Chapter 984
[Kkeueueueueu!]
Desius trembled, his rhomboid pupils shaking as if sheer terror crawled up from his spine just from Raon’s presence.
-Hmm!
Wrath clicked his tongue, examining Desius’s entire body from head to tail.
-He’s plump! Lots of fat! The flavor will be incredible once we grill him!
He smacked his lips, saying all that was left was to season him properly now that the Light Wind had “tenderized” him.
‘You have no right to call me crazy…’
Seasoning the wounds where Sword Aura was still embedded—Wrath was completely unhinged.
Puh-wuh-wuh-wuh!
Raon severed Desius’s horn with the Soul Requiem Sword, its blue flame scorching as it sliced clean through.
[Heueueu…]
Desius felt his entire frame shrink. His toughest horn had been cut as if it were nothing.
“The Dragon Lord visited you recently, didn’t he?”
Raon looked down with a calm that made it worse for the dragon.
[Y-You… how did you know…?]
Desius swallowed hard, his massive eyes darting.
‘So he did.’
Just as expected, the Dragon Lord had been visiting Ancient Dragons and giving orders.
‘This one will be easy to extract information from.’
Desius didn’t know Latiru had already leaked everything. Given the chaos in his head, Raon intended to use that confusion.
“Shut up and answer.”
Raon pulled the Divine Sword from the sand.
Hwaaaaaaa!
Heat shimmered across the blade as it grazed Desius’s face. Blood burst from beneath his eyes.
[Eueum….]
Terrified, Desius slowly opened his maw.
[Yes. He came some time ago.]
He answered immediately, believing Raon already knew.
“He told you to prepare for war, didn’t he?”
Raon tapped the Soul Requiem Sword lightly.
[N-No. How do you know…?]
Desius’s jaw trembled so violently that the sand surged around him.
[What are you? Are you the blond-haired, red-eyed human the Lord warned us about…?]
He froze mid-breath. The answer was already in Raon’s appearance.
‘The one he meant isn’t me—it’s Grandfather.’
It was Glenn, not Raon, that the Dragon Lord feared.
‘So they really are preparing for war.’
Dragons—supposed mediators of the world—were aiding the Four Demons.
‘Crazy lizards.’
-Didn’t this king tell you?
Wrath scoffed.
-They’re useless except for eating! Ecological disasters! Kill on sight!
Raon chuckled and pressed his foot onto Desius’s snout.
“What else did he say?”
[T-That’s all. He said to prepare for war and to beware of you.]
Desius truly seemed to think he was Glenn.
“That can’t be everything.”
Raon brought the Soul Requiem Sword closer, flames licking the dragon’s eyes.
[I-It’s true! He said a great war is coming and told me to gather more guardians! That’s all!]
“How annoying.”
Raon stabbed the inside of Desius’s gums.
Puh-wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh!
Crimson blood gushed as frost sliced into tender flesh.
[Keuaaaaaaaa!]
Desius thrashed wildly, screaming in agony he had never known.
‘Trash like him deserves no mercy.’
He had enslaved humans and dwarves in a hellish underground furnace.
Even someone like Raon had felt suffocated by the heat. For ordinary people and dwarves? It must have been pure torture.
“You’d better talk. I’m impatient.”
Raon gave a cold smile.
[Heueueueu!]
Desius rolled his eyes desperately.
[Ah—come to think of it….]
Raon flicked his chin.
“Speak.”
[When I asked when the war would start, he said the humans under the volcano weren’t ready yet.]
“Under the volcano?”
[Yes. He said he’d later tell me where that was after meeting you directly….]
‘A volcano…’
Finally, a clue.
“Who’s under the volcano?”
[I-I don’t know! He didn’t tell me!]
‘Shame.’
Knowing the identity of which Demon faction hid there would have been ideal.
‘But one thing is certain.’
Raon looked up at the golden sky.
‘The Dragon Lord knows the locations of all Four Demons.’
“Okay. What else?”
[T-There’s nothing more!]
“That can’t be.”
[It’s true! I said everything!]
Raon raised the Soul Requiem Sword again.
“I’ll just ask your body, then.”
He stabbed both swords beneath Desius’s scales.
Hwaaaaaaaa!
Heat and cold surged explosively.
[Keuaaaaaaaa!]
The dragon convulsed violently.
-Hey!
Wrath flailed.
‘Don’t stop me. He tortured innocent—’
-Not that! If you stress him too much, the meat will get tough!
Raon stared blankly.
‘What am I supposed to do with this glutton…?’
—
Raon inspected Desius’s mangled neck and face.
‘It seems he truly knows nothing else.’
Even stabbing his tongue with frost hadn’t produced more.
[Heueueueu….]
“Desius.”
[Kkeueuk!]
He cowered at just Raon’s gaze.
“One last question.”
Raon pointed downward.
“Where is the Dragon Lord’s lair?”
If he could eliminate the Lord first, he would automatically learn all Four Demons’ locations.
[I-I don’t know.]
“You don’t know?”
[T-The Lord comes to us. He never summons us to his lair.]
He shook his blood-soaked snout.
[Dragons don’t care for each other’s lairs anyway….]
‘He’s telling the truth.’
-Of course. Dragons don’t even blink when an Ancient Dragon dies.
“Alright then. This is it.”
Raon lifted the Soul Requiem Sword.
[W-What… what do you mean it’s it…?]
“You said you’d spare me—!”
“When did I say that?”
Raon smirked.
“The only way you could’ve survived was killing those guys.”
He pointed at the Light Wind Palace.
“I never promised you’d live for answering questions.”
[Iik….]
Desius trembled.
[N-No!]
“Goodbye.”
Chwaaaaaak!
A crisp tearing sound echoed as a blue line traced across his neck.
Paaaaaaa!
The frozen neck shattered like glass.
[Ah….]
The Ancient Dragon collapsed lifelessly onto the cold desert.
Kuuuuuung!
Raon wiped both his Heavenly Drive and Soul Requiem Sword clean.
-This king knows. You would’ve killed him even if he won.
‘Of course.’
‘Trash deserves no breath.’
Raon glanced at the Light Wind swordsmen and smiled faintly.
‘They’ve gained confidence. Experience.’
-There’s more! Dragon barbecue! Red Dragon meat! The finest!
“Haa….”
How did Wrath turn into this?
—
Burren exhaled with relief.
“I really thought I was going to die.”
“I almost peed myself,” Martha muttered.
“It was too hot…” Runaan groaned.
Krein sighed weakly.
Eueuheuheu—
Dorian laughed strangely while examining the corpse. He seemed already happy at the thought of putting that corpse in his pouch.
“He’s insane…” Trevin muttered.
“That’s how he survives here,” Mark Gorton said calmly.
“U-um…”
As Raon sheathed Heavenly Drive and Soul Requiem Sword, the freed captives approached.
“I-I’m sorry we doubted you!”
“We didn’t recognize our benefactor!”
“Please forgive us!”
“It’s fine.”
Raon smiled gently.
‘To them, Desius was demon and god.’
Their reaction was natural.
“Thank you for saving us.”
Latiru knelt.
“I will repay this.”
“We will too!”
The dwarves bowed deeply.
The Light Wind Palace waved their hands, smiling.
Paaaaaaa!
As the dwarves rose, their eyes gleamed.
“Benefactor! Can we see your sword?!”
“Where did you learn such swordsmanship?!”
“What about the dragon’s corpse?! We can forge armor!”
They swarmed like starving beasts.
“T-That’s for later…”
Raon sighed and looked at the barren desert.
“We need to leave before dark.”
He scanned them.
“Tell me where you lived. I’ll send you home.”
“Our mountain was destroyed by Desius…”
Latiru bit his lip.
“Please take us into your forces!”
“Please!”
Dozens of dwarves bowed.
Some clearly just wanted to study his swordsmanship.
“I’m not the lord of my family. I can only bring your wishes.”
Raon looked at the rescued humans.
“O-Our village was destroyed too…”
The old man trembled.
“Then we all move together.”
Raon nodded.
“First—we clean what remains here.”
Of course, they had to take Desius’s corpse along with the mountain of wealth he had accumulated.
“That’s right! We know where everything is—we’ll get it for you!”
Latiru rolled up his sleeves with determination.
“Finally, it’s our turn to do something!”
“Let’s take care of that damn dragon’s corpse first!”
The dwarves licked their lips, eager to butcher the dragon and help gather the remaining spoils.
“Ah, no need.”
Raon gestured behind him.
“Dorian.”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!”
Dorian snapped to attention, then opened his subspace pocket in front of Desius’s corpse.
“Huh…?”
“W-What are you doing?”
“You can’t fit an entire dragon in a subspace pocket…”
The dwarves blinked, speechless.
“It’s fine!”
Dorian confidently grabbed Desius’s tail. The moment he pushed the tip inside—
Whoooosh!
The gigantic corpse, large enough to cover the desert, vanished into the pocket in an instant.
“…Huh?”
“I-Is that even possible?”
“What kind of subspace pocket is that…?”
“M-Monster! He’s a monster!”
The hostages and dwarves stared, stunned—far more overwhelmed than when the Light Wind Palace defeated Desius.
-What! You’re not eating him right now?
Wrath waved eagerly, demanding Desius be grilled on the spot.
‘The rescued people are exhausted. We need to rest first.’
Raon soothed him with a gesture.
-Then feed me something else! I’ve starved all day!
‘No.’
-Anything! Hurry!
Wrath threw a tantrum.
Then—
[You have succeeded in hunting an Ancient Dragon.]
[All stats increase by 10 points.]
[Trait acquired: …]
[Title acquired: …]
Raon looked at the blue message and nodded at Wrath.
‘Here. Something for you to eat.’
He pointed at the glowing window.
-No! Why is THIS popping up? They killed it, not you!
Wrath shrieked, furious that Raon had received the system rewards.
‘True. It was not me but them who did the hardwork… Ah! Wait. I delivered the last hit.’
Raon snapped his fingers. He was the one who executed Desius.
-L-Last hit?! What is that nonsense?! You trash system! This king never approved that!
Wrath raged at the sky.
Raon ignored him and focused on the final message.
‘A new title…’
Dragon Killer?