Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot
Chapter 160 - 159 - Stronger?

Chapter 160: Chapter 159 - Stronger?

Silence hung in the air for a long time.

No one said anything, simply staring at Bren, who died with a smile on his burned face.

This time, that smile was visible.

The silence, however, was broken after some time.

The one who broke the quiet was Graye as she muttered, her voice carrying more emotions than she had ever shown. "...This is why I don’t make weak friends. They die and leave you behind."

As if she was waiting for someone to speak, Jessy followed, taking a shaky breath, her arms crossed. "...He was laughing till the end. Bastard knew how to go out with a line."

Siris, with utmost seriousness, tilted her head. "Should I carve a monument for him? Or maybe present him with some demon skulls as a parting gift? It might help his soul pass on happily."

It might not seem like it with her words, but Siris was being serious.

She was angry.

She wanted to kill some demons.

She felt that only by killing some demon could she calm her emotions.

It wasn’t because Siris felt bad about Bren’s death but because she saw Raven sad.

Because she felt Raven’s pain.

Others could understand that, and that’s why none of them said anything against Siris.

Jake exhaled, saying nothing, but knelt briefly to close Bren’s eyes.

Selena turned toward Raven. "That last part... the demon feared you. He said you could kill the real ones. What was that about?"

....

There was no answer.

She blinked. "Raven?"

Still nothing.

Then, Jake, who was closest to Raven, noticed it—his eyes were closed.

His eyes weren’t closed in the tired, I’ll-just-nap-here way, but in the tranquil, too-serene, oh-no-he’s-doing-something-dangerous-again way.

"...Wait," Clara said, suddenly stepping forward, concern rapidly forming across her face. "Is he alright—"

It was then that a hum rang through the room; a ’Bzzz’ broke the tension as Omni, the sword at Raven’s side, suddenly vibrated.

"Don’t sweat it, lady," Omni said in his smooth, oddly charismatic gangster tone. "Raven’s busy doing something important, you feel me? You can’t touch him right now."

Clara froze mid-step.

The others also turned to stare at the sword.

But before anyone could speak, Omni continued, answering the question Selena had asked Raven.

"So, Ice Queen, lemme answer your question. Here’s the scoop, straight from the multi-realm back alleys. Normally, ya kill a demon here?" He clicked his nonexistent fingers.

"Boom. They poof, sure. Blood, guts, dramatic exit. But their soul? That hops dimensions like it’s dodging taxes. Back to the Demon Realm they go—heal up, stretch a bit, and next thing you know, they’re crashin’ the next party."

Jessy, whose eyes were shifting between Raven and Omni, furrowed. "So... they don’t actually die?"

She wanted to check up on Raven, but recalling how Omni had stopped Clara, she decided against it.

Everyone knew that Omni was Raven’s sword, someone bonded to him, so if he was telling them something about him, he wouldn’t lie.

"Nope," Omni shook his nonexistent head. "Not unless you whack ’em in their house. Demon Realm rules. You gotta kill them on their turf, in their world, or it’s just a temporary inconvenience."

Jake, seeing Clara, Selena, and Siris come forward and kneel around Raven, decided to back away.

Jessy, on the other hand, continued the talk. "Then how did Raven—?"

"That’s the point, girl," Omni cut in. "He killed ’em. For real. Not banished, not delayed, not ’see ya next week.’ Erased. Boom. Gone. Their names are now missing from the Demon Registry of Unholy Jerks."

Silence.

That was big. The kind that made gods nervous and demons file complaints in triplicate.

Clara, Selena, and Siris, however, weren’t paying attention anymore.

Their eyes were locked on Raven—his breathing had deepened, but a faint shimmer now clung to the air around him, like heat waves bending the light.

However, they forgot an important thing.

"Who are you guys talking to?!" Graye, who had been trying to understand what was going on, couldn’t take it anymore.

First, the news about demons and stuff, then about how humans were being experimented on, then now, everyone seemed to be talking about something but she couldn’t understand a single word.

"Also, what’s wrong with Raven? Why aren’t you guys waking him up?" She stomped forward, frowning, wanting to talk to Raven as only he could make her mood better.

Even if he always stopped her advances, even those interactions were enough for her.

She merely wanted to talk to Raven.

Her feelings, however, weren’t something others could care about right now because—

"Shit! She can’t hear me!" Omni’s voice blasted through everyone’s heads, loud and urgent. "You gotta stop her, man—whatever it takes! Don’t let her lay so much as a pinky on my guy, ya hear?!"

The moment his voice fell, everyone moved.

Jessy was the first, her hand clenched as she used all of her magnetic power to restrict Graye in her place.

"Huh?" Graye, unable to control her body, suddenly fell to the ground. "Why is my armor so heavy suddenly—?"

Before Graye could even understand what was going on, the others had their weapons drawn at her.

Siris was already close enough to pierce Graye’s head if the girl as much as moved a muscle.

Clara also had her whip-like sword drawn while Selena stood before Raven.

Jake was behind Graye, his scythe ready to slash down.

Crack-Crack!

Suddenly, tree roots sprouted from the ground, coiling around Graye’s body, making it impossible for her to move.

It was Lia, and she was now standing behind Clara.

Graye, however, was now utterly confused, glancing at everyone in confusion. "What did I do?"

She wanted to fight back, but she had started to think of these people as friends, so she didn’t want to attack them.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Clara, looking at Graye’s expression stuck between pain and confusion, sighed, waving her hand as if telling others to let Graye go.

They listened.

The tree roots loosened, and the weight of Graye’s armor returned to normal.

"Clara?" The berserker turned to the girl who freed her.

"You can’t touch Raven right now. He’s doing something very important right now. He can’t be disturbed."

Clara’s reply made Graye frown. "Why can’t we touch him?"

"Because he can’t be disturbed," Clara replied.

"Who told you that—? No, wait. Who have you guys been talking to?! Is it some ghost? Is it here with us?!" Graye looked around nervously as she said those words.

Clara, however, sighed, stopping a chuckle from leaving her lips as Graye just looked too adorable.

"No, it’s not a ghost."

"Then what is it?"

"It’s that sword," Selena replied instead of Clara, making Graye turn toward Omni, then back to Selena.

Finally, she turned back to Clara, her expression filled with doubt. "Really?"

"Really." Clara nodded, and Graye’s eyes widened.

She moved toward Omni, lifting him—

Or so she tried.

"Ngh!!!!" She strained, but she couldn’t even budge Omni an inch. "Why can’t I lift the sword, and why doesn’t it talk to me?!"

Graye asked, bending down... trying to lick the sword?

What?

"...What are you doing?" Clara asked before Omni could start cursing Graye’s nine generations.

"Um... bonding?" Graye tilted her head.

Everyone sighed.

......................................

A while later.

Like Siris, Clara, and Selena, now Graye was sitting beside Raven, staring at him without blinking and smiling to herself from time to time.

She was explained what was going on and that she couldn’t hear Omni until Raven woke up, so she decided to wait.

The others, however, were now waiting for Omni to explain what was going on with Raven.

Omni’s voice dropped to something rarely heard from him—seriousness.

"He’s... upgrading."

That was what he answered them with.

Jessy blinked. "Upgrading?"

Omni hummed. "Yeah. Think of it like this—most folks out here are like good farmhands, strong and seasoned. Raven? He’s that rare blacksmith’s apprentice who suddenly starts forging blades that can cut dragons. But now? My man ain’t just swingin’ harder—he’s changin’ the whole forge!"

There was a dramatic pause before Omni continued, "He’s getting new tools, new fire, and a new name. Like goin’ from a stable boy to the King’s right hand overnight. He’s reaching a new tier."

Jessy muttered, "The conclusion is that he’s getting stronger, right...?"

That thought echoed like a ripple through them all.

Stronger?

Raven was getting stronger than he already was?

Becoming stronger than fighting a horde of demons without breaking a sweat?

"...I need to work harder," Jake muttered in a voice so low that only he and the cave wall next to him could hear it.

Those thoughts, however, weren’t just his.

All others had the same thought.

"Y’all better listen real close now," Omni continued. Warning. "If you touch him right now—his mana’s rearranging. One stray vibe could cause a backlash."

His voice dropped again. "It could mess him up. Burn him from the inside out, or worse, corrupt the advancement. You don’t wanna be the one who interrupts a god-level firmware update, capiche?"

Everyone nodded seriously before they turned toward Graye, who was the only person who couldn’t hear all that.

"Hm?" Graye, who was having a good time staring at Raven’s face, turned to them, feeling their stares. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Clara replied.

Then, she added with a smile. "Just don’t touch Raven, okay?"

"I won’t," Graye nodded.

Omni, on the other hand, went on, quieter now.

"He’s not just gettin’ stronger. He’s unlocking somethin’ that shouldn’t be here. That wasn’t supposed to be possible in this world. So for the love of all that’s sharp and shiny... no one touched him. And nobody let anyone near him."

The group nodded.

Then... silence returned. Heavier than before. Not solemn. Not fearful.

Just anticipation.