The Mad Dragon's Roar
Was it because I'd heard the news of Leysia's disappearance just moments ago?
Lehatna had spent a long time in anxiety over Giryu's absence, who still hadn't returned even after a considerable while since arriving at the lair.
I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her as she trembled in unease, barely able to sleep properly.
I could somewhat empathize with the feeling of losing a precious being in an instant, but more than that, we didn't have much time left to comfort her.
Right now, every second was precious just for devising the next countermeasures.
We gathered all the high-rank monsters from Lehatna's existing forces, including Melusio and Pelte whose wounds had somewhat healed, and set about planning.
We exchanged words for quite a long time, but no solid countermeasures emerged.
And rightly so—if Le Ganus had truly reached SSS-rank, any strategies would be utterly futile before that overwhelming power.
Those of us who hadn't directly experienced SSS-rank power could only vaguely imagine it, but Melusio, who had faced the Dragon King's might firsthand, knew it all too well.
[Realistically, a head-on fight is impossible.]
[Even if we combine our strength?]
[…If Leysia and Giryu were here, we might have managed somehow. But just the two of us? No way.]
I fell silent at Melusio's matter-of-fact declaration.
Even if we scraped together Leysia's forces including Pelte, we'd have a decent number, but Melusio shook his head at that too.
Anything short of SS-rank wouldn't even buy time—they'd just be cannon fodder.
A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled in.
[…So I recommend fleeing.]
[Flee? To where?]
[Didn't you come from the upper layers, Nix? Please take Lehatna and the others and escape. Even Le Ganus won't pursue across zone boundaries.]
[And what about you if we flee?]
[I'll avenge Leysia.]
Melusio looked rather bitter as he said it.
His words left me with plenty to ponder.
I did want to clash with Le Ganus at least once, but I had no desire to stake my life on a losing battle.
I hadn't seen Le Ganus myself yet, so I couldn't gauge his exact strength, but from Melusio's account, he was beyond our current forces.
So maybe this time, retreat was the only option?
After all, I had a family to return to.
I'd planned to pull back if things got dicey from the start, and fleeing with Lehatna and the other monsters didn't sound half bad.
I could face Le Ganus later, after growing stronger…
'No. That's foolish talk.'
Would Le Ganus really let us slip away?
Even if we made it to the Snow Mountain Zone, would he truly hold back from chasing us?
Considering his nature so far, I could say with certainty: he would pursue.
Fleeing to the Snow Mountain Zone might even drag my innocent family into the mess.
I could overlook anything else, but not that.
Above all, my pride wouldn't allow me to tuck tail and run like this.
Fleeing in fear without even testing him?
It'd be an insult to all the foes I'd fought so far.
We could decide on flight after clashing once—it wouldn't be too late.
Even SSS-rank wasn't invincible, right?
If even the Dragon King had fallen, how could Le Ganus be any different?
'I'll resist with everything I've got. I'll cling to the end.'
I was confident in enduring.
Regenerating repeatedly and hanging on would eventually wear him down.
I'd break him for sure and reach the labyrinth's depths.
[No fleeing. Scratch that option.]
[…You sure?]
[No problem.]
Melusio stared at me for a moment before slowly nodding with a quiet, [I see.]
[I'm glad my final comrade-in-arms is you, Nix.]
[No need to think of it as final. Victory ends that talk.]
Melusio gave a wry smile at my calm words.
He clearly didn't believe we'd win.
I said nothing more to him.
He'd made his resolve, and it wasn't my place to interfere.
Instead, I turned to Pelte and the other monsters who'd been listening silently.
[Prepare yourselves.]
[Yes! Combat readiness right aw—]
[No. Prepare to flee.]
[…Pardon? What do you…?]
I spoke flatly to Pelte's bewildered face.
[Flee with Lehatna.]
[Nix… What do you mean? We'll stay and—]
[Didn't you hear Melusio? You'd only waste your lives as fodder. Don't throw them away pointlessly—flee.]
[We can't obey that! We'll fight to the end too…!]
[No.]
[…Grr!]
I understood Pelte and the others' grimacing frustration, but it couldn't be helped.
As I'd said, their involvement would just mean pointless deaths.
[The weak don't even choose their own graves.]
[……]
I scanned their silent, tight-lipped faces before moving away.
Melusio followed quietly and spoke up.
[Harsh words. At least consider their feelings…]
[Too valuable to waste on needless deaths.]
[Doesn't that include you, Nix?]
[I'm only thinking of winning.]
[…Impressive confidence.]
I shrugged at Melusio's quiet admiration.
I'd walked a short distance to where Lehatna huddled quietly in a corner.
Pelte and the others aside, Lehatna was an SS-rank monster and a key asset, but I'd excluded her from the fighting force.
In her current state, she couldn't contribute.
Melusio and the others likely agreed.
That's why we'd calculated without her from the start.
Coldly put, she'd just be dead weight if she stayed.
Better to set the burden aside than carry it into battle.
[Lehatna.]
I called her to relay the meeting's decision.
Whether she'd take it in properly in her state was doubtful, but as the nominal center of our forces, she needed to hear it.
Lehatna slowly lifted her head at my voice.
Her pale green eyes gazing at me were gloomily sunken, unlike usual.
She still hadn't shaken off her grief, but I delivered the facts plainly.
[We've set our basic plan. Lehatna, flee with the other monsters.]
[…And Nix?]
[I'll stay and fight.]
[…You're not coming with us?]
I nodded calmly to her soft gaze.
Lehatna nodded slowly in response.
[Then I won't go either.]
[Don't be stubborn. You think you'd help?]
[This has been my fight from the start. I can't flee while you stay, Nix.]
Despite her feeble voice, Lehatna sprang to her feet.
Her eyes remained melancholic, but they now held a spark of resolve.
I was a bit surprised but nodded quietly.
At least she wasn't throwing a childish tantrum to the end.
Her self-resolved stance was praiseworthy.
Giryu would surely have been proud.
[Fine. If that's your will, I won't stop you.]
[Yeah. Thanks always.]
I nodded quietly at Lehatna's bright smile amid her gloom, just like old times.
It felt a tad uneasy, but her joining would surely bolster us greatly.
Melusio didn't object to her decision to stay.
He showed no reaction at all, but his shift from "miss" to "Lady Lehatna" suggested he'd acknowledged her in his own way.
Pelte and the other monsters, however, rebelled against her choice.
How could they flee when their liege insisted on staying till the end? They declared they'd fight alongside to the last.
Their resolve was so firm that even I didn't bother stopping them this time.
If they sought their own deaths, who was I to intervene?
Part of me found their attitude pathetic, but another part admired it.
At least I'd ensure they didn't die pointlessly.
As everyone united in preparing for battle with Le Ganus, the one we'd awaited returned.
Giryu appeared in the lair, flapping his three pairs of wings as always.
His sudden arrival after no word at all brought joy to Lehatna and everyone in the lair.
Including me, naturally.
But Giryu wasn't alone.
A considerable number of monsters followed him.
At first, I thought they were survivors from Leysia's forces—half right.
Leysia's remnants were there, but among them were some I never expected.
Most notably, Freya.
A stunning phoenix with brilliant white wings slowly descended.
Unlike my last memory of her, she seemed fully recovered.
Her sudden appearance raised questions, but I greeted Giryu first, who held all the answers.
[Giryu! Giryu─!!!]
Giryu deftly caught the hurtling Lehatna—not in her shrunken form, but full size—and smiled.
[Have you been well, miss?]
[No, not at all! Where the hell have you been, Giryu?!]
Giryu gave a wry smile at her whiny question.
That's when I chimed in quietly.
[You're late.]
[Sorry. Had some scouting to do, and things snowballed more than expected.]
[That one?]
Freya flinched at my glance.
[Yeah. Better hear the details from her directly.]
Giryu quietly beckoned Freya over.
She approached hesitantly, clearly gauging my mood, and trembled when our eyes met.
Evidently, it was that timid alternate personality right now.
[Please don't glare like that. My other self is quite timid.]
As I kept staring, her personality shifted naturally.
With graceful poise, Freya bowed elegantly.
[It's been a while, Lord Nix.]
[Yeah, it has. You look recovered.]
[Thanks to everyone's care, somehow.]
Freya gave a wry smile before greeting Lehatna, still clinging to Giryu.
[It's been a while, Lady Lehatna.]
[Yeah! Long time, Freya! You probably haven't been well… Sorry! Our Nix can be rough, but he's got a good heart!]
I quietly sighed at Lehatna's instant return to her sunny self, as if her gloom was a lie.
She looked better now than moping, but those words stung a bit.
[So, what's the story? Giryu brought you here for a reason.]
Freya hesitated briefly on how to broach it before speaking haltingly.
[…Lord Le Ganus has gone mad.]
[…What?]
[He's no longer the man he was. Just a beast with power now.]
Her explanation revealed new intel.
What had happened in Le Ganus's forces, why he hadn't attacked sooner, and why Freya and the others had come with Giryu.
[Le Ganus lost his sanity to that degree… Surprising.]
[He dared plunder the Dragon King's remains for that immense power, but unprepared, it became poison. Self-inflicted.]
[…Lord Le Ganus has crossed the line. He regains reason briefly sometimes, but it's fleeting. The old him is gone.]
Freya spoke sadly, her face clouded.
It must pain his mate endlessly, but for us facing him, it was the best news possible.
Especially that his ravings had driven away all his monsters.
Even his last loyalists had just defected with Freya.
[So you fled his madness?]
[Not mere flight. We couldn't stand by any longer.]
[Here to stop him yourselves?]
Freya nodded slowly.
The other Le Ganus monsters nodded too.
[His current form isn't the Dragon King he dreamed of. Just a rabid beast. We must stop him.]
[Even if it ends in Le Ganus's death?]
Freya didn't answer easily.
But her steely gaze showed she'd agonized it through on the way here.
Her resolve hinted at the torment she'd endured.
Killing her beloved mate herself…
I briefly pictured Suli and Snow, then shook my head.
Their affairs were theirs now.
I just needed to welcome Giryu's return and these new allies.
With Giryu back and several SA-rankers including Freya from Le Ganus's side, our odds skyrocketed.
SS-ranks alone: four now.
Plenty to work with, plus hordes of SA-ranks.
And high-rankers ready to die for the cause.
This was winnable.
We hurried preparations, incorporating Giryu and the newcomers.
Plans needed full revision with the new forces, but numbers made it quick.
As preparations wrapped, a piercing aura stabbed from the distant sky, scales tingling.
Le Ganus—he was here.
[Where are you, Lehatna?! Your big bro's come personally, and no welcome?!]
“───────!!!”
A roar that shook the heavens.
Amid dark thunderclouds, the disaster dragon to monsters emerged.