Chapter 397

Chapter 397

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 397: Wah! Ba-rat! (3)’

“Punishment.”

At the same time as I uttered the activation word, a magic circle brightly illuminated the sky. From within, a burning greatsword slowly revealed itself.

How bright would it be, with a blade of light blazing fiercely?

The amount of light, incomparable to the torches held by the cultists and monsters, illuminated the dark dawn.

The monsters, dumbfounded by the overwhelming spectacle, stared blankly up at the sky. Though their intelligence was low, they were still capable of recognizing something awe-inspiring.

That’s why they worshipped an Evil God, and that’s why they could only stare blankly even knowing that the magic unfolding now would lead to their deaths.

Perhaps they had instinctively realized that no matter what they did, they couldn’t escape.

As Punishment was completed, the guard part elongated, and a sword of light resembling a cross illuminated the ground.

Was it because I obtained the Dragon Heart and became even more powerful after defeating two Evil Gods?

I felt an even more intense pressure than when I had unleashed it on the Grotesque Proliferation before.

If I felt this much, how much more would those directly targeted feel?

Beast-type monsters with strong instincts quietly closed their eyes, and slimes made of rotten flesh and bones hurriedly swallowed nearby allies to inflate their size.

While some accepted death and others desperately resisted.

Only the chimeras, from whom the emotion of fear had been removed from the start, and the Greenskins, whose brains were filled with anger and the will to fight, continued their own resistance.

However, ordinary rock throwing, hastily aimed ballistae, and indiscriminately fired spikes that weren’t properly instructed were worth no more than minimal resistance.

Kugugung.

The greatsword slowly began to move. It was a sluggish movement, but it gradually accelerated, and before long, it began to fall sharply towards the ground.

The flames engulfing the blade burned even brighter, setting the surroundings ablaze.

And in the aftermath, the final resistance vanished in vain.

Rocks that soared high thanks to brute force melted away, and thick ballista bolts turned to ashes and scattered in the air. Spikes that seemed to be the limbs of chimeras had long since been caught in the aftershock and blown away somewhere.

Even the minions of the Reckless Roar and the God of Tainted Unity, who were famous for their excellent direct combat abilities…

Power eventually kneels before greater power.

Those who had already been hit by Dragon Fear and couldn’t even respond properly were struck by the finishing blow on top of the magic from Iris and Iona.

The greatsword, as if declaring something, was deeply embedded in the ground. The elements composing it collided with each other and began to glow white-hot. And then…

Kwaaaaaang!!

It caused a magnificent explosion.

A powerful shock that plowed the ground and shook the atmosphere. The pure white vision didn’t function properly for a while.

Even though I was a little far from the area of effect and knew that my magic wouldn’t affect me, I still flinched at the power.

Enjoying the sensation of Iris, who was clinging tightly to my back and hiccupping, and Iona, who had narrowed her eyes, was only for a moment.

The world, which had become as bright as midday, slowly returned to its original darkness… and in the process, the traces of the explosion were revealed.

Ground crystallized and sparkling. Scorched remains so damaged that their original form was unrecognizable, or where no form remained at all. And even a mushroom cloud soaring high.

…Wait. A mushroom cloud?

“Good heavens.”

I knew that since the Dragon Heart appeared, my mana capacity had increased, and the efficiency of resonance had improved dramatically.

I didn’t check in Paracelsus’s dungeon because I was speedrunning, but I expected that my firepower would be much stronger when I went all out.

I expected it… but it exceeded my expectations.

The romance of a magician that I believed would come someday was fulfilled now. Trembling with the thrill of the damage, I muttered the lines I had memorized beforehand.

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds…”

“Stop with the nonsense, and let’s move quickly, Master.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Can’t you see those guys over there aiming at us with serious expressions? If we keep dawdling like this, we’ll end up getting mobbed and having to retreat like Student Yandel said!”

“Eep.”

Before the lingering feeling even faded, I was pushed on the back by Iris and Iona.

“No, how can you give me that resentful look when you’re the one who wanted me to do this, Master?”

“Student Yandel… Uh-huh. No, it’s still that age, yeah. Professor Iona here can understand. Many students were like that.”

“……”

Being treated like an incurable chuunibyou1 was a bit strange, but it was true nonetheless, so I left the scene of destruction I had created behind and quickly flew up.

Thanks to the dragonization becoming even closer to a real dragon, the recoil I felt after using Punishment was greatly reduced… but I still couldn’t use it in succession.

Would things change someday if Elisha completes her vision and I learn it?

Happily welcoming the murderous intent flying towards me while my happy thoughts raced, I roared.

“[Kroarrrrrrr!!]”

Indeed, if you’re a dragon, “kroarrrrrrr” is the standard.

The subsequent battle unfolded so one-sidedly that it made me wonder if it was okay.

Stun them with Dragon Fear, then immediately slam down a wide-area magic attack. If it seemed like an attack was coming from outside the area of effect, we’d immediately flee and repeat.

It was a very simple pattern, but it was that powerful, and as it happened, the opponent was the possessor of a simple divine power, so they couldn’t figure out how to counter it.

That’s how we spent the whole day unilaterally scattering fear and magic here and there, turning the forces of the two Evil Gods into a wasteland…

But even if they couldn’t stop us, perhaps they learned how to take hits less painfully after being hit so much.

Monsters of the Reckless Roar with good defense began to shield the monsters of the God of Tainted Unity, who had excellent regeneration.

Punishment still sent both of them to the afterlife together nicely, but Iris’s and Iona’s attacks couldn’t reach the ones hiding inside.

On top of that, as more and more corpses piled up later, they even used the corpses as shields, so we retreated after inflicting slightly less damage than initially intended.

I still have plenty of energy, and Iona recovers quickly if she drinks my blood, but… Iris seems to be reaching her limit.

Even so, it’s too dangerous to fight while carrying Iris, who’s slumped over from mana exhaustion, on my back.

“…It’s not that my mana is insufficient. It’s Master and Iona who are strange.”

“Who said anything?”

“Master, you’re clearly showing on your face how disappointed you are.”

“Ah, am I?”

“Who would believe you when you’re still talking with that puppy-who-had-its-toy-taken-away expression?”

“Tsk.”

I got caught.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking this during an important battle… but honestly, it was incredibly fun.

Unilaterally attacking from the air, and the enemies just melt away? What’s more, those guys keep swarming in endlessly, so I can hunt endlessly?

This is totally a hack and slash!

As someone who once took down a great demon, how could I remain calm? In the first place, the reason I fell into this world was because I loved games.

I played H&A so diligently that I ended up entering the world of H&A itself, but surprisingly, there were no games on the Eurelia Continent.

Thanks to that, whenever something reminiscent of a game happens like now, I can’t help but get excited.

…However, perhaps I went a little overboard this time.

While I was slightly reflecting inwardly, Iona, who had been listening to our conversation, put on a deliberately pitiful expression and opened her mouth.

“Huhu… will this child, who only knows slaughter and women, ever know ordinary happiness?”

“…Professor Iona?”

“Hey, hey. I’m not teasing Student Yandel, okay? As a professor, I’m just feeling a great sense of responsibility!”

“Not a great pleasure?”

“Your growth is my pleasure, though.”

Iona quickly changed her expression and smiled brightly. Maybe it was because she drank my blood a few times to replenish her mana, but her skin looked particularly smooth today.

Iris, who had eaten a lot of mana potions, on the other hand, looked like she was about to burst.

Looking at the approaching walls, I sighed.

“Haa… well, there was an unexpected event of them joining hands with the God of Tainted Unity, but considering that, we’ve turned things around quite a bit, I’d say.”

“Don’t worry. Who would dare blame Master?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m saying I did enough for today, so let’s rest and go mess them up again tomorrow?”

“Master, I don’t think you should be upset about Iona’s joke from earlier!”

Iris looked at me like I was crazy, so I just chuckled and went along with it, and before I knew it, we had arrived at the walls.

The other women were guarding the walls in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances… but it seems that wasn’t necessary.

They were strangely fixated on me. Even though they couldn’t catch me. Was I their target from the beginning, not the Yareunshade territory?

It was when I stepped onto the wall with a mixed feeling of being like an idol in the Evil Gods’ realm.

“Master!”

As I accepted Carla, who ran towards me like a sparkling-eyed puppy, the usual storm of praise followed.

“You were truly amazing! The power was incredible, but what’s even more amazing is that you recover so quickly even after casting Punishment! Swords were just plunging into the sky like tombstones…!”

Even though I knew there was some exaggeration mixed in, Carla’s flattery made me feel undeservedly proud.

But today, I couldn’t fully focus on it. That’s because…

“Heeik! Our eyes met! He’s going to make me his slave and carve things forever!”

“Gold! Offer gold! Isn’t gold more important than your life!”

“Almighty Striking Steel, protect me from the evil dragon with your eternal flames.”

“…Who are you calling an evil dragon?”

I frowned, wondering why they were acting like this even though I was protecting them, but only for a moment.

I understood everything after hearing Faye’s words that followed.

“Junior fought while releasing a lot of Fear. At first, everyone was just surprised, but after hearing it three or four times, they completely lost their minds, you know?”

“……”

Fafnir’s karma is deep.

Translator’s Note: “chuunibyou” refers to someone, often a teenager, who exhibits childishly grandiose delusions or behaviors ↩️