The Extermination Dragon's Hunting Method (2)
My body pierces through the clouds, soaring into the open sky. It's something I always feel, but flying like this truly feels wonderful.
Not that I do it often, but every now and then, soaring through the skies like this isn't so bad, is it? I've held back a bit out of concern that humans might fear me, but now that I've shown my face a little during the broadcast, it should be fine, right?
Thinking that, I continue climbing higher when text begins to appear over my transparent nictitating membrane.
> [system loading……]
> [Program self-check.]
> [Starship Auxiliary AI Echo. Initializing.]
Right. Awake now, Echo?
[Master Ragnar. Good day.]
When was that? I've crossed so many dimensions that I can't quite remember, but there was a time when I reached a highly advanced scientific civilization on Earth—one that had advanced into space... what you'd call an SF world. That was probably the first time I'd visited an SF dimension.
Curious, I toured the Earth, only to be thoroughly disappointed by its state. It was a veritable feast of trash, trash, and more trash. The environment was polluted, flora and fauna struggled to survive, and most humans had abandoned the planet for alien worlds or deep space.
What remained were bizarrely evolved plants and animals, and a scant few humans surviving among them. In the end, I couldn't stand it and spent over a century personally restoring the Earth. During that process, I absorbed some of the leftover scientific knowledge and applied it to my body—more precisely, to the Dragon Gold encasing my body.
Not always, but most human civilizations are built on 'metals' and 'fire.' And I am a dragon who dominates 'metals.' Naturally, I can dominate human civilization and technology with this body.
My thinking proved correct, allowing me to incorporate humanity's technology into my own.
'Some humans saw me like this and called it their dream, or "Jet Dragon" or whatever.'
In truth, even as a hatchling, I'd considered jet-like propulsion systems. It was a romantic notion, but jet engines offered speeds even a dragon couldn't ignore. Back then, my prey were all swift, and the predators hunting me flew just as fast, so I'd seriously pondered it. I even lucked into the right mutation factor and evolved once.
But I abandoned that path due to cost-performance and efficiency issues. Who knew attaching mechanical devices could achieve it?
For the record, this isn't a real jet engine. It's more like what's used in spaceships—what they call an 'antigravity engine' or Repulsive Force Engine. I've disguised myself as a spaceship in other SF dimensions before...
[Target altitude reached.]
[Commencing scan.]
As I整理 my thoughts, Echo's message appears. Originally created as an auxiliary AI for a starship, it now manages the machinery embedded in my Dragon Gold. Come to think of it, I've had this one for quite a while too...
I cast my gaze downward at 'Earth.' The blue glow of the planet is, without fail... breathtakingly beautiful every time.
Continents vary slightly by dimension, but right now, beneath me lies the land called Pyongyang. If I wanted, I could fire a breath from here for 'ex-atmospheric strike' tactics... but that would be far too unglamorous. There'd be civilian casualties too.
So I'll use a different strategy.
[Target acquired.]
[Marking position.]
Echo's data overlays the surface of my transparent nictitating membrane. I examine them one by one, adjusting the angle of my mid-wing engines. Bits of space debris orbiting Earth collide with my body...
Splorch! Splurch!
Shrrk!
Captured by my dominion, they lose form, turning liquid and swirling around me. Non-metallic parts like ceramics are pulverized to dust and ejected into Earth's atmosphere, while metals liquify and orbit me.
Once I've gathered a sufficient mass, I coat them over my outer wings.
[Railgun formation complete. Mounted.]
Clank!
Hm. Not bad at all. It's improvised, but made from spaceship-grade metal, so the weight and conductivity are decent. Good enough for a toy, at least.
I gather the remaining metal lumps together. Then, with my Heaven Dragon Eye, I peer at the barrier enveloping Pyongyang.
First, I need to smash that barrier.
I raise my 'combat wings'—the outer wings thickly layered with Dragon Gold and fitted with my hobby armaments—but stop upon remembering the railgun mounted there. This improvised railgun has poor durability. Too much impact and it'll shatter.
I'm planning to discard it after some use anyway, but I can't break it without even firing. What? Just make another? Too much hassle.
Instead, I lift my mid-wings, which handle primary propulsion, and press the tip of the outermost Repulsive Force Engine against a metal lump. Can't let it fly off too wildly... nice and gentle...
[Repulsive Force Engine output: 0.005%]
[Engaging!]
Fwooooom!!
The metal lump, struck by the powerful repulsion, glows red-hot and plummets toward the atmosphere. Its target, naturally, is Pyongyang's defensive barrier.
Now, let's watch.
Lee Hyun pondered as he listened to the announcer's voice from the TV. His concern was singular.
"What the hell even is a dragon, anyway?"
"Why the sudden grumpiness, partner?"
Crunch! Crunch!
The white-winged dragon munching popcorn stared at Lee Hyun with a puzzled look. Lee Hyun replied to the dragon's face in a flat tone.
"Your mother. Why's she a jet?"
"...What're you on about?"
Skatuya Blaze dropped his popcorn at his partner's incomprehensible mutterings. Had the guy finally lost it?
"No, actually, you're the problem to begin with."
The white-winged dragon Skatuya Blaze, dominator of 'light.' He could scatter light to create illusions or even photonize his own body. Flying at the speed of light, he was a dragon truly worthy of the title.
"Your mom's a Metal Dragon, so why're you a Shining Dragon? Why's your sibling a Water Dragon? Don't your genetics follow any rules?!"
"..."
How big a shock was that...?
Pitying his half-mad partner, Skatuya Blaze sighed and grabbed more popcorn.
"Partner. What do you think a dragon is?"
"Giant lizard with wings?"
"..."
This bastard... The popcorn in Skatuya Blaze's hand carbonized from the intense heat.
A moment later, the two sat back on the sofa, bruises blooming on each other's faces. Skatuya Blaze, chewing popcorn again, spoke up.
"Dragons are creatures at the pinnacle of evolution."
All life evolves—for survival, adaptation, species preservation, and so on. But exceedingly rarely, with infinitesimal probability, natural mutations arise. Creatures that can rewrite their DNA from the ground up, shaking the foundations of biology.
"That's a dragon."
Beings that can induce mutations in their DNA at will, altering genetic traits. They pass effective traits to offspring and survive eons doing so. Ultimately transcending biological limits, toppling even so-called gods.
"That's why dragons are called the strongest creatures."
The ability to evolve favorably for any environment means survival anywhere. And as apex predators on top? That's why dragons are truly the strongest—and why the Extermination Dragon and her children all have different traits.
"I inherited my mother's genetic traits too. But that doesn't mean I manifest the same ones."
Dragons can't just manifest any desired trait at whim. New traits come only from self-induced mutations, hoping for something viable.
In other words...
"...Isn't that just gacha?"
"Exactly. Mutation gacha."
They can't even pass all traits to offspring. Beyond basic inheritance, others must be developed independently.
"Ha! You'd be shocked if you knew what I've been through."
"..."
Lee Hyun stared blankly at Skatuya Blaze's suddenly pale face. What a wonderfully close friendship.
"Anyway, that's why my traits differ from Mother's. Get it now?"
"Yeah."
As Lee Hyun nodded, the TV blared with the reporter's urgent voice.
The camera hastily tilts upward, and soon 'it' enters every viewer's sight.
Ruuuumble!!
A red flame streaks rapidly from the heavens. But it was no shooting star or meteor. It was heavenly judgment plummeting from the sky—a massive kinetic weapon trailing crimson, hurtling toward Pyongyang.
"Holy shit?!"
Kaboom-!
The metal mass from the sky slams dead-on into Pyongyang's barrier, unleashing a colossal storm.