—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Are… Are they fighting?”
“They’re really fighting, aren’t they?”
As all the dragon lords rushed towards the Information Processing Center, the bound harpies regained about half of their freedom.
“What if this whole hill blows up?”
“I’d rather have that happen. At least then, those dragon bastards would die too!”
“Th-that’s… That’s… true…”
A mixture of worry and anticipation could be seen in the eyes of the harpies as they glanced towards the Information Processing Center.
But none dared to leave.
The vampire had truly come to rescue them.
For harpies, who base their actions strictly on intimacy and affection, this was a huge deal.
They had to see the outcome of their rescuer’s actions to be satisfied.
If it were a fight between other races, they would have just been devastated, but now wasn’t their side clearly defined?
The vampire, Jekkiel, had to win.
He just had to!
“There are too many of them… Will Sir Jekkiel be alright?”
“He’s the Vampire Lord!”
“Everyone, keep your voices down. The dragons will hear you!”
They absolutely couldn’t let that happen.
They didn’t want to miss the opportunity to witness this spectacle with their own eyes.
However, Maligos wasn’t just sitting idly by, oblivious to their whispers.
Maligos was an exceptional dragon in many aspects, and his hearing was no exception.
The reason he tolerated such a scene and chatter was simply this:
‘Witness it with your own eyes.’
If it were the old him, he would have made an example out of the harpies first before starting anything.
To Maligos, spectators or not, they were nothing but a nuisance.
But now, obtaining the map was his top priority.
It would be troublesome if Jekkiel suddenly decided to burn it.
He just had to deal with this guy while keeping the harpies alive.
In that case, the best course of action in this situation was simple.
To make himself the protagonist of this stage.
‘I’m confident.’
This wasn’t some kind of self-deception.
The Dragon race had never neglected their training, always prepared to wage war against other races.
While other races trained for the sake of maintaining the status quo or for management purposes, none focused on eliminating their opponents like the dragons did.
So.
He could definitely handle the Vampire Lord in front of him.
“Ha.”
Maligos hadn’t neglected his training either, and recalling those training sessions made him grit his teeth.
As a Black Dragon, he had the power to control black magic, and he had dabbled in all sorts of it.
He had made various sacrifices and endured agonizing pain, but there he was, standing tall as proof of his efforts.
The results of his pain and sacrifices were now dormant within Maligos’ mana.
Perfectly preserved, with not a single drop leaking out.
Blindly believing in himself would be nothing but arrogance.
But at this point, wouldn’t it be alright to be proud of how far he had come?
And just then—
The lieutenants who had leaped behind Maligos reached Jekkiel in an instant.
“Shall we move to a slightly more spacious area first?”
Muttering this, Jekkiel instantly retreated out of the Information Processing Center.
Maligos’ lips twisted subtly as he observed this.
‘Buying time?’
Did he intend to preserve the Information Processing Center building?
Or was this the limit of his abilities?
Moving to a wider area during a battle against multiple opponents was actually disadvantageous, as it exposed him to attacks from more directions.
‘Well, it works in my favor either way.’
In reality, it was Maligos, not Jekkiel, who needed to buy time.
Before a major battle, he needed to prepare and refine the mana within his body for black magic.
“Die!”
One of the lieutenants drew his sword.
He charged desperately, but Jekkiel couldn’t help but chuckle.
With a swift movement, he effortlessly dodged the trajectory of the vertically swinging sword, prompting the lieutenant to widen his eyes and shout,
“What’s so funny?”
“My apologies. I don’t have the ability to summon a mirror.”
Jekkiel’s expression remained neutral, but it was clear that he was struggling to contain his laughter.
“How could I possibly resist a lizard wielding a sword?”
“…You lunatic.”
As if their rationality had snapped, the six lieutenants’ eyes flipped, and they all lunged at Jekkiel simultaneously.
However.
‘Foolish.’
He could see it all.
The momentum of their charge was fierce, as if they could pierce through steel with their bodies alone.
But they made no attempt to conceal their direction or trajectory.
That was why they were foolish.
“Thanatos.”
He had already prepared the incantation to summon his scythe.
He grasped the emerging handle from within the magic circle and pulled it out forcefully.
Here, he didn’t need to worry about his precious research subjects (and he truly meant it when he called them precious) getting hurt.
All that remained was to cut down these insolent fools who dared to attack him.
He didn’t put too much force into his wrist.
Instead, he channeled that power into his lower body.
Schwing—!
He swung lightly once, but the sound was anything but light.
It was only natural.
After all, it was their massive bodies that were being cut.
And since he swung once, subsequent swings became effortless.
The scythe danced with a will of its own, its trajectory painting the air in all directions.
It was fast.
Too fast for those on the receiving end to even comprehend.
“Huh, huh?”
The charging lieutenant was bewildered, seeing the scythe move, but nothing happening.
“That won’t do.”
It was natural to be puzzled when faced with something beyond comprehension, but even so, losing composure like that was unacceptable.
If they couldn’t press forward resolutely and crumbled on their own, they might as well surrender.
Perhaps they heard Jekkiel’s murmur.
The dragon lieutenants gritted their teeth and raised their swords.
But it was too late.
Jekkiel lowered the scythe’s handle until it touched the ground.
Thud, a light sound.
And at the same time:
Schwiing—!
The bodies of the dragon lieutenants, already marked by the scythe’s path, finally separated.
It wasn’t so much a clean cut, as it was an illusion of something that had always been severed.
It gave them no time to even register, let alone grasp, their falling bodies.
“You may die.”
At that moment, the light faded from the dragons’ eyes.
The eyes, no matter the creature, held the most life force.
The light of life that once filled them was now clouded over.
This was the greatest mercy he could offer them.
Lizards twitching in pieces would have been amusing in its own way.
But taking pleasure in the misfortune of others, or inflicting pain for entertainment, was simply incompatible with his nature.
“Maligos.”
He called out his opponent’s name.
A clear invitation to come at him directly.
Surely, even Maligos would realize by now that bringing a few more lieutenants would yield the same result.
Just as the title of ‘lieutenant’ paled in comparison to the inherent power of a Lord, no matter how much time they had spent honing their skills, reality remained unchanged.
Because while they trained, he trained as well.
His efforts were imbued in the blade of this scythe, in his body, and in his very being.
He didn’t sheathe the scythe yet.
Instead, he pointed its tip silently at Maligos.
He had thought the dragon lord was rather adept at maintaining his composure.
But the sight of his lieutenants cut down in an instant had drawn out a rather flustered expression.
That look suited him quite well too.
But he kept his thoughts to himself.
‘To think the gap between us is this wide.’
Anticipating the outcome and accepting the outcome were two entirely different things.
However, he soon decided to set aside his astonishment.
He had already decided that it would be enough if he could buy himself time while Maligos gathered his mana.
Schwing—!
Jekkiel swung his scythe once, but Maligos dodged it.
“Oh.”
The vampire seemed genuinely impressed.
‘Just how much did he underestimate me?’
Was he truly this amazed by the simple act of dodging one of his casual swings?
Maligos’ pride simply wouldn’t allow it.
“I am Maligos, a noble Black Dragon by birth.”
From his entire being, a black aura of dark magic emanated.
As if his very soul was being drawn out, the frantically surging energy gathered, taking shape.
“Kuh huh huh…”
He appeared to be in pain, yet there was a hint of pleasure in his expression.
Taking a step back, Maligos grasped the materialized form.
And the moment his hand made contact, the chaotic black energy coalesced into a refined form.
The watching harpies’ eyes widened in terror.
It was a staff, far too intricate and massive to have been formed solely from his overflowing energy.
Held in his hand was a long, black staff.
His prized possession, known as the Black Tail.
“Jekkiel. Hand over the map.”
Maligos’ presence was overwhelming, radiating black energy and a palpable bloodlust.
The harpies trembled, their feathered wings rustling nervously.
‘Yes, tremble in fear.’
The era of the Black Dragon was coming.
Soon, not only those present, but the entirety of the demon realm would come to realize it.
“….”
But Jekkiel, after a moment of contemplation, simply stated,
“2.38 seconds to equip your weapon.”
With a shrug, he added,
“…Just barely passing grade.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
Bro is grading his opponent mid fight ☠️