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Episode 844: Let’s Start Hunting (4)
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Kvarnex’s desperate scream shook the canyon.
But he was still alive. The magic he unleashed still burned the world atop the remains of Lair.
Kyle gritted his teeth. Hanging with his sword pierced through Kvarnex’s neck, he poured all his mana into it.
As if determined never to swing his sword again, he truly would not leave even a speck of mana behind.
Paaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The auror blade continued to surge, tearing through the inside of Kvarnex’s neck.
Finally, it pierced the massive neck and stretched horribly out to the other side.
Even a dragon could not survive such a wound.
Grrrrrrrr…
Crimson foam erupted from Kvarnex’s mouth.
Kyle, clinging to his neck, could not look at him. Instead, Kvarnex glared at Astion with bloodshot eyes.
“You bastards will…”
In truth, even he, a dragon, wasn’t certain of victory in this battle.
While each individual was weaker than a dragon, they were still powerful enough to dodge defeat easily.
How could four of them be considered safe?
Only someone as powerful as a Dragon Lord could be certain of victory.
‘I should have recovered a little more… … .’
It had only recently been since he had driven away the darkness inflicted by Yulien. The aftereffects still lingered.
Nevertheless, the dragon’s arrogance and pride drove him to fight alone.
He believed that no matter how skilled the humans were, the dragons would be the ones standing in the end.
But he had lost. Now they would target the other dragons.
‘Surely… … We couldn’t be like this… … .’
He had thought the world had been saved, and everything was over.
He believed the dragons could now live glorious lives as the world’s adjusters.
But with the sealing of the Demonic Realm, a new threat befell the dragons.
As if without the Demonic Realm, there was no point in dragons’ existence.
‘… … Is this our destined destiny?’
It was an unthinkable turn of events.
No, I had thought the Yulien Mercenaries could attempt revenge.
But even that was laughable. After all, it would have been just the futile struggles of insect-like humans.
But who would have thought that was my mistake?
Grrrrrrrrr… … .
The life in Kvarnex’s eyes slowly faded. With
his throat completely pierced, no matter how great his remaining power was, it was impossible to control it.
He mustered the last of his strength and spoke.
“What you seek… will not be easy to achieve…”
It was unknown how much the arrogant and self-righteous dragons would unite. But eventually, what had happened would become known.
The dragons were still in regular contact.
It had begun because of the war with the Demonic Realm, but it was so recent that they hadn’t yet relinquished that obligation.
If only this news could reach everyone before everyone else was harmed, the dragons could win.
Yes, it absolutely had to. That was the rightful right of the dragons who saved the world.
“Before you… find our dwelling place… if this news gets out… the Yulian Mercenaries will disappear from the world… Grrrrrrr…”
Kvarnex uttered his final curse as he tried to take his last breath.
Just before his eyes closed completely, Kyle’s voice rang out.
“Don’t worry. I won’t spare a single one of you.”
“…”
Kwuung!
Kvarnex collapsed without being able to answer any more.
Kyle laughed as he looked at the dragon’s corpse, its tongue still hanging out.
“Ha, haha… Hahahahahaha!”
It was a laugh of joy.
He had accomplished what he had longed for. He had finally killed the dragon.
There were still a few left, but taking the first step was the most important.
So how could he not be happy?
His first act of revenge against the dragon had been perfectly accomplished.
He raised his sword with eyes filled with joy.
Then he began to hack at Kvarnex’s already dead corpse.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The still-hot dragon’s blood splattered, steel-like bones shattered, and flesh disintegrated.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
Kyle laughed maniacally at the sight. But behind that laughter, a shadow of sadness and emptiness still filled the air.
Because even the life of Kvarnex alone hadn’t completely erased his pain.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As time passed, Kvarnex’s neck became tattered beyond recognition. But Kyle didn’t stop.
As if his anger hadn’t subsided, he continued to slash his sword, pouring all his emotions into it.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
Lionel, unable to stand it any longer, approached and quietly grabbed Kyle’s arm.
Only then did Kyle let go of his sword, as if all the strength had drained from him, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Julian… Deneb…”
Covered in blood and ash, Kyle repeated his two friends’ names over and over again with a blank, dazed expression.
Astion withdrew his magic circle and spoke with a forced, bright expression.
“There are still plenty of bastards to kill. Let’s not lose our strength so quickly.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Kyle stood up, slapping his cheek several times to regain his composure.
He shouldn’t have let his guard down so quickly after killing just one beast.
He, too, smiled like Astion.
“Now, it’s time to collect the spoils? We need to prepare for the future, right?”
“I’ll handle that. Everyone, rest.”
Astion waved his hand in the air, countless golden lines of magical energy appearing.
They began to carefully extract the Dragon Heart from Kvarnex’s chest.
Kyle looked slightly surprised upon seeing the Dragon Heart.
“Oh… It’s much bigger than the one we obtained.”
They had previously obtained a Dragon Heart, given to them by Arterion through Derknain.
By sharing and absorbing that Dragon Heart, they could quickly grow stronger.
However, this Dragon Heart they had obtained was far larger and contained a powerful energy.
It was precisely this Dragon Heart that they had relentlessly targeted Kvarnex’s neck for. To that end, the four of them had planned and prepared countless times how they would fight.
Astion said, taking the Dragon Heart with them.
“We’ve only obtained one. Let’s push a little harder. That way, it will be helpful to the future Jisel.”
Even if they absorbed the Dragon Heart, it would be difficult to immediately increase their level. However, it would help increase their energy, so they planned to use only a portion.
Their plan was to reserve the rest for future use.
Having secured the Dragon Heart, they immediately moved toward the next dragon’s lair.
“Rest as you go.”
Everyone chuckled at Astion’s sly words.
It was something Giselle always said. The fond memories brought a small smile to the harsh reality.
Of course, moving without rest wasn’t difficult.
It was a method we had all become quite accustomed to.
[We moved quickly to capture the next dragons. Giselle, who regained consciousness occasionally, offered me various pieces of advice.]
[The original plan was for Giselle, who had regained consciousness, to hunt the dragons herself. However, when I expressed my desire to seek revenge with my own hands, Giselle readily agreed. Even at my current level, I was more than capable of avenging myself with my friends.]
[As expected, the dragons viewed our revenge with contempt. Therefore, we made no preparations or vigilance, and we remained unnerved until the fight began.]
[However, despite our gnashing of teeth, the dragons were ultimately defeated. They paid the price for their arrogance, and we were able to defeat our initial target of three without major injury.]
[It was truly a joyous occasion. As we slaughtered more dragons, my friends’ eyes began to brighten. Would exterminating the dragons ease our sorrow a little? The sadness and longing etched in our hearts would never go away… …but it would be better than it was now, I thought.]
[The problem was that we still hadn’t located the other dragons. The Yulien mercenary group had searched the continent, and even with support from other forces, they hadn’t found a single one. The continent was too vast to search quickly.]
“This…”
Astion looked at the map, his expression growing impatient.
He knew well that the dragons communicated regularly.
Even after the war with the Demonic Realm, that method would still be effective. Kvarnex’s last words had echoed that sentiment.
The dragons were concentrating on recovering from the aftereffects of their fight with Yulien. Perhaps that was the only reason communication between the dragons had been delayed.
“The terms of the fight have been established.”
The oath between Arterion and Deneb was a promise for the entire dragon race. All dragons must obey their lord.
However, they had killed three dragons first. Now, the dragons could attack the Yulien mercenaries at any time.
If two attacked together, they would suffer tremendous damage, but it would still be worth the fight.
But if three or more gathered together…
“We can’t win.”
Even if Jisel were to step forward again, it would be difficult.
He could single-handedly slay a dragon, but Astion’s body couldn’t withstand the force.
Five dragons still remained. Four,
even excluding Arterion.
Only by somehow killing two would he feel a little more secure.
No, actually, even that wasn’t quite so.
“…Time isn’t on our side.”
Dragons have different lifespans than humans.
Astion, Kyle, Marika, and Lionel.
If time passes and these four die, no human will be able to face the dragon.
If the remaining dragon then dreams of revenge, everyone connected to the Yulien Mercenaries will die.
Of course, he had no intention of leaving it that way. None of the four were considering a future where they would die without vengeance.
But if they couldn’t find the dragon, everything would be in vain. If any more time passed, they would inevitably suffer.
“Damn it… What should we do?”
When they first started, they hadn’t expected it to take this long.
Perhaps the expedition team had found the exact location and passed it by. Perhaps the dragon had cast various spells to hide the lair.
To prepare for this, I sent high-level wizards to support them, but I haven’t found a single one yet.
If this situation continues, as a 9th Circle wizard, I will have to search the entire continent for dragons.
“That’s impossible.”
In the meantime, the dragons will inevitably learn of this situation.
Astion pondered for several days. A groundbreaking solution was needed.
The party was currently staying in the imperial capital. They were also supporting the Lucien and Lionel families.
One day, while Astion was in the capital, lost in thought,
“Kwaaaaaaaah!”
A thunderous roar, as if the sky were falling, erupted. It seemed as if a huge battle had broken out in the heart of the city.
Astion hurried out of the inn. And then he was met with a startling sight.
“Derknine?”
The black dragon, Derknine.
It was the dragon that had suddenly appeared and aided the Yulien mercenary group when they fought their previous opponent, who was acting as the Pope.
Now, in human form, he was fighting Kyle.
The dragon he’d been searching for had come to him on its own! Moreover, in human form, it would be much easier to catch.
‘This is his chance!’
Astion immediately flew towards Derknain.
Marika and Lionel weren’t there, but they would be there soon.
There were also many members of the Yulien mercenary corps here. There were also knights from the Empire.
With their help, slaying the dragon wouldn’t be difficult, even if it took some damage.
Derknain, sensing his disadvantage, continued to soar high into the air, dodging Kyle’s attacks.
“Don’t run!”
Kyle roared loudly and leaped high into the air. He swung his sword, unleashing a torrent of energy.
In a fight like this, Astion was essential. His magical support made aerial combat easier.
Astion knew this, so he immediately cast a spell, lifting Kyle into the air. Simultaneously, he began to interfere with Derknain’s magic, disrupting it.
The two were anxious. They couldn’t afford to lose the dragon that had walked in on its own.
At that moment, Derknain stepped back and extended his hand.
“Calm down. I came here to talk to you.”
“What kind of conversation do you need?”
Kwaaaaang!
Kyle shot out at Derknain again. He used the magic circle Astion had created as a springboard to maneuver.
Having already practiced sufficiently for aerial combat, the two were able to quickly catch up to Derknain.
Derknain, who barely avoided Kyle’s attack, frowned.
“You guys are really impatient.”
Casting magic was becoming increasingly difficult. Astion was constantly interfering with his magic.
If he could return to his dragon form, it would make for an interesting fight. But that wasn’t why he came.
Derknain quickly addressed Astion.
“Astion, I will reveal the locations of the remaining dragons. If necessary, we can swear in dragon language.”
The shocking offer forced the two to halt their attack.