Dark Dragon Reise
I’ve been waiting oh so long for the chance to put my power to good use.
And for a place to die after finally fighting to my fullest.
We creatures called the ancient dragon chiefs are still only a pathetic imitation of true dragons.
In truth, we are chimeras born of Potimas’s experiments.
Unlike Ariel and the other humanoid chimeras who were in the custody of Goddess Sariel’s orphanage, we ancient dragon chiefs bore appearances close to those of the real dragons.
As such, we were treated not as children to be protected, but as beasts.
Perhaps we had other brethren who were experimented upon and died without my knowledge.
In fact, I do not doubt it is so.
It was Lord Güliedistodiez who protected us all the same.
That is why we feel such respect for our lord.
No doubt Ariel feels similarly toward Goddess Sariel.
Unlike her, however, we were designated as monsters by the system.
Yes, even the gods saw us as beasts.
So we chose to pursue the path of being our lord’s kin and underlings.
We gave up on blending in with humans, yet refused to be reduced to mere monsters, and obtained the position of an administrator’s loyal retainers.
Along the way, we carried out various roles, increased the number of our kin, and built a foundation on which we could live in this world.
Hyuvan set to the task of purifying the polluted wasteland.
Iena took charge of the seas to prevent people from roaming into the open ocean.
Nia, Nguyen, and Gohka each had their own territories to control, too.
And I was in charge of sealing away the Sword of the Demon Lord.
The main reason for this is that I was a leftover, with no territory of my own.
There was another reason, too: My power was special compared to the powers of the others.
If the time ever came that the Sword of the Demon Lord was needed, my power might be needed as well.
So I was sealed away along with the sword.
You see, I deliberately built up my abilities for a particular purpose.
Namely, to do battle against gods.
The only kind of power that works against gods is the sort of ability that attacks the soul.
Heresy Attacks, which directly assault the soul.
The Rot attribute, which deals in death.
Abyss Magic, which extinguishes the soul.
I put the majority of my skill points toward these specialties and prioritized their growth.
All in case an outside god ever attempted to invade this world.
But of course, such a situation is highly unlikely.
According to my lord, Administrator D is not only far stronger than he is, but feared even among the other powerful gods of the universe.
No god would ever attempt to invade a world under Administrator D’s control.
If they did, it would only be out of incredible ignorance.
So my existence was nothing more than an emergency measure—for the unthinkable event of a god’s invasion, though it would be quite a serious matter if it did come to pass.
But even as an emergency measure, I would be of precious little use.
If a god did invade our world, it is our lord who would be the first to face them down.
My power would only be necessary if our lord were to lose.
And if our lord could not defeat the invader, then surely I wouldn’t stand a chance.
I was much too weak to serve as a proper emergency measure.
A deeply limited solution, though still better than no solution at all: That is the sum of my existence, my purpose.
My moment would only come in the unlikely event that my lord were to be defeated, and even if that moment did come, I would be more than likely to lose as well. In the grand scheme of things, it made no difference whether I existed or not at all.
One cannot help but laugh.
In the million-to-one chance that my lord lost a battle, I was the insurance with a billion-to-one chance of succeeding in his stead.
None would ever carry more than the faintest hope that I might prove useful.
Thus, I had no real sense of purpose.
I longed for a moment where I could shine.
Where I could put my power to use.
A place where I could finally demonstrate the meaning of my existence.
And if such a place and time exists, surely it must be here and now!
“Hiyah!”
I unleash a Heresy Attack with the heel of my palm.
Unlike the other ancient dragon chiefs, my body’s structure is still fairly humanoid even in dragon form.
Thus, I am the only chief who uses human martial arts.
And it just so happens that martial arts combine very well with skills that add an attribute to strikes, like Heresy Attack and Rot Attack.
Administrator D blocks my palm strike with her sword.
The blade digs deep into my skin, and I pull back my hand.
But it’s only a matter of seconds before the deep slice in my palm seals itself.
The elf known as Missoka has used her Charity skill to enhance all of our regenerative abilities.
Thanks to her, I can fight without worrying about such wounds as these.
Still, I mustn’t let my guard down for even a moment.
D’s sword speeds toward me.
My stats average around eleven thousand each.
Even then, her movements are still faster than my eyes can follow.
There’s no time to dodge, either.
Just as the blade is about to slice off the top of my head, another figure intercepts it.
It’s Sophia, using her broadsword as a shield against D’s attack.
On top of that, she’s trapped D’s leg with red ice.
I take that opening to spring out in front of Sophia with a flying kick.
But D manages to break the ice and dodges away.
“Too bad. We almost had her.”
“INDEED.”
Though she dodged our onslaught, it still had an effect.
Administrator D is deliberately avoiding my attacks.
Against me alone, she always dodges or guards with her sword, even though she seems to take no damage from the others’ attacks regardless of whether they hit her directly.
This in spite of the fact that attacks far stronger than mine in terms of stats and raw destructive power have been raining down on her nonstop.
This proves that my attacks will work on Administrator D.
And everyone here knows it.
Of course, that means I’ve become the main offensive force.
Everyone else is backing me up to help ensure that my attacks might hit their target.
Truly, it’s quite a thrill.
Here I am in the leading role on such an important stage.
It is the first time I have ever felt so keenly that my existence has a purpose.
I am satisfied.
All that remains is to put everything I have into this role, until the curtain closes on my life at last!
Soon enough, we find ourselves in something of a stalemate.
Everyone on our side is striving to land my attacks.
Administrator D does everything in her power to prevent it.
We keep piling on attacks and defenses by any means necessary.
Everyone here ranks among the most powerful fighters from our world.
As such, they all have command of many different techniques, enabling us to attack from any and all angles.
Yet D only uses her twin blades, perhaps because she is holding back her power.
She cannot hurt us unless we get close, but due to her unbelievable speed, it is difficult to prevent her from closing the distance in an instant.
What’s more, a good offense is indeed the best defense: Since our side does not let up on attacking for a moment, there are thus few opportunities for D to go on the attack.
Yet, despite our onslaught, we have yet to break through D’s defenses.
I doubt this is due to any special skill.
If her words are to be believed, she is simply enduring thanks to her approximate stats supposedly being in the range of a hundred and fifty thousand.
And because it is so simple, it is difficult to circumvent.
The only way to deal with such high defenses would be to break through with an even more powerful attack.
But the maximum value of any stat is 99,999.
It is impossible to reach a value like 150,000 within the constraints of the system.
In other words, the only way we can damage D is to either escape the limitations of the system, or to use a special skill like mine to deal damage that disregards the target’s defenses.
Desperation is slowly starting to settle in.
My stamina and MP are limited, you know.
If we keep fighting like this, my attacks are inevitably going to slow down.
And if that happens, we’re out of options.
We’ve got to break through D’s defenses before then somehow, or…
“EH?! NO!”
I let my impatience cause a lapse in judgment!
Just as the queen taratects’ twin breath attacks hit D, I jumped in while everyone else was at a standstill.
The queens’ attacks didn’t do any damage to D.
And if she doesn’t have to worry about being hurt, she doesn’t need to think about defense.
That means that for a moment, she has the option of going on the offensive.
D’s eyes meet mine as she turns in my direction.
Her gaze, with pupils so dark it’s like I’m being pulled into an abyss, is fixed on me.
Then her swords slash toward me.
“Harmony!”
Just then, all the attacks stop.
The sword passes right through my body without hurting me, as if it has no substance at all.
I don’t know what’s happening, but now’s my chance!
“YAAAAH!”
I unleash all my might in a single punch.
For this first time in this fight, I finally feel a clear impact.
My attack damaged her!
“Conquest!”
Another shout echoes.
In that moment, strength swells throughout my body.
Is this some kind of buff?
“Hey! This won’t last long, dammit! Make it count!”
Ah, it’s the reincarnation called Natsume.
And the “Harmony” skill before that was invoked by the pontiff.
Are these the secret second skills that come with the ruler titles granted to holders of Seven Deadly Sins or Seven Heavenly Virtues skills?
When you acquire a ruler skill, it automatically grants a corresponding title.
Usually, the first skill that comes with the title is a powerful but standard skill, while the second is a special skill that can only be acquired by gaining the title.
These special skills can only be used if the holder has ruler authority.
And it is best not to invoke them at all.
They are much too powerful, and using them always results in serious recoil for the user as well.
These skills are intended to be used against gods, like my Heresy Attack, Rot Attack, and Abyss Magic skills.
The pontiff’s Harmony skill probably nullifies an enemy attack completely.
And judging by this sensation, Natsume’s Conquest skill must add the user’s stats and skills to the stats and skills of all their allies.
Both are incredibly powerful skills.
As such, they must come with serious consequences.
They used those skills in spite of that in order to create this opening!
Just as Natsume says, we must make it count!
First, the queens’ threads wrap around Administrator D and hinder her movements.
Nia’s ice freezes over D on top of the threads, pinning her in place completely.
“Root of Evil!”
Sophia uses a skill on top of all that.
This, too, is one of the special skills that accompanies a Seven Deadly Sins skill.
An ominous aura surrounds her broadsword as it strikes Administrator D.
It pulverizes the ice around D, with a shattering sound like the scream of a banshee.
Yet in spite of this powerful attack, D still moves to counterattack against Sophia.
Then a blast of air strikes her: Hyuvan’s Wind Magic.
The powerful gust bears down on her, preventing her from moving for just a moment.
Sophia takes that opportunity to jump back, and Wrath leaps into her place.
“Wrath! Enma!”
On top of activating the Wrath skill, he also uses the special skill that came along with its corresponding title.
Blazingly hot flames erupt around Wrath’s body, giving him the appearance of some powerful god of judgment.
The flames bear down on Administrator D.
I activate my magic as well.
“Abyss Magic, Hell Gate!”
The darkness of the abyss opens up all around D.
It converges on her, consuming everything.
Invoking Abyss Magic certainly is hard at this point…
The darkness soon evaporates, yet D still stands there alive and well.
One young man dashes toward her.
Why?! He’s barely even strong enough to be a part of this battle!
What in the world is he thinking?!
Administrator D turns her blades toward the boy.
“Brother!”
The boy’s sister deflects one of the blades.
But the other yet closes in on the boy’s throat.
“Stupefaction!”
As Natsume shouts out, D freezes in place.
Natsume?! Isn’t that your other special skill?!
Just using one is too great a burden to bear, and now you’re using two at the same time?!
Are you that determined to die?!
“Sword of the Hero!”
But in the opening Natsume created at risk of his life, he bought enough time for an attack from the boy—Schlain the Hero—to reach its mark.
Dazzling light fills the entire area.
The Sword of the Hero is a weapon that can invoke enough power to kill a god, though it can only be used once.
And he hit D directly with that power.
…We’ve won.
“Very impressive.”
Just as our victory seems certain, Administrator D’s voice echoes.
“But I’m afraid that still isn’t enough.”
Then Schlain the Hero collapses in a pool of blood.
“Giving it everything you’ve got is only the bare minimum. You’ll have to find a way to surpass that limit, or I’m afraid I can’t possibly grant you the bonus of saving the world.”
There stands Administrator D, without a single scratch on her.
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