Chapter 34

Episode 34: Reflected in the Eyes of the Black Dragon

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“For four hundred years, I have thought of nothing but revenge against you…!!”

“…”

Faced with words spoken at such close range that the massive jaws could have swallowed him whole, Shion remained completely unfazed, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

“(…I knew it.)”

Hearing the words of the Black Annihilation Dragon, Shion inwardly nodded, as if he had more or less expected this.

“(Well, of course. After all, the Black Annihilation Dragon is──)”

It wasn’t the fact that the Black Annihilation Dragon was seething with a desire for revenge against the great hero Siegfried.

Shion was born with exceptional observational skills and insight.

And now, having entered the “Trans-Zone,” where his concentration was far beyond normal, his senses were sharpened to the point where he could discern the true meaning behind every word the opponent spoke.

In this state, he had seen through the Black Annihilation Dragon’s earlier statement.

──The Black Annihilation Dragon’s words were a complete lie.

“‘I never dreamed I’d meet you again…'”

“‘For four hundred years, I have thought of nothing but revenge against you…!!'”

These words from the Black Annihilation Dragon were all lies, which meant…

It meant the exact opposite: that despite being sealed away by Siegfried for four hundred years, the Black Annihilation Dragon had no desire to ever see him again, and revenge was the last thing on its mind.

Furthermore, Shion had already sensed the overwhelming fear the Black Annihilation Dragon harbored, even before it acknowledged him as Siegfried.

But this was no surprise to Shion.

In fact, he had known from the start that this was highly likely.

That’s why he had taken the step of convincing the dragon that he was Siegfried.

…Normally, one would expect the dragon to harbor deep hatred for the one who had sealed it away for four hundred years.

Yet, even so, Shion had easily predicted that the Black Annihilation Dragon would be terrified of Siegfried, even before facing it.

No, anyone who had read the fairy tales about the great hero would have expected the same.

Because no matter how simplified the children’s books were, they all contained one historical fact about the story of the Black Dragon and the great hero.

When the Black Annihilation Dragon first encountered Siegfried and was grievously wounded, it spent the next three years doing nothing but running away from him.

To summarize the history of the battles between the Black Annihilation Dragon and Siegfried: “The first time they met, the dragon was nearly killed by Siegfried,” “Siegfried, along with his companions, tracked down the fleeing dragon and nearly killed it again,” “Siegfried cornered the dragon once more and nearly killed it,” “Siegfried exposed the dragon, which had been hiding in secret, and obliterated it without leaving a trace,” and “just when he thought he had finally killed it, the dragon turned out to have survived, and Siegfried──” This cycle continued until the Black Annihilation Dragon was defeated (or rather, sealed).

Yes, the Black Annihilation Dragon, with its absolute immortality, had done nothing but run away from Siegfried, who kept coming to kill it endlessly.

There was no way such a dragon, after being sealed for four hundred years, would want to see Siegfried again.

And there was another reason Shion believed the Black Annihilation Dragon would be wary of Siegfried.

The dragon was far too weak now.

Having just witnessed the battle between Alphonse Fried and the dragon, Shion had seen the power of the world’s strongest firsthand.

Yet, compared to the records of the Black Annihilation Dragon from the past, it was far too weak.

In its prime, the dragon could slice more than half of a large mountain with a single swing of its forelimb, and a single blast of its black flames could annihilate an entire city.

Compared to that, the current Black Annihilation Dragon was laughably weak.

Perhaps, having just been unsealed, it hadn’t yet regained its former power.

In such a state, there was no way it would seek revenge against Siegfried, its greatest threat, whom it couldn’t even match at its peak.

Taking all this into account, Shion had thought, “If I can make it believe I’m Siegfried, the dragon will be wary and won’t attack recklessly.”

And if the Black Annihilation Dragon saw Siegfried as the only being capable of defeating it, Shion believed he could buy time until reinforcements arrived.

But if the dragon was so terrified of Siegfried that it was putting on a brave face while trembling in fear, the situation would change.

“(What bad luck, Black Annihilation Dragon. You finally got free from your seal, only to run into me.)”

“(If it weren’t for me being here, you could’ve rampaged across the world, savoring the fear of countless people.)”

“(…But you picked the wrong opponent.)”

And with that, Shion activated “Limit Acceleration.”

──From here on out, it’s my show.

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