Chapter 46: Softening the Prey Before the Dragon Hunt.
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The instant the black gale threatened to swallow Ais and hurl her toward the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Kihara activated his time acceleration, knocking her unconscious in a blur. Without hesitation, he scooped up Hestia and Lili and raced toward the Loki Familia headquarters.
The entire city of Orario had already descended into utter chaos. No one had imagined the ancient calamity would burst forth from the depths. Civilians fled in panic toward the city gates, clutching their loved ones, while adventurers rushed under orders into the ruined districts to rescue the trapped and injured.
After its initial roar, the One-Eyed Black Dragon paused, tilting its massive head in visible confusion. The entrance to the underground nest — once a constant fountain of monsters — had somehow transformed into a sprawling human city. Having lost one eye to ancient heroes long ago, the dragon even began to suspect this awakening was some elaborate trap.
As its enormous single eye swept across the whole of Orario, Kihara had already delivered Ais into Riveria's frantic arms at the Loki Familia grounds. He quickly instructed his own goddess and Lili not to wander off, then turned and strode back toward the chaos outside.
Loki frowned deeply and shouted after him, "Hey, brat! Where do you think you're going!? This is no time to run around with a Black Dragon rampaging!"
"No need to worry about me," Kihara called back without turning, waving casually. "I'm just going to have a little fight."
He spotted Finn in the distance, fully armored and rallying troops, and shouted, "Finn! If you want to become a dragon-slaying hero, gather every elite from the other familias!"
"You mean… I understand."
"Finn, even you're going along with this fool's nonsense!? That strange weapon of his might weaken floor bosses, but this is the Black Dragon — the ultimate catastrophe that even Zeus and Hera's familias couldn't defeat! Hestia, you tiny goddess, why aren't you stopping him!?"
Hestia remained eerily calm, her expression showing not a trace of worry. Facing Loki's frantic questioning, she brought her hands together in a solemn prayer pose. "Some people are destined to become heroes. As his goddess and family, all I can do is pray silently for his victory once he's made his decision. Worry and tears would only become weaknesses weighing him down."
Kihara walked against the frantic tide of fleeing civilians. At first, people blocked his path with angry glares, thinking he was obstructing their escape route. But when they saw the towering reflection of the Black Dragon mirrored clearly in his eyes — calm, resolute, and unafraid — their anger melted into awe and respect for a true hero.
Before long, crowds began instinctively parting to create a clear path for him, all the way until he stood directly beneath the dragon's colossal form.
"Gensokyo Divine Invocation Technique."
[Target Selected: Youkai Mountain — Ibuki Suika]
[Ability Acquired: Density Manipulation]
[Offering: Ten Barrels of Divine Sake]
[Offering Accepted!]
Kihara's body swelled like an inflating balloon. Borrowing the power of the oni Ibuki Suika, he grew until he stood eye-to-eye with the ancient Black Dragon.
"So… the reason I was awakened is because the heroes nurtured by Zeus and the others have finally matured?" the dragon rumbled, its voice deep and ancient, carrying the weight of centuries. Its single vertical pupil scanned Kihara, searching for traces of the two great familias that had once grievously wounded it and forced it into hiding. A spark of pure hatred flickered in that eye.
"Unfortunately, I belong to the Hestia Familia," Kihara replied lightly, as if chatting with an old acquaintance. "I have nothing to do with Zeus or Hera."
With a casual flick, he drew his shimmering silver blade and drove it point-first into the ground. A translucent lavender barrier instantly expanded outward, covering a three-kilometer radius. The dragon's massive body sank slightly as it felt the curse take hold — an eerie power that pierced straight through its scales, which normally rendered it immune to most magic, leaving it in a weakened, cursed state.
The Black Dragon immediately spread its wings to escape the barrier's range, but Kihara wouldn't allow it. Density manipulation wasn't just about size — it also enhanced his physical strength to match his new colossal form.
In other words, his body was now as tough as the dragon's legendary scales.
His right hand shot out, seizing the dragon's wing in an iron grip. With a mighty yank, he dragged the beast down from the sky and slammed it into the ground. The impact sent the entire city of Orario shaking violently — people were thrown a meter into the air, and countless buildings collapsed in the ferocious quake.
"ROOOAAAR—! Damnable human!!!"
Kihara flipped the dragon onto its back and pinned it down, then drove his clenched right fist straight into its head with raw, unadorned power.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—
The deafening, heart-stopping thuds echoed across the ruined city. The ancient calamity, once the ultimate terror of the age, was being pummeled like a common thug while a mere human rode atop it. Its pride suffered a devastating blow.
Enraged, the dragon opened its maw lined with razor fangs and unleashed a torrent of pitch-black dragon flame straight at Kihara's chest. The corrosive flames instantly melted through his clothes and chest muscles, exposing the stark white bones and the frantically beating heart beneath.
"Heh… so your body is nothing more than—" The dragon's taunt died in its throat.
The melted flesh regenerated in the blink of an eye, restoring Kihara to perfect condition. The monstrous recovery nearly made the dragon think it was fighting another land-based calamity like Behemoth.
Pinned beneath Kihara, the Black Dragon realized its only hope was to escape the cursed barrier to unleash its full power. Its dragon breath was too weak to outpace the human's regeneration. Higher magic would require chanting and charging time — time Kihara would never grant.
Whenever mana began gathering in the dragon's maw, Kihara rained down relentless punches, dazing it and even causing magical backlash.
Left with no choice, the dragon resorted to its most primal weapons — fangs and claws — launching savage attacks at Kihara.
Kihara refused to simply endure. His left hand gripped the silver blade tightly to maintain the barrier while he traded blow for blow with the beast in a brutal exchange of wounds.
The shockwaves from the two titans' clash nearly leveled every building except Babel Tower itself. Their spraying blood formed a vast crimson lake beneath their feet.
"Enough! This pointless struggle serves no one!" the dragon roared. "Human, if you release me now, I swear I will not appear in your era!"
"What gives you the right to negotiate?"
Kihara shot back with a grin. "Just because you have no reinforcements doesn't mean I don't."
The dragon had indeed noticed the swarm of tiny humans rushing toward them from afar, but it sneered. "You place your hopes on these insignificant insects that I could incinerate with a single breath?"
Kihara's smile widened. "Don't you know? Before hunting a dragon on the Blue Star, you always soften the prey first. These guys are my excellent teammates here to help soften you up."
With that, he shoved his right fist straight into the dragon's mouth, sealing its breath at the cost of his own arm.
Countless glowing magic circles, small yet brimming with immense power, rose into the air. They focused their assault on the scales along the side of the dragon's neck.
Innumerable warriors darted through the deadly storm of flying debris and slashing claws, striking again and again at the dragon's armored hide.
Day and night blurred together. Riveria lost count of how many dual-attribute recovery potions she had drained. Just before she exhausted the last of her mental strength and collapsed into unconsciousness, Kihara drew the silver blade — now gleaming with divine ichor — and drove its tip deep into the Black Dragon's neck.
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Thank you for reading.
(T/N:Hmmm.... No bonus chapter, since the requirement hasn't been reached...)