Stretching lazily. No other term came to mind. As the completely manifested golden dragon slowly lifted its massive body, it felt as if a mountains were rising.
“Oh, God…”
A prayer of bewilderment slipped from Leo’s mouth.
Gigantic.
Though it hadn’t even fully stretched out its body, its head touched the high ceiling, prompting the golden dragon to shake its head roughly, as if annoyed. Its membranous wings, still folded, slowly began to spread out, threatening to break through the ceiling at any moment. The most astonishing part was that even with its body curled up, it was difficult to grasp the entirety of the dragon in one glance.
『That alone is not its true form.』
It was the voice of the spirit of resentment.
『Had it been revived in its original body, this narrow cave—no, even the castle walls enclosing this palace—would have been shattered as it rose.』
It seemed improbable that such a gigantic creature could exist and move around freely, but in this damn fantasy world, anything was possible. After all, wasn’t this the horrific world where giants larger than mountains existed? Moreover, Khan, who had transmigrated from another world, was the most unrealistic existence himself, so he didn’t show much surprise.
Instead, he calmly assessed their chances of winning.
『Even if we combine your bizarre skills with my power, piercing the dragon’s heart would be a herculean task. Though it’s incomplete, even scratching its scales would be a challenge.』
The spirit of resentment offered a pessimistic opinion.
“Regrettably, it falls short of my expectations. No matter how transcendent a species, can a fragment of it regain even half of its original status? But to think it could not even gain intelligence…”
In contrast, Tilly expressed disappointment at the revived golden dragon’s strength. Her reaction was only natural. Even the superhumans of the Empire couldn’t easily challenge a Drake’s strength.
“… I don’t feel any divinity. It seems everything was expended on the physical composition.”
“As expected of a Paladin favored by the gods, your senses are exceptional. You’re right. I believed supplementing it with the transcendent gene held by the crown prince would suffice, but it wasn’t enough, and much of the dragon scales’ essence was damaged.”
Tilly smiled faintly and turned her back to the golden dragon, complimenting Aries’ sensitivity.
“But the gene separated from the transcendent might also serve to elevate the physical to transcendence again. If given enough time and many sacrifices, the golden dragon that formed its heart through essence damage might possibly regain its original status. Isn’t the mystery of transcendence amazing?”
“You’re insane! I was crazy to consider you the boss’s former lover even for a moment!”
“Yes?”
“You endangered numerous lives for mere curiosity? You should be fried in dirty water…!”
It was Maya, unleashing her long-sealed coarse speech. Despite knowing her opponent was a monstrous Drake, she didn’t hesitate to spew harsh curses.
So much that even Tilly was taken aback.
“It’s not about fulfilling His Majesty’s wish? Enough of that bullshit! You are a demon. No, utterly irredeemable trash!”
Maya, spitting out curse after curse, suddenly grabbed her spear and pointed it at Tilly. Even Khan could sense a killing intent emanating from her that was reminiscent of the swordsman Kal Elson’s.
However, Tilly lightly ignored the criticism and hostility directed at her. Instead, she clapped her hands joyfully, her eyes sparkling.
“Lover, you say. That’s a pleasant term to hear.”
“What?”
“I like you. Is there anything you desire?”
“You should be fried in sewage, you…!”
Maya’s reaction to Tilly’s words was one of ridicule, as if she was ready to pounce at any moment. However, her spear didn’t reach Tilly. The end of the reprieve had arrived.
“Ah.”
Tilly let out a faint cry.
“You’re awake.”
Kwajak─!
Blood spattered everywhere. Maya’s eyes, filled with murderous intent, wavered. Tilly’s body, which had been chatting with Maya in a carefree tone, was now torn to shreds, leaving no remains. It was an unmistakable death.
『Uh.』
A short, echoing voice resonated against the golden prison walls. Khan’s complexion changed drastically as he shouted. However, his voice was soon overwhelmed by the newly unleashed transcendent will.
『Ga.』
『Ah.』
『Dee.』
It was like the cooing of a newborn baby, and indeed, it wasn’t much different. The golden dragon, which had just completed its physical awakening, opened its massive eyelids and revealed its enormous dragon face. Then, it opened its mouth and let out a sound again.
『Ah.』
『Na.』
『I.』
The meaningless ‘vocalization’ began to take on meaning. The transcendent being’s consciousness, which had been buried for thousands of years, was slowly regaining its wisdom. It was unclear whether this was the true self of the ancient golden dragon, but even a fragment of it was undoubtedly dangerous.
『Golden.』
『King of Gold.』
『Ale.』
Tsuok──!!
Khan unleashed a full-power dash, combining the explosive acceleration from his skills with the wind spirit’s power. In an instant, he closed the distance by several dozen feet and struck his sword at the golden dragon’s forehead.
A huge explosion erupted. Even the ogre’s forehead, which could withstand a powerful blow, was left reeling from the attack. However, the golden dragon didn’t let out a single cry of pain.
This was an ambush with the transcendent power of a superhuman and the curse of the dragon slayer’s sword. At the very least, Khan had planned to expose the dragon’s inner flesh, but he was stunned to find that only a few scales were broken, and his hand was now bleeding profusely.
Despite being one-sidedly thrashed, Khan’s grip on the sword remained firm, and he struck again at the golden dragon’s forehead with the sword now tinged with crimson.
“……!”
A cry of pain he couldn’t suppress finally escaped. No, there was no room to even cry out in pain. Khan spat out the blood pouring from his mouth as he lay on the ground, his focus blurred. His vision was a deep red, making it impossible to determine direction. Someone’s scream echoed in his ears.
“What’s going on?”
With a numb arm, Khan struggled to get up, but he found it difficult to even remember what had happened to him. He was certain he had struck the dragon with his sword, but in the next instant, his body was smashed against the golden prison walls and fell to the ground below.
“Keurk.”
After spitting out the surge that welled up inside, his blurry vision came into focus. He thought his body had recovered, but that wasn’t the case. A pure white light, visible even in the red world, enveloped his body.
“Khan!”
“…What’s with the loud voice?”
It was Aries.
The blessing she cast had restored his body. The healing spell, something only high-ranking priests could perform, reminded him of her existence as an apostle candidate. It was likely due to the power bestowed upon her by the Goddess of Justice.
“That’s enough.”
“But…!”
“This is enough for me to fight again.”
He had thought he was near death, but he felt relieved knowing that it wasn’t severe enough to trigger his indomitable will. Using the cursed sword he never let go of as a staff, Khan stood on his two feet.
As soon as his recovery was complete, he could clearly recall what had struck him just moments ago.
The front paw of the golden dragon had hit him, swinging wildly like a baby’s tantrum. However, the power was enough to drive a barbarian with a stamina stat nearing 50 to the brink of death. Moreover, the speed was unreactable, faster than any opponent he had faced until now.
‘Damn. That’s insane.’
His agility stat wasn’t that low, yet he couldn’t even react late?
『… Golden dragons have always been known for their exceptional speed, even in the distant past. That beast knew it well, thus it didn’t mingle with its kin, attacking mortals across the continent to hoard wealth. That accumulated wealth in turn became its strength. By the end of its life, it earned the moniker of the Golden Dragon.』
Tell me these things earlier, bastard.
Ignoring the spirit of vengeance’s protest that it had just remembered, Khan wiped away the blood on his face but gave up upon realizing his entire body was blood-stained.
“Shit. This is daunting.”
He had used all his power, intending to split its skull, but merely managed to pluck off some scales. This meant that even a normal attack couldn’t scratch it. What about the others?
‘They can’t even scratch it.’
It was impossible to even clash with the golden dragon. Perhaps, if the blessings from the Goddess of Justice exerted their power, they might save their lives. But actual combat seemed unlikely. The only thing that might help was…
“That thing from last time, can you still use it?”
Aries nodded. However, she added that the resonance was deeper than before, making it barely maintainable for a short while.
“Then, during that brief period, it’s possible to wound it?”
“Maybe.”
“Even that’s uncertain…”
Even with ‘Descent,’ they had neither a sure chance of victory nor a certain possibility of wounding it. It was nearly impossible to inflict a critical wound on the Golden Dragon. Among all the battles they had faced, this was the most overwhelming despair.
Even among the existing dragons, the youngest, the empire’s guardian dragon, surpassed the transcendent beings drifting in the void. That guardian dragon couldn’t surpass the prime Golden Dragon. The guardian dragon was a hatchling, while the resurrected, albeit damaged, Golden Dragon was an ancient dragon, older than any other.
A dragon’s strength is determined at birth, and for those of the same level, only their prowess increases with time. Even an imbecile could gain strength over the years it lived.
‘This one’s an ancient dragon; if it regains its full power…’
It can’t be stopped.
The transcendent beings that could oppose it were mostly trapped in the void cradle by a pact with the emperor. The few free transcendent beings would leisurely let the world fall apart, so they weren’t much help.
Khan thought of the seeds he had planted in the magic tower through Jerome, but even that seemed uncertain.
In the end, they had to stop it here. As Tilly had said, if the Golden Dragon regained its true power, the continent would be doomed without resistance. Before he could even return to Earth.
‘Damn. Nothing else we can do; if we don’t want to die, we have to fight.’
As Khan steeled his resolve,
『Kragak. I. Gold. Grk. Take all. Dadadada!』
The enigmatic voice from the Golden Dragon’s mouth marked the start of the full-scale hunt.
A desperate hunt, without even a glimmer of hope.