Akatsuki Translations

The dragon’s head fell.

The head of the white dragon swayed and collapsed, having lost its support. Its once malevolent eyes that seemed to bind souls lost their light and became clouded as they fell near Ur and the others. Surprisingly light, only a squelching sound was left in their ears.

And then the dragon’s massive body fell into the void, disappearing into the endless darkness. There was no sound of it hitting the ground.

Ur continued to stare at it in a daze, not knowing what else to do.

“…Is it dead…?” -Ur

“Ur, Shizuku, are you injured?” -Diz

Diz landed beside Ur, having just severed the dragon’s head. Diz, covered in both the dragon’s and her own blood, looked terrible yet was concerned about them. Ur was close to death himself. The second activation of the White King Formation had left him with a severe sense of exhaustion. The second time around, his body trembled, barely able to stand.

“…………” -Shizuku

Shizuku had lost consciousness again. Her complexion looked even worse than before, but she was still breathing.

“I think we’re probably okay.” -Ur

“Okay, Akane.” -Diz

Almost simultaneously, a crimson serpent wrapped around the collapsed Ur and Shizuku. Coiling around them like a rope, it lifted them up.

《Don’t move, Nii-tan, Shizuku.》-Akane

“I can’t move anyway, so I’ll carry you. We need to escape from here as soon as possible.” -Diz

There was a clear urgency in Diz’s voice. Ur had no intention of contradicting her decision, but he was curious.

“Escape? Isn’t it dead?” -Ur

“It’s dead. But Lust hasn’t disappeared.” -Diz

Ur’s confusion was met with Diz’s explanation.

“That’s the main body but not the ‘heart.’ Moreover, we’re in a ‘dungeon,’ like inside the dragon’s body. We don’t know when it might revive――――….well, something like that.” -Diz

Halfway through, Diz pointed in a resigned manner, prompting Ur to turn his head, still wrapped in the coils, towards the indicated direction.

There lay the recently fallen head of the dragon. Its eyes were clouded, and ugly blood continued to flow. It appeared unquestionably dead. The mouth with its fearsome fangs hung open, its tongue hanging out lazily――――

And then, from its throat, a gigantic egg dropped out.

“Uwaa.” -Ur

A sound like a crushed frog came from Ur’s throat.

It seemed absurd at first glance. Like a greedy snake that had regurgitated an egg it couldn’t swallow. But after hearing Diz’s earlier words, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation would be foolish.

The egg cracked, revealing a magic light darker than the darkness it lay within.

Breaking and shattering, a figure emerged from within. A girl, more like a toddler, smaller than when Ur and the others first encountered her. But the wings on her back and especially the four horns protruding from her head remained unchanged.

『        To   thin k     I                wo uld be        r  eborn so        soon. 』-Dragon of Lust

The dragon had revived. Ur lost his brief moment of relief, experiencing a feeling of freefall. And then they truly fell. Akane returned to Diz’s hand, and Ur and Shizuku were dropped. There was no time for Diz to carry them; her actions made that clear.

“…… The Dungeon of Lust, is it the realm of life’s instinct, the realm of the transience of life…… I underestimated it.” -Diz

『    I    n ever tho  ught            that yo  u, of all peo ple,        wo  uld be the          one to kill ‘me’. 』-Dragon of Lust

“……Ah, nice to meet you for the first time, Lust.” -Diz

The “reborn” dragon looked at Diz’s words thoughtfully, as if impressed. Its actions seemed, perhaps coincidentally, as immature as its appearance. To Ur’s eyes, it seemed only to have become smaller, but it appears to have truly been “reborn.”

『       Then,         I be  lieve  I mus t  take        veng  eance           a gainst my         ne me  sis. 』-Dragon of Lust

However, the evilness inherent in the dragon’s existence seemed unchanged. The sight of the young girl’s mouth opening in a sneer sent shivers down one’s spine.

“You are much younger now than before. It won’t be one-sided this time.” -Diz

『But             I will not         fa   lter;              you   will    end. 』-Dragon of Lust

Diz readies her sword, Akane, confronting the dragon without letting her guard down. However, her exhaustion and injuries were evident. Confronting the dragon, a sin dragon, in her ill-equipped state and transferring a large amount of magical power for the activation of the White King Formation.

The dragon, too, should be weakened. If not, it would not be surprising if Diz, now more battered than before, were killed instantly. But the fact that it does not do so suggests that Diz’s observation is correct.

As a result, a strange stalemate arose. Neither party moved much. And Ur, watching this, could do nothing. This time, indeed, there was nothing he could do but watch.

What broke this stalemate was――

“You survived!! Hero!!”

It was not Diz, nor the dragon, nor Ur, nor Shizuku. It was a boisterous, rugged man’s voice.

『      Ah.      』-Dragon of Lust

“So, they made it in time, huh.” -Diz

While Lust is distracted by the voice, Diz uses the opportunity and jumps back to Ur and Shizuku, quickly wrapping them in Akane and then leaping again, as if escaping from a dangerous area.

At the same time, the area around the dragon suddenly exploded.

The explosion seemed more like something incredibly hard and fast had hit than a magical impact. A great tree that had been standing strong on the battleground until now creaked loudly as it was significantly hollowed out by the explosion.

『Ah… mm… 』-Dragon of Lust

And in the center of the blast, atop the creaking great tree, was a figure gripping the neck of the small dragon.

“What?! What?! What’s happening?!” -Ur

“A ‘colleague’ has arrived. Phew, we just managed to hold on.” -Diz

Diz’s voice was calm, even relieved, as Ur panicked while wrapped in Akane. This colleague, of course, was not referring to Diz’s Fenex financial guild.

It meant the one of the【Seven Heavens】.

“You did well to hold on with ‘the weakest body’! But acting alone is not acceptable, Hero!!” -Seven Heavens Member

The same loud voice echoed through the dungeon. The deep layers of the dungeon, which seemed infinitely dark, felt strangely narrow due to the loudness of the voice. As the dust from the explosion cleared, a figure became visible.

Dark-skinned, with a shaved head. His upper body was inexplicably bare, revealing a muscular physique. Standing like a guardian deity on the great tree, which creaked and swayed under his strength, his legs were like logs, seemingly rooting him to the spot.

But what was most distinctive were the gauntlets on his hands. Covering up to the elbows, the gauntlets made his already thick arms appear even larger, like the arms of a giant, in shining golden armor.

“Sorry about that, 【Heavenly Fist】. A friend of mine was about to die for some reason.” -Diz

“Then at least don’t you be close to dying as well!!! If you’re going to rush in alone, don’t pass the consequences onto others!” -Heavenly Fist

“Hmm, you’re right.” -Diz

Shouting, the man strikes the dragon with his enormous fist. The explosion sound heard earlier by Ur resounds again. The dragon’s body bursts instantaneously. Its small body collides with the trunk of a nearby large tree, shattering it.

That monster… he had blown it away. Ur’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“…What was that?” -Ur

“The current 【Heavenly Fist】, Gronzon Seira Dylan. Yes, as you guessed, one of the Seven Heavens.” -Diz

“The Seven Heavens, those who manifest the power of the Sun God in their bodies!!! Your defeat is the defeat of the Sun God!! Remember that well!!” -Heavenly Fist

While shouting in an incredibly loud voice, Gronzon continues to strike the dragon without rest. With each blow, an explosive impact resonates. But the sight of him relentlessly pounding the weakened small dragon was so astonishing it was almost laughable.

Every time Gronzon struck, the dragon’s small body was flung away, but he moved faster than it, kicking off the large tree and leaping into the air, striking the dragon he had punched. His tactics seemed too simple, almost defying physics.

“I see, I’d like to see an example then.” -Diz

“Of course! The power of the Sun God—” -Heavenly Fist

『                Sh    ut               up. 』-Dragon of Lust

The dragon opened its mouth. At the same time, a dark magical light concentrated in its small mouth. A “roar” was coming. Ur’s magic eye saw a dark light twisting and shattering everything in front of the dragon, including Gronzon. Ur involuntarily stiffened his body, but,

“—Annoying.”

Another voice was heard. It was a strange voice. It was unclear where it came from, or even if the voice was high or low. It felt like being spoken to from all directions.

Then, Ur saw it. From the large tree where the dragon had been slammed by Gronzon, two thin arms emerged, and those arms “decapitated” the dragon’s neck.

『　　　　kh　　　　』-Dragon of Lust

The head… falls. The light faded from the young girl’s head. There was no blood, it just crumbled away. And then, from behind the large tree, as if emerging from water, a person appeared. A figure wrapped in a pitch-black hood, it was unclear what kind of face they had due to Ur’s weakened state. An indistinct, ordinary person.

Presumably, “he” muttered softly in front of the fallen head.

“How anticlimactic.”

『　　　Ohh　　　』-Dragon of Lust

The voice came from the dragon’s body, now headless. In an instant, the man submerged back into the tree. Soon after, the dragon’s small torso transformed, white vines wildly engulfed and devoured everything around, including the large tree.

『           This              n  eck is     not           s       o            cheap that it     sho uld fall so      ma  ny times. 』-Dragon of Lust

The Sin Dragon showed itself again, though on a much smaller scale than before. Its form was small, but its presence was no less imposing than when it was like a great serpent.

“Hero.”

“Huh?!” -Ur

Ur was startled by a voice suddenly beside him. Turning, he saw the man who had just decapitated the dragon standing next to them. The man looked at Diz supporting Ur and tilted his head.

“What are you doing, 【Hero】?”

“Hey, 【Heavenly Garb】. This is a friend of mine.” -Diz

“Why is such a child in a place like this? He could die.” -Heavenly Garb

“Yeah, that’s why I got flustered. Sorry for rushing out.” -Diz

The black-haired man called 【Heavenly Garb】, looked at Ur for a while and then turned away indifferently. His gaze was fixed on the dragon. The dragon, sandwiched between Heavenly Garb in front and Gronzon behind, maintained its silence.

The Seven Heavens also did not move. In this stalemate, Diz made a move.

“So, Lust, are you still up for it?” -Diz

『　　　……..     …………Ha　　　』-Dragon of Lust

The moment Diz spoke,

『Hahahah        haha  ha hahaha！！！』-Dragon of Lust

The dragon laughed.

『        Ha       ha       haha  ha ha     haha　　』-Dragon

『             Ha hahah        haha  ha hahaha　　』-Dragon

『  Hahahah        haha  ha hahaha』　-Dragon

Multiple, identical laughs overlapped, echoing through the dark dungeon.

『『『『『『『AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA』』』』』』-Dragons

Suddenly, their presence “overflowed” around Ur and the others.

Dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons, dragons!

From the shadows of the great trees, from beneath the ground, from the abyss, various sizes of pure white dragons appeared. Their writhing, crawling forms were grotesque. And all of them were indistinguishable from the dragon Ur and the others had faced, except for their size.

The terrifying power emanating from them was all the same.

“Hmm! As expected, there are quite a few more in the deeper layers!!” -Heavenly Fist

“……….” -Heavenly Garb

【Heavenly Fist】 and 【Heavenly Garb】 prepared themselves again. Heavenly Fist’s fighting spirit surged and overflowed even more. In contrast, Heavenly Garb maintained silence, his presence melting into the darkness, becoming unrecognizable despite being visible.

The swarm of dragons continued to multiply. Malice and murderous intent filled the space.

“I’m definitely going to die,” Ur thought seriously.

Diz probably thought the same. With an exaggerated sigh and a clear voice, she addressed the dragon and the Seven Heavens.

“If you rampage too much in such a shallow place, you might disrupt the balance of the dungeon’s ‘seal’, leading to a spatial collapse, you know?” -Diz

“Hmm.” -Heavenly Fist

“……” -Heavenly Garb

『　　hm m　　　　』-Dragon of Lust

Suddenly, the movements of the three parties (if they could be called that) stopped. Ur didn’t understand the reasoning, but at least Diz’s point seemed convincing enough to make the Sin Dragon and the Seven Heavens lower their fists.

Heavenly Fist released the power contained in his golden fists. Heavenly Garb reappeared. The multitude of dragons slithered back into the abyss, leaving only the original one behind. The dragon blinked its eyes several times and then snorted in resignation.

『       Ve  ry             well. This      ti   me, I shall           e n dure the           dis  grace. 』-Dragon of Lust

Suddenly, the dragon’s body shone and transformed back into the form of a young girl.

『      I         ha   ve           already           achi  eved my           goal. 』-Dragon of Lust

Saying this, the dragon directed a fierce gaze at a specific point. It was not towards the two of the Seven Heavens, but rather towards Diz. However, to Ur, it seemed as though the gaze was actually directed past Diz towards the unconscious Shizuku.

『          No         m a  tter what plans you              c    on  coct, it will be           fut ile.           Your       destr   uction is       alr eady           b efore your              eyes. 』-Dragon of Lust

The dragon swayed slightly, detaching its body from the great tree. Obeying gravity, the dragon’s body descended downwards, into the depths of the dungeon’s darkness.

『        E nj oy         the brief         pe ace,             hum ans. 』-Dragon of Lust

With those barely audible words, the dragon disappeared into the darkness―

『      Oh         , I had                  f or gotten. 』-Dragon of Lust

“Whoa!!?” -Ur

Ur exclaimed in surprise. Just as he thought the dragon had left into the darkness, it suddenly reappeared in front of him. Diz, by his side, wordlessly swung her sword Akane, decapitating the dragon. The head separated more easily than before, but the dragon continued speaking.

『          Hey,              you, boy.          W ha t          is your          na me? 』-Dragon of Lust

The only one who could be referred to as a boy in this context was Ur.

“…I’m not someone worth naming.” -Ur

『Ho,            I see.                  L a ter            then,    Ur. 』-Dragon of Lust

The dragon, which should have been unaware of Ur’s name, pronounced it with a sinister smile. The next moment, Diz bisected the dragon’s head, and it fell, just like the other dragons, into the abyss.

Silence, indicating the end of the event.

“……Phew――.” -Ur

Ur, realizing this, simultaneously felt his consciousness rapidly fading. The thread of tension he had been maintaining well past his limits had finally snapped.

《Nii-tan!?》-Akane

Feeling reassured by his sister’s voice, Ur finally fell unconscious.