We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
This is a desperate situation.
“Mistral!”
“I’m fine over here! Elnea, you need to fulfill your mission!”
Mistral, having dodged Charlotte’s merciless magic, smiled at me. Anyone could tell it was a forced smile. But that’s precisely why I tore my gaze away from Mistral and turned back to Rugah.
My mission. It was to shatter Baltnowar’s forbidden technique and restore peace to the world. If we left Rugah as he is and ran away, it would have a negative impact not only on the demon society but on the entire world.
Surely, even if we didn’t intervene here, some witch or other transcendent beings would eventually remove such threats from the world. However, to be involved in the turmoil caused by another chosen one, to witness a forbidden technique, and then to leave it to others—I couldn’t do that!
“Mist is working hard too, so we must also tighten our resolve.”
“I’m getting serious. Brace yourself.”
“I’m going all out. Give up.”
“We’ve had enough rest. Come, are you ready?”
“I, Lyra, will avenge Lady Revalia!”
“I’m not dead!”
“Hahahaha, that’s not what I meant. Lady Revalia, please rest a little longer.”
“I don’t need your concern. Thanks to protecting the weak Elnea, I sustained pointless injuries. I will repay these wounds myself. Don’t get carried away, you mere Dragon Race?”
Ruiseine cast a wide-ranging purification spell to make it easier for everyone to fight. Yufilia and Nina, who could now move outside the barrier as the miasma thinned, drew their Dragon Reverence Swords and charged forward. Sefina provoked Rugah, diverting his attention from me, who still couldn’t move as I pleased. Revalia, who had been treated with Elder Sleigsta’s secret medicine, let out a fierce roar and soared back into the sky, carrying Lyra.
“Everyone…!”
I knew it. Everyone was utterly exhausted from the battles up to this point, and they had no energy left to fight another powerful enemy. Yet, not a single person suggested running away. Instead, they fearlessly challenged Rugah, who had become a being of despair.
“Thank you.”
Forgetting my own situation, I inadvertently let out words of gratitude.
“Why now? Elnea and your wife are always cruel to me, but you’re more entertaining than anything else. That’s why I love you guys.”
“Uwah, I don’t want you to like me, Ruilala!”
“Ah, as expected, Elnea, you’re always so cruel.”
Ruilala nonchalantly walked over to me as I writhed in agony, unable to shake off the invisible curse Rugah had unleashed. Then, she shrugged and looked down at me with a look of exasperation.
“So, how long are you going to stay like that? Should I attack you like Charlotte-sama did?”
“No, no, please spare me from that!”
Ruilala might actually do it.
“You can’t perform Dragon Sword Dance against a giant Rugah, can you? In that case, you’ll need an opponent for the Dragon Sword Dance, won’t you?”
Saying that, the demon Ruilala attacked me with a smile. I steeled myself to avoid such a scenario.
“Hmph! This kind of spell won’t work on me anymore!”
The Dragon Jewel within me reacted to my will and stirred wildly.
“Don’t hold back, Elnea.”
Alesia-san, who had merged with me, conveyed his intent to counterattack.
“Haaaaaaaah!!”
Along with my resolve, I drew power from the dragon veins. As I extended my consciousness to the dragon veins without restraint, power surged from the ground.
Miasma, endlessly generated and absorbed by Rugah due to the forbidden technique. Holy power overflowing from the dragon veins. However, because the forbidden technique’s influence was locally stronger, the power that surged in response to my will was quickly contaminated by the miasma and became murky.
“No way!?”
“Hahaha… It’s useless. The curse contained in the Great Sin Staff devours everything. Even the purity you create.”
“Muki! You should just shut up and watch Elnea’s performance!”
Baltnowar seemed to have absolute confidence in the forbidden technique and Rugah, who had been reborn by it. He was convinced that I couldn’t stop it.
“You pests are just a nuisance, buzzing around!”
“Sefina, please be careful!”
Rugah roared. He unleashed magic towards Sefina, who was brandishing her arm and provoking him.
“Kuu!”
She avoided the magic itself. However, Sefina was blown away by the mere aftershock. Ruiseine’s precognition through her Dragon Eyes couldn’t react to the magic. While she could sense Rugah’s movements, she couldn’t predict what kind of magic would be unleashed.
Rugah unleashed a Dragon Art towards the blown-away Sefina. It was merely a mass of dragon energy. But everyone understood its power without Ruiseine needing to point it out.
“What a troublesome sister.”
“We need to clean up her mess.”
At that moment, Yufilia and Nina, their Dragon Reverence Swords glowing golden, intervened. Then, they crossed their two Dragon Reverence Swords and met Rugah’s Dragon Art head-on.
“Yufi and”
“Nina’s”
““Kyaaaaaaaahhhhhh!””
Suddenly, the twin sisters began to writhe in agony. Their faces turned pale, and they collapsed, their bodies doubled over.
It was Rugah’s curse!
Yufilia and Nina, who had tried to protect Sefina. Rugah’s Dragon Art exploded, engulfing the three sisters!
“…!”
Unable to shake off the deep curse that felt like it was crushing my entire body, I was immobilized and speechless, unable to do anything.
Yufilia! Nina! Sefina!
The shockwave of the massive explosion spread endlessly across the world. Dust clouds rose high into the sky.
“I forbid you from moving any further!”
Lyra shouted in the sky. She descended rapidly with Revalia and launched a surprise attack. Lyra attempted to immobilize Rugah through the Dragon Jewel left by Gaf, the Rainbow Dragon. However, Rugah grinned cruelly, as if he didn’t even need to move his body. The two bright red mouths that opened on Rugah’s shoulders moved. Towards Revalia and Lyra, their eerie, blood-red mouths opened. Just that alone made Revalia grimace in pain. Lyra’s face lost its color, becoming pale. Then, Rugah pressed his attack. Countless beams of light shot out from the jet-black scales that appeared all over his body.
“Tch!”
Revalia desperately dodged the approaching beams of magic. However, she couldn’t escape all of the innumerable light rays. Several beams pierced Revalia’s body and wings. Losing her strength, Revalia fell. Instead of fire, blood flowed from her mouth.
“You showed quite an impertinent display earlier, didn’t you?”
Rugah shifted his murderous intent from the falling Revalia to Ruiseine on the ground.
The next moment. Rugah moved in front of Ruiseine with a speed that even the Dragon Eyes couldn’t track. And he swung his menacing arm down from high above. At the tip of Rugah’s dragon hand were long, wickedly glowing claws!
“!”
I screamed in frustration at my own powerlessness in the face of everyone’s crisis. My friends! My precious everyone!! Rugah attacked them, as if to flaunt it to me, who couldn’t move. Despair, anger, and hatred began to erode my heart. And my negative emotions, which I was generating, were also being devoured by Rugah.
I glared at Rugah with hatred in my eyes. “I will never, ever forgive you!” I will not forgive Rugah. And I will not forgive myself for being unable to act in the face of everyone’s danger!
My dragon energy began to run wild. Alesia-san and the Spirit Tree reacted to my fury and stirred.
Just then. “Hoo, you’re a bit of a nuisance.” Ahead, where the dust had cleared, was a golden, shining silhouette. “W-we’re saved…” “W-we were saved…” “Could it be, you saved us?” And then, the three sisters sat on their bottoms, looking dazed, safe and sound. “Rather than saved, it’s just that I, who happened to evade Mist-san’s ferocious attack, happened to move to a spot where the demon-dragon’s attack was flying.” Charlotte smiled with a “Fufufu” beside the three of them.
“Good grief, I really didn’t want to take this form on the surface.” In another location, a colossal mermaid, easily surpassing Rugah in size, caught the falling Revalia and Lyra. A spring had somehow formed around the mermaid. The mermaid was Ruilala’s true form, and the spring was Ruilala’s magic. Ruilala, holding Revalia and Lyra, dived into the spring to prevent her giant body from becoming Rugah’s target.
“Given that it’s come to this, this is all I can do. Please forgive me.”
“Oh my, oh my, I’m the one who should be apologizing?”
Ruiseine was also safe. Just in the nick of time, Wol caught Ruiseine and saved her from Rugah’s wicked claws. However, Wol seemed to have sustained injuries from the aftershock and slumped down from Rugah, keeping a significant distance, apparently powerless. Ruiseine quickly began to cast a healing spell.
“Elnea.”
“…Mistral.”
And beside me was Mistral, still in her human-dragon form.
“It’s okay. We won’t leave you alone. So, be yourself, just as you are. Okay?”
She gave me a gentle smile. My heart, which had been on the verge of being stained by negative emotions, was being cleansed. Because of my inadequacy, everyone had been put in danger. But they were saved by their companions. Well, Charlotte was a bit different.
To be honest, I could see the movements of Charlotte, Ruilala, and Wol. But the guilt and frustration of not being able to act in the face of my loved ones’ peril were crushing my heart. Was Mistral able to see through my tarnished heart? Mistral’s smile was as usual, and that’s precisely why my heart brightened.
I took a deep breath, calming my mind. Even though the world was filled with miasma, somehow fresh air filled my chest. Perhaps it was because Mistral was standing beside me? Looking around, despite having been on the verge of death at Rugah’s hands, not a trace of fear or regret could be seen in anyone’s expression. On the contrary, they looked at me with eyes full of expectation.
Ah, I understand. What Baltnowar lacks, and what I possess. What Baltnowar envies, and what I enjoy. It’s the bonds with everyone. The connection with everyone. The trust and affection among everyone. What I should grasp is not anger or hatred. Mistral’s words about my natural state are not born from such negative products. If I were to fight with such things, I wouldn’t be able to win.
I will defeat Rugah in my own way and thwart Baltnowar’s scheme. The excessive strength I had been exerting disappeared. Then, it felt as if the curse that was corroding my entire body had somehow lightened.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
This time, I stood up and re-readied my white sword and Spirit Tree wooden sword. Mistral also gripped her jet-black one-handed club.
“Everyone, let’s try a little harder!”
It’s not just me trying hard. It’s not just them trying hard. All of us together will try our best and move forward!
I perform the Dragon Sword Dance.
Calming my mind, I let my consciousness meld with the world. I’m not doing anything special to defeat Rugah. I’m just naturally, as usual, performing the Dragon Sword Dance with all my heart and soul!
The world changes color. As if superimposed on the world visible to the naked eye, the world of spirits spread out before my eyes. Seeing it like this, I understand well. The world of spirits was also strongly affected by Rugah’s presence and the forbidden technique.
The fire spirits fled in disarray. But as they fled, their crimson bodies turned black, eventually becoming soot and being devoured by Rugah. The water spirits tried to escape into the spring created by Ruilala. But before they could reach it, their entire bodies became murky and were absorbed by Rugah. The earth spirits rotted away, and the wind spirits became stagnant. Not only that, but as the spirits changed color and were devoured, the contamination spread throughout the spirit world. When Rugah moved, the surrounding scenery, which had been colorful, turned darker than the spirits of darkness and was stained. Light couldn’t reach it, and a dark, murky color invaded the multilayered world.
The spirits were screaming. The world was being destroyed. They themselves would be devoured. To those fleeing spirits, I called out.
“Everyone, I need your cooperation. Let’s protect the world together!”
“But it’s dangerous!”
“You probably won’t survive either.”
“It’s impossible, we can never win.”
The spirits, while fleeing, only spoke pessimistic things. It seemed that spirits, unlike us, couldn’t easily move from their land. Even those who moved to the forbidden territory could only do so with the assistance of the Mimicho Race, suggesting they might be strongly tied to where they live.
To the spirits who continued to flee but had nowhere to run, I called out again.
“It’s okay. If we cooperate, we will definitely be saved!”
“Really?”
“No lies?”
“I am with you, so it cannot be a lie. Cowards will flee in despair and be devoured. But if you follow me and Elnea, I will definitely save you.”
With the support of Alesia-san, the Spirit Tree Spirit, hope gradually began to spread among the spirits.
“Well then, let’s hold hands together, everyone!”
“Hmph, show them the true power of spirits!”
“Well then, let’s dance happily together from now on!”
Here begins a scene of Dragon Sword Dance, incorporating the spirits. You can easily convey your support by clicking the heart. (Login required)
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