Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 258 - 256: Advancing

Chapter 258: Chapter 256: Advancing

Finally managing to defeat the male-faced Sphinx, now came the crucial stage of looting the spoils. Salovis was busy prying out the gemstone embedded in the Sphinx’s forehead, completely disregarding the blood streaming down her body.

Cecilia wasn’t interested in competing with Salovis. She was lying on the ground, resting. Her injuries weren’t minor either, though hers were mainly internal wounds—after all, the magical roar of the male-faced Sphinx inflicted thunder damage, something not visible on the surface.

"What are you worrying about?" Tassera noticed the grave expression on Leon’s face.

By this point, even Leon, as oblivious and unaware as he could be, knew he wasn’t a great person—though not to the extent of indiscriminately killing innocent beings.

No matter whether the male-faced Sphinx was innocent, anyone who blocked the path had to go. The death of the male-faced Sphinx elicited no emotional stir from Leon, but what it said before dying certainly kept him preoccupied.

"I was just thinking about what the male-faced Sphinx said before it died," Leon replied. His view on people’s last words was that a dying person’s words might hold some merit. Those final words from the Sphinx could mean something significant.

"There’s definitely some secret hidden in that tomb, perhaps even some terrifying monster buried there—there’s no doubt about it. The male-faced Sphinx may not have been lying; your concerns aren’t unfounded..."

Tassera’s eyes gleamed; she had always embraced a "seek truth at dawn, die at dusk" kind of reckless spirit. Continuing, she added, "If there weren’t something there, we wouldn’t have come."

"Crisis is also opportunity. Only places like this are worth the effort of a grand venture; only places like this can truly satisfy us," Tassera lifted her head to look at Leon, who habitually stood tall. "You seek challenges, I seek knowledge, and those two fools want treasure."

"Let me clarify something first, don’t misunderstand..." Leon interrupted, "I’m not obsessed with challenges. If anything, I’d trade foes who match me evenly and take intense effort to defeat for a wooden dummy that records damage and never breaks."

Tassera ground her teeth.

"Brother, let’s move forward," Salovis announced, her looting finished.

"Hand over everything you took from the male-faced Sphinx. I’ll keep it safe for now, and after we conquer this tomb, we’ll divide the spoils evenly," Leon said with a sidelong glance at his sister.

Salovis’ muscles tensed as she replied, "Mine. That’s mine."

"You sure?" Leon countered.

"Won’t you let me keep it?" Salovis knew full well how powerful Leon was; ten of her combined wouldn’t stand a chance. Yet, she couldn’t let go, making one final attempt.

"Of course, I could," Leon said casually, "but remember, we agreed beforehand—I’m the captain. Anyone who disobeys orders will be kicked out of the team. If we split up, that solves everything."

Tassera was easygoing, Cecilia smart enough, but Salovis needed some serious discipline.

If not, Leon was sure that once the last shred of their sibling bond was eroded, he’d have to drive her out due to her awful personality. Frankly, he wasn’t someone who clung to family ties, wasn’t a doting brother in the conventional sense. For him, nurture outweighed blood relations. A sibling relationship meant little.

To his surprise, Salovis hadn’t reached the point of no return. As a red dragon, being able to relinquish her spoils was already rare—a departure from her usual reluctance—at long last, she pulled out a gemstone and grumbled, "Here you go."

"Anything else?" Leon flicked his fingers, activating the Object Capture Skill to retrieve the gemstone from Salovis’ hand. "Nothing escapes these eyes of mine."

"You love money so much, don’t you? Otherwise, why observe so closely... How can you even claim to not care about money? The nerve of it," Salovis muttered begrudgingly as she handed over a necklace encrusted with gemstones—a decorative item from the Sphinx. "Fine, take it, take it all."

"Rules are rules," Leon coughed lightly and theatrically proclaimed, "All things under heaven and earth—what I grant you is yours; what I don’t, you can neither seize nor steal."

Salovis scrunched her nose, unimpressed.

Training a red dragon was never going to be easy. Leon didn’t mind; he was prepared for a long-term battle.

"I’m your sister," Salovis pouted.

"That changes nothing," Leon replied curtly.

"I’m seriously injured," Salovis spread her wings to show Leon the wounds, "Surely some credit is deserved for the effort."

"Your combat strength is just weak... If it were me, a mere male-faced Sphinx wouldn’t even scratch a scale," Leon remarked as he noticed Salovis glaring at him. "I know the truth stings, but facts are facts. Severe injuries don’t correlate with merit."

"As for your wounds..." Despite everything, Leon still cared about his sibling. He conjured a potion out of thin air, saying, "Your body’s your responsibility–learn to protect it."

"Apply this to your wounds." Leon pointed his claw at Salovis, internally wishing for a golden finger reward to acquire healing magic—it was another shortfall in his skill arsenal.

Leon wasn’t about to gently apply the medicine for her. His focus had now shifted ahead.

With the male-faced Sphinx defeated, the path to the tomb began to clear.

A broad road partially buried in yellow sand stretched forth, lined with numerous statues and square stone pillars...

"Those statues were sculpted by the Ancient Fallen Empire based on the deities it revered. You can find them around the tomb and the pyramid’s corridors. When the situation calls for it, priests will use powerful incantations to awaken those statues," Tassera explained. "They are the Ancient Fallen Empire’s clay golems and stone statues."

"Will they attack us?" Leon asked.

"Hard to say," Tassera replied. "We’ll find out once we approach."

"Those square stone pillars—are they obelisks?" Leon observed the tapering, pinnacled columns. "What are they for?"

"They serve religious purposes, amplify signals, gather magical energy, store magical energy, and more," Tassera answered. She had extensive knowledge of the Ancient Fallen Empire, thanks to her desert-dwelling background as a blue dragon.

Leon nodded noncommittally, listening to Tassera’s exposition on the bygone empire.

Standing at the tomb’s entrance, the broad road evolved into an Obelisk Square, and the archway-like portal—the Gate of Endless Reincarnation—led to the pyramid, where inside lay a long corridor opening into the main chamber. Many tombs descended into massive underground spaces...

Leon soaked up the information, eager to explore the tomb and conquer its underground dungeon. Casting a glance back at Cecilia and Salovis, he asked, "Are you both rested?"

"Ready! Fully recovered!" Salovis chirped, springing upright.

"Did you apply the medicine I gave you?" Leon questioned.

"Of course! Check for yourself," Salovis said, showing him her scabbed-over wounds.

"Return the leftover medicine," Leon extended a claw.

"I used it all," Salovis stubbornly claimed.

Leon was certain that she had likely only used part of the potion, adamantly claiming to have used it all as a way to pocket the remainder. He considered saying something but shut his mouth again. Forget it—it wasn’t worth the effort over such a trivial thing.

The short rest ended, and Leon took the lead, stepping onto the stairs and along the broad road. As they approached the statues flanking the path, they began to shift—stone grinding against stone—as they stepped off their pedestals, soundlessly raising massive weapons.

With the Sphinx cleared, it was Leon’s turn to act. Facing the jackal-headed and falcon-headed statues, he summoned the Catastrophe Blade out of thin air—it remained his preferred weapon—and contemplated activating his Three Heads and Six Arms Dharma Body. He decided against it, opting to conserve mana.

The Catastrophe Blade’s iron-slicing property ensured heavy strikes upon contact. Leon swung the blade effortlessly, felling a statue.

Leon held the front line while Tassera, Cecilia, and Salovis coordinated their attacks, decimating the statues with overwhelming force.

"Too weak," Salovis remarked. "I didn’t even get to enjoy the fight."

"Your wounds are about to split open, and you’re worried about having fun?" Leon retorted.

In truth, the statues, essentially clay golems and stone statues, had respectable challenge levels. Most young dragons could handle them; they normally shouldn’t be wiped out so swiftly.

The critical factor was their extended exposure to the elements, being stored since the Ancient Empire’s decline. Weathered over countless years and neglected maintenance, their decrepit state was already remarkable for maintaining mobility. Even then, only half of them could move, and their inherent strength was greatly diminished.

Leon inspected the stone golems’ weapons. The materials were average, but the gold plating on their surface gave them an impressive look, featuring intricate designs and hieroglyphs whose purposes remained unknown.

Tassera lingered at every etched column, deeply immersed in study.

Thus, even without the male-faced Sphinx, nothing seemed capable of hindering the quartet of dragons. Yet, progress through the tomb was leisurely.

Dragging on for an hour, they finally stood before the pyramid, ready to break through its entrance, facing a new dilemma.

The pyramid was enormous; its entrance equally grand—with heights spanning several meters and accommodating wide passage. The issue was that while humanoid forms could pass through easily, in dragon form they’d have to crouch to enter, their movement severely restricted. If a monster were encountered, they’d likely be limited to biting and using Breath Weapons, with clawing almost impossible.