Rumble!!!
The soaring power surged soaring into the sky that even Eris, who hadn't gone far, noticed it.
The sky behind them changed color because of their battle; the horizon in the direction of the Red Dragon's jaw was stained into a chaotic mess.
The dark golden light and crimson fire clouds intertwined and surged, like a boiling cauldron.
Although Eris didn't see the specific scene, she could imagine how fierce a battle was taking place there at that moment.
At this moment, Eris noticed that Rudeus was showing signs of waking up. After being healed by Luo Ge with healing magic, Rudeus's injuries had been mostly healed.
Eris called out cautiously, "... Rude... Rudeus? Are you alright?"
"Cough cough!"
"... Is that Eris?"
Rudeus, clutching his chest and coughing violently, struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurry for a while before focusing.
"It's me, Rudeus!"
" Eris... am I dead?"
" Rudeus, you're not dead..."
"Hmm, you're not dead!"
"Oh, by the way, it was Luo Ge who saved you just now."
Rudeus then remembered that in the last moments before he fell into a coma, he seemed to have seen Luo Ge's shadow.
It wasn't a dream; he really came to save me.
"... And what about Luo Ge?"
Rudeus asked cautiously.
Eris opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She subconsciously glanced in the direction of the Red Dragon's jaw.
Just then, Rudeus also noticed the intense fighting sounds coming from the other side.
The ground was trembling slightly, and bursts of light kept exploding in the distant sky, accompanied by rumbling sounds like muffled thunder.
"So... Eris... Luo Ge fought that Dragon God to save me?"
Even without Eris saying it, Rudeus had already guessed this outcome.
If it were just an ordinary enemy, it wouldn't be so bad, but after personally witnessing what a terrifying enemy the Dragon God was, Rudeus was filled with worry for Luo Ge.
Should he leave so secretly?
To leave with a clear conscience, and then abandon Luo Ge to face that powerful, unknown enemy alone?
It's clearly safer to run away... after all, that kind of enemy is simply beyond human capability to defeat.
Escape is the best option.
However, after a moment's hesitation, damn it, he simply couldn't do it! Rudeus looked in the direction of the Red Dragon's jaw, his eyes gradually hardening.
" Rudeus, what are you going to do?" Eris asked.
" Eris, I need to go back and help Luo Ge."
Rudeus spoke to her, then struggled to his feet, not in a hurry to rush back.
He noticed the unconscious Rujierd at his feet, and ultimately, Rujierd had also become like this because of him, implicated by him.
So, Rudeus, still worried, checked on the injured and unconscious Rujierd.
Then he was surprised to find that although Rujierd had suffered many injuries, miraculously... none of them were fatal.
After treating the most severe wounds with healing magic.
Soon after, Rujierd woke up from his coma.
"... Rudeus? Where are we? Where is that terrible guy?!"
Rudeus then told Rujierd about how Luo Ge had saved the three of them.
After listening, Rujierd fell into deep thought, a complex emotion flashing in his deep eyes.
However, before he could think further, Rudeus had already made up his mind and said to his two companions beside him.
" Rujierd, take Eris with you and leave. Send her back to her hometown for me; that will fulfill your promise."
"Huh?"
" Rudeus?!"
Why... why would you say that?
Eris stood frozen in place, her face full of confusion, watching Rudeus turn and leave without hesitation.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Rujierd asked, "... By the way, are you going back?"
"Um."
Rudeus nodded, gripping the Arrogant Water Dragon King tightly. "I need to go back and help Luo Ge... After all, it's just too unfair to let him face such a terrifying enemy alone."
"And... and more importantly, he did it to save me. I can't just watch him sacrifice himself for me."
Rudeus, then, not daring to look at Eris, kept his head down. "I'm sorry, Eris... I may not be able to fulfill my promise to you. Mr. Rujierd, please, Eris... she..."
"Please wait a moment, Rudeus... We also have something to say."
Rudeus thought that Rujierd and Eris would persuade him to stay, and just as he had thought of his reasons for refusing,
result.
Eris immediately showed an expression of admiration. "As expected of Rudeus! I knew you wouldn't run away... Even against such a formidable opponent, Rudeus still had the courage to face him!"
"... Add me to the mix too."
Rujierd, gun in hand, stood up again. Although his injuries had only recently begun to heal, his posture remained upright.
"Although I'm no match for that kind of guy, I might be able to help keep him occupied for a bit."
Looking at Eris and Rujierd, Rudeus felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He didn't say anything more, and took the three men back.
The closer the three got to the Red Dragon's jaw, the more they could hear the sounds of battle raging inside.
Even from several kilometers away, the roaring sound was so loud it hurt people's eardrums.
Not far away, groups of Red Dragon fled outwards, their overwhelming crimson wings obscuring half the sky.
It's hard to imagine just how earth-shattering the battle is taking place in the lower jaw of the Red Dragon.
When Rudeus and his party arrived at the edge of the Red Dragon's jaw, they were also stunned by what they saw.
The area is littered with traces of bombing, and most of the rock walls have collapsed.
The ground looked as if it had been scalded by a small nuclear bomb; there was hardly a single intact cliff face to be found.
Inside the passage beneath the Red Dragon's jaw, Luo Ge and the Dragon God Orsted had long since disappeared.
Damn it!
Where did they go?
"Look! They're on the cliff!"
The magic eye on Rujierd's forehead glowed faintly, and suddenly, as if sensing something, it pointed towards the northwest corner of his head.
Everyone peered over and saw two figures engaged in a breathtaking battle in the valley above the Red Dragon's jaw.
To their surprise...
Luo Ge was unharmed and unaffected by the pressure... but the Dragon God Orsted, one of the Seven Great Powers, had his upper body clothes blown open, revealing his solid but scarred chest.
A ferocious expression suddenly appeared on that usually stern face.
Luo Ge is unstoppable, slaying gods and Buddhas alike... Every perfectly timed swing of her sword seems divinely inspired.
Swish, swish, swish--
Under the relentless attacks of Luo Ge, a mere mortal, even the Dragon God, whose strength rivals that of a deity, is now forced to temporarily retreat.
Everyone was stunned by what they saw.
The legendary Dragon God Orsted, one of the Seven Great Powers, was actually being overwhelmed by Luo Ge, a human swordsman?
They... did they see correctly?
With each strike of Luo Ge's blade, not only did large areas of the surrounding valley collapse, but the Dragon God, bare-chested... also suffered more and more sword wounds.
"Holy crap? It's... it's open, isn't it?"
Rudeus was dumbfounded, too shocked to speak. So... so this was his younger brother's true strength?
Eris's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, that's amazing! No wonder he's Rudeus's brother!"
Not to mention those two people who hadn't seen much of the world, even Rujierd, who was standing to the side, showed an expression of awe.
"That's truly incredible."
"Seriously... someone can actually fight a monster like the Dragon God to a standstill..."
Having truly fought the Dragon God and been completely overwhelmed, Rujierd is the one here with the clearest understanding of the Dragon God's strength.
The Dragon God's strength is unfathomable...
His Emperor Rank combat power was completely insignificant in front of his opponent, but unexpectedly, even someone as powerful as the Dragon God was now constantly retreating in front of a young man.
monster.
Honestly... both of them are monsters.
Rujierd also made no attempt to hide his deep amazement.
When the scene shifts and the perspective returns to the battle between Luo Ge and the Dragon God, the battle in the valley has reached a fever pitch.
Suddenly, after Luo Ge unleashed a series of slashes... not only was the Dragon God successfully forced back, but he even had one of his arms severed off.
Instantly.
The entire venue erupted in cheers!
Rudeus, in particular, clutched his chest, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost screamed out loud.
Did they win that?
It seems like Luo Ge doesn't need their help and should be able to win, right?
However... Rujierd's gaze suddenly changed.
"Wrong!"
"... Something's definitely not right!"
"What's wrong? What's wrong, Rujierd?"
The speaker was Eris, who looked at Rujierd beside her with a puzzled expression. It seemed the Dragon God was about to be defeated... Wasn't the current situation clearly in Luo Ge's favor?
" The Dragon God... seems to be more complex than he appears."
Rujierd, who was fully focused on analyzing the situation on the battlefield, shook his head thoughtfully. "... I wonder if you guys have noticed that every time Luo Ge attacks, the Dragon God clearly has the opportunity to fight back, but he's always just passively taking hits?"
"Huh? Being passively attacked, isn't that a great thing?"
"No! Eris, it's not that simple... Haven't you noticed that the Dragon God is not only unarmed, but more importantly, his magical power seems to be very weak?"
"That's true."
After being reminded by Rujierd, Rudeus, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, also noticed it.
strangeness!
That's so strange!
As a magician with an exceptionally keen sense of magical power, he naturally noticed that something was amiss with great ease.
Logically speaking
A powerful figure capable of fighting Luo Ge to a standstill should have such weak magical power, almost like a second-rate level.
If he hadn't been carefully observing, he could hardly sense any magical power flowing around the Dragon God; all he could feel was the Dragon Saint Battle Aura swirling around him.
Could it be... that the Dragon God is only skilled in Touki and not in magic?
Or perhaps the Dragon God wore weapons and equipment that concealed magical effects, or used a secret technique that made the flow of magic completely undetectable?
Rudeus's puzzled expression suddenly froze on his face, and beads of cold sweat began to seep from his forehead.
Because just now, besides that, he had thought of a third possibility?
A possibility that sends chills down your spine...
Maybe.
The Dragon God Orsted never used his own magic power at all, which is why they couldn't sense much magic flow.
But doing so is completely pointless.
After all, magic isn't anything particularly precious. This world is full of magic; whether it's animals, plants, or even the air, it's everywhere.
Um...
Rudeus simply couldn't understand why Orsted would be so conserving of magic under these circumstances.
It gives the impression that they would rather suffer a little injury themselves than use any magic.
certainly.
It's also possible that Rudeus is overthinking things. The Dragon God doesn't not want to use magic; it's just that he doesn't have much magic.
After all, not everyone in this world has the same amount of magic power as him and Luo Ge, comparable to Laplace's.
Nevertheless, Rudeus couldn't help but feel somewhat worried.
Facing an opponent like the Dragon God.
Can Luo Ge... win?