Hecatrite (4)
Quick Eagle Jason felt a surge of pride in his own skill.
Even if a mighty enemy stood before him or he faced an opponent with formidable abilities, his inner confidence never wavered.
It was only natural. He had broken through every crisis he had ever encountered through sheer strength.
I am not weak.
As a normal American young man, Jason had suddenly turned into an eagle.
Eagle form granted him innate combat prowess.
His sturdy physique, sharp gaze, and imposing presence had made him specialized in battle in every aspect.
Despite his appearance, his personality was gentle, but he would launch a ferocious assault to protect those he cherished.
By setting alone, he did not fall short of any race. In particular, his hand-to-hand combat ability was one that even pure humans would struggle to defeat.
That was why Jason had believed he could beat his friend, Elluke.
It had been true until he faced her directly.
I will not move even a step from here. Come inside already.
Elluke spoke with a polite tone, her words dripping with mockery. If her face had not been beautiful, she might have been unable to hold back her fury.
He was tempted to hit her right then, but it was impossible. She was surrounded by an extraordinary defensive barrier.
Too high a level.
Had she cast a holy spell? Why else would the Pope possess such overwhelming power?
She blocked every attack and counterattacked with the force of the blow she received. If he had rushed in carelessly, he would have been the one to suffer.
So he had taken a moment to analyze her. He needed to carefully examine her weaknesses.
Quick Eagle-nim, you must be panicked.
Yet Elluke seemed to read his thoughts. She immediately issued another challenge.
I’m sorry. But I won’t leave here. If you’re annoyed, try attacking me stronger than before.
...
How irritating.
She looked like a mature woman, yet she acted like an impudent girl. One could say she lived young and carefree.
Not too vicious?
Jason fiddled with the black arrow in his hand, Terhe, and spoke carefully.
He needed time to win. By talking, he could figure out where to strike.
How long will this last?
This?
Even in the middle of battle, Elluke relaxed, eyes closed in thought. Only after a while did she open them and answer.
Approximately six hours.
So long?
Still, I shortened it a bit to accommodate Quick Eagle-nim. Would you like to hear the harsh truth?
…Enough.
It seemed unlikely he could wait for the barrier to disappear on its own. It meant he would lose in a prolonged fight.
In the end, Jason had only one best strategy available.
He had to break through.
It would not be easy, but he had to do it.
Finally, Jason gripped the black arrow with both hands. He slowly channeled all his mana inside his body.
Charging the ultimate technique. Normally his comrades would have bought him time, but he did not need that now.
I see you plan to use a dangerous technique. Good luck.
Anyway, the opponent had no intention of coming out of the barrier. It was even better. She would not dodge.
I can win this for sure.
Honestly, there was no chance against Liam. He had known that from the moment he first met her.
On the other hand, Elluke was weaker than her husband. She was strong, but not in a way that could be ignored.
Friend, you will regret it.
While focusing on gathering mana, Jason clenched his teeth.
He wanted to win.
He had to prove that the evil dragon was stronger than the demon king somehow. Only then could he prove that all the hardships he had endured had not been in vain.
Elluke must have suffered too, but less than him. He could be certain of that.
…It was terrifying.
He had truly suffered.
The world based on the drama of Dread Dragon was one where many common sense had been twisted. Giving birth to a child was something a male should do, which was already too strange even among weird settings.
A bizarre environment created by the joint effort of the extreme PC-obsessed director and the drama writer.
Within that world, Jason gradually lost his original values. It was like overwriting.
Yet he had stubbornly maintained his will and survived desperately. He had only one thought: to save the world.
It had been hard.
Honestly, he had wanted to give up many times.
Especially when his comrades refused to fight because the enemy was a disabled old woman with a female body; he had almost gone insane.
But after enduring every trial, he had succeeded in sealing the evil dragon.
The mindset of Hero Quick Eagle had been formed through that process. Because he had become hardened through adversity like forging steel, he did not panic even in ordinary situations.
Yet now a feverish excitement was slowly rising. The long-buried hot battle desire.
What are you doing? Attack quickly.
A polite yet mocking voice issued another challenge. It seemed he could finally get angry.
Jason immediately pulled himself out of his thoughts. Then he resolved himself.
I will definitely win.
Don’t say that and just admit that the demon king is stronger.
I’ll make you shut your mouth!
Jason filled the arrow with all his anger and will. Terhe, filled with dense mana and complex emotions, roared fiercely.
This was enough. It should be able to pierce even that high-level barrier.
Quick Eagle, wait a moment.
But at that moment, Liam, who had been filming, suddenly interjected.
However, Jason, already excited, ignored him, drew his arm back, then thrust it forward and released the arrow.
The same motion as the first attack, but the result was exactly the opposite. The arrow did not split into thousands of pieces but shot straight ahead.
One heavy arrow filled with the sound of clashing and a rough roar, flying with massive power.
...
Elluke’s expression, which had always been relaxed, hardened. She had realized this time was dangerous.
But it was already too late. Terhe, condensed with all her power, would not be stopped. It could not be blocked even by that barrier.
The battle was decided.
Just as he thought that, an abnormal phenomenon suddenly occurred.
Eh?
The arrow flying without restraint was embedded in the air. Then, with a loud crack, the sky began to split slowly in half.
And from inside, a gigantic head slowly emerged.
Finally, you were careless...
It was the head of a vicious dragon with black scales.
...
What the heck?
Inside the Solar Barrier, I was surprised and widened my eyes. A dragon’s head suddenly appeared in front of me.
Its head alone was enormous. The entire body was probably as large as a mountain.
It had a typical Western dragon appearance. Its red eyes and sharp fangs looked extremely intimidating.
Anyone would clearly see it as an evil dragon.
I will burn you to ashes...
But its condition did not seem good. Its voice and expression were somewhat weak and powerless.
Still, the aura that made the body shiver was quite threatening.
How did it come here?
Though sudden, I calmly analyzed the situation. Fortunately, the circumstances were clear.
According to Quick Eagle, the evil dragon’s goal was to invade this world, and it had almost succeeded.
But it ended up being stopped by Quick Eagle and his comrades.
Thinking about it, I had never heard the word “killed.” I had naturally assumed they had killed it, but that was not the case.
Krrrrr!
While I was speculating, the evil dragon roared harshly.
And from its mouth, black flames erupted. An ominous black flame. It felt sinister.
The evil dragon tried to spit the fire it held straight at me.
Why me? I did not know, but I was certain it was fire it would be impossible to block even with the Solar Barrier.
Hecatrite! How did you break the seal and come out!
At that moment, Quick Eagle flew between the evil dragon and me and shouted.
A desperate voice filled with emotion. The relaxed atmosphere he usually maintained had vanished.
Even as Quick Eagle, he looked surprised. His face was tinged with bewilderment.
Clitia.
Just as I was trying to assess the situation and respond, Liam, who had been watching, pierced the barrier and approached, holding out his smartphone. The filming was still ongoing.
I will subdue it.
Liam left only that and walked toward the evil dragon. His steps were light, as if going for a walk.
I stared at his reliable back for a long time, then spoke.
Liam.
A clever thought came to me.
Why?
I gave Liam a simple instruction when he turned around. It was not difficult at all.
Can you do it?
It’s not hard.
Soon Liam started walking again, and I slowly raised the smartphone.
Hecatrite!
Meanwhile, Quick Eagle had drawn out his black spear and was stabbing the evil dragon. A perfectly timed thrust filled with power.
Krrrr...!
The evil dragon writhed in pain. It could not even fire the black flames held in its mouth.
Why was a large creature so timid? The demon king had not even screamed when his body was split in two.
After all, the demon king was stronger.
Of course, the evil dragon was not in its normal state. I estimated that it had used up all its power to break the seal.
Then subduing it would not be difficult. There was a former dragon warrior here who had finished off the demon king.
Soon, Liam arrived in front of the evil dragon’s head. And with an indifferent attitude, he said,
Quick Eagle, move.
It’s my mistake, so I’ll handle it.
I will not warn you twice.
Ignoring Quick Eagle’s words mercilessly, Liam slowly raised one hand.
Then a longsword appeared in his hand.
A silver blade shining with a silver sheen, an elegant weapon of a veteran warrior. The crystallized result of all the effort of a former dragon warrior.
And it was a great weapon, but the sword I could not even name carelessly was aimed at the evil dragon.
Let’s go, Clitia Elluke Guardian.
Whispering quietly, the former warrior lightly jumped and swung the sword.
Just as the evil dragon, belatedly shooting flames, opened its mouth wide, Liam was already behind the evil dragon.
It was a moment that happened in an instant.
Soon the evil dragon’s head hung limply in the air. The aura that had made the body shiver slowly subsided.
Blood did not flow.
Soon a swollen bump appeared on its huge forehead. It was the mark left by the veteran warrior’s sword back.
Aiya...!
It must have hurt a lot; the evil dragon grimaced and writhed, then finally closed its eyes. It had fainted.
Staring at the scene quietly, Liam then said in a low voice,
Evil dragon, as long as the Nuset Church exists, this world will never fall into the hands of evil.
The handsome warrior aiming at the evil dragon with the sword spoke resolutely. My husband was handsome, but objectively, the scene was cool.
I smiled satisfiedly and ended the filming.
What did you do?
Quick Eagle, who had been watching Liam’s performance blankly, muttered. His head seemed to freeze from the sudden situation.
Don’t you know when you see it?
The warrior who subdued the terrifying evil dragon in one blow. And the sect we lead, with the strongest warrior among us carrying his body.
This is a promotional video for the sect.
An unexpected harvest.