(Heartfelt thanks to 'Xu Yan Ci' for the 1888 reward, and to 'Lei Xiang,' 'Long Lian Qingxue,' 'Tenkuu no Sensesu,' 'Mu Yizhi,' 'Li Xing,' 'Yang Hehe,' 'World's End Ballad,' 'Berrycake,' and 'Twelve Star Festival' for their rewards!)
—Pain.
That was how Noah felt right now.
No.
Rather, after the Three-Headed Dragon's claw had pierced his abdomen and sent him plunging into magma, even after losing consciousness, the excruciating pain had continued to assault his mind. It made Noah feel as though the Three-Headed Dragon's claw was still lodged inside him, never having been pulled out. It was agonizing.
Yet that agony told Noah something.
He was still alive.
Only the living could feel pain.
Only the living could feel suffering.
So, as he felt that pain, Noah could not exactly say he was enjoying it, but it did give him a sense of relief.
Once he had calmed down, it felt as though he kept dreaming in his subconscious. One sentence echoed endlessly in his mind.
—You defeated me, yet you did not overcome the Final Trial of Humanity—
Those were the final words left to him by the Demon King named Azi Dahaka.
What exactly did those words mean?
Noah could roughly understand.
(Surpassing that lizard in strength alone isn't enough to kill him?)
Simply put, he had not fulfilled the conditions required to kill Azi Dahaka.
In terms of a Grace Game, Noah had not met the victory conditions.
That was why, even after killing Azi Dahaka, that demonic dragon had still revived and dealt Noah a fatal blow.
(I let my guard down because no contract document appeared, but thinking about it carefully... that guy was a Demon King too.)
The Demon King named Azi Dahaka had actually begun his own Grace Game long ago.
That Grace