23. Dragon
23. Dragon
It was very encouraging that Yuma had stepped forward first and swept the enemies aside.
Because it bought Hestia and Cloné time to prepare themselves mentally and arm themselves.
Kkwaak!
Hestia stepped forward with her True Step.
Once again, she gripped the sword Yuma had given her, [Full Moon's Kiseteria]. A crimson Sword Aura enveloped the blade.
Cloné raised her staff.
A blue bolt of lightning tore through the empty air and struck down.
Her scarlet hair, tied in a ponytail, fluttered.
Hestia's crimson Sword Aura extended forward. Since there were at least thirty troops approaching, there wasn't even a need to deliberately aim for anyone in particular.
Kwaaaang!
The count's troops were cut down without mercy.
And fortunately, unlike their zombie-like appearance, the troops that were sprawled out after taking a fatal blow rarely got back up.
'I'll have to ask Brigitte to replenish the troops.'
Once this was over, there would be a massive void in the count's forces.
The bare minimum of conscience remaining in Yuma's heart surfaced.
"Father! Father!"
Yuma turned his head toward the rear, where he heard the desperate cries for a father.
Kaisen was shaking the shoulders of Count Luvelt, who was slumped in a chair. But the eyes of the pale-faced Count Luvelt showed no sign of opening.
Kaisen lifted his head and looked at Yuma, who was staring at him.
"...I will find medical personnel and treat my father."
"Alright. Find a safe place and stay put for now."
A grave voice came from beside Kaisen.
"I will escort him. Young master."
It was Knight Commander Haiman.
Kaisen looked at the upright old knight and smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Haiman was someone who had one foot in the Master's realm.
Haiman's alignment bordered on Good.
At that level, there seemed to be no need to worry about the next count's personal safety. Yuma led Cloné and Hestia and walked out of the count's castle.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The moment they stepped outside, what assaulted Yuma's ears was an explosive roar. In his field of vision, he saw chain explosions of crimson flames.
And after those explosions, a thick gray smoke spread out like a cloud.
Ssssss...
As the cloud-like gray smoke cleared, a single life form revealed itself.
It was a life form easily over 100 meters long.
Yuma felt that the sunlight beating down seemed to burn even fiercer today.
A black life form was gliding through the sky.
Peol-leok
Its enormous wings unfurled.
Kugugugugugugu!!
A tremendous battle aura tore through the atmosphere.
There was no one who would question the identity of the being that had appeared before their eyes.
Because there were not many life forms in this world that could unfurl such a majestic presence.
A body larger than the count's castle.
Black dragon leather.
Blood-red eyes like ruby.
It was a <Dragon>.
A great being. An existence closest to the gods that mere human vermin could never dare to covet.
[Lv.421]
Elkham-Akreon
A Level exceeding 400.
It was on an entirely different dimension from the numbers seen so far.
Yuma organized his thoughts.
'As expected, it's the same as Loof Blood again.'
The first thing that caught his eye was the creature's name.
Elkham.
The surname Elkham was the surname used by the 'Black Dragon' that appeared in <Loof Blood>, the game Yuma had enjoyed as 'Don't Fuck With Me'.
That meant there was a high probability that the background setting of the black dragon before his eyes was similar. Whether this world came first, or according to the game's director, <Loof Blood>, which could be seen as the prequel to this world, came first. He couldn't be sure of even that anymore, though.
"Worms."
The black dragon opened its mouth. Merely opening its mouth and speaking caused ripples as if the air itself was warping.
The predator's eyes glistened.
"You will pay the price for daring to interfere with my amusement."
It was simply opening its maw and spitting out words.
Every single word it uttered was laden with Dragon Fear.
Yuma was in a state completely unaffected by that Dragon Fear.
<Noble Characteristic>
-A noble existence does not collapse.
-Wholly, you yourself are the most noble on this earth.
-Will not yield to external pressure.
Because of the characteristic that his self-esteem pierced the heavens.
Unlike him, Cloné and Hestia were flinching and trembling all over, shrinking their bodies.
An existence closest to the gods.
Trembling in fear before such a dragon was a perfectly natural phenomenon.
It was not a hatchling, but a dragon that seemed to have been fully grown for a very long time.
Yet one man, even under the ferocious aura of that black dragon, simply stared at the world with the same bored blue eyes as always.
'As expected, Lord Yuma....'
Cloné's two eyes seared the image of Yuma standing squarely upon the earth into her memory.
The giant black dragon floated its body above the head of Yuma, who stood perfectly unharmed.
Yuma stared at the dragon, which exuded a savage aura, and opened his mouth.
The people were far away. Since a being like a dragon had appeared, it was a natural course of action.
"Dragon, what is your name?"
He already knew it through the Searching Eye, but asking for a name was always the best way to start a conversation.
"...Lowly creature. Do you dare ask for my birth name? Fine, I shall tell you. Elkham-Akreon. That is my great birth name."
Acreon continued to speak.
"It was a slumber of about 300 years. When I opened my eyes, the power I had accumulated until now was scattered. So, to build that power back up, I nested in this Luvelt. In a massive cave. I slowly recovered my strength by chewing on the very fresh lives of the county, whoever you are. You are too late."
The black dragon Acreon, having suddenly confessed all his evil deeds, began to emanate black demonic energy from his gigantic form.
"Because I have recovered all my strength. I, Elkham-Akreon, who has lived for six thousand years!!"
Kugugugugugugugugu!!
The earth shook.
"Uwaaaaaaaah! O, O Dragon God! O great being, please quell your wrath!"
"Please quell your wrath!"
The knights and people of the county fell to their knees and prostrated themselves flat on the ground. The desperate cries for survival clamored only from them and could not even reach Acreon.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth again.
"Acreon, let us have a dialogue. If you answer the questions I ask, I will answer what you desire."
The long, fierce maw of the black dragon Acreon twisted.
"A mere mortal dares to dialogue with me? Preposterous...!"
A gray puff of breath shot out from his nostrils—Hook.
He was literally snorting with derision.
"ElcaDel. Do you not wish to reach that place?"
ElcaDel.
At the mention of that name, Acreon's pupils dilated.
"...A mere human. How do you know of ElcaDel?"
ElcaDel. That was the legendary sanctuary of the black dragons. A mythic sanctuary carrying the tale that the first Lord of the black dragons still lived.
"If you answer the things I ask, I will tell you where ElcaDel is."
Thick killing intent sprayed from Acreon's body.
The density of the murderous intent was so thick it could stop a human from breathing.
"Arrogant fool, very well. Ask what you are curious about. However, if it proves to be nonsense you spout, I shall burn your limbs to nothing at once. Without a trace!!"
Yuma slowly nodded his head.
"Have you ever heard of the Blue-haired Sword Saint? Or a tribe like that?"
Acreon's eyes flew wide open.
A strange light flickered in Yuma's eyes. Was he finding a clue this quickly?
Acreon's maw opened. And his ruby eyes blinked.
"How could I possibly know of such a human? I do not. A blue-haired sword saint...? A blue-haired tribe? Did such a thing appear while I was asleep?"
As expected.
Things wouldn't resolve this easily. Yuma clicked his tongue inwardly.
"A demon tribe that can carve imprints. Do you know where they are?"
Yuma brought up the second matter.
"You mean the Inscription Clan bastards? Those bastards are naturally in the Demon Realm. Since they are demons."
Yuma slowly nodded his head.
This was not a bad yield. He had definitely confirmed that an inscription tribe capable of engraving <Imprints> existed.
Being in the Demon Realm was also identical to the game <Loof Blood>.
At the very moment Yuma finished organizing his thoughts, Acreon opened his jaws wide.
"Now it is your turn to tell me where ElcaDel is. Human."
Yuma answered without hesitation.
"I don't know."
He truly didn't know.
ElcaDel had only been mentioned in <Loof Blood>, and details such as whether it actually existed never appeared until the end.
Elkham-Akreon's massive jaw trembled slightly.
"You uncivilized mortal little shiiiiit!!"
Kwarrrrrrrrrrrrng!!
Dozens of strands of crimson lightning energy rippled in the sky.
To be precise, it was not lightning energy. It was the sight of every dragon's ultimate technique, <Dragon Breath>, condensing in Acreon's mouth.
***
A woman with orange hair lay prostrate on the ground, staring intently ahead.
'What the hell, a dragon suddenly appeared...!'
Ymir was a mercenary with a connection to Yuma.
A rather one-sided connection, but still.
A mercenary who, upon receiving a commission from Count Benosetian, had personally witnessed Yuma's martial power with her own two eyes in front of 1st Princess Brigitte's castle.
That was Mercenary King's disciple, Ymir.
'I said I wouldn't take any requests related to this man...!'
-Ymir, as you have personally witnessed the God of War Yuma once, I think it best you go this time as well. Besides, we haven't been discovered yet. This time it's a commission from the faction of the 1st Prince. There is absolutely no intent to harm him. They simply ask you to observe him and record his movements to report back.
The voice of her damn master, the Mercenary King, surfaced in her mind.
Simply put, she was trying to avoid the commission because she was afraid of that man, the God of War Yuma.
But now, the object of her fear had suddenly changed.
Because of the unexpected appearance of a black dragon.
'No matter how much he is the God of War Yuma, there's no way he can defeat a dragon. How can he beat a dragon who looks like he's lived at least five thousand years!'
A great being, a dragon.
A single dragon was enough to annihilate a nation.
A dragon of the caliber before her eyes would easily sweep away a kingdom.
"...Ymir, it seems you've also come to gather information on that man. Looks like we'll die chummily here. From that Breath."
The crimson lightning energy gathering at the mouth of the black dragon Acreon was warping the atmosphere itself.
Ymir turned her head to the side and looked at the two people beside her.
"You're from the Information Guild, right?"
The man and woman wearing black robes nodded chummily in sync.
"Yes, we've been put in charge of that man on a dedicated basis. Since he's become the empire's highest-priority figure of interest. But to think we'd die not by being discovered by that man, but by being struck dead by a Dragon Breath. I didn't expect that."
God of War.
That was merely a human title.
Even a God of War was just someone who had transcended human limits.
A dragon.
Not a hatchling. There was no being that could defeat a dragon that had fully grown to that extent.
Unless a legendary hero or a legendary archmage fell from the sky.
The gazes of the three people turned to a single person.
To Yuma, who had caused them all to gather here.
And they did not expect his victory. They simply intended to witness his death.
***
Kwarrrrrrrrrrrrng!!
The ultimate technique of a dragon, capable of annihilating a nation, was complete. The technique of annihilation, possessing a catastrophic destructive power even more overwhelming than blazing lava.
"For the sin of daring to ridicule a great being, turn to ash and repent!! Mortal!!"
The maw of the black dragon, Elkham-Akreon, gaped wide open.
The body of the black dragon, gliding with its enormous wings flapping, was pushed back with a jerk.
The total sum of dragon energy Acreon had condensed. The recoil of pouring out that energy had pushed back the body of the dragon, whose durability was greater than any other life form!
Kkwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang────────!!!!!
It was a crimson flash.
A massive flash intended to blow away not only the count's castle but also the mountains behind it in one go.
That annihilation flash cannon was shot toward Yuma. No, toward the very ground upon which Yuma stood.
The crimson Dragon Breath burst forth from Acreon's maw.
Yuma thought as he watched it.
'It's impossible with Black Dragon Bernak's Fang.'
The short sword [Black Dragon Bernak's Fang]'s blade area was too narrow to hit the central black airflow that seemed to be the 'Parry Point' of the <Dragon Breath>.
Seureung─
He drew a single sword from Sword God Kronos's subspace pouch.
It was his cherished sword, [Axion], which Kronos had personally wielded in battle.
He gripped Axion with both hands.
And swung it. Solely toward the black airflow existing at the center of the Dragon Breath.
Only one chance.
If he failed, only inevitable death awaited.
There was only one thing to trust in.
Parrying.
His innate sense for parrying.
He swung.
Ka──ang
A golden, circular impact bloomed. Like a golden flower.
The annihilation flash cannon that had been shooting toward the earth warped. No, it reversed course.
<Absolute Counter>
The crimson flash that had been aimed at the ground. The dragon's ultimate technique, the Dragon Breath. It bent at a right angle and shot back into the sky.
Kkwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang─────────!!!!!
"...This is, impossible!!"
Those were the last words of Elkham-Akreon.
Acreon's crimson field of vision was engulfed by an even more intense red.
Annihilation.
The black dragon, nearly 100 meters in size, was annihilated in mid-air.
The Dragon Breath, reflected at 10 times its original attack power, didn't leave behind Acreon's corpse, much less bones or ash.
The clouds were split wide open on both sides. It was the path where the Dragon Breath had pierced through the blue sky.
The people of the County of Rubelt, still on their knees, witnessed the spectacle in a daze.
The Mercenary King's disciple, the mercenary Ymir, gaped wide open.
A drop of saliva fell.
"...Dragon Slayer."
Beside her, the male and female agents of the Information Guild who were slumped down let out empty laughs.
"Dragon Slayer."