Into the Darkness (4): The Dragon Awakens

The perfect ambush gave Dante a decisive edge in the fight. His sharp strike helped, but Namiraz’s complacency played a major role. ‘A mage standing alone without a vanguard?’ A warrior to guard the front was essential for any mage. That was the only way to handle surprise attacks like this one. Namiraz was a beast tamer with monsters summoned all around him, so he must have felt safe. In the end, it proved a fatal miscalculation.

“Ghh…!” Namiraz rolled across the floor and pulled up his lightning mana. Crackle-crackle—! Blue sparks snapped and popped. Dante moved quickly, slipping out of the discharge range.

“Is it all right for a beast tamer to stop controlling his monsters?”

Namiraz gave no reply. He couldn’t. No one could cast two spells at once. If he wanted to control beasts, he had to focus only on that. If he wanted to use lightning magic, he had to devote himself to lightning. To deal with Dante he needed to scatter electricity, which meant he could no longer command his monsters. Dante had closed the distance too fast and too close for him to do both.

“Surrender,” Dante said.

Namiraz’s specialty was useless right now. Even if his monsters attacked Dante, Sir Dan and the northern warriors were steadily thinning their numbers. Sir Dan’s swordsmanship stood out most. He wielded flawless technique even in the dark ruins.

“Surrender now and I’ll spare your life.”

Namiraz burst into mad laughter. “K-khihihihit! Spare my life? You expect me to believe that garbage?”

“Don’t like it? Then die here.”

“Don’t underestimate me, brat!”

In that instant, a blinding flash erupted. Lightning mana surged wildly. Dante immediately spent mana and leapt backward. When the light faded, Namiraz had vanished.

‘Damn it…’

He had pretended to unleash a powerful lightning spell, released the flash, and fled. ‘He’s willing to abandon all his monsters.’ Namiraz had brought plenty, yet he ran without a backward glance.

‘This just got annoying.’ Still, the prey was trapped. If Dante pursued to the end, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would catch him.

“Dante.” Sir Dan approached, his body covered in blood, pus, and parasites. “One symbiotic bug won’t be enough. Gather the warriors. I’ll watch over them.”

“Understood.”

The fierce battle had left some infected. Dante actively released symbiotic bugs to treat everyone. He didn’t stop at healing. He checked each one carefully, searching for any that might be compatible. The parasites refused to submit to him.

…Fine. Let’s see how far this goes. Dante killed every last parasite, then finished preparing to move.

“Quite a few came.”

“Yeah.”

The vast laboratory was lined with dried monster corpses. It was clear Namiraz had bred monsters here, infected them with parasites, and conducted countless experiments.

“…Did Lakravan really do all this?”

“We have to assume so.”

The Lakravan Elder was Namiraz’s sponsor. He had provided the site for the monster infection experiments and covered everyone’s eyes and ears.

“Why on earth…!”

Dante answered the furious Sir Dan. “I told you. Lakravan doesn’t care what happens to the north. The only thing he wants is the Empire.”

“…I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it or not, that’s your choice. I’m going to investigate Lakravan and punish him if necessary.”

Sir Dan stared at Dante in silence. “I’m starting to think you’re doing the right thing.”

Dante took the lead. The end of the dark ruins came into view.

As they descended the stairs, Dante felt the bugs inside his body stir violently.

The red honeybees, the Noon Fairies, were more agitated than ever. They had sensed a threat to the ‘hive’ on instinct. Without waiting for orders, they crawled out on their own. Red bees buzzed around Dante. He knew they wouldn’t obey commands now. These children would sacrifice their lives to protect the hive, the larvae, and the queen bee. That was a bee’s duty.

“Damn it…” Sir Dan muttered.

From the deep darkness came a skin-crawling killing intent. No—not killing intent. Breathing. “Sounds like a beast. Something’s breathing in there.”

The warriors gripped their weapons, tension and fear washing over them. Still—

“We have to keep going.”

They couldn’t turn back now. Showing weakness would only play into Namiraz’s hands. Dante led the way.

“…!”

He stopped at the magnificent sight before them. Sir Dan and the warriors were speechless as well. In the vast cavern lay an enormous creature coiled upon itself. Every northerner knew what it was.

“A dragon…”

The massive body, the scaled torso, the enormous wings—there was no mistaking it. A dragon.

“Khihihihihit—!”

The mad cackle of an old man echoed through the empty cavern. “You walked right into your own grave! You smashed my precious test subjects earlier, didn’t you? I’ll make you pay for that right now!”

Dante felt mana shift. Namiraz had activated a beast-command spell. Its target was the dragon.

‘…Is that even possible?’

Dante couldn’t believe his eyes. If the Tower Master had been here, he would have foamed at the mouth in excitement. ‘Good heavens, Dante! Look at that! Controlling a dragon! What kind of trick is that?!’

No matter how skilled a beast tamer, commanding a dragon was impossible. Dragons were beasts, yet possessed intellect far surpassing humans. Yet Namiraz was controlling one. How? Was he simply that exceptional?

‘No…!’

Dante stared at the dragon—at the countless parasites writhing inside its body. ‘The dragon’s magic resistance has weakened. The parasites have been gnawing away at its mind!’

“Rise—! Pekaraksis! Rise and show your fury!”

The northern guardian dragon, Pekaraksis. Dante knew of him. When the mage Dorkuns repeatedly conducted experiments including demon summoning, the dragon had appeared to punish him. After dealing with Dorkuns, however, Pekaraksis had vanished without a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trace. Now Dante understood. The guardian dragon had succeeded in eliminating Dorkuns, only to be infected by A’k chi Kxhi’s Worms. He had lost his reason, yet his draconic mental fortitude kept him from going completely mad. Instead, Pekaraksis had chosen to sleep and protect his own body.

“Grrr…!”

“I-it’s a dragon!”

“That mage is controlling a dragon!”

Namiraz wasn’t perfectly controlling Pekaraksis. He was merely moving the unconscious dragon’s body as though under hypnosis. Even that was more than enough to slaughter fragile humans.

“Kroooooar—!”

The dragon roared. Namiraz cackled wildly. “Kyahahahat! Do you see now, brats?! This is my ultimate magic! The masterpiece of my life—Dragon Summoning! Kyahahahat!”

“Kill that crazy old man!” Sir Dan shouted, but Namiraz was no fool. Before repeating the same mistake, he melted into the darkness and disappeared. Infected wolf-men and other monsters appeared at every passage. Dante’s group was instantly surrounded.

“Damn it all!” Sir Dan roared, gripping his weapon. The dragon’s gaze bore down on them. At the same time, a massive surge of mana erupted from the dragon’s maw. Pure destructive light blazed—the dragon’s most powerful weapon, Dragon Breath.

“Everyone, get back—!”

Kwaaaaaaaaah!

A deafening explosion swept through the cavern. One warrior caught in the blast vanished without a trace. Sir Dan had no time for rage or grief.

“Namiraz… and Lakravan!”

He raised his sword and charged the dragon. “I will take your heads—no matter what it takes!”

“Kroooooar—!”

Dragon Pekaraksis roared. Its eyes were empty, its consciousness absent. Yet it remained the most powerful creature in existence. When Sir Dan swung his sword, the dragon swung its claws. Mana-wrapped blade met mana-clad talons. Claaang—! The impact nearly dislocated his shoulder, but Sir Dan endured. He skillfully deflected the claws and drove in toward the shoulder joint. The dragon simply crushed him with its sheer mass.

“Ghh!”

Large monsters wielded their size itself as a weapon. Even a light body slam could shatter bones and flesh. “Captain!” “Damn it…! Shit!”

The northern warriors swung their weapons. Infected test subjects released by Namiraz attacked from all sides. Though each was a capable fighter, the accumulated fatigue of endless battle was too much.

“Aaaagh!” “Mogon! You bastard…!”

One by one, warriors fell. The dragon stood aloof, watching their deaths. Sir Dan fought desperately, yet he could not overcome the dragon.

‘…Was I wrong?’

There were too many enemies. And the dragon was simply too powerful. Neither the mad mage’s test subjects nor the dragon he commanded could be defeated.

Just as Sir Dan despaired, a single red honeybee flew past his eyes.

“…”

More bees appeared—dozens. Tiny honeybees stood in front of the dragon, blocking its path.

“Those are…”

Sir Dan instinctively searched for one man—Dante Aision. The suspicious mage from the Empire who had never insulted or discriminated against northerners. Instead, he had helped the endangered villagers. Dante stepped calmly in front of Sir Dan and spoke without turning around.

“We can’t kill the dragon with our current strength.”

“…I know that!”

“The Noon Fairies can only distract it. If this drags on, we’ll all die here.”

Sir Dan knew. If there was any chance, it had to be now.

“From here on, I’m putting everything into the dragon,” Dante said. “So if you want to live, help me with everything you’ve got!”

Sir Dan nodded firmly. “I’m counting on you, mage!”

Dante gestured. The Noon Fairies swarmed the dragon, injecting venom. ‘Red Slumber’ was among the deadliest poisons on the New Continent. One injection caused unconsciousness, two brought sleep, three meant death. Even the lizardman bug tamers treated the Noon Fairies as top-tier insects because of this power. Yet Red Slumber was fundamentally mana-based poison. The dragon’s immense magic resistance blocked even the continent’s most infamous toxin.

Still, it wasn’t completely ineffective. The mana poison injected into the dragon disrupted its mana flow and circulation, lowering its magic resistance.

“Kroooooar—!”

When the dragon released mana, the red honeybees’ bodies burst apart. The powerful mana backlash tore them from the inside. Yet the bees never stopped injecting venom until the very end. Even if it cost their lives, they had to protect the hive and the queen.

‘Now…’

Dante moved at once. The dragon’s movements had grown sluggish. While it was still dazed by the poison—! Dante extracted symbiotic bugs and began injecting them into the dragon’s body. He gave the command.

The dragon could not be killed. But A’k chi Kxhi’s Worms could. If the parasites disappeared, the dragon would regain its senses. At the very least, the situation would improve.

As the symbiotic bugs poured into the dragon’s body, the parasites panicked.

They had no time to be surprised. Dante’s symbiotic bugs began slaughtering them at high speed. Dante closed his eyes and did everything he could to support the symbiotic bugs. The inside of the dragon’s body was a storm of mana—dangerous even for the bugs.

The red honeybees circled Dante, keeping monsters at bay. Neither Dante nor the dragon moved, as though paralyzed.

“!”

Sir Dan saw the scene and shouted, “Protect Dante! No matter what happens, protect him!”

“Yes—!!!”

Sir Dan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cleaved an approaching monster in two with his sword. Not a single monster would be allowed near Dante.