Ch.130130. Ben Guytenping (3)

It burns.

Everything burns.

The land, the sky, born life, created life, even weapons meant for death.

With an explosion that seemed like the end of the world, everything within range was swept away.

The ultra-high-density magical mass that crushed and fell from a flying bird became a massive explosion the moment it hit the ground, repeating microscopic divisions.

The enormous red mushroom cloud reminiscent of a fungus, surrounded by ring-like clouds, symbolized this catastrophic strike.

The heat accompanying the magnificent explosion that shook heaven and earth swept through the entire area, reducing everything to ashes.

The state of the dragon hunters who became targets of this massive explosive magic was so miserable that a considerable number left no trace at all.

Ashes? Dust? They couldn’t even become that much.

The overwhelming heat literally “evaporated” their bodies, and even those not directly caught in it had no chance of remaining intact.

In some distant world, the power that in some sense mimicked the authority of “gods.”

Anyone caught in magic that imitated such power was either evaporated by the magical explosion or left with only slight traces, regardless of whether they had aura or not.

Except one.

A noble one wearing a cloak made of giant’s skin engraved with the Bestia Goddess’s emblem, underneath which was armor generously crafted with mythril and orichalcon. Decisively, in his hand was a sword made from a processed dragon’s fang.

The holy knight of Bestia Goddess, one of the 12 main deities of the Pantheon, the chosen one who blocked the nuclear heat magic with a shield wrapped in golden aura—the apostle of god.

Even in this scene of extreme destruction, he survived.

With a kite shield made of mythril mixed with orichalcon like his armor, he held it forward and manipulated his aura through a special method (skill).

Although his cloak made of frost giant skin, which was weak to heat, was tattered, the chosen holy knight of Bestia Goddess survived at the very center of that nuclear heat magic explosion.

[What…?!!]

And this was something that even Ben Gaitenpaeng, who caused this explosion, had not predicted.

Despite being directly hit by the 4LV nuclear heat magic “Little Boy,” which had been deliberately infused with excessive magical power to enhance its potency.

Yet not only did he survive, but he turned out to be an apostle of the 12 main deities of the Pantheon!

While Ben’s arrogant brothers might not understand, he, being a relatively cool-headed dragon, could be certain.

‘At this rate, I’m dead!!’

Yes. He was none other than a holy knight, an apostle of the 12 main deities of the Pantheon.

A high-ranking holy knight with already high resistance to Ben’s proud magic, and on top of that, an apostle of a main deity… Ben never had a chance from the beginning.

‘…Let’s flee.’

Therefore, Ben Gaitenpaeng put aside all pride and dignity in the face of mortal danger and attempted to escape using the transfer device he had installed in his nest just in case, but…

‘What… why isn’t it working?’

For some reason, the long-distance transfer magic circle he had confidently prepared wasn’t functioning, as if some being was blocking the transfer.

[…I’m doomed.]

And this was tantamount to a death sentence for Ben.

For a mature dragon like Ben with an extreme amount of magical power, the difficulty of transfer increases, making it impossible to escape via transfer without preparation like magic circles.

Physically flying away could be an option, but…

Let me be honest.

[How am I supposed to escape from that?!]

Ben Gaitenpaeng lacked the absolute confidence that he could escape from that holy knight charging across the field at such speed.

Therefore, Ben ultimately chose to fight.

He would lure the holy knight into his prepared home ground and somehow deal with him.

※ ※ ※

Ben Gaitenpaeng tried his best.

During his not-so-long 20 years of dragon life, he moved busily, perhaps more diligently than ever before.

He activated various magical and non-magical traps to attack the holy knight-apostle, while simultaneously sending his subordinates to somehow weaken the holy knight’s fighting power.

From classic arrow traps to magical ones like transfer traps, gas traps mixing poison gas, paralysis gas, and sleep gas.

He also sent intermediate wyverns summoned by magic and monsters he had subjugated to try to reduce the holy knight’s magical power or condition even slightly, but…

The holy knight chosen by Bestia Goddess, one of the 12 main deities of the Pantheon, was… so formidable that he crushed Ben Gaitenpaeng’s efforts head-on.

He broke through walls, ignored traps even when hit, and cut down monsters with a single stroke.

After weakening him slightly with various gases and curses, Ben ambitiously deployed his modified manticores and drake groups, but…

The holy knight moved as if the curses restraining him were nothing, swinging his bone sword wrapped in sacred aura to behead 20 intermediate monsters at once.

Since the holy knight broke through all the traps Ben had prepared and finally reached his location, Ben Gaitenpaeng had no choice but to face him directly.

And… Ben fought hard.

He fought more earnestly and better than in any battle he had ever fought in his life.

Judging that directly using magic would be foolish against a holy knight who was an apostle of a god with transcendent magic resistance, he utilized his physical abilities, which were clearly superior to the holy knight’s, wrapped himself in enhancement magic, and entered the battle directly.

He also used the terrain to his advantage by activating a device that drew magma from beneath the mountain range into his nest.

Thus, Ben Gaitenpaeng, who challenged the holy knight using every possible means at his disposal…

[…Kuk, keeack!]

What’s there to say? After seemingly pushing back the holy knight armed with infinite magic cheat and divine weapons for a while, he was eventually overwhelmed in skill and one-sidedly beaten.

Fallen to the ground, coughing and spewing smoke from his mouth, Ben’s condition was so miserable that anyone would consider him a corpse.

His right foreleg, which he had been wielding as a weapon, was cleanly cut off and lying somewhere, and his left foreleg had all its claws shattered and suffered lacerations deep enough to expose bone.

The membrane of his wings, which he had used as a shield, was tattered into rags. The left side of his face was crushed, his left horn shattered, and his eye burst.

Decisively, the scales all over his body had somehow broken or fallen off, resulting in a miserable appearance due to countless wounds covering his skin.

As Ben, literally on the verge of death, glared at the holy knight, the knight finally spoke to him for the first time.

“Evil dragon… your deeds are undoubtedly ‘evil,’ but I respect your fighting spirit.”

[Who are you calling… an evil dragon…!!]

Ben flared up at those words and tried to argue, but… at that moment, he collapsed to the ground and could no longer continue speaking.

Though completely drained of energy and unable to speak, Ben Gaitenpaeng was still inwardly furious.

How dare they treat him, who had lived quietly, like a beast and judge him as evil, then attack him and now act as if they were some hero of justice when they were just a robber?

‘Unforgivable. Unforgivable. I can’t forgive this. Die, die, dieee!!!’

The anger burning in Ben Gaitenpaeng’s heart crossed a critical threshold, and although physically near death, his mind was clearer than ever.

Ben Gaitenpaeng’s heart and emotions—his anger—finally reached “somewhere” in magical form—

Crack, craaack!!!

Suddenly, the air split open, spatial rifts appeared, and red light leaked through from beyond.

“—What?!!”

Before the holy knight could react to this startling phenomenon, strange monsters leaped out from the dozens of spatial rifts that had instantly multiplied.

Creatures with wolf muzzles and heads but troll-like bodies, mixed with wolf characteristics.

[Awoooooo—!!!]

These beasts, hybrids of wolves and trolls, attacked the holy knight as soon as they appeared, but… the holy knight, though initially startled, soon skillfully cut them down.

After lightly blocking or avoiding their whip-like long arms, he swung his sword to slice them from arm to head, dismembering them.

Despite the surprise attack by dozens of intermediate monsters, he skillfully blocked them and was pushing back.

But right then.

“—?!!”

Startled by the powerful magical energy suddenly emanating from a spatial rift behind him, the holy knight hurriedly turned around.

Thud, thud, thud.

What entered the holy knight’s view was the sight of a black warrior with a powerful presence trudging out from inside the rift right in front of him.