Thunderclap Of The Heavens

“I’m going to have you fight alongside me. For the sake of what’s to come.”

“Hmph, you should say that after you beat me!”

As the dragon spoke, it spat out black orbs of light. The orbs split in mid-air, swarming me from all directions.

“That again, huh?”

Because of my mana barrier, their power couldn’t reach me. At this rate, even if I were showered with hundreds of them, Lucifer’s Shield would hold firm.

“An opponent who doesn’t attack isn’t scary at all! Here comes more!”

Getting cocky, the dragon fired even more clusters of light orbs.

“Fine. As you wish, an attack.”

While maintaining the mana barrier, I chanted a spell.

“Fire Arrow.”

I generated multiple arrows of flame, shooting down the approaching light orbs.

Goon!

The Fire Arrow surged further forward and struck the dragon. With a roar, the massive black frame recoiled in the air.

“Not… not yet…!”

Despite being wounded, the dragon did not lose its fighting spirit. It beat its wings, creating a violent gale. The wind, turned into blades, surrounded me.

“Burst Wind.”

I generated a tornado, blowing the wind blades away.

“Guuu…!”

Caught in the aftershock of the attack, the dragon retreated.

“—Just kidding.”

The dragon smirked. Simultaneously, killing intent erupted from behind me. What leaped into my vision as I spun around was a gargantuan tail. The tail, lashing like a whip, was closing in before I knew it—.

“Meteor Blade.”

Turning mid-air, I generated a sword of flame and swung. I repelled the sturdy tail with a burning slash and an explosion.

“No matter how many times you try, it’s useless.”

“Against a mere human…!”

Roooooooooooooooar!

Bel-ga-Elfieda, the Emperor Dragon of the Abyss, howled.

“I’ll crush you with everything I have!”

It beat its wings and charged forward. This thing must understand the difference in power. Or perhaps it simply burns with more fighting spirit the stronger the opponent is? Is that its nature as a dragon—or as a demon?

“Take this! This is—my maximum power barrage!”

“The triple combination from before again?”

“Triple? Wrong!”

The dragon’s entire body was enveloped in a black mana aura. Its speed accelerated several times—no, dozens of times over.

“Pulling the destructive power of impact and magic to the limit, I destroy everything—”

Fangs, claws, tail—countless strikes were unleashed at the speed of black lightning. From its mouth, hundreds, thousands of breaths were exhaled without pause.

“Now, endure it if you can!”

I remained in a calm stance, shielded by Lucifer’s Shield. The sounds of explosions and impacts echoed endlessly. Likely, enough attack energy to reshape the very terrain was being slammed against me. Yet, the barrier generated by the Demon Lord’s mana didn’t take a single scratch. It didn’t even waver.

“Dammit, I won’t lose! Even if you are the Demon Lord, I won’t let a former human ride me! I’ll never let you!”

The dragon screamed.

“So you really do hate humans.”

“Of course! Humans are weak! And yet, they kept killing demons and dragons with weapons they got from the gods! Even though they’re weak—”

Thousands, no, tens of thousands more attacks concentrated on one spot, causing a massive explosion. The entire area was covered in black smoke. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t even see the dragon in front of me. Eventually, the black smoke slowly cleared—.

I was floating serenely in mid-air, still maintaining Lucifer’s Shield.

“I-impossible… after taking that, not even a scratch…”

The dragon groaned, looking stunned.

“It’s time to end this.”

If I kept making half-hearted counters, this thing would just keep burning with fighting spirit. I had to make it submit—with overwhelming power.

“You said humans are weak. Then, experience for yourself just how much power a former-human Demon Lord has obtained.”

A black aura enveloped my entire body. The aura, resembling flame, erupted violently, blowing away the clouds in the sky above.

“I’m going with something a bit intense. Don’t die.”

“Wh-what is this mana…!”

The dragon’s voice was laced with dread. It was afraid. The strongest dragon species was afraid. I pointed my finger at it and chanted.

“Thunderclap of the Heavens (Mega Thunder)!”

A golden flash of lightning clad in blue sparks pierced through to the far reaches of the sky. An impact and roar echoed, enough to shake the Demon Realm itself.

“Gu… aaaaaaaaah…!”

Along with the massive explosion, the surrounding space tore open, and countless black fissures ran through the air. Beyond them lay a darkness without light.

Mega Thunder at 100% output. It scorched the very space, piercing and destroying—the ultimate lightning strike.

“This power… is power that could burn the world itself to ash…!”

From beyond the explosive flames and black smoke, the dragon’s voice was trembling.

“Impossible… even for a Demon Lord, such power is…!”

“Now—will you acknowledge me?”

I stared into the spreading black smoke. As it slowly cleared, the black dragon appeared, covered in wounds. I had fired at an angle that only grazed its body to ensure I didn’t kill it, but it had still taken massive damage. Regardless, if I didn’t go this far, it wouldn’t have acknowledged me. Just like with Regal.

“I refuse…!”

However, Bel-ga-Elfieda continued to rage.

“No matter how much I’m hurt or beaten down—I won’t stop a fight once it’s started. Not as long as this body can move!”

“You won’t throw away your fighting spirit until the end. Impressive.”

I chanted the next spell. The final spell to settle it.

“Gravity Fall.”

A black sphere appeared above the dragon’s head.

“!? Gu… uuuuu…!?”

Struck directly, the dragon fell in a straight line. It slammed into the frozen earth with a massive tremor.

“I… I can’t move…! This is—”

“Gravity Fall, a magic that generates super-gravity.”

Controlling my levitation magic, I landed beside the dragon.

“The activation speed is slow, so it’s a difficult spell to land on an opponent moving at high speeds. But it’s easy to hit you while you’re wounded.”

“So instead of Mega Thunder, you intended to settle it with this spell from the start.”

The dragon glared at me.

“I told you. ‘I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to have you fight alongside me.’ You’re immobilized now, Emperor Dragon Bel-ga-Elfieda.”

Silence fell. My gaze clashed with the dragon’s in the air.

“…Ah, well.”

The voice that broke the silence was laced with a sigh.

“I’m supposed to be the strongest dragon species. To be neutralized so easily without being killed…”

The dragon laughed quietly.

“I really don’t feel like I can win. I surrender.”

Somehow, I had earned its respect. I deactivated the gravity spell.

“I’m giving this back.”

The dragon spat out the crown it had swallowed earlier. …Wait, it’s covered in drool. I washed it with a water-element spell before taking the crown in my hand. The symbol of a King, huh.

“From this moment, I—no, I, Bel-ga-Elfieda, pledge my lifelong loyalty to you. I intend to work for your sake even at the cost of my life. I look forward to your kind favor from here on.”

The dragon’s attitude suddenly became extremely formal.

“You can talk to me normally, just like you were before.”

Honestly, the character shift was so drastic it was a bit bewildering.

“Glad to have you, Bel.”

“Bel?”

“Bel-ga-whatever is way too long. I’m going to call you Bel.”

“Bel… huh. I like it.”

The dragon curled the corners of its mouth. It was likely a smile.

“Then, I look forward to it too—Demon Lord.”

“It’s Fried.”

I removed my mask and spoke to Bel. Since it already knew I was a former human, showing my face was fine. However, I needed to make it clear that it was a secret.

“Only my aide Stella knows I’m a former human. Keep it a secret from the other demons.”

“For now, I want to go back to the place from before.”

I put the mask back on and told Bel. I remembered that a stray shot from our battle had landed in the distance.

“Let me ride, Bel.”

“Roger that. Come on up, Fried-sama~”

The dragon lowered its body. I adjusted my levitation magic and straddled its back. …My butt is going to hurt without a saddle. When I get back to the castle, I’ll have to have a saddle made for this guy.

“Alright, here we go. Don’t fall off!”

As it spoke, the dragon beat its wings powerfully.

“U… whoa…!?”

It shook much more than I expected. It was on a completely different level from the magic dragons I’d ridden before. I suppose that shows just how much power it has. I leaned my upper body forward, gripping tight and clinging to the dragon’s back. …Not just a saddle, I’m going to need reins too.

Before long, we arrived at the spot where Bel’s attack had landed. The shockwave had gouged the earth deeply, creating several fissures and craters. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be a residential area; there were no demon casualties.

“Good. It looks like no one was killed.”

“If they’d die from that, that’s just how it goes,” Bel said nonchalantly. “Demons are ‘those with power.’ The weak who don’t measure up are culled sooner or later.”

…This guy’s value system is ‘strong or weak’ through and through.

“I prefer a world where the weak and the strong have an equal right to live.”

I glared at Bel through the mask.

“You’re quite the moderate compared to previous Demon Lords~.”

“Anyway… your power is too much. Think about the collateral damage when you attack.”

I scolded Bel.

“That’s an order from the Demon Lord.”

“Roooger.”

“Alright then, since we’re here, let’s take a quick look around the Demon Realm.”

Bel and I soared across the Demon Realm’s sky, further and further—.