Chapter 53

“Uoooooooh!!”

I dove between Dahaka’s legs, barely slipping past his opening strike.

『Hoh. You are fast.』

“That’s not all I am!”

A single red line traced across Dahaka’s back. I had managed to slash him as we crossed paths. Even I had grown reasonably strong, after all. Still, wasn’t there a bit too much blood? It had only felt like I’d grazed his skin.

『I see. Movements and ruthlessness I would never expect from a Tamer. Then how about these?』

The ground began to heave and warp unnaturally. Was this it? Creatures resembling imitation Lizardmen, snakes with arms and legs, and monstrosities with a chaotic jumble of reptilian features crawled out from the earth.

“Ugh, gross.”

『Go.』

At Dahaka’s command, the monsters lunged at me. I began lopping off their heads. Wait, they were still moving even without heads? In that case, mincing their entire bodies was a better bet. These monsters were an easy win; the safest play was to keep an eye on the numbers I was handling while steadily stacking damage on Dahaka.

『Hmpf. It seems my minions are beneath you. Then perhaps it will be more of a trial if I attack you personally.』

“Trial this, trial that… what are you even trying to do? Every attack so far has been half-hearted. What’s your goal?”

He hadn’t even tried to dodge the wound on his back. He had summoned those minions and attacked me on purpose.

『…What I seek is a Hero who can kill me. We Evil Dragons end our existence by being slain by a Hero. That is why I have waited—for the one who can end my life.』

“That’s a first. I’ve never heard of a living thing wishing for death. I figured most things usually want to stay alive.”

『That is what the trial is for. Ryu, I want you to kill me.』

Seriously, this guy was way too eccentric. But if that was the case, I’d show my respect by going all out to kill him.

“…Azi Dahaka. I’ll take your life.”

『Come! I shall also give you my all!! Enchant!!』

Buffing himself with magic, huh? This guy was a Mage through and through—a dragon who utilized every spell at his disposal to win. He had far too many cards in his hand compared to me, who fought with nothing but my body! Dahaka’s fist looked heavy just by glancing at it; taking a direct hit was dangerous. I dodged and tried to pierce him with Rou, but the blade barely sank in. That was when Dahaka’s fist connected!

“Gah!”

Crap. I flew back much further than I’d imagined. Even though I was protecting myself with Battle Spirit, I still took damage?! My Self-Regeneration would close up minor wounds quickly, but I was at a total disadvantage the longer this turned into a war of attrition.

『Die.』

A five-digit magic circle suddenly appeared right before my eyes.

“Uoooooooh!!”

I managed to counter it by releasing my magic in all directions, but I hadn’t dealt any real damage to Dahaka. I might actually die here. On top of that, there must have been some kind of curse involved because my body felt sluggish. I was lucky it wasn’t something immediately fatal—wait, no, that didn’t matter right now. Dahaka was still right in front of me.

『You didn’t die from that? You are quite the tough Tamer.』

I had to think. What did I have in my hand that could beat him? Our magic capacity and physical abilities were roughly equal, but he was overwhelmingly superior in magic. Was the only thing I had on him my will to live? Damn it. Am I really unable to do anything on my own? Fine. Then I’ll rely on everyone.

『Even you lacked the power to kill me. How disappointing.』

Don’t you worry, Dahaka. I’m about to show you what “all out” really means! I suddenly slashed at Dahaka with a new intensity.

『…This attack power. Could it be Limit Break?』

“Trust the Evil Sage Dragon to figure it out instantly. I really didn’t want to use this if I could help it. But I’m going for it.”

Limit Break was a skill that allowed me to remove my brain’s internal limiters by my own will. In other words, it put me into a state of “hysterical strength” but it came with a massive drawback. If I overused it, my body wouldn’t be able to keep up. The skill would deactivate on its own once my body hit its limit regardless of my will, and if I forced myself to keep going beyond that, I’d die. It was truly a forbidden skill that surpassed boundaries by relentlessly abusing the body.

However, the offensive power was top-tier, and for the first time, I dealt a significant wound to Dahaka. Blood sprayed out, and a massive swarm of minions was summoned.

『Are you sane? Or do you simply not understand the danger of that skill?』

“I’m using it because I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be able to land a single punch on you. Let’s get started, Azi Dahaka. Let’s make this a trial to see which of us dies first.”

As I took my stance again, Dahaka followed suit.

『This looks like it will be enjoyable. How about you, Ryu?』

“If possible, I’d rather enjoy this as a simple brawl we could have over and over.”

『Kukuku. That is a wonderful sentiment, but I am an Evil Dragon. I wish to enjoy this battle by spending every last drop of my life.』

“That’s a shame. Then let’s carve this fight into each other’s souls. Don’t go resenting me when you’re dead.”

『That is my line.』

Our life-or-death struggle, with both of us casting aside all defense, began.