7th Demon Prince Jilbagias’ Chronicle of Demon Kingdom Toppling

５３． Flexing

When the suspicious figure with a horn growing from his head transformed into a dragon.

Garounya leapt forward at once to act as the shield for her master, Jilbagias whom she respected.

But, she couldn’t do that. Thanks to the baggage(Liliana) that she brought with her, she couldn’t move as she wanted to.

As a result, she really was at her wit’s end when the white dragon unleashed his breath, and was blown away――

（It’s hot―― And painful――）

She knew that she was suffering from a burning wound all over her body. It was so bad that she couldn’t even move her body properly. She failed to become a shield properly, above all, she had no idea about her own current condition. Her mind wandered into the darkness as soon as she lost her focus.

「Ku~n, ku~n.」

Then, she felt something wet licking her cheek.

（Liliana…）

The high elf saint. And she was also the reason why Jilbagias rarely gave much attention to Garounya as of late, for a moment, Garounya felt rather conflicting emotion but――

Since Liliana took a submissive pose, showing her stomach with an innocent look on her face, even she couldn’t help but feel that her jealousy toward Liliana was rather stupid.

Since the very beginning, as a beastfolk herself, she held no particular emotion to the forest elf. The reason for her hostility toward the forest elf was simply because they were in different camps. That’s why until now―― It felt as if she was taking care of a rather handful little sister. The fact that she felt jealous toward Liliana who was always being cared for and given attention to by her young master didn’t change though.

（You are… Worrying about me…）

Her pain eased up everytime Liliana licked her body.

（I’m okay… Young master…）

She tried to push Liliana away from her. Liliana got away from her while raising a cry.

She wanted Liliana to prioritize Jilbagias first.

（But still, I’m… Really glad…）

If she forced herself to move when Liliana treated her just now, she might not have been able to help Jilbagias to escape from this place. They’re in a really dangerous situation and she wanted to buy some time for her master―― Meaning that this was the moment in which she showed her loyalty as white tiger clan――

Though she felt as if she would pass out at any moment, she braced herself and stayed awake with her guts alone.

She refused to pass out.

That was her’s, Garounya’s loyalty, and willpower.

That damn lizard. You will see what happens when you leave a wounded beast.

――I will show you a nightmare that you will never forget.

†††

The one misfortune that goes both ways was the fact that Faravugi couldn’t fly.

Since Faravugi couldn’t fly, he couldn’t leave the territory of the demon kingdom.

And by somesort of misfortune, I ended up stumbling right into his hiding place.

Or not―― In the first place, if this fella didn’t come up with a plan to launch a suicide attack to the demon king castle, the current me wouldn’t be born either.

In short, he was the beginning of everything.

The patriarch of the white dragons, Faravugi of the 『Dawn』

His machette-like claws swung toward me.

Though he could end the battle at once with his breath attack―― The fact that he was only using his claws means that he really wanted to torture me to death.

… Well, he might fire his breath attack if I choose to escape though.

Everything was the demon king’s fault. Both Faravugi and I lost our family due to the demon king. As a result, both of us who tried to get our revenge ended up having to clash in this place as enemies.

Dammit, I really hate this kind of situation.

「But, if he is a hindrance to my plan…」

―― Then I won’t show mercy either.

Ante.

I will take the magical power that I entrusted to you.

『――OK.』

I felt as if somesort of seal was released inside me.

It felt as if a dam located somewhere in my body had burst open―― Filling my body with a torrent of magical power.

It was the power of taboo which I gathered as a hero, who sacrificed dozens of humans. I put that power into the tip of my spear, and stabbed it into the approaching foreleg of Faravugi.

The silver scales clad in the magical power of light clashed against the obsidian speartip clad in the magical power of darkness, scattering countless sparks around us―― We’re evenly matched.

And then, the silver scale smashed apart.

「NO WAY!?」

He must’ve never expected that the young demon race before him was evenly matched in power against a dragon whose body was many times bigger. Not to mention that the said youth could break his scale.

Unable to hide his shock, Faravugi leapt back quickly. Rather than a dragon, his agility reminds me of a feline animal, extremely agile and flexible. The dragon was powerful, and his jump from before was the testament of his power――

But, I’m just as powerful as him.

Yeah… This feeling of omnipotentness was truly amazing.

This feeling of intoxication, I felt as if I could transform the world with the sweep of my hand.

But at the same time, I―― Felt slightly disappointed inside.

Because the power that I received from Ante… Couldn’t return to her for safekeeping again.

The logic of the world felt too brittle for the current me. I could literally twist the very nature of the world to my own convenience.

And I, couldn’t become 『Sword Saint』 Anymore… My long forgotten aspiration which reignited after I met Verossa.

But, that possibility had already been crushed apart, by my own hand nonetheless. The logic of the world wouldn’t come to love me, ever――

「You―― What in the world is that power!?」

Faravugi asked so while circling around me.

In his perspective, I might suddenly turn into a giant. As a fellow race with a sharp perception of magical power, the fact that my magical power suddenly ballooned might seem like an extremely bizarre phenomena.

「I’m a demon race after all.」

I replied curtly with a dry smile on my face. It sounds like a satire, even from my perspective.

「… Those devil’s heretic art―― eh!」

Faravugi retorted with a somewhat envious voice.

I know how you feel. You’re craving for power. Honestly I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to this world if you guys, the dragon race were allowed to enter the dark portal―― And make a pact with the devil.

「Feeling like you want to escape now? Both of us might end up wasting our power as it is.」

My remark might backfire but, I wanted to let him at least consider that option.

「A mere demon race’s brat, HOW DARE YOU TO LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEEEEEEEE!」

Faravugi was enraged. His throat shone. What about his words about torturing me to death? Are you going to blast me to dust now?

「――GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

The dragon breath is coming.

But.

「【――Our Name is Jilbagias】」

Thump… I felt my existence became one size bigger.

「【――In The Name of The Demon Prince Jilbagias――】」

Everyone around me might be affected by this but, please bear with it for now.

「【――Taboo to Breath.】」

Done.

「――Gah.」

Faravugi’s eyes opened wide. With a poof, his magical power failed to become scorching light, and gave rise to smoke from his throat.

Though I also couldn’t take a breath, I had already prepared beforehand and took a deep breath. Using the element of surprise, I thrusted my spear into the wound which was left behind by Verossa.

I was aiming for his heart. I had to finish this fight as soon as possible and treat my subordinate. Yes, those fu*cking darkling who I hate so much!

「… GAAAH!」

Faravugi groaned in pain, and swung his foreleg. Chill ran down into my spine as his incoming claw sweep came like a reaper’s scythe. I tried to dodge by rolling on the ground alas, that claw sweep shaved off a major portion of my defensive ward. Dammit, my speartip couldn’t reach further! It was far from enough to deal a deathblow――

「DON’T-SCREW-WITH-MEEEE!」

Sound akin to the flick of a leather whip resounded in the air.

「You damn――BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!」

Light dwelled again inside Faravugi’s throat.

This guy, he forcefully canceled my hex――

「――AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!」

The glowing pillar of light rained down on me.

But, the spear in my hand―― Stirring lightly.

… Yeah, I remember it now. That fairy-tale.

The tale about a hero who fought against an evil dragon.

There was such a story in one of the books in the village chief’s library.

The dragon spit their dragon breath, facing that, the hero――

The torrent of silver light shook the fortress.

The energy contained within this breath attack broke the stone tiles, and baked the wall till it turned bright red.

「――HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!」

Upon noticing that the binding of my hex had already gone, Faravugi was laughing to the top of his lungs.

Before his eyes were thick cloud of dust illuminated by scorched red stone――

「Though I want to torture him till death, I ended up turning him into ci――!?」

He didn’t get to finish his words.

The smoke got scattered by the magical power of wind that was inching closer.

「… That damned tale. The light dragon and damon race’s darkness is like freaking opposing each other.」

There, the figure of a demon race youth was standing slowly from a crouching position on top of the scorching hot stone tiles.

His hand was―― Protected by the dense magical power of darkness.

It was a bone 『Shield』.

「【――Taboo To Scorching Heat】」

That instant, the temperature of the space around him cooled off rapidly.

That includes the heat in Faravugi’s mouth, and the heat around the demon race youth’s comrades.

「It really is a sad story. Don’t you think so?」

The demon prince had single-handedly withstood the all out breath attack of the dragon, head on.

He was laughing fearlessly while holding a shield in his left hand―― And obsidian knife in his right hand.