#61: Chapter 61 — I’ll Live My Life Surrounded by Monsters! (WN)

I had begun special training in preparation for the duel with Tiamat, but…

“Things aren’t going quite as planned.”

I wanted to find a way to suppress the intense energy consumption of Limit Break, even if only by a little, but I hadn’t been able to find a solution yet. Whether it would be a long or short battle depended on Tiamat’s fighting style, but if it turned into a war of attrition, my stamina probably wouldn’t hold out.

If things weren’t going to go smoothly, I needed to seize control of the pace of the battle myself. Could I really do that? Especially when my opponent was Tiamat.

“Ah, what a pain.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say that! You’re the one who caused this in the first place, Ryu!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Ouka was also keeping me company during my training.

“More importantly, did you make sure to ask the other dragons for their cooperation?”

“Umu. However, someone quite unexpected said they would help!”

Someone unexpected? Someone I didn’t know?

“They said they would be here soon, but… as expected, that person is quite laid-back.”

Laid-back… come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Orm lately. Had he gone back to his home somewhere?

“Ah! They’re finally here!”

Reacting to Ouka’s voice, I turned around to see who was there.

“Ya-hoo, Ryu. It’s been a whileee.”

“Orm!!”

The one who showed up looked like he had absolutely no interest in fighting! No, wait—Orm was Grandfather’s sworn brother, wasn’t he? Does that mean he was actually one of those battle-loving dragons? I couldn’t picture it at all.

“Orm, are you going to be my practice partner?”

“That’s righhht~. I figured it would be quite tough for you against Tiamat, Ryu, so I came to help ouuut~.”

His way of talking was incredibly hard to read… I mean, hard to listen to.

“Thank you. So, what’s the training method?”

“Nothing but sparriiing.”

As expected of a dragon, he preferred practical combat through and through.

“Understood. I look forward to your guidance.”

“Okaaay. Then let’s begiiin~.”

We both took our stances and faced each other.

“I’ll go first, theeen~.”

I felt like he didn’t really need to announce it… but what was this chill? My Survival Instinct was screaming that it would be dangerous to underestimate him. Come to think of it, I’d never seen Orm fight. His combat style was a total mystery. I had to be careful.

“Hmph!”

A massive fist came flying toward me. I only managed to see it because of Thought Acceleration and Survival Instinct; if I hadn’t had them, I would have been sent flying without even knowing what hit me!!

“Ohhh. You dodged thaaat~. Then I’ll keep ’em comiiing.”

“Tch!”

This guy really was a legendary-tier dragon! What was with this speed and power?! It wasn’t much different from Dahaka in his Enchant state! Why was I even called here? If Tiamat and this guy were around, surely that was enough!?

“While I was training with Fenrir, I became a dragon specialized in close-quarters combat. So, I’m quite good at fighting up close. Besides, I am very heavy—even more so than an Earth Dragon or a Steel Dragon.”

“You’re speaking fluently now!”

“I can’t exactly be laid-back during a fight, after all.”

Dammit! Just when I thought I’d finally grown somewhat strong, there’s still someone even higher up!! Regardless, if I didn’t hit this guy with everything I had, I’d be taken down in an instant!

“Haaah!”

I managed to fight and win against Dahaka, after all. It would be an insult to Dahaka if I lost pathetically here, so I was going to win with everything I had!!

“Kh.”

I landed a punch, but he was as heavy as Dahaka. In that case, the right move was to strike from below as if landing an upper-cut. I had to make sure the damage accumulated without letting the impact of my strikes dissipate.

“You’re amazing, Ryu! It’s been a long time since someone punched me and actually managed to lift me off the ground!”

“Well, thanks for that! I beat Dahaka, so I’m not going down without a fight!”

“Mm-hmm! I think I understand a little better why Dahaka and Fenrir took a liking to you. So, I’m going to enjoy myself, too!”

“Bring it on!!”

“Whew… whew…”

“Haa… haa…”

Crap… I’m exhausted. What was that? Orm is seriously strong. I’m supposed to be good at close combat too, but I couldn’t land anything decisive. I’m sure I landed a few solid hits, but Orm just kept punching without even caring.

Unlike Grandfather, his battle style didn’t seem to focus on dodging; instead, he took the light hits in order to deliver his own heavy blows, huh?

“Both of you, stop already! The surrounding area is going to be turned into a wasteland!!”

Ouka stopped us, hopping up and down.

“That’s enough for noooow~.”

Orm relaxed his power, so I stopped as well.

“Thank you very much.”

I gave a polite bow and then shouted at the top of my lungs.

“I’m beat!!”

I flopped down onto the ground.

“Good wooork~. I’m tired toooo~.”

He had returned to the usual Orm, so I decided to ask him a question.

“When you face Tiamat, how long can you hold out?”