My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 108
#108
Pumpkin rolled in (3)
[Whoa whoa——!]
The dragon's roar echoes again from inside the mountain range..
Harley and Heinz frowned as they heard the sound of spiritual pressure suppressing a lower being..
Of course, it didn't have much of an effect on them, but the sound that stimulated their instincts was annoying..
‘Was there a dragon nesting around here?.’
To begin with, it was at the foot of the vast northern mountain range, so it wouldn't be surprising if there was at least one dragon stuck there.···.
What mattered now wasn't that fact..
‘A being as big as a dragon was consumed by madness like this.?’
Because the sound of that guy's roar from earlier wasn't normal at all..
Just like Entracio, who became an undead bone dragon and whose sound was filled with the energy of death, this guy was now exuding the energy of madness..
‘First of all, it's clear that this is not a normal situation..’
Although monsters are said to be susceptible to madness, dragons were beings that should be considered more intelligent than monsters..
It was a creature with the highest intelligence and ability among all the races of Outerica.···.
Crack! Crackling!
Even as Harley was diligently chewing and swallowing the magic stone, his head was spinning and analyzing the situation..
‘anyway. That rare dragon was here, and it's not in good condition so far.?’
Their population was already small, but their numbers decreased further after the two Immortal King incidents, and they were now almost an endangered species..
The Immortal King, who was trying to cover the continent with death, was a threatening enemy even for dragons, so of course they joined forces with the Continent Alliance to fight against the Immortal Army..
And the first Immortal King first focused on thoroughly hunting down the dragons that would be the biggest obstacle to conquering the continent..
Even if it means losing out on other fronts, reducing their population is the top priority..
Thanks to this, the Continental Alliance was able to not only maintain the front line but defeat the Immortal King, but the damage caused by the dragons had become irreparable..
The birth of the second Immortal King in that situation was nothing short of driving a wedge, and from then on, dragons were no longer easily seen on the Aeon Continent..
Even if it existed, I thought it would only be seen in places where the war took place and in the far eastern region..
‘Looking at their tendencies, there is no way they can be easily corrupted..’
There were so many sacrifices, so why is Entracio the only undead dragon that has been inherited by Hans?.
‘Because of his noble pride, if he thought he was going to be caught by the Immortal King, it was normal for him to blow himself up without leaving a single bone behind. Even if he got his hands on the body, the rejection reaction was so severe that it wasn't easy to turn it into an undead..’
It was vivid information about the parties involved through information from the previous generation passed down to Hans..
It is said that even if it was somehow revived as an undead, other dragons who discovered it rushed in and somehow destroyed it..
It could be said that they were a stubborn race that did not tolerate corruption, not only for themselves but also for their compatriots..
‘It was very lucky that Entracio came into Hans' hands..’
But does it make sense that such dragons were spread widely across the continent and were devoured by a level of madness that had no significant effect even on humans??
I still didn't understand···.
“Actually, somehow it's a good thing..”
“Hahaha! A dragon! What kind of rice cake is this??”
Heinz raised the corners of his mouth with a cold face, and Harley, who had eaten all the magic stones, jumped up from her seat and burst into laughter..
Yes, actually, you had to check it out to find out the details..
“What does dragon meat taste like?!”
Harley was excited and ran as fast as she could to where she could feel the guy's presence..
Perhaps because he had just been filled with so much energy, his steps were very lively..
“If it's dragon blood, you can eat it as long as you remove the madness. It would be a good health food..”
Heinz, who was looking at Harley's back, lightly adjusted his tailcoat and disappeared from the spot..
Of course, his destination is also the source of the roar.
It was a place where there was a dragon.
***
-It hurts, it hurts, why am I like this, let’s kill it too!
-It's because of him. Who is that guy? Incompetent humans, stupid elves, smelly dwarves! I think it happened again...?
-You're hurt, you need to recover. To recover, you need to eat well. So let's eat. Let's eat a lot!
[Kuoooooo——!]
With the noise ringing loudly in his head, the red dragon, Heratos, roared in a dazed mood..
Then I felt good again, as if I was drunk on something..
As my mood improved, the desire to enjoy it more arose..
For some reason, my physical condition, which I had spent a long time recuperating for, recovered quickly, and now I felt like I could go out as much as I wanted..
‘Good, very good. I recovered faster than expected. After all, this body is great!’
Heratos was a dragon who was seriously injured in a war with the second immortal king 300 years ago..
Unlike the first time, when he was still young and could not participate in the war, the battle he experienced firsthand was easier than expected..
Not only the continental people but also the dragons were not fools, and they responded more efficiently than before through various preparations, so it was natural..
Even then, the entire western region was taken over and an empire was defeated, but compared to the first year, this was a very good performance..
···It would have been better if I hadn't been so caught up in my own performance that I let my guard down..
‘But where is this... Ah! This is the place I created. But why did you make it??’
As a result, Heratos fell into a trap while fighting the immortal army and was seriously injured in the process..
He was lucky to have survived a great war in which countless strong men died helplessly, but the injuries he suffered were so serious that they could never be dismissed as such..
Deep wounds appeared all over the gigantic body, and the abyss of death penetrated through them..
To Heratos, who was on the verge of death due to the curse of death, for which no recovery magic or sacred law could work.···.
The last bit of luck has come.
At that moment, the Immortal King, the subject of the curse that was consuming his body, was subdued by a deadly force..
As a result, he, who was on the verge of death at every moment, was able to recover, but since he was still in critical condition, he used the most reliable means to recover..
‘ah-? What was I thinking? Yes, that's right. I was trying to get out of here. I'm hungry, so I need to eat a lot for the first time in a while..’
They settled down on one side of the northern mountain range infested with monsters and set up all sorts of barriers for safety to prepare for hibernation..
A dragon's hibernation lasts for hundreds of years, and during this time, the body's growth and recovery are extremely active, so there is no better way than this..
Installing all those barriers with an injured body was truly deathly, but using all the magic tools I had saved and even my own blood as a medium, I was able to complete it..
However, after the last good luck passed, misfortune came to him.—.
In order to maximize recovery, a barrier was also installed to draw in surrounding energy and attract monsters to suck their life force..
How did he know?.
Who would have thought that the abyss would open again and spread 'madness' throughout the world, and that it would also accumulate in the bodies of monsters teeming with his territory..
Of course, the barrier was equipped with defenses against all kinds of abnormal situations, but there was no way there could be a means of dealing with the madness of the abyss..
Madness continued to build up in his body as he fell into such a defenseless hibernation, until it reached the point where it completely polluted his brain..
[Whoa whoa——!]
Flap—! flutter—!
Heratos escaped from the nest he had made and flapped his wings wildly..
The body had already completely recovered..
He hibernated for quite a long time, and the amount of madness accumulated in his body was by no means small..
‘Ahh— this refreshing air. But it's a little disappointing. I think it would be nice if just a little bit of the smell of blood was added here. The burning smell is good too.’
His thoughts were completely consumed by madness, and without him realizing it, he made all kinds of leaps and bounds to arrive at an absurd conclusion..
‘···okay. It looks like there's a human city nearby, so I guess I can just fire a breath shot at it.!’
Then, I thought I could enjoy my meal while enjoying the smell of burning and the sound of screaming at the same time..
Also, if you chew the food raw, you can also savor the scent of blood..
As a dragon, Heratos could survive simply by absorbing mana and did not need to eat anything, but that fact was no longer on his mind..
Consumed by madness, he did not even pay attention to the monsters scattered around the area and measured the distance to go to a place where there were likely to be many humans..
‘Well then, let's go... Yeah.?’
That moment.
He felt a presence stimulating his senses..
A being that approaches at high speed and makes a loud noise, radiating explosive vitality from its entire body..
‘···human? No, are you really human? There was one more thing there. I almost missed it. Is this a vampire??’
Rumbling—
Saliva flowed from his huge mouth as he recognized them..
Although his eyes had already turned bright red and he could not sense a single ounce of reason, Heratos could not sense anything wrong with his condition..
just.
‘First, let’s try those as appetizers.···?’
I was just dominated by a sudden surge of appetite..
“Kahahaha! It's a real living dragon! Wow, this is my first time doing something like this.!”
“Completely consumed by madness. You can't expect the opposite sex. What matters is how it was strengthened..”
In an instant, the pseudo-humans and vampires who arrived in front of Heratos calmly observed him and offered their own opinions, but he did not react in any way..
I had no interest whatsoever in what the food ingredients were saying..
‘Should we eat that juicy looking one first? It seems delicious because it bursts with vitality every time you chew it. Vampires also seem to be quite a delicacy..’
I was worried about that for a while.
At one point, a flash of light flashed in his mind..
‘uh? why am i doing this?’
His brilliant mind sensed something strange in his behavior..
And the brain that had been stained with madness began to think logically again..
Why was he just looking at them?.
As a result.
[Wow——!]
He opened his mouth wide and launched himself at them..
‘okay! Just eat them both at once.!’
There was no need to worry in the first place!
I was planning on having a full-fledged meal in the human city, so for now I just have to throw it away in one bite and go on my way..
In that way, Heratos, with his enhanced physical ability, bit down on the space they were in in the blink of an eye.···.
“Whoop—!”
Whoop— Quaaaang—!
Harley, who was already ready for battle, easily dodged the scene and, bloated, raised his massive head and struck it away with his right hand..
[Grumble——?]
Heratos was taken aback by the sudden shock for a moment before a black mark silently appeared on the bridge of his nose..
“excuse.”
Sigh—sigh.!
Sharp streams of blood shot out from both his hands and cut off those huge eyes in an instant..
Heratos covered his eyelids with incredible speed, but how could Heinz's attack be blocked with such thin leather?.
My eyelids were cut and blood spurted out from both eyes..
[Wow——!]
Was it pain or anger?.
With the dragon's wild roar as his bleeding eyes were tightly closed, a huge magical power exploded around him, creating a shock wave that distorted the surrounding space..
Heinz, who had stepped back for a moment due to the attack, tried to lunge at the guy again, but paused for a moment..
“···You've already recovered.”
Heratos' eyes suddenly opened, glowing red, and they were fine, without a single trace of injury..
‘I felt that the attack was a bit shallow because of the eyelids, but.’
The speed of its reaction and the durability of its leather were beyond imagination..
Moreover, if you think about the incredible recovery power and the destructive power exerted by an overwhelmingly large body,···.
“Kahaha! This is going to be difficult for both of us.?”
Of course, Heinz and Harley won't fall for him..
Their physical specifications can never be ignored, and it looks like that dragon's physical abilities have increased rapidly due to madness, but its magical abilities have actually deteriorated..
In addition, contrary to its reputation as a dragon, it had no intelligence at all and simply looked like a giant lizard that was faithful to its instincts..
‘But if a lizard of that size has that kind of regenerative power... it would be useless to beat it with a hundred days..’
You will be trapped in a truly endless cycle of infinity..
‘No, unlike here, where there is a limit to the energy it possesses, the dragon can recover by absorbing the surrounding energy..’
In the end, the only ending will be for them to step down..
Their compatibility was not very good to deal with that huge lizard..
If you had overwhelming power, you could ignore even that, but···.
True vampire Heinz II and barbaric warrior Harley were not yet at that level..
‘Well, there's nothing we can do..’
It doesn't work, so what can I do?.
There is no choice but to bring in an opponent of that level..
and.
Darkness suddenly gathered at a point in the air..
Gooooo—
The darkness, which had sucked in all the light as if there was a hole in the sky, eventually disappeared after calling a being there..
At the same time···.
Even though the sun was still up, the brightness of the world suddenly went down, as if a filter had been applied..
[Hehehe— A dragon steeped in madness. I think this would be good material.!]
A disaster that drove dragons to the brink of extinction..
descended there.
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