The Dragon God Hunt

Isera turned his head with a furrowed brow, then let out a low groan.

"…Sister."

Among the lesser demons he had brought along was one whose face was that of a man — yet Isera recognized her at once.

"Have you slipped out behind the Demon King's back again?"

"I have not slipped out. My true body remains in the Demon Realm, after all."

She deflected the question with perfect nonchalance. This was Isera's sole blood relative — the Hell Lord who governed the Seventh Hell.

"If the Demon King finds out…"

"And you think that bastard would dare scold me for it?"

"'Bastard'? That is treasonous talk."

"Haha. Isera, you really are still the model student, aren't you?"

She laughed and gave his shoulder a few firm pats.

"He's busy experimenting with that new body of his anyway. Does he even have the spare attention to care about me?"

"…Sister. I don't mind, but please restrain yourself in front of the other Lords."

"In front of those weaker than me, you mean?"

Isera sighed. But she wasn't wrong. She was an absolute powerhouse — a being even the other Hell Lords deferred to. Even the Demon King himself. She had every right to speak that way.

"By the way, you've brought along a rather curious fellow."

"You mean Union?"

She nodded. Union, the Mage of the Golden Rule. A human, yes — but an odd one.

"He'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be useful. That 'Inventory' of his holds all sorts of interesting things."

"Don't get too close to him. Since ancient times, no human of the Empire has ever been right in the head."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Isera bowed his head. For a man of his pride, there were only two people in existence to whom he would ever lower it — the Demon King, and this sister of his blood. No one else.

She smirked and looked down upon the world below.

Earth. The blue planet. A world whose civilization had clearly advanced further than even Pangenia.

"…Sister. Why have you appeared here, then? Do you not trust me?"

"You share my blood. How could I fail to trust you?"

"Then…?"

"Simple curiosity."

"About what?"

For one called the strongest, curiosity was a rare thing. That something on Earth could pique her interest was strange enough in itself. When he asked, she merely shrugged.

"Did you not say the only human who ever killed me is here?"

"…Wilhelm is dead."

Even that monstrous Wilhelm had fallen to the Demon King. The Demon King had taken the monster's body for himself — no trace of him remained.

But the Lord of the Seventh Hell shook her head.

"The true self that moved Wilhelm. That is what I wish to see. The only man who killed me — me, whom no one else could kill."

Dragon God

The British royal family. In the wake of Elizabeth III's death, Britain remained in turmoil. Domestic instability and the invasion of unidentifiable monsters had pushed the people's exhaustion with the monarchy past its breaking point. The successive deaths of legitimate heirs, leaving gaps in royal power, had only accelerated the crisis.

"Down with the monarchy!"

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"Abolish absolute rule!"

Countless citizens had gathered before the palace, crying out with one voice for the overthrow of the crown. And into their midst rolled a single white car.

"…Must you truly attend today, Master Oliver? The situation is dire."

Butler Melson asked with a deeply worried expression. Oliver smiled faintly and nodded.

"I ought to show my face. Everyone thinks I'm dead, don't they?"

"Even so…"

"I am a legitimate heir as well. My place in the line of succession is rather low, but still."

The lines on Melson's face deepened further. That Oliver — who had lived hidden away on an island — had suddenly changed his mind and stepped out into the world was a good thing. The problem was that it didn't have to be the royal court of all places.

Since Queen Elizabeth's death, the higher-ranked heirs had been dying one after another. This was no natural state of affairs.

Assassination.

Someone was killing them deliberately. The British royal family was currently split among three factions locked in mutual containment. If Oliver entered the fray, he would be the shrimp crushed between whales. And with living blood relatives still perfectly intact, his sudden appearance would hardly paint him in a flattering light.

I will not hide any longer.

Oliver squared his shoulders. Of course he understood Melson's concerns. But his life as Hudson in Pangenia had changed everything about him. The wedding had been postponed, but it had given him the chance to set his thinking straight. To stand tall before Serengeti, he needed to stand tall on Earth as well.

Only if I have power can I lend strength to Lord Randolph.

And that wasn't all. Both worlds were under threat. The balance of power needed to be set right.

Oliver stepped outside. He drew a long, deep breath — then set his feet toward the palace interior, where a strategy meeting would already be underway.

A colossal ship floated in the sky. Union attended a gathering of the Demon Legion Commander and the high-ranking demons who served him.

"A human, at this table?"

"Even if it is the Commander's will, I cannot comprehend it."

"…He seems rather lacking in stature to sit among us."

The high-ranking demons each offered their piece. Even knowing it was Isera's decision, they simply could not understand a human being present at a meeting of such importance. Compared to them, Union's standing was pitifully low to begin with.

Idiots. They don't even realize I've deliberately lowered my level.

Only Isera had recognized his true worth. The moment Isera laid eyes on him, he had seen through the fact that Union had intentionally performed a "level down." Union had sealed the bulk of his experience points inside potions — a method for an unauthorized human to cross dimensions.

—Kyaa…

…You can't come out.

Union hurriedly pressed the emerging Hell back down with his hands. Meanwhile, Legion Commander Isera made his appearance.

"Everyone is here."

"We greet the Legion Commander!"

As one, they dropped to their knees and raised their voices. Union, who had sworn his loyalty, did the same. Hastily concealing Hell, he knelt awkwardly and snuck a glance upward at Isera.

Who's that beside him?

Someone he had never seen before was standing at Isera's side. If it were a high-ranking demon, he would have known. A Grand Mage never forgot a face he had seen even once. Which meant this was no high-ranking demon.

Someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Isera — commander of millions of demons. The only ones capable of that would be fellow Hell Lords.

That arrogant expression. If some ordinary demon wore a look like that in front of Isera, they would be annihilated on the spot. The fact that there was still something he hadn't figured out made Union tilt his head inwardly.

What was even more surprising was that the other demons showed no particular curiosity. These same demons who had heaped every kind of scorn on him for being human paid not the slightest attention to the lesser demon standing beside Isera.

Do the other demons already know who that is?

Who on earth could it be? As he continued to puzzle over it, Isera spoke.

"I am aware you all wonder why, though the invasion has begun, we have yet to launch a full-scale assault."

That was true. Union had rained down meteors the moment he arrived — but that was because he was not a demon. Demons did not so much as lift a finger without Isera's command. As everyone held their breath and waited, Isera continued.

"There is a task that must be completed before invading another world. It was something Ahram, the King of the Dead — who planned the first invasion — should have done."

The Lord of the First Hell. Ahram, the King of the Dead. But he had crumbled without even managing a proper invasion. A truly pathetic affair.

"That fool Ahram failed to complete the prerequisite. Instead, he self-destructed somewhere on his own. And so the homework has fallen to me."

Ahram's self-destruction had been a major incident even in the Demon Realm. The one who was supposed to invade had simply vanished. A massive event with no explanation of where he had been or what he had been doing. What was certain was that he had disappeared before the invasion — and taken his vast legion with him.

"What is this homework, Legion Commander?"

A close aide among the demons asked, and Isera nodded.

"The hunting of the 'Rift Guardians.'"

"By Rift Guardians, you mean… the 'Dragon Gods'?"

"You know well."

Rift Guardians. Those who protected the rifts of a world. He was calling them Dragon Gods — and speaking of hunting them. It was the first Union had heard of such a course of action, and he pricked up his ears.

"The 'Dragon Gods' of this 'Earth' are currently in deep hiding. We haven't even properly determined whether there is one or many. All because of that idiot Ahram."

That idiot Ahram. He said it again, with genuine feeling. Having vanished without accomplishing a single thing, the man certainly deserved the abuse. But Isera's loathing for Ahram seemed to have reached an extreme — as though the two had never gotten along to begin with.

"However, we are not without means of luring out the 'Dragon Gods.' One of those methods, Union, is your task."

"I have… something I must do?"

Suddenly called upon, Union asked tensely. That he was needed to lure out the Dragon Gods was news to him. Had Isera accepted him anticipating even this scenario? If so, then Isera was… no ordinary opponent. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And when an order was given in this setting, it was to be followed with one's life on the line.

Isera spoke.

"Unleash the power you have hidden. When the balance breaks, the Guardians will appear of their own accord."

"…"

Ah. Union was inwardly stunned. It meant he was to drink the experience potions and restore his level. The ability to store experience points in potions was unique to him alone. Isera had seen through it at a glance and brought him into this invasion for that very purpose — so that the moment Union restored his power all at once, the Balance Guardians would move, and Isera himself would hunt them.

A truly meticulous and terrifying man. He had formulated a plan to use even Union — who had appeared out of nowhere — on the spot.

"…I will need time, Legion Commander."

But he could not simply obey that order as given.

"How much do you need?"

"I cannot restore my power all at once. It will take at least a month."

"Hmm. A month."

Isera did not know that the experience was stored in potions. And because he didn't know, Union could invent an excuse.

"I will give you two weeks. If you have not recovered by then, my disappointment will be considerable."

"I will do my utmost, Legion Commander."

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He sighed inwardly. Two weeks. A mere fourteen days.

I'll have to achieve my own goals first within that time.

Union had grand ambitions. There were things he needed to do on this Earth. First, find the criminal who had controlled him and take personal revenge. Second, locate a special "Prototype Class." Fourteen days was far too little time for either —

…Why is that one looking at me like that?

Then, sensing a sudden gaze, he slightly furrowed his brow. The demon standing beside Isera. That demon was watching him with the corner of its mouth curled upward — as though it knew him well. Looking down on him with mockery and contempt.

One percent of blood per egg. But a human dies once thirty percent of their remaining blood is drained.

Natural Regeneration.

That was where Natural Regeneration came in. It was the only thing that could accelerate the rate of blood replenishment.

My current Natural Regeneration is around 1,300%.

Roughly thirteen times the normal replenishment rate. If thirty eggs could be made in a day under normal conditions, that meant three hundred ninety were possible.

At best around four hundred. Nowhere near a thousand.

To maximize the Queen's egg-laying capacity, Natural Regeneration needed to be pushed up near 3,300%. But Natural Regeneration was not something easily raised.

The thousand percent from the Brand of Ouroboros accounts for nearly all of it.

The rest was just a modest boost from the Baal Set. Gear that raised Natural Regeneration was typically Myth-grade or higher.

Should I go after the True Ancestor Set?

The True Ancestor set equipment. Among gear that dramatically boosted Natural Regeneration, that was the first thing that came to mind. But even obtaining the True Ancestor Set would fall far short of 3,300%.

I stroked my chin, deliberating, then shook my head.

The preparations against Isera are sufficient as they are. No need to obsess over Natural Regeneration.

Getting any more fixated on it would be putting the cart before the horse.