Chapter 169

Rumble! Rumbleeee!

Fwaaaaaaaaash!

Boom! Crash! Crackleeeee!

Aboard the airships, those who were watching the battle between the three bald dragons and the Archangel unconsciously gaped in sheer awe.

“W-Wow…”

“Incredible…”

As the saying goes, you only see as much as you know. The 9th Circle Archmage, Ellaim Alterion, and the Grand Master, Fiorant Lyandra, who were aboard the flagship, were letting out far more exclamations than the ordinary knights or mages.

“I wonder if the battles of myth were like this… My eyes are truly being opened today… How on earth can those colossal bodies move so flawlessly…?”

“Ah… I completely agree. Just how many hundreds of spells are being poured forth and dispelled in a single instant… Look at that spectacular use of telekinesis, and the sheer boundary required to crush it with just a flick of a finger…”

“I thought I had finally reached the peak… but it turns out I still have a long way to go. Compared to them, someone like me is nothing but a joke, haha.”

“Hahaha. They say extremes meet, and your thoughts are exactly the same as mine.”

“An opportunity like this will never come a second time. Let us make sure to engrave it well into our eyes.”

“Of course. To be completely honest, from the very moment that Archangel named Weisel revealed himself, I’ve been recording the visual scene from every possible angle.”

“Oh… can I get a copy of that later?”

“Well, normally I’d weigh all kinds of conditions… but since fate brought us together like this, I will gladly do so.”

While the Archmage borrowed from the imperial state and the Grand Master borrowed from the empire were casually chatting while watching the battle beyond the heavens, a massive oxkin standing next to them bowed submissively, completely out of character for his giant build.

“Um… seniors.”

“Hmm?”

“What is it?”

“Is it really alright for us to just be standing around like this? Shouldn’t we be helping out even a little bit…?”

Hearing that, Grand Master Fiorant let out a scoffing laugh.

“Are you bored?”

“Pardon? No, it’s not that…”

“If you’re bored, act like the leader of this reconnaissance force and issue commands through the communication tool. Don’t even dream of meddling in that fight.”

Archmage Ellaim also nodded his head, offering a gentle smile.

“Sir Fiorant is correct. No matter what we do, it won’t change a single thing, so just stay put quietly.”

At those words, the oxkin’s expression distorted slightly before he quickly flattened it out. Even though he was a Master-class Steel Body user who held a count’s title and was technically in charge of leading this entire reconnaissance force… the two individuals standing in front of him were absolute monsters who could blow away all of those credentials with a single scoff.

“Hehe… even if he’s an Archangel facing Equilibrium Heaven dragons, it’s still a three-on-one fight, so…”

Fiorant locked his gaze onto the massive oxkin and questioned him.

“You’re a Master, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Let us assume there are three experts of your caliber, and you all charge at me at once. Do you think you would be able to win?”

“Well… that would be impossible.”

“Exactly. If it were me, I could lop off all three of your heads within ten clashes.”

“And the chasm separating a transcendent at the Archangel rank from one at the Equilibrium Heaven rank is far wider than that. That battle was already a done deal from the very moment it started.”

The oxkin tilted his head with a thoroughly perplexed expression.

No matter how he looked at it, the three bald dragons seemed to be pushing the Archangel back… yet the battle was already decided in the angel’s favor? Could he truly believe those words?

However, in less than a minute, as if to prove that one doesn’t acquire the title of Archmage or Grand Master through a game of rock-paper-scissors, the angel began to relentlessly push the dragons back.

The Archangel, who had been pushed back slightly while remaining strictly on the defensive against the deluge of magic, suddenly opened his mouth and unleashed a short, booming shout.

Immediately, every single piece of the incoming magic was completely dispelled, creating a vacuum zone entirely devoid of magical energy.

The dragons, who had been completely focused on their spellcasting, panicked and exposed a massive opening. Taking absolute advantage of this timing, the angel lunged forward, grabbing the red dragon by the wings while unleashing a devastating beam of light from his mouth.

OMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the blue and black dragons were blasted away by the beam of light. Meanwhile, the red dragon struggled frantically to break free from the angel’s grip.

Staring at the struggling red dragon, the angel let out a freezing laugh and brutally ripped the dragon’s wings clean off, exactly like tearing a piece of bread apart.

“Subway shriek! Kyaaaaaaaah!”

Even though they had maintained a distance of nearly two kilometers to avoid getting caught up in the crossfire, a spine-chillingly dense mist of blood bloomed in the air.

The angel snapped the red dragon’s neck and tossed it into the sea like trash, before turning his body toward the remaining two dragons who were charging at him, completely blinded by rage.

“See. Was I not correct?”

“…Wow.”

“Those things couldn’t do a single thing even in a three-on-one fight, and now that it’s a two-on-one, the result is as clear as day. Go tell the other airships to prepare to enter the Demon Territory.”

“Yes, senior.”

The battle that followed proceeded exactly as Fiorant had predicted.

The blue dragon, who had been pouring down lightning, was struck by the angel’s hand and plummeted into the ocean. It was painfully obvious that the black dragon charging frantically would soon meet the exact same fate as the previous two.

“Still, this is rather strange.”

Right at that moment, Ellaim suddenly tilted his head in confusion.

“What is?”

“This battle is already over. And that black dragon should be well aware of that fact too. So I can’t help but wonder why it keeps charging in like that, as if it’s absolutely dying to get killed.”

“Hating humans is simply a monster’s instinct, isn’t it?”

“For an ordinary monster, perhaps. But that creature is a Transcendent Dragon. Do you honestly think it makes sense for an entity that has climbed to the throne of transcendence to be unable to control its own base instincts?”

“…Hmm. True. Wait, don’t tell me you mean…”

Fiorant’s eyes widened as he nodded along.

“If it were acting under someone’s explicit command, everything would make perfect sense.”

Fiorant lowered his voice, casting a wary glance toward the Archangel who had just grabbed the black dragon by the tail.

“Drop it. I have no desire to see one of my few friends turned into a mouse scraping away at bread like the Prime Minister of the Viki Kingdom.”

But it was at that exact moment. The body of the triumphant angel suddenly froze mid-motion… and he began to let out an agonizing, pain-filled groan.

“Huh? Argh…!? Urgh, guuuh, guuuuuuuh…!”

Before long, his already colossal frame swelled even further, and he began to pour out blinding light and roaring flames from every single orifice.

“…What on earth is this!”

Sensing the extreme danger, Ellaim forcefully shouted as his hands began forming signs at an unbelievable speed, before he could even grab his staff.

“Absolute Barrier!”

“Physical Barrier (Dimensional Barrier)!”

“Starlight Citadel!”

And right before their eyes, a massive mushroom cloud of vapor billowed up along with a devastating flash of light.

Five minutes later.

Abandoning the completely ragged airship and floating up into the empty air, Ellaim looked around the surroundings and burst into a hollow laugh.

“My god… what a horrific disaster…”

Out of the hundred and fifty airships, not a single one remained intact. This was the catastrophic mess that had occurred despite them maintaining a distance of nearly two kilometers to avoid getting caught up in the crossfire.

‘Half of them have crashed… and the remaining half can barely even stay afloat.’

And to think this was the result even after he had deployed his barriers to protect the airships…

‘If they had taken a direct hit without any defenses, the only ones who would have survived would have been myself and the Grand Master, Fiorant.’

Right on cue, Fiorant—who couldn’t use magic but was equipped with a high-end flying artifact—flew over to him with a completely dazed expression.

“Just… what on earth was that?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Was it magic?”

“It could be, or it might not be. But one thing is absolutely certain: aside from those bald dragons, an absolute monster capable of unleashing that kind of firepower resides inside that Demon Territory… and setting foot on that island with the help of just a single angel is an utter impossibility.”

Right at that moment, a chilling howl erupted from the ocean in the distance.

“Krwarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!”

Hearing that cry, Fiorant let out a bitter smile and replied.

“Can I tell you something that’s even more certain than that?”

“Don’t tell me even if I ask you not to.”

“We are totally fucked.”

“…Good grief… and I told you not to say it.”

That was exactly the case. The black dragon—its tail completely severed—was flying right toward them while scattering blood into the air.

“…Do you think we can win?”

“…Are you seriously asking that?”

“…Sigh. Let us at least buy enough time for the younger folk to escape.”

“…Tsk. Well, I’ve lived a long enough life, so that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“…It was a pleasure.”

“Likewise.”

And just like that, at the exact moment the two men who had braced themselves for death leveled their sword and staff toward the dragon, an absolutely mind-boggling event unfolded right before their eyes.

Out of nowhere, a black-haired man suddenly cut across the sky, blocking the black dragon’s path before relentlessly slamming a massive iron club right onto its skull.

Craaaaack!

“Kyaaaaaaaah!!”

The dragon’s agonizing shriek tore through the atmosphere.

While they were briefly stunned by this utterly unimaginable sight, the two men soon began to look on with worried eyes, fully expecting the black-haired man to be torn to shreds by the dragon’s telekinesis and turned into a bite-sized snack. They assumed he was simply another member of the reconnaissance force who had thrown his body into the fray to buy time for those retreating, just like themselves.

However, what happened next completely shattered their imaginations.

The hundred-meter-long black dragon—which looked exactly like a terrifying, malevolent deity—suddenly curled its body like a trapped hamster and began rubbing its front paws together frantically.

“My word…”

“…My god.”

Standing atop the dragon’s polished head, the man turned his attention toward Fiorant and Ellaim.

“Mmh…”

“Ugh…”

Realizing that the man was not an ally, and that he was an absolute powerhouse capable of forcing a Transcendent Dragon to flip onto its back and submit, the two men froze solid under a wave of terror and tension they hadn’t felt in ages.

Sweeping his eyes over the two of them, the man let out a small smirk and began folding his fingers down one by one.

Instinctively understanding that this meant they would be spared if they vanished before he counted to five, the two men threw themselves backward before the second finger could even fold, shouting at the top of their lungs toward the rear.

“Retreat! Retreat!! Get every single survivor onto the remaining airships and leave this place immediately!!”

“Anyone capable of Mass Fly, take those who can’t board the airships and abandon the area!!”

After rushing those who were half-crazed and wandering around in confusion due to the explosion, Fiorant and Ellaim finally managed to escape the battlefield, exchanging a long, deep sigh as they faced each other.

Fiorant let out a hearty laugh as he rested his hips on the edge of the ragged airship.

“At this point, I think it’s safe to say we survived.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Nodding his head, Ellaim lightly grabbed the brim of his conical hat and bowed deeply toward the distant horizon.

“Hmm? What are you doing?”

“He let the enemies who crawled right into his front yard leave alive. It is only proper to show standard courtesy.”

“Ha, you should have done something like that while he was still watching.”

“He is watching.”

“Hmm?”

“I am saying he is still looking right in this direction.”

Fiorant’s expression hardened as he questioned him.

“…Are you serious?”

“Take a look.”

Ellaim cast a scrying spell over Fiorant as well. Rolling his eyes around to look through the spell, Fiorant quickly let out an exclamation.

“Ha, you’re right. In that case, I should offer a proper greeting as well.”

As Fiorant offered a military salute next to Ellaim, the man—who looked quite distant even through the scrying magic—let out a small smirk and casually waved his hand.

It was a gesture that could either mean ‘get lost’ or ‘farewell,’ causing the two men to unconsciously break into a hollow laugh.

“That fellow can actually see us with his bare eyes from that distance.”

“He’s an entity that treats a Transcendent Dragon like a mere pet, so something like that is hardly surprising…”

A heavy silence descended upon them.

Cooling his cold sweat in the ocean breeze for a moment, Ellaim finally broke the silence once more.

“…What do you think? I feel like your instincts would be far more accurate than mine on this matter.”

“He isn’t a Demon King.”

“Because he isn’t female?”

“What does physical appearance matter to a Demon King? Rather, I mean a Demon King would never have gone out of their way to stop a bald dragon just to save human lives.”

“True enough.”

“And it’s just a gut feeling, but I somehow got the impression that he isn’t a malicious entity. If anything, he felt closer to our side.”

“Hmm… his gaze certainly wasn’t filled with hostility. Rather, it was more like… how should I put this.”

“Haha… didn’t it look like he was viewing us with a proud, commendable gaze?”

“Ah, exactly. That’s it. Hearing you put it into words makes it click perfectly. It felt like he was praising us for doing a decent job. Good grief… it really wounds my pride…”

“Even so… honestly, doesn’t it feel pretty good to be acknowledged by an entity of that caliber?”

“…Haha. I suppose it does feel a bit like that.”

“What tier do you think he belongs to? He certainly didn’t seem to be at the Equilibrium Heaven rank…”

“…Considering the raw power required to blow away an Archangel in a single strike… he must either be a high-tier entity even among Archangels, or…”

“…Above the Principality rank?”

“…I don’t even want to think that far. I shall simply believe he is an Archangel.”

“Whew… regardless, neither the empire nor the imperial state will drop this matter based solely on our report, right?”

“Probably. They will keep pressing forward until they can confirm the life or death of the Demon King. The maintenance of the treaty is just that critical of an issue, after all.”

The two of them let out another long sigh.

“Things are bound to get chaotic. Maybe it’s about time I retire…”

“Tell me about it.”

And… a fortnight passed since then.

Instead of thinning out, the sheer number of the airship fleet kept increasing due to their persistent nagging, completely pushing me past my breaking point.

“Wow… these guys just don’t know when to quit, do they?”

Disis let out a small smirk as she replied.

“It’s because you keep saving them and sending them back every single time. As long as they pour enough money into it, airships can just be mass-produced, so…”

“Whew, can’t be helped then. I’ll have to change my approach.”

At my words, the three baldies’ faces instantly lit up with joy.

“Does that mean we can finally blow them away with our breath weapons now?”

“Hehe… you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day…”

“What absolute nonsense are you talking about?”

Smack! Thud! Whack!!

“Aaargh!”

“Urgh!”

“Ack!!”

While the three of them rolled around the floor in pure agony after getting their skulls cracked by my hands, Shia questioned me.

“Then what exactly do you plan on doing?”

I let out a sly smirk as I answered.

“We aren’t just going to play defense anymore. This time, let’s make the first move from our side.”