We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Great Dragon Arts
The three days since I awoke passed in the blink of an eye.
Upon reporting to Sleigsta (Old Man), I returned to the capital city and was immediately summoned to a meeting held at the royal castle. During this time, I expressed my gratitude to the King and Listea and spoke of future cooperation.
To my surprise, members of the Yorttenitos royal family were gathered at that meeting.
“The Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom are twin nations. Therefore, when we prosper, and when we face hardship, our fates are always intertwined.”
The King of the Yorttenitos Kingdom said with a smile.
Apparently, Lyra had gone to the Yorttenitos Kingdom with Revalia and requested their cooperation. Furthermore, in the time since the Demon King was defeated until now, she had also brought back the dragon race, who were still on their way home, and the dragons and spirits gathered in the Eastern Paradise.
After the meeting at the royal castle concluded, we proceeded to the Great Shrine.
I preached the teachings of the Goddess of Creation to the people gathered in the capital city, expressed my gratitude for her guidance, which led people in a way different from a nation, and of course, requested her cooperation.
This operation is a difficult challenge that everyone must overcome with one heart.
Thanks to Ruiseine and Madrine, our preparations were complete.
Then, when I returned to my family home, Folganne, the representative of the Beast race warrior corps, was there. I handed over Mei-chan, and the Spirit Kings swarmed in as if it were natural. While Grandma Yuuri and Priscilla-chan’s mothers were busy managing the Spirit Kings, I communicated with each race about the future and made promises to receive their assistance.
I was truly exhausted!
And then, the preparation period, which passed in the blink of an eye, concluded. Reports gradually began to come in from the dragon race warriors who were on reconnaissance duty in Dragon Peak.
“Kongou no Kirisame is, as usual, heading straight towards us. However, it may have slowed down slightly.”
“At its current speed, it might appear on the flatlands at night.”
The darkness of night brings equal anxiety to people.
Night is the hour of demons. Those with malicious intent stir, and evil reigns in the darkness.
It seems Kongou no Kirisame planned to attack at night, avoiding the time when the sun is out and people have hope.
But that is a foolish decision!
With a slight smile, Madrine wore an unfitting, mischievous grin that did not suit a Head Miko’s bearing.
“Unfortunately, the night of the full moon has passed. However, night is also a time when the stars shine. And the radiance of the stars is the radiance of the lives of those who live in this world. Kongou no Kirisame is, after all, just a monster. It may have chosen the night instinctively, but that is a grave mistake.”
Besides, I thought as I listened to Madrine’s words, looking around.
For ordinary people, the darkness of night may be terrifying.
But many who prefer the darkness of night had also gathered here.
Magic Beasts, needless to say, favor the night, and the darkness is their hunting time. And it’s not just Magic Beasts. For the dragon race and the beast race, night is hunting time.
“To deliberately choose the night, how foolish.”
Folganne of the Lion Species of the beast race grinned like a carnivorous beast.
The dragon race also felt no fear of the night.
Rather,
“Isn’t our dragon arts more dazzling to see at night?”
Cheerful voices even arose.
I felt a warmth in my chest as I sensed the unforced eagerness of those gathered to defeat Kongou no Kirisame.
Everyone believed in me.
That we would win this battle.
That we could overcome any difficulty by joining hands, without fearing the terrifying monster, Kongou no Kirisame. The atmosphere created by all who were convinced of this gave me courage and strength.
“We will not allow Kongou no Kirisame to disturb the peace of this land. We will surely defeat it and bring peace to Dragon Peak and its foothills!”
When I spoke, a heroic “Ooh!” resounded.
And then, the time for the decisive battle.
Midnight.
A waning moon floated in the night sky, and the stars twinkled.
A world so quiet that not even the calls of birds or insects, nor the distant howls of beasts, could be heard.
Only the sound of grass and trees swaying in the gently flowing wind reached my ears.
We waited quietly.
Gazing at the ridgeline of Dragon Peak that framed the starry sky.
We were on standby on the back of Nimia, who had grown greatly in size.
Sleigsta (Old Man) and Asher were by my side. Revalia, of course, was too. The Giant Demon Lord, Charlotte, and Kusharilla, who wanted to see Kongou no Kirisame up close, had gone to the front lines.
“They’re coming!”
A warning came from Yugra and Friel, who were keeping watch from the sky.
At the same time, various sounds began to fill the ground that had been dominated by silence.
The Wyvern Knight Order, who had been conserving their strength on the ground for the decisive battle, took flight en masse. Following them, wyverns, winged dragons, and winged magic beasts soared into the air.
The sounds of fierce wing beats and roars resounded.
As if not to be outdone by those in the sky, those on the ground began to let out war cries.
The powerful roars shook the air, announcing the time of the decisive battle throughout the foothills of Dragon Peak and the capital city.
“Now, let us pray. Let us wish for hope and guide miracles. That is the truth of the human race. It is time to deliver our hearts to Arestina, the Goddess of Creation.”
Madrine’s voice echoed in the night sky.
It reached the people gathered in the capital city thanks to Yufilia and Nina’s “Dragon Voice Diffusion”.
As if awaiting Madrine’s words, the radiance of the great sorcery “Full Moon Formation” enveloped the capital city. This was a measure to prepare for unexpected situations.
“What legendary monster?! We’ll show Kongou no Kirisame that the dragon race is the strongest!”
Fiorina, the leader of the dragon race, also shouted.
The earth dragons stomped the ground with their limbs and tails, and the wyverns and winged dragons responded with roars.
The silence vanished, and the cheers of the beings of the world shook the night.
As everyone shouted with all their might, stomped the ground, and clapped their hands to show their vitality.
It appeared, slowly and quietly.
The mountain peaks of Dragon Peak, illuminated by the moon and stars, wavered slightly.
With a gentle flow, as if clouds were crossing mountains, the tip of the mist rain peeked out.
The mist rain flowed slowly down towards the foothills after crossing the ridges of the mountains.
If one didn’t know of its existence, they might think that a gentle rain was about to fall.
But that was not the case!
Our vision was being deceived; that was the legendary monster known as Kongou no Kirisame.
“Bring it on!”
Id launched his first salvo.
Id’s deep voice, which shook the air, reached Kongou no Kirisame.
The movement of the mist rain, which had been slowly descending the steep peaks, stopped.
Kongou no Kirisame must have been wondering why.
Why had people gathered?
Not just people. Numerous races had gathered and were waiting for it.
To Kongou no Kirisame, these beings of the world were merely prey. They were not even obstacles. Yet, for some reason, they had gathered and were directing their hostility towards it.
Kongou no Kirisame looked down from the mountainside of Dragon Peak towards the flatlands.
And then, it finally realized.
The beings of the world, which it had considered insignificant, had been waiting for this moment in full preparedness.
Realizing that it had been ambushed by beings it had looked down upon as insignificant, Kongou no Kirisame became enraged.
“…Aaaah!!”
Kongo no Kirisame let out a small, yet undeniably rage-filled roar that seemed to warp the world.
The mist rain began to churn as if it had gained intent.
The surface of the mist rain, whose outline was unclear, gradually began to change into the shape of a creature.
“Oh, oh. Just like in the reports, it’s a turtle!”
As Id said.
Kongou no Kirisame was transforming into the form of a super-giant turtle, just as we had seen in our first encounter.
From the main body of the continuously falling mist rain, thick limbs resembling mist rain emerged, and its head stretched out from between its forelegs.
Although not visible from the foothills, it might have had a tail beyond the ridgeline of Dragon Peak.
Of course, everything was formed from mist rain, and there was no physical outline anywhere.
Those thick limbs made of mist rain slowly lifted the body that covered the mountain.
A super-giant mist rain turtle, large enough to swallow two mountains of Dragon Peak, appeared before us.
“Elnea.”
At the foothills of Dragon Peak. On Nimia’s back.
As I stood with my family, Mistral spoke to me from the side.
I nodded once, and then issued the great order to commence the decisive battle as “powerful words.”
“Legendary monster, Kongou no Kirisame. We shall destroy you and reclaim peace! Beings of this world, now is the time to show the strength of our existence!!”
Attack!!!
At the command, the dragon race and the dragon-person race began to forge their dragon energy simultaneously.
The visible, dense dragon energy illuminated the ground in various colors. In the night sky, the released dragon energy of the wyverns and winged dragons filled the air, flowing like lights that dispelled the darkness.
“Revalia, please!”
“Very well. I am the ruler of Dragon Peak. I will show you who gave you permission to run rampant on Dragon Peak!”
With full preparation, Revalia let out a fierce roar, flapped its four wings of varying sizes, and soared into the sky.
“Tyrant. No, Revalia, ruler of the Dragon Peak skies.”
“You are our king.”
The dragon race and the dragon-person race synchronized their consciousness.
In unison, they called out the name of Revalia, who had soared high into the sky.
“Now, descend!”
“Our great king!”
“The Dragon King who commands the flames!!”
The visible, dense dragon energy that had colored the sky and earth in various hues ignited into a fiery red.
And then, the dragon energy flames, burning with intense heat, rose towards Revalia and enveloped it. In the midst of the dragon energy flames appearing in the night sky, Revalia roared.
Fiercely. Yet, divinely.
Revalia, clad in the dragon energy of all dragons and dragon-people as flames, transformed.
The four wings, large and small, expanded greatly, wreathed in flames. Simultaneously, the contours of its body, tail, and head swelled with the flames.
Its crimson scales turned into flames, and Revalia, with a body burning like the sun, grew larger in proportion to the immense dragon energy it contained.
Everyone looked up at Revalia’s divine form.
Revalia, flapping its four wings of varying sizes, leaving trails of fire, looked down at Kongou no Kirisame with four eyes burning like miniature suns.
Its total length surpassed that of Sleigsta (Old Man), transforming into a form befitting the “King of Dragons.”
“King of Dragons!”
The dragon-people shouted.
“Our King!”
The dragon race roared.
In the past, Revalia, the tyrant who ruled the skies of Dragon Peak with terror. However, after a deadly battle with me, he embarked on a path of atonement.
As he repeatedly saved Dragon Peak and the plains from danger alongside me, humans and dragons gradually began to forgive his sins and accept him.
And now.
To confront the greatest crisis that Dragon Peak and the plains had ever faced, they chose Revalia as their king.
No longer the “Tyrant” who inspired fear.
He is recognized by all dragons and dragon-people, the king of those connected to dragons, in other words, the “Dragon King!”
“Go, King of Dragons. Show the monsters that we, the dragon race, are the strongest!”
Yugra roared.
As if to say it was unnecessary to be told, Revalia responded with a fierce yet divine roar, manifesting crimson flames in its mouth.
On the ground, Kongou no Kirisame, revealing the outline of a colossal turtle compared to the fiery giant dragon that was Revalia, looked up.
Kongou no Kirisame also gathered dense mist in the mouth of its turtle-like head.
Revalia and Kongou no Kirisame unleashed their powers simultaneously!
The mist’s roar unleashed from Kongou no Kirisame.
Revalia countered with its fiery breath.
The moment the two breaths collided, a shockwave spread across the world.
“Guh!”
Even with just the shockwave, we could barely maintain a barrier and endure it!
The shockwave, which vibrated the air intensely and shook the earth, passed in an instant.
And then, we saw what remained.
Kongou no Kirisame, its turtle head lost.
The mountainside of Dragon Peak, burning fiercely.
Revalia, flapping its wings and gracefully swaying flames in the air.
“We did it!”
The dragon-people cried out in joy.
Revalia’s fiery breath had surpassed the legendary monster’s all-out attack!
Not only that, but it had also attacked Kongou no Kirisame, which had been unfazed by the attacks of me and Sleigsta (Old Man). We also cheered and shouted the name of Revalia, who had become the “Dragon King.”
The dragon race also roared, praising the immense power of the Dragon King.
However, this shouldn’t be the end.
The main body of Kongou no Kirisame was mist rain, covering two mountains of Dragon Peak. Therefore, it was unlikely to be annihilated by having its head blown off once.
As expected, Kongou no Kirisame began to gradually reconstruct its lost head.
“Hmm. It is as you predicted.”
Sleigsta (Old Man), who had quietly watched the initial exchange between us and Kongou no Kirisame, spoke.
So, we nodded.
“Yes. The battle is just beginning!”
My family readied themselves, holding their beloved weapons returned by Sleigsta (Old Man).
“Then, go forth. Show that thing the power of your prayers and unity!”
In response to Sleigsta (Old Man)’s roar, Nimia, carrying us, charged straight at Kongou no Kirisame!
