Volume 10 Chapter 54 The Dragon King’s First Cry
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Priest Gina. There are fires rising up ahead,” a soldier said.
The soldier, who had been riding in the vanguard, galloped back to the main group.
”Is it possible those two have already charged in? What incredible speed,” Gina muttered.
The Theocracy Army¹ led by Gina was currently five kilometers from the Royal Capital². Due to the rolling hills, they couldn’t see so much as a shadow of the city yet.
The sky they looked up at was strangely shimmering. It was coming from the direction of the Royal Capital. It would be in view soon. Suppressing his racing heart, Gina watched as the full view slowly revealed itself.
What met their eyes was a massive pillar of fire. The heat was so intense it distorted the very air, an ultra-high temperature inferno. A crimson wall of flame dyed the Royal Capital in scorching red.
”What is this massive blaze?!”
”Is the Royal Capital burning?! Did the Hero do this?!”
”It’s… it’s the flames of God!”
They had known it would happen, but to see this much power in person was another matter entirely.
Even though he had already witnessed a fraction of that strength at the Crimson Spire, Gina stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock. Princess Asura had been right to turn pale. This wasn’t within the realm of individual strength. Was a Hero truly this overwhelming? That person was walking in the domain of the gods.
”The hell do you think you’re doing?!” a voice roared.
”Hmm?”
”I heard some noise and came to look. What happened to the lookout, huh?!”
The shouting echoed through the Great Staircase Hall. Tiet and Cianie faced the noise with stone-cold expressions.
”Demonkin and… an Earth Human?” Tiet asked.
”What’s this? A couple of little girls. You telling me they only sent broads to raid the place?”
Three figures appeared. Two had the horns of the Demonkin³, but the third did not. His appearance was unmistakable: a middle-aged man with a short, stout build and a magnificent beard. Draped in strange gold ornaments, he looked down at Tiet and Cianie from atop the stairs with a haughty, booming voice.
”What’s the meaning of the hitmen being just girls? Does the Human kingdom survive by sucking on pussy juice? What a pathetic, weakling race. Eh?!”
”I don’t know what you’re saying, but can I just punch you for now?” Tiet asked.
Tiet didn’t really understand his slang, but she figured she was being insulted. In cases like this, her style was to let her fists do the talking.
”I don’t care who put you up to this, but put away that shiv and go home, kid! This castle is under Demonkin rule now. This isn’t a place for little human girls to come and play soldier.”
Tiet frowned at the excessively loud voice. Beside her, Cianie remained composed, turning a piercing gaze toward the Earth Human⁴.
”If you get caught, it won’t end with a light sentence,” the man continued. “We won’t just take your heads. You’ll be shot up with drugs that make you feel real good and spend the rest of your lives as pussy-geishas. You okay with that? Ha?!”
The two girls exchanged a look. Do you know what he’s talking about? Cianie’s eyes asked. No, not at all, Tiet’s gaze replied.
”We are, technically, Heroes,” Cianie said.
”Heroes? You think I’m gonna chick out because of a title, you punk?!” the Earth Human shouted back.
”I don’t get it anymore. Let’s just hit him,” Tiet said.
Tiet crouched slightly. Right before the girl knight could spring forward, the castle wall groaned and reshaped itself. The girls reacted instantly. A four-legged creature leaped out from the stone, a horn protruding from its nose as it charged toward the two Heroes.
”Heup!” Tiet grunted.
The beast ran at a formidable speed, but Tiet dodged it with ease. Cianie didn’t even bother to move.
”What?!” the Demonkin man yelled from the stairs.
The stone creature was sent flying toward the ceiling with a thud. Tiet had handled it by kicking its belly while sidestepping. Her eyes were already locked on her next targets: the Demonkin.
”An ability to create artificial life… it’s too complex and wasteful for standard magic. This is definitely a Unique Skill⁵,” Cianie analyzed calmly.
”Oi, Demonkin! Stay back! Go hide in the back and hold your balls!” the Earth Human roared. He seemed to have no grasp of his own volume.
”Silence, lowly Earth Human. Even if you are a King, you follow our lead here,” the Majin snapped.
Cianie and Tiet caught the exchange.
”…King?” Tiet asked.
”Is that guy the King of the Earth Humans?” Cianie muttered.
The girls turned their attention back to the Demonkin. There were only two. Subjugation would be easy. However, as they prepared to step forward, they both froze.
”Hmm? My body is heavy,” Tiet said.
”Restrained,” Cianie added.
They stopped abruptly. It wasn’t just their feet; their entire bodies were locked in place.
”The shadows are moving on their own. Is this Shadow Pinning⁶?” Tiet asked.
As they realized what was happening, the castle wall transformed again. This time, snakes emerged-two, then three, small but numerous.
”Are these things venomous?” Tiet asked.
”Who knows. They’re made of stone. But if they’re pinning us down to use venomous snakes, it’s a solid tactic,” Cianie replied.
”What are you acting so smug for, you idiots?! You fell right into our trap!” the Demonkin shouted. He curled his mouth into a wide, jagged grin. “We knew you Heroes would come. I let my magic power leak just to bait you in!”
”Exactly. This is your grave!” the other added.
Demonkin soldiers began to pour in from every direction-above, below, and from the sides. To match the arrival of the soldiers, even larger creatures began to emerge from the walls, resembling massive Land Crocodiles with gaping maws.
”That’s why I told you to go home. You’ve got such pretty faces; why’d you have to come to a place like this?” the Earth Human man sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. His expression was one of genuine pity. He didn’t seem interested in using the massive axe on his back.
”Is he… actually worried about us?” Tiet asked.
Cianie scanned the room. “The Shadow Pinning is a magic circle.”
”…What?” the man on the stairs asked, his brow furrowing.
”The ironclad rule for a Shadow Pinning caster is to stay hidden. It’s more advantageous that way,” Cianie said.
”Ah, I see. Those two coming out first was a feint. By showing themselves, they wanted us to think one of them was the caster,” Tiet said.
The Majin’s expressions shifted. What was strange, however, was that both Tiet and Cianie were still moving.
”Oi! These girls… they’re moving normally even while pinned!” one soldier yelled.
The difference in magic power output was simply too vast. The restraint of the Shadow Pinning was nowhere near enough to hold them.
”If the golem ability is a Unique Skill, then the Shadow Pinning is a ritual. And to perform that ritual, you have to lay a magic circle in this room. Which means—”
A blade flashed. Cianie held a strangely shaped sword that seemed to pulse. With movements invisible to the eye, slashes leaped across the hall. Stone reptiles and soldiers were shredded in an instant. The sword flashes didn’t stop there; they sliced through the castle walls themselves.
”Hmm. That heavy feeling is gone,” Tiet said.
The Great Staircase Hall began to crumble. As the walls pulverized, fragments of the floor fell away, revealing the broken remains of a hidden magic circle.
”Shit, these broads are monsters!”
”Fall back for now!”
The Majin turned to run, but Tiet was already in the air. “You’re not going anywhere!”
The stairs shifted beneath her. A stone rhino charged at her. “You think a street trick like that can stop me?” Tiet leaped onto the rhino, using it as a stepping stone to launch herself at the fleeing Majin. She caught them in seconds, severing their heads before they could even turn around.
She landed and looked back, watching the stone rhino glow bright red and melt into slag. Cianie landed beside her a moment later.
”Unbelievable. What kind of strength is that? You didn’t just break the trap; you wiped them out. Your ferocity is a match for Lucy’s,” Cianie said.
Tiet found a Majin who was still twitching and crushed his face with a heavy kick. With the enemies annihilated, they turned their gaze toward the Earth Human man.
”Old man. Are you an enemy?” Tiet asked.
”Huh?” the man grunted.
”Are you going to fight us? If you are, I’ll take your head right now,” Cianie said.
Facing the point of a sword, the Earth Human man raised both hands in surrender.
”What did you lot come here for?” he asked.
”Hmm?”
”If you want the throne, go upstairs. There’s a mid-level Demonkin boss up there. I won’t get in your way. If you came for the captives, check the basement,” the Earth Human said.
”Captives?” Tiet repeated. That was a word they couldn’t ignore. “Who’s down there?”
”The Prince and Princess of this castle. The Prince is in a cage, and the Princess and her maids are all being forced to work the ‘flower shop⁷,\\’” the man explained.
”The flower shop?” Cianie asked.
”They’re drugged out of their minds. They keep getting shot up with ‘Carrots⁸.’ Once they see a prick, they’ll go for it on their own,” the man said.
In short, they were being used as prostitutes. The mention of ‘Carrots’ made it clear just how vile the situation was.
”Cute girls like you are always at the mercy of men’s malice. If you don’t want to suffer like that, you should get off the battlefield. No matter how strong you are—”
”Save your breath,” Cianie interrupted. Her hand glowed with a faint, destructive light. “Do you use that ‘flower shop’?”
”I just got here. I only came because Lady Primjune made me. I don’t run with those scumbags. Besides, I’ve got a beautiful wife and daughter at home. I wouldn’t lay a hand on a human girl,” the man said, his hands still raised.
Cianie and Tiet shared a look, then turned their backs on him. They left the Earth Human man behind and leaped down twenty steps at a time toward the basement.
The Demon Lord’s Army⁹ had set up an ambush. As expected, a Demonkin stood in the center of the hall, holding a naked, hollow-eyed girl-Princess Viviana. He had a knife pressed to her throat.
”If you want the Princess to live, drop your weapons!” the Majin shouted.
”A hostage. He’s quick on the uptake,” Tiet noted.
The basement was simple. The great hall was filled with long tables and chairs, leading toward the prison cells. The Majin gripped the Princess’s breast, kneading her flesh as he glared at the Heroes.
”Drop the swords! Now! Do you want this woman to die?!” he screamed. He toyed with her nipple while shouting, his voice likely intended to call for reinforcements.
”That’s Princess Viviana. What do we do?” Tiet asked. She had seen the Princess’s face many times before the fall; she knew it was really her.
They were alone with the man for now, but Tiet knew time was a luxury they didn’t have. If he realized he couldn’t escape, he might kill her out of spite.
Cianie’s expression didn’t change. “It can’t be helped. We’ll just say the Princess was already dead when we arrived. We’re here to avenge her.”
”Got it,” Tiet replied.
”What?!” the Majin shrieked.
(Tiet, go. If he cuts her, I’ll fix it before she even notices,) Cianie sent the message through telepathy.
Tiet lunged, blowing past the tables and chairs. But the Majin didn’t go for the throat. In a panic, he swung the knife down toward the crown of the Princess’s head.
Cianie’s healing was legendary, but it had a limit: she couldn’t rebuild a destroyed brain. If the skull was shattered, the Princess was gone.
”Stop!” Tiet screamed.
In that fraction of a second, regret flooded Tiet’s mind. She had been bored. She had been careless. She had wanted the fight to end so she could move East. Because she was too strong, she had forgotten to be careful.
—Activate: Dragon Claw Compass¹⁰.
—Activate: Swirling Wings¹¹.
The knife began to descend. The Princess’s eyes were dull, already looking like a piece of discarded trash.
No! That didn’t happen! Give it back! Let me redo it! Tiet’s heart hammered against her ribs.
—Activate: Dragon King’s Time¹².
The knife pierced the Princess’s skull, driving down toward her jaw. Tiet watched in horror as the life left her. But then, the man stopped. The knife was suddenly pulled back out.
”!! uoy esruC” the man’s scream played in reverse.
The wound in the Princess’s head closed instantly. Her face returned to normal.
”What…?” Tiet gasped.
”Curse you!” the man shouted again. The knife swung down once more.
”!! uoy esruC”
The blade was pulled back again.
”Curse you!”
It was happening over and over. A one-second loop of death and rebirth. Tiet realized her mana was being drained at a terrifying rate. She didn’t understand why, but her intuition screamed that this was her only chance. Grotesque, monstrous wings erupted from her back-wings that looked like they belonged to a nightmare, not a girl.
”!! uoy esruC”
The knife pulled out. In that moment of life, Tiet swung.
She severed the man’s head in a single stroke. Then she sliced off his arms and carved his torso into a cross so he couldn’t move again. The man’s body tried to rewind, but the damage was too absolute. He stuttered in time for a moment before finally collapsing into a heap of gore.
The Princess slumped to the floor, her strings cut. Tiet leaned against the wall, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. The wings vanished.
”Tiet… what was that?” Cianie asked, her voice trembling. She had been only a step behind, but the scene was beyond her comprehension. “You disappeared. I couldn’t even see you move.”
”I… I don’t know. I just… did it,” Tiet panted.
Cianie grabbed Tiet’s cheeks, forcing the girl knight to look at her. “Tiet. Did you go into the Great Hole of Balboha-neis¹³?”
Tiet averted her eyes. “I just took a peek. I was bored.”
”Don’t lie to me! Your grandfather touched the Abyss¹⁴ and turned into an Evil Dragon. Those wings… they were just like his. You’re taking in too many factors, Tiet. If you keep going, you won’t be human anymore. I won’t have my last friend turn into a monster I have to kill. Promise me!”
”I promise. I won’t go back,” Tiet said. She felt Cianie pull her into a tight hug.
The battle for the Royal Capital was over. The Theocracy Army moved in to mop up the remaining Demonkin, their losses nonexistent. The Prince and Princess were rescued, though they were severely weakened.
As Gina, Cianie, and Tiet walked through the ruined streets, they looked at the devastation. This city, Klock’s second home, might never be rebuilt.
”By the way, what happened to that old man?” Tiet asked.
”He disappeared. He must have slipped away while we were in the basement,” Cianie replied.
”Tiet,” Cianie said after a pause, “I checked the Black Prophecy¹⁵. There’s a new message from the Saint, but I don’t understand it.”
She showed Tiet the book. The message was short:
’The premonition is only a flicker. The fate of all depends on it. Do not miss the sign.’
Tiet felt a chill. The sign had already flickered in that basement. And the Dragon King was finally starting to wake up.
—
Summary:
Tiet and Cianie storm the Royal Capital, encountering a vulgar Earth Human King and a Majin ambush. Tiet fails to prevent a hostage’s death, triggering an evolution into a ‘Dragon King’ state that rewinds time. They secure the city but remain unsettled by a new, cryptic prophecy from the Saint.
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Character Insight:
Tiet faces the consequences of her overconfidence, nearly losing Princess Viviana. This trauma forces her to tap into her forbidden dragonewt heritage, sacrificing her humanity for power. Cianie displays deep maternal concern, realizing Tiet is following her grandfather’s path toward becoming an ‘Evil Dragon’.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Dragon King’s Time’ ability is referred to as ‘Lunchtime’ in some drafts, a dark play on the ‘Dragon King’s Palace’ (Urashima Taro) myth where time moves differently. The ‘Carrots’ are a specific lore-heavy drug used for sexual enslavement.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Gina – A kind choir member who shows genuine concern for Adelina. She’s a rare ally in this unfamiliar place, offering some comfort and companionship.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Tiet – A companion and friend of Anna. A holy knight from the royal capital. She wears light armor and carries a shield adorned with a dragon holding a sword, indicating her affiliation with the National Military Police. She is concerned about Anna’s well-being and tries to support her emotionally.
• Primjune – She is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, appeared as a scaled and finned figure, known for executing the saint’s kidnapping plan.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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