Dark Dragon

"This dwarf who looks so much like Ize might just be his great-great-great-grandfather."

Hearing Shane's remark, Frieren nodded.

It was truly a possibility.

Although Ize was born in the Blade region of the Central Nations, it was unknown whether his ancestors hailed from the Neck Mountains of the Southern Nations.

The illusion in the hall dissipated amidst a roar, and as the scene shifted, Shane and Frieren felt their hearts tighten at a single glance.

Outside the hall, the sounds of battle were incessant; inside, the aged Dwarf King sat alone upon his throne, accompanied only by the human girl in fitted armor from before.

"King Alan, the Demon Race has breached the castle gates. This place cannot hold much longer; you must leave now."

"Leave... my warriors are fighting on the front lines. How could I possibly leave?"

"But!"

King Alan raised a hand to cut the girl off. He stood up unsteadily, surveyed the empty hall, and let out a deep sigh.

"My dear child, you go."

"The history of the Dwarf Kingdom ends today, and as the last king, I should be buried alongside it."

The girl wanted to say more, but the King smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Rest assured, even if only these old bones remain, I will make sure the Demon Race gets a proper taste of a dwarf's fist."

The girl could not sway him, and in the end, she left, looking back with every step.

Only the lonely figure of King Alan remained in the vast, empty hall.

He looked around, pacing slowly through the hall as if wanting to take one last look at the palace where he had spent his entire life before his end.

Finally, he returned to his seat and waited quietly for the arrival of the Demon Race.

Moments later, the doors of the Golden Hall were smashed open by the Demon Race. A large number of demonic beasts surged in first, their mouths stained with blood and scraps of flesh still clinging to their teeth.

Behind the beasts, a tall figure walked forward slowly.

The figure was shrouded in thick black mist, making his features impossible to discern, but the aura radiating from his entire body made it clear that he was immensely powerful.

Beside the mist-shrouded figure followed a Demon Race member who looked like a young boy; judging by his appearance, it was none other than the Bloody War God, Rivalei.

Rivalei carried a weapon for the figure in the black mist, following him step by step.

Shane was somewhat startled.

If Rivalei was a high-ranking demon who had lived for so long, then wouldn't the figure in the black mist have lived even longer?

Moreover, to make the future strongest warrior of the Demon Race so respectful—who exactly was this figure in the black mist? Could it be the Demon King?

Once all the demons had gathered, the Dwarf King on the throne let out an abrupt laugh, his aged voice echoing out: "It seems I won't be losing out today."

With that, without giving them any chance for pleasantries, the Dwarf King twisted a lever on his throne, and the doors of the entire hall slammed shut immediately.

The earth began to tremble.

An incredibly complex magic seal appeared on the floor in the center of the hall. A flash of blue light passed, the seal was broken, and the floor began to twist and shift as if it were alive, appearing as though it were melting.

A dragon's roar erupted from beneath the floor.

In an instant, the Demon Race realized they had been outmaneuvered by the Dwarf King.

The young boy Rivalei immediately handed the weapon he was holding to the figure in the black mist and bravely stood in front of him.

Unfortunately, he was far too weak at that time.

From beneath their feet came the breath of a great dragon, which transformed into a gale that howled throughout the hall.

The weaker demonic beasts were instantly reduced to ash.

The slightly stronger demons were blown off balance by the gale, and the young boy Rivalei was sent flying, crashing into the closed doors and falling unconscious.

The figure in the black mist barely managed to steady himself. Ignoring the roar of the dragon beneath his feet, he drew his weapon and charged straight at the Dwarf King.

The Dwarf King smiled as he watched the figure in the black mist approach, blade in hand. Finally, the blade pierced through his chest without mercy.

He did not struggle, smiling as he met his death.

"You man-eating beasts can go to hell along with the Dark Dragon!"

Before his words had even faded, a massive black dragon burst through the floor beneath them.

The dragon was gargantuan; just by poking its head out, it filled half the hall. It had four sharp, massive horns on its head and was covered in pitch-black scales. Its face was hideous, its eyes terrifying, and it radiated an aura of pure evil from head to toe.

ROAR—

The dragon bellowed.

Even while watching the illusion, Shane felt as if his ears were about to be deafened.

Before him, many of the demons closest to the Dark Dragon were instantly shattered and reduced to ash.

Immediately following, the dragon took a deep breath and exhaled scorching flames, incinerating everything in the hall.

The figure in the black mist flashed forward, blocking the path of the Dark Dragon and raising a dense shroud of black mist to contend with the flames.

The two sides were evenly matched.

Black mist and flames refused to yield to one another.

Suddenly, the Dark Dragon withdrew its flames, whipped its head around, and began to crush everyone with its massive body.

The Demon Race suffered another wave of casualties.

The figure within the black mist drew a sword to parry, a fierce aura erupting from their body as the longsword in their hand unleashed a blinding flash of silver-white lightning, striking directly at the dragon's head.

The sharp blade collided with the dragon's horn.

A harsh, metallic screech rang out.

The dragon, stung by the pain, thrashed its body wildly, crushing even more of the Demon Race to death.

The figure in the black mist continued to channel power and press down, pinning the longsword firmly against the Dark Dragon's skull.

Snap!

A crisp sound echoed.

One of the Dark Dragon's horns had been cleanly severed.

Injured, the Dark Dragon roared in fury and flew into a berserk rage, opening its maw wide as scorching flames instantly filled the entire hall. Amidst the raging inferno, the remaining members of the Demon Race writhed in agony, attempting to destroy the gates to escape, but to no avail.

The gates remained tightly shut, immovable.

Witnessing all of this, Shane felt as though he were about to be roasted alive.

Frieren, standing beside him, felt the same; unable to bear it any longer, she immediately cast a Defense Magic upon herself.

Seeing this, Shane followed suit and hurriedly cast [Goddess's Barrier] on himself.

Within the sea of fire, the illusion slowly dissipated.

They had returned once more to the archaic hall they had just stepped into.

In the empty hall, covered in dust and cobwebs, the dragon and the flames had all vanished.

Before Shane could regain his senses, a white, ethereal soul suddenly appeared upon the throne ahead.

It was none other than the deceased Dwarf King.

The white soul laughed and said, "You man-eating beasts can go to hell along with the [Dark Dragon]!"

Bang.

The gates behind the two slammed shut.

On the ground, the blue magic seal they had already seen in the illusion lit up, and immediately after, the entire floor began to twist and melt as a terrifying dragon's roar rose from beneath their feet.

Shane was horrified!

No, how could the illusion be coming true?!

Wait!

Dwarf King, you've lost your mind!

We aren't the Demon Race!!!