Dragon then turned its attention to the remaining members of the Phalanx—Sylva, Vara, and Zathis—who were frozen in terror, standing near the injured Zane.
"Do not be scared, Citizens of Terra Continent," the Dragon's voice resonated, a deep, rolling thunder in their minds. "I am the Lava Dragon, Esteron Vulcanus, the new guardian of the Aetherion Lair. We noticed the disappearance of the Aethos Barrier. We just thought something happened to the last guardian here, the Wind Dragon."
Sylva, shaken but forcing professional composure, spoke first. "I am Sylva Moonshadow. Together with my party, we are here to investigate the abnormalities in the Eastern Territory."
The Dragon inclined its massive head. "The abnormalities that the Terra continent experienced is the disappearance of the Aethos Barrier. It is good that the barrier reactivated this time before it's too late."
Sylva, watching Vara administer pills to the grievously wounded Zane, corrected him. "We call it the Dragon's Barrier. And in our investigation, this barrier exists primarily to stop the Atlas continent from attacking the two continents."
"Well, that is one of the reasons," the Lava Dragon conceded. "The other, greater reason is to seal this place."
"To seal this place? For Atlas Players?" Sylva asked, her mind immediately jumping to the core Player threat.
"The Atlas Players are just one of our enemies. To be exact, the System makes the Atlas continent our enemy," the Dragon revealed.
Sylva instantly remembered WhiteTrash's final moment, the way his system "beeped" and the sheer rage he directed at the developers. "That may be the System. What exactly is this 'System'?"
"We really don't know, but the origin of that lies in this area: the Aetherion Lair," the Dragon stated. "This area, the Aetherion Lair, is the door to the Demon World. And the Aethos Barrier—the dragon barrier—is the one that seals the Aetherion Lair."
The Phalanx listened, stunned by the revelation.
"The abnormalities your continent experienced—the monster growth, the unstable elements—is the disappearance of the Aethos Barrier, making demon energy leak to the surface of the three continents."
"So that is why," Sylva realized, piecing together the final puzzle piece. "The sudden rank up of the monsters here in the Eastern Territory is because of the leak of energy from the Demon World."
Esteron confirmed the dreadful conclusion. "But the leak affects all three continents. The demons don't have a direct means to contact the outside, but they can influence them using the 'System.' They are using the System to manipulate the Atlas continent to always kill the guardian of the Aetherion Lair, forcing the seal to break."
Sylva, her heart heavy with the truth, voiced her deepest fears. "Why did the Atlas Players need to do that, if they are also affected by the disappearance of the barrier? And how are we supposed to defeat the Atlas continent, even our strongest mage died protecting us?" Sylva's voice broke, tears finally flowing as she remembered Kaelus. "Also, what is the real origin of Aelius Wyndhelm?"
"We in Mythos know that Esphira Wyndhelm, the last Wind Dragon Guardian before me, has a son," the Dragon revealed. "So his son's name is Aelius Wyndhelm. Once a dragon becomes the Aetherion Lair's guardian, they have no means to contact Mythos due to the Aethos Barrier's disruptive power. The power also disrupts the System from reaching Atlas."
Esteron continued, his voice heavy with ancient sorrow. "It seems Esphira died at the hands of the Atlas Players, and her son, Aelius Wyndhelm, replaced her. But I guess Aelius didn't know that he needs to stay here in the Aetherion Lair to maintain the barrier. We were too late to discover that the barrier had deactivated this time."
Sylva Moonshadow, her heart aching with protective fury for her young friend, addressed the Dragon directly. "Do not blame Aelius for what happened. He is still fifteen, too young. Also, if he remains here in the cave, he cannot experience the joy of having companions. Furthermore, the training he received on Terra made this entire raid possible."
Esteron Vulcanus lowered his gaze, his crystalline scales seeming to dim with regret. "I am sorry. This is really our fault. The burden of the whole world was carried by Aelius alone. We should be on his side this time."
"Also, you need to get out of here," Esteron commanded. "I will reactivate the dragon barrier now, permanently sealing the Aetherion Lair."
"Before we go," Sylva rushed to share the vital intelligence Kaelus had solved. "I must share our investigation. Together with Aelius Wyndhelm, we discovered that the next full-scale invasion of Atlas in fifteen years from now."
"I am Esteron Vulcanus, the new guardian of the Aetherion Lair. I really appreciate the information. Now, please also report to the Terra continent leaders that I need their audience soon. I will wait here in the Aetherion Lair."
"We will notify the Mage Emperor," Sylva promised.
"Thank you. I, Esteron Vulcanus, am grateful to your party, Sylva Moonshadow."
Esteron lowered his immense head and, with a massive grunt of mana exertion, pulled out a crystalline fang from his jaw. Esteron's fang was already recovered by mana, a massive temporary replacement of his true tooth, but it was not part of his real body. "I will gift you one of my fangs. Make something out of this. This fang will choose someone worthy to unleash its strength."
"Thank you, Esteron," Sylva replied, accepting the incredible artifact material.
Zathis and Sylva carefully carried the unconscious Zane. They were walking toward the main exit tunnel of the Dragon's Cave when Sylva noticed something far ahead in the passage. The tunnel was flooded with a new, distinct mana signature—controlled, disciplined, and heavily cloaked. It was the reinforcement sent by the Mage Emperor: the Shadow Corps.
The team of figures, cloaked entirely in black, emerged from the darkness. Their movements were utterly silent, and their elemental signatures were so heavily suppressed that they were nearly invisible to conventional senses.
The leader of the squad stepped forward. This leader, Zacarias Bladeheart, immediately recognized his brother's team. He was visibly surprised by their injured state and immediately ran toward Zane to help him.
"Sister-in-law, Ms. Sylva, who did this to my brother?" Zacarias asked, his voice low with immediate concern as he gently took Zane from Sylva and Zathis. "What about the Players? Are they still here?"
"Help us first, Zacarias" Sylva stated, her voice strained by exhaustion. "I will make a full report to the Mage Emperor."