94
Chapter 94
Beatrice Constantino swallowed the sticky liquid in her mouth. Forcing back what had been rising in her throat brought a searing pain.
When she first faced the dragon Níðhöggr, she felt a chill run down her spine, but she was certain of victory. She believed that even if the fight was fierce and desperate, she would eventually win.
This was because Beatrice was well aware of her own strength. Though she borrowed Oscar's Demonic Energy, Beatrice possessed her own martial prowess and vast Holy Power. She considered herself the strongest fighter in the party, save for Oscar.
Indeed, Beatrice was objectively powerful. If she stepped onto the continent right now, she could cut down anyone who wasn't an Absolute Strong One. Back when she had a contract with Lucifer, the Devil of Pride, she had even slain one of those "Absolute Strong Ones."
However, Níðhöggr was not a being Beatrice could afford to underestimate.
"A mere human dares to stand in my way! How utterly arrogant!"
Boom—!
Níðhöggr. A harbinger of destruction that grew by gnawing on the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.
Born with four distinct attributes in one body, it is said that the earth Níðhöggr treads upon becomes contaminated with poison. Wherever it goes, death and plague spread.
This was why, despite being hailed as the next Dragon Lord, Níðhöggr was instead taken in by the Dragon King. Níðhöggr was an object of contempt, hatred, and fear for all races on the continent, and many felt it was unfit for the position of Dragon Lord, who must be respected by all.
Regardless of how strong its individual power might be.
Dragon King Endros took pity on Níðhöggr and suggested it come to the Demon Beast Forest. As the call came from a being akin to the ancestor of dragons, Níðhöggr did not refuse. From then on, Níðhöggr vanished from the continent.
"A mere lizard... ugh!"
"And yet, you are the one pathetically fleeing from a mere lizard!"
Screech—!
Beams of light erupted from Níðhöggr's four heads, destroying everything in their path. Beatrice forced strength into her trembling legs to evade the beams.
A red gash already marred her left shoulder. Her entire body throbbed with every movement, but Beatrice continued to move relentlessly to survive.
"Struggle all you want! Show me the strength that backed up that confidence!"
"Damn it...!"
A curse escaped her lips. She wanted nothing more than to split Níðhöggr's face in half right now, but her body was completely exhausted.
The surroundings were consumed by seas of fire and poison. For this to even be called a 'fight,' she needed to at least be able to strike back, but Beatrice was simply being toyed with.
Níðhöggr was a dragon with exceptional magical capabilities. Whenever Beatrice tried to close the distance, it would use Teleportation to get behind her or restrict her speed.
"Lightning—!"
Zzap—!
A bolt of lightning struck from the dark, clouded sky. It hit her before she could even register it. The pain of jolting electricity surging through her body overwhelmed her. A piercing scream echoed.
"Guh, ugh..."
Using her sword embedded in the ground as a crutch, Beatrice barely managed to stay upright, but she was in a state where fighting was practically impossible. She looked like a mouse cornered in a dead end.
'What a pathetic sight.'
Beatrice struggled to look up. While she was so exhausted she couldn't move a finger, the four-headed dragon remained unscathed, flapping its wings in the sky.
'I boasted that I could handle Níðhöggr alone... I have no face to show my Lord.'
The cold hilt of the Greatsword felt exceptionally heavy today. It wasn't just her imagination.
Even if she tried to draw the sword again, it was impossible for her trembling arm muscles.
'It's over... the poison has already seeped into my body. Further resistance is meaningless.'
It was a desperate situation. Hope was nothing more than a distant dream. It felt as though she had encountered the 'obstacle' Oscar always talked about.
Beatrice closed her eyes tight. She tried to grip the handle again, but the sword wouldn't budge. Instead, the mask of a certain Demon flashed through her mind.
Though he occasionally showed his 'face,' Oscar always wore a mask. Even when sleeping or eating, he would slightly lift the mask to eat beneath it.
The Knight recalled what her Lord had softly whispered to her.
'Dame Beatrice, it goes without saying, but everyone encounters obstacles in life.'
'Hmm... obstacles are called obstacles because they are things we must eventually overcome, but there are cases where the obstacle is too high to jump over. For instance, if I told you to "destroy the world" right now, that would obviously be impossible, wouldn't it?'
'If it is the Lord's command, I could try.'
'...You don't have to. I have absolutely no intention of damaging this beautiful world. Anyway, if you encounter such an insurmountable obstacle, think about what is behind you.'
'Pardon?'
'You know, like that story of a mother walking at night with her young son and encountering a thug with a knife. Between a future where she abandons her son and flees, and a future where she fights with her son behind her, most mothers choose to fight.'
'Why would they do that? Because they cannot step back. Because something precious is behind them that they must never abandon, so they stand their ground even if it means they might die.'
'Of course, the result of such reckless action is usually a miserable death. But... out of a hundred, there might be one. A mother who suppresses the thug with superhuman strength and returns home safely with her son. Miracles do exist in this world.'
The burning campfire. The dark eyes glowing within the mask. The sight of him chatting excitedly while eating deer meat... At the time, she thought he was talking nonsense. She did not believe in miracles.
Miracles are blessings from God. A single ray of grace bestowed by a God who pities those who have struggled the most. But Beatrice had abandoned God long ago. On the day her father, the Pope who believed in the Lord more than anyone, died, she realized that while devils and angels exist, the Lord does not.
'But, I have a small doubt.'
'In such a story... what is truly valuable?'
'Is it the Lord who provides salvation in a critical moment?'
'Or is it the noble maternal love of a mother who protects her son without fleeing, even though she is almost certainly going to die?'
"...The heart, then."
The Knight murmured in a changed voice. Her closed eyelids slowly opened. A fierce determination swirled in her eyes.
"I must not step back."
Following her Lord's advice, the Knight looked back. Despite the bleak situation where no hope could be found, she thought of what she carried on her back. The reason she could never break.
"In the first place, I had no choice. The right to arbitrarily choose something like surrender was discarded the day I underwent my investiture as the Lord's knight."
The Demon who acted slyly behind a white mask but loved her. The slightly prickly but cute Wolf Girl. The clumsy but dependable King of Humans. The foolish and blundering Angel who was gradually growing. The Gobin who was mature and admirable for his age.
If she failed to stop Níðhöggr here, the dragon's poison would reach them as well.
Then, who else could possibly stop Níðhöggr?
"...No, that is a future I must not even imagine."
Stop it. No matter what happens, stop it. With the heart of a parent defending their child and the spirit of a soldier fighting for their homeland, she will stand her ground.
Discard the thought of failure. This is a task that must be done, and it is a task that will be completed.
"I will take Níðhöggr's head."
Shring—
A sudden surge of Holy Power pulled the Greatsword from deep within the earth. Though the hilt was stained with a significant amount of blood, the hand gripping it did not tremble.
The Knight rose to her feet. A terrifying sight still unfolded before her, but she no longer had any intention of hesitating.
Roar—!
Just then, Níðhöggr, having gathered enough energy, unleashed its breath. A blast capable of erasing entire mountains plummeted toward Beatrice.
In response, Beatrice...
Swung a single strike.
Swoosh—
A clean, flawless motion. Unlike her previous aggressive and violent style, this was a cold, serene flash.
"...! The breath!"
The breath that met the strike split in two. As if slicing the massive blast wasn't enough, the flash of light surged beyond it. Níðhöggr hastily ducked. The flash narrowly grazed the top of its head.
Blood trickled down by the dragon's ear. Níðhöggr rolled six of its eight eyes to examine the wound. It was a minor injury, but it could not be ignored.
It meant that the Knight now possessed the "power to kill a dragon," unlike moments before. It was the first wound Níðhöggr had sustained in this battle.
Níðhöggr's gaze shifted downward. The tiny human who had used Sword Energy to cut through its breath and even wound it was now staring straight ahead, sword poised.
If this had been a few minutes ago, such a gaze would have felt insufferably arrogant.
"Hahahaha!"
But not anymore.
"An unbreakable will! You have reached the stage where that will is sublimated into Sword Energy!"
"...."
The brilliantly shining aura surrounding the human's sword proved it. It was far brighter and denser than ordinary energy.
"I believe you humans call that Sword Aura, yes?"
"...Stay still."
"Or in other words, a Sword Master! Another Absolute Strong One has been born into this world!"
Absolute Strong One. A term used to describe those who, regardless of species, have reached a realm that transcends their kind.
A human stronger than a dragon. A human who rivals God. A single individual who can serve as a nation's entire military force.
The world calls such transcendent powerhouses Absolute Strong Ones. And right now, Beatrice Constantino had stepped into those ranks.
"It's easier to cut you if you stay still."
The determination that she must not lose and the conviction of being the Lord's knight were sublimated into power. Beatrice unleashed a sword strike without a hint of hesitation, her mind filled with the unwavering resolve to win this duel and sentence her enemy to the tragedy of defeat.
Whoosh—!
"However! I, too, have reached the Absolute! Do you think it will be that easy to defeat me!"
"Your opinion doesn't matter. The only thing that's certain is that I will win."
Níðhöggr fired four breaths simultaneously. Perhaps because the energy contained in each one was such a massive wave, they did not shatter as easily as before when they collided with Beatrice's strike.
The battle between the two was evenly matched. Beatrice continuously unleashed Sword Aura, the higher form of Sword Energy, while Níðhöggr manipulated the elements to attack her with all manner of disasters.
Beatrice's Greatsword became stained with white and black. As Holy Power and Demonic Energy mixed, the Sword Aura grew even more ferocious. Yet, the energy did not flow erratically. This was because Beatrice's terrifyingly firm mental strength kept the power tightly bound.
"Haap!"
"Kraaaargh!"
Both Beatrice and Níðhöggr felt a pressure as if they were resisting a waterfall. However, unlike Beatrice, who relied solely on blind faith, Níðhöggr objectively calculated the odds of victory.
'Impressive. To think she could cross the wall in such a short time. If it were any other dragon instead of me, that human would have become a dragon slayer long ago.'
'But unfortunately for her, it's me. The situation may look similar now, but as a mere human, there is a limit to the amount of energy she can contain. Compared to a Dragon Heart... it's far too lacking.'
'The moment her energy runs dry will come soon. I just need to hold out leisurely until then. It's a bit tight, but I can easily handle this much energy....'
That was what it was thinking.
Boom—!
At that exact moment, the 'Demonic Energy' radiating from Beatrice suddenly exploded in size, growing far beyond the scale of her Holy Power.
Suppressing the Holy Power and consuming the sword in complete darkness, it grew larger and larger until it consumed the sky.
No, it wasn't just darkness originating from the sword. Before anyone knew it, the sky had been painted in pitch-black darkness, far beyond the few dark clouds Níðhöggr had summoned.
Crash—!
Beatrice's surging Demonic Energy swallowed Níðhöggr. It was but a single strike, yet Níðhöggr, having taken that one blow, had its entire body crushed and its breath extinguished.
"Wha... what...?"
As if she herself hadn't expected such a magnitude of power, Beatrice looked at the ink-black sword in her hand with a start. Demonic Energy that she couldn't fully contain leaked from her body, shimmering like a haze.
"What on earth happened to my Lord...!"
Cold sweat ran down her spine. Beatrice's gaze turned toward the northern sky.
Since Dragon King Endros resided there, the sky should have always been clear.
But it had turned into a land of complete darkness.