Ch.1172Rise up

Dragon scales and bones are the strongest materials available on earth.

Even dwarves, unmatched in mechanical and metallurgical engineering, admit they cannot create alloys that surpass their strength with any other material.

What about Dragonic Silver?

Ah, well, dragon scales might be slightly inferior compared to Dragonic Silver, but strictly speaking, that’s a separate category altogether. Dragonic Silver isn’t originally an earthly material anyway.

Dragonic Silver is the remains of a dead goddess left behind for humans. Essentially, it should be considered a product of the heavens, not of the earth.

It’s only natural that the metallized remains of an ascended goddess would outperform dragon remains.

The very fact that they’re even comparable already proves that dragon scales are an absurdly overpowered material.

…So what exactly am I trying to say?

That’s simple.

– Crack!

【 Urrrrghhh…! 】

“Yes, you’re doing great! Just keep holding on like that!”

The fire dragon Kudsedra sealed in my ring is essentially a moving fortress, an incredibly sturdy shield.

He’s my tactical temporary defense, sacrificing his body to protect me from the vast mana—the power of an ancient dragon—that targeted my life through the sea.

And he’s even rechargeable. Even if he gets completely destroyed, I can resummon him given enough time.

【 Urrrgh… my wings, my wings…! 】

Kudsedra continues to rise steadfastly despite having his wings torn off, horns shattered, and legs twisted and crushed. His spirit is quite admirable.

The will and determination to sacrifice even his own body to protect his master. Isn’t this the very definition of self-sacrifice?

He’s truly a loyal servant. There’s no more faithful servant than this.

【 Ugh…! At this rate, soon…! 】

“It’s okay, you’re not dead yet! Hold on longer!”

Of course, being somewhat of a drama queen, he keeps talking about dying… but that’s not my problem. It’s not like he’s actually dying, right?

So just hold on a bit longer.

【 Until, until when must I endure…? 】

Until when?

What a silly question. The answer is obvious.

“Until we win!”

With a smile full of fighting spirit, I told Kudsedra when his pain would end.

Perhaps deeply satisfied with that definitive answer, Kudsedra responded with a fierce roar like a mad dragon.

【 K̶̢̛͉̦͍͐͒́̎́r҉̡̫̫̜҇̔̃y̸̨̤̘̌̎͝a҈̨͔͓̰̊̈͒͋͑͠a̶̰̱̿̈͒̒͋̕͜a҉̡̗̭̦̦̩̆͌̿́̐̕a̷̧̖͉̿̇̚͞a̵̲̞̣̱̳͆́̿̂͜͡ą̴͚̮͍̝̥͑͌͡a̷̧͕̥҇͊̇̀͐ą̴̬̭̳̔̾͠ă̸͙̱͕̥̄͛͋̌̕͢ą̶͔͍͑̓̑̏͝h҉̨͖̞͕̽̚͡ͅ!̵͍̣̭͕͌̏̏͂̕͢ 】

Good, that’s quite a spirited shout. Judging by his voice, he can hold on for a few more minutes. Just keep it up.

Until my sword is thrust into that monster’s heart.

– Rumble!

In the swirling chaos of shattered scales scattered everywhere.

Spraying bloody water spray like feathers, the immortal fire dragon, consumed by rage, erupted like a volcano.

Toward the edge of the false deep sea.

======[ Leviathan ]======

The deep sea dragon, Leviathan, was positioned at the very top of the pseudo-deep sea he had created, just as Haschal had predicted.

Slowly swimming through the deep sea of his own creation, replenishing the power he had spent using his ability to create and control nature, causing natural disasters.

‘…He’s coming up. Has he figured out my position?’

In darkness so thick that not even a silhouette could be seen with the naked eye.

Though there was a vast distance between him and Haschal where neither light nor sound could reach, Leviathan could still see her.

…Or rather, strictly speaking, he wasn’t exactly “seeing” her.

He wasn’t visually confirming Haschal’s movements but sensing them through the seawater surrounding her—more precisely, through the mana within it.

This vast deep sea filled with mana emitted by Leviathan was, metaphorically speaking, a space like his own stomach. Within it, Leviathan could sense everything.

The surging currents, the struggles of foreign objects mixed within, even Haschal’s every move. All of it as clearly as if it were right before his eyes.

The same applied to Kudsedra, whom Haschal had desperately summoned.

‘A dragon… I see. Not one of my kind… then an inferior imitation?’

Born with an awkward mix of dragon and human, abandoning their humanity to follow dragons until finally achieving a dragon’s form—inferior beings and imitators.

That’s how dragonborn-turned-dragons appeared from the perspective of ancient dragons.

Similar to themselves but never equal—inferior beings. Half-baked creatures, so to speak.

Of course, even such inferior beings were still dragons.

Therefore, Leviathan couldn’t help but feel disgust as if facing filth and contempt that made his insides boil at Kudsedra’s disgraceful behavior.

‘How absurd. To act as a shield for a monkey, is this what one who calls himself a dragon does…!’

Even though he was fundamentally just an inferior imitator, for a being that had achieved a dragon’s form to bow and submit to a mere human.

【 You inferior worm. If you have any shame, take your own life now! 】

To Leviathan, that pathetic fire dragon below was already a terrible insult to the entire dragon race just by existing.

Yet it was deeply unpleasant that, due to his unnecessarily sturdy body and high mana resistance, he couldn’t be quickly killed by the current indirect methods.

The strategy Leviathan had chosen was one-sided but somewhat lacking in decisive power, making it inefficient against large and sturdy opponents like dragons.

Given the overwhelming difference in power, he could eventually eliminate him with enough time, but that slight delay was the problem.

– Crack!

‘…Still resisting. How annoying.’

The fire dragon continued charging forward without stopping, even as one wing was caught in a whirlpool and torn out by the roots, and his entire body was pierced by beam-like high-pressure, high-speed water currents.

‘He will reach me.’

Leviathan sensed it.

That charge couldn’t be stopped. It would reach his vicinity before he could crush its head. Along with the star’s demigod hiding inside its mouth, preparing for a decisive strike.

‘Then I’ll simply sink it myself!’

【 Guoooooooo―! 】

With a roar like a heartbeat that shook the currents, the ancient dragon swimming near the ceiling turned toward the visible deep sea.

– Rumble!

The ancient dragon descending like the night sky and the fire dragon rising while scattering golden fragments.

Ten seconds until they met. One second to recognize each other and pass by.

Immediately after, the fire dragon and ancient dragon abruptly changed direction and collided with an explosion-like spray of water.

– Guuuuuuung!

【 An-ancient dragon…!? 】

Kudsedra was shocked, having not expected his opponent to be an ancient dragon.

【 Face your death, inferior worm! 】

Leviathan raged at this filth who single-handedly disgraced their entire race.

The collision of the two monsters was like a massive dam collapsing—violent, overwhelming, and instantaneous.

– Crack!

Leviathan gripped Kudsedra’s shoulder with his front legs, clutched his body with his other legs, wrapped his tail around the fire dragon’s wings and tore them off.

Then he opened his massive jaws and crushed Kudsedra’s neck.

So easily, so one-sidedly. Like a strong adult breaking a ten-year-old child’s limbs.

The overwhelming difference in class. The wounds carved into his body while ascending through the deep sea. The constraint of being unable to open his mouth because of Haschal.

Even without these issues, he would have lost anyway, but because of them, Kudsedra was overwhelmed without being able to offer proper resistance.

【 Krrh, Krhrrrrrk…! 】

All Kudsedra could do was groan through his clenched teeth.

If he could at least breathe out, he might have landed one blow, but unfortunately, this was impossible.

If he did, Haschal, who was taking shelter inside his mouth, would be the first to be engulfed by that breath.

“It doesn’t matter, fire!”

…That is, if Haschal hadn’t permitted it.

【 KRAAAAAAAAAAAAH-! 】

As soon as Haschal’s order fell, Kudsedra opened his tightly closed mouth and exhaled a lava-like breath despite the intense pain.

There was no hesitation.

Why hesitate when Haschal herself had permitted it?

Even if she suffered serious damage from being caught in the breath, having given permission, it was entirely her responsibility to bear. Not his.

So Kudsedra exhaled his breath without any hesitation.

Perhaps due to some unconscious emotion, the firepower of that breath was about three times its usual intensity.

– Whoosh!

Thanks to that firepower, the fire dragon’s breath spread fiercely, not extinguishing even underwater, scattering violent bubbles and steam.

The lava-like stream of fire covered the sea dragon’s neck.

【 GRRRRRRRRR…! 】

Feeling more anger than pain as the scales on his neck slowly melted, Leviathan growled while biting down harder on Kudsedra’s neck.

It was at that moment.

– Roar!

From within the whirlpool of lava-like pillars of fire, boiling water bubbles, steam, and blood.

– Whoosh!

A star erupted.

The goddess of stars and dawn, wrapped in dragon flames like armor.

As Leviathan’s neck came within reach of her sword, she swung with all the power she had been gathering while waiting for this exact moment.