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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Final Showdown
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"Phew..."
In the midst of the ongoing battle.
Having momentarily bound Stardus below with a blizzard and ice chunks, I had ascended to catch my breath. I had already moved the camera down below to film Stardus, making sure I could rest comfortably.
...Of course, in truth, all I'd done was sit on the dragon's back and try not to fall off.
Anyway, because of that, I was able to talk to the Divine Spirit for a moment.
"Haa, Divine Spirit. How is it? Manageable?"
"...It's manageable, except for some reason I feel a wave of self-consciousness. By the way, that child..."
She momentarily manipulated the blizzard once more with her gaze, then thought for a moment before continuing.
"She's quite strong. Strong enough to contend with my abilities equally."
"Right?"
"...Indeed, it seems you were correct."
My words, that only Stardus could prevent destruction.
Remembering them, the Divine Spirit murmured.
Yes, if even she said so, Stardus must have truly grown stronger.
Yes. But it's still too early to relax.
As villains' power inflation will continue, she needs to grow even more from here.
"Alright, so let's go again!"
"...Yes, understood. Ahem. Hmm."
Our Divine Spirit cleared her throat for a moment.
And at that precise moment, Stardus, having broken through the blizzard, was also flying fiercely towards us.
Clearing her throat, the dragon-shaped Divine Spirit tightly closed her eyes towards the incoming Stardus and unleashed a dragon's roar.
"....KRAAAARRGH!"
After roaring once more, she seemed to be hit with a wave of self-consciousness, and together with her, we charged towards Stardus.
Yes. Magical combat was enough. Now it was time to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Could Stardus really handle a dragon? That remained to be seen.
Still, we had to try. She might be able to endure it.
So I cut through the cold wind, plunging towards Stardus on the dragon's back, feeling as if I were on a rollercoaster.
And as we drew closer, Stardus's face came into view.
She looked exhausted from breaking through the blizzard, but still shone brightly, facing me directly. I grinned.
Yes, that's what I like to see.
Alright, shall we move on to the highlight?
"Excellent! Stardus, excellent! That's what I wanted to see!"
After saying that, I pulled out the ice spears I had prepared beforehand and floated them in a circle behind me with telekinesis.
It was the beginning of a new fight.
***
[Current situation in Seoul airspace LOL]
(Gif of Egoistic riding a dragon and fighting Stardus)
Mango Dragon vs. Stardus: A legendary event unfolding for tens of minutes now.
Is this really the fight between the two strongest beings in the world? My heart swells...
=[Comments]=
[Everyone at my office is out on the rooftop watching LOL. It's exploding like fireworks, so much fun LOL]
ㄴ[Seriously LOL It feels like watching a fantasy movie LOL It's a bit cold from the snow, so everyone's getting vending machine adlay tea and watching]
[Egoistic is truly a legend... Where did he even get that dragon? Each member of his lineup is legendary]
[Looking at Egoistic's broadcast viewership, almost everyone's watching LOL Ah, if I miss this live broadcast, who knows when the next one will be LOL]
[But who do you think will win? The dragon's amazing, but Stardus is surprisingly tough LOL]
ㄴ[Actually, it's a friendly match between heroes, so winning or losing isn't important!]
ㄴ[Seriously LOL]
***
KWA-A-A-A-ANG.
"Oh dear..."
In the sky amidst the clouds.
We were hit by Stardus there and pushed back, flying backwards for a moment.
"Are you alright, Divine Spirit?"
The dragon's head nodded, as if to say it was fine.
"Then that's good, *achoo*. *Sniff*, good."
I coughed briefly and replied. Ugh, it's cold...
The battle had been going on for several hours now.
Both I and the Divine Spirit were getting tired. No, why isn't Stardus getting tired? Even fighting two against one, she kept attacking, drawing strength from somewhere, it was admirable.
"I think, let's use our ultimate move and finish this. This should be enough."
I told the Divine Spirit.
...We fought for a long time today. It felt like giving Stardus a thorough flight training session. Especially considering many flying enemies will appear in the future, it was a valuable time.
So now, let's unleash our final attack and make our exit. It's beautiful to leave when the applause is loudest.
Having finished our discussion.
And a moment later, the Divine Spirit, after briefly getting lost in the smoke screen made of dark clouds, was flying rapidly towards us again.
I shouted loudly from the sky.
Now standing completely on the dragon's back, clapping.
"Excellent, Stardus. Truly excellent. I didn't expect you to fight this well, I underestimated you."
Clap, clap, clap.
In the windy sky, my cape fluttered, and the sound of applause echoed.
Stardus paused in front of me, tilting her head, wondering what was happening. Cute. Wait, that's not it...
Anyway, seeing Stardus bewildered by my sudden action.
I made a final declaration, like a boss in a game unleashing their ultimate move.
"You've held out well, but it seems it's time to end this."
I chuckled as I said that.
And conscious of the camera floating in the air, I laid the groundwork.
"Now, it seems it's time to use my dragon's ultimate special move. If you can withstand even this, I will admit defeat and withdraw... Hahaha! But that's impossible!"
"....Ah, is that so."
"It is so. Alright, Divine Spirit. Let's go!"
I saw the dragon's head nod once more at my words.
Then, the dragon opened its mouth wide.
And from within, a spherical mass of sky-blue energy gathered, beginning to rotate with incredible momentum.
And just as Stardus seemed to realize something and crossed her arms to block.
I shouted to the Divine Spirit.
"Fire!"
And, at the same time.
-WOOSH-
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-A-ANG.
With immense energy, a blue beam of destruction erupted from the dragon's mouth.
And as it flew precisely towards Stardus.
*Bang*, it collided directly with her.
"Hoo-uh."
And I, on the dragon's back, held onto its back with one hand and my hat with the other, bracing against the immense wind to avoid falling.
The sheer, incredible energy felt from the front.
It was the secret technique, the Destruction Beam, a pure projection of the Divine Spirit's power. In fact, it was her ultimate move that also appeared in the original work.
And I made her fire it at Stardus in a slightly weakened state.
Why?
Because I believed she could withstand it.
And because she *had* to withstand it.
"Ugh..."
I remained pressed against its back to avoid falling, and looked forward.
If Stardus was flung back, I would immediately stop the firing, so the fact that the dragon's breath was still being fired meant Stardus was not flung back and was enduring.
Yes, that's it, Stardus.
You can do it! Endure!
...It's funny for me to say this after attacking her, but anyway.
So I cheered her on, though she couldn't hear me.
And.
KWA-A-A-A-A-ANG.
Stardus did it.
After enduring for what felt like tens of minutes, but was only a few, Stardus.
She successfully blocked the energy blast and even *rebounded* it back at us.
I'm proud of you, Stardus. You've overcome another wall.
I knew you could do it...!
It was joyful, but a minor problem had arisen.
The energy blast Stardus rebounded flew back and hit us.
"Ah."
And so, we fell.
Oh, and of course, Stardus, exhausted, also fell alongside us.
"...Hmm, this wasn't part of my plan—"
...That was the last thing I said on the broadcast before the camera shattered.
***
"...Ugh."
So we fell.
Fortunately, our Divine Spirit hadn't lost consciousness, so we had a soft landing and weren't hurt anywhere. Though it felt like riding a Gyro Drop, utterly disorienting.
Anyway, I was glad to be back on solid ground. Haa, finally I can breathe. Humans are truly designed to live on land, not in the sky.
And just as we landed in this clearing, which looked like some kind of forest, I saw Stardus.
She had just done a hero landing herself, so she looked relatively fine. Though she seemed very exhausted.
Anyway, she looked around and spotted me.
The moment she looked at me, I spoke first.
"...As expected, you're incredible, Stardus. I didn't think you'd withstand that. In that case, haha, it's my defeat! This time we'll retreat, but next time will be different!"
I said with a laugh, then naturally stood beside the Divine Spirit in dragon form. Good, now I can escape anytime, I'm relieved.
Standing ready to teleport, I waited for Stardus's final words. As a Stardus expert, I figured she'd either curse me out or charge at me.
However, her words were unexpected.
She neither charged nor cursed. She just took a ragged breath, then.
Stardus asked me.
"...When's next time?"
"...Huh?"
"When are you coming? You just say that, but you don't come often anyway."
She said, with a slight smile on her lips, somewhat chiding me.
...Why would she ask that? I'm not sure what her intention is. But before that, wait, don't I terrorize quite often? I felt wronged.
Anyway, her question was "When are you coming?" When can we meet again...
Ah, now that I think about it, next time is *that* event.
Realizing that, I smiled and told her.
"...Well, you'll be able to see me again soon enough next time."
I'll just say this much for now.
It felt a bit strange, more like lovers making a date than a hero and villain talking, but I figured she was subtly trying to find out the date of my next terror attack to prepare in advance. As expected of Stardus, smart till the end.
Anyway, having answered, I said "Then, farewell," and teleported away from her.
Of course, just as I was about to leave, the Divine Spirit was still in dragon form, too big to teleport with, so I had to signal her to turn back into human form, and Stardus's face stiffened slightly when she saw that for some reason... But anyway, we returned safely.
And when I got home, Korea was in an uproar again because of this terror attack. Hmm, I'm safe for a while.
So today's terror attack ended successfully.
...Everyone was happy, except for the Divine Spirit, who turned red and groaned "Ugh..." when she saw her dragon form roaring on TV.
All's well that ends well.