The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros.
Originally called the Infinite Dragon Ouroboros, it was a dragon from the age of myths. It was said to govern destruction and rebirth, and throughout history, Ouroboros had repeatedly bared its fangs at humanity, bringing about countless cataclysms.
In my previous life, upon learning of Ouroboros’s appearance, I engaged in a desperate battle against it and emerged victorious. I had managed to prevent a great disaster before it could strike.
But Ouroboros could always return. If left unchecked, a new Ouroboros would eventually appear again, wreaking untold havoc upon humanity. So I devised a plan.
“Why not just turn it into a staff?”
If I kept it in a state where it was neither alive nor dead, there would be no risk of a new Ouroboros being born. And on top of that, I could wield it as a powerful staff—two birds with one stone.
That was how the Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, came to be—but…
“Ugh, I can’t control this thing at all. Even as a staff, it’s way too dangerous. Every chance it gets, it tries to kill me… better seal it for now.”
Unlike Lindwurm or Bahamut, using it as a staff was out of the question. I put layers upon layers of seals on it, and it was then stored as a forbidden artifact in the Tower of the Great Sage’s repository.
『Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill… die, die, die, die, die』
The Rainbow Dragon Staff, transformed into a yellow-scaled dragon, unleashed a furious storm of lightning.
I dodged using teleportation, narrowly avoiding the strikes, but the residual shocks kept hitting me, and this small body of mine is taking damage bit by bit.
“O-okay… finally, the lightning’s letting up…?”
Breathing heavily, I looked towards Ouroboros and saw its head trying to swallow my body again, transforming from yellow to green scales.
“Yes! Green means wind magic… better than lightning, at least. Maybe I can catch my breath for a bit.”
『…Did you just say you can rest? Fufu, you seem to be severely underestimating me, don’t you? Don’t you dare—die, you idiot, you worthless piece of traaaasshhhh!!』
In an instant, the polite tone vanished, replaced by a barrage of filthy curses.
One dragon, multiple personalities.
A ferocious wind tore through the pocket dimension. My small body was lifted into the air, caught in a rapidly spinning vortex.
“I’m getting dizzzzy!!”
Then another tornado, spinning the opposite way, barreled toward me. If these two collided, there was no question—I’d be shredded to pieces.
“Teleport!”
『Fufufu. I knew a fool like you would try to use that to escape—right to that spot.』
“Wha—!”
I had aimed for a section where the wind was weaker, hoping to teleport to safety, but the moment I arrived, a cannon-like blast of wind slammed down from above, throwing me to the ground.
Looks like I’d been guided right into a trap.
“Aaaaah—I’m going to be cru~ushed!”
『…Fufufu, you should thank me. I deliberately kept it weak for you. After all, unless you wail, cry, and suffer thoroughly, we can’t possibly feel satisfied.』
“—!!!”
My lungs were crushed, barely letting me breathe. I heard the snap of several bones breaking under the pressure.
『My, you’re far more fragile than I expected. To think it’s already over at this level… I had hoped to enjoy myself a little longer, but oh well. You may as well die, crushed and ugly like a frog. W-wait just a moment! It’s not time for a switch yet—hey, you—damn iiiit!』
Once again, Ouroboros shifted color.
This time, it was blue.
『Final blow. I. Will stab.』
Just as the wind finally died down enough for me to breathe, a massive wave of water came crashing down like a tsunami.
I was swallowed almost instantly.
“Aquatic Life Magic.”
I managed to activate a spell that let me breathe underwater, narrowly avoiding suffocation—but my body was utterly battered. The pressure of the water continued to crush me, while the current slammed and twisted me mercilessly.
“Internal-External Linked Complete Regeneration Magic.”
The healing spell patched up my damage, but I’d been on the defensive the entire time, powerless to make any meaningful move.
I tried to strike back, but Maribel and Ouroboros were constantly darting around at incredible speed, deploying multiple layers of barriers that seemed impossible to break.
Then, the water that filled most of the pocket dimension suddenly began to freeze.
Ouroboros’s color shifted from blue to indigo.
『…To you who defy the laws of the world… I shall grant… eternal… death…』
The deep blue, muttering under its breath, was the dragon form that massively amplified ice magic. The surrounding water solidified completely, trapping me inside an icy prison.
But, if luck was on my side, this was my first—and perhaps my greatest—opportunity. With most of the pocket dimension’s water now frozen, the space in which Maribel and Ouroboros could maneuver had become severely restricted. Chances like this probably wouldn’t come again.
I had no choice—I had to make it count.
“Teleport!”
I blinked behind Maribel, and summoning every last ounce of magic, I unleashed a full-power magic cannon.
Maribel couldn’t dodge in time—the blast slammed into her barrier, shattering it. But after breaking through several layers, Maribel and Ouroboros managed to slip out of the cannon’s trajectory.
I managed to crush the final barrier, but unfortunately, my desperate, all-out magic cannon only grazed Maribel’s shoulder, piercing the ice block behind her instead.
“Missed… huh.”
I collapsed onto the frozen ground.
My magical energy was nearly depleted. At this point, I couldn’t even cast teleportation—or flying magic, for that matter.
『…To the transgressor… I shall grant a silent death…』
The indigo Ouroboros aimed a spear-like shard of ice at me, ready to deliver the finishing blow. The massive ice spear barreled down—and I had no strength left to stop it.
A short life after rebirth huh. Come to think of it, the very magic that allowed my reincarnation was inspired by Ouroboros itself, which endlessly cycles through life and death. Perhaps I’d violated the rules of the gods. If so, then through Ouroboros, I was being guided—or judged—by the divine.
“Ah… but if I’m going out, I wish I could’ve… died cradled by big boobs…”
Bagiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!
Suddenly, the ice spear shattered. Something had intervened—and then bit down and crushed it completely.
『That was a terrible line for a moment like this, Master. I’m truly glad it wasn’t your last words.』
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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