Five days of relentless marching brought us to the frontline of the Demon Realm. My ring stored food and supplies, keeping us alive as we cut down demon soldiers along the way. Their screams echoed across the battlefield, but we pressed forward.
Then, the ground trembled. A shadow fell across us. A red dragon, its scales burning like molten fire, descended. Its presence alone was suffocating.
Sanot's voice shook. "I can create a slippery path to escape. Hero, use your Holy Path to stall the dragon. Hold it back while we flee."
I nodded grimly. It's reasonable. I must buy them time. But I don't know its attacks. I'll have to figure it out myself.
"Run!" I shouted. "I cannot hold it for long!"
The dragon's eyes locked onto me. Its voice thundered.
"How dare you distract me. You will face death."
It raised its wings, summoning a Flame Field—an area-of-effect skill of devastating power. Fire surged outward, consuming the battlefield.
I activated Last Minute Luck. My Holy Shield shimmered, my Holy Path clones darted forward. But the flames pressed closer, unstoppable.
Then, something strange happened. My Infinite Storage Ring glowed, shifting shape. It became a mask, covering my face.
I gasped. What is happening? Why has the ring transformed?
The dragon roared. "You hide behind tricks? No mask will save you!"
The flames surged. My luck's one-minute window ticked down—forty-five seconds, thirty, fifteen. Sweat poured down my face.
But the mask pulsed with light. A voice whispered inside my mind.
Catastrophe awakens. You are not bound by this world's limits.
The flames struck. Yet the mask absorbed them, bending the fire into streams of harmless light. My clones multiplied, striking at the dragon's wings.
The beast staggered, enraged. "Impossible! No human can resist my Flame Field!"
I raised my sword. "I am not just human. I am catastrophe."
The dragon lunged, its claws tearing through the ground. I dodged with Holy Path, my speed amplified. My clones struck again, each blow carrying catastrophic energy.
The mask whispered once more. Your certificates… they are awakening. Soldier. Catastrophe. Disaster.
I felt power surge through me, beyond anything I had known. My Holy Slash ignited, catastrophic effect multiplying. I struck the dragon's chest.
It roared, flames bursting outward, but the mask absorbed them again. My blade cut deeper.
The one-minute window closed. Luck faded. But the mask remained, glowing brighter.
The dragon collapsed, its body scorched by its own redirected flames. It glared at me with dying eyes.
"You… are not of this world. You carry the goddess's mark. Beware, Hero. Catastrophe will consume you."
Its body fell, shaking the battlefield. Silence followed.
My companions returned, wide-eyed. Sanot whispered, "You… held back a dragon alone."
Clever muttered, "No adventurer could do that."
Alovent's eyes narrowed. "What is that mask?"
I touched it, feeling its weight. "It is my ring. It has changed. Perhaps… it is part of catastrophe."
Narrate's voice stirred.
"The hologram spoke of catastrophe. Now you see its meaning. Disaster is not only the Demon King—it is the fate that follows you. Be ready, Hero. Tomorrow, catastrophe will test you again."
I clenched my sword. If this is my destiny, then I will face it. Even if catastrophe consumes me, I will fight for this world.
Thus, Dransart survives the dragon's Flame Field, his ring transforming into a mask of catastrophe. His companions grow wary, his destiny grows darker, and the path to the Demon King draws closer.