The decapitated dragon head stared at the sky with wide, unseeing eyes, a look of eternal resentment. Meanwhile, Lancer, the executioner, lay on the ground gasping for air.
First, his body was forcibly remodeled, then the energy was forcibly extracted into the armor. It sounded like returning to normal, but it was like being stabbed and then having the blade ripped out. Due to the massive blood loss, Lancer's vision was blurring, but then he felt his head being lifted and cradled.
As he wondered what was happening, the three Palicoes gathered around him. Tiger and Arrou curled up on either side, and Jack, the lightest, perched directly on his chest.
Since he saw the cats, he could guess whose lap his head was resting on.
"Olga... thanks."
Olga Marie didn't know why Lancer stopped mid-sentence, but she shook her head, regardless of whether he could see her.
Lancer's only thought at that moment was————so big... no, so round... wait, no. In short, Lancer was deeply grateful for the support Olga Marie provided.
Olga Marie, who had been looking around at the dragon's remains, suddenly noticed something strange.
Lancer, lying on her thighs, was silent and supposedly resting, but for some reason, his breathing was getting louder and heavier.
"Lancer, you..."
She looked down to say something, only to see him staring straight up with wide eyes while gasping. She froze for a second, and then her face turned a vivid, explosive red.
"You jerk... Hmph!"
Olga Marie seemed like she wanted to scold him, but instead, she puffed out her chest with a hint of pride. This left Lancer, who expected a lecture, feeling a bit lost.
Based on his understanding of Olga Marie's "pride," she usually wouldn't let him off the hook, but this time she just snorted and even flaunted her figure as if making a statement. This felt off to Lancer.
She was "proud," not exactly a "tsundere"—you can't just split the word like that. Why was she suddenly being so... "proud"?
Lancer had long since noticed Olga Marie's flickering feelings for him. He wasn't dense; he just chose to play dumb because he wasn't one to take the initiative in romance. He was better at passively accepting things, so his attitude remained consistent.
He would tell her everything about himself—his strengths and his flaws—and leave the choice to her.
It was a "dumb" method, but for someone unsuited for romance, it was his best option.
As for now————since she didn't object, he would just leave it like this for a moment. He was truly, utterly exhausted.
At this moment, Lancer was enjoying a "blissful" scene: a lap pillow, arms full of companions, and a cat on his chest. Truly pleasant (not)!
But lying there didn't mean he was sleeping. He was staring at the spoils of the battle. Though the fight was short, it had forced him to play almost every card in his hand, including "Blessing of Fujiwara no Mokou," which had a long cooldown. Without that trump card, he couldn't afford to be reckless anymore.
However, the harvest was proportional to the risk. This time, the rewards were bountiful.
Aside from the "Dragon Slayer" title, the Cursed Armor that evolved by absorbing his blood was a massive surprise.
Cursed Armor: Dragon's Grudge
Grade: A+
Effects: > 1. Dragon's Curse
Evil Dragon Possession The Dragon Slayer Eventually Becomes the Dragon (Pseudo)
The armor's original grade was A, but after absorbing Lancer's blood, it hit A+. Its defensive power had spiked significantly. Effect ① was originally a negative—a curse from dead dragons—but for Lancer, it became a positive. Because of his "Dragon Slayer" title, he was immune to the curse's damage. These dragon wraiths wouldn't just attack Lancer; in their madness, they would attack anything that came near. Since Lancer was immune, they functioned as an automated defense against anyone else. They didn't attack Olga or the cats because of Effect ②.
"Evil Dragon Possession" allowed Lancer to briefly use the power of Fatalis to buff himself. During this time, Lancer was essentially the Evil Dragon itself, allowing him to command the grudges. As for Effect ③, it had actually been weakened.
If Lancer hadn't expelled that dragon power, he would have been stuck in a permanent state of Effect ②, eventually transforming into Fatalis permanently. That was the original Effect ③, which had been forcibly torn away from Lancer's soul.
The mindless dragon had nearly killed him; its physical specs were insane. If Lancer could control that transformation, his destructive power would be off the charts.
But to Lancer, turning himself into a "monster" was a death sentence. He knew that if he relied on that power, it would erode him until he truly became another calamity.
To protect what he cared for, he was willing to pick up the butcher's knife or even play the role of a villain, but to choose to become a beast for no reason... he wasn't that stupid.
Beyond the quest rewards, Lancer had gained his own "abilities" through the struggle.
Demonization: Dragon Qi State
Meteor
The first was a hybrid skill born from "Demonization" and the new "Elder Dragon Energy."
Demonization: Dragon Qi State: Attacks gain the "Dragon Element" attribute. Attack, Defense, and Movement are significantly boosted. Specialized defense against elemental attacks.
Unlike the normal version that focused purely on offensive blood energy, this one leaned into defensive utility and brought him closer to the stats of a legendary "Dragon."
As for "Meteor," it made Lancer's heart race.
Meteor: A high-altitude accelerated strike against a target. Power scales with height.
The description was simple, but Lancer was already looking forward to seeing if he could pull off an "atmospheric reentry" jump...