Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: Clash (9)
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"Put away your sword. We harbor no more hostility toward you."
The Dragon King spoke. The two voices—one male, one female—emerging from a single mouth were utterly eerie. He'd assumed that polymorphing into a human would give it two heads like an ogre, but to think it'd transform like this.
Ronan snorted and gripped the hilt even tighter.
"How am I supposed to believe that?"
"It seems you didn't hear Our proclamation."
Ronan didn't reply. In truth, he and his group had been on the outskirts of Adren and hadn't caught the Dragon King's declaration. Asel, who had witnessed even the moment Duaru struck it down, stammered.
"H-how are you still alive? You were clearly..."
"Advice from an old friend and the meager grace I once bestowed saved me. Much transpired in that brief time. Now, Our sole purpose—along with Our subjects—is to eliminate that intruder."
With that, the Dragon King looked up at Duaru. Its slightly bloodshot eyes no longer held any trace of former arrogance or leisure.
Something must have happened. Of course, Ronan wasn't about to drop his guard based on words alone. Not after all the crap he'd endured.
In fact, this two-faced freak standing before them was the culprit behind most of the bullshit that had gone down in Adren. Suddenly, Naransonia, who had been quietly listening, cut in.
"If it's alright, allow me to explain that part, Your Majesty."
"We permit it."
The Dragon King nodded at Naransonia's request. Her clothes were still stained red from the grievous injury of her severed wings.
She'd been little more than a corpse when they rescued her, yet here she was, full of vim and vigor. Unreal. She stepped forward, blocking Ronan and his group, and opened her mouth.
"First, I must offer thanks. You saved my life. Naransonia of Balgania's Steel expresses her gratitude to you all."
"Why so awkwardly all of a sudden?"
"We must acknowledge what's due. Now, regarding our side's circumstances..."
Naransonia began explaining the situation calmly from the beginning. As Ronan listened, he raised an eyebrow. Their plan was astonishingly similar to his and the Dragon King's.
They had polymorphed into humans to ambush Duaru and made it this far. They could have taken smaller animal forms, but this shape was optimal for slaying the light giants they encountered and rescuing citizens.
"His Majesty has fully awakened. I guarantee it."
"Aren't you overrating yourself a bit? Frankly, you're not exactly the most trustworthy figure."
"My pride isn't so cheap that I'd lie to the one who saved my life."
"...Hmph."
Ronan let out a short chuckle. Naransonia's pale blue eyes stared back unwaveringly. Ronan, who had been gazing at her silently, lowered his sword.
He'd sensed it from her initial thanks, but for a dragon—the Dragon King's closest aide, no less, with all that lofty pride—to say such things required utter sincerity.
Moreover, Ronan had the feat of having defeated her once. Sheathing his blade, he turned to the Dragon King.
"Then we share the same goal."
"Indeed. We were short on manpower anyway. This works out."
The Dragon King nodded deeply. Ronan's gaze shifted to the dragons lined up behind it.
"That's what I wanted to talk about."
There were far more than met the eye. The procession of polymorphed dragons stretched deep into the forest. Just over two hundred dragons had all gathered after hearing the Dragon King's call.
Frankly, none looked in great shape. They'd all suffered tremendous damage, directly or indirectly, from Duaru while fighting back.
Yet their vertically slit pupils burned with the fierce will to eliminate the intruder and defend their home—an emotion immortal dragons would never normally harbor. Ronan's expression brightened considerably.
'With this force, it might actually work.'
A sliver of hope for victory emerged. They might just breakthrough that damn anti-air network. Having organized his strategy in his mind, he spoke up.
"I get that your plan's an ambush too. So how do you plan to breach that defensive line? Even assuming you punch through the minions."
Ronan pointed straight at Duaru. Hundreds to thousands of light giants swarmed like clouds.
Behind them, an immensely powerful stellar blessing—utterly incomparable to anything from Nebula Klazier—shimmered around Duaru. The genuine article lived up to the hype. After a pause, the Dragon King shook its head.
"Frankly, we have no plan. But if we concentrate everyone's firepower on a single point, couldn't we break through?"
"Damn, wanna open a kebab joint? If that worked, we wouldn't be in this mess."
Ronan spat curses. It was recklessness matching their resolve. The subordinates' faces darkened sharply, but the Dragon King held them back.
"...Then what do you propose?"
"There's one way. Extremely dangerous, though."
"Doesn't matter. Tell us."
The Dragon King said. Orse, watching from behind, let out a hollow laugh. The sheer absurdity had even dispelled his irritation at the situation.
Is this really the Azidahaka I knew? Naransonia's claim of it having 'awakened' seemed no exaggeration. Ronan nodded gravely and spoke.
"Alright. Everyone, gather round."
A temporary alliance was formed. The main force clustered around Ronan. Duaru's descent had crushed even the innate arrogance and superiority complex inherent to dragons. Ronan began explaining his plan as concisely and clearly as possible.
"Is such a thing even possible?"
"You're not joking, are you, human?"
Disbelief erupted here and there throughout the explanation. But Ronan's utmost seriousness, backed by the Dragon King and Naransonia, quelled the confusion. As did the vicious killing intent blooming over Orse's shoulders.
"Finally, we can't all go. We need personnel to handle cleanup if the floating stone gets destroyed or things go south."
"Hm. We'll split into two groups, then."
With time short, the meeting wrapped quickly. The humans and dragons divided into two: the assault team targeting Duaru, and the cleanup team for aftermath.
Duaru gazed down at the ground. Each flap of its four wings unleashed gales that swept away the surrounding clouds.
From its lofty perch in the sky, the full panorama of Adren lay visible at a glance. The dragon city surged with flames and screams everywhere, racing toward destruction.
"Grooo...!"
"GRROOO!!"
Over a thousand light giants encircled it like a moat. These summons handled vigilance and sweeps in Duaru's stead while it focused on destroying the floating stone. New light giants continuously birthed from the diligently shedding feathers.
KABOOOM-!
Not long after hurling his spear, a massive explosion echoed. Duaru casually checked the floating stone's damage before mechanically extending its arm.
Light from the surroundings coalesced, handing a spear of light to Duaru's grasp. Aiming at the same spot, it swung its arm—lightning-fast, the spear plunged into the floating stone.
KABOOOM-!
A flash erupted once more. Where light and smoke settled, a wider crater and a floating stone with slightly more cracks revealed itself.
A few more throws, and it'd shatter. The sinking ground of Adren attested to it.
Light began gathering inside its palm. The moment it raised its arm, spear in hand—a heaven-shaking roar resounded, as if the world itself were splitting.
Duaru hesitated briefly. The light giants' movements grew frantic. The roar came from every direction, impossible to pinpoint.
As they flew off to seek the source—
KABOOOOOM!!
Torrents of multicolored rapids burst from the surrounding forest.
KABOOM!
Flames, lightning, ice—breaths of every element slammed straight into the panicked giants.
"Gr-GROOO!"
"GROK!"
It was overwhelming firepower. Giants unprepared to dodge or brace dissolved into light. The sky, dyed in vibrant hues, swirled with fiery mirages and frost-laced winds. Before the light giants could recover—
Another thunderous shout rocked the night sky. Simultaneously, hundreds of dragons tore through the forest canopy and soared upward. The dragons' shadows stretched long under the moonlight, blanketing the ground.
KABOOOM!
The bellowing dragons unleashed breaths once more. Elemental torrents poured from every direction, engulfing the giants. But this time, they didn't achieve the initial success. The giants, burned once before, formed ranks, using each other's bodies as shields to block the attacks.
"GRRROOOO!"
The giants roared. Their forms twisted and reverted repeatedly, as if expressing rage. Their numbers had thinned from the ambush, but countless still filled the sky.
"GRROOOOO!!"
Neither side slowed. The dragons realized circling and breathing yielded minimal results, while the giants had no reason to retreat. Spears and blades of light formed in their empty hands.
Mahakadia—known as Adren's second-swiftest dragon—folded her wings and accelerated. Her single horn piercing a giant's chest marked the start of close-quarters combat.
KABOOOM!
In the skies above doom-doomed Adren, the two forces collided.