Expected, but the shock didn’t completely fade away. Hans felt his words choke in his throat. How on earth did thoughts of the continent’s destruction even come to mind? What exactly had happened?
The other members were just as shocked. They had only been focused on exterminating the demons. Killing all the inhabitants of the continent and thinking about its destruction was beyond their consideration.
Hans quietly looked at Bayard. Bayard, who met Hans’s gaze, vehemently denied it. He had only prioritized the extermination of the demons, not the destruction of the continent.
That was true. They had merely ignored the harm that the continent’s inhabitants would suffer. The blade’s direction was always aimed at the demons. If so, did this also mean that it was Yuren’s unilateral decision?
“We need to stop Yuren right now!”
“Yeah, that sounds right.”
“Exactly! If this were the old days, it might have been different! But now it’s seriously problematic!”
“Y-Yeah! It can’t be allowed right now!”
While the local broadcast behind them was lightly ignored, Hans was deep in thought about Yuren’s actions. Trying to destroy the continent was an unforgivable worst case scenario.
[Kill that girl.]
“That’s cold.”
[She’s already crossed the line.]
“…….”
[Do not rely on mere passions. Focus on the greater good.]
The Dragon Lord’s words were not wrong. Since she had already crossed the line, there was no way to forgive her on a whim. However, even after hearing the Dragon Lord’s words, Hans could only shake his head.
“My team is my responsibility. Managing them, taking responsibility, punishing them—it’s all my burden.”
[…….]
“Don’t think you can just butt in, Dragon.”
A hint of anger was woven into Hans’s voice. The other Royal Knights flinched at his audacious statement directed at the Dragon Lord but didn’t waver at all. They would follow their commander’s wishes, no matter what.
The Dragon Lord didn’t respond. He simply continued to look into Hans’s eyes. Even before the chief of the dragons, he spoke his value without hesitation.
Had there been such a resilient human, or any inhabitants of the continent for that matter? It was very similar to that hero from a distant past. Back then, everyone thought the same. Change couldn’t happen by the strength of just a single person.
It was an era of surrender. An era where one had to forsake sacrifices, lands, and even their own blood to survive. In that time, only one person took up the sword to make a change.
[Didn’t dragons say they were a Race of Benevolence? So why do they just watch?]
[Because I love and believe in you.]
[What?]
[We do not lead directly. We only assist if you wish to move forward.]
If everything were assisted little by little, could that truly be called love? True love allows one to overcome the issues at hand by themselves. Thus, the dragons remained bystanders.
They allowed them to rise and enforce their will. If something was handed to someone, they could never carry it through to the end. Upon hearing this, the hero responded.
[I understand the meaning. However, that is not love. It is mere bystanding.]
Was that truly what it meant?
Only then did the Dragon Lord realize the meaning of that time. It was based on believing one could manage on their own. Just watching over his own daughter led to this result. The Dragon Lord replied solemnly.
[I’m sorry. I’ve only just understood what you meant.]
“What do you mean?”
[It’s nothing. More importantly, how do you plan to head to the Sky Island?]
“That’s…”
[I’ll take a guess. Weren’t you trying to find the path just now?]
With one precise remark from the Dragon Lord, Hans responded with silence. While the Dragon Lord phrased it nicely, it ultimately meant they were now about to search for a way to the Sky Island from scratch.
The Sky Island was a sacred place that had been exclusively granted to the dragons since ancient times. However, perhaps due to their title as the Race of Benevolence, they might have been drawing lines on their own.
The Dragon Lord gradually rose his massive body. Covered in wounds, his dignity was undeterred. But now, the Dragon Lord no longer gazed into the void, but precisely at what lay before him.
[I will take you to that high sky.]
“Understood, then I will gratefully accept your help.”
[But, save my daughter.]
A fatherly request.
“I intended to do that from the beginning.”
Hans responded to the Dragon Lord’s request.
*
The Royal Knights on the back of the Dragon Lord soared into the sky in an instant. Most managed to withstand it without difficulty, but only one—Vampire Lua—couldn’t handle the power.
“Kyaaaaaah?!”
“Grab my hand.”
“Th-Thank you, Hans!”
“…….”
Hans’s reaction made the other Royal Knights momentarily consider if they might fall, but soon gave up. They didn’t want to burden Hans by failing to do what they could.
In the end, all they could do was send Lua a few concerned glances. Even that, Lua was too dazed to notice. At that moment, the Dragon Lord spoke.
[That girl is currently blinded by hatred and anger. It’s likely you won’t be able to recognize her at all.]
“Is it that serious?”
[In three years, the girl has gone through more than you can imagine. Right now, her vessel of emotions has shattered and is overflowing.]
Emotions don’t disappear just by being suppressed. If pushed down, they remain bottled up and one day explode like a volcano. This is often referred to as being blind to what is in front of you.
[There’s also a Dwarf girl named Ruby. She has also grown quite strong.]
“Wait, Ruby’s there too?”
[Yes. Is there a problem?]
“Commander, please let me take care of Ruby.”
“What?”
“That damn girl needs a lesson.”
Clara’s eyes began to blaze with determination. Whether she truly wanted to save Ruby or just wanted to beat her up was uncertain, but Hans decided to entrust her with it.
Eventually, the Dragon Lord, carrying everyone, easily reached the Sky Island. However, the moment they arrived, something flew towards the Dragon Lord. Cluna reacted first.
A light green barrier unfurled protectively around the Dragon Lord, blocking everything. It turned out to be spears—bone spears, not made of iron.
“You threw spears? Who the hell did that?”
[On the Sky Island, there are soldiers made for intrusions. Dragon soldiers, made from the bones of dragons.]
“But why are they attacking you?”
[It seems Yuren used her magical power to take control of the Sky Island for herself.]
“So, that means they’ve become guardians for Yuren.”
Hans clicked his tongue. He had optimistically thought meeting Yuren would solve things easily, but now they faced this unexpected interference. At that moment, Clara, who had been surveying from the sky, burst into laughter.
“Ha ha! I found her, after looking everywhere!!”
“Clara?”
“Commander! I found Ruby! Can I go down right away?!”
“…….”
In that brief moment, Hans pondered whether it was truly right to send Clara alone. At least sending one more person felt like the right decision. But soon, he rejected that thought.
Clara was friendly with all the Royal Knights, but oddly enough had the closest bond with Ruby. After all, they had been sticking together since the Yuren regime. Hans nodded.
“Just make sure you bring her back to her senses.”
“Leave it to me!! Commander!!!”
Clara responded confidently before leaping down into the air. Confirming Clara landed safely, Hans and the remaining members headed deeper into the Sky Island.
However, they couldn’t approach the depths immediately. Countless dragon soldiers, appearing from who knows where, were launching attacks. Because of that, Cluna’s barrier was struggling to hold.
Soon Cluna shouted.
“My barrier can’t withstand much longer!!”
“There’s no choice. We’re going to sweep through everything as we move forward!!”
“I’ve been waiting for that line…!! Kya ha ha!!”
A wild grin spread over Bayard’s face as he calmly responded. She, too, descended from the Dragon Lord’s back. Her fist, falling like a meteor, created a shockwave that swept away the soldiers.
With the sudden assault, all eyes of the dragon soldiers focused on Bayard. However, before their attacks even began, the Dragon Lord, Cluna, and Lua who had landed on the ground joined the fray.
The dragon soldiers were no joke. Even a Royal Knight could sustain fatal injuries from the bone spears if struck wrongly. Hans clicked his tongue and drew his sword.
“Commander! Leave this to us and hurry!!”
Hearing those words, Cluna anxiously shouted. She wanted to help the commander, not hinder him. But Hans ignored her. It wouldn’t take long.
At that moment.
The world turned a shade of gray.
Time had stopped. In that place, Hans was the only one able to move. He slowly took his stance. A completely different person from before. Soon, Hans swung his sword widely.
Centered on Hans, as he swung his sword, a crescent slash formed, shattering the gray world around him. It sliced through everything accurately. It was, without a doubt, the ultimate slash.
When everyone came to their senses, what met their eyes were a grave of bones covering the ground, and Hans silently sheathing his sword.
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