15. Dragon of the End – 03
[I hope you don’t pretend you don’t know or pretend you don’t know. Even if it looks like this, I’m in a position to respect you as a human being, and I want to avoid the rude act of ruining an encounter with an old friend by spouting lies.]
A gigantic dragon with a smile saying “Cook-Cook”.
In the first place, dragons and humans have distinctly different appearances, so it would be impossible to read each other’s expressions, but surprisingly, everyone gathered here could read what the dragon’s current expression was.
The current dragon was clearly showing the emotion of ‘pleasure’.
“… How did know?”
As long as he was so confident, he realized that he would not be able to make ends meet even if he tried to pretend, so when Jin sighed, the dragon’s smile changed even more.
[Well. Is it that surprising that I cherished the memories with you?]
“Unfortunately, this has never happened before.”
Of the nine episodes Jin has experienced so far, there has never been a single time when the ‘Dragon of End’ in front of him remembered what happened in the past episode.
But now, the ‘Dragon of the End’ was clearly remembering what had happened in the past that would happen in the future beyond time.
If not only the ‘Dragon of the End’, but even the other demigods even remember having met him, wouldn’t that be the worst thing he ever feared?
This side had an advantage in information about the other side by repeating regression, but that advantage was overturned in a single moment.
[If I had to explain it to you, it would be because the moment we are facing now was originally destined to be like this.]
“… What?”
What kind of nonsense bullshit is that?
[I don’t think it’s that hard. To put it a little easier, it can be explained in the way that your ability to go beyond time and face the past again was actually nothing more than a privilege.]
The phenomenon of returning to 10 years ago when I die is actually not an ability, but a privilege?
… No, what the hell is the difference between ability and privilege in the first place? No matter how you think about it, isn’t that just a pun?
And even if it was a privilege, what is the reason why the ‘Dragon of the End’ was able to bring back memories of the past in this episode?
[I’m sorry, but I have no obligation to explain everything to you now. I must not have manifested in this place at least to answer your questions.]
The dragon spoke in a cutting tone, as if it couldn’t answer anything anymore.
When he said that he would not answer the question now, on a topic that he had been babbling about in a meaningful way before asking questions that had not been asked until now, he felt really absurd.
“But why am I your friend? Can a relationship that can be called friendship be established between you and me?”
[That’s a bit disappointing. Haven’t you and I been engaged in a fierce struggle to kill and kill each other in a world like countless spirals? If they didn’t harbor any feelings for each other, wouldn’t that be a lie?]
“I’m sorry, but being affectionate toward the other person while fighting is already out of fashion a long time ago. I can’t relate at all.”
Jin, who snorted lightly, clicked his tongue as he looked at Claire kneeling right in front of the dragon.
“By the way, why don’t you stop giving Claire back? It wasn’t enough to bring me here as you wished, and I even freed you from here, so I think it’s time to let go.”
[Unfortunately for you, that’s a request I can’t grant.]
The dragon lifted its huge forepaw and gently touched Claire, who was on her knees gasping for breath.
From the outside, it looked like a movement to crush something by stepping on it, rather than stroking something.
Because right now, the dragon was protecting Claire so that she wouldn’t get a single scratch, even while adjusting the mana of the atmosphere.
But to be honest, from Jin’s point of view, it was a truly disgusting act.
Because the dragon’s movements were closer to the act of caring for and nurturing one’s precious pet than the act of protecting people.
“… Claire is not your pet.”
[No, this woman is my pet. Because everything this woman has comes from me. That’s why I am the owner of this woman’s soul, and at the same time I am the captain of fate. And I am also the only one who deeply hates me. How could I carelessly entrust my precious doll to someone else?]
[And don’t pretend you don’t know anything. Jean, do you really think I didn’t notice that you were eavesdropping on my conversation with this woman from afar? I was just turning a blind eye to your actions because I wanted to talk with you face to face.]
“… After all, were you noticing?”
Well, now that I think about it, it was even more strange that I didn’t notice.
10 years from now, the most terrifying weapon possessed by the ‘Dragon of the End’ is the endlessly pouring super high-powered magic, the steel-like scales that deflect all attacks in the world, and the magic that dazzles and eventually corrupts others. It wasn’t even a magical eye, it was a dragon’s sense that could sense and deal with everything in this world.
[This woman is my first disciple, a toy and a precious pet at the same time. So Jean, if you want to take this woman away from me, you will have to force your will on me.]
“Just like how I stepped on your head and cut your throat?”
When Jin snorts, saying, “Don’t you remember how many times you’ve been hunted by me so far?”, the dragon of the end laughs as if it’s really ridiculous.
[Yes, I am definitely a loser. In the distant past, I have experienced defeating you countless times and driving you to death, but I am also a pitiful victim after being hunted by you.]
[But, isn’t the you of now not the you of then?]
The dragon’s eyes, tinged with blood, looked directly at Jin.
[Ten years from now, you are the most excellent hunter in the world. Your body was harder than steel, your movement was faster than the wind, and your strength contained the power to kill even the earth. You, as a human species, tempered yourself to the limit that you can temper yourself.]
[But now? My bones are weak, my stamina is feeble, and my heart is weak. It seems that you are training in your own way, but your body is not yet complete. You now are embarrassingly weak compared to the you I knew.]
[Where is that? When you were against me, didn’t you have many people helping you? If those humans hadn’t restrained my movements, met my attacks, and opened the way for your hand to reach me, can you bet that it would be possible to defeat me?]
As if it were truly ridiculous, the dragon raised its voice and laughed. Inside that laugh, there was only absolute confidence in himself.
[But now, no matter how much you look around, there are no humans who can be your limbs. I think I brought at least one person, but isn’t that the same girl who died miserably after becoming your shield someday!]
[How ridiculous! Traditionally, the saying that when a hunter is most careless is when he is hunting something must be used for such a time! Isn’t it?]
At the sound of the dragon’s laughter that resonated throughout the cavity, Altina, who was next to Jin, shrank back without realizing it.
Altina also reached the level of a master, and even though she was an absolute strong person in terms of people, she couldn’t even breathe properly in front of that dragon.
In addition, with that dragon in front of her, her eyes were sending out strange images that she could not understand at all, and her head was filled with an unknown sense of déjà vu.
know. Obviously Altina was facing that for the first time in her life, and even though she couldn’t have known what it was, she was able to understand it nonetheless.
In fact, she couldn’t have understood it, but the memory engraved in her soul appealed to her that it knew all about what it was and what it was saying-
“… calm down. are you okay. From now on, I will take care of everything.”
And, perhaps noticing Altina’s condition, Jin raises his arm and quietly blocks her.
“No. That’s right. That’s not something you can deal with alone. At least, if I become your shield… ”
“No, I am not saying this to protect you. As I said earlier, we are trying to divide the roles.”
While saying that, Jin silently glanced sideways at Claire, who was sprawled out and out of breath.
“I will deal with that dragon, so use that opportunity to save Claire. got it?”
Judging from the pattern so far, it is very likely that the ‘Dragon of the End’ planted some kind of device in Claire.
And as long as there is an opponent who follows him or hates him, he is a body that is no different from immortality.
In other words, Jin wasn’t trying to separate Altina from this fight, it was just giving her a different role.
“But, but that-”
When Altina tried to open her mouth, saying that it was something that a person could not stand against alone, Jin carefully raised her finger to block her mouth.
“Story later. trust me for now If you really think of me as your teacher, isn’t it your duty to believe in your teacher as a disciple?”
When Jin said that in a playful tone, Altina gently bit her lip and then turned away from him.
“… If I die, I won’t leave you alone. I will go and find out even to the end of hell.”
“That’s a terrible threat.”
When Jin shrugged and said that, Altina fluttered her long hair and distanced herself from him without even looking back.
Perhaps, if the fight starts in earnest, it must be their intention to save Claire by taking advantage of that opportunity.
[My friend. What a foolish choice indeed. Did he make the choice to sacrifice his own life to save at least one doll, knowing full well that he could never win? If you’d rather give up this imperial capital and buy time by sacrificing the lives of others, your chances of defeating me would have increased.]
“I’m sorry, but I can’t make that choice. Casually sacrificing other people’s lives for my sake is just an escape.”
Above all, there were countless people who had casually risked their lives for him. So, the thought of increasing that number here and now did not exist at all.
[But how? How are you planning to defeat me with your own strength?]
“First of all, I think you’re misunderstanding something, so I’ll correct you. First of all, right now I’m not alone here. And secondly, I’m not here to give up my life, much less.”
[…] what?]
“Did you say that? I am the only human who has hunted you six times so far. Then, paraphrasing the words, wouldn’t it be possible to interpret them like this?”
Saying that, Jin took a step forward without hesitation towards the ‘Dragon of the End’.
“Regardless of the difference in strength between each other, I am the person who knows the best way to kill you.”
From here on, it is not a matter of dueling like the fights so far, but a matter of life and death.
At this moment, Jin wants to hunt the ‘Dragon of End’ right here.