We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
To the people living in the world.
The rain of fire that had been falling continuously began to rise from the ground to the sky, as if a stage curtain were rising.
Birds of prey created by great magic flew up, crying shrilly as if to announce the opening.
“You took your time, you took your time.”
Ares-chan, who is one with me, unleashed her power.
As the Spirit Tree Spirit signaled the start of the stage, the spirits that had been holding back until now began to move in earnest.
Receiving the power of the Spirit Tree that I scattered, the spirits were activated.
First of all, a colorful light began to illuminate the world.
The dense miasma still permeated the air. Among it, low-level spirits shone like the light of stage lighting.
My surroundings gradually brightened.
It dispelled the darkness of the miasma and illuminated the actors on stage.
The main actor is, of course, me!
My opponent is the Demon King.
There are no shortcomings in the stage actors.
Those who will play supporting roles also began to show their faces.
Middle-level spirits in the form of beasts manifested. Spirits in the form of birds, too. Some even manifested as fish, swimming unsteadily between the miasma and the spirit lights.
I perform the Dragon Sword Dance.
The spirits add splendor to my dance.
Light colors the stage, and animals dance with vibrant energy.
We mustn’t forget the directing, either.
Leaves created by Spirit Tree arts swirled violently like a blizzard of petals.
I cut down small groups of the Demon King’s forces that tried to disturb the grand stage, scattering them.
The opening is bold.
We make a strong impression on the audience watching us through Wender-san’s divine arts, drawing them into the stage with our vivid directing.
“Well, this is where the real show begins!”
Lightly, I swing my white sword horizontally.
The Demon King brings down a scythe.
The white sword and scythe cross. Sparks fly and a loud clang echoes.
Using my white sword as a pivot, I twist my body to the side and thrust out the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword.
It pierced the Demon King’s chest.
Receiving the holy power of the Spirit Tree, the Demon King’s main body vanished.
But in the next moment, a new main body is born from the core above my head.
The Demon King, burning bright red, let out a strange cry.
The pulsating evil sun released miasma, creating small groups of the Demon King’s forces.
“Take them down!”
“Charge!”
“Dance, dance!”
The spirits, having received power from me and Ares-chan, responded.
“I will lend you my power.”
“Shall I leave the supporting role’s directing to you?”
“As a stage, it is perfect.”
“Uwoooooo!”
“Eeeeeh!?”
Then, several figures descended around me.
The Fire Spirit King, with fiery red hair, wielding a roaring flame sword.
The Water Spirit King, who freely manipulated water garments and danced gracefully.
The Wind Spirit King, who spectacularly unleashed arrows of wind to enhance the directing.
The Earth Spirit King, who bravely roared with a shield and a great hammer.
Furthermore, the Light Spirit King illuminated the world thoroughly, and the Dark Spirit King skillfully directed the shadows.
With such reliable reinforcements, my Dragon Sword Dance gained more power.
I swing my white sword.
Dragon Energy stirs up a storm.
Around me, the stagnant atmosphere began to flow fiercely.
It swirled, purifying impurities.
“AAAAAAAH! G-GET… OUT… OF… MY… WAAAAAY…”
The Demon King roared.
He swung his scythe, imbued with killing intent. At the same time, it spat a mass of miasma from its bull-headed skull and endlessly spawned small groups and evil vines from its core.
Thus, while attacking me and the spirits, it further raised its core.
“You won’t escape!”
I swing my white sword and parry the scythe approaching from overhead. With the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, I dispel the mass of miasma.
The spirits are not idle either.
The beasts tore apart the evil vines, and the Spirit Kings defeated the small groups. Spirits in the form of birds and fish launched a surprise attack on the ascending core.
“U-USELESS… USELESS, USELESS, USELESS!”
The Demon King, burning bright red, made his scythe glow menacingly.
“Danger!”
“Evacuate!”
“Uwah, it’s scary!”
The spirits fled in confusion. Immediately after. Miasma flames erupted from the scythe.
The miasma flames raged with the power to burn away the approaching spirits and the purifying power that began to fill the surroundings.
If burned by the flames, the spirits would not be safe.
If this continues, the spirits will be harmed!
“I won’t let you!”
I intensified the Dragon Sword Dance.
With a powerful stomp, I swung up the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword.
The Dragon Vein flowing deep beneath my feet created huge waves.
The Dragon Vein overflowed from the surface and rose high into the sky. Then, it created a wall between the miasma flames raging around the evil sun and the fleeing spirits.
However, the wall of Dragon Veins was easily shattered.
When the Demon King, burning bright red, swung his scythe, the wall of Dragon Veins scattered.
“I-IMPOSSIBLE. IT’S… NOT… YOU… WHO… CAN… DESTROY… ME.”
The evil sun continued to slowly ascend.
The Demon King, burning bright red, cackled mockingly.
While performing the Dragon Sword Dance, I glared overhead.
Although it was beyond the reach of my sword, Dragon Arts could still reach it. The spirits could also attack.
However, due to the Demon King’s fierce attacks and the constant onslaught of small groups spawned from its core, I couldn’t act as I pleased.
Besides, even if I could reach the core, a half-hearted attack wouldn’t purify the Demon King.
The Demon King’s core was close yet far.
Nevertheless, we will not give up.
No, this is not a situation where we should give up or despair!
It’s from now on, isn’t it!
Ares-chan nodded with strength, reading my mind.
I danced the Dragon Sword Dance with varying tempo, elegant at times, intense at others. Storm Dragon Arts erupted, and the spirits danced.
At the center of the stage, I sharpened my mind, deeper and deeper.
I will connect my consciousness to the world.
Riding the dragon energy, my consciousness left my body and spread throughout the world.
Carried by the winds stirred by the storm, my consciousness traveled endlessly far.
I feel everyone.
Those still fighting in the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
Warriors crossing racial boundaries to cooperate and confront powerful enemies.
Clergy members who lend a hand regardless of their origin, supporting the injured.
The Ancient Dragon Species who came from afar to offer their support. Sleigsta, who set aside his important duty of protecting the Dragon Forest to help.
The two Demon Kings are also lending their power without holding back.
And on the top floor of the tower, a sleeping girl and the male and female immortals protecting her.
Ah, Priscilla-chan and Nimia are by the girl’s side.
Amidst the harsh battle, I felt a heart-warming scene, and my cheeks relaxed.
But perhaps sensing my smile as brazen, the Demon King attacked with even fiercer intensity.
The Demon King’s back, burning red, began to writhe violently.
“Whoa, creepy.”
“Dangerous!”
The spirits cried out.
I too felt a strange presence from the Demon King and the core behind it.
“AAAAaaaaAAAAaaaAaa!”
The Demon King let out a roar.
Malignant miasma spread like a wave. But the released miasma was merely an aftershock of the eerie change about to occur.
“You intend to separate!?”
As if to confirm my words, the Demon King was trying to break free from the core.
First, bat-like wings sprouted from the Demon King’s back. The Demon King flapped its wings, burning red like its body.
Next, another pair of arms grew from its shoulders. The newly grown bony arms placed themselves on the Evil Sun, exerting force as if to pull out its upper body.
With a slithering sound, the Demon King’s upper body detached from the core.
The Demon King’s spine continued to extend, revealing a snake-like lower body.
However, the form of the lower body was not that important.
What I needed to be wary of was the fact that the Demon King had separated its body from the core!
“Which one is the main body this time? Normally, the Evil Sun above its head would be the core…?”
Would a simple answer be the correct one?
Even until now, the Demon King has shown moves that shocked me.
Therefore, it is dangerous to predict the answer carelessly.
Furthermore, as if to deepen my suspicion, I saw something like a red glowing core in the depths of the separated Demon King’s chest.
“Is one of them the real core? Or are both of them real!?”
If both were the Demon King’s core, destroying only one would result in regeneration from the other. In other words, to defeat the Demon King, I would have to annihilate both the Evil Sun and the Demon King simultaneously.
“Gaaaaaaaah!”
The separated Demon King attacked, flapping its bat-like wings.
I met the attack.
I parried the scythe held in its right two hands with the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword.
It held new scythes in its two left hands as well.
With the White Sword, I deflected the scythes in its left hands. With a counter-swing, I severed both of its left arms simultaneously.
The Demon King roared. The next moment, it regenerated its severed arms and scythes, and attacked me.
So, the separated Demon King also possesses infinite regenerative power!
No matter how much I attacked the Demon King’s body, it would regenerate unless I destroyed the core.
So, I unleashed a blow infused with the power of the Spirit Tree.
The Spirit Tree Wooden Sword aimed for the glowing core in the depths of the Demon King’s chest.
However, the tip of the sword did not reach the core.
The miasma cloak that clad the Demon King swayed gently.
Although it appeared to be a miasma cloak without physical form, it deflected the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword with its hem and continued to attack me.
I dodged the miasma cloak with a flicker and closed the distance.
The infinitely regenerating Demon King and I clashed fiercely.
The White Sword glittered, and the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword rang out serenely.
The Storm Dragon Arts intensified even further.
The small groups of the Demon King and the dense miasma that emerged from the Evil Sun overhead were swept away by the raging storm’s gale.
The small groups that were fighting the spirits were also buffeted by the violently swirling winds, losing their balance.
The spirits attacked the small groups of the Demon King, whose movements had slowed.
The small groups were defeated one after another.
However, the effect was, as expected, limited.
No matter how much miasma was dispelled, how many small groups were defeated, or how much the burning Demon King was attacked, it would regenerate infinitely unless the core was destroyed.
Not yet.
It’s still not enough!
From the tips of my toes to the points of my swords, I channeled my sharpened dragon energy and the power of the Spirit Tree. While doing so, I brought my mind closer and closer to a state of perfect calm.
I dissolved my consciousness, which was spreading with the Storm Dragon Arts, into the world.
I am a part of the world. The world is a part of me.
I knew the height of the sky and read the flow of the atmosphere. I felt the grandeur of the earth and surrendered myself to the power of the dragon veins.
As my consciousness merged with the world, overlapping multiple worlds began to appear in my eyes.
The unmanifested spirits were also dancing around me.
The diverse colors dyeing the atmosphere were beautifully blended by the Storm Dragon Arts.
Piercing through multiple worlds, I danced the Dragon Sword Dance.
My soul and spirit were drawn into the deeper layers of world.
“Elnea!”
“Elnea-kun!”
“Lord Elnea!”
“Elnea-kun!!”
“Elnea-kun!”
“Elnea-kun!”
“Nyan!”
“Older Brother!”
At that moment.
I heard the voices of Mistral, Ruiseine, Laira, Yufilia, Nina, Sefina, Madrine, and also Nimia and Priscilla-chan calling my name.
“Hah. Thank you!”
I nodded at everyone’s voices.
I had been dangerously close to stepping into the realm of forbidden techniques. But, it’s alright. With everyone’s calls, I was able to hold back my consciousness from merging with the world.
No matter what situation I find myself in, I must not use forbidden techniques.
If I use them a second time, the Witch would likely get seriously angry.
Nevertheless, I continued to dance the Dragon Sword Dance, unleashing my power to the fullest, right up to the brink of forbidden techniques.
The Storm Dragon Arts began to exert a strong influence not just on the visible world, but on layers upon layers of interwoven worlds.
Mixing the colors of the world inhabited by spirits, repainting it beautifully.
Disturbing the Dragon Veins, creating great waves.
Traveling through the earth, changing the atmosphere, and altering the color of the sky.
“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”
As if to resist the world being dyed into my color, the Demon King roared.
The Evil Sun pulsed violently, exploding with black miasma.
The roaring Demon King’s eyes glowed red as it attacked me.
Furthermore, the outermost shell, the Gigantic Demon King, forcefully broke free from Teruru’s binding and moved.
Tearing apart its pinned body with its own hands, it swung down a giant scythe with newly regenerated arms.
Sefina and the Earth Dragons deflected with all their might, but it was swung down again and again without regard.
“It still has enough hidden power to counterattack?!”
The Demon King revealed no bottom to its strength.
As I unleashed my power, the Demon King also revealed its hidden strength and resisted.
Just how strong is it?!
But, that is the Demon King.
A being that reigns at the pinnacle of all Yōma. A Yōma more terrifying than most evil races.
That’s why Micheila entrusted us with the task of defeating the Demon King.
“I won’t lose!”
My White Sword flashed, and I poured all my power into the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, dancing the Dragon Sword Dance.
The raging storm of Dragon Energy swept away the miasma, scattering it.
The cloak of miasma worn by the outermost Gigantic Demon King also began to tear and dissipate, stirred by Uragami’s swirling Storm Dragon Arts.
However, the Demon King still showed resistance.
No matter how much I purged it, the Evil Sun continued to generate ominous miasma one after another.
The pure storm and the ominous miasma clashed head-on, vying for dominance.
“M-e-za… ri-da. Ki-e, u… se… ro…”
The roaring Demon King swung its two great scythes wildly. Blades entwined with a curse of death approached.
“Haa!”
Twisting my body, I dodged the first strike, and with my Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, I deflected the second. Then, with a flash of my White Sword, I counterattacked.
However, the slash aimed at the Demon King’s chest was parried.
“Kts!”
Then, another pair of arms grew from the Demon King’s back and caught my White Sword!?
No, that’s wrong!
With a lower body that extended its spine like a snake, the Demon King, bifurcating around the waist, spawned another upper body, and cackled mockingly.
As if to say my efforts to unleash power were in vain, the Demon King raged wildly.
In fact, I continue to dance the Dragon Sword Dance, but I cannot reach the core at all. In other words, if this continues, even if I can keep fighting, I cannot win.
And the Demon King has already moved to its next move.
The floating Evil Sun began to move towards the tower again.
I must defeat the roaring Demon King as soon as possible and annihilate its core, the Evil Sun, or the girl will be in danger!
The Evil Sun slowly moved overhead.
“Grrr!”
As things stand, I cannot defeat the Demon King.
Should I use forbidden techniques after all…?
My heart wavered, despite having denied it just a moment ago.
We must protect the girl at all costs. But if forbidden techniques are the only way to do that?
No, it’s no good!
As expected, I absolutely must not use forbidden techniques.
Even if I achieve victory by using forbidden techniques, I have a premonition that the future awaiting us will only be misfortune. But if that’s the case, how do I defeat the Demon King…?
Did my wavering heart transfer to the tip of my sword? My White Sword’s trajectory became erratic. The Demon King, finding an opening, launched a ferocious assault. My spirit, having merged with the world, became disturbed, and the Storm Dragon Arts lost control. Not only the miasma and small groups, but the Great Fortress was instantly obliterated.
“Sh-shoot!”
I panicked.
Is everyone alright!?
Perhaps my mental agitation transferred into my Dragon Energy, and the raging storm blew away the Great Fortress’s rubble.
“Hooooould oooooonnnn!!!!”
Breaking through the Storm Dragon Arts, an angry voice reached me.
This voice is from Id!
“I-I’m sorry!”
I’ve done nothing but cause trouble for everyone, let alone defeat the Demon King.
Id is furious, I thought, but that wasn’t it.
“Eight Dragon King Elnea, why are you fighting so leisurely!”
“W-what, you’re not angry about the damage, you’re angry because the fight is dragging on!?”
I immediately knew everyone was safe by reading their presence.
The tower, which was the center of the great fortress, was also intact.
The saints protected the tower, didn’t they?
In the first place, Storm Dragon Arts, while having the power to eliminate obstacles, are not indiscriminate techniques that involve allies. That’s why Id isn’t enraged by the damage to his comrades.
But I never imagined he would be enraged by me struggling against the Demon King.
Id shouts with a voice that won’t be defeated by the storm.
“What are you holding back for! Your fighting style isn’t this dull!”
Even though I just blew away the great fortress, they called my fighting dull…
“And, you guys too!”
This time, Id shouts not at me, but at those fighting in the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
“Liven things up so Elnea can fight with all his might!”
Perhaps sensing Id’s voice, Mistral and Laira give bitter smiles.
Yufilia and Nina look exasperated.
“Honestly, I don’t care what happens anymore.”
“I can’t take responsibility anymore.”
Yeah. I don’t care either?
Id told me to go all out.
“Aaaaah! You in-con-ve-ni-ent ba*-stards!”
The Demon King reveals his anger.
He’s frustrated seeing us who refuse to give up our resistance, no matter how much power we show.
…Does that mean?
Perhaps the Demon King is also nearing his limit.
The Demon King, who struggled to break the great magic and showed his hidden power in our fight.
It’s easy to mistake him for a being who endlessly conjures evil power, but that’s not the case.
The Demon King also has a limit, and it might be near.
By sensing the Demon King’s irritation, my heart regains its composure.
Alright.
We will definitely win.
That’s right, with everyone’s power!
The warriors, who were spurred on by Id, let out brave war cries.
The Earth Dragons stomp the ground powerfully, creating tremors.
The Wyverns roar and dance in the storm.
“Now, everyone, let us pray. For Elnea-kun’s victory and for this world.”
Led by Madrine, the clergy began to chant prayers.
The earth marks the rhythm, the wind plays the melody. And people add their songs.
Ah, that’s right.
I don’t need to rely on forbidden techniques.
I know a path different from forbidden techniques.
I’m not dancing the Dragon Sword Dance alone.
I’m dancing with everyone’s voices, songs, and prayers. Carrying such hopes and wishes.
This is no longer the “Dragon Sword Dance” danced solely with the swords in my hands, but a co-performance on a stage created by everyone, with everyone participating.
Just like when we defeated the Evil Race before.
I. We will dance the “Dragon Performance Dance,” a co-performance of those gathered at the Foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Dragon Arts of the Dragon Race and Dragon Race. The sorcery of the Human Race. The Spirit Arts of the Mimicho Race and spirits, and the Beast Arts of the Beast Race. The Divine Arts of the Divine Race and Heavenly Race, and the magic of the Demon Race. Besides these, various arts from various races began to attack the Demon King, riding the storm.
“Aah. Aaaahhh!”
The Demon King roars, shaking the atmosphere.
The vibration of the air becomes a curse, and miasma is generated from the distorted space.
The Demon King shows endless resistance.
But he’s reached his limit.
The evil burning sun distorts its round shape. The movements of the Demon King, who has two upper bodies, become slow. He’s struggling to resist our Dragon Performance Dance and can barely maintain his form.
But from that state, the Demon King showed further resistance.
The double great magic completely shatters.
The moon shadow beneath my feet shatters with the sound of breaking pottery and scatters away.
Then, the evil sun overhead begins to move toward the tower at an accelerated pace.
Will it be destroyed first? Or will I reach the girl sleeping on the top floor first?
“No, you will be defeated first!”
I take the Dragon Performance Dance to even greater heights.
The catalyst was already presented.
Sefina clearly showed that she could manipulate arts from other races.
Laza and Jewel re-taught me the basics of Dragon Arts.
Besides that.
I have known it for a long, long time. And I have been practicing it, haven’t I?
Despite being of the Human Race, I learned Dragon Arts, which are unique to the Dragon people and Dragon Race.
I was taught that these Dragon Arts reproduce what the practitioner imagines in reality through their art. Following this basic principle, I once developed arts mimicking chickens and chicken dragons.
I have already mastered the basics.
If Sefina can do it, there’s no reason I can’t. Since Momo-chan and Jewel embody it, I should be able to as well!
Riding the gale of the storm, my consciousness is carried far away to unknown reaches. My consciousness, now connected to the world, is not only connected to the visible world but also to multiple overlapping worlds.
I can feel the various wills, thoughts, and powers filling those overlapping worlds, just like Dragon Energy and the power of the Spirit Tree.
With each flash of the White Sword, the Dragon Energy, magic power, and divine power dispersed by everyone intertwine.
With each clear ringing of the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword, Spirit Power, curse power, and magic power dissolve.
All power becomes one, creating a new wind in the world.
The violently swirling storm becomes a gentle wind that flows endlessly through the world.
While performing the Dragon Dance, I absorbed the new wind blowing across the world into myself rather than letting it disperse.
“Aaaaaaaah!!”
The Demon King, spurred by the converging winds, rushed towards us, trying to disrupt our dance.
“It’s too late now!”
But the Demon King’s movements were too slow.
The Demon King’s limits couldn’t reach the pinnacle of our Dragon Dance.
The jewel embedded in the hilt of the white sword glowed a deep blue. Thunder roared, and lightning bolts burst forth as countless streaks of light. The Demon King, struck by the lightning, let out a scream. Nevertheless, as the Demon King attempted to counterattack me, I unleashed further lightning strikes. The light of the lightning shot from the white sword, pushing back the Demon King as it closed the distance.
“I’ll push it back to the core like this!!”
To completely annihilate the Demon King, I had to simultaneously erase its roaring true form and its core, which resembled an evil sun. If so, rather than attacking them separately, I would just deal with them all at once!
The Demon King retreated, pushed back by the lightning. Behind it, the core began to move towards the tower.
“You… cur… If… we… had… combined… our… strengt…h…”
“No, there won’t be a next time for you. This is the end!”
The roaring Demon King merged with the core that resembled an evil sun.
Here I go, Ares-chan, Spirit Tree-chan!
In response to my call, Ares-chan nodded strongly from within. And from the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword in my left hand, a powerful “Yes!” came back. Confirming this, I unleashed all my power.
“Haaaaaaahhh!!”
I released the wind, into which all my power had dissolved, on the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword.
First, a small light ignited above the roaring Demon King and the core resembling the evil sun. The light fell like a drop. The drop, passing through the core and hitting the ground, scattered light like splashing water.
The next moment. A pillar of light rose from the earth where the water’s splash had scattered. The pillar of verdant green light pierced the heavens and the earth.
“Aaaah… Aaaahhh AAAAHHH!!”
The Demon King, its core pierced by the pillar of light, screamed.
The Demon King, attempting to escape the pillar of verdant green light, writhed as it fused with the core once more.
“I won’t let you escape!”
From the white sword, lightning bolts violently burst forth. As azure lightning bound the Demon King to its core, the pillar of light underwent a rapid change. The slender pillar of light rapidly expanded, becoming thick and powerful before my eyes. Like a tree rooting itself in the earth, the pillar of light sent out thick, strong roots. The roots spreading across the earth reached the Dragon Vein. Drawing upon the power of the Spirit Vein, the verdant green pillar expanded.
The core resembling the evil sun was swallowed by the light. The Demon King thrashed, trying to escape the pillar of light as it was swallowed by it. But the lightning, linked to the verdant green pillar, did not let the Demon King escape. In an instant, the verdant green pillar of light engulfed the Demon King as well.
“Gukigyii! …We… will… not… perish… This… art… cannot… be… endured…”
“No, you’ve already lost. This art will not disappear until it has annihilated you!”
This was an art I had created with the wish that it be so. If the Demon King was to revive with seemingly infinite power, I would devour all of that power. Just as a Shōjō will not extinguish hellfire until it has devoured its entire territory, this art will continue to “exist” until the Demon King is annihilated. Piercing through all the layers of the world, the verdant green light increasingly intensified its radiance.
The pillar of verdant green light, which endlessly absorbed the power of the Spirit Vein, did not disappear even after swallowing the Demon King and its core. Rather, its momentum increased. This time, it began to absorb the miasma and curse from the swallowed core. It decomposed and purified the absorbed miasma and curse, then circulated it throughout the entire pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth. As the verdant green pillar of light absorbed the purified power, another change occurred.
From the pillar of light, countless branches of light, like tree branches, were born and extended in all directions. The branches of light pierced the colossal Demon King that governed the outer shell. The colossal Demon King tried to break free from the branches of light piercing its body, but its outer shell, having lost its core, no longer possessed any power. The outer shell, pierced throughout its body, lost its outline and returned to a mass of dense miasma. Then, the miasma was absorbed one after another from the tips of the widely spread branches. When the branches of light touched the miasma and curse still remaining in the Wyvern Hunting Ground, they absorbed all of it.
The pillar of light, with its roots deeply spread in the earth and its branches widely extended, was like a Great Tree. The Great Tree of Light absorbed not only miasma and curse from its endlessly extending branches, but also Dragon Energy and other powers. Then, the various powers that circulated through the Great Tree of Light finally became countless leaves, adorning the branches. A leaf fluttered down from a light branch. The scattered leaves fell to the ground, reflecting brilliant sunlight, and piled up.
“Elnea… what is this…?”
By the time I finished the Dragon Dance, a voice called out to me from behind. Turning around, I saw Mistral and everyone from my family looking up at the Great Tree of Light with astonishment.
“Everyone. It’s over,” I replied with a smile.
