Chapter 1919

Sneak sneak.

A blue and round object moved stealthily. The glossy and fluffy appearance made people want to pet it.

It was none other than the head of the number one knight of the empire. She continued to lie down and creep forward. Several strands of hair stretched out like antennae and fluttered like a radar detecting enemies. Of course, there was no practical effect.

"Where are you going?"

"Gasp..."

She even took off her shoes so as to not make footsteps.

Mercedes' secret escape was eventually discovered. The variables were too numerous. She never thought that the Empress herself would be sitting in front of the door...

"G-Go, for a, walk..."

"In the middle of the night?"

Irene slowly closed the book she was reading and smiled. It was her usual gentle smile but it sent shivers down Mercedes' spine. It was due to her Keen Insight. Irene's eyes weren't smiling.

"What's more, you are wearing your sword."

"T-That..."

Mercedes, who was struggling with a stiff head, soon closed her eyes and shouted.

"Give me permission to go! It is a battle with an Old Dragon...! It isn't an exaggeration to say that the rise or fall of the Empire is at stake!"

Mercedes was a knight and an apostle loyal to Grid. Defending Grid and the Empire he had built was her guiding principle. Now that everyone else was struggling for the sake of the Empire, she couldn't lie in bed alone and count the stars outside the window.

"I have to fight too! My colleagues need me!" Mercedes shouted from the perspective of a soldier. Her eyes were desperate and her voice was loud. She made it clear that she could no longer make concessions.

"Mother..." Lord's cautious voice came from the door. He seemed to be trying to persuade Irene. Even outside the door, he was inspired by the conviction in Mercedes' cry.

However, Irene didn't blink despite standing face to face with Mercedes. "I am fully aware of your strength. If you join the war, then the odds will surely rise."

Mercedes' face, which had become pale from being locked in her room for several days, turned bright red. It was a useless expectation.

"Right now, you are carrying His Majesty's child. You might not die prematurely, but the child in your womb is different. Shouldn't you act with the self-awareness of the mother of His Majesty's child, not His Majesty's knight, at least for now?"

"Ugh..."

Irene, who had been careful not to burden Mercedes, mentioned her baby for the first time. An invincible logic came out.

However, Mercedes was also persistent. "I-I might be being presumptuous, but... if the subjugation team is defeated by the Old Dragon and his anger reaches all the way to the capital... I will lose everything, not just the child in my womb."

"Don't worry. If such a situation happens, the prince and the soldiers of the Empire will become your shield." It was an emphatic answer. Irene's unconventional declaration that she would sacrifice even the crown prince shocked Mercedes.

"This...! How can His Highness be my shield?!"

"It is our duty to protect our families."

"......!"

Family—it was a word that stood out to Mercedes, who was abandoned by her biological parents.

Mercedes was speechless due to embarrassment. Irene stood up and hugged her warmly. "Your duty is to protect His Majesty's child and my duty is to lead you."

"...Yes." Eventually, Mercedes was forced to lower the sword in her hand. In fact, she knew it as well. The moment she went into battle against an Old Dragon, the child in her womb was unlikely to survive. Perhaps she would only trouble her other colleagues. Her colleagues would be worried about Grid's child as well.

"I understand..." Mercedes closed her eyes tightly and nodded. She had changed a lot as the years had passed. She was about to suppress her violent temperament and think calmly.

"Okay, Mercedes. What you have to learn from now on is trust and patience. Sometimes, you have to trust others instead of just yourself. It will be surprisingly rewarding."

Just like I've always believed and waited.

Irene's expression as she whispered this had returned to her usual gentleness. Therefore, Mercedes smiled as well.

***

Fire Dragon Trauka—he was bigger than any other dragon. He constantly poured out a heat that burned everything. He deserved to claim to be the strongest.

Trauka had never doubted himself. The concept of death was unfamiliar to him, who was destined to reign forever at the highest place.

So why? Death seemed to be just around the corner.

[Grruk...]

Every time he breathed, blood poured from his mouth and nose, not fire. His magic power was still infinite, but it didn't circulate as he intended.

His vision was dim. All his senses had become dull. He allowed several attacks to hit him from those who approached like rats and stabbed him. He swung his tail to kill the insects coming from all directions, but they somehow seemed fine. It was difficult to figure out the reason.

[Arrogant lizard. Today is your end.]

Zeratul—the imitation of the Martial God was screaming. He was fighting with humans like a bug.

Human beings—fleeting beings who only lived for decades...

Did they understand the concept of eternity?

Today, Trauka fired Breaths again at humans who looked especially small and insignificant. Soon, a sea of flames would cover the desert. He would annihilate all these ephemeral bastards.

[.....]

It was like a dream. The surroundings were silent rather than becoming a sea of fire.

He caught sight of the Breath he had just shot, splitting in half and dissipating. It was very bizarre...

Trauka tilted his head and looked at the male human in the dark dopo. There was spirituality in the sword he wielded. It was energy with an unusual origin. It showed the mystery of cutting through the elements, in other words, the components of which matter was composed. No matter whether it was magic power, flames, or anything else, it was bound to be cut.

[Did you cut down the Elemental King of Wind...?] Trauka wondered.

Speaking of which, that person had black hair as well.

[...Grid.]

Trauka suddenly became angry.

The guy who took his arm. Grid must've accepted his favor. In the end, he restored the Refractive Dragon and put an end to the Age of Oblivion. He was a benefactor. He deserved to be a lifelong companion.

...But he betrayed them. He armed his subordinates with battle gear made from Trauka's materials and created a tenacious army. Dazzling Absolutes and transcendents attacked Trauka tirelessly for two days.

[Why...?]

Why?

Why are you against us?

Those from a higher dimension—Grid was most likely a being descended from the same dimension as the Foreign God. Everything Grid experienced here was nothing more than a trivial pastime. To put it simply, this world was his playground. There was no reason to pretend to be the guardian of the playground.

[...No, maybe it is because of that.]

His dying flash—it wasn't until Trauka was cornered that he realized it. From Grid's perspective, ephemeral beings and the Old Dragons were equally insignificant. After all, this was just a playground.

[Kukuk.]

Finally, the laughing Trauka polymorphed into human form. It wasn't a self-deprecating act aimed at lowering his status to the same level as those ephemeral beings.

He was an Old Dragon. He pursued perfection even in the midst of a crisis that he was experiencing for the first time in his life. Therefore, he abandoned his giant body.

It was a matter of efficiency. If he operated his body, which was larger than a great mountain, when his senses were dull, he would just look like a dull and slow turtle to his enemies. Therefore, he brought himself to the same eye level. By compressing his muscles and magic power, he prevented the discharge of power. Some of his lost speed was recovered.

"How dare you treat me like a toy?"

Trauka smashed his fist into the face of the male, who was buzzing and rampaging like Marie Rose. Then he swung his lance-like sword. A sword energy that was hundreds of meters long flew sideways and slaughtered the magicians who were hiding using the false landscape painted by a brush.

"Uh...?"

After Katz, it was followed by the army of magicians, including Laella, Zednos, and Euphemina, turning to ash or becoming incapable of combat. People couldn't understand the situation for a while. The incident happened in such a short time that they were stunned.

"Oh, my."

"......?!"

Euphemina had already lost her mind. Then she looked up when she heard someone's groan and saw the back of the previous generation Sword Saint, Muller. Both arms were missing from his shoulders.

"M-Muller?"

"Don't worry about me and take care of yourself. Your firepower is the most important thing."

It was the reason why Trauka targeted her and why Muller protected her. The surprise attack caused him to lose both arms, but he was glad that he managed to save her.

This time, Trauka leapt directly. Once again, he relentlessly aimed at Euphemina. Then a lightning fast kick landed on Trauka's side.

The white-haired god with a bulky upper body—it was an attack by Zeratul, who started to be called the Overgeared Martial God or Item Martial God. He was infinitely feared and loathed when he was an enemy, but once he was on the same side, he felt like the most secure being in the world.

[Don't be overwhelmed by his bluffing. Now that he has abandoned his armor of scales, it is time to strike.]

Gasp! Zeratul let out thunderous breaths and calmed the subjugation force.

The 7th Seat, Abellio, responded quickly. He erased the picture that was designed to be suitable for hunting the isolated Old Dragon and drew a new battlefield. The iceberg, which served as a cover to block the flames, transformed into pupils that suppressed escape. The snowfield, which lowered heat, turned into a great meadow.

Thanks to this, Piaro and Hurent became like fish in water. They sowed seeds in all directions, attacking Trauka while growing plants that benefited their allies.

Chris' greatsword pierced through the air and weighed down Trauka's sword.

Zik and Mir's pincer attack linked from left to right, stabbing Trauka in the waist.

"Yap!" Nefelina's clumsy Breath struck Trauka in the chest, while Jishuka and Yura's sniping blinded Trauka.

After completing a long chant, Euphemina, Betty, and Jessica launched a powerful magic bombardment.

The army of magic machines of the giant brothers, Radwolf and Fronzaltz, and a team of damage dealers led by Regas, Pon, and others seized the opportunity to approach and smash him with all types of ultimate techniques.

In the process, the flying counterattack was intercepted by tankers, including Vantner and Toban, as well as Faker and the assassins who crossed through the shadows.

The weather was changing from time to time, amplifying their allies' attribute attack power while weakening Trauka's attribute resistance. It was the subtle help of Lauel, who was spearheading the attack of the artillerymen.

Above all, there were Marie Rose and Zeratul in the center of the battlefield. The buffs of Red Sage Haster and Saintess Ruby were concentrated on the two relatively healthy Absolutes.

Despite everyone's struggles, the number of members of the Overgeared Guild turning to gray ash increased in real time. Still, they were holding that someone's death would inflict a new wound on Trauka's body.

Hayate and Biban's final blows had left Trauka with a damaged heart and severe injuries. Trauka was far from intact. What was particularly devastating was that the Dragon Words he used against Biban and Marie Rose hadn't paid off yet.

He wasn't about to achieve reversal effects such as strengthening and restoration through the fulfillment of the covenant.

After a long battle—

"...Cough!"

At a certain point, Trauka started to falter. Far from being able to harness the power of an Old Dragon, he had fallen to the point where he couldn't fully utilize the advantages of an Absolute. It reached the point where there were only 10 surviving members of the Overgeared Guild.

Neither the tower members nor the apostles were in a perfect state. If it wasn't for Zibal jumping from the Tomb of the Gods and using Providence, there would've been fewer than five survivors among the tower members and apostles.

[This monster...]

Zeratul breathed heavily while looking frustrated.

Marie Rose wasn't smiling at all.

The battle against the enemy, which didn't allow even the slightest carelessness, was fought seriously from beginning to end.

However, Truaka was clearly dying. The group was cautious, but glimpsed some hope. In the end—

It was after slashing Kraugel's waist.

"......"

The movement of Fire Dragon Trauka stopped. From the time Marie Rose was allowed to suck his blood, blood gushed from wounds that couldn't recover due to debuffs, such as poisoning, bleeding, internal injuries, and amputations, occurred endlessly.

The dragon, who claimed to be the strongest, was clearly about to die. Nevertheless, he didn't fall. He tilted his head, but his legs were upright like an old tree. It was the majesty of the monster who single-handedly drove a number of Absolutes to the brink of death despite being seriously injured.

The subjugation group was filled with all sorts and emotions and preparing for the final blow.

Then without any warning, the sky split apart. A white hand stretched out from the crack in space that fluctuated like a black hole.

[Fire Dragon Trauka, give me half of your Dragon Heart.]

The voice was so gloomy that it reminded them of the old Baal. No, it was much more ominous. It seemed like it was lacking any emotions.

[Isn't it worth it to save your life?]

Currently, only a few members of the subjugation force were left and they started to retreat. Zeratul, who had always been fearless, also stiffened like a stone statue.

[Judar, the God of Wisdom, has descended.]

The Absolute of Asgard, who sat at a high level and watched the world, revealed his noble appearance to the world. It might be a rotten rope, but it was clear hope for Trauka.

After a moment of confusion, the subjugation force hesitated.

"...This fool is talking nonsense." Trauka laughed and aimed his sword at his heart.

Judar's pale face stiffened when he noticed the unusual situation.

"No one can acquire the heart of an Old Dragon."

Hot blood gushed from Trauka's chest like flames. Despite destroying his own heart, his body didn't fall.