CH 176

—The Dragon did not have a name.



For argument’s sake, let’s call the Dragon a “she”.



She was born with the most beautiful scales among the Dragons.



Much like the clear skies, her scales were a brilliant color of blue.



She was more beautiful and talent compared to everyone else.



Soon after her birth, her talent allowed her to learn how to utilize most of her powers.



She could fly in the air with her wings, cut through anything with her claws, and burn down everything with her breaths.



It didn’t take her long to use them to their full potential.



—I’m strong.



It wasn’t an empty boast. She was simply speaking the truth.



No one was capable of beating her after a few years of being born.



The insects that crawled on the ground, the humans that were known for their cleverness, the pigs that were afraid of water, the earth dolls that protected ruins, and the wolves that hid in shadows.



All prostrated before her strength.



If there was anyone that she didn’t like, she ripped them apart with her claws.



If there was an eyesore, she turned them into ashes with but a single breath.



Overwhelming power.



An absolute monarch.



That was what defined her.



The world revolved around me.



That was her belief, and her belief was firm.



However, there was something which she wanted.



The title which the Heavens bestowed to the strongest Dragon – “Dragon King”.



That title represented one of the Six Kings and was proof of being the strongest among all Dragons.



The Six Kings were the “Wolf King”, the “Sea King”, the “Dragon King”, the “Phantom King”, the “Bird King”, and the “Death King”.



As their names suggested, the titles represented the pinnacle of each race.



In particular, being the “Wolf King” or the “Dragon King” was synonymous to being a champion of that era.



—Dissatisfied.



She was dissatisfied.



She was fine with creatures of the other races calling themselves the “Wolf King” or the “Death King”.



However, it was unacceptable for another Dragon to claim itself as the “Dragon King” when she was clearly the strongest.



That was why she searched for the “Dragon King” of that era.



She vowed to tear the “Dragon King” into pieces when they met.



Then, she would proclaim herself the “Dragon King”.



Having made up her mind, she searched all over the continent before arriving before a certain Dragon.



“Hou, are you here to challenge me, oh young female Dragon?”



She had finally found the “Dragon King”.



Just like her, “He” was also a unique existence.



“He” was a Dragon with vermillion scales.



On their first encounter, the beauty of his scales, the shape of his wings and tails, and the mana he possessed charmed her.



Her body became hot, almost as if she had received the brunt of a highly-concentrated breath attack.



Not only that, her heart rang like a bell, and an overwhelming pain coursed throughout her entire body.



—So cool…



To put it simply, she fell in love with him at first sight.



Having devoted her entire life fighting against enemies, love was a foreign concept for her.



“It’s been a long time, but it seems like I can finally have some fun in a bloody battle. Now—”



“Please marry me!”



“………………..Pardon?”



She followed her instinct and professed her love.



Naturally, the young “Dragon King” was dumbfounded.



******



In the end, the two became a married couple.



Unbeknownst to anyone else, the “Dragon King” had also fallen in love with her at first sight and was planning on proposing to her in the middle of their fight.



Apparently, the shape of her tail was the deciding factor.



After their marriage, the couple spent some sweet time together.



They acted so sweetly towards each other, in fact, that the “Dragon King” forgot about his promised duel with the “Wolf King”.



Incensed by the long wait it had to endure, the “Wolf King” barged in, only to turn on its heels.



For the single “Wolf King”, the sweetness in the air was too much to bare.



Left alone, the pair nurtured their love, and she had the happiest time of her life.



Unfortunately, things suddenly began to change.



“Recently, the human race has been acting weirdly.”



That was what the “Dragon King” said.



According to him, the humans were making some suspicious movements.



He continued on, saying that he felt strange powers enveloping the entire continent and that the humans might be plotting something.



—I don’t care about what the human race does.



The weak and puny race known as humans did not matter to her.



She was content with leading a happy life with her husband.



The “Dragon King”, however, had a different idea.



“You shouldn’t underestimate those humans.”



Individually, humans were certainly weak.



Even so, they had intellect, and they were strong in a group.



Sometimes, their determination and will had the potential of threatening the Dragons.



That was why the “Dragon King” was wary of the humans’ movements.



“Let’s head to a human settlement.”



Unlike her, the “Dragon King” had some interactions with the human race.



There was a human magus bearing the title of “Death King” who rivaled the “Dragon King” in strength and was hailed as the strongest on the continent.



The “Dragon King” was thinking of asking her for information and help.



The best way to solve a problem concerning the human race was to consult a human.



Despite being one of the strongest beings, the “Dragon King” was willing to join hands with others in times of need. From a Dragon’s perspective, the “Dragon King” was an abnormal existence.



Nevertheless, she deemed this as his unique charm and believed that this was the reason behind why he was selected as the “Dragon King” instead of her.



My husband. So cool.



—I’ll follow you anywhere…



And with that, they were about to fly to their destination when suddenly—



—the sky was dyed black.



“—!?”



What’s this black mist?



Furthermore, what are these terrifying waves of mana?



They had never experienced this before.



Without any warning, a black mist spread and covered every corner of their world.



They resisted desperately, but they were eventually swallowed helplessly by the mist.



After an unknown amount of time, the mist finally cleared.



That was when she realized that she was on another continent—no, another world.



A different world—that was the conclusion she drew from the difference in scenery.



—Where, is this?



She was confused about what had happened.



Where were the beautiful skies?



Where did the vast, lush continent disappear to?



Above all else, where was her beloved?



Oblivious to everything that was going on, she took off into the air.



—There are so many humans here…



She had seen many humans in her original world, but it was something else here.



No matter where she looked, there were always humans everywhere. No matter where she tried to perceive, signs of humans always got caught in her radar.



Even worse, the air was polluted and the ground was painted gray.



This world was extremely unpleasant to her.



—I want to return…



She wished to return back to her world, back to where he was.



It was a natural desire on her part.



—I must find him.



It was highly likely that he had come to this world as well.



For three days and nights, she searched for him in the skies with bloodshot eyes.



Finally, she sensed his presence.



—Found him.



Good.



As I thought, he was brought to this world too.



However, his presence was somewhat peculiar.



Maybe he’s fighting something.



She hurried to where he was.



She didn’t think that he could possibly lose, but a sense of unease was growing within her.



That was when she met “It”.



“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!”



There stood a tall tree which was so huge that it pierced through the heavens.



The tall tree was manipulating countless vines and shooting out endless amounts of leaves, battling with her beloved in a deadly match.



“GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”



The battle was in favor of the “Dragon King”.



With its mighty breaths, the “Dragon King” was gradually incinerating the body of the tall tree.



His attacks were so relentless that the tree’s regeneration was lagging behind.



Even in a different world, the overpowered “Dragon King” remained overpowered.



—Amazing.



As expected of an absolute existence.



He was the current generation’s “Dragon King” and a husband who she took pride in.



My husband. So cool.



He would win even without her help.



She had no doubt of this.



Yet…



“C-captain! Hurry!”



“Wait for me! I’m coming!”



Far away from the battlefield, she saw the figures of some humans that were running away.



She smiled at their pitiful appearances.



Weak and pathetic, just as I thought.



“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!”



A couple of Peony’s vines were directed towards the vulnerable humans.



More precisely speaking, the humans were coincidentally in the path of Peony’s vines. They were not targeted intentionally.



Peony was too absorbed in its battle with the “Dragon King” to mind them, so it could be argued that the humans were simply unlucky.



“!?”



Neither she nor Peony cared about them. Hence, they left the humans to die.



Only the “Dragon King” reacted differently.



He turned away from its battle with Peony and flew to help the humans.



“GAAA!!”



He unleashed a breath while being extremely mindful of its intensity.



His breath instantly turned the approaching vines into charcoal.



“~~~~~~?”



It was as if an opportunity had fallen from the skies.



Peony was not so foolish as to let this opportunity go to waste.



It immediately entwined the “Dragon King” with its vines and tightened its grasp around him.



“~~~ ♪”



Thereafter, Peony transformed the tips of its vines to look like Venus Flytraps.



Then, drooling, these vines proceeded to bite into the “Dragon King’s” flesh.



“GAHA…!”



His face contorted in pain.



The vines ate at an abnormal pace, eating away at his wings and legs before anyone noticed.



In front of her very eyes, her beloved was being consumed.



—Why?



She couldn’t understand the intention behind her beloved’s actions.



He was strong, invincible even. He would’ve won against the tree monster had he not helped the fragile humans.



Then why?



She couldn’t understand, and her body moved by itself before she could.



Just as she was about to unleash a breath to save her beloved from Peony—



“Stop!”



He stopped her.



“Don’t come near us. It’s not an opponent that you could beat by yourself.”



Why?



Why are you stopping me?



I just want to help you—



“…Sorry.”



Why?



Why are you apologizing?



He turned towards her and squinted with lonely eyes.



“…Those humans had helped me understand a lot about this world. That’s why I didn’t want them to die.”



That kind of stuff doesn’t matter right now.



Stop making a face like that.



“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”



Musha musha musha.



He was being devoured. Her beloved was being devoured in front of her.



“Gaha…haa…haaa…seems like this is the end…but I won’t be sitting still doing nothing as I’m being consumed. I’ll entrust you with my knowledge and powers.”



Why? Why are you saying these things?



You’re the “Dragon King”, an invincible existence. Why—



“Sorry. Ah, how I would’ve loved…to live a little longer with you…”



With his remaining arm, he ripped out the magic stone imbedded inside his body and threw it at her.



Peony was too busy with its meal to realize or care about what he was doing.



The moment the magic stone made contact with her, it got absorbed into her body as if it had melted.



“—Live.”



Gucha, gucha, gucha, gucha.



It didn’t take long for Peony to finish its meal after the “Dragon King” lost his magic stone.























She didn’t understand what the announcements in her head meant.



Nevertheless, she was certain of one thing.



He had entrusted her with his powers, his knowledge, and his life.



Still—she was unable to forgive Peony.



Kill. I’ll definitely kill that thing.



Going against the will of her late husband, she angrily challenged Peony.



He had told her not to do so, but she was unable to hold herself back.



That was how she got involved in a battle which lasted for seven days and seven nights.



However, as he had predicted, she was incapable of slaying Peony.



They had the worst compatibility.



Unlike the “Dragon King”, her attacks were not powerful enough to penetrate Peony’s defense.



In the beginning, she was at an advantage due to Peony’s injuries, but as the days went by, Peony gradually recovered from its wounds.



After seven long days, her stamina hit rock-bottom, and she had to flee.



It was humiliating.



She felt tormented as she had fled from her hated enemy.



—This is all because of those humans…



If only they hadn’t interfered in the “Dragon King’s” fight, none of this would have occurred.



Unforgivable. Unforgivable.



She resented everything and everyone, including Peony, the humans, and her weak self.



“GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”



Mark my words…! They will get their just deserts!



Let the wrath of a Dragon be known to all!



She soared into the skies, consumed by anger.



*****



She was greeted by a fate-changing encounter soon after she had fled.



With her injured body, she arrived at a human settlement which housed a lot of people.



—Really, strength in numbers is just about the only thing they have going for them.



She felt contempt for the humans, but she soon decided to take this as an opportunity.



I’ll kill them and restore as much of my powers as possible.



She came to this decision without putting much thought into it and dived in for the kills.



—However, she was pushed back.



What’s going on?



An indestructible barrier.



A human capable of resurrecting no matter how often he is killed.



In the end, she was forced to retreat after getting shot in one of her eyes.



This was her second time being humiliated in this manner.



—What should I do…



Not to mention the tree, she had suffered defeat under the hands of the puny humans.



For the first time in her life, she lamented her powerlessness.



If she had been stronger, she could’ve helped her beloved. If she had been stronger, she wouldn’t have lost to those humans.



‘You shouldn’t underestimate those humans.’



Her late husband was right.



She had been underestimating the humans far too much.



She was determined to kill them with all her might the next time they met.



She swore to do so in her heart.



*****



There was a major change the following day.



The giant tree’s presence was getting stronger, and she thought that it was trying to chase her down.



She was completely being recognized as its prey.



—I have to run away for now…



Her injuries weren’t fully healed yet.



She had no choice but to flee for the moment.



Thinking so, she was about to fly towards the opposite direction of where the giant tree’s presence was coming from.



Just then, however, she realized that something was off about her body.



Dokun. Dokun.



Something was pulsing within her body.



It was as if there was another lifeform moving about.



—Pregnancy.



She was pregnant with the child of the “Dragon King”.



For the sake of their unborn child, she had to stay alive.



At the same time, she had to make up her mind on a difficult decision.



—Dragons that give birth are considerably weakened.



It was the characteristic of the Dragon race. It was also the reason why the population of Dragons was so low.



An unborn child of the Dragon race had the tendency to suck away its parent’s absolute might.



That was how Dragons passed on their full strength to the next generation.[1]



—Why… Why did it have to be now…



It should have been a happy occasion.



It was his child, after all. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she wanted to give birth to their child.



That said, the child was nothing but a burden to her in her current situation.



In the event that she gave birth, she would be too weakened to escape from the clutches of the giant tree.



Of course, abortion wasn’t an option either.



Then what should she do?



There was only one answer to that question.



She had to settle this once and for all before it was time for her to give birth.



Kill the enemy, recover fully, and give birth to the child in her optimal condition.



It wasn’t a matter of whether she could win or not.



She had to win.



Hoping for a good future with their child, which was the last hope that the “Dragon King” had left behind, she set out to challenge Peony with all her remaining strength.



“GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”



…but she was miserably defeated and forced into a corner.



Despite harnessing the ability to fly, she could only look up now at the skies as if she was some bug crawling on the ground.



Ah—I don’t want to die like this.



She had a reason to live.



“They” appeared just as she expressed her desire to live.



>



She was utterly confused by the voice which resounded inside her head.