My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

A small, nameless island northwest of the Ion Continent.

“They’re moving quite actively.”

A man in his thirties stood precariously at the edge of a cliff, his tired, golden eyes fixed on the distant mainland.

His gaze was deep and complex, filled with a mix of emotions.

‘I thought things had calmed down…’

The continent in the distance.

The swirling vortex of madness that had been raging relentlessly had subsided somewhat… but now, an even more ominous energy, the aura of death, was spreading.

The source of the energy was far from the island, but such distance was meaningless to him.

He was a member of the once strongest race, the guardians of the world—.

“The Immortal King…”

He gritted his teeth, recalling the monstrous being, the nemesis of his kind, the abyssal horror.

Having lived for thousands of years, witnessing the rise and fall, and eventual near-extinction, of his clan, the Immortal King was a thorn in his side.

But Shri Hartgen suppressed his boiling rage and turned his gaze away.

He couldn't afford to act on his emotions.

In the past, he had endured to ensure the continuation of his clan…

And now, he endured to protect the last remaining descendant and pass on as much of his knowledge as possible.

‘It wouldn’t be of much help even if I went there.’

He closed his eyes, observing his inner self, and smiled wryly.

His Dragon Heart, still brimming with power.

But the distorted flow of energy, a lingering wound from the Great War, had turned it into a ticking time bomb.

Normally, he could suppress it with his overwhelming mastery of magic… but not in the midst of a fierce battle.

‘My lifespan is dwindling, and I can no longer fight… I’m just an old relic.’

And that was why.

That was why he was even more grateful for this unexpected gift.

The successor chosen by the Dragon God to carry on the future of his clan.

Shri Hartgen glanced down at the area below the cliff.

He was there, in a place heavily fortified with magic circles, even within the already protected island.

The unexpected hope, the last hatchling of the Gold Clan.

Horus.

Wooong—

The energy within the training grounds resonated, the surrounding magic circles amplifying its power.

Drawn in by his overwhelming affinity, various energies manifested as shimmering lights, dancing around him.

Fire, water, wind, earth… even pure, unrefined mana converged and swirled around the small figure at the center, enveloping him in a storm of energy.

“Unhyak!”

A five or six-year-old boy, his eyes closed in concentration, let out a strange, high-pitched yell.

“…Incredible.”

And Shri Hartgen, watching Horus’s training from the cliff above, muttered in admiration.

The foundation of Dragon Language, the power of words, was the ability to project one’s will onto the world, forcibly manifesting phenomena.

It was a high-level art, requiring precise control over ambient energies and a powerful will.

‘Is it innate talent? His growth rate is far beyond what I anticipated. Even for a dragon, this is abnormal.’

Horus, despite being a mere hatchling, already possessed all the necessary qualities.

No, his level had already surpassed that of a Child, reaching the Adolescent stage.

‘It hasn’t even been that long since he started training… and he’s already this strong?’

Even Shri Hartgen, an Elder Dragon who had lived for thousands of years, couldn’t comprehend his growth rate.

At this rate, he might even reach the Juvenile stage soon.

“Oh, Dracarion… Thank you.”

This was only possible with the Dragon God’s blessing.

He must have taken pity on the dwindling dragon race and bestowed upon them this child with immense potential.

‘I’ll do my best to ease his burden, while I still can.’

With renewed determination, he glanced at the distant continent, then leaped from the cliff, gliding towards the training grounds.

To offer some guidance to Horus, who seemed to be struggling with his concentration.

‘He’s still young, it’s understandable. It's not a major problem, but focus is essential for this training.’

But he didn’t know.

The reason Horus seemed distracted…

Was because of the events unfolding beyond the sea, the very thing he had been concerned about.

______________________

While the heroes and the giant clashed,

Hans, having returned to the Immortal Fortress after dismissing himself from the abyss, was observing the situation, waiting for an opportunity to intervene. ᚱÁƝổΒËŞ

To eliminate the Revolutionary if necessary.

His presence was Heinrich’s ‘last resort’, a contingency plan.

‘Of course, if that had happened, the situation would be very different now.’

In that sense, the fact that the Revolutionary had been eliminated before he had to intervene was a satisfactory outcome.

It had further solidified his notoriety and even laid the groundwork for the next scenario.

[I must admit, you’ve exceeded my expectations, Hero Heinrich. You’ve done remarkably well.]

Backed by the Immortal Army, fully prepared and waiting,

The Immortal King, their ruler, declared arrogantly.

[I didn’t expect that ‘prophecy’ to be so troublesome.]

“As long as the Main God is with us, your plans will not succeed, Immortal King.”

[Khehehe— Such confidence. Very well, then. I’ve prepared something.]

A chilling tension filled the air.

The Immortal King let out a sinister chuckle and slowly extended a hand.

[A bonus stage.]

And then.

Snap—

He snapped his fingers, a dark energy rippling outwards.

Crack—! Crackle!

The crack in space, through which he had emerged, began to expand, its edges shattering.

[Kyahaaa—!]

Clatter— Clank!

[Groan—]

Thump— Thump— Thump—

And from within, the Immortal Army marched out, their ranks perfectly aligned.

Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands…

The numbers gradually decreased as they reached the tens of thousands…

But the sight of countless undead, of all shapes and sizes, emanating a dense aura of death and exuding dark magic power, was an overwhelming spectacle, instilling fear and dread in all who witnessed it.

[Not only do you defend against most of my attacks, you even manage to repel and annihilate my forces. And you use that prophecy to mobilize the armies of each nation, preparing even the places beyond my reach.]

As the Immortal Army marched forward, Hans continued, his voice calm and steady.

[It’s become quite boring. I needed some change. I accepted your wager because I expected more entertainment.]

“…What are you trying to say?”

[Oh, it’s nothing. Just…]

The Immortal King and the Hero, their gazes locked in a silent confrontation.

As Heinrich calmly responded, the others behind him prepared for battle, their auras rising.

They formed their ranks, chanted their spells, and gripped their weapons tightly.

[…Increasing the difficulty a bit.]

The Immortal King’s ominous words echoed through the tense air.

And at the same time, some of the executives behind him began to advance, leading the undead horde.

Rumble—

Thump, thump—

Their target.

The Steel Fortress of Tarak.

“What?! They’re heading for the fortress!”

“The walls are at their limit! If we don’t stop them…!”

“Charge! We’ll break their advance!”

Those who had been watching the battle from the walls reacted immediately.

But the hero party, facing the Immortal King, couldn’t afford to move.

They could only trust the others to hold the line.

[Khehehe, as promised, there will be no all-out war through the Rohan Duchy. Just like before.]

“Ha!”

The attack locations were still randomly chosen.

Only the method had changed.

From scattered attacks across the continent to concentrated waves focused on a single point.

[And one more thing. The scale of these attacks will continue to increase.]

So, it would be wise to act quickly, before it became unstoppable.

The Immortal King, hovering in mid-air, looked down at the hero party and smiled sinisterly.

[Well then, since today is a momentous occasion… Let’s have a proper greeting, shall we?]

And as soon as he finished speaking, his dark magic power surged.

And then.

Kaboom—!

Another massive explosion erupted from where the giant had fallen.

And so— the final defense game, to accelerate the scenario’s pace, began.

______________________

Whoosh—! Crackle!

The hissing sound of escaping steam and the grinding of metal against earth echoed through the air.

“Ugh!”

“Are you alright?”

A brief silence, and then a young man and woman’s voices followed.

“Y-yes… I’m fine, Chairman.”

“Hmm, you don’t look fine. Is the shock absorption system still insufficient? I’ll need to reinforce it.”

Hubert and Diana, having escaped Tarak.

They had been flying south, using the power of the special suit, when they were forced to make an emergency landing on a hill.

He had pushed the suit too hard to escape the giant, and it had finally given out.

“Ugh… I think I’m going to be sick…”

“Over there. Should I pat your back?”

“N-no… I’ll be fine… Ugh!”

Before she could finish, Diana rushed towards some nearby bushes.

And then, an unpleasant sound echoed from beyond the foliage.

Hubert, who had been cautiously scanning the surroundings, shook his head.

‘Well, it was her first time flying like that.’

And Diana, despite her extraordinary sense of smell, was still just an ordinary girl physically.

Even with the magic tools mitigating the effects of the high-speed flight, there were limits.

‘She did well to endure it for that long.’

If she had lost control while they were still in the air…

‘…I’m glad that didn’t happen.’

He nodded seriously and examined the metal parts of his suit.

Two deep furrows had been carved into the ground from the impact of their landing, but the metal boots were unscathed.

But that was only on the surface.

“As I suspected. This is beyond repair.”

Hubert frowned, looking at the results displayed by “Analysis”.

He had pushed the suit to its limits, and the mystical properties imbued by Howard using “Artisan’s Soul”, along with the materials’ inherent characteristics, had been completely depleted.

The precious rare metals were now practically scrap.

‘Well, it can’t be helped. At least I got some valuable data. I’ll make sure the next one is more durable.’

He stored the now useless suit in his subspace, and as he did so, Diana emerged from the bushes, her face pale.

Her stomach had clearly been through a lot.

“…I apologize, Chairman.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’m much better now…”

She didn’t look fine at all, so Hubert silently handed her a potion.

It was overkill for mere motion sickness, but to him, it was a trivial expense.

After a moment’s hesitation, she thanked him and drank it.

She would only be a burden in her current weakened state.

“What should we do now?”

“Hmm.”

Diana, her complexion slightly improved, looked around and sighed.

There were only trees and hills as far as the eye could see.

They had flown in a straight line, so they were far from any roads.

“We’ll head to the nearest city. Leonahl should be in this direction.”

“Wow… We’ve come that far already? Ugh… I never want to experience that again…”

He had initially flown south to get as far away from the giant as possible, but now that he thought about it, it might have been overkill.

They could have stopped at a closer city and waited.

‘Well, that’s easy to say now. Let’s see… This way…’

And so, Hubert and Diana embarked on an unexpected hike.

And at the same time.

The area around Tarak was descending into chaos.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!