Chapter 473: O Dragon, O Dragon. Part 50

Author's Preface

Exactly 50 chapters!! Just as planned (with a smug, triumphant face).

Well, it's thanks to having Brockentried usurpered. I wonder what happened to him?

""Servant!!""

The voices of the two Sword Saints overlapped.

"Trio... 【Synchronicity】!!"

"Septet... 【Seven Sinkers】!!"

A swordplay of three and seven orchestrated by two conductors resonated, slamming a prison of gravity alongside twin shadow-traced slashes synced with the Sword Saints into Siegwurm.

"Hey, this is bad! That thing looks like it's about to explode!!"

"We won't make it in───"

『Not yet!!』

She would not give up.
Crunching down on a potion—glass bottle and all—the black shadow sprinted through the sky, launching one final, daring assault.

Five seconds remaining.

A laser fired from the sphere of light, which had already swelled to an irreversible size, assaulted Akitsu Akane.

"【Fara Protection】!!"

Flying in from somewhere, the defense of a Holy Paladin caught the laser, refracting it away and protecting Akitsu Akane at the very last second.

Four seconds remaining.

"【Atlas Bind】!!"

Flying in from somewhere, the binding curse of a Yin-Yang Master restrained the Dragon King's raised right arm just as he swung down to swat Akitsu Akane out of the sky.

Three seconds remaining.

"I will absolutely not allow you... to destroy Skull Azuchi!!"

Having slipped around behind him from somewhere, a full-body strike from the Master Builder slammed into Siegwurm's spine, forcing him into an upright posture.

Two seconds.

『I shall block it!!』

『I will pierce it!!』

The defensive barrier was deployed, and his left arm swung out.
However, Akitsu Akane—who should have been moving too fast to stop—halted perfectly still in front of the barrier, and the Dragon King's left claws passed straight through her body despite appearing to have scored a direct hit.

No, it was an illusion... a phantom reflected in the Water Mirror.

One second remaining.

『Vorpal... Ninja Art!!』

She screamed.
In that fraction of a moment, she flapped her wings, stepping on the empty void to step beyond even Siegwurm's perception for a truly, unequivocally final strike.

The Rabituza Blade 【Cherry Blossom】 gripped tightly in her hand was enveloped in light. The light scattered into the shape of petals, and as if swept up by a whirlwind, as if tracing the tail of a comet, it pierced through a single point while scattering vibrant blossoms in its wake.

『【Full Bloom Flash (Hanahirake)】───!!!』

Zero seconds remaining.

◇◇

Silence fell once more.
The light of hegemonic destruction born from Siegwurm... stopped its expansion.
The cherry blossom shortsword, forged by the Divine Craftsman of the Vorpal Bunnies, was driven deeply into Siegwurm's Reverse Scale, splitting it cleanly in two.

Siegwurm had not drawn his final breath just yet. However, the moment his Reverse Scale was pierced and his final trial, the Core of Hegemonic Destruction [Buster Piece], was thwarted... the outcome had been decided.

『───Magnificent.』

A myriad of emotions was packed into that single, quiet word. It was ultimately just a game, just a program, yet Akitsu Akane's body trembled at Siegwurm's words, and as if her strings had been cut, her body plummeted downward.

『O Humans, O Dragons, you have done well to strike me down. I have firmly burned the radiance of your light into my eyes... You who spread far and wide like the First, you who carve open the world like the Second... if it is you, you may well be able to resist the impending Genesis Calamity.』

Because he had failed to pull the trigger to release the bloated light in that final instant, the entirety of that colossal energy rushed back into his core, flowing through him like blood.
But no matter how mighty Siegwurm was, he could not fully absorb such an overwhelming excess of energy while in a near-death state.

『Thinking back, it has been a long, distant journey... so this is my terminus.』

As Siegwurm's physical body began to disintegrate from its extremities, dissolving into golden ash, no one could find their voice at the sight of the fading Dragon King...

『U-Umm!』

『───Hm.』

Someone was there. Just one person called out to him.
A pitch-black girl, covered in wounds, who had stood back up, planted her feet on the ground, and looked up at the heavens to gaze upon the perishing gold.

『Umm... well.........』

Stammering, Akitsu Akane wondered why she had even called out to him in the first place... before finally choosing the words she always offered to her worthy rivals.

『Umm! You fought all by yourself for so, so long......... It was amazing! Thank you very much! Good work out there!!』

『────』

───You did well.

What passed through Siegwurm's mind in his final moments... there was no way to know.
But for just a fraction of a second... a truly fleeting moment, his dragon eyes reflected the color of "Siegwurm," rather than the Dragon King, before blinking through his nictitating membrane and reverting back to those of the Dragon King once more.

『Listen! The time of this world has already begun to move again!! The seals laid down in the Divine Age of old are unravelling, and the quickening of Genesis is turning into a heartbeat!!』

His wings had completely vanished, and his left arm had just disappeared.

『You must fight! Against the surging waves of Genesis that defeated the great pioneers of the Divine Age, you must display the brilliance of your lives!!』

Though his right leg vanished and he collapsed to the ground, the Dragon King raised his majestic voice.

『Overcome it! Humans living at the end of countless ages, you have surpassed even me, this Siegwurm... therefore, there is no reason for you to fear Genesis!!』

Most of his body was already gone. Yet, with only his chest and neck remaining, he spun his final words, resolute that this, at the very least, had to be said.

『───Good luck. May the glory of victory reside in the future humanity marches toward.』

And right on the brink of fading away, a quiet message reached only Akitsu Akane... no, only Akitsu Akane "and her partner."

『───Take pride in that name, Noirlind. For it is the name... of a great man.........』

『!』

A golden wind drifted across the blue sky. To whom did the expression on the girl's distorted face belong?
The sky, now devoid of the Heavenly Sovereign Dragon King, was so clear and blue... yet somehow, it looked just a little bit sorrowful.

『Siegwurm the Heavenly Sovereign has ended his long battle of defeat.』
『Fire vanishes from the heavens, and a new light dwells within humanity.』
『Decisive Battle Phase ended.』
『Unique Scenario EX "Come Forth, Heroes! My Destiny Transcends Time" has been cleared.』
『All participants have acquired the title 【Dragon Hunter (Ryū)】.』
『All participants have acquired the title 【Dragon Hunter (Tatsu)】.』
『All participants have acquired the title 【Higher Than Heaven, Brighter Than Gold】.』
『The destroyer of Siegwurm's horn has acquired the title 【Heaven Piercer】.』
『All participants have acquired the item 【Golden Dragon Ash】.』
『The destroyer of Siegwurm's horn has acquired the accessory 【Lingering Shadow of the Spirit Horn】.』
『All participants have acquired the item 【Red Dragon's Magic Fungi】.』
『All participants have acquired the item 【White Dragon's Magic Fungi】.』
『All participants have acquired the item 【Tome of Truth "The Heavenly Sovereign"】.』
『The "Curse" has vanished for players who did not meet the specific conditions.』
『The "Curse" has transformed for players who met the specific conditions.』
『World Story "Shangri-La Frontier" has progressed.』
『Genesis begins to move.』
『Due to the progression of the World Story, the following Raid Monsters have been implemented:』
『Raid Monster "Smoldering Great Crimson Wings" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Wandering Great Azure Plague" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Oppressively Blessing Great Black Abundance" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Tormenting Great Green Edge" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Swelling Great Black Threads" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Separating Great White Wall" has appeared!』
『Raid Monster "Gnawing Great Green Palace" has appeared!』
『The respawn countdown for the Raid Monster "Devouring Great Crimson Clad" has started.』