Chapter 335: Leave the Rest to Me (1)
Chapter 335: Leave the Rest to Me (1)
“Dammit, what the hell did you do?”
Patrick’s temper flared the moment he checked April’s condition.
She was in a dire state, her life force completely drained, her body withering away. In the common parlance of physicians in the Martial World, she was in a state that even a Great Divine Immortal could not save.
“Young… Master…”
April desperately clung to her fading spark of life, reaching out to rest her hand against Patrick’s cheek. She felt fortunate just to be able to face her end in his arms. However…
“I can’t stand melodramatics.”
That was only April’s perspective. Patrick had absolutely no intention of letting her go.
Not even a Great Divine Immortal could save her? That might be true for them. But…
I can do it now.
Patrick began pouring his energy into April’s body.
“Young Master. You must save your strength… Huh?”
April was startled. When Patrick first started funneling energy into her, she thought he was wasting his power. Once the vessel is shattered, pouring energy into it is futile.
Yet, the moment Patrick’s energy entered her, her condition improved at an impossible rate. Her shattered Dantian was restored, and her depleted life force surged back to its peak.
“What… is this?”
She was bewildered by a recovery that defied all common sense. Even if the Pope of the Holy Kingdom were here, such a feat would be unthinkable. In a matter of moments, her body was perfectly healed.
Feeling even better than she had before the battle began, she stood up on her own two feet and looked at Patrick.
“Young Master, how is this possible?”
“I’ll tell you later. For now, give me a sit-rep.”
“We are in the middle of a war, and we are losing.”
It was Sanson who answered, running up while gasping for breath. Behind him, Oliver and the rest of the Double Dragon Knights hurried over, forming a circular defensive formation.
From within the circle, Patrick spoke.
“That’s a bit too brief, isn’t it? Elaborate a little.”
“The enemy is the Dark Mages of the Yuzef Kingdom.”
“I can see that.”
“They’ve taken control of the Yuzef leadership, including the Overlord, and declared war on the entire continent. And…”
“And you’re getting your asses kicked. Is that it?”
“Ugh… It’s a bit of a disadvantageous situation.”
“Which means you’re getting your asses kicked.”
At Patrick’s bluntness, Sanson muttered with a look of profound sorrow.
“Why did I ever think I wanted to see this guy again?”
“Huh?”
“…Did I say that out loud again?”
Patrick let out a sigh as he looked at Sanson, who still couldn't seem to control his mouth.
“Yeah. Whatever, I get the gist of it. Basically, I just need to blow these bastards away, right?”
Sanson replied with a grim expression.
“It won’t be easy.”
“Why not?”
“The forces summoned by the Dark Mages are too numerous. Furthermore, the enemies designated as ‘Enemy Knights’ are formidable foes, boasting strength equivalent to 7-Star Knights.”
No matter how powerful Patrick was, reversing the current situation seemed impossible. The sheer difference in numbers was too great for one man to overcome. However…
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at the mess you’ve made just because I was gone for a bit.”
Patrick clicked his tongue and sighed as if it were no problem at all.
“To think you couldn’t even handle a trivial matter like this.”
“……”
“Seriously, what would you guys do without me?”
“……”
It wasn't easy to make someone this angry in the middle of a war. But Sanson had plenty of experience dealing with Patrick.
This man’s personality might be absolute garbage—to the point where you can barely call him human—but he’s not the type to bluff without a plan.
“……”
“Young Master. Please, tell us. If you have a way… Gack!”
Sanson collapsed as Patrick’s heel slammed into the crown of his head. Patrick looked down at the fallen knight.
“You and Oliver are exactly the same.”
“How could you say something so cruel…”
“Enough. Everyone, hold your positions.”
“……”
“I’ll have this finished in no time.”
Patrick cleared his throat and let out a thunderous shout toward the sky.
“PERSONAAAAA!”
Patrick’s deafening Lion’s Roar echoed across the battlefield. And then…
And then…
…Well, the thing was…
“Nothing’s happening?”
“Ah, just wait.”
Patrick shouted back at Oliver’s question, his face flushing red.
“Hey! Get a move on! You’re getting lazier by the day! You’re making me look like an idiot!”
The members of the Double Dragon Knights all sighed as they watched Patrick ranting at the sky. How could a person be so consistent? It was almost impressive.
“Everyone, prepare to move out. Form up in two columns and protect the Young Master and the Grand Duchess…”
Just as Sanson was about to issue orders to the knights…
Rumble!
The clouds in the sky parted, and something plummeted toward the earth at high speed. Folding its wings like a hawk diving for prey, the creature descended rapidly.
“A… A Dragon?”
“Gasp?!”
The great guardian of the Middle World, a creature of legend. A Dragon had appeared.
The Black Dragon, covered in sleek scales that shimmered with a polished luster, descended sharply and opened its maw wide. And then…
KABOOM!
The Dragon’s Breath—the ultimate symbol of absolute destruction—swept across the battlefield. The dragon swung its massive neck, scouring the enemy with a torrent of fire as if sweeping away trash.
The hellish demonic beasts and demons caught in the flames let out agonizing screams as they were incinerated. The breath of a Dragon Lord, who possessed divinity, was fatal to demons summoned from the Demon World into the Middle World. The weaker ones couldn't even maintain their physical forms if the flames so much as grazed them.
“Urgh… How dare you!”
“Where did this half-dead lizard come from?!”
The high-ranking demons, who had enough power to endure, gritted their teeth as they blocked the Lord’s breath. They drew out enough power to strain their Dark Mage summoners just to withstand the fire.
No matter how powerful the attack, a dragon’s breath was usually limited to three times a day. If they could just endure two more, that massive dragon would be nothing more than a lizard with high physical strength. They still had a chance… or so they thought.
“Follow Lady Persona!”
“Don’t be late!”
“Hurry! If we’re late, there’s no telling what kind of fit that man will throw!”
That is, if it weren't for the countless griffins falling from the sky.
Leading the Griffin Corps was an Elder Griffin, far larger than the others. It was Storm Spear. The leader who ruled Pabera and a direct familiar of one of the Four Calamities, he had appeared with his entire clan in tow.
And they weren't alone.
“We’re here. Drop down now!”
Leaping from the backs of the griffins were beastmen, vampires, dark elves, lizardmen, and more. They were the warriors of Pabera, who lived as the powerful familiars of Kalaron.
They had joined the fray.
* * *
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
Patrick had appeared, followed by a massive Black Dragon, and then the subordinates of Kalaron—beings rarely seen by the outside world—arrived. They began to tear apart the hellish legions summoned by the Dark Mages.
“Gwahahaha! Weak! Too weak!”
“Is there no one stronger?!”
“ROOOOAR!”
It was utter domination. Pabera, located deep within the Great Forest, was a place where the strongest gathered even by the forest's standards. The warriors handpicked from that region were so powerful that the demons summoned from hell actually looked pitiful in comparison.
“What… What is this…?”
“Are they… on our side?”
The leadership of the Allied Forces couldn't wrap their heads around the situation. A Black Dragon and a massive army of demi-humans had suddenly appeared on a hopeless battlefield. While they were attacking the enemy, there was no certainty that they were allies. After all, this was completely unexpected.
As the commanders stood in a daze, someone approached them.
“Greetings, everyone.”
Ebony hair and porcelain skin. Dressed in unfamiliar attire and partially veiling her face with a fan, a beastman woman with fox ears appeared. The nine lush tails swaying behind her only added to her ethereal beauty.
Exuding both elegance and allure, she carried herself like a queen strolling through a ballroom rather than a warrior on a battlefield. She approached the Allied leadership and spoke.
“Where might I find Grand Duke Schneider?”
Every eye turned toward one spot. There stood Grand Duke Schneider, pointing a finger at himself with a look that said, ‘Me?’
The woman looked at the Grand Duke and gave a soft smile.
“We have met before, have we not?”
“Ah… Come to think of it, you are…?”
The Grand Duke remembered. This fox-beastman was the one who had guided his son into the Great Forest. She was definitely a direct familiar of one of the Four Calamities…
“Are you Madam Su Daji?”
Daji chuckled softly.
“‘Madam’ is far too much credit.”
“……”
“Please, just call me Daji.”
“……”
If I do that, my wife will kill me, the Grand Duke thought, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he asked something else.
“If you are here, does that mean my son has returned?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Grand Duke Schneider clenched his fists. He had suspected as much. There was only one person who could flip a hopeless, desperate situation like this on its head.
“Where is my son now?”
“He rushed ahead to save his wife. But do not worry.” Daji smiled gently. “Nothing in this world can harm him now.”
The boy has gotten stronger again, the Grand Duke thought, simply nodding in response. However, unlike him, those who didn't know Patrick well couldn't accept the situation so easily.
“Wait. I don’t know who you are, but speak plainly. Does your participation in this war alongside the Double Dragon mean you are our allies?” one of the Empire’s strategists asked demandingly.
Daji covered half her face with her fan.
“If that is what he wishes, then so it shall be.”
“Then… what is the extent of the military force you’ve brought? And for what purpose or justification have you joined this war?”
Daji smirked at the strategist’s question. Politics? In this situation? And against me? He wasn't even worth dealing with.
She put on a languid, bored expression and spoke.
“Purpose and justification… Well, I suppose such trivial things don’t really matter.”
“What?”
“We are simply following his orders.”
“By ‘him’… do you mean that dragon?”
“Heavens, no. She is also a being who follows his orders, just like us.”
A being that a dragon obeyed. The weight of those words was immense. A high-ranking priest of the Holy Kingdom asked cautiously.
“Excuse me, but is the person you keep referring to…?”
“Patrick-nim, of course.”
Several people gasped in exclamation. So that’s how it is. They had suspected it, but that monster of a man had gone and done it again. The absurdity of it all was so great that it moved past shock and into resignation.
Ignoring the others, Daji turned back to Grand Duke Schneider.
“A message from him: ‘I’ll clean this up quickly, so don’t worry, Father.’”
“Ha… Hahahaha…”
The Grand Duke could only laugh. His son always produced results that exceeded his wildest imagination.
“I have been ordered to guard the Grand Duke here. May I remain by your side?”
“The honor is mine. But, may I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“What… exactly is your relationship with my son? I don’t recall things being quite like this before.”
Daji placed a hand against her cheek and gave a soft, suggestive smile.
“My body and soul.”
“…Huh?”
“Everything I am belongs to him.”
“U-Uh… and that means?”
“He is my absolute master.”
“……”
What Daji meant was: Your son has become the one who will decide the fate of the world. We have staked everything on him. Therefore, I swear my absolute loyalty to him.
However, Daji’s intent…
This brat added another woman to his collection? While his wives are suffering like this? What a scoundrel!
…was completely misinterpreted.
* * *
“Hmm? What was that? I just got the chills.”
Patrick shivered for a moment. He felt as though he had just been framed for something ridiculous. But…
“Well, that’s not the priority right now. Moving on.”
The problem at hand was right in front of him.
“What… should I do with you? Hmm?”
“……”
“Can’t even answer me?”
“……”
“Sigh…”
In front of Patrick stood the Overlord, his face expressionless as he leveled his sword.