novelThe Black Tyrant
| ← Ch.41 | Ch.43 → |
"Thee who wouldst come in challenge of the Black Tyrant, arrange correctly the stars."
Just as the new words said, waiting for them inside as they stepped into the throne room was the Black Tyrant──
『GUOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!』
──Black Dragon Vardneel.
The roar from his giant frame was enough to instil physical pressure, and assaulted the Hero Party. With an overpowering strength that pressured you just from being there, he was truly befitting of the word 'tyrant'.
...I would have really preferred that you showed that majesty before me too.
『A-, A dragon!?』
『What size!』
『No good, everybody please take your formations!』
『It's coming!』
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"Anri? Wasn't the boss of the 10th floor the No Life King?"
"I switched them."
Since Leonora knew who the old floor boss was she asked me that question, but the answer was really simple. I thought about it for a while after the dragon summoning, and I decided to switch the dragon to the 10th floor.
But it couldn't be helped, right? After seeing the dragon lay belly up, there was no way I would want him to guard the 30th floor that's basically our final stronghold. I'm sure anyone else would feel the same.
Incidentally, I kept the enchanted Orichalcum Armour as the 20th floor boss, and moved the former 10th floor boss, No Life King, to the 30th floor instead. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the former No Life King. After he received my divine protection, he ended up evolving into something else.
"What a thing for you to have summoned! That is Black Dragon Vardneel... The wicked dragon said to bring calamity to the world!"
"Mn?"
Light God Sophia asked me that with a frantic expression, but I just reflexively tilted my head in question. I don't know about "bringing calamity to the world" but I did choose the one that needed the most mana points, so I suppose it shouldn't be surprising even if he had such an anecdote. Well, it isn't surprising, but at the same time thinking about how he's been ever since I summoned him, I just can't match him with the image from the anecdote.
To begin with, why is she even so panicked?
He certainly does have high specs, but it's nothing that a divine can't handle.
"He shouldn't be so strong that an Administrator can't handle him."
"That may be true, but just how many casualties do you think will come about until we stop him!"
I see. I suppose it's quite like her to be worried about harm to the Human Race.
But...
"As long as he's in my dungeon, there won't be any damage."
".....................Ah."
"Now that Anri mentions it, he doesn't seem like he'll be able to leave, either."
Right. Just like Leonora said, Black Dragon Vardneel basically can't leave the dungeon of his own power. No, rather than leaving the dungeon, with that huge size of his, he can't even leave the room. As for ways for him to leave, it's basically just having me teleport him. As you'd expect, it really would be too pitiful to keep him locked in the room forever, so I was thinking of taking him out on walks on occasion, but even if I did take him outside, I wouldn't be letting him roam wild or anything.
So there really isn't any need to worry about casualties.
"..."
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence filled the room. Light God Sophia's face was slightly red. Now that she's calm and has a proper understanding of things, she looks embarrassed about how panicked she was just now.
"It seems that the battle is about to begin."
Ah. She changed the subject.
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Frey blasted flames at Black Dragon Vardneel's face, who was flying about with a nimbleness unsuited for his size. Because of the magical resistance, there was basically no damage, but as you'd expect he probably couldn't ignore a direct flame to the face, so his speed lowered just a little. With that opening, the four of them avoided his direct attack. In the next instant, his large frame flew through the area that the Hero Party had just been standing. Had they not retreated, they would have been sent flying and probably taken massive damage.
『Eat this!』
Before the Black Dragon turned around to face them, Zio slashed his sword down on Vardneel's shoulders. However, a metallic -KIN- rang out, and the sword was easily repelled.
『Tsk, how tough... Oop. 』
Perhaps irritated at the slash despite the lack of damage, Vardneel swept his foreleg across, and Zio immediately jumped back to evade.
『Doesn't look like my sword can cut him, ey?』
『Then how about my Holy Sword!』
With the foreleg now in the open after its attack on Zio, this time Arc slashed at it with his Holy Sword. Unlike Zio's, the Holy Sword wasn't repelled, and cut into the Black Dragon's scales, splashing just a little blood.
『GYAOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!』
『I managed to cut him, but he really does have amazing defence, huh. 』
The Black Dragon screamed in pain, before snapping its sharp fangs at Arc.
『Like I'd letcha!』
Zio hit the Black Dragon in the face with his shield this time, as it was about to bite at Arc. There was no damage, but being hit from the side had changed the course of its bite, and its jaws closed without catching Arc.
『Thanks, you saved me!』
『No worries. It doesn't seem like I'll do any damage, so I'll focus on harassing it. You concentrate on attacking with the Holy Sword!』
『Got it!』
Zio threw away his sword, and held the shield in both hands, whilst beginning to hit the Black Dragon's attacks to harass it. With the openings that Zio created, as the only one who could do damage, Arc cut at the Black Dragon. The backline supported with flames, and they slowly but surely damaged Vardneel.
But perhaps growing impatient at them, Vardneel took in a deep breath, and roared. Together with the roar came an explosive wind pressure that assaulted the Hero Party.
『GUOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!』
『UWAHH!?』
『Ku-, SHIT!』
Last time there had been a lot of distance between them, so the roar had only broken their postures, but this time they had taken it at point-blank range. Arc and Zio were blown away with ease, and smacked into a wall a few metres from where Frey and Widdi were.
『Arc-sama!?』
『Zio!?』
Frey and Widdi ran up to them, and began healing them with medicinal herbs and recovery magic. Giving the Hero Party a sidelong glance, the Black Dragon began to take an even deeper breath than before.
『I-, It can't be...』
『A dragon breath!?』
Frey and Widdi both grew pale, but with Arc and Zio collapsed, they couldn't avoid it. With determined expressions, the two of them began chanting magic.
『──────────────!!!』
From the large jaws of the dragon flew a black flame wreathed in purple lightning. Frey had used fire magic to try and reduce the damage of the breath even a little, but her fire magic was swallowed by the gargantuan flame in an instant. Widdi had deployed a barrier around them to protect them, but it showed only a meagre resistance, before being smashed to pieces by the dragon breath.
It seemed that they were in dire straits after being enveloped in the dragon breath, but Arc and Zio had recovered enough to throw themselves at Widdi and Frey respectively, to try and put even a little distance between it.
The dragon breath collided with the floor that they had been on just a moment ago, and the four of them were blown away by the shockwave. Although it was a shockwave, its power was tremendous, and after being slammed against the floor, although their lives were not in danger, they could only groan, unable to stand.
On the other hand, the Black Dragon turned towards them, and began leisurely drawing near.
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"O-, Oi... Isn't that bad, Anri?"
"Anri! At this rate, they will be!?"
"It's fine."
Watching the screen, both Leonora and Light God Sophia were frantic. Light God Sophia had even drawn out her greatsword, and from her expression it seemed like she was about to jump in any second now. Calming the two of them, I sent my voice to the other side of the screen.
『Vnee, sit. 』
The response was dramatic, and Black Dragon Vardneel who had been walking towards the fallen Hero Party──pet name Vnee, immediately sat down on the spot, with a proper posture.
"Heh?"
"Hah?"
Both Leonora and Light God Sophia let out stupid sounds and stiffened, but I decided to ignore them for now, and created a magic circle to teleport the Hero Party out of the dungeon. After confirming that they had been sent out without issue, I turned around and found Leonora beginning to dogeza. She had grown used to averting her eyes from mine, but because she was distracted this time, it seems that her reaction was slow.
"What was what?"
"Even if you ask me that..."
Light God Sophia spoke to me, still in a daze. But there was no way to respond except that it was the fruits of my training.
Unlike undead and living armours, Vnee is a living being, so naturally he needs food. I'm the one that feeds him, but since I was going out of my way, I decided that I may as well try my hand at training him. Each and every time I went to his room, he would dash away into the corner of the room, but we have become close enough that he'll respond to my commands now. For now I've managed to teach him "sit", "down", and "wait"."handshake" would crush me, so I'm not going to do that one.
"You... are treating the most wicked dragon as your pet?"
"Well, it's Anri after all."
For some reason both Light God Sophia and the no-longer dogeza-ing Leonora gave tired sighs.
I wonder if I should give Vnee a collar.
*imouto*
*imouto*
...Ah-, I forgot to collect the Hero Party's items and money.
TL:
1) I occasionally replaced 'Black Dragon' with Vardneel, because it's a lot more awkward sounding in English. To begin with, we need a 'the' all the time.
2) Vnee is read as 'vu nii'.
| ← Ch. 41 | Ch. 43 → |