The Extermination Dragon's Hunting Method (5): Pyongyang Lies in Ruins
Pyongyang has been reduced to rubble.
= ……I didn't mean to go this far. Looks like my calculations were a bit off.
Every endeavor comes with its share of errors, great or small. No matter if it's a finely tuned calculator or an evolved mind like mine—discrepancies are inevitable. And this incident? Just a minor miscalculation on my part.
The problem is the sheer scale of my influence. Even that tiny error wreaks havoc on frail humans. It's like a few stray droplets to us, but to a fly caught beneath them, it's a drowning death sentence.
> Enemy forces neutralized. Master.
I only meant to break their spirits. At least no one's dead. I figured amplifying my Roar would shatter their barriers alone. But their defenses lacked proper vibration countermeasures—that was the fatal flaw. Too focused on shock absorption, perhaps……
Rustle rustle. Thud!
As I pondered, humans began emerging from the ruins, one by one. Some unscathed, others with a broken arm or the like. Yet on every face burned unquenchable fear—and beneath it, an unbreakable resolve.
Yes. That's the resolve unique to intelligent beings like humans. A parent's defiance for its young, a leader's for the herd—those are common even among beasts. But for the rank-and-file, not born into it like ants…… For thinking creatures who can fathom fear and pain…… To face death for the group when flight is an option. That's what sets sapients apart.
'That's why it's so beautiful.'
Click!
Gigant Mode
I release the human form I'd been toying with. Back in my true shape, I hover midair with midwings, gazing down upon them.
= Is there more you wish to show me?
"……."
"……."
"……."
No reply. Their weapons lie in shards, their barriers shattered. Hundreds, thousands rushed me—yet I stand alone. They're exhausted; I'm fresh. Only one choice remains.
= Kneel. And I shall spare your lives.
Before the war escalated, humbling their leader might've sufficed. But now? Leader and all must atone to me. Come now, kneel. I long to soak in magma back home.
Thud! Thud!
One by one, they kneel before me. Some weep, some seethe in silence, others sigh in relief…… And so, the humans bowed.
I furrowed my brow at the sight.
= Why do I not see your leader?
A leader exists to hold the group together, protect it, guide it. They must stand foremost against foes, weigh in on grave decisions. Exceptions abound—queen ants hide, humans shelter theirs deep. But in this state, with none appearing? One of two things.
Some circumstance prevents it.
Or they've abandoned the herd and fled.
'Even with extenuating circumstances, the absence of both leader and officers is suspicious.'
If the leader fell, underlings should emerge. None do, so……
I activated my Heaven Dragon Eye.
Truth revealed
= ……So that's how it is.
Deep underground, a group flees through tunnels. Yes. I'd hoped otherwise, but my hunch was right. This nation's leaders and officers abandoned their people the moment things turned dire.
= Ha! How pathetic.
I handled them gently to avoid needless deaths. Spared pity for unrelated civilians, chalked their defiance to ignorance of my power. Show them enough mercy and might, and they'd grasp the gulf between us and submit. A tad excessive, perhaps……
But their leader's flight crosses the line. These North Koreans staked their lives against me. For their representative—their guide—to flee? It abandons these souls and insults me.
= To mock me to the end……!
Now I'm truly angry. Before, they were just pitiable, laughable. Ants nipping at me—how amusing. I waged this war for dragon pride alone, not rage. Even this was mercy. Had my children suffered such slights? This city, this land, might've vanished in an instant. To my brood, humans are ants to crush.
Yet they've ignited my wrath…… I underestimated this nation's head.
= Pay for enraging me.
I unleashed my presence.
"Guhk!"
"Hngh!"
"Keurk!"
Not mere overwhelming aura from our gap—no, deliberate predator's menace. Exposed to my Dragon Fear, they foam and convulse.
Ignoring them, I summoned my dominion. Over…… all of Pyongyang!
Rrrrrumble……!!
Underground metals—pipes, girders, bunkers, passages—rise at my command.
"Aaaagh!!"
"Mercy!!"
"C-Comrade!"
All hidden in bunkers and tunnels—leaders, guides, officers—are yanked skyward. Those who forgot duty, hid, or fled.
And amid them……
I eyed the plump, pale one.
= You. This nation's leader.
"Hiiik!"
The quivering head of North Korea collapses in a heap. I draw his metal perch slowly before me.
As it nears……
"Die!"
Flash! A hidden human lunges, sword aglow, stabbing my eye. Aiming for the unarmored spot amid my Dragon Gold, no doubt.
Yes. No surrender yet—we're at war.
Splat!
"Wha?!"
Weapon liquefied
= But crude.
The assassin's blade melts to liquid, dripping away. Pre-rage me might've taken the hit for sport. But now? Fury burns. No more mercy.
= I command all metals. To challenge me…… with metal?
Human civilization is fire and metal incarnate. Fangs of guns, armor, vehicles, cutlery—even homes. Without metal, humans are helpless.
Against me? Laughable. I could've stripped it all and ended this. I held back for one last chance.
= Yet you snatch even that final mercy.
"Hiiik!"
"Sp-Spare……."
Enough. I've given plenty; they spurned it.
= I am the Extermination Dragon, Grand Ragnar. Apocalypse of the heavens, sovereign of all metals. Bestower of golden wealth.
My dominion envelops Pyongyang and its humans.
= To those who enraged me, I bestow curse and blessing.
Drip drip!
"Wha?!"
"M-Medals?!"
Officers' badges melt. Not just them—
Splat! Boom!
"Th-The tank's melting?!"
"The buildings?!"
Swords, guns, cars, girders, pins, buckles—all metal in human works liquefies and vanishes.
= Henceforth, no human of this North Korean land shall wield metal. Should they grasp it, it melts. No metal for tool or harm. Thus, my curse and blessing.
Revert to stone age sans metal? A boon. Fail? The fiercest curse.
= This is the fruit of your choices.
Snorting atop metal-free Pyongyang, I turn away. Time to prep the next broadcast.