266 - - a thunderstorm that disappears in the dark

It is said that from birth to death, a person bears eight (...) sufferings.

The eyes of a dragon cast into the underworld have these karma engraved in them as a special power.　

The pain of not being able to move as one pleases - the binding eye.

The lowest eye catches Kikiriri as he returns the two axes to his waistband.

The second eye above it regains its pupil and turns to Nenemimi, who throws down an empty canteen of restorative medicine next to her sister.

The pain that holds the craving that pursues - the hungry eyes.

Anyone exposed to this gaze for more than a second will have their strength drained from them.

But before their eyes can focus, they are gone.

The twins move at high speed to avoid the gaze, and the two newly pupilized eyeballs turn to them.

The pain of hating and resenting others - the grudge eye.

The pain of parting from a loved one - detachment.

The effect of the resentful gaze is an anomaly of the psyche with intense resentment.

It is very dangerous because it causes a loss of normalcy and the inability to think properly.

And the parting glance brings about the parting of the beloved body.

If the gaze of the dead dragon fixes on any part of the body, even slightly, that part is torn off.

Naturally, if the head is stared at, the body from the neck up and the torso say goodbye after a second.

The twins run and dodge the glances emitted from their four eyeballs at will.

The twins run and dodge with a speed that is truly remarkable.

But no matter how fast they move, they now have four times the field of vision.

It is nearly impossible to escape out of their range.

Of course, using the shadows of the pillars may help a little.

But the Kikiriri had a reason to be sure to catch the dragon's eye.

The pupils of the dragon's three remaining eyes dilate as if to stop the twins from moving around as fast as they can.

The pain of being told of the time of the end - the dead eyes.

The suffering of being affected by all kinds of diseases - the fast eye.

The suffering of being cruelly exposed to old age - the waning eye.

When the two gazes of death and old age meet, necrosis of the body and rapid aging of cells are triggered.

And the most troublesome, the fasting eye, is infected with a disease that causes the whole body to convulse just by passing by the place where the gaze has traveled.

It is impossible for a human being to escape from the range of these seven eyes.

Then there is only one path the twins can take.

They must go beyond the limits of humanity.

Now, Mimi!

Nenemimi unleashes all her magical power before her sister's cry.

Instantly, their bodies are covered in blue lightning.

At the same time, purple lightning covers the space around them.

Blue and purple repel each other.

The next moment, the twins disappear completely.

All that remains is the sound of the wind.

No, there is one more thing.

Only the footprints of their sprint on the ground, on the walls, and even in the air are vividly visible.

The impact of the kicking footprints is left behind as they move at high speed, but the sparks of electricity flying off them are as beautiful as if purple and blue flowers had blossomed all at once.

--

This technique, which allows one to move freely at ultra-high speed within a certain space, was, coincidentally, a development of the method that Thor had devised for escaping from the passage of countless ghosts.

The eyes of the dragons move about in a dizzying array of movements in front of the swarms of kirika flying in the air.

However, it is no longer possible to catch sight of the twins.

The Kikiriri, too, spent their time only avoiding their gazes, and were unable to counterattack in any way.

The Kamieda magic technique, which consumes an enormous amount of magic power, does not last very long.

In a short while, the two would be back to their normal speed.

But the twins were running away from the obvious result.

And then the moment they have been waiting for arrives.

The dragon, whose seven pupils were glowing, had undergone a further change.

A new eyeball rapidly regenerates in the empty right eye socket.

As soon as the pure white dura mater is lifted, the eighth pupil appears.

The suffering born - the life-giving eye.

Immediately, the dragon's body undergoes a dramatic transformation.

The white scales take on color, changing to a vivid fresh green.

Half of the face, which had been bare of skull, was quickly covered with flesh, and at the same time, the seven ugly eyeballs disappeared, buried in the flesh, and a new left eye appeared in the orbital socket.

The left shoulder rises rapidly, and the next moment, the flesh and bones that have emerged form wings.

Finally, even the lost leg was regenerated, and the green dragon raised its head high and let out a stormy roar.

This is the moment.

The twins were not the only ones waiting for this moment.

Chita takes a slow breath and quietly takes off his hat, looking into the dragon's final gaze.

It is a respect for the being who survived for a long time and transformed into a dragon.

It is also a relief for the souls that have been forcibly tied up in such a place.

Chita's act had two meanings.

On the top of the head of a woman of the Midoriwa tribe, two feather-shaped green locks of hair face the sky.

But there was something else on Chita's head, hidden under her hat.

Rising up between the two feathers was a green petaled flower.

The petals floating in the air had a peculiar shape, spinning around like a windmill.

The petals were spinning like a windmill in the darkness where there was supposed to be no wind at all.

Chiru, the elder brother, looked at the strange grass growing on Chita's head with a gaze as if he was enduring a strong pain.

The name of the flower is "kusumi-kusa".

It is a sacred relic of the trading temple that worships the wind god Rohe.

It was a relic that was not originally intended to be used anymore.

By now, the talented Chita should have returned to his hometown, devoted himself to the training of his successors, and leisurely rode around on his flying dragon while raising his children.

However, things changed just before that time.

The patriarch of the Tokiwa family, to which Chiru and his family belonged, was suddenly replaced.

The youngest son, the new patriarch, was a suspicious man who did not trust his brothers and sisters.

Naturally, he looked askance at Chiru and Chita, who were both of the Kongo class and close to being heroes.

What was particularly unfortunate was that they played a major role in the defeat of the Legendary Monster, the Witch of the Swamp.

As a result, the siblings' names spread quickly throughout the country through the trading temples.

If these two heroes were to take credit for sealing the noxious gas pit, their own position would be in jeopardy.

The mission given to Chiru and Chita was to free the dragon that bore the horrifyingly abominable name.

The Tokiwa family, which has a large number of flying dragons and can travel freely through the airways, cannot afford to leave the green dragon, the symbol of the Tokiwa family, in the state of being a cruel monster.

It is a reasonable theory, but this is too much waste of a good adventurer.

Nevertheless, Chita agreed without a word.

If he rebelled against the order, it might lead to the breakup of the house.

It was not a course he should take, considering the perilous situation of his homeland, Reginalia.

The windmill-shaped petals that have begun to turn slowly produce a clean wind.

The pleasant shimmering of the air quietly envelops the raging dragon.

Each time the windmill spins, the wind becomes stronger and stronger, and in contrast, the dragon emits a gentle roar.

At the same time, Chita's expression gradually lost its color.

Eventually, the purification process began.

The dragon's body disappears soundlessly from every corner, as if it were dissolving into thin air.

Gradually, the legs and wings disappear, and the body, covered in shining green scales, is covered in green.

Finally, the head of the dragon, eyes closed in peace, vanishes, and all that is left is a hideous chain ring lying on the floor.

The chains of the curse are sucked into a black hole in the back wall, and at the same time, the hole itself vanishes.

Behind them are the twins, breathing hard on their shoulders, and the calm-faced waterman.

Chita, who has used up the power of the relic, and Chiru, who has witnessed the end of the poor dragon, are the only ones left.

Thus Zoldamarg, the rotting dragon who had been bound in the labyrinth for so long, was finally able to forget his abominable name.

Chiru gently receives her sister, who falls down powerless as the flower on her head wilts, and looks into her eyes.

The soft light has already disappeared from both of her eyes.