Chapter 302
Chapter 302
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: Chapter 7. The Land of the Scorching Heat
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The dragon head vanished into the sand in an instant, but its location was still visible to the naked eye. It hadn't burrowed too deep with its massive bulk—its horns protruded prominently. The sand bulged around them, forming a small dune, making it easy to track.
Judah raised Fragment Gaia above his head. It boosted his strength to a considerably high level, pushing his current strength well past 80, yet the spear still felt heavy. And its weight distribution was utterly unfamiliar compared to the yakal.
Woooom!
As he channeled mana into it, Gaia, now in the form of a halberd, let out a resonant hum. The blade tip vibrated wildly on its own, shaking his hands. The basilisk had wielded this thing with such ease.
On top of that, he still didn't know the secret to the hidden power the basilisk had unleashed, so he couldn't replicate that ominous aura it had exuded back then. Until he uncovered that secret, memories of that moment would keep resurfacing every time he used Gaia.
'Well, that's a problem for later.'
Judah swung Gaia down toward the approaching dragon head, activating a skill. The instant the blade tip plunged into the sand, the gathered mana drained out in a rush.
Kwarungkakakakak!
The power manifested by the mana tore through the earth. The sand erupted, splitting open a 200-meter-long gash wide enough to swallow two people whole. Sand poured into the fissure like seawater, gradually filling it back in.
He had no intention of killing it, so he hadn't aimed directly. Worried it might die if hit squarely, he settled for a glancing blow or a shot meant to slow it down—a mere threat.
The threat worked. The dragon head emerged from the sand to assess the situation, scanning its surroundings with its sharp eyes before cautiously approaching Judah. Its wariness had clearly slowed it down from before.
Shaaaa!
The sound of it slicing through the sand rang clearly in his ears. To heighten his senses further, Judah deployed his shadow.
The moment the dragon head entered the expanding shadow, information about it flooded into his mind. Tail and body length, predicted movements, direction—all that data came with every shadow deployment, yet it never failed to feel eerie.
The dragon head drew close to swallow the motionless Judah whole and gaped its maw wide. Rows of densely packed double teeth gleamed, along with three slender, elongated tongues.
Watching it all from point-blank range, Judah activated Gaia's skill [Giant's Hand].
Just as the gaping jaws thrust toward him, boasting their razor-sharp teeth, a massive fist erupted from within the sand and uppercut the creature's jaw.
Thwack!
Its mouth snapped shut in an instant, and the dragon head launched into the air. At the same time, three enormous arms formed from compressed sand nearby seized it, sending ripple-like waves across the surface as twenty chains were summoned.
Clankclankclank!
The golden chains shot out, wrapping tightly around the dragon head's sturdy, scale-covered body.
The chains writhed like living things, binding its freedom.
Krraaaah!
It roared fiercely, and the arms released it. The chains retracted into the ripples, yanking it roughly onto the sand.
The four Giant Hands clamped down on or crushed the writhing dragon head's tail, body, neck, and snout as it thrashed to snap the chains with its gaping mouth. More chains were summoned to bind its jaws shut.
Grrrrr...!
With its body and mouth restrained, the dragon head exposed its rock-chewing gums—untouched by damage between its tough scales—and let out a boiling growl.
It shook its elongated body violently to escape, but the chains and Giant Hands allowed no freedom.
Judah kicked off the ground and leaped onto the dragon head's snout. Its two eyes glared up at him. Meeting that gaze, Judah used Fragment Carpediem's <Subordination>. He could have bent it with hypnosis, but subordination allowed for freer commands.
"Submit obediently."
Or die.
As its pupils flushed purple, Judah spoke. Naturally, it wasn't fully convinced yet and resisted the fragment's subordination. But soon, its frantic thrashing slowed, then went limp.
[You have subordinated the mid-tier rare magic beast, Dragon Head.]
[Dragon Head will now obey your words.]
"Good."
The success message appeared. Judah reverse-summoned the Giant Hands and chains holding it, then stored Gaia in his <Bag>. Despite regaining its freedom, the dragon head stayed put obediently. Testing it, he ordered it to head toward the group, and it moved smoothly.
"This is basically like scoring a car."
One that drove itself on command, no less. When he returned to the others, Lime gaped in disbelief, eyes wide with shock. Arhil simply clapped in pure joy at not having to walk the desert anymore, exclaiming how amazing it was. Iris, already subordinated herself, just stared silently at the dragon head now sharing her fate.
'Wonder if she'll ask me to release her subordination?'
The dragon head was a perfect example of what subordination entailed. No surprise Iris eyed it that way. Then, the dragon head gulped, saliva pooling at the sight of the tasty morsels wiggling right in front of it. But Judah, perched between its eyes on its forehead, tapped its head lightly with his foot.
Grrrng!
It reacted immediately, as if asking what was wrong.
"Don't even think about eating them. Dream on."
Subordination's power was mighty. The dragon head let out a dejected breath, obediently closing its mouth.
"Now, hop on. Let's travel in comfort."
Iris leaped on first, light as a feather. Arhil approached cautiously from the side, stealing glances at the dragon head.
"It's fine. It won't bite. Grab my hand and climb up slowly."
Arhil nodded, took his hand, and stepped onto the tightly packed, scale-like shell. Judah hoisted her up, and thanks to his high strength, she floated right up.
"Eek!?"
Startled by the sudden lift, she flailed her arms midair with a shriek. Judah leaned in to let her hug him, catching her gently. As her feet touched the dragon head's snout, she sighed in relief and thanked him.
"Thanks, Judah."
He smiled lightly, while the dragon head watched these things fooling around on its face with pitiful eyes. And there was still one more to board.
Its gaze shifted to Lime, who approached with a tense face, face-to-face with this unknown creature for the first time.
"Hoo—"
Exhaling as if steeling himself for a grand challenge, Lime grabbed Judah's hand while staring straight into the dragon head's eyes.
Judah had no intention of letting a guy hug him, so he lifted Lime with measured strength and set him down on the snout.
Iris created a shadow saddle-like seat between the two backward-curving horns at the dragon head's rear.
"Ooh... You can even do that? I'm jealous."
-Don't you handle shadows too, Judah?
She scribbled on her notepad with curious eyes, tilting her head. But Judah shook his head. What he could make with shadows was limited to artifacts.
No everyday tools beyond armor or weapons. Chains were a separate summon skill altogether.
"No, I can't make them that freely. Just weapons and armor."
Well, scissors could count as a weapon, so probably doable. A chair as a blunt weapon? Maybe. It was a matter of mindset and perception.
"Oh, could you make something to secure us in place?"
Like seatbelts. Iris nodded after hearing the explanation, crafting elastic straps. Judah and the group sat down.
Surprisingly comfortable. A canopy shaded them from the sun, chairs for relaxed seating, and it moved fast on simple directions. Perfect.
The dragon head obeyed Judah's commands intelligently—whether from subordination or not, it headed precisely where told.
Having a mount made a world of difference in speed. Muggy, but they felt the breeze, and the comfort of traversing the harsh desert effortlessly thrilled everyone more than anything. They covered serious ground in a single day.
Feeding the dragon head wasn't impossible, but it ate a ton, so at night, he let it roam freely to hunt.
No worry of it fleeing thanks to subordination, and it returned before dawn, obedient. Whatever it ate, it showed mild interest in the group's meals but soon closed its eyes to sleep. Unaffected by the scorching sun, it stayed fine after long hauls. Feeling bad about overworking it, Judah gave it water, and it guzzled a huge amount.
'Next town or castle, I need to stock up more on water and salt.'
They had enough for four people to last months—half a year, even—but factoring in the dragon head cut that short. Other ingredients and spices were plentiful, enough for a year. Water, being easy to find, they hadn't bought much.
They even had this much thanks to stocking up before the labyrinth in the Byron Empire, anticipating the Land of Scorching Heat.
Then, the dragon head, which had been moving steadily, halted without instruction and veered off suddenly.
"U-Uwaaa!?"
"Kyaaa! Judah, Judah! S-Slow down! Warn us before going!"
Lime and Arhil screamed, clinging to Judah's arms at the abrupt speed surge. Iris quietly gripped his clothes and the chair armrest beside him.
It tried sinking into the sand, but Judah tapped its head with his foot, ordering it to stop.
Under subordination's power, it froze against its will, grumbling in dissatisfaction. Wondering why the rush, he told it to go slow, and it climbed a dune ridge. At the crest, angels were visible moving in a group right ahead, and farther off, packs identical to the raptors from days ago attacked a robed group. They looked human at first, but dog-like faces peeked from under the robes.
Seemed like a brawl.
"Enemies!"
One angel spotted the dragon head carrying Judah's group and drew its sword.
* * *