Long-Awaited Desire (9)

“Why are you here?!”

The granddaughter appeared in a moment of crisis.

Medidana shouted in surprise towards his granddaughter, but Rurin did not respond. She merely turned her head sharply.

When a nearby ally was sent flying by a mere flying kick, the surprised Red Dragons paused for a moment before moving to attack Rurin.

Kwaaaang-!

Kraaack-!

Around them, ancient dragons, including Diehegma, screamed as they were hit by the Red Dragons.

Death is only a part of it.

Instant death is rare.

The Red Dragons, following the elder’s orders, were delivering attacks that caused pain without killing outright.

Defensive magic could not be used in the first place.

Therefore, there was no way to block the Red Dragons’ merciless attacks. One could only withstand them with their large, heavy bodies.

Of course, this wasn’t something that particularly moved Rurin.

Everyone called her mother a disgrace.

They were all dragons who had tormented her.

But El said he would get an apology. He would save her, as he had to get that apology.

Since El said that, Rurin kicked the elder with a flying kick to save him.

If Rurin hadn’t appeared and performed the flying kick, Medidana would have suffered the same fate and would have been rolling on the ground.

His skin would burn, wings would tear, and breath would pierce his body, but thanks to his tenacious life force, Medidana would have lived through the pain without dying in such a situation.

Just as the Red Dragons moved to attack Rurin again.

El appeared.

The Elder of the Red Dragons furrowed his brows and halted the attack orders.

He was thinking of punishing El even more for continuing to be a nuisance before his eyes.

All this time, the Elder of the Red Dragons had been worried in a cowardly manner. He feared that attacking El with a large army might lead to just one of his soldiers dying, which is what he was truly worried about.

But now, that was no longer possible. El’s mana had been sealed.

With El’s mana sealed, he was nothing more than a weak human.

Now, he could kill El at will without any concern.

The Elder of the Red Dragons, determined to inflict as much pain as possible before killing El, declared to him.

“The Black Dragons will perish because they are black. The Gold Dragons will also perish for constantly talking about irrelevant peace. And you, for not knowing your place, will also perish.”

A declaration of destruction.

But El remained utterly calm.

“Oh, I see.”

He merely mocked, as if it was an impressive statement.

“You!”

At the same time, Rurin dashed to El’s side and grabbed his arm.

Rurin had reclaimed her position.

Her place was by El’s side.

The Red Dragon, enraged by El’s tone, snorted and declared once more.

“I will make sure you die last. After killing all the dragons here, I will make it your fault and publicly announce it. And then, I’ll send that little brat by your side just before killing you, so you can die in rage over her death, while helplessly watching yourself perish.”

“Are you talking about Rurin?”

“That’s right.”

El furrowed his brows at the Red Dragon’s words. It was the most unpleasant thing he had heard so far.

“Do you want to save her? I also have mercy. Kneel right now! If you do, I might kill you before that little brat.”

“You, that guy is annoying!”

Rurin whispered while watching the Red Dragon elder mutter to himself. El just smiled and patted Rurin’s head, then answered.

“It’s okay. If we let it bother us, we’ll lose.”

“Human, take Rurin and leave. This fight is between our Black Dragons and those guys.”

Medidana, who had been listening to El and Rurin’s conversation nearby, opened his mouth with a tense expression.

El looked at Rurin, then turned his head to respond to Medidana.

“Elder, do you know this?”

Medidana tilted his head and asked, confused by El’s off-topic response.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the dragon orb they used to create the sealing circle. Did you take a good look at it?”

“The dragon orb, you say?”

“Yes.”

“I saw it. And I know the truth. But what does that matter at this moment? Survival is what comes first! Take Rurin and leave!”

“It matters. The fact that Rurin is not a disgrace is the most important thing. Listen. The orb they used for the sealing circle was the Black Dragon’s orb. It was the orb that your daughter owned. The Red Dragon elder swapped it and framed your daughter!”

El shouted while pointing at the Red Dragon elder. His voice was so loud that the nearby Black Dragons looked at him and the Red Dragon elder in shock.

“Well then, what do you say, Elder Red Dragon?”

“What does that matter? The fate of the Black Dragons was sealed long ago. Those who couldn’t even clear their names and fooled their kin into disgrace deserve to die anyway.”

“You! You really… My daughter!”

Though he had expected it, when the culprit boldly admitted the crime, Medidana lost control and was overcome by rage.

Without thinking twice, he lunged towards the Red Dragon elder.

He couldn’t use magic, mana, or breath, but he charged at the Red Dragon elder with nothing but his own body.

“Elder!”

“Elder!”

From below, the Black Dragons, El, and Rurin all called out to Medidana, but the Red Dragon elder scoffed at them dismissively.

Then, he used magic against the charging Medidana.

A massive, spear-like spell pierced Medidana’s chest as he charged in anger.

Pooof-!

“Neenooooom!”

With a scream, Medidana’s body fell helplessly to the ground.

Koooom-!

“Elder!”

“Elder!”

Rage for her mother. Though still full of hatred, Rurin ran to Medidana. The other dragons, startled, called out to Medidana once more.

El also approached, immediately checking his wounds. Amazingly, the Dragonheart was narrowly avoided.

This was intentional.

Thanks to that intentional move, Medidana was safe for now. It wasn’t a fatal wound, and with treatment, he could recover. Relieved, El looked at the Red Dragon elder.

The Elder of the Red Dragons just grinned, finding the situation amusing.

“Human, this is your last chance. Kneel now, or the attack will begin, and this time, that little brat next to you will end up just like her grandfather.”

At the threat, El shook his head.

That guy hadn’t killed Medidana in one strike on purpose. If it were the tenacity of a dragon’s life force, he could have survived the wound.

El thought to himself.

Arrogance.

The arrogance of having become a god.

To enjoy the feeling of becoming a god. The actions driven by the arrogance of having the power over life and death for everyone in this place.

At this moment, the Red Dragon elder was a god and creator reigning over the sealing magic circle. He was relishing that feeling.

It was laughable.

It was so laughable. El thought this to himself as he spoke to Rurin, who had placed her hand on the Elder’s bleeding wound.

“It’s okay. It’s not a fatal wound. He avoided the heart.”

“Really?”

Rurin’s face softened in relief, and she grabbed El’s arm.

“Then, that’s good!”

Then, she quickly pulled her hand off the Elder’s wound. The lingering bitterness was not gone yet.

The long-standing wall between Rurin and the Elder wasn’t going to be torn down easily, but El didn’t want to keep seeing this. This was a misunderstanding.

“What’s going to happen? He’s your grandfather, right?”

“He’s not the grandfather who abandoned my mother that day. He’s just the Elder!”

“She’s right.”

“That’s right! The elder never believed in my mother. Now, getting angry at those guys is useless. That’s how it is…!”

Rurin also nodded, denying it.

DNA cannot lie. How could they resemble each other so much? El thought to himself with a smile.

Then, El firmly grasped Rurin’s hand and shook his head.

They were both wrong.

The truth and what Rurin knew were different.

The more they talked, the more certain El became of his feeling, a feeling that was confirmed the day he had asked the Red Dragons to spread the information about the orb.

“Rurin, that’s not it.”

“What’s not it?”

“The reason the Elder couldn’t side with you and your mother was because he had to protect his position as Elder.”

“That’s exactly the problem. What are you talking about?”

“No, the reason he tried to protect his position as Elder is different! The moment he sided with his daughter, he would have had to step down as Elder. All the Black Dragons were furious about that. Because of that anger, the Elder tried to protect his position. Even though he had no attachment to the position, he desperately tried to cling to it. The reason was, Rurin, it was you. He did it to protect you. The event where the entire clan had to kneel to the Red Dragons was a source of anger that he used his power as Elder to prevent from falling entirely on you. Because the Elder was in his position, the anger directed at you ended with nothing but harassment. If that weren’t the case, Rurin, you would have been killed before even meeting me. Because of those senseless Black Dragons.”

El spoke and glanced around at the Black Dragons. The Black Dragons closed their mouths with startled faces.

“That, that’s… No. I would have died gladly. He just needed to believe in my mother!”

“That’s right. It’s all my fault. The child is right. So, human, stop with the useless words and take Rurin to a safe place…!”

Kuk-luck.

Before the Elder could finish his words, he spat blood out once more.

The blood pouring from his massive body was so much that it created a puddle around him.

“Elder!”

Rurin trembled in shock at the amount of blood and called out to Medidana. Despite rejecting it, the fact that he was still her grandfather, and El’s words, seemed to be having a clear impact on Rurin’s heart.

“Is the melodrama over? The human didn’t kneel until the end, and mercy has ended. Now, the massacre begins again.”

The Red Dragon elder declared, looking down at the ground in disdain.

Currently on the ground were the Black Dragons and the Gold Dragons.

Above in the sky were the Red Dragons.

A position created in a situation of clear power disparity.

The Red Dragon elder summoned the mana spear he had used earlier. Dozens of magical projectiles created by the Elder rose into the sky.

And the Red Dragons, at the signal, all opened their mouths to unleash their breath attacks.

A situation where anything could trigger an explosion of violence.

Yet, even in this situation, El remained calm.

“O Black Dragons, do you still think Rurin is the disgrace of your clan? You will live your lives forever in remorse for Rurin and her mother. As long as I live, I will prove that to you, starting now.”

The reconciliation between Rurin and the Elder.

The Black Dragons would no longer call Rurin a disgrace.

The resolution of the false accusations.

And the fulfillment of the promise with the Dragon Lord.

The secret of the Dragon Orb.

All of that would be resolved with this event.

Only the conclusion remained now.

El turned his gaze to the Black Dragons and looked up at the sky.

Then, he manipulated his mana.

El hadn’t been affected by the sealing circle from the start.

Though it was unexpected that Medidana charged at the Red Dragon elder in his rage.

It didn’t matter, as he didn’t die. Thanks to the Elder’s arrogance, feeling like a fake god.

Meanwhile, the Red Dragon elder, hearing El’s words, shouted with an unpleasant expression.

A petty man was always a petty man.

“What are you proving? You arrogant fool. You’ve finally lost your mind!”

“You’re the one who’s lost your mind. Oh, and shut up, your ears must be rotting.”