We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Death Jewel
Carefully tracing the fine thread that had gotten mixed into the flow of the dragon vein, we finally discovered Goldoba’s main body.
If it had been hiding somewhere far away, I might have had to borrow Old Man Sleigsta’s power again. But Goldoba’s main body was hiding very close by.
This time, I cannot afford to let it escape.
If I don’t defeat Goldoba’s main body, this battle will never end.
“This time, I’ll defeat it!”
With a surge of determination, I bisected the clone of Goldoba that had resurrected before my eyes. Then, I blasted it away with a bolt of lightning and jumped off the Rotten Dragon’s back.
“Elnea, what’s wrong?”
As I landed beside Listea, he looked back at me with a puzzled expression.
“I found Goldoba’s main body. Listea, let’s go together!”
When I took Listea’s hand, he nodded back forcefully.
“Understood. Everyone, can we leave this place to you?”
“Tch, can’t be helped. We’ll leave the fun part to you guys. So, hurry up and go defeat that main body of yours!”
Slaton moved onto Duranel’s back.
The other heroes and their entourage also called out, “Have a good trip.”
“Elnea, leave this place to me.”
“Elnea-kun, never let your guard down until the very end!”
With strong encouragement from Mistral, Ruiseine, and everyone else, Listea and I started running towards the battlefield.
“Hiyah! I’ll clear away the rainy season!”
Duranel responded bravely to Slaton’s shout. He unleashed a breath of darkness in our direction, scattering the undead army. Furthermore, Slaton struck the Rotten Dragon with a blue-light sword, halting its movement.
Mistral launched a fierce attack on the faltering Rotten Dragon and the resurrected Goldoba.
Leaving one battlefield behind, Listea and I ran side-by-side towards the next.
We cut down the undead blocking our path and purified them with fire.
Nevertheless, faced with an overwhelming number of undead, reaching our destination seemed difficult.
“Elnea-sama, please leave this to me, Lyra!”
“Hmph, what a nuisance.”
Revalia, the ruler of the sky, and Lyra quickly came to our aid. And with their fierce flames, different from Listea’s purifying flames, they once again created a path for us.
“Um. Spirits, please make a path.”
“W-W-What?! Why is Priscilla-chan also coming along?”
“It’s alright, Nyan. Being by Elnea Older Brother’s side is the safest because there’s the least damage, Nyan.”
“What do you mean by ‘damage’…”
Listea’s eyes widened at the sight of the young girl running cutely behind us.
Putting aside Listea’s reaction.
At Priscilla-chan’s request, the Wind Spirit and the Earth Spirit unleashed their full power. The Wind Spirit manifested and blew away the standing undead with a strong gust of wind. The Earth Spirit, not to be outdone, also manifested and erected a thick earthen wall between the blown-away undead and us.
A path of spirits, stretching straight ahead, led in the direction where Goldoba’s main body was hiding.
Goldoba, of all things, had blended in with the undead on the front lines of the battle.
The tip of the undead army was locked in a fierce melee with the Yorttenitos Kingdom’s forces who were defending. The battle, with friend and foe intermingled, was a blind spot for the Dragon Race, who didn’t pay attention to small battles targeting individual enemies, and our reinforcements were insufficient. It seemed that Dragon Race warriors joining in easily would only disrupt the Kingdom’s coordination, and indeed, the front lines were a heavily human-versus-demon battle. Goldoba, hidden among other undead in the most fiercely contested area with weak reinforcements, had been hiding skillfully.
But I won’t lose sight of him anymore! Far in the rear, Mistral was repeatedly and conspicuously killing the endlessly resurrecting Goldoba. Each time, Goldoba would resurrect with a mocking laugh. But that was Mistral’s trap. By letting him resurrect many times, he continued to give me faint clues.
I led Listea and proceeded straight along the spirit path. Beyond where the path ended, the undead army and the Kingdom’s army were fighting fiercely.
“Goldoba, prepare yourself!”
At my shout, a skeleton soldier showed a faint reaction. It was completely mixed in with the surrounding skeleton soldiers. But Goldoba alone was clearly powerful, overwhelming the approaching, sturdy Kingdom soldiers by himself.
Yes. Now that I know it’s Goldoba, he stands out!
I swung my White Sword forcefully and attacked Goldoba, who was hiding among the skeleton soldiers. As if sensing danger, Goldoba dodged with speed clearly different from that of the surrounding skeleton soldiers.
“Is this the general?”
Listea cautiously observed the situation, holding his Flame Holy Sword.
“Yes. There’s no mistake! It’s hard to notice because he looks like the surrounding skeletons, but his magic power is immense.”
I can tell now. Although Goldoba hides his prodigious magic power, worthy of being called a Demon General, his presence is overwhelmingly different. Having interacted with many demons for a short period and having someone of immeasurable power close by, I could surely feel Goldoba’s hidden power.
“Hehehe… You again. How dare you interfere every time.”
Goldoba, perhaps resigning himself to being seen through, confronted me and Listea head-on. And he made the depths of his skull glow without any carelessness.
“Nimia, protect Priscilla-chan carefully.”
“Leave it to me, Nyan.”
“Um, do your best.”
Behind us, the young girl Priscilla-chan waited quietly. Listea and I against Goldoba, the undead user. The three of us glared at each other. However, a fierce melee continued around us. Kingdom soldiers were shouting, “Hero!” or “Dragon King!” and gaining momentum. However, the opponent was a demon race, and it was not something that could be easily won with just spirit. At that point, Priscilla-chan, Nimia, and the spirits joined the fight.
“Nya.”
Nimia let out a cute meow. It didn’t have the overwhelming power of Asher, but it was useful in this chaotic battle, and it created a localized world of white ash, engulfing the undead. The Wind Spirit and the Earth Spirit showed cooperation. The Earth Spirit finely divided the undead with earthen walls. The Wind Spirit guided the Kingdom soldiers to the isolated undead. Around us, a small labyrinth and a world of ash formed, and the number of undead hindering our battle decreased.
“Kuhahaha, you guys are as ridiculous as ever. But that’s annoying right now!”
He no longer seemed to be hiding his true form. Goldoba’s appearance changed. That is, he merely donned a creepy ceremonial robe, like a clone, over his skeletal body. A tattered, creepy ceremonial robe. I recall that the Demon General Dantaal, who guarded the Demon Lord’s Castle, also wore a similar ceremonial robe. Perhaps this is a meaningful garment with some connection. The eyes deep within the skull of Goldoba, clad in the ceremonial robe, shone blood red.
“How did you manage to rush all the way here, you foolish and ignorant heroes?”
“What?”
“Of course. You couldn’t see through my schemes and went back to your homeland so easily. If it weren’t for that impudent kid over there, the Yorttenitos Kingdom would already be in my grasp.”
Goldoba rattled his jawbone and laughed provocatively at Listea.
“Heroes are, after all, frogs in a well. Being doted on by the lowly humans makes you arrogant, so you get overtaken by a newcomer kid.”
Goldoba was trying to sow discord between me and Listea. He was trying to wound Listea’s pride as a hero and evoke jealousy towards me. I had to do something. But my worries were unnecessary.
“Nonsense.”
Listea scoffed at Goldoba’s words.
“No matter what you say, the friendship between me and Elnea will not waver. You are the one who is ignorant and foolish. Don’t underestimate the friendship of humans?”
Listea looked at me and smiled forcefully. I also nodded strongly back at Listea.
“I’ll teach you something important, you ignorant and foolish being. Do you think we just came here to reinforce? Unfortunately, the plan that was being concocted in the Armēdo Kingdom has already ended in failure. The Demon Lord has also slunk away.”
“…Your Majesty.”
Listea provoked Goldoba in return.
“Too bad. You were planning a simultaneous two-pronged attack, but the one led by the Demon Lord failed. You have no path to victory left either!”
“That’s right. A being superior to the Demon Lord intervened. Goldoba, please admit defeat quickly and withdraw your troops.”
Did the superior being realize the plot directed at the Yorttenitos Kingdom? It’s unclear, but if the purpose of that crimson young girl was to bring back the Demon Lord, then she might not intervene here. However, the Demon Lord has already retreated. Goldoba’s reason for fighting fiercely here should have disappeared.
“Kuhaha… Superior being. As expected, that person has intervened. But even that is within the scope of the plan!”
Goldoba raised his skeletal hand in front of his chest. Then, a large jewel, too big to fit in both hands, appeared. For a moment, I mistook it for a Spirit Tree Jewel or a Dragon Jewel. The large jewel glowed faintly due to the power emanating from within. It was iridescent, but with a strong reddish tint. An eerie presence, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, emanated from the jewel.
“I… We will break free from our cage and build a new world!”
The hollow eye sockets of the skull glowed with a rapturous red light.
“You humans would not know. We demons are those who have been kept in a cage without freedom. That superior being is an eyesore, and we are bound!”
What is he talking about? Goldoba directed his anger not at us but at someone else.
“We demons are a race that cherishes freedom and destruction. Yet, those superior beings bind us. It is forbidden to attack even though the Divine Race is making questionable moves, and we are told to strive for a wealthy nation. Nonsense, nonsense, utterly nonsensical! Destroy anything that is an eyesore! We should trample others with tyranny and dye the world with fear!”
Ruiseine had said so. The two truths the Goddess of Creation gave to the demons were destruction and freedom. Is the current state of the demons that their destruction and freedom have been taken away by a superior being? Goldoba probably doesn’t know human religions well, nor does he believe in the Goddess of Creation. However, when the thoughts he arrived at here feel like they have gained truth, I can’t help but feel that the Goddess created this world.
“Ku ku ku. Since you seem to be misunderstanding, I will kindly educate you. Her Infernal Majesty the Fairy Demon Lord deliberately drew attention to herself to deceive the eyes of the superior being and hide my movements. I am the one whose true objective is the conquest of this country! First, I will build a new demon country outside the scope of their rule, and when the time is right, I will have His Majesty the Demon Lord appear. And eventually, we will build an empire and elevate His Majesty to a being equal to those superior beings, and that is the true plan!!”
What a guy…!
“The demon country cannot easily advance east due to the steep Dragon Peak. That is why this land is suitable. We will exterminate the humans and build a new demon country! Kuhahahaha!”
Listea and I were stunned by the garrulous Goldoba. Behind us, Priscilla-chan tilted her head, unable to understand Goldoba’s speech. Nimia yawned as if bored.
“But, doesn’t that ultimately mean you’re binding yourselves? You’re talking about escaping the current situation and seeking freedom and destruction, but if you build a country and establish a Demon Lord again, won’t you end up in the same place…?”
“Ku ku ku. What a truly foolish kid. It’s different. The new country we will build cherishes destruction and loves freedom.”
“In other words, you’ll live according to your instincts without any laws? But in that case, wouldn’t you be unable to maintain a form as a country?”
“Didn’t I tell you? We will dye the world with fear. Power is everything. We will rule the lower beings with fear through strength. Kuhaha. How about it, foolish boy and incompetent hero? If you cooperate with my plan, I will grant you appropriate authority. You lack wisdom, but your strength is more than enough. If you wish, you can rule over lowly races and indulge in voluptuous pleasures.”
“Who would be tempted by something like that!”
“No, thank you!”
Listea and I answered immediately.
“For the ladies, we’re already full, Nyan. We’ve had enough, Nyan.”
Nimia, who had read our minds, muttered from behind us. I’ll ignore it.
“You refuse? As expected, you are foolish. Then, for the sake of my and His Majesty’s plan, you shall die. You will become the prey of this Forbidden Technique that took me many years to create!”
Goldoba shouted. The strong reddish, seven-colored jewel in his hand glowed eerily. Resentment and curses overflowed, and the world rapidly became murky.
“Kuhaha, it took so long. I’ve been feeding on countless souls little by little over a long period so as not to be discovered by the witch, and finally, taste the horror of the completed Forbidden Technique! And you too shall become its prey and food!!”
The negative power that poured out from the jewel was channeled into Goldoba. Flesh grew onto Goldoba’s skeletal body, skin was born, and the creepy ceremonial robe changed. The jewel transformed, separating into a sword and shield that shone with an iridescent light.
“Now, which soul shall I devour first?”
With purple lips, Goldoba smiled cruelly.
