Chapter 255: Moving Back To Ignias, Time To Fully Revive Her

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Riven nodded once and opened a swirling portal of shadow and spatial energy. He stepped through first and entered the Whispering Caves, bringing Vladimir along because he wanted the former cultist to interact with Ignias face to face.

As the group made their way deeper inside the dimly lit tunnels, they soon encountered several Kobolds wandering the corridors. The moment the small reptilian creatures caught sight of Riven, pure terror flashed across their scaled faces. They dropped whatever crude tools they held and fled in every direction without a second glance.

"Woah, they’re that scared?" Label asked, watching the last of the Kobolds scramble away into the darkness.

"It’s because Ignias’ bloodline flows through me now," Riven explained calmly. "After I consumed the Dragon-Blooded Kobold King, I also gained a gene carrying his mutation. That makes me something like their Emperor. I carry an aura that fills them with instinctive fear the moment they see me... the new Kobold King hasn’t spawned yet, though." He looked around the empty tunnel with mild interest.

They continued walking past the main corridor until they reached a solid stone wall. The wall itself responded to Riven’s presence and slowly parted open with a low grinding sound. Beyond it waited Ignias in her true body—a massive skeletal dragon wreathed in a blazing aura of spiritual fire. A glowing red crystal ball, the dungeon core that also served as her heart, floated steadily inside her ribcage.

"Welcome, little human," she greeted Label with surprising politeness. "Within you I detect a great deal of untapped potential."

"O-Oh! Hi...!" Label muttered, her voice coming out weaker than she intended. "Um... thanks? Oh wow...! You’re very big, Lady Ignias."

"I was bigger before," Ignias replied with a faint note of nostalgia. "My skeleton has actually reduced in size over time..."

"Hmm..." Label nodded thoughtfully as she walked closer and began carefully inspecting the ancient bones and the residual energy that clung to them. "I see... these bones were broken before, weren’t they? Did you somehow repair them?"

"I did, with one of my skills," Riven explained from the side. "Is the repair work bad?"

"No, it’s excellent work!" Label said with genuine admiration. "Maybe we can use that same power as a base and create a derivative magic circle and formation around her entire body... and also add a large amount of compatible flesh."

"Compatible flesh?" Riven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Corpses. We need the bones, the flesh, everything," Label explained in a more clinical tone. "Preferably as fresh as possible. They also need to be compatible with her original form, so preferably reptilian."

"Hm..." Riven opened his Storage and checked the contents. "I’ve got around two hundred Kobold corpses stored right now... I know this sounds harsh, Ignias, but what do you think about using them to help revive you? It’s completely fine if you don’t agree. We can always hunt some other reptilian monsters here and there instead... though it would take a while—"

"It’s fine," Ignias sighed, the sound like wind through dry bones as she slowly shook her massive skeletal head. "I recognize that my children have already passed away, and that their descendants have fallen into barbarism. You defended yourselves, and I will not hold any grudges for that. You must promise me, however, that from now on you will not hunt my brethren and will instead treat them as people. In return I will help them return to the intelligent selves they once possessed."

"Yes, I promise," Riven nodded without hesitation. "They already count as Believers in the System’s eyes, so they are recognized as an intelligent race. They’ve just become too wild to speak properly anymore. But they still have a lot of potential. I’ve recently found myself in need of workers to mine resources inside my Spirit Realm. Once I fuse this dungeon into it, they can be given a few mountains to live on, mine, and help me out, while I also help them survive under your guidance."

"Yes, that sounds perfect. Thank you," Ignias nodded in acceptance. "I am willing. Their blood and flesh shall live with me forevermore. Label, do you think you can perform the ritual now?"

"I can!" Label nodded with sudden determination. "I’ve already brought all the materials with me... It should take me about an hour to build the formation..."

"I am well knowledgeable in both Alchemy and Spiritual Arts, so let me help you," Ignias offered. "I am interested in you. I would love it if we could become friends. Or, if you are willing, you could become my pupil. I am prepared to teach you everything I know about Alchemy."

"R-Really?!" Label gasped, her eyes lighting up with pure excitement. "T-Thank you so much! I am truly honored! R-Really! A Dragon teaching me alchemy... it’s like a crazy dream I would never have imagined becoming reality, but here we are! Haha." She had become noticeably more talkative and confident in that moment, which only made her look even more endearing.

"Fufu, you’re an adorable little one. You remind me of the inquisitive and energetic minds that once worked alongside me long ago," Ignias sighed softly. "Both Dragons, Kobolds, and Lizardmen. It is always sad whenever I remember a past I can no longer relive..."

"Hm... I’m sorry," Label apologized quietly.

Ignias shook her head once more. "There is nothing for you to apologize for. Let us begin then."

As Riven and Vladimir watched the two of them begin their careful preparations, Vladimir glared at Riven with clear annoyance. "Hey, Riven, why did you even bring me here?! I was in the middle of training those kids you ordered me to train!"

"Right," Riven nodded, turning toward the skeletal dragon. "Ignias, I brought him."

Ignias directed her blazing spiritual eyes toward Vladimir. "I saw. Hello, Vladimir. I would like to have a word with you."

"..." Vladimir clenched his teeth as he felt the weight of her ancient pressure settle over him. "What?" he asked rudely. "If you want the Kobold King’s arm back, I am not giving it!"

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