Ch.112Chapter 112 – Rampage (1)

Beatrice exploded.

“You of all people! You of all people! You of all people! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!!!!”

“Lady Beatrice has gone crazy!”

Christina’s scream could be heard.

Sarah had to swallow a gasp at Beatrice’s transformation atop the castle wall.

She never imagined such an expression could be hidden behind that face.

Beatrice had always seemed somewhat rough and unreliable.

Still, Sarah had been thinking that Beatrice’s true nature must be incredibly kind, considering how she willingly taught her magic and looked after others in various ways, both obvious and subtle.

With Kay, it seemed there were some unresolved tensions or awkwardness that they hadn’t properly addressed.

But seeing her now, Sarah realized how little she truly knew about Beatrice.

With eyes nearly rolled back in her head, Beatrice was charging at the man called Somnus.

In an instant, Beatrice reached Somnus and immediately threw a punch.

-THUD!

“What the hell is this damn shield?!”

A massive shield made of holy power appeared to protect Somnus.

Beatrice, undeterred, extended her other hand to try to break the shield.

-THUD!

“It’s no use.”

Somnus spoke to Beatrice as if trying to calm her down.

“I wouldn’t stand before you without taking precautions.”

“Let’s see how long those precious precautions of yours last!!!”

Beatrice said this as she kicked the shield with her knee, finally breaking it.

Just as Beatrice was about to approach Somnus, there was movement targeting her.

Knights in red armor.

They were the same test subjects as Kay.

The two knights swung halberds similar to the one Kay had used.

“Damn bastards!!”

Keeping her body close to the ground, Beatrice slipped through the gaps in their attacks and reached Somnus.

Despite the risk of having her head split open by the halberds, she paid no heed.

“Die!!!”

“This is why a mad dog…”

Somnus spoke as if lamenting.

Then arrows of light began flying toward Beatrice.

She immediately deflected the arrows.

The arrows she deflected exploded instantly.

“This is…!”

Beatrice shouted as she looked at her hand, which was bleeding slightly despite being wrapped in magical power.

While she had already consumed quite a bit of magical power, even considering that, the holy power was strong.

Grinding her teeth at the girl who had been interfering with her using holy magic, Beatrice did a backflip to create distance.

“You, you bastard! Come here right now!”

“I refuse.”

Somnus replied lightly as he moved behind the girl at his side.

He looked as if he was using the girl as a shield.

And in that situation, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

“What is going on here!”

It was Diana, who had rushed over after noticing the sudden commotion on the castle wall.

Since everyone around was distracted by the battle between the Dragon Slayer and the dragon, she had come alone despite being a commander.

And when she saw Somnus, her face contorted severely.

“You…!”

“It’s been a while, Lady Diana.”

Somnus bowed respectfully.

Diana stepped forward and shouted at Somnus.

“What are you plotting now, you madman!”

“How many years has it been since then? Perhaps a little less than twenty years have passed?”

Somnus spoke calmly.

Watching him, Diana clicked her tongue and shouted.

“Get out of here!”

“That’s a bit difficult. That mad dog over there doesn’t seem willing to let me go.”

Diana glanced briefly at Beatrice, who looked ready to pounce again unlike before, then looked back at Somnus.

And she spoke with killing intent.

“You must have done something wrong again.”

“How unfortunate. I’ve only been working hard for the church.”

Somnus bowed his head toward Diana.

With an expression that seemed almost mocking.

“Just as you once served as the Holy Knight Commander of the Emiris Church.”

At Somnus’s words, Beatrice’s gaze turned toward Diana.

Diana merely stared at Somnus with cold eyes.

“If it weren’t for that incident, I would still be working there.”

“Oh, are you perhaps thinking of coming back? We could always find a position…”

“Shut up.”

Diana aimed her spear.

Her stance seemed a bit lacking in strength, perhaps due to age, but she still held her spear and said:

“After my daughter was sacrificed for your political games, I realized one thing.”

“What is that?”

“That all gods are dead. That they’re completely useless.”

Somnus’s expression changed slightly at her words.

He looked somewhat bitter, or perhaps angry.

“Your words are rather excessive.”

“I don’t know about others, but I’ve earned the right.”

“You have no such right.”

“I do. I’m the one who decides, you bastard.”

Diana took a step forward.

“How could I believe in gods when my daughter, who was so devout, was sacrificed for political games and I couldn’t even find her body?”

“…So that’s why you turned your back on the gods and defected to the Kingdom of Mikea.”

Somnus closed his eyes for a moment.

Soon he opened them again and said:

“Really. If only you had quietly followed me.”

Strangely emotional, Sarah thought.

More than that, something felt off.

It was the first time he had shown emotion and engaged in conversation, rather than just saying what he wanted to say.

While Sarah was feeling this sense of dissonance, Somnus quietly turned his head to look at Beatrice and Diana, then Christina and Sarah in turn.

And he quietly said:

“Still, I won’t die here.”

“Let’s see if you still think that after I cut out that tongue of yours!”

Having reached the limit of her patience, Beatrice charged again.

Matching her movement, the red holy knights began to move again.

Unlike before, smoke began to pour from their bodies.

And golden energy began to envelop them.

“Whoever you are, you must be quite a high-ranking clergy!”

“Of course. She’s our Saint.”

Answering Diana’s exclamation, Somnus smiled slightly and said:

“She’s the successor to the previous Saint, who was your daughter.”

Diana’s expression twisted.

As she too was about to charge forward, Sarah pulled her back.

“Let me go!”

“No, these people are almost as strong as Kay!”

Diana’s face contorted.

She looked as if she wanted to ask Sarah how she knew that.

But she eventually had to back down.

She knew well the skill of Kay, who appeared to have fainted behind them.

At least, while she might have had a chance in the past, the aging Diana had no chance of winning now.

Soon the two holy knights began to clash with Beatrice, and Beatrice tried to kick them away with nimble movements.

Or rather, she tried to.

“Damn shield!”

A shield of light interfered with Beatrice.

Beatrice moved immediately, and arrows and swords of light flew after her.

Christina quickly activated holy magic.

“‘Protect the lambs!'”

This time, Christina’s shield was erected in front of Beatrice, and the arrows stuck in the shield.

Small explosions occurred, breaking Christina’s shield.

And toward Beatrice, a holy knight swung his halberd.

“Clay Shield!”

The magic Beatrice had taught activated precisely and protected her.

The clay shield was half split but eventually stopped the halberd, and Beatrice quickly kicked him away.

And toward her, arrows of light were shot again.

“Well then.”

Somnus gradually turned his attention away from them as if losing interest.

With the Saint and two holy knights, it wouldn’t be difficult to restrain Beatrice.

Knowing this, he slowly began to watch the battle below.

“This feeling of everything going according to plan, it’s so exhilarating.”

The troublemakers were tied up, and according to plan, he just needed to retrieve the dragon’s heart and leave.

While it was a bit unpleasant to hear some nasty words, there was no problem with the task itself.

“If only things continue to flow like this.”

Somnus quietly pondered while thinking about future plans.

And that was the moment.

The moment when an irregular appeared in his plan.

+

The body moved.

The body that had been bleeding was somehow healed.

Pain was felt, but movement was possible.

It was the moment when I thought I had stood up and put strength in my legs.

“Kay?! Wait, it’s dangerous…!”

Someone’s panicked voice.

And the sound of red-armored holy knights swinging halberds at me.

I grabbed one halberd in each hand.

Perhaps they didn’t expect their weapons to be caught, as they frantically tried to pull them back.

“Where do you think you’re going.”

I twisted each halberd with just my hands.

The red holy knights lost their grip on the halberds with just that.

Not wanting to play with them anymore, I swung one halberd and threw it far away.

“Too long.”

I grabbed the middle part of the halberd.

Holding the halberd like a one-handed axe, I looked at my target.

The target.

The most ominous one.

“Somnus.”

Somnus turned his face toward me.

“What…?”

Strange.

He looked familiar.

Somehow, I felt like I owed him a great debt.

Then I should repay that debt.

As I charged toward Somnus, a shield made of holy power appeared before me.

It was the doing of that woman with her face covered by cloth behind him.

“Move it.”

I swung the halberd and easily broke the shield, then rushed toward Somnus.

I’ll kill him here.

Then I saw Somnus quickly jumping down below.

He was shouting something as he did so.

I jumped down after him to chase him.

Somnus slid down the ground as he flew away, and I landed and ran after him.

And looking ahead, I saw an old man and a pink-haired woman with blank expressions.

Now is not the time.

To pay attention to those two.

I passed by them, continuing to chase Somnus.

“Kay…”

The old man’s words were cut off.

Somnus is the priority now.

I quickly pulled back the halberd with all my might and threw it.

The halberd flew toward Somnus like a throwing axe.

And I saw a platinum-haired man deflect the halberd with a sword.

“What.”

Is he trying to protect that man?

He’s on his side then.

As I was about to strike him down with the halberd, he suddenly jumped backward.

It seemed Somnus had used magic to pull him back.

As I was chasing after him…

[You, in that state.]

A familiar voice.

I quickly crossed my arms to block a fist.

The black dragon, with parts of its black armor slightly broken, was looking at me.

[You’re forcibly moving by activating your power.]

You know well.

Then, there was no need to answer.

Rather, I needed to remove this obstacle.

I blocked the dragon’s fist with the halberd.

Then he struck the halberd upward with his other fist, making me drop it, and I immediately punched him, knocking him down.

Before I knew it, red lightning was sparking all over my body.

No, that’s not quite right.

Red lightning covering my heart was spreading throughout my body.

Using the red lightning to forcibly keep alive a body that should have died long ago—that would be a more accurate description.

I began a fistfight with the black dragon.

We started exchanging punches furiously, similar to how he fought.

[Huh!]

A voice that could be either admiration or surprise.

I ignored it and swung my fist.

For some reason, the thought that I needed to defeat him kept ringing in my head.

It could be called instinct.

That armor was annoying, by the way.

Is that supposed to be dragon armor?

‘Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, this heart is also similar to a dragon’s heart.

Then, I should probably be able to use it too.

The moment I thought that, a change occurred.

Unlike usual, knowledge began to enter my mind.

As if I remembered something I had forgotten for a long time.

As if I remembered something I instinctively knew.

White armor began to cover my body.

New armor grows over the armor that’s falling apart.

Finally, a newly appeared helmet covered my head.

“Ah…”

My head felt slightly dazed.

It felt like being reborn.

No, maybe I was actually reborn.

“It worked.”

I quietly began to appreciate the armor that had appeared on me.

Like him, it had a dragon-inspired design.

The difference would be that the details were slightly different and the color was white.

‘Amazing.’

In a way, I just put on armor.

But my vision was clear, and I began to feel something floating around me.

Energy that I could use however I wanted.

For fun, I extended my hand, and the energy gathered and began to spark.

[Dragon transformation?]

Dragon transformation?

This?

[Perhaps it’s a transformation made possible by continuously using Pia’s power.]

“What are you talking about?”

Is that important right now?

I’ve just awakened to something new.

[It’s unstable now, essentially in a state of rampage.]

“Unstable? Rampage?”

I don’t understand.

“Besides, it’s a bit noisy.”

Some old human and a pink-haired woman next to me were shouting something.

From the castle wall above, they were also calling out to me.

They seemed to be calling the same name.

“Kay?”

Whose name is that?

I don’t know.

[Come, youngster.]

The black dragon took a stance.

[I’ll test whether you’re qualified.]

“What qualification?”

I started feeling uneasy, as if I’d forgotten something important, but he dares to test me?

It made me feel bad.

I didn’t like it.

“I’ll beat you up.”

I took a stance following the dragon.

And then I charged toward the dragon.