The Final Boss Has Returned 132

Chapter 132

The azure sky of Ard World!

In the vast expanse where even clouds couldn’t reach, bathed in the direct sunlight, the most eye-catching sight was undoubtedly the airship.

A colossal vessel, a legacy of ancient magic civilization meticulously recreated, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a moving fortress in the sky. It was even equipped with a magical barrier.

Yet, something was currently attacking this very airship.

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

A monstrous roar that tore through the heavens!

The attackers were none other than Wyverns, assaulting the airship as it floated at a high altitude, heading towards the Floating Castle.

The footage of the Wyvern swarm, their scales a sky-blue hue unlike the Wyverns native to Ard World, attacking the airship was immediately relayed to the situation room where Drakan was.

Drakan’s brows furrowed as he witnessed the external situation unfolding through the massive magic crystal ball.

‘Wyverns?’

The altitude they were currently at was far beyond the usual flight ceiling of Wyverns.

Yet, Wyverns?

Of course, these were different from the common brown-scaled Wyverns, possessing sky-blue scales, suggesting they were a variant or subspecies. Nevertheless, the fact that Wyverns were present here was an undeniable truth.

‘The Floating Castle must be close.’

Drakan thought, glancing at the ‘Guide’ located in the center of the airship’s situation room.

Floating Castle Voltaha!

The last image of Voltaha he saw in the cinematic was a demonic realm teeming with monsters.

It wouldn’t be strange at all for a Wyvern or two to take flight from such a place as Voltaha Castle.

The stone fragment floating within the Guide continued to point in a single direction.

Drakan’s contemplation was brief.

Regardless of where these Wyverns originated from, it was clear they intended to bring down the airship.

Therefore, he had to respond accordingly.

“Open the gun ports and dispatch the Wyvern squadron.”

The moment Drakan’s order was issued.

The sides of the airship opened, revealing the gun ports, and the rear hatch opened, releasing a torrent of Wyvern riders.

Leading the charge was a crimson Drake.

FlyingMan.

It was his Drake.

FlyingMan, the undisputed king of the skies in Ard World, had chosen to participate in the Floating Castle expedition instead of soaring through the Broken World, and that decision had brought him here.

Kwabang! The cannons mounted on the airship roared to life.

The Wyverns caught in the barrage shrieked in agony.

The Wyvern squadron, spearheaded by FlyingMan, seized the opportunity.

“[Kyaaaaaaaaaak!]”

The battle concluded with a victory for Drakan’s aerial forces, a cacophony of roars and screams filling the air.

This was because the sky-blue Wyverns, despite their appearance, were no different from ordinary Wyverns, merely a color variant.

With the brief skirmish concluded, the voyage continued.

And as Drakan predicted, a colossal landmass floating in the distant sky finally came into view.

Floating Castle Voltaha.

The final destination of the Legacy Quest had finally revealed itself.

The appearance of Floating Castle Voltaha was not dissimilar to the floating islands depicted in numerous fantasy media.

The castle and its surrounding landmass, albeit reduced to ruins, still retained their structural integrity!

Gazing upon the perfectly realized image of an island suspended in the sky, Drakan pondered.

‘A reckless landing is out of the question.’

Despite being a floating island, it was still an island! Considering the prudence required when landing on enemy territory, attempting a direct landing with the airship would be foolish.

Of course, he wasn’t completely indifferent to forfeiting the First Discovery bonus.

However, Drakan had already achieved so much that risking danger for a mere bonus seemed excessive.

‘Since I’ve already given up on the bonus, it would be better for my image to cede it to someone else.’

Drakan chuckled, entertaining the thought.

“Dispatch the vanguard.”

Thus, Drakan opted for a vanguard to scout the situation ahead.

Upon receiving Drakan’s command, FlyingMan once again led his Wyvern squadron, leaping from the airship and making a beeline for the Floating Castle.

“Yes, this is the Floating Castle. It’s truly floating in the sky. I left the Broken World just to witness this spectacle. Yes, you’re asking if I’m sane? Of course I am.”

FlyingMan chuckled, his voice brimming with excitement as he addressed his viewers.

“[Kyaaaaaaaaaa!]”

As if echoing his sentiment, FlyingMan’s Red Drake let out a cry.

The Floating Castle.

The fact that he was the first to set foot on the land he had longed to see filled FlyingMan’s heart with elation.

While delivering his broadcast commentary, FlyingMan diligently directed his Wyvern squadron to scout the surroundings.

“For now, this area appears to be safe.”

Having completed the reconnaissance, FlyingMan sent a whisper to Drakan, and a response arrived promptly.

[Then we shall commence landing. Designate a landing zone and begin guidance.]

“Understood.”

Following Drakan’s instructions, FlyingMan maneuvered his Drake and landed on a flat plain with a clear view of Floating Castle Voltaha.

This was to guide the airship’s descent.

The moment FlyingMan touched down on Floating Castle Voltaha.

[Floating Castle Voltaha has been discovered.]

[First Discovery Bonus!]

[All stats increased by 46.]

[Floating Castle Voltaha]

[Voltaha Castle served as the capital of the Saxen Kingdom for centuries and was also the city where the Steel Monarch Drakan and the Iron Blood Alliance resided for an extended period.]

[Furthermore, Voltaha Castle, the historical site where the Steel Monarch Drakan met his demise at the hands of Hero Eugene and the Revolutionary Army, was separated from the continent and ascended into the sky due to the influence of the Great Cataclysm that shook the entire world.]

[Before becoming a Floating Castle, the last recorded image of Voltaha Castle depicted a demonic realm overrun by monsters that emerged from rifts.]

A flurry of notification windows materialized before FlyingMan’s eyes.

“Ah, the First Discovery message has appeared.”

As soon as FlyingMan mentioned it, his chat exploded.

[Whoa, First Discovery?]

[First Discovery for real?]

[FlyingMan-nim?]

[Wasn’t he in the same expedition as Drakan?]

[Drakan yielded this?]

[???]

FlyingMan’s chat became inundated with question marks!

As Drakan had anticipated, the news that he had conceded the First Discovery bonus of Floating Castle Voltaha to FlyingMan instantly became a hot topic among users.

Drakan!

Despite his recent efforts to manage public opinion, the deeply ingrained image of ‘Drakan is selfish’ remained difficult to erase.

“Yes. Drakan-nim graciously yielded it to me.”

FlyingMan’s confirmation, playing along with Drakan’s plan, further ignited the chat, which quickly descended into chaos.

[It’s true, Drakan actually yielded it lol]

[The truth is unbelievable, this is insane;;]

[Maybe Drakan is actually a magnanimous person?]

[Our Drakan-nim has always been magnanimous, what are you talking about;]

[The Drakan fanboys are invading FlyingMan’s stream now; is Drakan brainwashing a thing now lol]

[Eugene fanboys spotted lol Wasn’t Eugene brainwashing your specialty?]

[Please don’t fight here.]

“Now, now, everyone. That’s not important right now. We need to land the airship.”

With those words, FlyingMan retrieved a firework-shaped signal flare from his inventory, ignited it, and launched it skyward.

A loud bang resonated as a massive green flame erupted in the sky.

It was a signal indicating that it was safe to land at that location.

Upon observing the signal, Drakan finally initiated the airship’s descent.

Rumble!

The airship, which had been hovering in the air, began to move with a deafening roar, and soon, amidst a flurry of wind, the landing was complete.

Following that, the airship’s hatch opened, and Drakan emerged, setting foot on the land of the Floating Castle.

[The quest ‘Floating Castle Voltaha’ has been completed.]

[All stats increased by 234.]

The moment Drakan stepped onto the Floating Castle.

A notification window appeared before him.

Floating Castle Voltaha.

He had located the quest’s objective.

Disembarking from the airship with the expedition members and Shin Ha-yeon, Drakan surveyed his surroundings upon arriving at the Floating Castle.

Voltaha Castle.

Just as described in the quest information window, it was the place of both love and hate, where the Steel Monarch Drakan’s journey began and ended in the previous game.

Returning to this place after so long evoked a strangely melancholic feeling within him.

‘Aside from floating in the sky, it hasn’t changed much.’

Drakan scanned the surrounding landscape.

He knew Voltaha Castle better than anyone.

Unlike Second, where each race had a designated starting point, the previous game had different starting points for each kingdom and city, and it was even possible to randomly select a starting point.

And the starting point Drakan had chosen when he began the game in the previous installment was Voltaha Castle. Here, he had hunted rabbits and goblins, completed quests, grown stronger, formed a guild, usurped the throne, and ultimately unified the continent.

In the end, he was defeated by Eugene and met his downfall, so it was no exaggeration to say that this place marked both the beginning and the end of his journey.

And the appearance of Voltaha Castle, which he had spent so much time with, remained largely unchanged from the past.

The only noticeable difference was the collapsed sections of the castle caused by the Great Cataclysm.

“It’s been a long time.”

Drakan smiled as he gazed around.

It was a single sentence imbued with a mixture of emotions, marking his return to this castle filled with countless memories.

Just as the quest description had stated, it felt like he had returned to his starting point.

As Drakan indulged in his reminiscence.

A faint darkness in the air gradually coalesced into a human form, and soon, a specter clad in blackened steel armor materialized before Drakan.

Drakan’s eyebrows twitched as he observed the knight who had suddenly appeared in steel armor.

This was because he recognized the armor worn by the unidentified knight all too well.

The unforgettable armor was none other than the symbolic attire of the Steel Knights, the elite knight order under the command of the Iron Blood Alliance.

“Steel Knights?”

The moment Drakan uttered those words.

The translucent knight clad in steel armor knelt before him.

[Knight Commander Ribery greets his liege.]

Knight Commander Ribery of the Steel Knights!

He was one of the few NPCs, along with the Witch Circe, whose loyalty stat had reached its maximum value. He was also an exceptionally powerful figure in the previous game, rivaling the Ten Strongest, possessing strength comparable to Over-Rankers. The image of Ribery, the strongest NPC knight of the Iron Blood Alliance, flashed through Drakan’s mind.

Unlike Circe, whose fate remained unknown, Ribery’s demise was vividly etched in Drakan’s memory.

The final moments of the last battle, when the relentless onslaught of the Revolutionary Army overwhelmed them.

After the impregnable walls of Voltaha Castle were breached, and they suffered defeat in the urban warfare, Hero Eugene finally stormed the Steel Palace, the heart of the continent and the stronghold of the Iron Blood Alliance, wielding his holy sword.

Ribery perished before Drakan, pierced by Eugene’s holy sword.

‘He should have died then.’

The scene of Ribery’s death remained vivid in Drakan’s mind.

Although his current appearance suggested he wasn’t exactly alive, the fact that Ribery, who had died over a thousand years ago, had manifested before him was significant in itself.

“It’s been a while, Ribery. What has transpired?”

As soon as Drakan finished speaking, a video materialized in his vision.

It was the now-familiar cinematic.