BOOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the desert.
The moment Leon/Shouki's fist clashed against Apep's tail, the shockwave swept away every dune in the surrounding wasteland.
This was the impact of pure, unrestrained power. Even without being the direct target, no living creature could survive the aftermath of such a battle.
"…You're a little beyond my expectations."
Leon raised his eyebrows, scanning the devastated terrain around him.
Compared to the might of the mechanical giant and the dragon, the desert battlefield was far too fragile.
The clash had blasted away the sand beneath their feet, revealing the barren earth and jagged rocks hidden under endless dunes.
"ROAAAAARRRR!!! YOU WON'T LEAVE HERE ALIVE, HUMAN!!"
"Tsk, you really do love shouting. Clearly, you've been pushed back even further."
Leon gestured toward several crushed hills of sand and rubble, demolished under Apep's weight. The advantage was his.
Not even the dragon's invulnerable body could rival the mythical alloy of Shouki.
Yet he had slightly underestimated the power of both sides. Shouki and Apep alike were three or four levels stronger than Leon had anticipated.
Needless to say, the former was a flawless artificial body.
And the latter… was no ordinary dragon.
Perhaps a legendary Dragon King.
"Whaaaaat—!"
CRACK!
The protective shield and barrier—meant to last until the end—shattered during the opening exchange.
Lumine was flung into the air.
Leon instantly leapt up and caught the girl mid-flight.
He wasn't worried about Apep taking the chance for a sneak attack.
Not only was Shouki not so fragile, but Leon also knew dragons well enough to understand their nature.
Even when they lost reason, they were beings with pride etched into their very bones.
A sneak attack was beneath them.
"…I'm sorry…"
Lumine's apology was soft.
She had truly distracted him in the middle of such a critical battle.
She had insisted she wanted to witness it for herself.
But the reality was cruel—she was too weak, unqualified even to stand here.
"That doesn't matter."
Leon shook his head.
Though the dragon before him was powerful, it wasn't an opponent that demanded his full attention.
"Dvalin, I'll entrust Lumine to you."
Casually, Leon opened a spatial gate, linking directly to Dvalin, who had been napping in the ruins of the Wind Dragon. The call woke him immediately.
"Hohohoho~! Leon, you're having another fun battle, aren't you? That's the Dendro Dragon King, Apep!"
Dvalin emerged from the portal, about to joke about Leon's habit of challenging powerful foes again—until he saw the opponent.
The Dragon King bore the color of yellow sand.
Dvalin froze, his expression shifting to shock.
"Huh? What is it? Do you know her?"
Leon asked curiously, setting Lumine gently onto Dvalin's back.
From the start, he had sensed a similarity between Apep and Dvalin.
Both were dragons formed of pure elemental energy—in other words, elemental Dragon Kings.
"Of course I know her! She's an old friend from tens of thousands of years ago. Apep, the eldest master of all vegetation, a follower of the Dragon King Nibelung!"
"I never expected her to be here of all places."
Dvalin gazed at Apep with both shock and sorrow.
"Hey, old friend, do you still recognize me?"
"ROOOAAAAAARRRR——!!"
"…Seems not."
The furious roar and the cloudy, unseeing dragon eyes held no recognition, even when faced with Dvalin.
The Wind Dragon sighed heavily.
"I see. You've been corrupted as well."
"Corrupted? The same way you were before?"
Leon remembered well: when he first met Dvalin, the dragon had been maddened for millennia by Diablo's blood.
But Dvalin shook his head.
"No, no. Apep wasn't tainted by demonic blood. What twisted her into this state is an even more terrifying forbidden power!"
"Forbidden power?"
"Sorry, I can't explain in detail. Simply put, it's a curse that not even the eldest dragon could resist. Apep may have always been venom-tongued and sharp in her words, but she was never this unstable."
There was deep regret in Dvalin's voice.
"Though she truly hated humans, she never spoke of destroying them outright. This taboo amplifies her negative emotions endlessly."
In this world, seven elemental Dragon Kings exist.
The ultimate embodiments of the seven elements.
Dvalin was one of them—the Dragon King of Wind. He wielded the strongest elemental wind, holding dominion over the skies.
The reason his reputation had been poor in recent years was simple: he had been weakened.
Still recovering from the curse of Diablo's blood, his true strength had not yet returned.
And Apep, the Grass Dragon King before them, was the supreme embodiment of the element of verdure, the ruler of vegetation… though now, nearly ruined by the curse of the taboo.
"…So can you heal her?"
Leon asked.
"If there's no cure, it's better to bury her."
Dvalin shook his head decisively, declaring there was no hope.
Leon twitched at the corners of his eyes. That sounded like nonsense.
Though Dvalin's sigh carried real sorrow, his tone betrayed no trace of genuine grief.
"Did you two have a bad relationship before?" Leon asked dryly.
"That's right. She's extremely venomous. She's been fighting sky, earth, and air since the beginning."
"You're nothing but a disgrace to dragonkind!" Apep snarled. "To bow before a human… if I were you, I'd have taken my own life already!"
"See, Leon?!" Dvalin cried. "Who could possibly control that mouth of hers?"
Leon resisted the urge to sigh. She doesn't even recognize you…
He shrugged.
What had to be done hadn't changed.
First, defeat the opponent.
"Leon, I'll support you! Bring her down quickly! Don't hold back—let her see what human power truly is!"
"…Emmm. Then why don't you fight her yourself?"
"I can't beat her!"
"…Alright then. I'm confident enough."
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."