C482
"Kuaaaah!"
The moment Eruhaben saw the enormous dragon, the Water Dragon, which had dragged itself while devouring an entire mountain, raised its colossal body.
---
"...!"
And at that moment, the Dragon King of the Third Emperor unconsciously stopped his movements upon seeing the golden dragon in his mind.
It was different from one-tenth of his avatar. This was the Water Dragon in its entirety.
And that Water Dragon contained the essence of the Third Emperor. That was why the fury emanating from the Water Dragon also reached them.
His gaze turned towards the Demon King.
"Kuek!"
"Keuh, kuheuk—!"
The subordinates were helplessly repelled by the Demon King's attacks.
*'But he didn't kill them'*.
That's right. The Demon King was leaving the Third Emperor's subordinates alive.
And he wasn't using his full strength against them either.
He even gave them time for the Water Dragon to pass.
Yes, he allowed it.
The Third Emperor thought he had managed to escape from the Demon King, but that wasn't the case.
"Ha!"
The Third Emperor let out a laugh. But, contrary to his laughter, his long beard trembled with fury.
His face was full of rage.
And his eyes seemed to harbor flames about to erupt.
*Sssik.*
In those eyes, the Demon King's face was reflected, smiling.
"Do you understand now?"
The moment the Demon King spoke indifferently, the Third Emperor realized his mistake.
"You, traitor!"
*Shoaaah—!*
A torrent of water surged from his body.
Faced with that, the Demon King responded in a cold tone:
"If you delay, your dragon will disappear."
"...!"
The impatience hidden behind the anger.
The Demon King already knew it.
"Good, then this is a race against time."
The Demon King extended his arms.
To reach Mikashi, they first had to pass through where he was.
"Oh, Dragon King of the Third Emperor, you who bear the title of King of the Dragons..."
Could you really...
"Escape from me."
Manage it?
"Only then can you save your dragon."
If you lose it...
"Without a dragon, you are no longer a Dragon King, are you?"
Your name, that title you are so proud of, would lose all meaning.
The Demon King made it clear to him.
"Third Emperor, hurry."
Right after receiving a message through ring magic, informing him that Cale Henituse could absorb the marine power of the Third Emperor's Water Dragon, the Demon King changed his plans.
No, to be exact, it was after hearing Cale's words transmitted by the strategist Eden:
*'Shall we go hunting?'*
*Ah.*
The Demon King raised his head.
The rain soaking his face.
It was refreshing.
That only meant one thing: his body, his heart, were burning intensely.
*'It's been a long time.'*
How interesting.
He hadn't felt this emotion since the last time he fought one-on-one against the previous Demon King.
Could it be that only in war could he find meaning in his existence?
Was it impossible for him to know peace and tranquility from birth?
The Demon King dismissed those thoughts.
*Shoaaah—*
Instead, he felt the heat that not even the rain could extinguish and slowly lowered his head.
*Uuuu— uuuu—*
A strange energy enveloped him.
It was the reason why the Third Emperor couldn't attack him despite his apparent calm.
Even if he acted indifferently, his body and his energy were already at the center of the battle.
The Demon King spoke to his prey:
"Come on, finish me off."
The Third Emperor's face tightened.
For the first time, he was facing the true power of the Demon King. No, perhaps even that wasn't all of it.
*The First Emperor, the first Wanderer... Now I understand why he warned me to be careful with the Demon King.*
Finally, he understood.
The Demon King smiled and repeated:
"Finish me off."
"Isn't that what you need to save your dragon?"
And the Demon King, in turn, could see the true power of the Third Emperor. Or at least, a part of it.
*Shoaaah—*
Water gushing from the ground, in the opposite direction of the rain.
The sea enveloped the Third Emperor.
And then, they spoke:
"Demon King, you are strong."
They acknowledged what they had to acknowledge.
"But I must kill you. And also those bastards who dared to ally with you."
However, far from retreating, his fury burned even stronger, and the Demon King smiled even more.
*'As I thought.'*
But his eyes did not reflect joy.
*'He wants to flee.'*
Although he acted as if he were going to kill the Demon King in his anger, he noticed the truth.
*This guy plans to escape.*
And he will go to find his Water Dragon.
After all, it was a precious power that contained part of his essence.
*'That's right, Third Emperor.'*
No.
*'My prey, try to flee.'*
A trap awaits you there.
A small smile appeared in the Demon King's eyes.
He took a step forward.
And the Third Emperor did too.
*Kuaaaaah—!*
In the middle of the road, surrounded by the forest, a deafening roar began to resonate, drowning out even the sound of the storm.
---
Meanwhile, in front of Mikashi, two dragons clashed.
*Kuaaaaang—!*
The roar rumbled.
So loud that it seemed to swallow the rain and the darkness.
"Ugh—!"
"A, a dragon!"
The inhabitants of Mikashi and Midisi, inside the walls, could only hear the noise without understanding what was happening.
But those in the lord's castle could clearly see what was happening beyond the walls.
"Stay calm, don't act recklessly, use guiding magic!"
"Yes, Lord Strategist!"
"Reinforce the defenses of Midisi and prepare all troops, except those needed to track infected, on alert!"
"Yes!"
"And the troops inside Mikashi must wait, under no circumstances leave the walls without orders!"
"Understood!"
While the strategist Eden gave orders, he did not take his eyes off the clash of the two giant dragons outside the walls.
"Ha, a dragon is a dragon."
The Water Dragon of the Dragon King of the Third Emperor.
The strategist Eden had an idea of his power.
If he hadn't known that Cale had absorbed a part of his avatar, he would never have suggested facing the Water Dragon.
"...Incredible."
But now, that Water Dragon...
*Kuaaaah—!*
*Craaack!*
"That Elder Eruhaben... is unexpected."
...was being faced by the Elder Eruhaben.
Compared to the Water Dragon, large enough to raze a mountain, the Elder Eruhaben was a bit smaller.
And yet, body to body, the Elder Eruhaben...
"He's beating him!"
The Elder Eruhaben was winning.
"He's not even using magic."
The strategist Eden was impressed.
"......"
Cale, with his arms crossed, watched Eruhaben.
*Flap.*
Eruhaben spread his wings and soared.
And then he dived down.
*Kuaaaang!*
With a roar, he grabbed and crushed the long body of the Water Dragon.
"Incredible."
Eruhaben fought against the Water Dragon without worrying about his own body.
He simply rammed him mercilessly.
"Human, golden grandpa dragon is great!"
Raon was amazed.
*Kuaaaah—!*
The Water Dragon, furious, showed his fangs to Eruhaben, who was subduing him.
The Water Dragon, in the shape of an oriental dragon, moved his tail towards Eruhaben.
*Flap.*
But Eruhaben quickly soared into the sky.
"Grandpa dragon, you dodge well! And you are very strong! Your ramming is powerful!"
Cale decided to temporarily ignore Raon's vocabulary.
Instead, he explained:
"He's smart."
"Huh?"
"Eruhaben-nim is very cunning."
"Huh?"
Raon seemed confused, but...
"Fake dragon. Is that all you can do, being a dragon?"
Hearing Eruhaben's voice, Cale couldn't help but admire him.
*'Wow.'*
His experience was undeniable.
Not only smart, but cunning.
Eruhaben had set the stage from the beginning.
"You may have imitated the appearance of a dragon well, but what's inside isn't real, that's why you can't use your power correctly! Hahaha!"
Saying that, Eruhaben rammed the Water Dragon again.
*Kuaaang!*
With another roar, this time the Water Dragon, as if he had been waiting, used his long and enormous body to wrap around Eruhaben.
*Flap.*
But Eruhaben dodged it.
And as he did, he said:
"Hmph. Too slow to be a dragon."
*Kuaaaah—*
The Water Dragon couldn't contain his anger.
Who did he think he was?
He was the Dragon King.
The only dragon beside the King who ruled the seas.
An existence created by his master, who was also the King of the Dragons.
And now this old dragon dared to call him fake?
He couldn't tolerate it.
"Although, coming from someone who calls himself Dragon King without any right, it's no wonder you don't know who you are. Tsk, tsk."
Eruhaben made a sound of disapproval.
*Kuaaaah—*
The Water Dragon burst with fury.
How dare he!
Not only does he insult me,
but he also defames my master!
He couldn't stand it.
That old dragon!
I will kill him and prove that I am the real dragon!
*Flap.*
When Eruhaben rose again to ram him, the Water Dragon waited for the right moment.
Finally, he moved his body.
Compared to that old body, his was eternally young and powerful.
"Kuek!"
His enormous body quickly wrapped around Eruhaben. This time, his speed was incomparable.
In an instant, from the tail, he began to squeeze tightly.
"Kueeeuk—!"
Hearing the old dragon's scream, the Water Dragon felt joy.
Yes! Look!
The real dragon, created by the Dragon King, is me, the one who defeats this old man.
As he prided himself and savored his victory...
"You're an idiot."
Eruhaben's calm voice reached his ears.
Although his face was contorted with pain, his eyes remained serene.
The depth of his experience was evident.
"You are not a dragon."
The Water Dragon's eyes burned with fury again, and just when he tried to squeeze harder...
*Ssslik.*
He heard a strange sound, very close.
*Uuu— uuu—*
An almost imperceptible sound.
"Ji."
Then, a cheerful laugh.
*Whoosh.*
The sound was coming from above.
The Water Dragon raised his head.
*Shoaaah—*
The rain that was falling.
But instead of drops, he saw something else.
A huge net made of black mana.
"I got you!"
Raon's spell, the black net, fell on the Water Dragon and Eruhaben at the same time.
The Water Dragon tried to dodge it, but...
*Clank.*
Eruhaben's front and rear claws held him tightly.
*Kuaaaah—*
The Water Dragon struggled, but Eruhaben, although smaller, did not let go.
He only needed an instant.
Enough time for the black net to cover them.
With his rejuvenated body, he could hold on.
*Shoaaak!*
The net fell.
It covered the Water Dragon and Eruhaben.
The more the Water Dragon struggled, the more entangled he became.
It was inevitable.
Raon, from the air, adjusted the net with precision.
No one could match his ability to control magic.
"Ready!"
His role was defined.
He only needed to immobilize the Water Dragon for a brief moment.
So he used his mana freely.
"......"
Because Choi Han was protecting Cale at that moment.
With Choi Han watching, Raon was able to concentrate on weaving the net.
When Choi Han and Raon looked at Cale...
"Let's begin."
Cale lowered his arms and raised a hand, giving the signal.
*Sss— sss—*
The Water Dragon, struggling, heard a strange sound.
A woman was approaching through the net.
He recognized her.
*The one who controls the ice.*
His eyes widened.
The subordinate of the Dragon King extended her hand towards him.
Through the gaps in the net, she touched his body.
—!
And then, he saw Cale Henituse approaching, carrying a large shield.
A feeling of unease invaded him.
"Seawater also freezes."
The Wanderer Ryeon spoke calmly.
"It's difficult, but..."
She only needed an instant.
She didn't have to freeze it all.
Just a part, to prevent him from escaping.
*Ssslik.*
The Water Dragon saw how his body froze where she touched him.
In that moment of shock, the Elder Eruhaben spoke:
"You are not a dragon."
After their first encounter, Eruhaben had reflected and understood.
The reason why the Water Dragon was so strong was not because of being a dragon, but because of not being one.
"How foolish. You forgot your essence."
His true nature was the sea.
The vast and colossal power of nature.
But he had pigeonholed himself as a dragon.
Sure, dragons are great and perfect beings.
However, this Water Dragon, by longing to be something he was not, had forgotten his own greatness.
Eruhaben deliberately provoked him, making him forget his true essence.
Water flows everywhere.
That is, the Water Dragon could escape anywhere.
Also, it was water strong enough to raze mountains.
That is, he could become an ocean at any moment.
That had to be avoided.
Realizing this, the Elder Eruhaben took the initiative and prepared this plan.
Elder Eruhaben, black net, ice.
Three methods to immobilize the Water Dragon, even if briefly.
*Uuuung— uuuu— uuu—*
The indestructible shield, although covered in gray, shone faintly in silver.
It was enough time to aim at the Water Dragon's body.
*Kuaaaaah—!*
Cale's shield pierced the Water Dragon's body.
For the first time in a long time, the Indestructible Shield was not used to defend, but to attack.
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