Book 1 Chapter 674

674

Whoosh-

An unpleasant wind, taking one's breath away, blew.

A long time ago.

During the Era of Calamity, even the fiercely blowing winds reeked of death.

"Lisinas is the Dragon Lord?"

Upon hearing Leo's words, Gimeon burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha- What a funny joke. Do you really think a Black Dragon living in the darkness deserves the title of Dragon Lord?"

Gimeon, covering his face with his hands, shrugged his shoulders.

"Dragon Lord means the most noble being in the world. The chosen one, acknowledged by the gods. But that foolish and idiotic woman is the Dragon Lord? Hahahaha! How amusing! How amusing!"

Gimeon, who had been laughing like a madman, pointed a finger at Leo.

"I commend you for amusing me. But I also feel displeased."

Snap- The man stopped laughing and spoke indifferently.

"I'll give you a painful death for your crude joke."

Flash-!

A flash of light gleamed.

Gimeon had no doubt that one of Leo's arms would be blown off by that attack.

Leo swung his arm that wasn't holding a sword.

Thud-! Crash-!

With a heavy thud, a mass of magical power shot into the sky and caused a powerful explosion.

Gimeon's eyes twitched.

Leo's hand had deflected Gimeon's magic.

"A mere lower species."

"It doesn't feel good to hear such words from a lizard."

"You! You called me a lizard again, didn't you?"

Gimeon's eyes flashed.

Leo massaged his neck, looking at Gimeon.

The chosen one, Gimeon.

Before the Era of Calamity.

He was the dragon internally designated as the next Dragon Lord.

As such, he was a being who wielded powerful Dragon Speech magic.

Even in this era, the Dragon Lord held the highest status in the world.

The ruler of Dragonia and the one who selected and nurtured heroes.

Literally, a being who moved the world.

'But compared to before the Era of Calamity, his status is low.'

Before the Era of Calamity, the Dragon Lord's authority was literally immense.

A single word from the Dragon Lord could cause a nation to perish in an instant.

The race chosen by the gods.

Guardians of the world.

That was what dragons were, and the one who commanded them was the Dragon Lord.

If the Dragon Lord of this era existed for the world.

The Dragon Lord of that time existed to reign over the world.

'Well, that immense influence diminished because of this guy.'

Disgust filled Leo's eyes.

The previous Dragon Lord lost his life fighting against Erebus and Tartarus.

He sacrificed his life for the world.

And after the previous Dragon Lord fell in battle.

Gimeon's choice as the new Dragon Lord literally shattered the world's precarious balance.

He pledged loyalty to Erebus and betrayed the world.

The betrayal of the Dragon Lord, arguably the strongest being, was enough to throw the world into shock.

And Gimeon felt not an iota of shame for that choice.

"Yes, it seems you also harbor such utterly foolish thoughts."

Terrifying magical power began to emanate from Gimeon's body.

"That I should have sacrificed my life for the world."

Flash-

His pupils transformed into dragon eyes.

"Why should I? I am the chosen one."

Whoosh-!

Innumerable magic circles formed around Gimeon.

"The world exists for me! For Gimeon! You lowly human!"

A roar erupted from Gimeon's mouth.

'Dragon Fear.'

An attack that could instantly destroy the mind of anyone with weak mental defenses.

Leo, exposed to the attack, slightly furrowed his brow.

"Annoying."

"What?!"

Gimeon looked aghast.

Leo chuckled savagely, looking at Gimeon.

"Chosen, my ass."

From the moment of his birth, Gimeon had lived a life of being revered.

Born as a noble White Dragon, he possessed astonishing talent.

From a young age, the gods bestowed blessings upon him, saying he was born to rule the world.

Because of this, he had no hesitation or even shame in betraying the world.

'Because for him, that was only natural.'

The Era of Calamity.

As a shadow, he had executed countless traitors.

'Among them, if I had to pick the worst, it would be this lizard.'

Gimeon's betrayal caused the world to distrust dragons.

The moment the most noble Dragon Lord turned his back on the world.

Countless people despaired.

Amidst that, Lisinas, of the same race, appeared and spoke of hope.

Carrying the burden of the distrust Gimeon created.

Lisinas had to fight a difficult battle alone for a long time.

'Until she met me.'

Leo's hand clenched.

Even after Dweno joined and the Arhi party was formed, Lisinas had to bear the distrust created by Gimeon for a long time.

The cold reactions and ridicule she received when she spoke of saving the world.

The great heroes knew better than anyone how long that distrust had tormented Lisinas.

'That's why I wanted to kill him with my own hands.'

Not just himself.

Luna, Dweno, and even Arion.

They all gnashed their teeth, vowing to subjugate Gimeon.

But in his past life, Gimeon was not subjugated by the great heroes.

After Fafnir was exterminated by the great heroes.

Gimeon fled to Tartarus, avoiding the great heroes.

And there, he was executed by the Lich King, reduced to an undead with no will.

It was Gimeon who had granted the pack characteristic, abnormal reproduction, and growth characteristics to Fafnir, who was merely a mid-level monster.

After Fafnir disappeared, he was deemed to have no further use and was disposed of.

A fitting end for a traitor.

But neither he, nor Luna and Dweno, were ever satisfied with that end.

Leo lowered his stance.

Whoosh-!

Suddenly, Leo vanished.

Slice-!

Leo's sword, appearing behind Gimeon, let out an eerie sound as it swung.

"That's just my afterimage, isn't it?"

Gimeon, who had appeared behind Leo at some point, sneered.

Thud-!

"……!"

"I know."

"Gah?"

A long spear was gripped in Leo's hand that wasn't holding a sword.

Leo summoned the spear and stabbed it backwards, then immediately followed up with a back kick, striking Gimeon in the abdomen.

Boom-!

With a massive explosion, Gimeon's body flew back.

"How dare! A lowly human wound me, the Dragon Lord!"

Rage erupted from Gimeon's body.

"Who acknowledges a traitorous lizard like you as the Dragon Lord?"

Leo sneered.

Dialogue was futile anyway.

But he didn't ignore Gimeon's words either.

He simply denied them.

No one in the world acknowledged the lizard before him as the Dragon Lord.

'That has nothing to do with me. It's just…'

It was simply disgusting that the lizard before him claimed to be greater than Lisinas.

Flash-

Leo's eyes turned black.

Gimeon looked aghast, seeing Leo's eyes transform into dragon eyes.

"What? It's not just borrowing Lisinas's power?!"

"I'll show you how strong a true ultimate dragon is."

Dragonic magic swirled around Leo's body.

Black magic rippled like blades from his fingertips.

'Dragon… Fear?'

Gimeon's body stiffened.

What was before him was.

A dragon, a human dragon, itself.

***

"Duran! Support Zone 3!"

Crackle, crackle, crackle-!

A lightning bolt swirled simultaneously with Kal's shout.

Duran, arriving at Kal's designated area at incredible speed, unleashed lightning.

"Oh! Not bad! Kid!"

The Dwarf warrior guffawed, seeing that.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

Just then, a gigantic demon, a giant, broke through the sea of fire and clung to the city wall.

Kal grinned, seeing that.

"As expected, you broke through! Driana!"

At Kal's shout, Driana spoke to Ar, who was hanging at the end of her hammer's head.

"Here we go! You stupid cat!"

"Who are you calling stupid!"

Driana grinned and began to spin wildly in the air.

Centrifugal force was added to Driana's immense strength.

Then, with Ar still attached, she flung the hammer towards the giant demon.

Rooooooar-!

Golden aura surged from Ar's body.

Ar, with his sole pressed against the tip of the hammer flying at tremendous speed, tilted his head back, looked straight ahead, and then straightened his knees.

Thwack-!

Ar's leg strength, combined with the hammer imbued with Driana's power, created incredible acceleration.

"Hryaahhhhhh!"

Ar's body, like a bullet, pierced straight through the giant demon's solar plexus.

Thump-thwack-!

"Guhk?!"

A death throe erupted from the demon's mouth.

Ar, who had instantly killed the demon by kicking through it, flew straight to Dweno.

"Lord Dweno! I've come to help!"

Thud-!

Ar landed on the ground and kicked the head of a demon targeting Dweno's back, crushing it.

And…

"Ouch, it's hotttttt!"

Ar shrieked, landing in the middle of the sea of fire.

Dweno shouted, looking at Ar.

"What's so hot about this!"

"It's hot for me!"

"It seems you, too, will have to enter the furnace!"

"Why is the conversation going that way?!"

Ar moved quickly, though horrified.

Thanks to his aura armor, which increased his fire resistance, he avoided the misfortune of being harmed by friendly fire.

But that didn't mean he could do anything about the heat.

"Enemies are endlessly pouring in! It's about time we returned to the city wall!"

"Hmm! Since we've broken their momentum, shall we head back!"

It was then that Dweno grinned.

KRAAAAAAAANG!

A roar echoed in the air.

And…

Crash-!

"A dragon?!"

Ar looked aghast, seeing the dragon that had crashed right in front of him.

"Where did it come from…"

"Gimeon."

A low voice came from Dweno's mouth.

"Is it a dragon you know?"

"Of course."

Ar, who turned his gaze towards Dweno, felt goosebumps all over his body.

Dweno wore an exceedingly ferocious expression.

"He is the evil dragon who betrayed the world."

[You lowly human scummmmmm! How dare youuuuuuu!]

Gimeon, having lost his reason, roared at the sky.

His body was shredded.

Literally a one-sided fight.

Leo and Gimeon's powers were almost equal.

But there was an unbridgeable gap between the great hero who saved the world and a dragon who clung to his life, begging for it and living safely.

"What are you looking at, lizard?"

[Now even a dwarf dares to touch me!]

Thwack-!

An eerie sound instantly echoed.

The axe blade of the battle axe Dweno held tore through Gimeon's wing joint.

[Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!]

Gimeon's scream of pain echoed.

Then Dweno's axe blade savagely struck Gimeon's body.

Thud! Crunch! Crack!

He got on Gimeon's body and pounded him with the axe blade as if mincing him.

And he thoroughly brutalized Gimeon's body to a degree that would never kill him.

Ar, and even the surrounding demons, froze at the brutal sight.

Thunk-!

Dweno, with his battle axe resting on his shoulder, raised his head.

"What are you staring at?"

Leo, who had tracked Gimeon down to the ground, was staring intently at Dweno.

"Do you… have memories?"

"Memories? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then why did you kill him like that?"

Dweno, frowning and looking bewildered, slammed his battle axe down.

Thwack-!

Gimeon's dying head was severed by Dweno's axe blade.

Dweno spat, looking at Gimeon, who had died instantly with his head gone.

"This fellow is the lizard who betrayed the world."

Dweno looked down at Gimeon's dead head with an expression of disgust.

Dweno looked at Leo with a puzzled face.

"I think such an end is perfectly natural, don't you?"``674

Whoosh-

An unpleasant wind, taking one's breath away, blew.

A long time ago.

During the Era of Calamity, even the fiercely blowing winds reeked of death.

"Lisinas is the Dragon Lord?"

Upon hearing Leo's words, Gimeon burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha- What a funny joke. Do you really think a Black Dragon living in the darkness deserves the title of Dragon Lord?"

Gimeon, covering his face with his hands, shrugged his shoulders.

"Dragon Lord means the most noble being in the world. The chosen one, acknowledged by the gods. But that foolish and idiotic woman is the Dragon Lord? Hahahaha! How amusing! How amusing!"

Gimeon, who had been laughing like a madman, pointed a finger at Leo.

"I commend you for amusing me. But I also feel displeased."

Snap- The man stopped laughing and spoke indifferently.

"I'll give you a painful death for your crude joke."

Flash-!

A flash of light gleamed.

Gimeon had no doubt that one of Leo's arms would be blown off by that attack.

Leo swung his arm that wasn't holding a sword.

Thud-! Crash-!

With a heavy thud, a mass of magical power shot into the sky and caused a powerful explosion.

Gimeon's eyes twitched.

Leo's hand had deflected Gimeon's magic.

"A mere lower species."

"It doesn't feel good to hear such words from a lizard."

"You! You called me a lizard again, didn't you?"

Gimeon's eyes flashed.

Leo massaged his neck, looking at Gimeon.

The chosen one, Gimeon.

Before the Era of Calamity.

He was the dragon internally designated as the next Dragon Lord.

As such, he was a being who wielded powerful Dragon Speech magic.

Even in this era, the Dragon Lord held the highest status in the world.

The ruler of Dragonia and the one who selected and nurtured heroes.

Literally, a being who moved the world.

'But compared to before the Era of Calamity, his status is low.'

Before the Era of Calamity, the Dragon Lord's authority was literally immense.

A single word from the Dragon Lord could cause a nation to perish in an instant.

The race chosen by the gods.

Guardians of the world.

That was what dragons were, and the one who commanded them was the Dragon Lord.

If the Dragon Lord of this era existed for the world.

The Dragon Lord of that time existed to reign over the world.

'Well, that immense influence diminished because of this guy.'

Disgust filled Leo's eyes.

The previous Dragon Lord lost his life fighting against Erebus and Tartarus.

He sacrificed his life for the world.

And after the previous Dragon Lord fell in battle.

Gimeon's choice as the new Dragon Lord literally shattered the world's precarious balance.

He pledged loyalty to Erebus and betrayed the world.

The betrayal of the Dragon Lord, arguably the strongest being, was enough to throw the world into shock.

And Gimeon felt not an iota of shame for that choice.

"Yes, it seems you also harbor such utterly foolish thoughts."

Terrifying magical power began to emanate from Gimeon's body.

"That I should have sacrificed my life for the world."

Flash-

His pupils transformed into dragon eyes.

"Why should I? I am the chosen one."

Whoosh-!

Innumerable magic circles formed around Gimeon.

"The world exists for me! For Gimeon! You lowly human!"

A roar erupted from Gimeon's mouth.

'Dragon Fear.'

An attack that could instantly destroy the mind of anyone with weak mental defenses.

Leo, exposed to the attack, slightly furrowed his brow.

"Annoying."

"What?!"

Gimeon looked aghast.

Leo chuckled savagely, looking at Gimeon.

"Chosen, my ass."

From the moment of his birth, Gimeon had lived a life of being revered.

Born as a noble White Dragon, he possessed astonishing talent.

From a young age, the gods bestowed blessings upon him, saying he was born to rule the world.

Because of this, he had no hesitation or even shame in betraying the world.

'Because for him, that was only natural.'

The Era of Calamity.

As a shadow, he had executed countless traitors.

'Among them, if I had to pick the worst, it would be this lizard.'

Gimeon's betrayal caused the world to distrust dragons.

The moment the most noble Dragon Lord turned his back on the world.

Countless people despaired.

Amidst that, Lisinas, of the same race, appeared and spoke of hope.

Carrying the burden of the distrust Gimeon created.

Lisinas had to fight a difficult battle alone for a long time.

'Until she met me.'

Leo's hand clenched.

Even after Dweno joined and the Arhi party was formed, Lisinas had to bear the distrust created by Gimeon for a long time.

The cold reactions and ridicule she received when she spoke of saving the world.

The great heroes knew better than anyone how long that distrust had tormented Lisinas.

'That's why I wanted to kill him with my own hands.'

Not just himself.

Luna, Dweno, and even Arion.

They all gnashed their teeth, vowing to subjugate Gimeon.

But in his past life, Gimeon was not subjugated by the great heroes.

After Fafnir was exterminated by the great heroes.

Gimeon fled to Tartarus, avoiding the great heroes.

And there, he was executed by the Lich King, reduced to an undead with no will.

It was Gimeon who had granted the pack characteristic, abnormal reproduction, and growth characteristics to Fafnir, who was merely a mid-level monster.

After Fafnir disappeared, he was deemed to have no further use and was disposed of.

A fitting end for a traitor.

But neither he, nor Luna and Dweno, were ever satisfied with that end.

Leo lowered his stance.

Whoosh-!

Suddenly, Leo vanished.

Slice-!

Leo's sword, appearing behind Gimeon, let out an eerie sound as it swung.

"That's just my afterimage, isn't it?"

Gimeon, who had appeared behind Leo at some point, sneered.

Thud-!

"……!"

"I know."

"Gah?"

A long spear was gripped in Leo's hand that wasn't holding a sword.

Leo summoned the spear and stabbed it backwards, then immediately followed up with a back kick, striking Gimeon in the abdomen.

Boom-!

With a massive explosion, Gimeon's body flew back.

"How dare! A lowly human wound me, the Dragon Lord!"

Rage erupted from Gimeon's body.

"Who acknowledges a traitorous lizard like you as the Dragon Lord?"

Leo sneered.

Dialogue was futile anyway.

But he didn't ignore Gimeon's words either.

He simply denied them.

No one in the world acknowledged the lizard before him as the Dragon Lord.

'That has nothing to do with me. It's just…'

It was simply disgusting that the lizard before him claimed to be greater than Lisinas.

Flash-

Leo's eyes turned black.

Gimeon looked aghast, seeing Leo's eyes transform into dragon eyes.

"What? It's not just borrowing Lisinas's power?!"

"I'll show you how strong a true ultimate dragon is."

Dragonic magic swirled around Leo's body.

Black magic rippled like blades from his fingertips.

'Dragon… Fear?'

Gimeon's body stiffened.

What was before him was.

A dragon, a human dragon, itself.

***

"Duran! Support Zone 3!"

Crackle, crackle, crackle-!

A lightning bolt swirled simultaneously with Kal's shout.

Duran, arriving at Kal's designated area at incredible speed, unleashed lightning.

"Oh! Not bad! Kid!"

The Dwarf warrior guffawed, seeing that.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

Just then, a gigantic demon, a giant, broke through the sea of fire and clung to the city wall.

Kal grinned, seeing that.

"As expected, you broke through! Driana!"

At Kal's shout, Driana spoke to Ar, who was hanging at the end of her hammer's head.

"Here we go! You stupid cat!"

"Who are you calling stupid!"

Driana grinned and began to spin wildly in the air.

Centrifugal force was added to Driana's immense strength.

Then, with Ar still attached, she flung the hammer towards the giant demon.

Rooooooar-!

Golden aura surged from Ar's body.

Ar, with his sole pressed against the tip of the hammer flying at tremendous speed, tilted his head back, looked straight ahead, and then straightened his knees.

Thwack-!

Ar's leg strength, combined with the hammer imbued with Driana's power, created incredible acceleration.

"Hryaahhhhhh!"

Ar's body, like a bullet, pierced straight through the giant demon's solar plexus.

Thump-thwack-!

"Guhk?!"

A death throe erupted from the demon's mouth.

Ar, who had instantly killed the demon by kicking through it, flew straight to Dweno.

"Lord Dweno! I've come to help!"

Thud-!

Ar landed on the ground and kicked the head of a demon targeting Dweno's back, crushing it.

And…

"Ouch, it's hotttttt!"

Ar shrieked, landing in the middle of the sea of fire.

Dweno shouted, looking at Ar.

"What's so hot about this!"

"It's hot for me!"

"It seems you, too, will have to enter the furnace!"

"Why is the conversation going that way?!"

Ar moved quickly, though horrified.

Thanks to his aura armor, which increased his fire resistance, he avoided the misfortune of being harmed by friendly fire.

But that didn't mean he could do anything about the heat.

"Enemies are endlessly pouring in! It's about time we returned to the city wall!"

"Hmm! Since we've broken their momentum, shall we head back!"

It was then that Dweno grinned.

KRAAAAAAAANG!

A roar echoed in the air.

And…

Crash-!

"A dragon?!"

Ar looked aghast, seeing the dragon that had crashed right in front of him.

"Where did it come from…"

"Gimeon."

A low voice came from Dweno's mouth.

"Is it a dragon you know?"

"Of course."

Ar, who turned his gaze towards Dweno, felt goosebumps all over his body.

Dweno wore an exceedingly ferocious expression.

"He is the evil dragon who betrayed the world."

[You lowly human scummmmmm! How dare youuuuuuu!]

Gimeon, having lost his reason, roared at the sky.

His body was shredded.

Literally a one-sided fight.

Leo and Gimeon's powers were almost equal.

But there was an unbridgeable gap between the great hero who saved the world and a dragon who clung to his life, begging for it and living safely.

"What are you looking at, lizard?"

[Now even a dwarf dares to touch me!]

Thwack-!

An eerie sound instantly echoed.

The axe blade of the battle axe Dweno held tore through Gimeon's wing joint.

[Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!]

Gimeon's scream of pain echoed.

Then Dweno's axe blade savagely struck Gimeon's body.

Thud! Crunch! Crack!

He got on Gimeon's body and pounded him with the axe blade as if mincing him.

And he thoroughly brutalized Gimeon's body to a degree that would never kill him.

Ar, and even the surrounding demons, froze at the brutal sight.

Thunk-!

Dweno, with his battle axe resting on his shoulder, raised his head.

"What are you staring at?"

Leo, who had tracked Gimeon down to the ground, was staring intently at Dweno.

"Do you… have memories?"

"Memories? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then why did you kill him like that?"

Dweno, frowning and looking bewildered, slammed his battle axe down.

Thwack-!

Gimeon's dying head was severed by Dweno's axe blade.

Dweno spat, looking at Gimeon, who had died instantly with his head gone.

"This fellow is the lizard who betrayed the world."

Dweno looked down at Gimeon's dead head with an expression of disgust.

Dweno looked at Leo with a puzzled face.

"I think such an end is perfectly natural, don't you?"