Titan (4)
Titan (4)
Naturally, I refused her proposal.
"If you and I fight in earnest, the inside of this Gate won't survive, and those three will be caught in the crossfire."
"Then how about sending them out before we fight?"
However, Bia didn't seem inclined to give up easily and offered a new suggestion.
Sending those three out and then fighting, huh?
If that's the case, there's no particular problem, but I really don't know why she's so desperate to fight.
When I asked her about it, the answer was simple.
"Because it's been a long time since I've found an opponent worth fighting. It would be a shame to let you go like this."
"You're a total battle-crazy bitch."
"Why do you think I'm called the Goddess of Violence? Then, I'll take that as an acceptance. Now, now, you three who have no intention of fighting, please leave."
Taking it upon herself to assume I'd accepted the fight, Bia waved her hand at the three uninvolved parties.
"Nidhogg-nim, what should we do?"
"Whew, since it's come to this, you guys go out first. I'll deal with this woman and then head out."
If she wants a fight that badly, I'll give her a proper thrashing.
Since Shin Su-ah, Baek Yeon, and Linnea would only be caught in the aftermath if they stayed, I decided to send them out of the Gate first.
Following my words, the three of them headed toward the exit, carrying the various materials they had gathered.
I decided to sit on the ground and wait until the three of them left the Gate.
As I sat quietly watching them go, Bia spoke to me from the side.
"It's my first time seeing a dragon like you."
"A dragon like me?"
"Yes. It's the first time in my life I've seen a dragon who cares about every single weak human like that."
"Then what were the dragons you've seen until now like?"
"Need you even ask? They were all arrogant and selfish beings."
Arrogant and selfish dragons, huh.
That's not exactly wrong.
I had a period like that in the distant past as well.
Just as humans have a 'chuunibyou' phase, I also had a time when I ran wild, intoxicated by my own power.
At that time, I felt it was unfair to be stuck all by myself in a cold and desolate place like Niflheim, so I acted even more arrogantly and selfishly toward beings from other worlds.
But that life of being nothing but a nuisance to those around me didn't last long.
Because I ran around causing trouble everywhere, the Eagle Lady came to find me, beat me up, and shoved me back into Niflheim.
I thought the first fight was just due to my carelessness and challenged her again, but after getting beaten up a few more times, I came to my senses and focused on growth while dreaming of revenge.
Well, looking back now, it's nothing but a dark history, and even though I focused so hard on growing, I only managed to reach a level where I could stand on equal footing with that Eagle Lady.
Ah, come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask if I ever met someone who knew about dragons.
"I previously met a spider-like monster named Arachne, and she said she had seen a dragon before."
"Arachne... that's a name I've heard somewhere."
"That's not what's important right now. According to her, she saw a dragon with a hundred heads in the past. Do you know anything about it?"
"Ho-oh. A hundred heads. Is it that guy? I don't know who this Arachne is, but she did well to survive after meeting him."
Bia reacted as if she had an idea when I mentioned the hundred heads.
Judging by how she speaks as if she knows the identity of that dragon, is she a being from the same world as Arachne?
"Can you give me information about that dragon?"
"You seem very interested in dragons."
Well, since the number of my kin I've met so far can be counted on one hand, I can't help but be interested.
"I can't give it to you for free. If you defeat me in battle, I'll tell you all the information you're curious about."
"Fine. No taking back those words."
"I'm not the type to go back on my word, so don't worry."
This gives me another reason to fight.
While I was talking with Bia, the three of them had already reached the Gate exit and left.
Just before leaving, Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon looked back in my direction as if they were worried about me.
To think they'd worry even after seeing my power.
Should I say thank you for this, or should I call it unnecessary concern?
Once the three of them had exited the Gate, Bia openly began to radiate her fighting spirit toward me.
"Their presence has vanished. Shall we begin now?"
"Sure."
While she pulled out her weapon, I greatly expanded my body.
2 meters, 3 meters... my body, which was growing larger and larger, became so massive in an instant that it surpassed even a Giant, reaching the height of a skyscraper.
The perspective of Bia looking down on me was not only reversed, but I was now looking down at her from far above, where she looked like an ant.
"Since there's a lot you need to tell me, please try not to die."
"Hahat! Same to you!"
With a massive explosion, we swung our claws and weapons at each other.
The battle continued for over half a day.
Bia, who used various weapons with near-divine skill, and I, who pressed her down with overwhelming physical ability and poison that even a god couldn't ignore.
The ground was overturned, and the sky trembled in a battle that turned the inside of the Gate into a mess.
Even though she was an avatar, her weapons and techniques were sharp enough to cut even my scales, and attacks that could kill even me if I let my guard down flew at me multiple times.
But in the end, I was the one who won.
Attacks that cut my scales and threatened my life?
That was a daily occurrence when fighting the Eagle Lady.
I had actually crossed the threshold of death several times.
Compared to the Eagle Lady, Bia was at the level of a child, and I was able to force her surrender after tearing off her right arm and leg.
"Keup... kuleok! Haah... that was fun."
To say it was fun while her arm and leg were gone, she really is out of her mind.
Does she like fighting that much?
"Your arm and leg are gone, and you can still laugh?"
"Huhuhu, wh-who do you think I am? If I were to be pained and saddened by wounds sustained in battle, I'd have to give up the name Goddess of Violence."
I suppose that's true.
More importantly, that will heal, right?
I saw her heal small wounds instantly during the fight.
"Is recovery possible?"
"It's... a bit difficult right now, but if I rest a little."
"Hmm, eat this at least."
I gave a Giant's Core I had set aside to Bia, who was lying on the ground unable to move with her arm and leg missing.
"This is?"
"It's a Giant's Core that came from the Giants in this Gate before you. That should be enough to replenish the power needed for recovery."
"Huhu, then I'll graciously accept."
Taking the Giant's Core with her remaining arm, Bia swallowed it in one gulp. She closed her eyes as if refining the magic power from the Giant's Core, and then steam began to rise from her body.
When the smoke, which rose like pure white steam, vanished, no more wounds were visible on her body.
Her arm and leg, which had been hideously torn off as if attacked by a beast, had grown back.
"How is your condition?"
"I'm only fine on the outside. I'll need to recuperate for a while at least."
"But conversation is possible, right?"
"Ah, I did promise to tell you about the dragon."
"It would be troublesome if you forgot that."
She really must have no interest in anything other than fighting, seeing as she had even forgotten what she promised as a reward.
Bia, who stood up, took off her half-broken armor, gathered it together with her weapons scattered here and there, and then plopped her butt down on the ground.
"To explain about the dragon you mentioned, Ladon, I first need to explain a bit about the world I came from. You have enough time, right?"
"Yeah. I have nothing but time anyway, so explain slowly."
"This is why talking to long-lived species is comfortable."
Bia, who had thrown away the pretense she showed as a goddess halfway through the fight, briefly explained the world she came from.
The twelve gods of Olympus who rule the world and govern humans.
And the Gigas who oppose Olympus and aim for world hegemony.
"Wait. You said you were a Titan, right? Then whose side are you on?"
"I stood on the side of Olympus. More importantly, if you have questions, ask them after you've heard everything."
The explanation continued.
After a long confrontation, a great war broke out between the gods of Olympus and the Gigas.
The Main God Zeus, various other gods, and beings cooperating with the gods.
The Earth Mother Goddess Gaia, her children the Gigas, and various monsters.
In order to win this war, known as the Gigantomachia, both Olympus and the Gigas brought in every available force, and among them was Ladon, the information I wanted.
Ladon originally guarded the tree where golden apples grew due to a certain Geas with Hera, the mistress of Olympus and goddess of the home, so he stood on the side of Olympus to face the Gigas.
It is said that Ladon's power, utilizing his hundred heads to bite and kill dozens of Gigas at once, was formidable.
"Then what happened to the war?"
"Can't you tell by seeing that I'm perfectly fine?"
"I guess Olympus won."
"Yes, with the power of numerous gods and heroes, Olympus defeated the Gigas after many sacrifices and maintained its hegemony."
"Then where did Ladon go after the war ended?"
"I heard that his contract with Hera ended after the war, but I don't know where he went."
What the hell.
I thought there would be some useful information, but in the end, there's no proper information other than the fact that his power was great.
When I let out a sigh, openly showing my disappointment, Bia asked curiously.
"Why are you so obsessed with information about dragons? Is there a dragon you're looking for?"
"The reason I'm obsessed with dragons? Dragons, who are of the same race as me, aren't exactly a species you can see easily. Besides..."
There's nothing better than a dragon for increasing one's power.
Since I'm not even growing with the roots of Yggdrasil anymore, the best thing for my growth is the heart of a fellow dragon.