“I have little desire on soiling this ground with the impure blood of humans.”
Ades murmured those words in a voice even lower and heavier than his appearance suggested. Using its two dragon tails extending from its hips, it lifted the two unconscious explorers by their legs. The two men hung limply in midair, showing no sign of waking up.
It seemed they had completely passed out.
“A reward for breaching the Death Layer of the Nether Realm. At least I shall spare them suffering… reducing their bones to ash in a single instant.”
With that, Ades lined the two upside-down explorers before him, summoned black flames from both hands, and assumed a stance to deliver the finishing blow.
If things continued like this, there was no doubt—their lives would end here, in this very moment.
> Isn’t that girl collapsed over there the High Priestess Mina?
> Then the two guys must be Slay, the Great Swordsman and Jan, the Flash.
> The young hopes…
> Those SS-rank explorers chasing the Hero Party in both fame and skill…
> They don’t stream, so no one knew they’d even come to a place like this.
> They actually had the strength to reach a Nether-Class dungeon.
> Oh no, they’re about to get wrecked.
> Old man, do something!
> Even you won’t be able to handle this, though.
Yes. I have to help.
I can’t just stand by and watch.
“No. They’re doomed! There’s no way we can win!”
“But we can’t just leave them like this!”
The two were being tormented by the Nether Dragon King before the throne. The throne is about twenty meters ahead of the massive pillar behind which Satsuki-chan and I were hiding. It had been too dark to see before, but after they appeared, the light sources embedded in the walls gradually flickered on, illuminating everything.
I took a step forward, ready to dash out from behind the pillar to save them—but Satsuki grabbed my arm and held me back.
If things continue like this, those two are going to die!
“…I won’t… let you!”
The other explorer—not caught by Ades, the woman the viewers had called High Priestess Mina—staggered to her feet. She had been flung right in front of us, yet she didn’t seem to notice Satsuki-chan and me hiding behind the pillar.
“Hmph. It seems you are slightly different from the others, High Priestess. To maintain consciousness even after taking that much damage in that other dimension… impressive.”
“Eh? That girl… could it be…?”
Satsuki-chan murmured, as if she had realized something, watching Mina-san struggle to stand.
“All… Heal…”
As a High Priestess, Mina-san must have been preparing to activate her full-party healing skill. A faint green light briefly seemed to envelop her and the two male explorers, bathing them in a gentle glow.
But only for a single, fleeting moment.
“Hngh!”
“Kahhh!”
When Ades lightly lifted his left foot, Mina-san let out a groan of agony and collapsed back to the ground, her healing spell interrupted. From where I was, I couldn’t make out what kind of attack she had taken.
Wind pressure?
Some kind of shockwave, maybe.
“Do not waste your efforts on healing. Remain still and obedient. You may yet prove useful… I shall keep you alive a while longer.”
Ades spoke with utter calm, his composure unshaken.
He still hadn’t noticed our presence.
“Mina!”
“Ah… Satsuki… it’s… been… a while…”
“Quick, heal…”
“I… it’s fine… please… help… them…”
Satsuki-chan’s voice barely carried from behind the pillar, loud enough for Mina-san to hear, but not enough for Ades to detect.
Mina-san responded faintly, entrusting her hope to us, and then immediately passed out again.
Satsuki-chan’s friend? An acquaintance?
If that’s the case… there’s no way I can ignore her plea.
“Daishi-san!”
“Satsuki-chan, stay with Mina-san and make sure she’s safe!”
“You can’t! If you go out there, you’ll die for sure!”
Satsuki-chan’s eyes were glistening with tears. The grip on my arm tightened. So much was happening at once that she must’ve been a little overwhelmed.
“That girl… she’s your friend, right?”
“Friend… or rather… well, let’s say it’s a long-standing bond, I guess.”
“Well, a friend’s friend is also my friend. So that makes her my friend too, right?”
“Wait… are you saying you and I are friends?”
“Ah—I just assumed that on my own, I guess.”
“No, that’s not really—”
“But it’ll be fine! Didn’t I say I’d protect you, Satsuki-chan?”
“But—”
“Leave this to someone older and more experienced!”
I didn’t know why, exactly. All I knew was that my baseless confidence had skyrocketed. Maybe my senses were all out of whack.
But still… even looking at Ades, I felt ready. No, that’s not entirely true—I probably shouldn’t feel this way—but I resolved to throw myself into the fight.
“All right, I’m going!”
Seizing the moment when Satsuki-chan’s grip on me loosened even slightly, I shook off her hand and began walking steadily toward the Nether Dragon King.
“Very well… then I shall proceed with a grand incineration ceremony… hn?”
“Uh, excuse me… could you maybe let those people go?”
I stepped unarmed right up in front of Ades and made the request lightly.
“I had suspected a few scuttling vermin might have infiltrated. But you—where did you even spring from…!!?”
Ades froze, finally fully registering my presence.
“(What… what is this man!? How can such a fragile, human exude such a wave of despair!? This sensation… it’s almost like that person…)”
I had no idea what he was rambling about.
Seems like he did notice us the whole time—he was just pretending otherwise. And since he didn’t deny my words outright, yeah… he is definitely Ades.
“You… who exactly are you!?”
Even with black flames crackling in both hands, the Nether Dragon King began to retreat.
Huh? Is he… panicking?
Is he scared of me?
“I—who I am? I’m just a cleric.”
I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel an ounce of fear toward this old monster at all.
If anything…
Ah! I can’t believe I’m thinking this… but he looked like a complete weakling!
And in this moment, I realized how infuriating that made me feel.
How dare he talk to me as if we’re on the same level?
You’re being too arrogant, old man.
Ah! This damn old bastard is so irritating!!
“Enough! Get that filthy tail of yours out of the way and release those two! You worthless piece of trash! Want to end up as ash?!”
“Y-yes!! I-I’m sorry!!!”
The image of me suddenly transforming and hurling foul insults at the Nether Dragon King Ades, forcing him to apologize, was firmly imprinted in the minds of the more than 40,000 viewers.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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