The Epic Dragon Titan

"Why did you awaken us so early this time?" The third golden coffin was lifted, and a swordsman, covered in bandages and carrying twin swords on his back, stepped out.

"This calamity occurred two hundred years earlier than we had predicted. Not a single nation on the continent was prepared for it," Asimio replied. "So I had no choice but to awaken you early."

"That shouldn't be possible," the first undead knight who had emerged said with some confusion. "Each time we predict a calamity, it's based on the accumulation rate of death energy underground. Even if there's a discrepancy, it would at most be around twenty years, not two hundred."

"We know there's a deeper reason behind this, but now isn't the time to investigate. What we should focus on is how to protect the populace during this calamity and ensure as many humans survive as possible."

"Leave that to us. We'll do our best to slay the monsters born from the River of Death."

"This is unfair to you." Seeing his former comrades, now fallen to undead status, and knowing what they were about to do, Cardinal Asimio's face showed a look of sorrow.

These companions, who had given up their humanity and past glory to become undead, were the Night's Watch, the guardians of humanity when undead calamities struck and the long night fell. They protected the continent silently and without recognition.

Due to their nature, their deeds could never be known to the world. Only those at the very top of the Church were aware of their existence. The Night's Watch could only give and sacrifice, with no honor or applause, sometimes even enduring curses and contempt.

"There's nothing unfair about it. When we chose to become the Night's Watch, we were already prepared. We enjoyed enough glory in life." The bandaged swordsman smiled nonchalantly.

"We're leaving now, Asimio." Pamela, now entirely engulfed in black mist, led the others away. She didn't want to stand beside her former lover any longer. She wished she could cry, but her dried-up undead body had no tears left.

The greatest distance in the world is the distance between life and death. They stood together, so close, yet even the thought of touching was a luxury.

Under the old man's silent gaze, the three former legends, now fallen to undead, along with those who had emerged from their coffins, once again took up their swords to protect humanity as they walked out of the grand tomb.

"Sir!" One of Asimio's subordinates couldn't help but step forward, wanting to say something when he saw the elder's sadness.

"Let's go. We need to awaken the next group of the Night's Watch," the elder said, his tears silently evaporating. His expression returned to the stern dignity of a cardinal, and he led his team to the next tomb.

For over ten thousand years, the continent of Orbis had been ravaged by calamities. While many legends fled from these disasters, there were also those who chose to sacrifice everything to protect the continent. These noble legends, accumulated over generations, gave rise to the Night's Watch tombs scattered across the land.

...

"What's with these undead? Why are they so mindless?" Before a human city surrounded by endless skeletons, Muria raised a golden-hued skeleton, examining it closely, with a puzzled look in his eyes.

As Muria observed the skeleton he had deliberately spared, it struggled to break free and attack him, showing no fear at all.

"A golden-ranked skeleton with no intelligence at all. Interesting." Muria lifted the skull's lid and took out the soul fire, inspecting it with his mental power. He found that he couldn't communicate with it; the soul fire contained only information about killing and destruction. What was this? Even low-level demons from the Abyss had more complex thoughts.

"Your Highness, this is an undead born from the River of Death. They emerge from the ground with the onset of the undead calamity. They exist solely for death and destruction, with no possibility of communication. If they had any intelligence, they wouldn't clash with us and cause such great harm," explained a red-robed priest who had cautiously approached Muria. He was the highest-ranking bishop of the temple in the city behind Muria.

Just moments ago, the city had been besieged by undead, and the protective barrier was on the verge of collapse. But then, Muria had descended from the sky, sweeping away the undead army besieging the city.

"This is troublesome." Muria frowned at the bishop's words. The most terrifying aspect of low-level undead was their overwhelming numbers and their fearlessness of death.

Undead were a form of alternative life that could manipulate death energy, not true deceased beings. They could still move, hence the name "undead." Though they had no desires for food, pleasure, or reproduction, they had other needs.

When low-level undead continued to evolve and gain intelligence, they would also fear true extinction. In the face of overwhelming danger, they would retreat.

If the undead accompanying the calamity had intelligence, humanity's losses would be much smaller. Unfortunately, the undead born from the River of Death were nothing but mindless beasts, knowing only to kill any living thing in sight, which is why they caused such devastation to the continent.

"If you encounter any unbeatable undead, use this to call for help. If a patrolling giant passes by, they'll come to assist you." Muria handed the hopeful-looking bishop a communication crystal.

"Thank you for your support, my lord." The priest was overjoyed to receive the communication crystal from Muria. Just having this was enough to satisfy him. After all, in the chaos of the calamity, no one would come to their aid, no matter how much they cried out.

"I'm leaving now." After taking one last look at the city below, filled with bones, Muria transformed into a golden streak and soared into the sky, leaving immediately.

...

"So this is the place where that little brat lives after taking over my old lair. It's quite something, with such a massive labyrinth." In the outskirts of Synapsis, hidden by the gray mist, ghost ships began to appear, their eerie blue lights flickering. In the central, colossal battleship, nearly ten thousand meters long, Captain Barbossa stood, gazing at the seemingly empty night sky ahead, his soul fire flickering with excitement.

"Let's see what this labyrinth is hiding!" Barbossa stretched out his hand, which seemed to grow infinitely large in an instant. Runes cracked under the pressure of his hand, and the mist began to thin.

Synapsis, composed of 132 floating islands, appeared before Barbossa. The grand and majestic spectacle of the floating islands momentarily stunned him as he broke through the labyrinth. Then, he triggered Synapsis' defense mechanism.

Waves of immense energy surged from the nearest island, shooting toward Barbossa's location. At the same time, alarms blared across the islands, red lights flashing everywhere. Airships and void warships that Muria had brought back to guard the islands took flight... At that moment, it was as if Barbossa had stirred up a hornet's nest.

"So, this is the brat's stronghold? Impressive. At such a young age, he's amassed such a fortune. Well then, don't blame me for being impolite."

Seeing this, Barbossa felt no fear, only growing excitement.

He feared Muria because of the forces behind him, but he didn't care much about Muria himself or the forces he had developed.

At Barbossa's command, the ghost fleet's cannons lit up, and thousands of death energy beams fired, striking dozens of Synapsis' floating islands.

Deafening explosions echoed across Synapsis, as layers of defensive barriers rose from the islands. In the uppermost islands, massive dragons, holy angels, and mighty giants took to the skies.

But none of this was fast enough to match the speed of the ghost ships' bombardment. Under the relentless assault, the defenses of four islands closest to Barbossa were breached, and the death energy beams struck the islands directly.

This was a catastrophic attack. The human workers who were hit by the death beams were instantly vaporized, and those not directly hit were still turned into undead by the lingering death energy.

"This is what happens when you mess with me!" Barbossa roared in excitement. Even the sight of several legends flying toward him did not deter him; in fact, it only excited him more. Killing a few legends would surely hurt that little brat even more!

In the Wind King's castle on the central floating island, the Wind King's eagle crystal egg, buried by Muria underground, began to shake the moment Barbossa broke the labyrinth. Cracks appeared on its surface, and a terrifying aura seeped out, compressing the space around it, creating fine spatial fractures.

Meanwhile, on another floating island designated by Muria as a research area, a disheveled, ragged old man opened his eyes, groggily looking downward, a hint of annoyance in his gaze.

Below Synapsis, just as Barbossa was about to strike again, he suddenly felt a creeping sense of dread, causing his soul fire to tremble uncontrollably...

"Retreat!" Though he sensed no strong presence, the instinctive reaction of his soul fire was enough for him to give the order to withdraw. He had thought he could do to this kid what had been done to him by destroying his lair.

But that sudden warning from his soul left him trembling in fear. He knew there must be something terrifying hidden within those floating islands, something that could bring about his demise.

"A Titan? No, it must be a golden dragon. How shameless! They actually assigned such a powerful bodyguard to that kid. How's he supposed to gain any experience?"

 Grumbling in fear, Barbossa led his ghost fleet in a hurried retreat, cursing under his breath as he fled.

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