Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Dragon Tongue
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Robert could only feel utter bewilderment at the sudden turn of events.
What in the world was that thing?
It exuded an overwhelming power that couldn't even be compared to the Corpse Dragon he had created.
The breath unleashed by that dragon vaporized every single corpse conjured by Robert and Christopher in an instant.
The heat was so intense that even Robert's bones, watching from afar, began to melt slightly.
However... that wasn't what mattered right now.
It was the immense pressure emanating from that colossal being.
The pressure was so overwhelming that it made him want to drop to his knees and bow immediately.
Even though he was already an undead, the soul-binding intimidation radiating from its very existence filled him with unavoidable fear.
A terror that felt like his soul could be torn to shreds at any moment.
How could such a being even exist?
After taking over the drug cartel, he had heard one piece of news.
A dragon had appeared in that distant land, South Korea.
But why would a dragon from that far-off place appear before him now?
He wasn't the only one feeling his soul suppressed.
His comrades beside him felt the same.
The Dullahan's armor, which had been burning with dark flames, now had its fire extinguished, leaving only a pathetic suit of armor exposed.
...He couldn't even entertain the thought of winning.
The Corpse Dragon was his masterpiece, his most powerful asset.
No matter how many corpses he raised, they wouldn't be able to defeat that entity.
This was a certainty.
His mind, sharpened to cold clarity upon becoming a Lich, was telling him to kneel and bow before the being right in front of him.
But if he did that now, he would die immediately.
If that dragon was a Mutant with normal reasoning, it wouldn't let him go after seeing the Corpse Dragon.
After all, it was made by slaughtering drug cartel members and civilians in northern Mexico.
Except for a few necessary humans, they no longer needed living people, so they had ground up thousands without hesitation to create the Corpse Dragon.
Having seen that, it would surely try to kill him.
To survive, he had to struggle desperately.
He no longer had any confidence that even a nuke wouldn't kill him.
An intense anxiety that the dragon would somehow end him welled up.
He raised the corpses. The ability gained from becoming undead activated once more, even awakening long-buried ancient corpses in the earth.
The Dullahan's flames reignited, and their armor returned to its original form. The others must have felt the same as Robert.
That's why they were fighting so desperately.
Even though they knew it was a futile resistance, they couldn't stop.
* * *
After dealing with the grotesque dragon made of corpses and incinerating all the nearby bodies with breath, the dragon's most potent authority—breath—lived up to its reputation, devastating the corpse legion.
No corpses stood in the wake of the breath's sweep.
They didn't even leave melted traces; they simply evaporated.
The ground was scorched black.
Good thing I controlled my power well. I almost melted the entire terrain.
At this point, they should give up... but their resistance was fiercer than expected.
The corpses were rising again.
Intense, eerie power emanated from the Mutants who appeared to be a Lich and Dullahans.
It felt like they were burning everything they had left.
Originally, before arriving here, I thought maybe I could resolve things by talking it out with those Mutants.
But the moment I saw that repulsive Corpse Dragon, those thoughts vanished.
If it had been a monster made of natural materials or even animals, I might have let it slide.
However... it was clearly made by grinding up what looked like thousands of people.
They might have faced rejection or unfair treatment from the state.
But... even so, that wasn't right.
It was an act that made even Demon-type Mutants seem saintly by comparison.
At least Demon-type Mutants targeted only those who offended them or caught their eye.
Of course, that was still terribly wrong, but these guys had surpassed that by leaps and bounds.
Not just a few—thousands upon thousands, by rough estimate.
The kind of casualties that only occurred during massive natural disasters had happened at their whim.
It was a clear crossing of the line.
Sure, from their perspective, they might have been dissatisfied with Mutant treatment and felt like they'd lost everything overnight.
Even so... that wasn't acceptable.
Looking at the already melted Corpse Dragon, I felt a profound sense of despair.
My initial anger at them mimicking a dragon was a thing of the past.
The moment I realized the true nature of the Corpse Dragon, an indescribable horror washed over me.
What followed was fury born from that despair.
Unlike in Korea, the chain of hatred was operating in full force in America.
If only they had understood each other a little... could this have been prevented?
I didn't know.
It was already too late.
No matter what rejection or mistreatment they faced, massacring thousands of humans was way over the line.
I made a decision.
To execute them right here.
Who was I to think that? But I felt they couldn't be left alive or spared.
My mind turned colder than when I transformed a Demon-type Mutant.
Even harboring the intent to kill, my heart didn't waver in the slightest.
No, rather, the moment I resolved to do so...
Click.
Like unlocking a locked door and checking its contents, a flood of knowledge poured into my brain.
In countless media depicting dragons, one thing was inseparable from dragons: magic.
Back when Sia feared me and I eased the burden on her body and mind.
I had felt like I was casting some kind of magic.
And now, I realized it wasn't just an illusion.
I could use magic.
...Haha, this is ridiculous.
I had my doubts, but this was possible too?
Well, I'd seen a Lich raise undead with necromancy, so why not magic?
And typically, dragon magic is depicted like this.
In my dragon form, I channeled my will and spoke toward the Lich and Dullahans writhing and struggling before me.
"Die."
In novels, movies, any media, the power depicted as the strongest authority beyond even a dragon's breath.
The supreme dragon's will becoming reality—magic.
Dragon Tongue.
The moment that will projected into reality, the Lich and Dullahans' struggles ceased.
Whoosh—
Then, their bodies began to crumble away.
It was an anticlimactic end, unimaginable for the culprits behind this catastrophe.
After ending it all, I released my true form and collapsed onto the barren, melted wasteland.
For many reasons, I felt foul.
It would take quite some time for my clothes to regenerate. Until then, I'd just have to stay put.
And... I needed to report this incident straight to America.
Since I resolved America's crisis, they should respect my wishes.
Come to think of it, Sia mentioned building a village for Mutants.
Judging by the Lich and Dullahans, hatred and anger toward Mutants must be severe in America already.
With the chain of hatred this vicious, conflict between Mutants and humans was inevitable.
Clashes would happen one way or another, deepening the rift with each one.
America had come too far to resolve Mutant-human conflicts peacefully like in Korea.
In that case... we needed to ensure they never had to face each other at all.
I needed to discuss this in detail with Sia.
* * *
Sia kept her mouth agape. She had seen it.
The moment Seo-hyun's single breath made that monstrous Corpse Dragon evaporate completely.
Then, though she didn't know exactly what happened, the Lich trying to raise corpses and the Dullahans charging at her turned to ash and vanished.
Sia realized the fear she felt from Seo-hyun wasn't unfounded.
Even she lacked confidence in stopping two Liches and three Dullahans leading a corpse legion.
But Seo-hyun handled it alone.
No, it wasn't even "handling" it.
She appeared, and in just three minutes.
Everything ended in mere three minutes, absurdly anticlimactically.
Sia spoke into her radio.
"Situation terminated, situation terminated. Support forces have defeated the Lich and Dullahans."
"Was that dragon the support we just saw?"
"Yes. Support from South Korea."
"...My God."
The commander's relieved voice came through, followed by orders broadcast to all troops.
Situation over, stand down and disarm.
The tense American soldiers belatedly cheered in joy.
They thought they were surely dead, but they survived.
That was enough.
As Sia let out a sigh of relief and sorted her complicated thoughts, she spotted Seo-hyun approaching, wings spread.
"Currently approaching our position is the support force. No need for alert."
Her additional radio transmission, in case someone aimed a gun at her.
The soldiers stared blankly at the flying Seo-hyun.
Soon, when Seo-hyun landed in front of Sia, Sia noticed something.
Her expression looked extremely displeased.
Sia's heart sank.