Chapter 219 - Demonic Dragon

["Your task is simple. Ernyan Hilderan. Kill the spirit king's contractor."]

That was the order Jason had given Dorche.

'The water spirit king.'

A bad opponent to face.

Like the Demon Realm, the Spirit Realm was a higher dimension, and spirit kings ruled over that higher dimension. Since the Demon Realm's system made its strongest inhabitant emperor, a spirit king would be weaker than the Demon Emperor, but could still chew up most grand dukes.

'Of course, she won't be able to unleash her full power in a lower dimension.'

Spirits, too, were subjected to dimensional interference when crossing into another dimension. They merely dealt with it differently. Whereas the Demon Realm built towers to resist it directly, the Spirit Realm circumvented it by forming contracts with creatures native to that dimension. Although this spared spirits the direct effects of interference and allowed them to channel all their power if they chose, they were instead limited by their contractors' capabilities.

So there was no need to fear even a spirit king. She could not use all her power. Dorche, on the other hand, had lifted all interference. That meant a great demonic dragon could wield the same strength here as in the Demon Realm.

'I have the advantage.'

No, this was not a question of advantages.

["Kill Ernyan Hilderan and send the water spirit king back, and I will release you from servitude."]

He had to do it. He absolutely had to.

["I swear upon the great First Demon Emperor and the Guide."]

That was what Jason had said. Knowing Dorche would not give his all, he had dangled a sweet before him—one so irresistible that Dorche had no choice but to throw himself into the task and seize it.

And so.

'My task is clear.'

Find the spirit king's contractor hiding among those human ships and kill her.

But even he could not walk alone into that death trap. An army of one hundred thousand guarded her, accompanied by hundreds of heroes. Moreover, he had been told there were at least five of those so-called Stars. They had lost to Berge's princesses, but gathered together, they would be troublesome.

"Then clear a path so that I may kill the spirit king's contractor."

Spill their blood and hurl themselves into battle. Give their lives, if necessary.

"I will gladly sacrifice myself for your future, my lord."

"For our lord!"

The demons who had followed him down to Arain prostrated themselves. They had served him for anywhere from a dozen-odd years to nearly several centuries. Some had been with him since his first dimension. They were willing to give their lives for him, and Dorche took that for granted.

He was a great demonic dragon, after all. Such was the nature of a race born to reign, a race that had ruled the Demon Realm. Their sacrifice and devotion were only natural. They, too, would gladly accept death in service to a demonic dragon.

"Before that, I should change the mood."

It would not do to let those insolent humans' morale rise.

He drew a deep breath and exhaled. His two hearts compressed demonic energy and sent it flowing forth, expelling it in unison. It was a simple motion, but it was the innate power possessed by all dragonkind: breath.

ROOOOM!

It tore across space and reached the human formation. There were pathetic attempts to resist, but they were meaningless. An explosion utterly destroyed two massive ships and left those around them half-wrecked. The soaring morale plummeted in an instant. Sensing the shift in momentum, he gave his order.

"Go."

The demons began to move.

* * *

Those trying to hold the line, and those trying to break through. Every battle had offense and defense, so in one sense, this was only natural. Yet it was ironic that the defenders were the coalition army that had marched to conquer the tower, while the attackers were the forces of Lies. Their offensive and defensive roles had been completely reversed. But no human had the luxury of finding that strange.

"Stop them!"

"Large numbers of harpies overhead to the east and west!"

"Fire cluster shells!"

In the sky, flying monsters such as harpies, wyverns, and griffins formed a dark cloud alongside demonic creatures such as gargoyles and grasis.

"They've breached the hull!"

"Fire torpedoes!"

"I'll go in myself and cut its head off!"

"Why is there a sea serpent in a lake?!"

"The torkans are gnawing through the ships!"

Aquatic monsters such as sea serpents, harpies, and mermaids, along with demonic creatures such as torkans, filled the sea. But those were not the real threat.

RUMBLE!

It began on the island where the demons and demonic creatures stood. A chilling cold began to freeze the lake.

"Th-this is insane...!"

The soldiers screamed at the terrifying sight of the enormous lake rapidly freezing over.

The cold could not freeze the entire lake. But it did create an enormous bridge connecting the island to the humans. And the demons on the island began to move.

"Load incendiary shells! Cut off their path!"

"Mages! Destroy the path!"

Lightning struck, flames exploded, and blades of wind churned across the ice. But the sturdy path did not break easily.

"Looks like they want to take us out first," Roselle Charnt muttered.

She was right. The icy path led directly to a point just short of the heroes' ship.

"Eliminating the most troublesome opponents first is basic strategy."

"So we should just sit here and take it?"

"That is not what I meant."

"This ship hasn't made any headway for a while now. And if I'm right, they'll be here soon."

The coalition's elite troops surrounded the heroes to protect them, but the terrifying demonic energies rapidly drawing closer were anything but ordinary.

"Agreed. Every one of them is a demon."

Not every demonic creature was stronger than a monster. Not every demon was stronger than a demonic creature. But on average, demonic creatures were indeed stronger than monsters, and demons stronger than demonic creatures. There were hundreds of them, and the magical power they held testified to the truth of that general rule. Pablo Barkat's hand instinctively tightened around his greatsword.

"So what will you do?" asked Ralph, who had been quietly watching the situation unfold.

"What would you like to do?"

"If you're asking for my honest opinion, I would prefer to fight. We are heroes, after all."

Heroes endowed with a dimension's power could gain strength by killing its invaders. That was one of the powers their dimension granted them.

"And you're confident you can beat him?"

Berge pointed toward Dorche, who was rapidly approaching, surrounded by demons.

"Alone, of course not. But heroes don't fight alone."

"Yes, that's true."

Hillen Cargill, Roselle Charnt, Aina Diaphrin, Ralph Schmitz, Watton Collo, and Pablo Barkat. Six whole Stars. In particular, Hillen Cargill, who had consumed the blood of two Demon Kings and a dragon, and Roselle Charnt, who had likewise consumed Dragon blood and acquired eight engravings, were overwhelming forces. Naturally, they would have confidence, and a hunger for a Demon King. Unfortunately, Dorche was not prey for the heroes.

"He isn't yours."

"Will you step in, my lord?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm not saying I won't, but look where those bloodshot eyes are focused."

"On me. Why?"

"Because you're the spirit king's contractor."

From Jason's perspective, the most troublesome opponent was neither the hero Hillen Cargill nor the Stars. It was the princess Ernyan Hilderan. The spirit summoner contracted to the water spirit king.

"Like demons, spirits are beings of a higher dimension. Not even the Demon Emperor can dismiss a spirit king who reigns at their pinnacle."

- A demonic dragon like you thinks so highly of me? Live long enough, and you really do see everything.

"Demons and spirits alike are affected by dimensional interference in other dimensions. Demons build towers to resist it head-on, while spirits circumvent it through contractors."

"So although they're powerful in their own right, they can't wield more power than their contractors can handle, right? And they must be summoned using the summoner's mana."

"Correct. Thus demons can never wield power beyond the interference they've lifted, but spirits can temporarily draw on their full strength even if their contractor is too weak. That happens..."

"When the contractor burns the flame of their own life, right?"

"Exactly. And if that spirit is a spirit king?"

"That would make me the most troublesome person on this battlefield, wouldn't it?"

Whether she actually unleashed her life force did not matter. The possibility existed. That alone would make her a thorn in Jason's side.

"Or, since he believes you're my servant, he may think I'd order you to unleash your life force if necessary."

"Then he'll come for me no matter what?"

"Indeed."

"Here, where there are all these Stars and heroes, and even you, my lord?"

"Precisely."

Berge smiled. Ernyan smiled too.

"Is he an idiot?"

"He's confident."

A demonic dragon with all interference lifted was by no means weak. As one of the strongest races in the Demon Realm, they stood apart from most Demon Kings. And what of such a dragon's subordinates, if they had conquered no fewer than five dimensions alongside him?

"He probably intends to have his subordinates hold off the heroes while he kills you."

"Can he do that?"

"It's not entirely impossible."

"Demonic dragons really are an incredible race."

"I am rather impressive."

"You're amazing."

Berge shrugged.

"But why would such a demonic dragon become another Demon King's servant?"

"He isn't a demonic dragon."

"But he is."

"... He's a disgrace to demonic dragons."

"Unlike you, my lord?"

"Don't put him on the same level as me."

"All right. You're far more amazing, after all, aren't you? Someone like him can't compare."

"As expected, a spirit king's contractor has some discernment."

Berge stroked Ernyan's hair. She smiled happily.

"..."

"What are you doing?"

"Am I seeing this right?"

"... So that's why Her Highness the Crown Princess became one of the Four Heavenly Kings."

Roselle looked dumbfounded. Pablo's face twisted. And the heroes finally understood why the Crown Princess had become the Demon King's servant.

"Oh, whatever. So how are we going to handle him?"

"He's an arrogant demonic dragon. Wouldn't a little prodding set him off?"

"That's a good approach too. For now, just quietly play along."

"You want us to keep the demons occupied?"

"Yes. Then he'll charge at Ernyan of his own accord. And I'll..."

Take care of the rest.

As he spoke, Berge's presence vanished completely.

"... Holy shit."

"He vanished?"

The heroes were astonished. Berge had concealed himself perfectly even as they watched him right before their eyes.

"... Now I see why nobody can ever catch him kidnapping royals."

"Wow, so this is why both the Empire and the kingdoms keep losing their royals? I thought the guards were fucking asleep."

"With an ability like that, he kidnaps royals instead of assassinating important people?"

And another mystery was solved.

* * *

"Fools! Do not stand in our lord's way!"

An enormous titan, ten meters tall, spewed flames. Shells being loaded into the mana cannons detonated, triggering a chain of explosions. A ship sank on the spot.

"Stop them!"

"Hold them back with your lives! They must not reach the heroes!"

Even so, the resistance did not diminish at all.

"Disgusting demon!"

A knight in gleaming silver armor raced across the ice, drawing forth his aura.

"How irritating."

A demon with enormous claws sliced through the aura in one stroke. A brief scream rang out, and the knight's body split in half.

His gaze turned farther ahead. It was not far now. Only two ships away. Just then, the Demon King who had been following quietly stepped forward.

"My lord?"

"This is enough."

Dorche gathered demonic energy and casually swept his hand. Dozens of mana cannon shots aimed at them exploded in midair. Then a shadow fell over him. It was an enormous torrent of water—the power of a spirit targeting Dorche.

"I'll commend you for not running away."

CRACKLE!

Black lightning energy spat out bolts.

BOOM!

The two powers collided. Ice shattered and ships rocked. Dorche pierced through the gap between them.

WHOOSH!

The distance between Dorche and the spirit summoner closed rapidly. His enormous claws tore halfway through the translucent water barrier.

"This is my first time seeing you so close."

"There's something I'd like to ask."

"A mere human dares question me?"

"I heard demonic dragons were a proud, noble race. Why did you become Lies' dog?"

"... What?"

Dorche's face twisted grotesquely.

Of course, he was Jason's dog now. He had become his servant and was following his orders. But he had never wanted it. Had Jason simply killed him, he would have accepted death proudly. Had Jason torn his limbs apart, he would have let them be torn. He was a demonic dragon. He had the pride to die rather than become the dog of a mere doppelganger.

But even so, being made a blood bag crossed the line. Being denied death, drained of blood, and sacrificed for Lies was worse than dying a hundred times. It disgusted him. That was why he had been forced to bow his head, but it was a shame and humiliation he wanted to erase from his memory.

"Who the hell do you think you're calling Lies' dog, you fucking bitch?!"

"Aren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why are you fighting for Lies?"

"... That's..."

"Isn't it because you are his dog? Just as a guard dog comes out first when intruders arrive, you've come out to greet us because we're attacking Lies."

"Shut up, you damned bitch!"

"I've heard Lies is polite in speech, at least, but his dog certainly isn't. Though I suppose that's only natural for an animal?"

"No one gets to call me Lies' dog!"

Because I am—

"Not Lies' dog!"

Enraged, Dorche inhaled. His chest swelled. His hearts contracted fiercely. Vast amounts of demonic energy compressed inside his mouth. In his red-hot vision, he could see only Ernyan Hilderan.

"Die!"

Just as he was about to unleash his power—

"Well, you fell for that so easily I'm at a loss for words, you fucking dog of Lies."

A chill ran down the back of Dorche's neck, and he hurriedly turned. But the assassin was already far too close. Killing intent was upon him. He could not dodge.

Dorche forced himself to swallow the breath in his mouth. The backflow of demonic energy strained his hearts, but he forcibly redirected it to form a barrier. He released demonic energy in a shock wave. But—

CRUNCH!

The shock wave failed to push the assassin back. The barrier crumpled like paper. The scales he took such pride in shattered into dozens of fragments and scattered. A cold blade pierced the opening.

"Gah...!"

His chest was pierced. Just as he thought his heart had narrowly escaped, a searing hand seized the beating organ.

"My lord!"

The demons screamed.

"H-how...!"

However hastily assembled his defense had been, the sheer quantity of demonic energy was overwhelming. It should not have been penetrated so easily.

"... B-Berge?"

Dorche's eyes widened. The face of the man behind him, whose hand had pierced his chest, was unmistakably Berge's. Although his hair and eyes were different colors, and Dorche could sense no demonic energy, his instincts screamed it.

"Yes, that's right."

And his opponent acknowledged it.

"Y-you dare betray..."

"Were we ever on the same side? You and I?"

The cold mockery cut him to the core.

"W-wait! Aren't we both demonic dragons?!"

"Right now, you're nothing but Jason's dog."

"I was forced to become his servant! I'll help you! Help you kill Jason...!"

"You'll help me? You, who threw away a demonic dragon's pride to become Jason's dog? You're a disgrace to our race."

"I-I had no choice!"

"Yes, and I have no choice but to kill you."

"If you kill Jason, I'll become your servant! I'll live for you! Isn't it far better for us demonic dragons to stand together than to serve that damned demon whose true identity we don't even know?!"

"You've hit rock bottom. Die with dignity."

"I can't! I must take revenge on him! Kill me afterward instead!"

"You want me to spare you until I kill Jason? How am I supposed to trust you?"

"I'll swear upon the great First Demon Emperor and the Guide!"

Oh?

"Upon the great First Demon Emperor and the Guide, you say?"

"Yes! I would never l—!"

CRUNCH!

His heart was ripped out. Dorche vomited blood.

"W-why...?"

"Because I don't believe in the First Demon Emperor or the Guide."

CRUNCH!