Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”-

Chapter 5.26

A black giant appeared from the sky and rushed towards Nozomu and the others on the ground. Nozomu, who was sensitive to the hostility directed at them, fired Qi technique [Cannon] at Iridina and Mars who were in front of him. He managed to get them out of the path of the approaching black giant, but he was unable to dodge it, and he received the black giant rushing in from the front.

Nozomu's body was blown away like a pebble. He was thrown to the ground and bounced many times before crashing into Shino's hut. He disappeared into the hut by making a big hole in the wall.

The next moment, the pillars supporting the roof collapsed, and the hut began to crumble. Nozomu was buried under a collapsed hut.

Irisdina and the others were dumbfounded because they didn't understand what was really going on.

The black giant that rushed at Nozomu slammed its log-like limbs into the ground and stopped its rush while carving a deep trench in the ground. Then the black giant spread the wings on its back to show its majesty.

Cracked scales and bare wounds covered its entire body. While sprinkling a foul smell over the surroundings, the beast raised its restored head.

"Why ... this guy is here ..."

Mars muttered with a severe facial expression.

In front of them, stood the existence that should have been defeated by Jihad in front of them yesterday.

One of its wings that should have been missing had already been regenerated, but judging by its appearance, it was definitely the same Undead Dragon.

"Grrrr..."

As the Undead Dragon opened its mouth and took a deep breath, a red light emerged from the back of its throat.

A scorching breath was exhaled in an instant and attacked Shino's hut.

The simple hut made of forest trees was instantly engulfed in flames. Nozomu, who was thrown into the hut, was trapped by the flame prison.

"Nozomu!!"

Irisdina, who was surprised by the appearance of the hut engulfed in flames, let out a worried voice.

However, the Undead Dragon didn't even look at Irisdina and the others who were next to it. And it continued to glare at the hut that was swallowed by its scorching breath.

"Ku~u!!"

"It's bad! We have to help him quickly!"

Irisdina, Sh?na, and Mars tried to help Nozomu by ignoring the nearby Undead Dragon and rushing to the burning hut. However, as if to prevent them from coming, a red light flashed again inside the Undead Dragon's mouth.

"Guu!"

The scorching breath that was exhaled didn't miss its aim and caught Irisdina and Mars.

However, a wall of light suddenly appeared in its path and shifted the direction of the breath.

"...I don't know why you're still alive, but don't get in the way!"

It was Feo's talisman technique that blocked the Undead Dragon's breath from hitting the two of them.

Perhaps he thought that he couldn't block the dragon's breath with just one talisman, he used five talismans to create the barrier.

However, it seemed that the barrier's durability had exceeded the limit simply by blocking the dragon's breath. The wall of light disappeared with a shattering sound, and the talismans that maintained the barrier burned and disappeared. The time earned is indeed small. But time was more valuable than anything else.

"Everyone, please attract the dragon's eyes for the time being! Tima-san! Extinguish the fire in the hut with your magic!

"Norn~! Go to Nozomu-kun's place~. I'll be staying with Sh?na-san and the others here~!!"

"Alright! Don't overdo it, Anri!"

Anri and Norn regained their composure in the short time Feo had gained and sent instructions to everyone present.

As the instructions from the two flew in rapid succession, Nozomu's friends, who had regained their composure, began to act all at once in response to their instructions.

Magic was released in quick succession on the Undead Dragon, and Anri's whip launched and exploded.

Meanwhile, Feo and Mimuru dashed to approach the Undead Dragon. They swung their weapons at full force where the scales peeled off and caused the skin underneath to be exposed.

However, their attacks had no meaningful effect on the Undead Dragon, which had lost its sense of pain, and the Undead Dragon shook off Feo and Mimuru as if they were just small annoying flies.

Feo's strengthened staff and Mimuru's dagger pierced through its skin, and Tom's magic burned its skin, but their attacks were unable to stop the Undead Dragon from moving. In fact, Anri's whip was completely ineffective against the Undead Dragon due to its special characteristics, which had lost its sense of pain.

"Nozomu! Can you hear me!"

"Damn it! The fire is too strong!"

On the other hand, Irisdina and Mars who arrived at the burning hut immediately tried to extinguish the fire, but the process was very time-consuming. Irisdina continued to cast water attribute magic with Immediate Deployment, but it wasn't enough to extinguish all the burning flames. And Mars couldn't help her because his wind-based magic would only fuel the fire even more. Also, Sh?na tried to use spirit magic, but it took longer than she thought to make a contract with the spirits.

"Everyone! Please calm down!!"

Sh?na's sorrowful voice was addressed to the spirits. She managed to appease the spirits, but the spirits only moved around Sh?na in a state of fear, and they didn't listen to her at all.

The spirits noticed Tiamat's presence because Nozomu released his Ability Suppression. Perhaps they were instinctively afraid of the mighty power that suddenly appeared, the surrounding spirits were completely frightened. On the other hand, Mars stabbed his greatsword into the collapsed roof and tried to lift the rubble in the same way as a lever.

"Kuuuu !!"

However, contrary to Mars' desperate desire to lift the roof to help Nozomu, the roof didn't move at all. Perhaps Nozomu who was buried under the rubble was unconscious or could not move, so only the sound of burning materials popping was heard, and there was no sign of Nozomu coming out from under the collapsed rubble. They couldn't spend more time than this. If nothing is done quickly, Nozomu will burn to death while being buried beneath. Even if he could escape, he might inhale the smoke and die. Nearly half of the causes of death in fires are suffocation due to dyspnea. No matter how much Nozomu's physical abilities were improved, once he had difficulty breathing, his body would not move, and after that, he would just be burned or suffocated.

"Mars-kun! Keep it up!"

At the same time that Norn's voice echoed in Mars's ears, a compressed wind bullet ran through Mars's side.

The flying wind bullet cut the collapsed roof in half without fanning the flames.

"A-alright! With this, I can do it!"

Although he was startled by the wind bullet that flew suddenly,  the wind bullet managed to split the roof in half, so it seemed he could move it somehow.

Furthermore, Tima created a huge water ball in the air while chanting a spell. The size of the water ball created by gathering the invisible moisture in the air was as big as Shino's hut.

"Mars-kun! I'm going to put out the fire, so get away at once!"

"I-I understand!"

Due to Tima's voice, Mars left the place immediately. Given the size of the water ball that appeared in the air, it should be enough to extinguish the fire that was currently burning the hut. The moment when the water ball in the air almost fell into the burning hut…….

"Gaaaaaaa !!"

The Undead Dragon rushed towards the water ball.

The giant flapped its wings and thrust in, ignoring all the desperate attacks from Anri and the others who tried to stop it.

"Eeh!?"

The water ball, which was about the size of a hut, erupted and scattered due to the charge of the Undead Dragon, which had a body much larger than the water ball.

"Such a thing..."

"Kuh~!!"

A shocked voice escaped from Tima's mouth. Mars also bit his lip when he saw the incredible scene in front of him. He returned to the hut and thrust his greatsword again. He desperately tried to get rid of the collapsed roof.

Irisdina continued to throw water balls with her immediate deployment and her abundant magic power, but as expected, she couldn't put out the fire. And the spirits around Sh?na were still scared and they didn't want to listen to her.

Irisdina and Sh?na decided that there was no progress, so they applied the strengthening magic all over their bodies and placed their hands on the burning rubble, and tried to remove the roof that fell on Nozomu like Mars.

"O-oi!"

"Kuuuu!"

"~~ !!"

Searing heat and a piercing pain shot through their hands.

Mars shouted at Irisdina and Sh?na's overly reckless behavior, but they were out of options. Nozomu may die if nothing is done.

For Irisdina, who had been worried that he might be gone, what happened right in front of her could lead to the realization of her nightmare. For Sh?na, the appearance of Nozomu who was about to be burned by flames seemed to overlap with the incident when she lost her family 10 years ago. A forest surrounded by flames and a burning house. Her family died in front of her. She was afraid that Nozomu would go through the same thing as her family…….

When Irisdina and Sh?na thought about what would happen to Nozomu, the pain in their hands didn't matter to them.

"Nozomu, Nozomu ...!"

"Please ... make it in time ..."

Irisdina and Sh?na desperately tried to get rid of the rubble while continuing to pray. However, as if trampling on their wishes, the Undead Dragon attacked to disturb them.

"Shit! What the hell!!"

Mars was throwing curse words at the Undead Dragon aiming at Irisdina and Sh?na for some reason instead of Anri and the others who attacked it. He hastily took out the greatsword that was stabbed into the gap of the rubble, grabbed Irisdina and Sh?na's collars, and left the place with all his might. In the next moment, the claws of the Undead Dragon that plunged from the sky deeply swept across the ground where Irisdina and Sh?na were. Furthermore, the Undead Dragon's tail swung at the retreated Irisdina and the others.

"~!!"

"Tch!"

At that moment, Mars raised his greatsword and Irisdina created a magic barrier, then a rushed massive object collided.

Irisdina and Mars endured the pressure with all their might.

The two of them managed to block the huge tail.

"Take this!"

Sh?na sent her magical power into the arrow she took out from its quiver and pierced the tail that was blocked by Irisdina and Mars, but her attack still had no effect.

"Gu~ruaaaa!"

However, the Undead Dragon put more power into its tail. Due to the increasing pressure on their arms, Irisdina and Mars couldn't hold it any longer. Together with Sh?na, the three were thrown together.

The three of them managed to get into a defensive posture and fell safely. They regained their posture in preparation for the pursuit of the Undead Dragon. However, the Undead Dragon did not chase after them, and it stood quietly in front of the burning hut. It was as if it prevented them from helping Nozomu.

"Shit. So that Dragon won't let us help Nozom!"

They didn't know what the reason was, but the Undead Dragon was apparently blocking Irisdina and the others from helping Nozomu.

In the previous battle, they had not sensed any reasoning from the Undead Dragon. The Dragon's eyes were still cloudy white, telling them that it was dead, but it seemed unlikely that the current movement of the Undead Dragon was based solely on its impulses or instincts.

"~!! We can't waste any more time! Let's make the Undead Dragon stepped back!!"

Irisdina unleashed her magic power with all her might to activate [Lunar Eclipse]. Sh?na tauted the bowstring she was holding with all her might and activated [Punishment of the Sea of ??Stars] to the nocked arrow.

A sword glowed and an arrow shone like a meteor in response to their passion.

Irisdina, Mars, Feo, and Mimuru rushed towards the Undead Dragon. Sh?na sent more magic to the [Punishment of the Sea of ??Stars], while Tima, Anri, and Tom started chanting their magic.

In order to confront them, the Undead Dragon also stretched its limbs, spread its wings on its back, and fully displayed its fighting spirit.

In the next moment, Irisdina and the others rushed towards the Undead Dragon all at once, and the dragon, on the other hand, exhaled a scorching breath toward them.

============================================

As the battle between the Undead Dragon and Irisdina and the others was about to begin, Nozomu, who was trapped under the collapsed hut, saw red flames shimmering in several places in his pitch-black field of vision, and only the shadows of rubble could be seen reflected in the light.

"Argh~!! ………… ~kuh!"

Nozomu groaned due to the rubble that was piling on his body.

His body was pressed down by the collapsed roof, and he couldn't move. But more than that, the smoke and the heat of the flames mercilessly attacked Nozomu.

Nozomu desperately tries to breathe, but he doesn't feel comfortable no matter how much he breathes. Every time he took a breath, the smoke was sucked in and it was getting more and more painful.

The heat he felt against his skin gradually increased, and the flames tried to burn Nozomu's body without stopping.

"! ......... ~u~a..."

In the gradually darkening field of vision, Nozomu tried to reach for help, but his hands that were caught between the rubble couldn't move.

In the hazy consciousness, what crossed Nozomu's mind was the appearance of his friends who had accepted the current him.

The bond he finally got. People he never wanted to be separated from.

The Undead Dragon was still outside. He didn't know what was going on outside, but at least he didn't think the dragon world be standing still.

The faces of Irisdina and the others and the memories of the days they spent together flowed like waves.

Memories were like magic lanterns. It made Nozomu feel that he would never be able to make memories with them again, and his impatience accelerated further.

He finally got it. He was afraid, but he was able to speak his mind with his courage...

(I don't want to die! I can't die yet!!)

With that determination, Nozomu's body became stronger.

It is a manifestation of a strong survival instinct. The will to live that was once seen when Shino had a glimpse and fought against Tiamat.

Nozom puts all his strength into his left hand, sandwiched between his rubble.

His muscles were raised with an unpleasant noise, which caused the rubble holding his arm to move slightly.

With that determination, Nozomu's body was strengthened.

That was the manifestation of his strong survival instinct. Nozomu's will to live was seen briefly by Shino and his will to live also appeared when he fought against Tiamat. Nozomu put all the strength of his body into his left hand, which was sandwiched between the rubble. He moved his muscles and made an unpleasant sound, causing the debris to move slightly.

"Gu! Ga~! Gohogoho!"

However, dyspnea and impatience hinder Nozomu's concentration and make him feel uncomfortable. Contrary to Nozomu's desperate thoughts, his body didn't move as he wanted. It was as if a lead was tied around his body and he was submerged in water. At that moment, a voice rang out from the depths of his ears.

(Do you want to live? Or do you want to help those people?)

The voice of that "guy" echoed in Nozomu's mind. Tiamat's voice sounded clearer than usual, probably because Nozomu was releasing his Ability Suppression. Tiamat was invisible to Nozomu's eyes, but its voice clearly despised Nozomu, who couldn't move.

(But it's too late. Even if the Dragon is undead, those humans won't be able to survive against a Dragon. By this time, they will become minced meat and turn into pitiful skeletons.)

Tiamat's merciless words pierced Nozomu's chest.

(And in the end, you can't do anything. Human, that's your limit...)

Tiamat told him that it was over. However, those words made his survival instincts run wild in his heart and added more reason for him to fight further.

(Don't mess with me! Such a thing, I won't allow it!)

The lives of his friends who could finally understand each other might be lost. That fact further aroused Nozomu's impatience and fueled his passion. To the point that Nozomu himself couldn't control it.

"Ooooooooooo !!"

In an attempt to refute Tiamat's cruel words with all his might, Nozomu screamed and exploded his Qi throughout his body.

The exploding Qi created a slight gap between the rubble holding down Nozomu's body. Before the gap closed again, Nozomu pulled out his left hand. Ignoring the pain from the torn skin and the gushing blood, Nozomu slammed his left arm into the ground with all his might.

Qi Technique [Light of Extinction]

The field of vision in front of him was filled with light, and the rubble holding down his body was blown away.

Meanwhile, for some reason, that "guy" inside Nozomu was grinning widely.

Feeling a sense of freedom due to the disappearance of the rubble that had been held his body down, Nozomu stood up to examine his limbs.

His entire body was still in pain and blood was spurting from his left hand which was hit by the light.

(...… It works!)

The arm and the legs that were sandwiched between the rubble were able to respond and move properly according to Nozomu's will.

There was no problem. Nozomu was about to look ahead and try to concentrate on the fight with the opponent that would appear in front of him.

"……Eh?"

However, when the torrent of light emitted by his technique was settled and his vision returned, Nozomu was startled by the scene that spread out in front of him.

(Why am I here?)

Nozomu was alone in the bloody red field of vision.

What he saw in front of him were burning flames and the scattered rubble of many houses. Many of the collapsed buildings were houses Nozomu had seen in the last two years in Arcazam.

Yes, he who should have been in the forest until a moment ago, was now looking at Arcazam that had collapsed for some reason.

"W-why… I was in the forest until just a moment ago…"

(But it's too late. Even if the Dragon is undead, those humans won't be able to survive against a Dragon. By this time, they will become minced meat and turn into pitiful skeletons.)

Tiamat's previous words revived in Nozomu's mind.

The collapsed Arcazam and the burning houses in front of him. The heat of the burning flames and the voices of people asking for help could be heard here and there. What he saw was the realization of the nightmare.

(Yeah, I don't have much time. Anyway, I have to find everyone as soon as possible!)

"~! Everyone! Where are you!!"

However, all he could hear from the surroundings were the groans of other people, the sound of flames popping, and the sound of the burnt-out building collapsing, and he couldn't find them.

"Iris! Mars! Sh?na!!"

The hot air burned his throat every time he breathed, and his body became hot. Then, the depths of his chest grew colder in inverse proportion to the heat of his body, and his heart was filled with a feeling of loss and seemed to become a gaping hole.

(No way...)

In order to shook off such a worst-case scenario, Nozomu tried his best to find his friends.

However, a black shadow appeared in front of him.

Moreover, the shadow that appeared was not only one. Multiple shadows stood in front of Nozomu close to each other.

There was also a particularly huge shadow. It was several times taller than Nozomu.  Its powerful limbs stepped on the burning earth. And its wing-shaped shadow that grows on its back spread out majestically.

Its figure, which was awe-inspiring to all who see it, told Nozomu the magnitude of the shadow's power.

Behind the giant shadow, he could see 10 human-shaped shadows that were close to each other. The size of the human-shaped shadows varied, but each shadow had something in its hand that seemed like a weapon.

"...So you want to get in my way..."

Concerned for the safety of his friends, Nozomu unleashed all his bloodlust towards the shadows in front of him.

His bloodlust seemed to show his strength and intimidated the shadows. The humanoid shadows wavered slightly, maybe they were pressured by Nozomu's bloodlust.

However, the giant shadow still had no intention of retreating and instead threatened Nozomu by spreading its wings on its back.

"... I don't have much time. If you get in my way, I'll make you withdraw by force!!"

He sent Qi into his katana while releasing bloodlust towards the giant shadow in front of him. He strengthened his body with all his might.

The released Qi became so bloated that it overflowed from his body due to the release of ability suppression and it increased Nozomu's body's physical abilities beyond limits.

The humanoid shadows behind the giant shadow had weapons that Nozomu was familiar with. The mouth of the humanoid shadow moved as if calling out someone's name. However, Nozomu didn't notice because of his frustration.

And he also didn't notice, just before he arrived at this bloody red place, the mouth of the "guy" inside him distorted into a wide grin.

=========================================

Irisdina and the others who were trying to help Nozomu, and the Undead Drago who was trying to prevent them for some reason. As the battle between them was about to begin, a deafening roar suddenly reverberated to the surroundings.

A torrent of light erupted. Dust and smoke soared high, and the burning rubble was blown into the sky. The rubble that fell to the ground burned the vegetation and the place became a burning field. Amidst the rubble that was blown away, a shadow stood in the shimmering flames.

"... No-zomu?"

Irisdina's voice echoed as if to confirm.

It was definitely Nozomu who stood up slowly. However, his appearance had changed significantly. The clothes he wore were scorched black in several places, and perhaps he was injured when the hut collapsed, drops of blood were dripping from his head onto the ground.

A katana was held in his right hand, swaying in the light of the surrounding flames. But most of all, Irisdina doubted her eyes because the atmosphere surrounding Nozomu's body had changed drastically.

Bloodlust was released indiscriminately into the surroundings. He wore a swordsman-like atmosphere that could instantly kill anyone who tried to get close to him. And his eyes were dyed with a crimson color that was able to pierce the heart of people who saw it.

"Ugh~..."

Nozomu's crimson eyes were directed at Irisdina and the others.

Until a moment ago, his atmosphere when he told them how strong he was, was still normal. Because they were pressured by his burning eyes, Irisdina and the others were reflexively stepped back.

"Guuuu ..."

The Undead Dagon turned towards Nozomu. It was no longer interested in Irisdina and the others. It exposed its unprotected back towards them. His white and cloudy eyes were only aimed at the boy who was standing in the flames. Nozomu and the Undead Dragon face each other. As sparks fluttered and the flames swayed, the eyes of Irisdina and the others locked onto the scene before them. What they saw was the appearance of Nozomu standing in the sea of ??fire. The storm-like power and bloodlust that flowed out of his body, and the crimson gaze that shone brilliantly, and the presence of all the creatures in that place shrank because of it.

"Wha? What's wrong with that guy ..."

Mars' voice melted into the burning air that covered the area.

(What on earth is happening?)

It was something that everyone in that place felt.

"~, uu..."

Sh?na's body next to Irisdina suddenly collapsed.

Irisdina, who was next to her, supported her body in a hurry, but Sh?na's appearance was clearly strange. Her complexion passed pale and turned white like a dead person. Her pupils were hollow and out of focus.

"Sh?na-kun! What's wro- ..."

Irisdina, who caught Sh?na's collapsed body, was about to call her out, but she then raised her face with a surprised expression. Beyond her line of sight, needless to say, was Nozomu's appearance with a large amount of Qi released into the surroundings.

"Nozomu..."

Sh?na was the only person who was most surprised by the extraordinary power Nozomu unleashed and was now more shocked than ever. In front of Irisdina, Nozomu started to exude a strange atmosphere. And Irisdina remembered Nozomu's words of confession, "another will other than myself".

"No way ..."

Just as the lines connected on Irisdina's head, the Undead Dragon's jaw opened, and a red light flashed inside the Undead Dragon's mouth.

"Gaaaaaa!"

The Undead Dragon roared. The light shining in its mouth became stronger and a  scorching breath like a storm was released towards Nozomu.

"Aaaaaa!!"

Nozomu's scream reverberated in the forest. In the face of the oncoming scorching breath in front of him, Nozomu released Qi from his feet.

At the next moment, he stepped his foot forwards and smashed the ground. While glaring at the Dragon in front of him with his crimson eyes, Nozomu sprinted through the scattered rubble and flames.

Nozomu, who got accelerated with his [Instant Move], immediately activated [Instant Move -Curve Dance-]. In an instant, he changed his running direction. While grazing the ground and running through the side of the approaching breath, he rushed towards the Undead Dragon.

"Oooooo!"

Nozomu instantly traversed the distance to the Undead Dragon while extremely compressing his Qi on the blade of his katana.

Nozomu, who had closed the distance, circled towards the side of the Undead Dragon and swung his katana.

The blade sharpened to the limit by Qi deeply cut the Undead Dragon's right foreleg, and at the same time, the Qi technique [One Billion Severance] was activated. A myriad of tiny blades exploded and scraped the muscles of the Undead Dragon's right forelegs and smashed the cracked dragon scales into pieces.

"Gaaaaaaa!"

The Undead Dragon's body loses its posture greatly because nearly half of its front leg muscles were crushed.

Nozomu slipped under the belly of the Undead Dragon who was trying to support its body which was about to fall. He dashed to the other side and launched another slash at its soft abdomen.

The reactivated [One Billion Severance] scraped the Undead Dragon's abdomen and its internal organs scattered on the ground.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!"

The scream of the Undead Dragon that pierced the atmosphere echoed. Its internal organs spilled from the cut wound, and rotten smoke with a foul odor came out.

However, despite the fact that its internal organs were protruding from its abdomen, the Undead Dragon lifted its tail upward and swung it down towards Nozomu who was running to the other side. Its tail tearing through the wind like a whip.

Nozomu turned his body and launched a counterattack while looking sideways at the large tail approaching from his side.

Nozomu once again sent his highly compressed Qi into his katana, then swung his katana towards the Undead Dragon's tail.

A dragon that stands out among the demon beasts.

Its existence as a powerful demon beast that is said to be able to even destroy a fortress, could easily destroy a house with just a single blow from its tail. The huge tail covered in strong muscles and scales that boasted as hard as iron walls gained momentum to attack him.

If he were a normal human being, it would be impossible to receive such a blow from the front. However, the moment Nozomu's slash and the Undead Dragon's tail clashed, the Dragon's tail was slashed instead.

The huge torn tail danced high in the air.

Nozomu's katana, which had been enveloped in [Phantom -Clad-], slashed at the Undead Dragon's scales like paper. His slash also cut through the Undead Dragon's bones which were tougher than diamonds and its flexible muscles that were as flexible as whips, with just a single blow.

Nozomu raised his katana and immediately took his next action without wasting any movement. He activated [Instant Move] again. He moved as if dancing towards the giant in front of him.

While deeply slashing at the Undead Dragon's left hind leg, he dashed under the Dragon's belly again and launched another slash. The Dragon's right foreleg, which he had slashed before, was completely amputated.

The Undead Dragon lost its balance due to losing its right foreleg. However, it tried to stabilize its body which had somehow collapsed with its remaining legs.

However, Nozomu immediately turned around with [Instant Move]. As he dashed past the Undead Dragon's eyes, he blew half of its weight-bearing left forelegs with Qi technique [One Billion Severance].

Because one of its forelegs was severed, and the other foreleg was also weakened. The Undead Dragon lost its posture.

However, Nozomu's pursuit wasn't over yet.

He further leaped towards the Undead Dragon's left foreleg which had lost its posture, dashed over to the Dragon's body, jumped up, and swung his katana as it was. The exploding [One Billion Severance] scraped off the Undead Dragon's huge body. Blood and flesh scattered around like rain.

"... No-Nozomu"

Irisdina and the others could only look at such Nozomu with their eyes wide open. In front of them, the figure of Nozomu clashing with a dragon, which was one of the highest-ranked demon beasts, was a sight too difficult to describe for them. Nozomu was bathed in flesh and blood while releasing bloodlust.

"... Such ... such a thing ..."

At this point, they finally understood the anxiety Nozomu had.

A powerful demon beast like the Undead Dragon was chopped into pieces by Nozomu. Based on Nozomu's story so far, it could be them who will be slashed there by him.

(Inside me is the power of Tiamat. If I were to be swallowed by this power, I might kill everyone with my own hands...)

"~!!"

Nozomu's words returned to Irisdina's mind, she reflexively bit her lip. Her hands that were supporting the collapsed Sh?na became stronger, and her snow-like fingers lost their color and turned pale.

(...I feel anxious and restless...)

Nozomu confessed his feelings while distorting his expression while being tormented by his disordered heart. At that time, Irisdina thought she could start over with Nozomu and was happy to face him.

However, the current Nozomu continued to swing his katana and dyed the area in a sea of ??blood. Nozomu's appearance made Irisdina and the others' chests hurt. Nozomu didn't stop his hand from swinging his katana while Irisdina and the others felt hurt.

Nozomu, who had slashed at the Undead Dragon's body, ran up to its neck, and when he reached its head, he slammed the scabbard on the Undead Dragon's head while sheathing his katana into its scabbard.

A destructive shockwave and Qi were released by his deadly Qi technique [Breaking Strike]. It crushed the Undead Dragon's brain and blew out half of its head. As the giant's body swayed, Nozomu quickly jumped to the ground. However, at that moment, the Undead Dragon's eyes glared at Nozomu.

"Giga~a, gegu~aauu !!"

The dragon's mouth glowed red even though it was no longer possible for it to scream. A crimson scorching breath was released. The remaining life of its entire body was poured into the attack. The hellfire, that could even melt steel into ashes in an instant, attacked Nozomu.

"Uooooo!!"

However, Nozomu didn't try to dodge even in the face of the approaching scorching flames. While sending his Qi into the katana in its scabbard with all his might, he thrust at full speed into the scorching breath that was approaching from the front. He took out his katana and launched a drawn sword technique.

The super-high-speed flying slash [Phantom] cut the Undead Dragon's hot breath and opened a straight path, and Nozomu rushed towards the Undead Dragon's eyes.

The scorching breath that kept coming out tried to close the open path, but before giving it such time, Nozomu quickly closed the distance to the Dragon's eyes.

"Aaaaaa!"

The edge of the katana flipped over and another slash was launched. A slash that glowed due to the extremely compressed Qi was sucked into the Dragon's mouth.

Qi Technique [Phantom -Recurrence-]

The flashing blade slashed the Dragon's jaw in an instant. The Undead Dragon's body collapsed. Its body convulsed, but soon its movement stopped and was completely silent.

"…………"

Nozomu glanced at the lying Undead Dragon then glared at Irisdina and the others. Nozomu's gaze pierced and tore their hearts apart.

His gaze wasn't the usual gaze directed at his friends, but a sharp and piercing gaze that was usually directed at his enemies.

"~! Nozomu!!"

Irisdina's painful voice like a prayer resounded in the forest.

Her heartbreaking cry. She wished that the worst-case scenario she had in mind didn't come true. However, as if her wish was thrown away, Nozomu stepped in, releasing a murderous intent that would freeze the spine of everyone who saw him.

===============================================

A faint light shone in the forest dyed in darkness, like an isolated island in the ocean. Someone was wearing a hood to hide his face, while the surrounding overgrown trees were concealing his presence.

"So it started..."

In such an empty forest, that person muttered in a small voice that even insects could not hear. A spherical object floated in front of the hooded person. Inside the spherical object, a human and a huge demon beast were projected fighting each other. A boy wielding a katana, slashed at the demon beast in front of him with his glowing red eyes, while the demon beast confronted the boy with a crimson scorching breath released from its mouth. The boy faced a dragon, which was a prominent presence among demon beasts. Even though it had become an undead, it still had a strong body and scorching breath among the demon beasts. And its missing wings have also been restored.

If others thought about it normally, the boy should have no chance of winning. However, it was the Undead Dragon, not the boy, who was clearly inferior. In the image projected on the sphere floating in the air, the boy ran continuously, and every time his katana flashed, the huge body that should have been as strong as a castle was slashed and injured. Its tail was severed, its legs were amputated, and its head was smashed.

The Undead Dragon's body was covered in wounds. However, the dragon's cloudy white eyes glared at the boy again.

Was it because of its pride as one that stood at the pinnacle of the demon beasts?

Was it because of the fear towards the boy-shaped monster in front of it?

or is it because of the debt of gratitude to the person who brought it back to life?

The reason is unknown. However, the dragon couldn't accept the result for what it was. It released another scorching breath with the last ounce of its strength. However, the last attack from the Undead Dragon was only torn apart by the boy's one slash. Without being able to dodge, the Undead Dragon's head was severed with an overturned slash.

The person in the hood looked at the scene without showing any signs of being surprised. Nozomu's line of sight that was reflected in the sphere was directed at Irisdina and the others. His eyes were still dyed red, and through the projected image, one could feel goosebumps down their spines.

"It starts from here……"

After the hooded person spoke so, he swung his arm. Then, countless shining magic formations appeared at his feet. The magic formations gradually spread to the ground and overlapped each other. Multiple magic formations that looked like six-pointed stars interfered with each other to develop a larger magic formation, and the deployed magic formations formed an even larger formation. The hooded person stood alone in the middle of the magic formations, which were extremely complicated and mysterious.

With his eyes wide open, his gaze locked onto the sphere in front of him.

"I'll have to ascertain it myself ..."

Such a muttering voice melted into the darkness that spread across the forest.