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In the most urgent moment, neither Lydia nor Benny were by my side, but what they left behind was that Ian was alive and breathing.

I was fighting alone, yet it wasn’t a truly solitary battle.

At least, that’s what I thought.

…Until the sky suddenly darkened, and before the battlefield, a Dragon appeared.

“Oh my gods.”

Was it because the God of Madness was lurking at the back? I knew that the closer one was to him, the stronger the monsters grew.

But I never imagined a Dragon would pop out.

Dragons.

Since ancient times, fantasy has had a tendency to glorify dragons. Our country, even more so.

Guardians of the middle realm, transcendent beings that would ultimately reach ascendance just by breathing, half-gods, controlled by magic…

And there were also tales that once they became complete beings, they could decide their own gender, or that they lived multiple lives through entertainment to overcome the boredom of an excessively long lifespan, and so on.

Many of these concepts, born during the era when Dragon Munchkins were popular, have solidified into clichés through the ages.

Of course, while other nations may have different intricate settings, the tendency to bestow dragons with various powerful setups is the same, suggesting that being captivated by them may be human nature.

Fortunately, that setting didn’t apply to my story.

From the very beginning, the fact that the guardian of the Sixth Floor of the Labyrinth was a Dragon hinted that Dragons aren’t absolute beings in this world.

Of course, when it comes to innate advantages, the strength of their species reaches a peak that cannot be contested.

However, they are not absolute. After all, they are still mortals, and in the continent of Pan, magic is the power of the God of Magic, with magical power being a type of Divine Power.

Apart from their magical abilities, what remains for dragons are only two things.

A gigantic body that grows over a longer lifespan than even Elves. And a breath that rivals considerable powers.

Yes, Dragons in the Pan continent are intelligent and strong, but essentially, they are no different from other sentient beings.

In fact, according to what I fortuitously obtained from the High Elf Olive, Dragons couldn’t withstand the flames of the War of the Gods and ultimately chose to serve the Beast God.

Put differently, many Dragons must have died or gotten injured during the War of the Gods.

Perhaps that Dragon was one of them.

Weakened by injuries or isolated to a state where it could receive no help, it’s likely fallen into madness and turned into a Monster.

If I thought of it as a guardian of the Sixth Floor, it might be worth a shot…

Kwahhh-!

A sinister glow began to gather in the mouth of the Dragon, which had turned its back to the sun. The moment I witnessed this, I scrapped all the hopes I had been spinning in my mind.

“Damn it.”

Does it mean it’s the strongest among its forces? Unlike the other monsters that were simply in a frenzy, it was plastered with the power of the God of Madness.

As it grotesquely swelled, it even sprouted three heads. Not only did that make it three times stronger, but it also exuded a crimson rage from its breath.

If it had been a dragon that simply went berserk, I could have somehow dealt with it in this situation.

But that one is different. Approaching it with a half-hearted mindset would yield nothing.

Especially that breath.

It was merely instinctive intuition, but if I got hit properly, it wouldn’t just wipe me out before I could even regenerate, but it might also destroy all sorts of barriers, directly striking the temple.

I cannot let this happen.

So, what should I do? I already know the answer. Someone has shown me.

“Ellie…”

To face overwhelming power, only stronger power could suffice.

And I know someone who can decisively smash gates and break down natural disasters with raw strength.

The strongest person I know… and the bravest one too.

“I feel like I’ve wished countless times for Ellie to be here.”

Yet, she’s so far away—beyond a thousand years.

If I am unable to deal with the God of Madness here, the future where Ellie exists may also vanish. So…

“Then I guess I should try a bit harder… because I have something to return to her.”

Ellie’s lighter, which I used to steal and pawn. I bought a new lighter within a few days, so I didn’t return it, but… I’ve been able to recover it from the pawn shop. I still haven’t managed to give it back.

As I positioned the Undead around to buy a little time, I held tightly onto the lighter, which I had always kept in my pocket but could never bring myself to take out.

And I concentrated my mind inward.

In this latest battle, far from previous conflicts, I had suffered countless wounds, some of which were critical.

Although they appeared to be healed and normal, the pain still lingered.

This indicates that the current battle was nothing short of reckless… and simultaneously, it’s a testament that I have surpassed my limits multiple times.

Transcending my limits. I possess a single ability that grows out of this.

The Seed of the Mountains.

An ability left behind by the Earth Goddess, who consumes karma and spits out energy in a slow maturation process.

Thanks to this, my body has steadily grown in power even outside the Labyrinth, and for reasons I still do not fully understand, my soul’s energy is already sufficient.

In this situation, I should be able to bloom the Seed of the Mountains.

With both feet solidly planted on the ground, I filled the air with revitalizing energy endlessly supplied from it, and offered my earnest prayer to the Earth Goddess, who embraces all.

-Just once. Just holding out for once should be enough.

Uwwwng!

As if in response to my voice, something deep within my core begins to resonate. Like shaking off an old shell or sprouting from a seed.

The sensation of myself being drawn up to a stage that was a notch higher than before.

This isn’t the proper method. The Earth Goddess, who answered my prayer, is assisting my ascendance.

Surely, once I surpass this moment, an enormous backlash will hit me.

…I don’t care.

If I don’t burn this moment away, I’ll merely be swept away by that breath in the end.

“Fire.”

I pulled my hand away from the lighter held close and clenched my fist.

“Set me ablaze.”

A fire that will incinerate my last hesitation.

I spread my feet shoulder-width apart and pulled my arms back with all my might.

The wrist crossbow broke, but Argetlam did not disappear; a silver power settles upon the arm I pulled back.

I understand the God of Mechanisms’ cruelty. To him, even the human body is merely a finely-tuned machine.

If he were willing to endure the deadly side effects, this application would certainly be possible.

Crack!

Unable to withstand the silver glow, my arm rips and tears apart.

Blood spurts out like the black of night, and small gears begin to sprout between the ripped flesh.

Tick-tock, tick-tock—

A sound of winding gears comes from somewhere.

But as the pain crashes into my brain, my arm was already restored.

Destruction and regeneration. An endless cycle of increasing pain.

When my left arm began to look like a ball of glowing silver, I focused on all the thorns that had spread outwards with my left hand.

Like putting a lid over the silver light that denies my flesh, the thorny armor adhered around the shape of my left arm.

The glittering flamboyance that showed outwardly had vanished, but the power condensed within was raging; was it just me who sensed that danger?

The eyes of the Dragon, which must have lost its sanity, felt as if they were fixed right on me.

Shortly after, the breath, having reached its limit, twisted, with the frenzied breath of the Dragon aimed at me.

Kwahhh!

A line of heat that shot out straight rather than radiating. I too extended my punch straight toward it.

The simple yet flawless fighting technique that Ellie had demonstrated to me earlier. However, the outcome is anything but ordinary.

“Haahhhh!”

The thorny armor I had been enclosing within my arm shattered, while the silver beam of light shot up towards the heavens.

It collided against the crimson streak of heat.

——————!!

The thunderous sound was overwhelming enough to render my ears numb. A shockwave erupted from just a fraction of a second later, sweeping through the area.

Kwahhh!

The earth trembled in a circular shape. Monsters and Undead caught in the blast crumbled into silence in an instant.

The only exceptions were just the two of us. In the center of this raging torrent were the Dragon and myself.

A tense standoff persisted. However, while the breath’s power gradually dwindled, mine remained at full force.

Naturally. If that beast’s breath merely expended the power it’s gathered, I was burning my soul and body as firewood in this moment.

And fortunately, I had more than enough firewood to burn through. At least compared to that breath.

“Die…!”

The silver pillar that had been gradually pushing back the breath annihilated the red line of heat, bursting the heads of the Dragon. All three of them.

Boiling hot dragon blood poured down like mist. Shortly after, the colossal body that had once soared high enough to block out the sun came crashing down to the ground.

Kuwung!

Silence swept through the battlefield.

The swarming monsters, unable to withstand the aftermath from earlier, were all dead.

I finally managed to shake off the dizzying view and looked around.

There was no one left but me. The Army of Madness had been completely obliterated.

And my left arm felt hollow. Perhaps due to my own recklessness in pushing past my limits, no matter how much Divine Power I poured in, the regeneration had slowed.

At best, I could merely stop the bleeding. That was enough.

“Phew…”

Letting out a deep sigh, I lifted my head.

It was calm and silent. The only sounds were the sticky blood splattering against the ground and the erratic beating of my own heart.

Beyond the horrifying stillness, it revealed itself.

The form of a young girl, quietly closing her eyes, enveloped in dark crimson Divine Power.

Madness was drawing near.

 

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