We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 326

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Dragon’s Kagura

Goldoba’s blood-red, iridescent sword vibrated the air, emitting an ominous hum. Innumerable vengeful spirits, manifesting as purple mist due to the curse, were being summoned. When Goldoba swung his sword, they all flew towards us, attacking.

“Elnea, fall back!”

Feeling a bottomless sense of dread, I retreated, holding Priscilla-chan.

Listea shrouded her holy sword in flames and swung it. The sacred flames created a barrier, blocking the mass of vengeful spirits.

At that moment, I released Priscilla-chan and spatially jumped towards Goldoba, diving into his close proximity.

I felt it would be dangerous if we kept our distance. Moreover, Goldoba wasn’t particularly strong in close combat. With that thought, I closed in and swung my white sword.

However, Goldoba firmly blocked my attack with his other hand, which held a shield. To my disbelief, he even repelled my white sword.

Taken aback by his unexpected brute strength, I took a step back. But Dragon Sword Dance wouldn’t stop there!

I continued, swinging the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, leaving Goldoba no room for counterattack.

Listea also closed in, slashing at Goldoba with his flame-wreathed holy sword.

Goldoba blocked Listea’s attack with his sword and caught the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword’s blow with his shield. But neither Listea nor I relied solely on the swords we held!

Spirit Tree leaves swirled wildly.

With Priscilla-chan’s independent will, guided by Ares-chan, the Spirit Tree’s techniques struck Goldoba, slicing him. Next, Listea’s flames unleashed their fury, swirling into a vortex and engulfing Goldoba’s entire body in flames.

Listea’s flames were harmless to me, and I felt no heatwave. The flames that touched my skin passed by gently, as if possessing a will, directing their fierce inferno solely at Goldoba. The Spirit Tree leaves also recognized Listea, causing no harm. The flames did not burn the Spirit Tree leaves either. Listea and I cooperated skillfully, our techniques complementing rather than hindering each other.

Engulfed in flames and slashed by Spirit Tree leaves, Goldoba grinned.

“Kuhaha. How amusing. So this is the true power of forbidden techniques. It doesn’t work! It’s useless!”

True to his words, Goldoba, burning all over, retaliated without even crying out in pain!

Goldoba swung his sword carelessly, causing vengeful spirits to erupt and scatter around us. Listea briefly created distance and purified the spirits with his clean flames. I also retreated with a spatial jump, returning to Priscilla-chan’s side. Thanks to Listea’s defense, holding the vengeful spirits at bay, Priscilla-chan and Nimia remained safe.

However, I couldn’t leave Priscilla-chan in this place. Those vengeful spirits’ techniques were troublesome. Other than Listea’s flames, I didn’t want to touch them.

“Priscilla-chan.”

“Um, understood! Leave it to me!”

“Eh, no… Uh, you see!”

Why is she so eager to fight! Priscilla-chan clenched her fists, looking up at me energetically.

“Elnea, leaving that child here is dangerous. Get her away.”

“Right. It’s very dangerous!”

I’m sure the sense of danger we, Listea and I, felt must be different!

“Nimia, retreat with Priscilla-chan, okay?”

“No, that’s not right, nyarn. It’s better with Priscilla here, nyarn.”

“W-what do you mean?”

Priscilla-chan is still a child. In normal circumstances, she shouldn’t be brought to the middle of a battlefield. Even with Nimia guarding her, neither Listea nor I could fight while shielding Priscilla-chan if Goldoba was this formidable an opponent.

“Elnea, hurry up!”

Each time Goldoba swung his sword, vengeful spirits were summoned to attack. Listea, while struggling to purify the spirits, was buying us time.

“Priscilla-chan, Nimia, please, truly listen to my request!”

“Um, Priscilla…”

But Priscilla-chan looked up at me with desperate eyes. Nimia showed no signs of growing larger.

“Kuhahaha. Now, the true terror of forbidden techniques begins!”

Goldoba’s blood-red, iridescent sword and shield glowed ominantly. Goldoba himself was enveloped in a dark red aura, radiating a strange presence. A dark, negative sea, surpassing miasma, began to spread from the ground around Goldoba’s feet.

“Phoenix!”

Listea shouted. A Fire Phoenix then materialized, letting out a dignified cry. Listea merged with the Phoenix. Clad in fiery armor, Listea glowed bright red. This time, a paradise of sacred flames was born around Listea. Flowers and grasses sculpted from flames. Burning trees. A world painted in crimson spread out, enveloping Listea, me, and our surroundings.

Goldoba’s negative sea and Listea’s fiery paradise collided, their influences intermingling.

“How long can you hold out?”

Goldoba laughed.

The dark negative sea began to spread beyond the fiery paradise. It melted the wall created by the Earth Spirit, expanding across the battlefield. Undead touched by the ominously spreading negative sea at our feet cried out in pain. Not just the undead; even the royal soldiers began screaming. They started to dissolve from their feet upwards, swallowed by the negative sea.

We trembled.

“It devours souls infinitely, devouring flesh. Once activated, it will turn the entire region into a world of death, and no one can stop it. In this world of death, only I, who command death, can survive!”

As it swallowed the undead and soldiers, the negative sea emitted a bluish-purple steam. The steam rose and spread into the sky. The Wyverns of the Wyvern Knight Order, fighting valiantly in the sky, inhaled the steam. They shrieked in agony and plummeted headfirst into the negative sea. Witnessing this, the dragon and dragon-kin warriors hastily began to evacuate. On the ground, the royal army, fleeing the negative sea, began to retreat. However, the undead continued to dissolve into the sea without hesitation.

It’s eating them! Goldoba was now consuming the undead he had been creating earlier.

“Were you mistaken? I am a necromancer. But I wasn’t creating the undead from nothing. Vengeful spirits and ghosts are, in a sense, akin to spirits, beings that seem to exist but don’t. I helped manifest their existence in this world and bound them to my will. All for the creation of this forbidden technique. To manifest, consume, and turn it into power. And thus, I created this forbidden technique of death!”

We had been mistaken. The undead in the Necropolis weren’t living there; they were being farmed like livestock. It looked like he was summoning the entire city’s inhabitants, but in reality, he was gradually consuming them. Summoning and consuming, then summoning and consuming again. He had been accumulating power bit by bit this way. Goldoba had said he did this to escape the witch’s gaze. Perhaps he started on a small scale. But over many years, Goldoba gained the power to summon an entire city’s worth of residents and an army of tens of thousands of undead. And now, Goldoba had completed his forbidden technique and intended to consume the undead army and people as his final sustenance!

“With this knowledge and curse granted by His Majesty the Demon Lord, I shall create a new world of death and terror here!”

Goldoba laughed heartily, his mouth wide open, appearing genuinely delighted. The resentment of the undead and the life force of the soldiers absorbed by the negative sea were being drawn into Goldoba. As they were absorbed, they transformed into magic power, overflowing from Goldoba’s entire body like steam. The magic power that erupted with tremendous force ascended to the heavens, creating a dark sun in the sky.

“Mumumu. This is not good. What are you people doing?”

Old Man Sleigsta moved in the distance. He exhaled a jet-black breath towards the dark sun. The breath engulfed the dark sun for an instant, but the dark sun did not disappear even after Old Man Sleigsta finished exhaling.

“I feel an unusual amount of magic power, and the curse of much life… To think they would be foolish enough to unleash a forbidden technique.”

A guttural growl echoed from Old Man Sleigsta in the distance.

“Everyone, retreat from this place. Depending on the situation, I may have to destroy this entire area along with the forbidden technique.”

I didn’t know what this forbidden technique was, but sensing Old Man Sleigsta’s stern demeanor, I recognized the gravity of the situation. With Old Man Sleigsta’s roar, the dragon and dragon-kin warriors scattered across the battlefield abruptly began to evacuate. Asher, Lily, and Old Man Sleigsta himself also ascended into the sky.

“Um, um…”

In the rapidly escalating battle, I had forgotten about Priscilla-chan’s presence. However, Priscilla-chan tugged at the hem of my clothes, desperately trying to convey something.

“Understand, young lady. You have only one chance. Daughter of Asher, if you fail, take Elnea and that child and retreat. Otherwise, I will obliterate this entire area, including yourselves.”

“Hey, old man! Are you trying to involve my daughter?!”

“Those who don’t know the terror of forbidden techniques should remain silent!”

Old Man Sleigsta unusually bellowed. Asher seemed startled, trembling slightly. This was a crisis that made Old Man Sleigsta reveal such vigilance, yet here, for some reason, Priscilla-chan’s one-time action was permitted. What did it mean?

“Um, Great-Grandmother entrusted this to Priscilla.”

“Uh, entrusted you with what?”

Finally, I properly faced Priscilla-chan. Listea was maintaining the fiery paradise, working hard. But it wouldn’t last much longer. Even though Listea wasn’t feeling the heat like us, he was sweating profusely. However, Listea also seemed to sense that Priscilla-chan had some trump card, and was giving us all the time he could.

“Priscilla told Great-Grandmother that the Demon Lord was coming. Then, she said that everyone’s cooperation would be needed to counter the Demon Lord.”

Priscilla-chan spoke earnestly with her clumsy words. I knelt down, meeting her gaze, and listened intently to what she wanted to say.

“Priscilla asked for everyone’s help. She asked for everyone to help, and that she would be a good girl so her big brother could cooperate. I prayed at the Moss Garden with Great-Grandpa and Grandma.”

To protect the Dragon Forest, Priscilla-chan was supposed to have gone to Grand Elder Yuuri. But for some reason, she appeared on Old Man Sleigsta’s nose. Priscilla-chan was doing her best with what she could do. And who had she prayed to? Who was “everyone”? It was self-evident. And I had forgotten something. Despite having trained in the sacred place beneath the Spirit Tree’s knees, my eyes were so focused on the commotion before me that I had forgotten. I strained my ears. I cleared my mind. Then, I sensed we were surrounded by many voices.

“Leave it to us.”
“We will help.”
“For Priscilla’s wish.”
“For what Priscilla wants to protect.”
“We are here.”
“We are always by your side.”

Those who seemed absent but were present. Those who existed but couldn’t be perceived. My surroundings and Priscilla-chan’s were filled with numerous spirits.

“I’m sorry, Priscilla-chan. You brought everyone to me, didn’t you?”

“Yes! Everyone listened to Priscilla’s request!”

Perhaps she was overjoyed at being recognized by me, Priscilla-chan beamed and rummaged in her pocket, pulling something out. It was a small branch. At the tip of the slender branch hung a single, cute leaf. I immediately recognized it: a Spirit Tree branch. Priscilla-chan swung the branch energetically.

“Welcome, welcome. Everyone, please cooperate!”

Priscilla-chan’s cute voice echoed gently in the tense battlefield.

“This…!”

Listea gasped at the scene unfolding around them.

“Kukuku. It’s too late for anything now. This forbidden technique and I cannot be stopped by anyone!”

Goldoba roared. The world shone. On the ground, the negative sea continued to spread, and in the sky, the dark sun threatened to swallow all light. Only the sacred fiery paradise created by Listea gleamed bright red. Into that, infinite radiance descended. Particles of light, painting myriad colors. The sparkling, conscious lights danced in time with the Spirit Tree branch Priscilla-chan swung. Deep within me, Ares-chan sensed an exhilarating presence. Simultaneously, the countless particles of light began to take form. Beings in bird shapes, beast shapes, forming fantastic shapes. Beings taking human form. Humans from child to adult. Transforming and expanding their existence into this world.

“Now, daughters! Sons! Show our guardians and beloved ones the deeds of us who live in the Dragon Forest.”

A woman resembling an adult Asher exuded a dignified will. With a “Wah!” the manifested infinite spirits began to move.

“Boy, dance! Your dance stirs our hearts. Inspire and empower our daughters and sons.”

What I needed to do was, indeed, Dragon Sword Dance. Not for battle. But for the spirits, for the undead, for the departed, I began to perform the Dragon Sword Dance. Carefully. Solemnly. Beautifully. Gracefully. The tip of my sword, the tips of my feet, the movement of my gaze – I paid meticulous attention to every detail, performing the Dragon Sword Dance within Listea’s fiery paradise.

“Guhh, you scum!”

Goldoba shouted, exploding with even more magic power, expanding the negative sea and channeling it into the dark sun. However, the spirits began to unleash their true potential.

“Leave the negative to us of the darkness.”

Dark light spirits absorbed the evil energy from the negative sea.

“Purification is our duty.”

White and golden spirits purified the dark negative sea.

“We’ll wash away the filth!”

Water spirits summoned a torrent of water, engulfing the negative sea itself.

“Let’s dry this impure land.”
“Let’s make flowers bloom, the beginning of life.”
“Let’s nurture a forest that breeds abundant life.”
“Let’s guide new winds and clear the stagnant air.”

Earth spirits pushed back the water. The vast amount of water flowed into the deep hollow created by Old Man Sleigsta, forming a giant lake. On the now-drained land, flower and grass spirits brought forth nature. Wind spirits carried a gentle breeze, dispelling the bluish-purple murky steam.

“Now, embodiment of flame, with us for regeneration.”

Fire spirits began to gather around Listea. Listea’s eyes widened as the firepower intensified, boosting the power of the fiery paradise.

“Listea, burn everything with flames until it’s gone!”

“What?! What do you mean?”

“Fire is necessary to end everything and give birth to new life!”

I translated the spirits’ words for Listea, who couldn’t comprehend them.

“And while you’re at it, burn Goldoba and the dark sun too!”

At my instruction, Listea smirked like a wicked hero.

“If that’s the case, leave it to me. I’ll go wild!”

The flames enveloping Listea grew more intense. His holy sword turned crimson, and the fiery paradise expanded with increasing vigor.

“I’m powering up!”

Listea, embodying flame, swung his holy sword with all his might. A shower of purification flames erupted.

“Guaaaahhhh!”

High-purity flames struck Goldoba directly, setting him ablaze. The swirling, furious flames even spread to the enormous dark sun above Goldoba’s head. Listea’s fiery storm didn’t stop there. Outside the paradise, the flames leaped to the temporary nature created by the spirits and set grass and trees ablaze.

“Reproduction of beginning and end, nyarn. Grass and trees, when burned to ash, become nourishment for the next life, nyarn.”

Nodding to Nimia, I continued my Dragon Sword Dance. With my dance, dragon veins surged from deep underground. The Storm Dragon Arts conveyed the presence of Mistral and everyone else who had safely evacuated to a distance. I felt everyone’s feelings of anxious anticipation. The dragon veins rising from the ground and everyone’s wishes gently intertwined with my Dragon Sword Dance. The life-giving essence of the spirits, igniting the flames and becoming nourishment, filled the world with the wishes and prayers of everyone. The desire to erase the fear of death and seek peace. The desire to purify the impure and seek a clean, righteous world. The desire to quell the disturbance and seek tranquility. Various wishes and desires piled up, showering down upon the earth. Having purified and burned everything with sacred flames, Listea collapsed, exhausted. The fiery paradise vanished.

“Finishing up, finishing up.”

Ares-chan’s voice reached my mind. On the world that Listea and the spirits had tidied, I began to build a new world. A landscape I once saw. Flowers and grasses sprout, in full bloom. Trees stretch powerfully towards the sky, spreading lush green branches and leaves.

“No… impossibleeeeeee…!”

Goldoba, reduced to charcoal by the sacred flames and standing immobile, screamed.

“Beings who desecrate death are unforgivable. Because we are beings born by the Goddess. Life and death are solely presided over by Goddess Allestina!” Instead of the white sword that guided others to death, I swept it away with the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, overflowing with life force. Goldoba, already reduced to a shell by Listea’s flames and unable to move, was incinerated without resistance. Finally, Goldoba was defeated. However, my Dragon Sword Dance did not stop. The world’s regeneration was not complete. The memorial for the dead was not complete. And most importantly, the dark sun in the sky had not yet disappeared. The dark sun, the core of the forbidden technique, showed no signs of vanishing, even after being hit by Listea’s flames and the spirits’ techniques. But I believed. I believed that everyone’s feelings would surely reach them. By leading them, by gathering everyone’s will and clashing it, we should be able to counter even the forbidden technique. I continued to dance the Dragon Sword Dance with single-minded devotion. Flowers bloomed more vibrantly, and the forest deepened its radiance. And the dark sun, engulfed by the world filled with everyone’s feelings, gradually began to shrink. Finally, it disappeared. Grateful to the spirits, everyone, and the Goddess, I continued to dance. Beside me, Priscilla-chan danced happily, imitating me, and Nimia flitted about. Inside me, Ares-chan rejoiced with satisfaction. On this day, as usual, I offered my full devotion to the Dragon Sword Dance until I collapsed.

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