Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: Reality and Ideal (4)
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Dragons, symbols of immortality and perfection, had all fallen to the earth below. The ancient dragons, emblems of flawless beings, no longer existed on this land. Or perhaps one remained... but it was no longer worthy of being called a dragon.
The primordial ancient dragon, its wings broken and pride shattered.
The colossal dragon coiled in the ancient dragon city was called no such thing by anyone.
Thus, all that remained on this land were mongrels tainted with but a trace of ancient dragon blood. The death of the black dragon had made it truly so.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Grrrk.]
Yet even diluted greatness was greatness still; it had not vanished entirely. Dragons remained near-perfect creatures.
As if to prove it, the dragon gazed down below. To the Demon King's army, the platinum starlight was poison(?), and it was the same for the dragon.
That light was hateful.
A hatred etched deep into its genes.
The dragon flapped its wings in instinctive revulsion. The massive wings whipped up a gale. Wyverns circling the dragon were blown away, and the lingering heat in the canyon dissipated.
The beat of the colossal dragon's wings was a storm in itself.
The knights knelt and crouched low against the onslaught, driving their weapons into the ground to brace. To the dragon's eyes, the sight was satisfying. Lesser creatures ought to bow before a dragon.
But one being did not.
A figure standing utterly unshaken.
The Holy Spear Hero, Galahal's cloak fluttered wildly in the blowing wind. Yet his stance remained unflinching.
Gripping his platinum spear, he turned to look behind him. His eyes took in the wounded, dirtied knights. Galahal met their gazes.
Etched in those eyes was fear.
And expectation toward him.
Galahal had no intention of betraying that hope. He gripped his spear tighter. Platinum starlight bloomed around him.
"——Hoo."
A short breath escaped through Galahal's teeth.
Preparation complete. Boom.
As if defying the headwind, Galahal kicked off the ground and charged. He had to face the dragon in the sky, yet he ran on foot. Necromancers briefly wondered at this.
Crack!
Galahal leaped lightly, slamming his spear shaft into the ground. The earth split with a crack, craaack, and his body launched into the air. To a height no human leg strength could reach.
Then tap, he landed on the cliff face and repeated the motion, scaling the wall. A scene like some acrobatic feat... but his foes couldn't just watch.
"Cast!"
"Instant chant..."
The necromancers chanted in panic.
Wyvern riders urged their mounts to block Galahal's approach... but no hero in history had ever been stopped by mere wyverns.
Galahal was no exception.
His platinum spear blade traced an arc. Fitting for a long spear, its reach was terrifyingly vast. The platinum trajectory targeted only the riders on wyvern-back.
"Gahk!"
With the riders' screams, they released the reins. Galahal mounted a riderless wyvern. Naturally, he couldn't control it.
It was merely a stepping stone.
He bent and extended his knees. He struck the wyvern with his spear shaft to propel his leap. After three repetitions, Galahal closed in on the chanting necromancers.
The moment his spear blade began its platinum arc—
[——Grrrk!]
The dragon wouldn't allow it.
Toward Galahal passing before its snout, the dragon gaped wide. No mana fireball erupted from its maw.
It was a howl.
It might not deal great damage to the hero, but it could at least drop the airborne warrior below. As the dragon began its roar—
Crack!
Galahal's spear shaft struck the dragon's jaw.
The dragon's maw snapped shut, no sound escaping. By the time it whipped its head back down—
"Gahk..."
The necromancers were plummeting, vomiting blood. Along with the wyverns. And atop one falling wyvern, a hero watched this place.
Splash.
He swung his spear shaft to shake off the blood.
The blade still gleamed brilliantly. No—brighter than before.
That light was no longer hateful.
Like its ancient ancestors, the dragon now began to feel fear.
The dragon had lost its pride. Since ancient times, dragons said one without pride was unworthy of the name. Mere metaphor tied to pride... but for this dragon now, it was literal.
Thump.
The dragon's heart pulsed massively.
From the heart emerged black tentacles. Like parasites, they pierced the dragon's brain, taking its place.
Squelch.
With viscous blood, the tentacles tore through scales, bursting outward. Thus, the grotesquely transformed dragon's eyes turned black.
Galahal flinched, frowning.
He had seen beasts devoured by black tentacles on the battlefield several times. Their master needed no guessing. Only one could do such things.
The apostate had tampered with this dragon.
Sensing the fight would drag on, Galahal gripped his spear harder.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
The apostate had tampered with the dragon.
Hearing the telepathic message echo, Raniel clapped once. Palms met, friction igniting the spell.
The stocked spell blazed fiercely.
Blue-hot circuits resonated, flames overflowing between her palms. Not her favored smite or crush strikes.
"Learn this."
"It's useful against apostates."
A spell recently learned from the Great Sage.
Not yet mastered, Raniel deemed it no great powerhouse... but nothing swept away rabble like it.
Whoosh.
She slowly parted her hands.
Concentrated mana formed the spell. Feeling chunks drain, Raniel spoke.
"Step back."
[......!]
Destel, observing from afar, widened his eyes. He bellowed hastily.
[Fall back, everyone! Rearward!]
Knights startled by the shrill voice in their ears turned at the massive mana surge behind them.
Hummm.
A colossal fireball hung in the sky.
Blazing beneath the clear blue like the sun itself. And the sun advanced.
Toward dragonbone soldiers, flying wyverns, preparing necromancers.
"Ah..."
Chanting necromancers sighed, lowering staves. No spell seemed able to block the sun before them.
Their retinas sizzled in the rushing heat. Flames caught robes, then wyvern wings.
Kieeeek!
Wyverns screamed, but the sun hadn't released its heat. It merely descended slowly.
And snap.
Raniel flicked her fingers.
The instant the sun touched ground, a flash whipped the canyon, unleashing maximally compressed heat.
Fwoooosh!
Dragonbone soldiers resistant to mana, necromancers in anti-spell robes, any spells they conjured... all meaningless before the surging heat.
Crumble.
When heat cleared, only ash remained.
The endless Demon King's horde reduced to cinders. Knights facing the cleared canyon swallowed dryly.
'Wizards active in the demon realm are tactical weapons of immense value.'
They knew this.
But they never imagined this extent. Their gazes turned to the girl behind them, swallowing again.
Lania van Trias.
Brushing back ashen hair, she pointed ahead. The conjured heat had long dissipated.
[...Advance.]
With Destel's slightly trembling voice, knights marched anew.
[Thanks for the assist. Saved time, and we can make up the delay.]
Telepathy for Raniel's ears alone.
Listening, Raniel said,
"The dragon by Galahal—apostate tampered with it?"
[Yeah. Apparently swallowed by tentacles. Guessed as much when it popped up out of nowhere...]
"Only one dragon?"
[Can't hide another that size. Just the one. 'Saw it myself,' so certain.]
Raniel nodded.
"No problem then."
[Agreed.]
Raniel and Destel reached the same conclusion.
Both certain.
No issues would arise on Galahal's battlefield. Especially with but one foe.
'Chloe's got much to learn watching this.'
Thinking so, Raniel poured potion on skin scorched by overheated circuits. Unfamiliar spell required overdrive.
Needs practice.
Muttering, Raniel followed the knights. Unfamiliar, trailing instead of leading.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 3.
Next hero candidate, Chloe.
Naturally, she'd never witnessed a hero's battle with her own eyes. At best, novels or news articles.
As textual media tended, full of exaggeration and vagueness. Like:
[The hero swung his sword, and demons vomited blood, collapsing.]
[The starlight slash cleaved all in its path. When light faded, nothing stood before the hero.]
...Raised on such, Chloe imagined hero fights as serene, austere scenes.
Clang!
But now.
Clang, claaaaang!
Chloe realized her imaginings wrong.
Before her, a hero swung his spear blade. No austere quiet like novels.
He charged kicking earth.
Swung with full might, twisted body dodging enemy strikes.
Flashy over austere.
Far from serene.
Chloe saw the dragon devoured by black tentacles. Horrific. Shoulders shrank just watching, urge to retreat.
Not just Chloe.
She glanced aside.
Knights feared the sky dragon too. But their eyes held more than terror. Amid fear, expectation.
Expectation toward whom?
The lone figure facing the dragon.
Bathed in platinum starlight, resisting swing after swing. Chloe looked there too.
Clang.
Holy Spear Hero, Galahal.
No step back. Tentacles didn't target only him—lunged at ground knights too.
Yet never reached them.
Galahal's blade kept tentacles at bay. Each maw gape met jaw strike, denying breath.
Even though he could endure.
Even though ignoring allies, tanking and countering would win easily... Galahal didn't.
Clang!
Victory-first Kyle would ignore surroundings, stabbing. Destel's choice little different.
Galahal didn't.
Inefficient, yet he saved all within power. His conviction, so he upheld it.
Unlike fairy-tale heroes.
Desperate over noble fight.
To third eyes, Galahal's battles always desperate. Wounded, bleeding repeatedly. Trusting hero regen, harming self. No different now.
"......"
To Chloe, Galahal's fight far from her imagined heroics. Desperate, flashy, not austere.
Yet why?
To Chloe, that fight shone brighter than fairy-tale heroes. Heroes shouting ideals in fantasy pale before those pursuing them in reality.
Splash!
Slicing tentacles, Galahal stood atop dragon head. Repositioned spear tip-down...
Stab.
Thrust blade into dragon nape.
Platinum blade flashed white, maximally compressed starlight exploding inside.
Kabooooom!
With roar, headless dragon's wings stilled.
Colossal body crashed thud, shaking earth. Crimson-black blood seeped as Galahal atop slowly raised arm.
Platinum blade shone brilliantly.
Knights' cheers erupted. Amid, Galahal scanned. No dead in melee. Confirmed, he exhaled shortly.
Faint smile on lips.
Chloe stared long.
One line circled her mind.
[The most hero-like hero, Galahal.]
Why called so.
She finally grasped its true meaning.