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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“What about you? You’ve lost your title, and you know the truth about the Dragon God. Aren’t you the one in the most difficult position?”
Jane leaned back, her red hair fluttering against the blue backdrop of the ocean.
“It’s liberating. I like it. I don’t know how to tell the dragon-kin, and honestly, I’m worried, but…”
She looked at me.
“It’s not my responsibility, is it?”
Her unexpected answer made me chuckle. She’d changed so much in such a short time.
“So, I’ll figure it out. I think I had some sort of dream when I was younger, so I’ll try to remember it.”
“Sounds fun.”
I was genuinely envious.
“Right? But for that to happen, you need to stop the apocalypse.”
I paused.
Jane looked at me nervously, thinking she’d said something wrong, but I smiled and nodded.
“Of course I will.”
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Back on the island, Eve and Sen rushed towards me.
The Chokugen Faction members followed, and the elders trailed behind hesitantly.
They all looked unwell, despite the short time that had passed.
“H-how did it go?”
Eve asked, and I gave a thumbs up. Eve and Sen smiled and mirrored the gesture.
“I cut off one of the Dragon God’s wings. He’s unconscious, floating in the ocean, so we have some time.”
Some of the elders frothed at the mouth and collapsed.
One of the more aggressive elders pushed his way forward, grabbing my collar.
“You! You’ve committed an unforgivable sin against our god! As his representatives, we will punish you…!”
SLAP!
The elder’s head snapped to the side.
He blinked repeatedly, then looked at Jane, who had slapped him.
“You’ve gone mad…!”
SLAP!
Another slap, this time sending him sprawling.
Jane lowered her head, her horns pointed menacingly.
“There is no god. The being we worshipped as a god is just a self-absorbed lizard.”
“D-Dragon Priestess! Do you understand what you’re saying?! Your position…!”
“I told you, I’m not the Dragon Priestess anymore.”
Jane kicked dirt at the fallen elder.
“You don’t care about the Dragon God. You’re just afraid of losing the power you wielded in his name.”
She glanced at the newly chosen Dragon Priestess and clicked her tongue.
“A Dragon Priestess who can’t even use magic properly? They just chose a woman to their liking. What do they take the Dragon Priestess for? And honestly, I’m much better looking.”
The woman the elders had chosen was… vulgar. Her attire and demeanor seemed to reflect their personal preferences.
The new Dragon Priestess blushed and lowered her head.
‘Even so, she’s no match for Eve.’
Eve would scold me for thinking that, but it was true.
Eve was undefeated.
“Right?”
Jane nudged me.
“I’m better, right?”
“Uh…”
Honestly, I preferred…
“Ahem.”
I looked away, and Jane’s gaze followed, but I pretended not to notice.
“Hey! What? Say it.”
“You’re much prettier.”
“Your attempts at compliments are truly awful.”
Jane grumbled and walked towards the wyverns. I shrugged, and felt a familiar presence behind me.
Eve.
Her gentle voice whispered,
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”
“Promise? What promise?”
BOOM!
A loud explosion interrupted.
We rushed towards the beach.
Dozens of pirate ships surrounded the island, cannons ready.
From the largest ship in the center, a man’s mana-infused shout echoed,
“This island now belongs to me, the Pirate Lord!”
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Before reaching the island, the pirates had naturally searched for the source of the massive wave.
If they hadn’t enchanted their ships with wave-cancelling magic, they would have all sunk.
They had initially mistaken Shakarim’s massive form for a small island.
As they got closer, they were stunned.
A wingless dragon, floating on the sea!
The Pirate Lord felt a thrill, like striking gold.
He left some ships behind to capture the dragon while he headed towards the island.
“Wow, how much is this worth?”
“Who would even buy this?”
“I don’t know, but a dragon has to be worth a fortune.”
The pirates attached hooks to Shakarim’s scales, celebrating like farmers harvesting a bountiful crop.
“But he’s definitely dead, right?”
“Does it look like he’s swimming?”
Shakarim was deeply unconscious, and the pirates, seeing a dragon for the first time, were too scared to check properly.
One pirate, emboldened, approached Shakarim’s head.
“Is he dead?”
He felt a faint breath, but something else caught his eye.
“Whoa, what’s this?”
A sword.
A sword piercing the dragon’s eye, like a legendary hero’s blade.
The sword itself wasn’t special, but its position made it seem invaluable to the pirate.
Dragonslayer.
That would be a good name for it.
He glanced around. No one else had noticed the sword.
He reached for it, intending to steal it…
ROOOOOOOOAR!
The dragon awoke with a roar of pain.
“The Pirate Lord?”
We were all taken aback by his sudden appearance. We’d thought it was over after defeating Shakarim.
Compared to the Dragon God, he seemed insignificant, but…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The pirates bombarded the island.
The island shook, and small landslides began in the surrounding mountains.
The Eccentric dodged falling debris, adjusting his glasses.
“How did the pirates find this place? They were supposed to just create a diversion.”
“Wait! A diversion? Were you involved in the attacks on Royen and Salamander?!”
“Oops.”
Jane whirled around, glaring at the Eccentric. Free from her title and faith, she showed her true, fierce dragon-kin nature.
The Eccentric winced and looked at me. Sen and I already suspected their involvement.
Their presence here had been suspicious from the start.
“And this sword…”
I looked at the battered Chain-Sword. At first, I’d thought I was just lucky, but…
It was too perfectly suited for fighting a dragon.
BOOM!
Eve jumped, startled.
“S-shouldn’t we run?”
“Hold on.”
A mana shield appeared above us. The Eccentric smoothly covered up his slip-up.
A cannonball struck the shield and exploded harmlessly.
He could maintain the shield for a while, being a mage capable of warp magic.
I approached the Chokugen Faction Leader.
Sen followed.
“Tell them to stop if they don’t want to die.”
I was exhausted from fighting Shakarim. My time manipulation was depleted, and my hand was throbbing.
Even moving was difficult.
I tried to bluff, but the Leader just scoffed.
“Still arrogant in that state?”
“…”
“I am the Leader of the Chokugen Faction. Don’t try to hide anything from me. It only piques my curiosity.”
I sighed.
They were always capable of betrayal, closer to pirates than us. We were temporary allies, nothing more.
I raised the Chain-Sword, now little more than a walking stick.
The Leader’s eyes narrowed.
“Why are you here?”
Why was the Chokugen Faction on Shakarim’s island?
Why had they paid the pirates to attack Royen and Salamander, drawing away the forces while they searched for the Dragon God?
“You seem to know.”
He replied nonchalantly.
I did know.
Their actions and my past encounters with their rivals made it clear.
They were trying to do the same thing as the Tudogs.
The Tudogs had achieved explosive growth by using the monsters of the Demon Realm Forest.
The Chokugen Faction had tried the same, but the forest was too dangerous for them.
Even the Tudogs had only succeeded because their leader had experience there.
“The Demon Realm Forest was too much for you, so you turned your attention elsewhere?”
“We believed the remains of a slumbering Dragon God would be valuable, both monetarily and as a clue to power beyond human limits.”
The Leader admitted it readily.
“After hearing the Eccentric’s report about the skull-masked mage and the wolf beast-kin, I was certain.”
I remembered the Eccentric witnessing Kurika’s arrival at the false Nirva.
“To fight monsters, we must obtain their power. Just like you, Daniel McLean!”
“…”
“Monster in human skin. I’ve been watching you since you single-handedly destroyed the Tudogs.”
He drew a hidden dagger and pointed it at my throat, radiating a thick, sickening killing intent.
“You’ve killed over a hundred of my men. It’s time to pay the price.”
They say you feel numb when something is too absurd.
That’s how I felt.
“The same could be said for you.”
How dare he point fingers?
I could confidently say that no one on this continent, no matter how vile, was as dirty as the Leader of the Chokugen Faction.
“You’re the ones who should pay.”
This was for the best. Even if it took a toll on me, destroying the Chokugen Faction would be better for Sen.
I tossed him the Chain-Sword.
“And thanks for this. It was useful.”
The Leader gritted his teeth as the broken sword landed at his feet.
“Very well, I’ll take your head!”
My body screamed in protest, but I forced myself to move, anticipating his attack.
I was about to counter, but a flash of white moved faster.
CLANG!
Two daggers deflected his sword.
Sen stood before me, glaring at the Leader.
He scoffed.
“Stay out of this, Sen. Killing you would be easy, but I’m giving you a chance. I’ll overlook your betrayal and make you a full member.”
Sen glanced at me.
I shrugged, indicating I’d respect her choice.
But she seemed displeased and punched me in the gut.
“Oof!”
That was unexpected.
“Aren’t you going to stop him?”
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