Chapter 20

[Professor! I have a question! In your paper, you mentioned that dragons didn’t originally look like that. I’m curious, what did they look like in ancient times?]

[It hasn’t been long since the paper was published… You seem really interested in dragons, huh? How about we sit down and have a cup of coffee?]

And just like that, the student went off to grad school.

*

After being submerged in water for a while, my head feels a bit clearer.

I opened the shop, bought some antidote, and sprinkled it all over the river like I was shaking off dust, then applied it to my body like lotion.

Since they’re still young kids, even a tiny bit of exposure to poison could lead to unexpected situations.

It was unclear if this antidote would even work.

With a hint of unease, I returned to the hideout and took the kids out.

I thought Miho, who’s full of charm, would be the most fussy, but surprisingly, she was calm and mature.

The demon kids, on the other hand, were crying and making a huge scene.

I sighed deeply.

It was typical behavior for kids their age, but given the special circumstances, it felt a bit off.

If they keep acting like that, they’ll die quickly.

Then, Miho suddenly moved and slapped one of the demon kids across the face.

It was a full-powered slap.

The sound of the slap was way louder than any crying.

Instantly, the kids went silent.

Then, as if nothing happened, Miho snuggled into my arms.

The demon kids seemed baffled but didn’t even dare to oppose Miho.

Did some hierarchy get established while I was gone?

Kids these days are scary.

Anyway, let’s do what I need to do.

Today, it’s time to save the intelligent beings around here.

I packed my things and wandered through the jungle with the kids.

*

As I moved in a direction I hadn’t explored before, there were all sorts of dinosaurs.

A Stegosaurus, I think.

A large dinosaur, about ten meters long.

It had a hedgehog-like ability where the plates on its spine suddenly extended.

It was tricky, but it was no match for me.

*Thud.*

The moment I dodged its tail spike and stabbed my sword into its body.

“────!”

My knees almost gave out.

A heavy, oppressive feeling washed over me, like my entire body was being crushed.

Only then did I realize that the dinosaur I just killed was someone’s offspring.

Beyond the dense jungle, a terrifyingly large dinosaur was glaring right at me.

It was a massive species.

Wow, damn.

I can’t beat that.

Until now, I thought large species were just physically superior.

I was wrong.

The amount of magic power swirling in its core was at least ten times, maybe more, than mine.

And it seemed to be entering combat mode, as the total amount was increasing every moment.

I felt like I was suffocating from the magic.

“Run. All the way to the hideout.”

I nudged the frozen kids with my leg, pushing them out of harm’s way, and prepared to focus to the max.

I didn’t even need to prepare.

Every single nerve in my body was vividly aware.

My body was encountering a foe unlike any I’d faced before.

Judging.

Creating a desperate state.

Think.

The important thing isn’t to kill, but to survive.

But I can’t afford to be careless.

If I move clumsily, I’ll definitely die.

Which way?

If it attacks with its front legs, it’ll be the left.

The left hoof is slightly more worn.

It’s the side it uses more often.

Or will it swing its tail?

Or maybe it’ll use magic. With that much magic power, it’s possible.

My head feels like it’s going to explode.

Every part of its body has a weapon that can kill me.

Even a graze would make it hard to get back up.

There are over ten things I need to be careful of.

Looking closely, each of the plates on its spine is filled with extreme heat.

That must be the energy source supporting its massive body.

I need to be careful with that too.

It seems overheated, like it could explode if touched.

Wait.

Overheated?

The moment I realized that, I flung my body to the side.

Sure enough, a blue flame, like plasma, with immense physical force, obliterated everything in its range.

[···What’s going on? I just woke up.]

You can’t tell?

We’re about to die.

I jumped up, kicked off the ground, and climbed up a tree.

Then it paused for a moment and kicked the ground just like I did.

*Boom.*

A shockwave that made my whole body tingle, and that massive body floated right up to my nose.

This is insane.

That size, and it’s as mobile as me?

I dodged the swinging tail and fell back down.

There’s no difference between up and down.

Watching the shattered treetops rain down like a shower, I couldn’t help but wonder.

With something like that living here, can other dimensions even invade?

I don’t think so.

Even if a truckload of those guys I saw yesterday came, they couldn’t kill that thing.

And it’s not like there’s only one of those massive species.

[Once a civilization develops and time passes in a dimension, out-of-spec beings tend to appear. The conquest of a dimension depends on them.]

Is that so?

I pondered deeply.

How strong would I need to be to defeat such a monster?

Should I give up?

Someday it might be possible, but not today.

“Belva. Are the kids far away?”

[…Are you really going to do it?]

“I have no choice.”

I watched the guy preparing the plasma beam again and slowly brought my hands together as if in prayer.

I need to focus.

This is the last resort I prepared from the moment I first discovered him.

A final resistance that requires risking my life.

*Boom!*

With a loud explosion, a massive beam of magic power shot out from his open mouth.

In response, I unleashed all the Dimension Power I had.

My body contains dozens of times the Dimension Power that a single world can hold.

No matter how much magic power he has, it doesn’t matter.

The condensed Dimension Power will absorb all of it.

The problem is what comes next.

There’s light.

A bright, enormous blue sphere, like a small sun, was clearly present between the dinosaur and me.

As soon as he saw it, he turned and started to run.

Too late.

Do you think you can escape this explosion from this distance?

No need to think about it.

I have to move.

Inward.

I reached out toward the expanding sphere that seemed ready to burst at any moment.

The intense heat felt like it would melt my entire body.

But I couldn’t stop.

Just a little.

If I could change the angle of the explosion even slightly.

*Thud.*

Before I knew it, Belva’s barrier was erected in front of me.

It cracked instantly and melted away without a sound.

[…It’s okay.]

Blood gushed from my exposed skin.

The twisted circuits were completely severed.

My eyes lost their vision from the excessive light.

Now, with all my senses gone, I felt nothing but extreme pain.

The particles of magic power combined with Dimension Power collided, split, and fused again, repeating in a massive flow.

Within it, my strength was nothing but a feeble, insignificant flutter.

Yet, I kept going.

Hoping that this weak power could create a miracle.

Hoping to survive forever.

[I’ll go.]

Soon, the entire world was engulfed in light.

*

I opened my eyes.

I was still standing.

Of course, since the magic power combined with Dimension Power had almost no physical force.

My body…

Naturally, it’s so broken that I wonder why I’m not dead.

I have at most a few minutes left.

With a strangely calm feeling, I walked in the direction the dinosaur had gone.

……

Wow. I didn’t get far.

Unlike me, who managed to alter the angle of the explosion at the last moment, he took the full brunt of the impact.

Leaning against a tree, he was quietly dead.

Somehow. That’s why I’m still alive.

It’s a world where my hearing hasn’t returned.

Even my vision is blurry.

It feels like I’m the only one left on a stage where the power has gone out and the curtains have closed.

I feel lonely.

Am I going to die like this?

I tried to check my pulse, but my hand wouldn’t move.

I gave up and just stared into the distant void.

It’s a pity.

I was just starting to get the hang of it.

If I could try just one more time, I feel like I could reach the next level.

I regret not being stronger.

Why didn’t I grow more fiercely?

I never had the resolve to risk my life.

I always left room for retreat.

Even though I knew the fastest way to grow, I hesitated because it was dangerous.

Even I think it’s pathetic.

*Thud.*

Then, something white fell from the sky.

A feather?

It’s a person, with wings.

On the exposed shoulder, there’s a bright red eye pattern.

Smaller than me.

The frowning face is covered in tears, which is funny.

…You really came.

“I told you I’d come……”

How did you get here?

It’s not common for a Watcher to directly intervene in the world.

No, that’s not important right now.

Belva. Potion.

Pour some into my mouth. Hurry.

Thinking that, Belva wiped away her tears with a forced smile.

She must think I’m joking.

But I was being serious.

“I came all this way, you don’t need a potion!”

With those words, Belva placed her hand on my back.

Along with a stinging pain, my fading vision slowly returned.