Chapter 219
“Bibeong!”
This was the Royal Palace of Magenta, the royal capital.
…2,500 meters above it.
Bibeong’s shout rang out from that dizzying height.
And he latched firmly onto the Bone Dragon’s spine and ribs.
Crack!
It helped that the Bone Dragon was nothing but bones.
There were plenty of places to grab.
Bibeong’s hands were clumsier than a human’s when it came to gripping things, but against a Bone Dragon, anywhere his hands reached turned into a handle.
‘What?’
Targa—the soul of the Black Wizard lodged inside the Bone Dragon—froze.
‘What is this?’
He was dumbfounded.
No, it was absurd.
A man rode in on a sparrow, threw a beaver, and the beaver instantly grew to a hundred meters and tried to body-press him.
If someone told that story anywhere, they’d be laughed out of the room.
And if someone had said something that ridiculous to Targa?
He would’ve told them to shut up and cursed them with Black Magic.
That was how absurd this situation felt to him.
Unfortunately, it was real.
A true event.
A fact.
In other words, the Bone Dragon had been properly caught by Bibeong.
“Bibeong!”
Bibeong strained.
He squeezed the Bone Dragon even tighter.
He put strength into his plump backside.
Pressed the Bone Dragon’s back down with his chubby belly.
The wing joints were pinned under his belly fat.
Flapping became nearly impossible.
‘G-grrr! Get off!’
Horrified, Targa reacted a beat late.
He twisted his entire body, trying to shake Bibeong off.
But Bibeong’s grip was stronger than he’d expected.
Because of his weight.
‘He’s much heavier than I thought?’
Thinking about it, that was obvious.
The Bone Dragon was about two hundred meters long.
Nearly twice Bibeong’s hundred meters.
So its weight should have been far greater.
But when it came to substance, it was a different story.
‘Is this beaver heavier than me?’
Only then did Targa understand.
This body was called a Bone Dragon for a reason—only bones remained.
So for its length, it was practically skinny as an anchovy.
And the tail made up a huge portion of its total length.
Compared to that, Bibeong?
He was all mass.
A plump backside.
A chubby belly.
Puffy cheeks.
There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t soft.
There wasn’t a part of him that didn’t jiggle.
And on top of that, the muscles that carried all that weight were basically built in.
In other words, no matter how large the Bone Dragon was, it couldn’t compete with the overwhelming weight of unleashed fat.
With that tremendous weight and belly fat, Bibeong hugged the Bone Dragon and pinned its wing joints down.
Finally, the Bone Dragon stopped flapping.
In other words, the fall began.
“Bibeong—!”
‘Grrr!’
2,000 meters above the ground.
The Bone Dragon twisted its long neck and tried to bite the beaver clinging to its back.
Bibeong ducked his round head.
Then he bit down on the Bone Dragon’s neck bone with his huge front teeth.
“Bibeong—!”
‘Grrr!’
1,300 meters above the ground.
The Bone Dragon swung its tail.
Like a whip, it lashed Bibeong across the back with its long, flexible tail.
Bibeong countered with his own tail.
Wide and flat—like a giant oar.
Perfect for shielding his whole body.
The Bone Dragon’s tail bounced off Bibeong’s tail as if it had struck a shield.
“Bibeong!”
‘Grrr!’
500 meters above the ground.
Sensing the approaching impact, the Bone Dragon attempted one last reversal.
It tensed its entire body and tried to flip over.
It didn’t work.
No special reason.
Bibeong was simply too fat.
In other words, crushed under 3,000 tons—
The Bone Dragon plunged toward the ground with no brakes.
“Bibeong—!”
‘D-damn it!’
…!
There was no roar.
For a moment, everyone watching felt as if the world had flipped upside down.
Then the sound, the vibration, and the dust storm slammed into them a beat later.
BOOM!
More than 4,000 tons fell with tremendous kinetic energy.
The ground shook as if the entire area had become one living thing.
A shockwave burst outward in all directions.
Trees toppled.
The guards clapped hands over their ears to protect their eardrums.
“Get down!”
“Ugh!”
Only after a long moment did the dust storm begin to clear.
The guards coughed, some staggering as they pushed themselves back up.
Among them was Queen Alicia, her eyes shining coldly.
“…”
She wasn’t staring blankly at the crash site like the others.
Instead, she raised her fierce gaze.
Through the thinning dust, she watched the large sparrow circling in the sky.
‘Lloyd Frontera.’
Earlier, when she had called for him, he’d run away like his tail was on fire.
She had been genuinely disappointed.
So was he trying to pull something like this?
Had he deliberately made it look like he was fleeing?
‘Tch. What a bizarre fellow.’
The Queen let out a small chuckle.
Still, it was fortunate.
She had truly been at a loss.
How was she supposed to deal with a Bone Dragon?
She hadn’t even found a way to begin, and despair had nearly swallowed her whole.
Then that man appeared, right on time.
And with a mythical beast, he pulled off a daring act that was hard to believe.
‘Falling from that height, crushed under a giant mythical creature…’
Her gaze dropped to the crash site.
No matter how strong the Bone Dragon was, it couldn’t have come out unscathed after being crushed and dropped from that height.
No—maybe that single blow had subdued it.
Just as that hope stirred—
Crackle…
Something huge rose from the thick dust.
A gray silhouette bristling with protruding bones.
The Bone Dragon.
“…!”
Whoosh!
Its whip-like tail swept across the ground.
“Ugh!”
She barely dodged.
But the follow-up attack left her no room.
Because as she jumped to avoid the tail—
A wing as massive as a fan swept through the space, scything across everything.
WHOOOOSH!
The Queen clenched her teeth.
No way to avoid it.
No way to block it.
Then—
‘This is the only way!’
Goosebumps raced up her spine as she gripped her sword hilt.
She would meet it.
Collide with it.
Even if this was the end, she would end her life fighting to the last breath.
She swung her sword with a firm resolve.
No—she was about to.
When someone suddenly grabbed the back of her neck.
“Your Majesty!”
Thud!
“…!”
Someone seized the back of her neck and yanked her back without ceremony.
Her whole body was dragged away.
The Queen recoiled, pulling back the sword she’d been about to swing.
She turned her head.
And saw him.
“Lloyd Frontera?”
He had one hand on the back of her neck.
The other gripped the reins.
Above them, the large sparrow beat its wings desperately.
In other words, Lloyd was hauling her along mid-flight, dragging her by the scruff.
“Grrr! Don’t struggle!”
If you’re heavy and you struggle, I’ll drop you.
That threat was practically written into his tone.
The Queen relaxed her body and shifted her gaze.
Toward the massive wings chasing after them.
WHOOOOSH!
‘Oh my god.’
Is this what a fly feels like, seeing a flyswatter coming straight at it?
Cliff-sized wings swept in like a broom, raking the air itself.
The sight was dizzying.
But at least they had the mobility to shake it off.
“Ggoming!”
“A little more, Ggoming! Go!”
“Ggoming—!”
The sparrow flapped like its life depended on it.
Explosive acceleration.
The distance from the sweeping wings widened.
Then the sparrow folded its wings and dove.
It dropped so low it nearly scraped the ground—flight bordering on acrobatics.
Swoosh!
The huge wing bones passed less than a meter above her head.
The Queen exhaled, shaking off the lingering goosebumps, and climbed onto the sparrow’s back.
“Your Majesty, are you unharmed?”
“Yes. Thank you. I owe you my life.”
“I’m glad.”
Lloyd truly meant it.
‘It’d be troublesome if the Queen died here.’
Queen Alicia was an uncomfortable boss who dumped work on him at every opportunity.
But at the same time, she was a reliable supporter and backer.
She didn’t suspect treason over trivial matters.
She even provided generous support to his territory.
‘You don’t meet someone like that easily.’
If she weren’t always trying to use him, she’d be an ideal monarch.
But if he lost her here?
And someone strange took the throne?
There was no guarantee the next ruler would be friendly to him.
That was why.
‘The Queen can’t die here. And neither can Javier.’
Lloyd drove Ggoming out of the Bone Dragon’s immediate range and looked down.
The Bone Dragon was rampaging.
Bibeong was staggering—probably from the aftereffects of that body press.
He swept past, scooped up Javier, and kept moving.
Still, it was too early to relax.
‘Now is the important part. Speed is life.’
He was running—no, flying—away like this.
With the Queen and Javier aboard.
First, get out safely.
That was why he’d come back.
Lloyd shouted boldly.
“Then let’s go!”
“Where to?”
The Queen’s question came back immediately.
Lloyd licked his lips.
“To a better battlefield!”
“A new battlefield?”
“That’s right. This place has the grand garden we poured our lives into, and the Royal Palace and the royal capital are right here—innocent citizens, too!”
He delivered the lines he’d prepared.
Fortunately, the Queen reacted positively.
“Lloyd Frontera. Are you concerned for the safety of innocent citizens who may be swept up in this disaster?”
“That’s right!”
“And you intend to lure that monster out of the royal capital?”
“That’s also right!”
“Good. I approve your plan.”
“Your grace is—”
“Don’t get overwhelmed. Hurry.”
“Understood!”
That was fortunate.
Permission granted.
Lloyd clenched the reins, determined to see this through.
“Ggoming!”
“Ggoming?”
“Let’s go!”
“Ggoming—!”
Whoosh—Ggoming’s speed surged.
Lloyd glanced back at the Bone Dragon.
‘Good. It’s going according to plan.’
The Queen trusted him.
So now—
Time to execute properly.
‘So keep running away.’
Far away.
Far away outside the royal capital.
Farther.
Somewhere that really was a better battlefield.
If possible, he wanted to keep running for three whole days.
‘Fight? Why fight that thing? I should just keep playing tag and never stop running.’
Honestly, Lloyd had no intention of confronting the Bone Dragon at all.
He planned to keep kiting it like this.
If possible—
‘I’m flying beyond the border. Somewhere completely far from this royal capital. So the people here, and the Queen, will all be safe.’
Then it was done.
And as a bonus, maybe the Bone Dragon would be dealt with.
How?
‘Gafel Province. I have to go there. I heard there’s someone there who’s stronger than the Bone Dragon.’
Lloyd suddenly remembered an existence briefly mentioned in Iron Blooded Knight.
Gafel Province.
A small, neutral country that looked ordinary on the surface.
But something enormous lurked there.
‘Verkis. The Dragon King, I think.’
Dragon King Verkis.
The strongest dragon ever recorded in the history books of the Lorasia continent.
It was only mentioned briefly.
Almost a passing rumor, only once, even in the novel.
So he’d forgotten it.
That he remembered it now was practically a miracle.
‘Still, that’s enough.’
Lloyd decided to place his hope in that single mention.
A Dragon King.
If he was a king, he would care about the affairs of his own kind.
He would be responsible.
So if a Bone Dragon came rampaging in a skeletal state—
‘In human terms, it’d be like dragging a rampaging zombie or skeleton soldier right in front of a king. Things will take care of themselves. He’s the Dragon King. He won’t just watch a Bone Dragon go on a rampage. He’ll order it dealt with, or step in and crush it himself.’
That was how Lloyd saw it.
‘And even if that plan fails, it doesn’t matter.’
The rumor could be wrong.
The Dragon King might not be there.
But it didn’t matter.
‘Then I go to Plan B. I ditch the Bone Dragon somewhere deserted.’
Either way, the escape was complete.
Of course, the Bone Dragon would rampage after that.
But it would still be easier to deal with later than it was right now.
Because everyone would gain time while he dragged the Bone Dragon around and led it toward Gafel Province.
‘It’ll take at least three days to reach Gafel Province. In that time, news will spread across the kingdom—not just the royal capital. No, the entire Sultanate and neighboring countries will hear.’
Then everyone could prepare.
They could raise armies.
They could brace for the Bone Dragon’s approach.
At least it would be a more organized response than the Queen trying to stop it alone with a single sword.
‘That’s how I buy time. It benefits everyone. So why fight here and die? Of course I run!’
It was perfectly rational.
Perfectly wise.
Satisfied, Lloyd urged Ggoming to fly harder.
Then he looked back at the Bone Dragon.
So it would chase him.
So it would get so enraged it would fixate on him.
So it would pursue him for days.
First, he needed to grab its attention.
“Javier, lend me your sword for a moment.”
He borrowed Javier’s longsword.
Below, the Bone Dragon rampaged.
Lloyd circled it, raised the sword, and stabbed at the air.
Boom!
Triple Detonation exploded.
It tore through dozens of meters of space and slammed into the back of the Bone Dragon’s head.
Boom!
Struck out of nowhere, the Bone Dragon’s skull lurched—staggering, but enduring.