Chapter 674
Chapter 674
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 674
Chapter Title: Traitor's End
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*Whoosh—*
An unpleasant, suffocating wind swept through.
A long time ago, in the past.
During the Age of Calamity, even the fiercest gales reeked of death.
"Lisinas is the Dragon Lord?"
Hearing Leo's words, Gimeon burst into laughter.
"Hahaha—what an amusing joke. Do you honestly think a black dragon living in the shadows is worthy of the title Dragon Lord?"
Gimeon clutched his face, his shoulders shaking.
"The Dragon Lord is the most noble being in the world. A chosen one, recognized by the gods. And that foolish, dull-witted woman is the Dragon Lord? Hahaha! How amusing! Truly amusing!"
Laughing like a madman, Gimeon pointed a finger at Leo.
"I'll give you credit for amusing me. But it's also quite irritating."
His laughter ceased abruptly. The man spoke in a bored tone.
"For the crime of making such a crude joke, I'll grant you a painful death."
*Flash—!*
A brilliant light flared.
Gimeon was certain the attack would sever one of Leo's arms.
Leo swung his unarmed arm.
*Thump—! Craaack—!*
With a heavy thud, a mass of mana shot into the sky and erupted in a powerful explosion.
Gimeon's eyes twitched.
Leo's hand had deflected his magic.
"A mere lesser being."
"Hearing that from a lizard doesn't feel so great, you know?"
"You whelp! You dare call me a lizard again?"
Gimeon's eyes glinted.
Watching him, Leo rubbed his neck.
Gimeon, the chosen one.
Before the Age of Calamity.
He was the dragon designated to be the next Dragon Lord.
As such, he was a being who wielded powerful draconic magic.
Even in the current era, the Dragon Lord holds the highest status in the world.
The ruler of Dragonia, the one who selects and nurtures heroes.
They were, quite literally, beings who moved the world.
'But his status is lower compared to before the Age of Calamity.'
Before the Age of Calamity, the authority of the Dragon Lord was, in a word, absolute.
A single word from the Dragon Lord could destroy a nation in an instant.
The race chosen by the gods.
The guardians of the world.
That was what dragons were, and the one who commanded them was the Dragon Lord.
If the Dragon Lord of the current era exists for the world...
The Dragon Lord of that era existed to reign over the world.
'Well, the reason that immense influence waned is because of this guy.'
Disgust filled Leo's eyes.
The previous Dragon Lord had lost his life fighting against Erebos and Tartaros.
He had sacrificed himself for the world.
And after the previous Dragon Lord fell on the battlefield...
The choice made by Gimeon, who then became Dragon Lord, completely shattered the world's precariously maintained balance.
He swore allegiance to Erebos and betrayed the world.
The betrayal of the Dragon Lord, arguably the most powerful being, was enough to throw the world into shock.
And Gimeon felt not a shred of shame for his choice.
"Yes, it seems you harbor such foolish thoughts as well."
A terrifying amount of mana began to pour from Gimeon's body.
"That I should have sacrificed my life for the world."
*Glint—*
His pupils transformed into those of a dragon.
"Why should I? I am a chosen being."
*Vweeeeee—!*
Countless magic circles materialized around Gimeon.
"The world exists for me! For Gimeon! You inferior human!"
A roar erupted from Gimeon's mouth.
'Dragon Fear.'
An attack that could shatter the mind of any being with weak mental defenses in an instant.
Exposed to the attack, Leo furrowed his brow slightly.
"What a racket."
"What?!"
Gimeon's face twisted in astonishment.
Seeing this, Leo let out a savage grin.
"Chosen, my ass."
From the moment of his birth, Gimeon had been revered and worshipped.
Born a noble white dragon, he was blessed with incredible talent.
From a young age, the gods themselves had showered him with blessings, proclaiming he was born to rule the world.
That was why he felt no hesitation in betraying the world, nor any shame.
'To him, it was only natural.'
During the Age of Calamity.
As a shadow, he had executed countless traitors.
'And if I had to pick the worst among them, it would be this lizard.'
Gimeon's betrayal caused the world to distrust dragons.
The moment the most noble Dragon Lord turned his back on the world...
Countless people fell into despair.
Amidst it all, his fellow dragon, Lisinas, appeared, speaking of hope.
Shouldering the mistrust Gimeon had created.
For ages, Lisinas had to fight a difficult battle alone.
'Until she met me.'
Leo's grip tightened.
Even after Dweno joined and Ar-on's party was formed, Lisinas had to carry the burden of Gimeon's mistrust for a long time.
The cold reactions and ridicule she received when she spoke of saving the world.
The Great Heroes knew better than anyone how long that mistrust had tormented Lisinas.
'That's why I wanted to kill him with my own hands.'
Not just him.
Luna, Dweno, even Ar-on...
They had all gnashed their teeth, vowing to subjugate Gimeon.
But in his past life, Gimeon was not slain by the Great Heroes.
After Fafnir was exterminated by the Great Heroes...
Gimeon fled to Tartaros to escape them.
There, he was executed by the Necro King and reduced to a mindless undead.
It was Gimeon who had granted the Fafnir, who were nothing more than mid-tier demonic beasts, their pack traits and abnormal breeding and growth characteristics.
Once the Fafnir were gone, he was deemed to have no further use and was disposed of.
An end befitting a traitor.
But neither he, nor Luna and Dweno, had been satisfied with that end.
Leo lowered his stance.
*Fwoosh—!*
In an instant, Leo vanished.
*Slice—!*
Appearing behind Gimeon, Leo's sword swung with a chilling sound.
"That's my afterimage, you know?"
Gimeon, who had somehow appeared behind Leo, sneered.
*Stab—!*
"...!"
"I know."
"Gahk?"
A long spear was now clutched in Leo's unarmed hand.
Having summoned the spear and thrust it backward, Leo followed up with a back kick, striking Gimeon's abdomen.
*BOOM—!*
With a massive explosion, Gimeon's body was sent flying.
"How dare you! An inferior human, wounding me, the Dragon Lord!"
Rage erupted from Gimeon's body.
"Who would acknowledge a traitorous lizard like you as the Dragon Lord?"
Leo scoffed.
There was no point in talking to him.
But he wouldn't ignore Gimeon's words either.
He would simply deny them.
No one in this world would ever acknowledge the lizard before him as the Dragon Lord.
'It has nothing to do with me. It's just...'
The lizard before him claiming to be greater than Lisinas was simply nauseating.
*Glint—*
Leo's pupils turned black.
Seeing Leo's eyes transform into those of a dragon, Gimeon's face twisted in shock.
"What? You mean you're not just borrowing Lisinas's power?!"
"I'll show you just how strong the true, mightiest dragon is."
Draconic mana swirled around Leo's body.
Black mana flickered from his fingertips like blades.
'Dragon... Fear?'
Gimeon's body froze.
Before him stood...
A dragon, in human form.
***
"Duran! Reinforce Sector 3!"
*Crackle—!*
At Karl's shout, lightning raged.
Reaching the designated area at incredible speed, Duran unleashed a torrent of electricity.
"Oh! Not bad, kid!"
A dwarf warrior saw this and laughed heartily.
*Thud— Thud— Thud—*
Just then, a giant demon pushed through the sea of fire and reached the castle wall.
Seeing it, Karl grinned.
"Just as I thought! Driana!"
At Karl's call, Driana spoke to Ar, who was clinging to the end of her hammer's head.
"Here we go! You stupid cat!"
"Who are you calling stupid!"
Grinning, Driana began to spin wildly in the air.
Centrifugal force was added to Driana's immense strength.
Then, she hurled the hammer, with Ar still attached, straight at the giant demon.
*Gwoooooooh—!*
Golden aura erupted from Ar's body.
With her feet planted on the head of the hammer as it flew at tremendous speed, Ar tilted her head back to face forward, then straightened her knees.
*Thwack—!*
Ar's leg strength, added to the force of Driana's hammer, created an incredible acceleration.
"Uraaaaaaaah!"
Ar's body shot forward like a bullet, piercing right through the giant demon's solar plexus.
*Squelch—!*
"Guhk?!"
A death rattle escaped the demon's mouth.
Having killed the demon with a single piercing kick, Ar flew straight toward Dweno.
"Lord Dweno! I'm here to help!"
*Thump—!*
Landing on the ground, Ar kicked and crushed the head of a demon aiming for Dweno's back.
And...
"Ah, hot, hot, hot!"
Having landed in the middle of the sea of fire, Ar screamed.
Seeing her, Dweno shouted.
"What's so hot about this!"
"It's hot for me!"
"It seems you, too, need to be thrown into a furnace!"
"How did the conversation get to that!"
Ar yelped but moved quickly.
Thanks to her Aura Armor, which enhanced her fire resistance, she avoided the disaster of being harmed by an ally's flames.
But that didn't mean she could do anything about the heat itself.
"The enemies are pouring in endlessly! We should start heading back to the walls soon!"
"Hmph! We've broken their momentum, so I suppose it's time to return!"
Just as Dweno grinned...
*KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!*
A roar echoed through the air.
And...
*CRASH—!*
"A dragon?!"
Seeing the dragon that had fallen right in front of her, Ar's face filled with shock.
"Where did it come from..."
"Gimeon."
A low voice came from Dweno.
"You know this dragon?"
"I do, indeed."
Ar turned her gaze toward Dweno and felt a shiver run down her spine.
Dweno was making an expression of unparalleled ferocity.
"He is the demon dragon who betrayed the world."
[You inferior human! How dare you!]
Having lost all reason, Gimeon roared at the sky.
His body was covered in slashes.
It had been a completely one-sided fight.
Leo and Gimeon possessed nearly equal power.
But between a Great Hero who saved the world and a dragon who begged for his life out of cowardice and lived in safety, there was an insurmountable gap.
"Where are you looking, lizard."
[Now even a dwarf dares to challenge this body!]
*Crack—!*
A sickening sound echoed.
The blade of the battle-axe in Dweno's hand tore through the base of Gimeon's wing.
[Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!]
Gimeon's scream of agony rang out.
Afterward, Dweno's axe cruelly hacked into Gimeon's body.
*Thwack! Crunch! Crack!*
He climbed onto Gimeon's body and brought the axe down repeatedly, as if mincing him.
All the while, he meticulously ravaged Gimeon's body, ensuring he wouldn't die.
Not just Ar, but even the surrounding demons froze at the brutal sight.
*Thud—!*
Dweno rested the battle-axe on his shoulder and lifted his head.
"What are you staring at?"
Leo, who had followed Gimeon down to the ground, was staring intently at Dweno.
"You... Do you have your memories?"
"Memories? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then why did you kill him like that?"
With a frown, Dweno, looking as if he didn't understand the question, slammed his battle-axe down.
*SPLAT—!*
Gimeon's dying head was sent flying by the blade of Dweno's axe.
Looking at the instantly killed Gimeon, Dweno spat on the ground.
"This thing is a lizard who betrayed the world."
Dweno looked down at Gimeon's dead head with disgust.
He then looked at Leo with a puzzled expression.
"I believe giving him such an end is only natural, don't you?"