Chapter 75

Edited: Shiro

The punch that I went all out pierced through the Wicked Dragon’s chest .

To be honest, I could not grasp how powerful my punch would be if I was seriously trying to hit someone . But if I were to put it on a scale, it would be like punching a zombie’s shoulder and sending it flying without any mercy . One things for sure, this must never be used on a normal human being .

However————

“……… . . Yo-u’re tough……… . . !”

I was surprised by the lack of feedback from my punch .

It’s as if I was punching through a thick and firm rubber . Different from the magic armour that Neah casted, the punch felt as though the shock has stopped abruptly, and dissipates by escaping around the body .

My punch wasn’t effective—— When those words played around my head, a sentence from the notebook floated at the back of my head .

[The attack did not make sense before the Wicked Dragon’s powerful scales . ]

It’s not as if I’ve forgotten about those words .

However, that is before the living being has deteriorated after hundreds of years . For my punch to not penetrate its body, the Wicked Dragon’s scale is indeed formidable .

“…… . . Hm?”

Since I was upset by this ordeal, I looked at Neah who hasn’t recovered and gave her a good hearty punch .

Wondering whether it’s just me overthinking, I wanted to test it one more time, but before that could happen, the moonlight that was illuminating me was suddenly blocked by ‘something’ .

…… . I could still hear the grunting and moaning from Neah .

The zombie that she’s controlling wouldn’t have been able to move without her permission .

As if to justify my reasoning, the punch that I was about to give was interrupted by ‘something’ that is large enough to block the moonlight .

“…… . . Tsk . ”

Our eyes met .

The Wicked Dragon, with its face turned sideways and staring at me from above with its cruel eyes, we crossed gazes as I raised my face .

Those dry and cracked eyes indicate someone with a will, and the sigh that leaks from the ends of its mouth releases an unpleasantly horrible odour and rotten smell . Then, the end of its mouth which has been greatly torn is cut into a distorted shape, giving the illusion as if mocking me .

“……… . ”

This is bad .

I have no idea why, but that word came in mind .

This living thing is way more dangerous than the snake——–No, even the word living thing is to good of a word for it . No words can describe the thing that is in front of me .

But, the phrase “A snake staring at the frog . ” is befitting of this situation .

Because that is what I am right now, a frog being looked down upon by those fearless eyes, and my body being chained down as if being bound by a shackle .

If I don’t move, I will be eaten alive . Regardless of whether it has a will of its own, thus before Neah recovers, I would’ve been crushed by the Wicked Dragon in front of me .

“Ugu……Buun! ! !”

I pull out my fist and proceeded to punch myself in the forehead .

Instantly, my consciousness returns, and the nervousness of my body and mind have returned to normal .

“Let’s do this!”

Perhaps due to my rough treatment towards myself, fresh blood leaked from my forehead, staining all the way from my eyebrows to the chin . However, that’s no problem with a little bit of healing magic .

Wiping the blood using the back of my hand, I took a distance away from the Wicked Dragon who was looking at me without trembling .

“Well oh well, what a predicament I’m facing right now . ”

Its poison is bad, the claws are terrible, and I’m sure its tail would hurt like hell .

Even my crucial punch didn’t seem to work, so saying that I could defeat this thing would be a dream come true .

——- Guess I should just defeat Neah then .

If what she says is correct, that “I have this zombie under my control”, then tackling the main source would end the battle .

And different from the battle with Ark-san, its attacks are intense, but the speed isn’t much . So I’m sure if I were to attack Neah, it won’t come to defend her .

Thinking so, when trying to shift this battle to discipline Neah to a certain degree, the Wicked Dragon who was watching me unnaturally turned its head greatly towards a different direction .

“Bu, Hai——Chi, ni ku………, Minra, Hoe, Bou, uuuuuu . ”

“Meats… . . Everyone, destroy? What the hell is this thing trying to say?”

I don’t know whether it’s just a peculiar moan from a zombie, but it’s looking diagonally behind me, which is facing the direction of the road leading to the western-style building .

……Is it it’s instinct to return there? Or does that place have a connection with the hero?

Is there such a phenomenon amongst zombies?

But according to the notebook, the last place it died was at Samariar . It is completely opposite of where it’s looking at right now, the village where Tetra-san lives .

“Well, whatever . Let’s ignore it . It’s not like I can do anything about it . ”

From there, I started running lightly into the half-broken western-style building .

For the time being, I looked back from time to time to see whether the Wicked Dragon is doing anything .

However, it did not respond to anything, which I might think that it’s moving according to Noah’s orders . With a sigh of relief in my heart, I jumped up to the second floor in one fell swoop .

At that moment——–

“Gihiii . ”

At the same time that eerier laughter was heard, the throat of the Wicked Dragon has greatly swollen .

“O-Oh no… . . ”

Was it a trap!?

Thinking that it was trying to exhale the corroding sludges towards me, I tried to leave the building, but somehow the Wicked Dragon wasn’t facing me .

Not even batting an eye on me, its throat swells while breathing in more air .

Raging winds swept around the Wicked Dragon, and as I couldn’t understand what it was trying to do, I had no choice but to stand at the edge of the second floor in confusion .

Then, I heard the voice of Amako who I thought had evacuated .

When I looked at her general direction, I could tell that she was desperately trying to convey to me something along side with Bluerin and Ark-san where the miasma was thinner .

“———-! !,, ——————! !”

“……Huh, I can’t hear you, the wind is too strong……”

I have no idea what she wants to say with this noise .

While I used my arms to protect the upper part of my eyes so that sand wouldn’t get into it, I carefully watched the movement of her mouth .

Vi- llage… . Poison… . . Fall… . . Poison is going to… . Are you kidding me?!?!

“As if I’ll let you!!”

The moment I understood her words, I kicked the wall and rushed into the face of the Wicked Dragon .

Despite being exposed to the raging wind, I gripped my left fist and punched its chin just beneath its broken eye with clear hostility, different from the previous punch .

The purple miasma that was about to leak out from its mouth has warped and shifted to the left due to my punch .

“Uu…… . ”

I hurriedly used healing magic while being poisoned, and landed on the ground .

However, the cure wasn’t quick enough . Blood came coughing out from my mouth, which immediately after I wiped it away .

“Well, though I’m used to it, poison is still painful… . . ”

I complained while healing the poisoned part and the injured part, and looked at the Wicked Dragon who was put into place .

The Wicked Dragon held its lower jaw with its arm .

As if that punch would defeat it . It shakes its head and got up immediately .

“I should get up as well…… . . ”

I couldn’t leave this thing alone .

I’ll have to beat it no matter what happens .

After healing myself, Amako who was away from Bluerin, ran towards me with a different expression .

“I’m glad I got through…… . !”

“Yeah, thanks for that . I would’ve overlooked it if it weren’t for you… . But that fucker… . ”

Despite my presence——It was aiming at the village where Tetra-san and the mayor are .

I think it saw the village lit up in the dark .

I don’t know what its aim is, but it’s definitely not an order from Neah .

I can’t imagine her trying to kill the villagers she’s controlling . Rather, she is just a disappointment, showing a strong obsession with what she wants .

“This Wicked Dragon, I seemed to look too sweet compared to him . Amako, I could finally understand what it was trying to say . ”

The words it spoke while looking at the village .

I didn’t know at that time, but seeing the horrible nature of the dragon, I completely understood its meaning .

“Destruction, flesh and blood, everyone, destroy . Basically this dragon’s a mass of destruction . All this while, it has been observing me whether I could be its plaything, but it has found a better plaything behind me . ”

Since it couldn’t hit me at all, it changed it’s motive .

“Neah seemed to have revived a ridiculous thing… . Whether it’s a blessing in disguise, she doesn’t seem to be able to grasp the situation yet . ”

Really, you just have to do something extra, didn’t you .

In this case, be it Neah who revived this thing, the hero is also the one to blame for not completely disintegrating this giant thing . Anyway, the option of running away is now gone .

“This doesn’t mean my punch doesn’t work perfectly . See Amako, its temporomandibular joint has come off, and it can’t be closed . Though the outer shell is hard, but the bones inside isn’t . ”

“… . . Usato, let’s run away . ”

“…… . Huh?”

Amako pulls the hem of my troupe as I was clenching my fist and trying to go for a round two with the Wicked Dragon, as it was holding its chin and moaning .

“What do you mean by running away? If we leave that as is, it might cause even more trouble . Also…… We can’t get out of the sludge that that shit had spit . ”

“The trees in the back aren’t rotten yet, so maybe we can escape through there . Usato, I too am genuinely worried about the people in the village, but not everything can be managed… . . ”

“…… . ”

“That is not a normal being . No matter how great Usato is, that thing is something you can’t manage by yourself……”

It’s true that the power of the dragon is unknown .

I too think that it is foolish to fight someone like that . However, I don’t have the intention of backing away either .

Didn’t you see Amako, that shit tried to drop a lump of poison into the village without hesitation . The poison is so deadly that even I can’t move for awhile . If a child or a woman inhales that, they’ll lose their lives in mere minutes .

In addition, the sludge is harmful enough to rot plants instantaneously .

Right now, it’s only intention is to destroy the village, but what if it dropped into Lukuvis or Lingle Kingdom? Aside from Lingle Kingdom where the rescue squad is there, but Lukuvis has many children who are vulnerable to it .

“What if that poison-sparging guy starts flying away and hits a nearby country? If that Wicked Dragon is the same as before, it would bring about an endless destruction . ”

“…… . B-But, Usato will die…… . ”

I won’t say some cheesy words that I wouldn’t die . But right now, I couldn’t find any words to reassure her in this situation .

Instead, I placed my hand on Amako’s head .

—— This doesn’t mean anything . However, this should allow her to understand that the fear I have for the Wicked Dragon has eased a little .

“You’ll get involved if you stay . ”

Her expression changed into a painful one and nodded before running back to where Bluerin was .

Well, my heart has become much lighter, should I go for it .

“Hm?”

When I turned to look at the dragon, I can see it stopping in an unnatural state .

It was slightly trembling… . . Is it hindered by something? As I tilted my neck, I found a beetroot red faced Neah staring at me on the roof .

She held her nose down and points at me with her index finger .

“I won’t forgive you anymore! ! Why must you always aim at me again and again, do you have a grudge against me or something?!?!”

Grudge is the only thing I have against you though .

Well, I understand what you’re trying to say—— but if you look at Neah who has regained her calmness and looked at the Wicked Dragon, she appears to be restraining the dragon .

So it is true that Neah is manipulating the dragon . I guess I was confused when she lost control of the zombie dragon, and the host of the body took control of the dragon instead .

… . . That means, if I manage to convince her, I might be able to do it .

“Hey Neah, this thing has a soul . It’s a monster you can’t handle . You should just return it to its original corpse before you can’t command it anymore . ”

Right now, it’s a dangerous state .

If she becomes upset and the Wicked Dragon’s consciousness resurfaces, this Neah would not be able to control the dragon anymore .

“Do you think I will be deceived by such an obvious lie?”

“It was trying to poison the village just now, and not me . If I hadn’t stopped it, Tetra and the rest would’ve been poisoned to death right about now . ”

“… . . T-That doesn’t concern me the slightest . Even if that was the truth, I’m a monster living for three hundred years, why would I worry about those measly humans? Did you think your words would inspire me?”

“Sigh… . ”

I’m pissed through and through .

What a troublesome kid . She really doesn’t act her age .

“Are you done talking? Then, come at me . ”

“We didn’t even have a proper conversation…… . ”

As Neah orders, the dragon glares at me with its chin swaying off .

Then, it tried to breath in the air on the spot . Doesn’t it realize that it can’t release its jaw to breathe?

Thinking that I should keep a distance from it, the dragon raises its head greatly and turns upwards .

“……Don’t tell me!”

The order Neah gave was an attack towards me .

At least if the attack was directed towards me, then I would have no problems .

However, judging by the way this shit is breathing in and opening its lower jaw, I knew exactly what it’s trying to do .

“Neah! Get away from there right now!”

“Eh?”

While wearing the Healing Magic around my entire body, I started running at the same time .

At that exact moment, the purple miasma overflowed from its mouth, as if a volcano was about to erupt, wrapping around it .

It doesn’t matter who the enemy is .

Currently, Neah is holding down the dragon, thus its trying to break it off .

It did not hesitate to spew miasma on her .

However, upon entering the miasma, a tremendous impact was struck on my body .

“————Wha…… . . !?”

I saw its tail slithering around like a snake at the corner of my eyes .

I’m gonna get hit… . . ? I wouldn’t be able to catch it normally, and my vision is getting narrower… . .

My visibility is getting poorer due to the miasma, and I was blown away without any means of blocking .

Furthermore, the tail that turned into a whip continued to smack on the ground where I was rolling .

“It hurts………!!”

Shit, somehow I was able to put up a defence on time, but I couldn’t concentrate well with the poison and injury on me…… . !

Combining with the spell from Neah and the attacks from the dragon, I have to escape from its area of attack soon .

I tried getting up whilst using Healing Magic, but the dragon, approaching at a position where it can look down on me, cross its huge arms .

“Ku……”

“Ku, Kakaka…… . Kakakka . ”

The dragon that can’t form sentences well to begin with, now with its jaws off, it was even more incomprehensible . What I do know is that it’s mocking me .

However, it didn’t like it that it couldn’t speak well, thus it held its swinging jaw with one of its arms, and the jaw was snapped back into place with a banging sound .

“I’ll gill you . ”

“… . . What the, you actually have a brain to talk?”

A writhing voice is emitted from the mouth of the Wicked Dragon .

While returning the irony from its eerie voice, the dragon who has distorted the end of its mouth finally comes close to my face .

“———I’ll, gill, hero . Not one, drop of blood, remains . ”

What? A hero? Who, me?

Why are you looking at me when I’m not the hero …? Don’t tell me, he thinks I am actually one?

“… . Y-You’re wrong… . I’m not the hero . ”

“You , a hero, outsider!”

You’re misunderstanding okaaayyyyyy! ! !

I’m not a hero, but just a crew member you knowwww! !

Also, an outsider?! I don’t know if that’s his basis of someone being a hero, but if that’s the case then everyone in the rescue squad is a hero! !

I really can’t hide the shock that this dragon is misunderstanding something so unreasonable .

“That’s why, gill . ”

Then again, I’m in a bit of a pickle .

While struggling to break this situation whilst also holding my foot, which is trying to crush me from a while ago .

However, before I could do anything, the dragon grabbed me and lifted up its huge arms, as if trying to swing it .

“Ah fuck, I’m going to di——–”

At that moment, I was hit with the same impact as when the leader attacks me with all her might .