Ch.1177New Power, New Ally?

“There is a saying: retreat means decline, fear means death.”

I’ve forgotten where I saw this maxim, but its simple yet powerful message perfectly suits my taste, which is why I still remember it.

Perhaps it fits my current situation so well?

My fate certainly resembles that pattern.

No matter how vigilant I am in avoiding immediate dangers to ensure my safety, I’ll eventually face an unavoidable catastrophe.

Worse still, I don’t have much time left.

One or two years, perhaps? Three years at most would be optimistic.

I’m not saying I have some terminal illness—rather, that’s roughly how long until this world faces its destruction.

If I can’t obtain enough power to overcome that destruction within that timeframe, I’ll be buried alongside this world. So I suppose “terminal” isn’t entirely inaccurate.

That’s why I need to become stronger, faster than anyone else.

If there’s an opportunity to gain power, I must seize it regardless of what it is. If I hesitate while calculating risks, I won’t be able to prevent the inevitable destruction.

That’s why I chose the path to become stronger more quickly, even at the risk of having to deal with a strengthened Vanirgand.

Following the method Vanirgand mockingly taught me—devouring a dragon’s soul and heart to take its power.

You could say I willingly shouldered this danger for the future and well-being of the world.

I am such a person—no, goddess—full of responsibility and self-sacrifice. Aren’t I noble and virtuous? You should always be grateful.

…What’s that? I just impulsively acted on a taunt without thinking things through?

Where did you hear such slander? Do you want to become dessert?

—-

Though he said to tear apart and devour the soul and heart, that was merely a figure of speech. He didn’t literally mean for me to chew and swallow them.

That wouldn’t be possible anyway.

A soul can’t be physically torn apart to begin with, and as for the heart of a dragon as large as a mountain range—I’d have to eat non-stop for a week to consume it all.

What I needed to swallow was just a tiny fraction—not the whole thing, but only the parts containing the essence.

The pineal body where the dragon’s soul resides, and the inner core of the heart—the dragon orb.

I tore these from Leviathan’s corpse and devoured them raw like a barbarian.

“Ugh… this tastes absolutely disgusting. Is this poison?”

They say beneficial things taste bitter, but there should be limits. This tasted 100% harmful to the body.

Still, after eating it, there were definitely meaningful changes.

– Crack, crunch, growl…!

“Urrrgh…!”

After enduring pain that felt like my bones were twisting and my lungs forcibly expanding and filling with water, I gained new power.

After I finished eating everything, Vanirgand, acting as if doing me a favor, explained that by consuming the dragon’s soul and heart, I could obtain some of its abilities.

Not only would my existing powers strengthen, but by swallowing the soul I’d gain its magical abilities, and by eating the heart I’d acquire its physical characteristics.

Apparently, I wouldn’t know exactly what abilities I’d get until I’d eaten and fully digested them.

…In the worst case, scales might grow all over my body, or octopus tentacles might sprout from my lower body.

Hearing that made me want to curse out loud—it was truly chilling.

You should have told me that before I ate them, not after! Laughing while telling me this afterward is just too cruel. What a bastard personality.

…So what abilities did I actually gain?

At least the physical changes were something I could call fortunate.

“My body feels a bit heavier…”

【Dragon bones… you’re quite lucky.】

A physical change with guaranteed performance that doesn’t show externally.

My bones, which had already transcended human limits through transformation, were now completely replaced with a fundamentally different grade of dragon bones.

They were as hard and tough as Jin, with tremendously high mana resistance—the highest quality skeleton possible.

This meant both my attack and defense power had significantly increased.

Attacks that would have broken my bones due to pressure and recoil could now be executed without any hesitation.

My weight increased somewhat due to the density, but considering my strength, that was more of a benefit than a drawback.

The problem was the ability I gained from swallowing the soul.

The power I obtained from Leviathan was the ability to generate and spray water from within my body. Having experienced it firsthand, I acknowledged its effectiveness, but…

“Phuuuuuub—!”

…shit, it comes out of my mouth.

You know, those high-speed, high-pressure water jets that the small dragon heads attached to Leviathan’s jaw shot out? I can now use that too.

“Bweeeeeck…”

Again, from my mouth.

I could even freely control the speed and pressure—instead of compressing it like a blade, I could also just spew out thick streams of water.

【Hmm… well, you’ll never have trouble finding water anywhere. It could also be useful for surprise attacks. A reasonable outcome.】

“Reasonable outcome” my ass. I’ve become a human Squirtle and you call that reasonable? If you really think so, at least say it without laughing.

Every syllable was mixed with barely concealed laughter, making me so furious I could feel my blood boiling.

This wolf bastard—I’ll definitely tear him apart someday. By whatever means necessary, I’ll make sure those yapping dog sounds come out of his mouth.

I made that vow once again as I waved my now-healed arm and walked out of the dragon’s corpse.

—-

“Finally coming out. Did you faint in there or something?”

The one who greeted me outside was Ophelia van Sigmillus, who had cleaned up the aftermath in my place.

She too had been bleeding profusely from her eyes, nose, and mouth due to excessive mana use, but she seemed to have recovered somewhat by now.

“I had some things to take care of. How are Jahan and Nigel?”

“I sent them to Lena. They haven’t regained consciousness yet, but they’re past the critical stage. As long as they rest for a while, there shouldn’t be any lasting effects.”

“Well done. That’s a relief.”

She had not only taken care of herself but also provided emergency treatment for Jahan and Nigel.

As expected of Ophelia. If not for that strange obsession of hers, she would truly be a flawless companion—her handling of the situation was impressively clean.

“So, where is Lena? And what’s this complicated situation you mentioned?”

“I’ll explain as we walk. It would be faster to meet and talk directly.”

“Meet… who?”

“Unexpected reinforcements… I suppose you could call them that? Just follow me for now.”

Ophelia shrugged and walked toward the rear of the battlefield, gesturing for me to follow quickly.

Fine, I’ll hear it as we walk. No rush.

I sighed softly and caught up with her. Only then did she begin to explain the detailed circumstances.

—-

The thousands of fish-people that had filled the lake were completely exterminated, not a single one remaining.

Not because of Leviathan’s flames or Nigel’s group’s efforts, but due to the intervention of an unexpected third force.

“An army?”

“Yes. They suddenly appeared and wiped out all the fish-people. At first I thought they were new enemies, but it turned out to be the opposite.”

A non-human army that emerged during the fierce battle between Nigel’s group and the fish-people, as if they had been waiting for the right moment.

After mercilessly annihilating the fish-people who were thrown into confusion by the sudden ambush, they approached Nigel’s wary group and initiated conversation.

“Could you communicate with them…?”

“More easily than with the fish-people.”

Our side was also surprised that these non-humans sought dialogue instead of combat, but since there was nothing to gain from fighting, we complied.

“So, what did they talk about?”

“They asked if we could defeat that sea dragon… Leviathan, was it? They said if we won, they would invite us as honored guests to their kingdom.”

“Honored guests…?”

“They apparently couldn’t defeat the sea dragon no matter what they tried, so they were naturally grateful that we took care of it for them. Being treated as honored guests seems only natural.”

Well, if they were mortal enemies, I can understand them being grateful for our help in achieving complete victory, but…

“…Do they normally invite strangers to their country?”

That seems excessive. Who do they think we are to extend such an invitation? Isn’t their lack of caution a bit extreme?

“I’m not sure. It seemed like they had something more than simple gratitude on their minds. Whether it’s a negotiation or a request, I can’t tell.”

“Could it be a trap? Maybe they’re planning to lure us in and harm us…”

“Creatures that couldn’t kill a dragon and were just waiting for an opportunity, now trying to harm those who killed that dragon by luring them to their base? That doesn’t seem likely.”

So she doesn’t think it’s a trap. If Ophelia judged it that way, it’s probably true.

In that case, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Ophelia added that they had solemnly sworn to thoroughly guarantee our safety.

“So what exactly are these creatures? Surely not humans.”

“Nagas. Two-armed snakes, you could say? That’s roughly what they looked like.”

“Nagas…?”

…I hope that oath wasn’t something like swearing on the lives of all nagas, or something similar.

The name suddenly reminded me of a human whose life was ruined for trusting such an oath.