FATE: The Man with Divine Keys

After a moment, a cold snort suddenly echoed in Arkhan's mind.

"Hmph! I have nothing to say to you."

Listening to the echoing voice in his mind, Arkhan responded with a hint of resignation, "Hey, we both have our grievances, okay? It's Merlin who stole your power, and I'm just a victim here. Besides, you saw it earlier, right? I killed him twice, that was including your part. Isn't that proof enough of my sincerity?"

"Hmph, that incubus is indeed the main culprit, but do you really think you have no responsibility at all?" The voice replied with a touch of annoyance.

"What do you mean by that?" Arkhan furrowed his brows.

"Your cursed lance!" Nidhogg's voice seethed with anger. "If it weren't for that thing, I wouldn't be in this wretched state right now."

"You mean the Abyss Flower?" Arkhan blinked in confusion. "What does it have to do with all of this?"

"What do you mean by 'what does it have to do'?!" Nidhogg roared angrily. "If it weren't for that cursed lance that appeared out of nowhere and devoured all the life energy I had painstakingly gathered, I should have been the one in control of this body!"

Arkhan contemplated for a moment and finally grasped the situation.

Originally, this body had died due to Nidhogg's power, but Nidhogg's soul, residing in that power, hadn't dissipated.

Nidhogg had intended to find an opportunity to resurrect itself in this body. However, that was when Arkhan's System gave the beginner's gift—the Abyss Flower.

The Abyss Flower had stolen the life energy Nidhogg intended to use for its resurrection and redirected it to Arkhan, allowing him to be reborn. So, this was the truth behind his own resurrection.

"But... aren't you the Dragon of Despair? Where did this life energy even come from?" Arkhan asked with a lingering sense of resentment.

"Have you forgotten my myth?"

Arkhan suddenly realized.

"The World Tree, Yggdrasil..."

He had seen the image of Yggdrasil in Nidhogg's created mental world. Its majestic presence, sustaining the heavens and the earth, and its unimaginable life energy had left a deep impression on him.

Only that level of life energy could counter the power of death from the Dragon of Despair.

"That's the last bit of Yggdrasil power I have left..." Nidhogg said with a sigh.

Arkhan turned his head, awkwardly clearing his throat. He finally understood where Nidhogg's resentment came from.

After all those years of diligently gnawing on those roots, Nidhogg had painstakingly accumulated a small fortune, only to have it stolen by someone else.

No one, no matter who, would easily accept that.

Moreover, those powers were so important that decided whether Nidhogg could be resurrected or not.

"If it were just Yggdrasil power, it would be one thing, but that damn lance also absorbed my death energy, causing me to sleep for damn sixteen years!" Nidhogg lamented bitterly. "That damn lance is a real bully! Even Odin didn't go this far!"

Arkhan remained silent, feeling a hint of sorrow in Nidhogg's voice.

"That... it's not really my fault, you know? I couldn't control the lance back then..." Arkhan awkwardly cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hmph!" Nidhogg coldly snorted and fell into silence once again.

Arkhan scratched his head and sighed in frustration.

Indeed, from every angle, Nidhogg was undeniably the ultimate victim in this matter.

First, was stolen from, then was robbed. The Dragon of Despair, renowned since the Age of Gods, probably never imagined that it would one day encounter such a tragic turn of events.

However, upon careful reflection, Arkhan couldn't help but feel that Nidhogg somewhat deserved this outcome. If not for the Abyss Flower, his body would have been taken over by this dragon, and he'd truly be dead.

Yet, it wasn't entirely Nidhogg's fault, as none of this would have happened if that dick wizard hadn't started it all.

In the end, it was all Merlin's fault.

"So, how about I return these powers to you?" Arkhan suggested.

After a long silence, the voice of Nidhogg echoed in his mind once more.

"Human, you're putting in so much effort to please me. Is it because you want me to unlock the true potential of this body for you?"

"As I thought, you've seen through it..." Arkhan sighed.

This was the most puzzling thing to him since waking up.

This body, created with Nidhogg's power combined with Uther's bloodline, should definitely not be limited to this extent.

Although his overall strength surpassed Artoria's by quite a bit, when it came to physical strength alone, he was no match for her.

When comparing them based on data, Artoria's strength was rated as an 'A', while his strength only reached a 'C'.

There was also a significant gap in their magical energy reserves.

The red dragon heart granted Artoria with an abundance of magical energy, like an endless sea. Even if she did nothing, her body would continuously produce magical energy. In contrast, despite relying on Rune, Arkhan couldn't come close to her efficiency.

He hadn't paid much attention to this before because he knew Artoria was an artificial red dragon created by Merlin, so her uniqueness was not surprising.

But when he realized that he was the first-ever artificial black dragon, something didn't add up.

Although he didn't know where Artoria's red dragon factor came from, it couldn't possibly be stronger than the power of Nidhogg that brought about the Ragnarok.

Since the red dragon factor could bring about such significant changes in Artoria, there was no reason why he, housing the power of Nidhogg, should be weaker.

Arkhan had thought about it for a long time and concluded that the issue lay with Nidhogg itself.

After all, it was originally Nidhogg's power. Even if only a trace of its essence remained, mastering it should not be difficult.

"It's quite a clever idea to want my power." Nidhogg sneered, "But I can tell you truthfully that the reason you haven't obtained my power has nothing to do with me."

"What?" Arkhan furrowed his brow, confused. 

"That purple-haired woman who once slew gods." Nidhogg said calmly, "She was worried that my power would consume you, so she sealed it with the Primordial Rune."

Arkhan blinked for a moment, then immediately closed his eyes, inspecting himself from within.

Not long after, a deep green, mysterious rune emerged from his heart, hanging silently in the air.

Arkhan opened his eyes and looked at the Primordial Rune in front of him. In the depths of his deep-black eyes, a hint of complexity appeared.

'Mother...'

"But even if you remove this seal, it won't do you any good unless I agree. You'll never be able to obtain my power!" Nidhogg boasted and acted smug.

Arkhan remained silent, his eyes flashing.

"I know that red feathers of yours possess powerful psychic powers. If you try to erase me, it will be a mere moment's work."

Nidhogg stated calmly without fear.

"But I advise against it unless... you want history to repeat itself."