The first boss battle against the creature that devours the world features a special gimmick that only appears during this fight.
It was none other than the durability of weapons.
In the Brightest Darkness series, the concept of weapon durability had traditionally not existed.
This was due to the developers’ steadfast philosophy that it would provide players with an unpleasant experience rather than a challenging one.
The characteristic of having no weapon durability, combined with the fact that any one-handed sword could execute parrying regardless of its type, led to ridiculous situations where rusted blades could easily deflect the attacks of giant monsters.
However, while it may seem absurd, it was a very grateful development philosophy that allowed players, who were busy dying due to various deadly traps and monster placements, to not worry too much about their weapons.
So, when players witnessed their protagonist’s weapon breaking during the first encounter with the creature that devours the world, they surely fell into shock and fear.
The conditions for the forced defeat event were also that. Instead of just rushing to die, one had to attack the creature to deplete their weapon’s durability entirely.
Only then would the boss battle clear with a cutscene of the weapon breaking.
‘How will it react now?’
I stared blankly at the fragments of the blood-stained sword, which had shattered into pieces, leaving only a small part of the blade behind.
I thought it was quite ironic.
The weapon that had deflected countless attacks and weapons without a scratch had been utterly destroyed just by barely touching that creature’s scales.
Later on, I could have easily deflected its attacks with this weapon again. Whether it was the heavy front claws crashing down or the tail sweeping across a wide area, I could have done it all.
I firmly gripped the remaining handle of the blood-stained sword and glared at the creature that devours the world. I had cleared all the event flags that I could. All that remained was to wait for its reaction.
The creature briefly gazed at the human in front of it, who had put up a futile struggle, and slowly began to raise its head.
As it stretched its neck and straightened its upper body, stepping forward with its two front claws to support itself, its already massive form appeared even larger.
‘…It really is enormous.’
And there I stood before it, holding the broken weapon with a blank expression. Truth be told, I had nothing more to try at this point.
——You’re brave… human…
Once again, thoughts invaded my mind. As expected, there was no warning.
My body swayed slightly from the shock, but this time it seemed to genuinely intend to communicate, as the impact quickly subsided. I held my throbbing head and looked up at it.
Did my previous actions resonate with it in some way? Despite me initiating the attack, it showed no signs of anger or intent to retaliate. It seemed to have slightly shifted its gaze with a hint of goodwill.
Of course, the slight change in its gaze didn’t mean it was satisfied with my knowledge. Its slit pupils began to darken once again.
Here it comes, I firmly gripped the handle of the blood-stained sword. It would soon read all my memories and then seek to kill me while knowing its secret.
“…Ugh?!”
In that moment, I felt an alien sensation in my head.
It felt as though something warm yet cold was tightly enveloping me. It was such a fleeting moment that I couldn’t be sure, but that’s definitely how it felt.
Soon after, the eyes of the creature that devours the world returned to their original ominous red. I tensed up. I didn’t know what kind of situation I was in, but I could tell its actions had finished.
——So it has come to this…
However, the tone of its voice was much calmer than I expected.
——I understand… human…
‘You understand? Understand what?’
I was taken aback. This was utterly different from what I anticipated. By now, it should be throwing a fit about how I knew its secret and needed to die, yet it suddenly said it understood.
What on earth was this supposed to mean?
——The sun… the moon… those are them…
It spat out incomprehensible words, continuing to invade my mind with thoughts. It was just as confusing for me.
‘If it’s the sun and moon, then they’re the gods worshiped in the holy kingdom… what have the popes done to me?’
Why was it rambling on as if it knew everything like some green-haired cat-girl? I couldn’t make any sense of it. If it had nothing to say to the listener, it should at least keep its thoughts to itself.
I wondered if the ancient beings all shared such a personality. They blabber on with useless words while the listeners are left frustrated and confused.
If I could have spoken, I would have yelled for a proper explanation, but due to the incessant onslaught of thoughts, I couldn’t open my mouth.
Just not fainting was already stretching my mental limits.
——If you can withstand divine power… then surely… you could have defeated it…
‘Withstand divine power?’
Suddenly, the words of the creature abandoned by God came to my mind. It had certainly said it felt the divine power of the sun and moon from me.
Before dying, it said the vessel would have to melt away as it couldn’t bear that power.
At that time, I didn’t know where it came from, so I brushed it off as not belonging to me, but if that really was divine power, then the situation unfolding now could make some sense.
Of course, a new question arose as to why this power was dwelling within me.
——A human… capable of enduring divine power… interesting… however… that is all…
With those words, the invading thoughts disappeared. Finally, I was free to act. The oppressive weight and pain that had been pressing down on me vanished.
Releasing a sigh of relief internally, I suddenly raised my head.
‘…Is this it?’
The creature spread its two pairs of wings wide and was preparing to fly away. It seemed ready to simply depart like this.
I looked at it with a mix of relief and confusion as it expanded its wings. Had it not read my memories? If that were the case, it was as if it had come to some sort of understanding by itself—
‘Ah, wait a minute.’
The warm yet cold sensation I felt when the creature attempted to read my memories.
That sensation likely meant it sensed that power and came to a conclusion about how I, a creature abandoned by God, had slain it.
‘That’s just a likely possibility, not a certainty…’
Ignoring my confusion, the creature stretched its wings wide and soared into the sky. The ground cracked like a web due to the impact. Debris from buildings scattered in all directions.
The form of the creature that devours the world flew farther away into the sky. It completely acted as if it had no further business with me. Soon, that massive body disappeared beyond the sun.
I remained deep in thought.
‘For now, there are only two major candidates that come to mind.’
The massive amounts of divine power used in the boss battle against the creature abandoned by God and the blessings cast upon me by the popes before returning to the empire.
The creature must have confirmed the former, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of the latter. Until something solid came to light, making premature conclusions was unwise.
‘Come to think of it, couldn’t I just ask the popes about this?’
After promising to ask later, I had completely forgotten. I sighed internally.
It couldn’t be helped. There had been so many events since defeating the creature abandoned by God. Besides, I never would have thought something like this would happen.
‘I don’t know. For now, let’s think about it later. Dealing with the fainted people takes priority.’
I stared down at the shattered weapon and carefully set it down on the ground.
Since it was an event-related destruction, it could be repaired at the forge without cost, but since it had come to this, it might not be bad to give up on the blood-stained sword and get a new one.
Though I wondered if I had just unnecessarily destroyed the weapon, thinking I wouldn’t reach any conclusions.
As I organized my thoughts in my head, I turned around. In a slightly distant spot, I noticed Kaiquilia, trembling and staring this way.
The moment I saw that, a shiver ran through me.
‘Please tell me she didn’t hear our conversation.’
The dialogues I exchanged directly with the creature were delivered to my mind, allowing no room for her to eavesdrop, but she might have heard the conversation I had with the mana human.
Giving her more reason to gain interest in me, which would do me no good. I pushed down my rising anxiety and approached Kaiquilia.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
Kaiquilia had seen everything.
The aftermath of awakening to the dragon’s roar left her unable to move her limbs, but she could still see what Delta had been up to.
She observed the dragon’s roar, how it stood firm on two feet, how it blocked the dragon’s path, and how it faced the dragon without retreating.
She witnessed the dragon condensing its blue mana, trying to speak with a mere human, then roaring again to intimidate Delta, and suddenly severing the neck of the man made from mana.
And she saw Delta draw his weapon and charge at the dragon.
Every single moment.
Although the weapon Delta swung shattered upon contact with the dragon’s scales, such an outcome was of no importance whatsoever.
‘That… is it… possible…?’
It was supposed to be utterly impossible. A mere human faced off against a dragon? One that was the size of a legendary creature? Was that even conceivable?
However, she had to accept it as she saw it with her own eyes. That man had achieved that.
‘What the…’
Despite his weapon having been destroyed, despite his life hanging by a thread, he stood tall without any sign of shrinking back. Not an ounce of fear was evident.
As the dragon lifted its upper body, seeming ready to unleash its breath any moment, even Kaiquilia, who was slightly removed from that menacing aura, trembled involuntarily.
Delta, however, remained unaffected and stood his ground.
‘What is this…?’
The astonishment didn’t stop there.
While facing Delta, the dragon, which had been building tension, suddenly flew into the sky and left.
She had no idea what had transpired. But one thing was certain: the dragon had flown away, and Delta was still standing firm in place.
Kaiquilia watched his back as if mesmerized. She couldn’t tear her gaze away.
After briefly watching the dragon disappear into the sky, Delta scanned his broken weapon and carefully placed it on the ground.
Then, as if deep in thought, he turned his head and froze upon spotting Kaiquilia.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
The moment of hesitation was brief. Delta immediately strode toward Kaiquilia. Just seeing him approach was enough to drain the tension from her body.
‘Ahhh…’
With the recent scene still fresh in her mind, Kaiquilia was convinced that this man would surely realize her wishes.
While she had half-anticipated this when she had called him to her bedroom, now, that thought had blossomed into awe.
‘Maybe it’s not about me… but rather… my arrogance…’
The advice Minerva had given her echoed in her mind. It was good to have confidence but to not be arrogant. What had Kaiquilia replied when she received that advice?
If this man truly possessed such qualities, she had said she would be willing to change her thoughts.
“Your Majesty? Are you alright?”
Feeling the footsteps approaching right beside her, Kaiquilia couldn’t bear her fatigue any longer and once again fainted.
She was filled with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that her eyes had not deceived her.
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