TWEM Vol. 6 Chapter 8 Part 1
Chapter 8 – The Intruder
The four of us stopped moving at the observation of the powerful magical reaction.
At the same time, the sky clouded over and a huge shadow appeared over the arena.
I looked up and saw that there were six dragons, each about 20 meters long.
From each of them, I sensed a powerful presence and magical power.
Was the Empire behind this? But for what?
That’s what I thought, and then I looked at Reid—
“What’s happening…?”
I heard Reid mutter.
They, the “Seven Royal Guards”, were a group that belonged to the core of the Empire.
The fact that they reacted in this manner indicated that it was an unexpected situation for the Empire as well.
I looked around, but it seemed that no one, including the audience, understood what was happening.
I decided to ask Reid.
“Let me ask you, Reid, did the Empire set this up as a surprise?”
“No matter how you look at it, it’s not!”
That’s right~…
No, it’s possible that the Emperor was planning something, and it was just that Reid and the others didn’t know about it.
Thinking so, I turned my gaze to the terrace where the Emperor was, and Reid turned his head in the same direction.
The Emperor, however, looked just as astonished as we were.
It didn’t look like an act by any stretch of the imagination, and I’m sure he didn’t set it up.
If that face was an act, then it’s a big deal.
“Haruto-san, what on earth is this…?”
“Haruto…”
“Hey Haruto, what’s going on? What’s with the dragons?”
Finne, Iris, and Kuzel all asked me about the dragons that had suddenly appeared, but of course I couldn’t answer their questions.
However, this much can be said.
That dragons were our enemy.
“…I don’t know what’s going on either, but they’ve turned so hostile to me, I’m sure they’re enemies.”
I could sense a strong killing intent from the dragon’s eyes.
“Yes, it’s a tremendous amount of hostility. I can feel it directly on my skin.”
The two of them nodded at Finne’s words.
As I was unable to comprehend the situation, the five dragons except for the one in the center opened their jaws, and magical power began to converge there.
Is that…a preliminary movement for Breath?
If a Breath with that amount of magic power was released, everyone here, including the spectators, would be caught up in it, and there would be casualties.
I told Reid to stop the match.
“Reid, the match is on hold. We’ve got something more urgent to take care of.”
“Yes, those dragons…”
“I’m pretty sure they’re our enemy.”
As Reid and the others nodded at my words, the sky sparkled.
“Haruto-san!”
Finne noticed and shouted my name.
“No problem —Space Rupture Barrier – Aegis!”
As soon as the barrier was deployed to cover the entire arena, five Breaths collided with it.
The barrier I put up had the effect of blocking space, so it couldn’t be broken by any attacks.
In fact, even after receiving the five Breaths that shone like the aurora borealis emitted by the five dragons, there was not a single crack in the barrier.
Even so, the Breaths were filled with a great deal of magical power.
It would have been very dangerous if I had not been able to use the Space Rupture Barrier – Aegis.
After a while, the Breath stopped, but the barrier, Aegis, was still intact and well.
Don’t think you can break through my barrier easily.
Even after the Breath ended, the audience was still in a panic, but then a voice echoed, “Silence!”.
The voice belonged to the Emperor himself, Oskar von Galzio.
Probably, his voice was amplified using magic.
“The match is suspended. I don’t know where those dragons came from, but it is true that they have bared their fangs at the Empire. In other words, they are our enemy. Therefore, fight! Take up your weapons! Stand up, warriors! Let them know who they have made an enemy of! All non-combatants must evacuate from here immediately!”
At Oskar’s declaration, the arena fell silent for a moment, and the next moment, a roar of “Wooooooo!” shook the air.
The arena was in such a state of excitement when suddenly a voice came from the sky above.
“—Who are you fighting?”
“Who is it?”
When I looked up, I saw the figure of a black knight standing above the black dragon in the center.
The owner of the voice from earlier seemed to be that knight.
“I am Damnatio, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, and even you humans must have heard this name before.”
The “Demon King” that the knight who called himself Damnatio is talking about is probably not my title, but the boss of the demons.
Reid, who was next to me, had a surprised expression on his face when he heard those words.
“Damnatio, you say…?”
“Reid, you know that thing?”
When I asked, Reid looked at me in disbelief.
“On the contrary, it would be strange if you didn’t know. Dragon Knight Damnatio. In the past war between demons and humans, he alone won against an army of 20,000 people, or more precisely, he and an army of dragons achieved victory. He is one of the strongest knights in the Demon King’s army, and one of the oldest among the Four Heavenly Kings.”
It would be too overpowered to win against 20,000 opponents with just one dragon… No, I’m sure you could win if you fired the Breath from earlier towards the army…
I secretly checked Damnatio’s status.
|
Name: |
Damnatio |
|
Level: |
279 |
|
Age: |
590 |
|
Race: |
Demon |
|
Unique Skill: |
Dragon Mode |
|
Skills: |
Sword Arts Lv10 Fire Magic Lv10 Lightning Magic Lv10 Darkness Magic Lv10 Ground Shrink Lv9 Intimidation Lv10 Detect Presence Detect Mana Conceal Presence Night Vision Arm Vigor Lv9 Status Effect Immunity No Chant Lv10 Physical Boost Lv10 Magic Power Manipulation |
|
Title: |
Dragon Knight Four Heavenly Kings |
I see, with this, it’s no wonder he was able to win alone against an army of tens of thousand people.
I also checked the levels of the dragons, and they were all around 150.
The most interesting thing was Damnatio’s unique skill, Dragon Mode.
<Dragon Mode>
By harnessing the power of a dragon, one can transform oneself into a dragon.
By becoming a Dragonoid, one can also amplify their combat power.
When the skill is activated, Physical Boost and the power of combat skills are enhanced six times.
Significantly strengthens the combat skills of the dragons under their control.
Six times… it’s a pretty powerful ability.
The only thing that bothers me is the part about “harnessing the power of a dragon”.
I’ll ask Ellis.
Ellis, what happens when you use Dragon Mode?
<<As explained, it is a skill to change into the form of a dragon to increase your fighting power. And you can take the form of a “Dragonoid”.>>
What is a Dragonoid?
<<Dragonoids are a race that has the appearance of horns growing from their heads or foreheads. As a characteristic of the race, it has significantly high defense power and magical power, and especially in terms of defense power, it is impossible to even inflict damage with ordinary weapons.>>
Is there such a race?…
<<Dragonoid people are a race that are said to have existed in the past and do not exist in the present world.>>
Hmmm. Does that mean they will temporarily become a superb race?
<<That is correct. Damnatio probably inherited the blood of the Dragonoid. That is why he has acquired unique skills, I suppose.>>
I see.
What about my favorite Black Katana Benizakura, can it break through his high defense?
<<If you use the Black Katana Benizakura, you can inflict a fatal wound on Damnatio.>>
Apparently my favorite sword will work.
I see. But…
I was wondering what to do with the dragons.
Since the arena is located within the Imperial Capital, there are normally many buildings around it.
Therefore, large-scale magic cannot be used.
However, if we were to fight them off, it would take a long time, and we might end up causing damage.
As I was thinking about what to do, I heard the voice of someone who appeared to be a minister or knight close to the emperor, trying to stop Oskar.
By the time I turned around, Oskar had shaken off his restraint and jumped out from the terrace.
There was a loud thud, and Oskar landed next to me.
With his eyes fixed on Damnatio, Oskar asked me.
“Hey, Haruto. Can you beat him?”
I was momentarily annoyed at Oskar’s sudden question, but I answered, “Yup.”
“I’m sure I can beat him.”
“Hmph, you’re using words like that towards me. If not for this situation, I’d be punishing you personally.”
That’s what Oskar said, but it’s true that we don’t feel good about this attitude from someone we don’t know directly.
I know he’s an emperor and should be respected, but this attitude comes out of nowhere…
“I don’t know. If you can, try it. More importantly…”
“You’re getting carried away, young man. But that’s right…”
Oskar, me, and the others looked at Damnatio.
“He’s the problem. He’s probably quite strong…I can’t beat him. If I could, the best I could do would be to take care of one dragon at a time.”
Oskar seemed to have seen through his opponent’s ability more calmly than I had expected. I thought he was the type who would rush forward, but he’s actually the Emperor.
More than that, it’s amazing that he has the ability to defeat one of those dragons over there.
In other words, Oskar is as good as an S-rank adventurer.
No, or maybe even more than that, but let’s have a little appraisal.
I’ll use my God’s Eye to confirm it.
|
Name : |
Oskar von Gargio |
|
Level : |
128 |
|
Age : |
35 |
|
Race : |
Human |
|
Skill : |
Sword Arts Lv9 Spear Arts Lv7 Barehanded Arts Lv8 Tough Arm Lv8 Ground Shrink Lv6 Night Vision Mental Fortitude Lv7 Intimidation Indomitable Limit Break Detect Mana Detect Presence Conceal Presence |
|
Title : |
Emperor of the Galzio Empire The Strongest in the Empire |
It’s not that bad! I mean, he’s even stronger than an S-rank adventurer!
I was surprised that he had no unique skills, but I didn’t think that there were others who had acquired Limit Break skills besides me and the hero who had acquired limit-breaking skills.
And above all, the title of “The Strongest in the Empire” showed how strong this man was.
But he is certainly not strong enough to beat Damnatio.