[Grrrr!]
Dsiouros trembled, his diamond-shaped eyes quivering with extreme fear just from facing Raon.
-Hmm!
Wrath licked his lips as he examined Dsiouros's entire body.
-That beast has grown quite plump! The fat is so firm, it'll surely give a spicy kick when grilled!
He smacked his lips, suggesting they should season and grill it right away, now that the Light Wind division had sheathed their swords.
'You have no right to call me crazy...'
It was unimaginable to suggest seasoning a wound inflicted with Astral Energy. This was the craziest being he'd ever encountered. Raon sliced off Dsiouros's horn with his blazing blue Demonic Sword.
[Hmph...]
Dsiouros shrank his entire body as he felt his horn, the hardest part of his body, being cut off like paper.
"The Dragon Lord visited you recently, didn't he?"
Raon looked down at Dsiouros with calm eyes, as if he already knew everything.
[How... how do you know that...?]
Dsiouros gulped, rolling his eyes that were larger than his body.
'So he did come.'
It seemed that, as he had expected, the Dragon Lord had visited the Ancient Dragons to tell them about future plans.
'It'll be easy to extract information from this one.'
Dsiouros didn't know that Latiru had leaked information. Given the confusion of the current situation, it seemed best to use the dragon's muddled state of mind to obtain information.
"Shut up and just answer my questions."
Raon grabbed the Divine Sword he had stuck in the sand. The heat emanating from the blade brushed past Dsiouros's face. Red blood spurted from beneath the dragon's eyes where the Sword Aura had passed.
[Ugh...]
Gripped by the fear of death, Dsiouros slowly opened his massive maw.
[Yes, as you said, the Lord visited recently.]
He immediately revealed the truth, judging that Raon knew everything.
"He told you to prepare for war, didn't he?"
Raon twitched the hand holding the Demonic Sword while watching Dsiouros's trembling eyes.
[No, no. You... how...?]
As Dsiouros stuttered in confusion, the sand piled around him rippled like waves.
[What are you? Were you the golden-haired, red-eyed human the Lord warned us about...?]
He wrinkled his snout in shock at the series of incomprehensible situations. That reaction alone was answer enough.
'The golden-haired, red-eyed human the Dragon Lord warned about must be Grandfather, not me.'
The golden-haired, red-eyed human the Dragon Lord cautioned against was undoubtedly Glenn. After all, his past self wouldn't have been significant enough to catch the Lord's attention yet.
'So they really were preparing for war.'
Given Dsiouros's answer and the situation so far, it seemed certain that the dragons were preparing for war on the Four Demon's side.
'Damn lizards.'
It was absurd that these so-called mediators of the world were preparing for war behind beings intent on leading the continent to destruction.
-This King told you, didn't he?
Wrath shook his head as if disappointed.
-Those lizards are useless except for eating! They're pests that should be killed on sight!
He snorted, dismissing them not as messengers of God or mediators of the continent, but as mere nuisance.
'Pests? That's fitting in a way.'
Raon chuckled as he placed his foot on Dsiouros's snout.
"What else did he say?"
Raon tilted his chin after taking a short breath.
[That, that's all. He just told us to prepare for war and to be careful of you.]
Dsiouros shook his head, truly thinking Raon was Glenn.
"That can't be all."
Raon slowly extended his hand, bringing the blazing blue Demonic Sword to Dsiouros's eye.
[Really, that's all! He just said that a war that would shake the continent would happen soon, so we should recruit more Guardians!]
Dsiouros trembled his jaw, insisting that was truly everything.
"You're being troublesome."
Raon briefly licked his lips and stabbed the inside of Dsiouros's gums with the Demonic Sword. The dragon's flesh split like cheese under the Frost blade, and crimson blood gushed out.
[Grooooar!]
Dsiouros thrashed his entire body and let out a piercing scream, experiencing pain like never before in his life.
'No need to treat this trash lizard humanely.'
Dsiouros had ignored his duty as a mediator and created a factory to enslave humans and dwarves for gem crafting.
'And in such a terrible cave, no less.'
Having rescued the hostages himself, Raon had been able to inspect the inside of the lair, which was no different from a furnace. If even he, with his high Fire Resistance, could feel the heat, it must have been hell for ordinary people and even the heat-resistant dwarves.
Torture was too good for a lizard who kidnapped and tormented humans and dwarves solely for his own desires.
"It'd be better to open your mouth quickly. I'm not known for my patience."
Raon smiled coldly, indicating that the intensity would only increase.
[Urgh...]
Dsiouros rolled his terrified eyes left and right, as if trying desperately to recall something.
[Come to think of it...]
He slightly opened his mouth, blood still dripping.
"Come to think of what?"
Raon tilted his chin, urging him to speak.
[When I asked the Lord when the war would start, he said the humans under the volcano weren't ready yet.]
"Under the volcano?"
[Yes. He said he'd tell me the location later and that I should go there myself...]
Dsiouros shook his head, insisting that was really all.
'A volcano, huh.'
Finally, a clue. The continent is vast with many volcanoes, but with the Five Kings' manpower, it shouldn't take long to find an artificial one.
"Who's under the volcano?"
Raon looked at Dsiouros, slightly tilting his Divine Sword.
[I, I don't know. He just said to go there later!]
He shook his head, saying the Lord had only left those words before disappearing.
'That's disappointing.'
Even within the Four Demons, the tendencies of Derus, the White Blood Religion, and Eden were vastly different. It was frustrating that he couldn't prepare and attack accordingly without knowing their identity.
'But one thing's for certain now.'
Raon furrowed his brow as he looked at the golden-glittering sky.
'The Dragon Lord knows the location of all the Four Demons.'
As discussed in the Five Kings Conference, it was clear that the Dragon Lord knew not only the location of the Black Tower but also the whereabouts of the remaining Four Demons.
"Well, what's next?"
Raon nodded his head after imprinting the location 'under the volcano' in his mind.
[There, there is nothing next!]
Dsiouros shook his bulging eyes, insisting he had told everything he knew.
"I don't think so."
Raon briefly licked his lips.
[It's true! I've told you everything I know!]
Dsiouros screamed that he had recounted his conversation with the Lord word for word.
"Well, you see..."
Raon licked his lips again and raised his Demonic Sword once more.
"I'll just have to ask your body."
Smiling sinisterly, he thrust both the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword under Dsiouros's scales. He pushed in all the heat and Cold Energy as if torturing a human.
[Gyaaaah!]
Dsiouros began to go berserk, his eyes rolling back in what seemed to be the greatest pain he had experienced so far.
-Hey!
Wrath shook his head fiercely as if telling him to take it easy.
'Don't try to stop me. This beast enslaved innocent people.'
-That's not it! If you torment it too much, the stress will make the meat tough!
He held up a finger, saying they should give it some time to rest.
'...'
Raon stared at Wrath with a dumbfounded expression.
'What am I going to do with this glutton...?'
* * *
"Hmm..."
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Dsiouros's neck and face, now reduced to a rag.
'It seems he really doesn't know anything more.'
Even after torturing him by stabbing his tongue with the Frost Demonic Sword, which was Dsiouros's weakness, the beast wouldn't open his mouth. It seemed true that he had told all the information he knew.
[Urgh...]
"Dsiouros."
Raon approached Dsiouros, who was groaning as if on the verge of death.
[Ugh!]
Dsiouros lowered his eyes, seemingly terrified by the mere sight of him.
"I'll ask you one last thing."
Raon wiggled his finger, pointing down at Dsiouros.
"Where is the Dragon Lord's lair?"
Now that things had come to this, it might not be a bad idea to deal with the Lord before finding the Four Demons. If he caught him, he would naturally learn the location of the Four Demons.
[I, I don't know.]
Dsiouros shook his head, spitting out black, dead blood.
"You don't know? The location of his lair?"
[That's right. The Lord only ever visits us directly, he's never once called us to his lair.]
He trembled his blood-stained snout while looking into Raon's eyes.
[Besides, dragons don't have much interest in their own kind...]
Dsiouros shook his head, saying he didn't know the lairs of other dragons either, not just the Lord's.
'It seems to be true.'
Judging by Dsiouros's expression, this statement also appeared to be true.
-He's probably right. Dragons don't care whether an Ancient Dragon or a high-ranking dragon dies, unless it's a young hatchling.
Wrath snorted, saying they were the least united species in the world.
"Alright. That's it then."
Raon nodded calmly and raised his Demonic Sword, its blue light starting to dissipate.
[What? What do you mean 'that's it'...?]
Dsiouros raised his neck urgently.
[Didn't you say you'd spare me if I talked?]
"When did I say that?"
Raon chuckled and shook his head.
"Your only chance of survival was to catch those guys."
He sneered, pointing at the Light Wind swordsmen.
"I never once said I'd spare you if you answered my questions."
Raon waved his hand, saying it was just a delusion in Dsiouros's head.
[Eek...]
Dsiouros trembled his jaw, realizing he had made a huge mistake.
[No, wait!]
"Time to go."
Raon swung his Demonic Sword towards Dsiouros's neck as the dragon tried to gather mana to struggle. A slicing sound rang out as if cutting paper, and a blue line appeared on Dsiouros's neck. With a brilliant frost light, the frozen drake's neck shattered.
[Ah...]
The dragon who had lived for thousands of years and abandoned his beliefs as a mediator fell to the cold desert as a mere lizard. Raon shook the blood off his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword after confirming that Dsiouros had breathed his last.
-This King sees everything.
Wrath narrowed his eyes at Raon.
-You wouldn't have spared that lizard even if he had beaten the kids, would you?
'Of course not.'
Raon nodded without hesitation.
'There's no need to keep promises made to trash.'
As Wrath said, even if Dsiouros had won against the Light Wind division, Raon would have immediately unleashed his Sword Control to subdue the beast. Such a lizard had no right to live.
'Better than I thought...'
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Dsiouros's corpse, its eyes growing dim.
'The harvest was good.'
He had caught Dsiouros, an Ancient Dragon, weakening the enemy's forces; obtained information that one of the Four Demons was under a volcano; and rescued many hostages. It was all gain, without a single loss.
'Ah, one more thing.'
Raon smiled as he looked at the Light Wind swordsmen.
'Those guys gained confidence and experience.'
The Light Wind division had succeeded in hunting an Ancient Dragon and realized their own strength. This experience will be of great help in the upcoming war.
-There's more!
Wrath raised his finger, saying it wasn't over yet.
-We can eat dragon barbecue now! And it's a Red Dragon, the one with the best spicy flavor!
He grinned, saying that was the biggest gain of all.
"Sigh..."
Somehow... Raon felt a tiny bit sorry, as if he had ruined Wrath himself.
"Phew, is it finally over?"
Burren let out a long sigh, as if releasing the tension he had been holding until the very end.
"I really thought we were going to die this time. I nearly wet myself when that breath was coming at us!"
Martha wiped cold sweat from her forehead, recalling when the flame breath was about to hit them.
"The heat was unbearable..."
Runaan shook her head, as if she disliked the heat of this region more than the battle with Dsiouros.
"To be honest, I wanted to run away, but everyone else was holding on..."
Krein slumped his shoulders, saying he endured thinking of his comrades beside him.
"Hehehe..."
Dorian examined Dsiouros's corpse from various angles, letting out an eerie laugh as if he had never cried. He seemed already happy at the thought of putting that corpse in his Pouch.
"He's really crazy..."
Trevin shook his head, saying Dorian seemed out of his mind.
"That's why he can survive in the Light Wind Palace."
Mark Goetun smiled calmly, saying they should get used to it from now on.
"Um..."
As Raon was sheathing the Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem, which had returned to their original forms, a dried-up voice came from behind.
"We're so sorry for asking why you saved us..."
"We were disrespectful to our benefactor..."
"Please forgive us."
The people who had been held captive by Dsiouros apologized for their words when they saw the breath, bowing their heads.
"It's alright. I understand completely."
Raon waved his hand, smiling without resentment.
'To them, Dsiouros must have been both a devil and a god.'
Those people had been kidnapped by Dsiouros and lived for a long time in a lair filled with nothing but heat. It was natural for people who had been living only because they couldn't die to be terrified at the sight of Dsiouros's breath.
"Thank you for saving us."
Latiru knelt on the sand, truly grateful.
"I will repay this debt somehow."
He bowed his head, saying he would repay more than his life's worth.
"We feel the same! We will surely repay this debt!"
The dwarves behind Latiru also bowed their heads, shouting their thanks for being saved.
"This is why rescue missions are the best."
"We're not doing it for the gratitude, but seeing faces like these makes it worthwhile."
"It makes me want to work even harder in the future."
The Light Wind swordsmen waved to the people and dwarves offering their thanks. As the dwarves finished their greetings and stood up, their eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Benefactor! I know it's crazy to ask, but could we see your sword?"
"Where did you train your swordsmanship? That wasn't ordinary Sword Aura!"
"What are you going to do with the dragon's corpse? We can make weapons or armor for you!"
The dwarves, having finished their thanks, began to unleash their desires. They approached with zombie-like movements, eager to see his sword and swordsmanship.
"That... can wait..."
Raon shook his head, looking at the darkening desert.
"We should leave this place before it gets any darker."
He suggested retreating from this hellish land first, looking around.
"Ah, before that, if you could tell us where you originally lived, we'll send you there."
Raon looked at the people and dwarves, asking them to tell him where they lived.
"The mountain where we lived was destroyed by Dsiouros. So..."
Latiru licked his lips, looking at Raon.
"Could you take us into your faction?"
He bowed his head as if pleading.
"Please!"
The other dwarves also bent their waists, asking to be accepted as new recruits. However, some seemed to be licking their lips, not because they had nowhere to go, but because they wanted to see his sword and swordsmanship.
"As I'm not the head of house of our family, I'll just take note of your request for now."
Raon smiled and turned his gaze to the people.
"And you..."
"Our, our village was also destroyed by Dsiouros."
An old man with a face full of wrinkles like tree bark shook his head.
"It was a village right in front of this desert, but with one gesture from that beast..."
The old man trembled his lips, saying the entire village had been burned and buried in sand.
"Then let's all move together for now."
Raon nodded, deciding to return to Zieghart with everyone.
"First, we need to deal with the corpse and the remaining spoils here."
Of course, they had to collect not only Dsiouros's corpse but also the treasures he had hoarded.
"That's right! We know everything, so we'll bring it for you!"
Latiru nodded, rolling up his sleeves.
"Finally, it's our time to shine!"
"Let's start by processing that damn dragon's carcass!"
The dwarves licked their lips, eager to help divide the dragon's carcass and move the remaining items.
"Ah, there's no need for that."
Raon gestured behind him, telling them to rest.
"Dorian."
"Yes! I've been waiting for you to call me!"
Dorian raised his hand in a salute and opened his Pouch in front of Dsiouros.
"Huh?"
"What, what are you trying to do?"
"Even if it's a subspace pouch, you can't fit an entire dragon carcass..."
The dwarves blinked in confusion.
"It's fine!"
Dorian shook his head as if telling them to just watch, and lifted the tail of the dead Dsiouros. As he inserted the tip of the tail into his Pouch, the dragon's carcass, which seemed large enough to cross the desert, was instantly sucked inside.
"Huh?"
"How, how is this possible?"
"What kind of subspace pouch..."
"Mo-monsters! They're all monsters!"
Not only the people who had been held hostage but also the dwarves bulged their eyes in shock. Their expressions seemed even more surprised than when the Light Wind Palace had defeated Dsiouros.
-What? You're not eating it now?
Wrath waved his hand, insisting they should grill Dsiouros right away.
'The hostages are exhausted. We need to rest first.'
Raon waved his hand as if to soothe Wrath.
-Then feed me something else! Haven't I been starving all day?
'No...'
-Come on, let's eat! Bring anything!
As Wrath was throwing a tantrum like a child, a message appeared.
[You have successfully hunted an Ancient Dragon.]
[All ability scores increase by 10 points.]
[Trait...]
[Title...]
Raon nodded at Wrath while looking at the message.
'Here it is. Your food.'
He pointed to the blue-tinted message, saying it came out plentifully.
-No, why is this coming out! You didn't even catch it yourself!
Wrath screamed, asking why he was getting the reward when the Light Wind Palace had killed it.
'You're right. The Light Wind Palace won, but... Ah! Because I dealt the final blow?'
Raon snapped his fingers. Thinking about it, he was the one who had killed Dsiouros at the end.
-Fi-final blow? There's no such thing! You lousy system! This King didn't set it up like this!
Wrath screamed, asking why it was moving on its own.
'Hmm...'
Ignoring Wrath's outburst, Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the very last part of the message.
'A new title...'
Dragon Killer?