Chapter 234: The Battle’s Aftermath, Ignias Regains Her Sanity

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After the intense battle finally came to an end, Riven walked slowly toward the defeated Dragon. Ignias sensed his approaching presence and flinched instinctively, her massive form tensing for a brief moment. Yet when she realized there was nothing more she could do, something within her seemed to relax, as if she had at last accepted her fate. Her voice came out faint and weary when she finally spoke.

"How long... has it been since then? Since my world perished? Do you... know?"

"Perhaps tens of thousands of years," Riven answered quietly. "Maybe even millions... I... I’m sorry."

Suddenly the faint spiritual soul of Ignias manifested before his eyes, surprising him with its clarity. Her gentle appearance was far different from the raging, madness-consumed form she had shown during their fight. Soft light surrounded her translucent figure as she looked at him with quiet resignation.

"After enduring for so long, a part of me must have been consumed by pure madness..." she sighed, her voice carrying centuries of exhaustion. "I don’t know when that madness will return... I... am a threat to my people... I am no longer fit to rule..."

"...That’s not true," Riven said firmly, meeting her gaze without hesitation. "I can heal your soul. And even... we could bring your body back. If we use your bones and your blood, I have someone—a Future Goddess of Alchemy. She could synthesize you back to top condition."

"...Hah..." Ignias could hardly believe the words she was hearing. "After everything we fought, after I tried to kill you multiple times, you... you’re trying to befriend me? To help me? Why?"

"Don’t misunderstand," Riven shook his head, his tone steady and honest. "I am not doing this completely out of goodwill. I need you to become my strength as well, Ignias. We need as much power as we can gather if we want our planet to survive the Gates and its eventual Erasure by a Cosmic Monarch."

"..." Ignias’s spiritual eyes widened slightly as the weight of his words settled over her. "I see... My world is long gone... my people... all are long, distant descendants now... nobody I ever cared for or loved remains alive anymore... Even after what you said... I don’t think... I really... belong here..."

"I understand how you feel..." Riven sighed, a rare shadow of shared sorrow crossing his face. "As someone who has lost everything himself... I understand it all very well."

"...!" Ignias noticed the genuine sorrow in Riven’s eyes and realized it was not an act. "Hah...! You’re... an odd one... for sure."

The glowing core in her chest slowly floated back toward him. Riven looked surprised by the gesture. "Are you sure? You can keep it if it’s so precious to you—"

"Just take it already! You won this fight... before I change my mind, do it," she said, her voice carrying a mixture of pride and reluctant acceptance. "Take your prize, young mortal... Your strength and kindness... you have charmed this old dragon... if I’d been younger... more energetic... I wouldn’t have doubted to take you as my mate."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Riven raised an eyebrow and let out a small, almost amused chuckle. "Thank you."

He reached out and touched the core faintly. In that instant the full dominion over the Gate returned to him once more.

But that was not all.

He continued pressing on the core, carefully infusing it with his own mana and spiritual power, sharing the energy with Ignias whose soul still resided inside. A soft but powerful light began to spread.

FLUOSH!

Suddenly her Spiritual Soul and her scattered bones began floating together. They reformed and slowly regenerated, restoring her to her former majestic appearance in mere seconds. Scales gleamed, wings stretched, and life returned to her form.

"W-What...! What is this?!" she gasped, staring down at her restored body in disbelief. "You’ve repaired me...!"

"I have a couple of skills that let me control bones pretty well," Riven said with a small wink. "It’s nothing compared to what she can do for you. So, Ignias? I know this is sudden, but... I need all the strength I can get. I promise to protect your Kobolds and this little fragment of your world, and give it a new home as well—in a much vaster realm where they can once again roam grasslands and forests."

"..."

Ignias looked at Riven in pure disbelief. Her heart pulsed with a complicated mix of admiration, hesitation, and something close to hope.

"Hahah... My madness... it could return at any time," she said, a vicious yet almost playful smile forming on her lips. "Are you willing to risk allying with a madwoman like me?"

"We’ll have to handle that separately," Riven answered without flinching. "But I am confident I can."

"...Fine then, do whatever you want!" she crossed her arms with a loud sigh, turning her head away. "Men like you are impossible to deal with!" She settled onto the floor and quickly averted her gaze, though the tension in her posture had lessened.

"Thank you," Riven nodded sincerely. He then walked toward Vladimir, who had been watching the entire exchange in silence. "I guess we’ve fought enough for today. Let’s return back home and rest. We’ve gained two new dungeons—that’s more than enough for now."

The dungeon that had occupied the area suddenly blinked out of existence. Several hunters who had still been inside were forcefully ejected, among them the rescued survivors who had been captured by the Kobolds earlier.

The media once again went into a frenzy as news spread that a third dungeon had been completely closed and claimed by someone before anyone else could even realize what had happened.

As for Natalie and her crew, they suddenly woke up inside a house they did not recognize, surrounded by unfamiliar faces—except for a few they already knew: Riven and Daniela.

"Well, look who’s finally awake," Riven said with a calm smile as he looked down at them. "We’ve got a lot to talk about, Natalie."

Label stood by his side, studying Natalie with open curiosity. "Is she the girl you talked about, Riven?"

He nodded. "She is. Natalie, this is Label. She is humanity’s future."

"...Huh?"

Natalie could only stare in confusion, completely unaware of how drastically her life was about to change from this moment onward—and perhaps how the entire future of humanity itself might shift because of the choices made here today.

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