The first memory Dragon King Endros retained was of the moment he came into existence in this world.
Heaven and earth split apart, and the laws of nature bent under a dazzling and chaotic battle. That place was Endros’s homeland.
In the fierce battle between two entities, one had its right arm severed. The arm split into five fingers as it fell to the ground. As soon as those five fingers touched the earth, they each took on their own form.
That was the Five Kings.
Dragon King, Snake King, Bird King, Tiger King, and Bear King.
Entities that reigned supreme, derived from some ancient being.
*****
I wasn’t Chaos originally.
Why not? Because I’m Oscar. Oscar and Chaos are clearly separate entities.
But now, I am Chaos. Why Chaos? Because I’ve been sent back to the distant past. A time so far back it can’t be counted.
And why am I Oscar again instead of Chaos? Well, I don’t really want to elaborate on that. It’s not exactly a pleasant memory.
I struck the Dragon King’s abdomen with overwhelming force. My fist plunged deep, piercing through his scales. The Dragon King spat blood and retreated.
Of course, I have no intention of letting him go peacefully. I used the Joker Card, which can only be used five times, so I need to make the most out of it. Besides, I’ll be devouring the Dragon King’s soul anyway.
Snap!
[Keh!]
“Oof! That looks painful! Your legs are torn up, your tail is cut off, and now even your stomach has been pierced! If I were you, I’d probably commit suicide from the pain!”
This is the thrill I feel when striking something with my magic staff.
A hundred years ago, I suppressed Aru’s rebellion with guilt, but even then, the magic staff didn’t work very effectively, which was truly heartbreaking. You need both carrots and sticks to be an educator, but all I could give was carrots.
Originally, the magic staff was meant for this purpose.
Whoosh!
The Dragon King’s mouth blazed with violent flames. Seeing that, I gracefully swung my magic staff.
Squeak!
“…!”
“Do you know the biggest difference between magic and sorcery? Magic relies on mana, incantations, circuits, and cause-and-effect principles, but sorcery is just pure form without any foundation. That’s why it’s so appealing.”
Water flowed from his mouth like a waterfall, extinguishing the fire. The Dragon King couldn’t hide his coughing. Of course, there’s no magic that creates whirlpools inside someone’s mouth.
At this point, should I put on a show? But Merlin might wake up anytime. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.
Before Merlin regains consciousness, I must kill the Dragon King so I can later claim he was stupidly crushed by his own meteor spell.
Besides, I need time to devour the Dragon King’s soul.
Bang!
I struck the side of the Dragon King’s jaw. His head whipped around violently, shattering his jawbone. Dozens of teeth, supposedly the hardest in the world, clattered to the ground.
Bang! BangBangBang!
I grabbed the Dragon King by the collar with my left hand and continuously punched his chin with my right. His limbs trembled weakly, but he had few means left to resist.
Khrk!
Because earlier, when I dealt that irreversible wound to his abdomen, I also damaged the Dragon Heart. His body had already been wrecked long ago.
BangBangBangBang! Crackle!
Kwoong!
Finally, the Dragon King’s face collapsed. As soon as I released his collar, he lost balance and fell to the ground, looking unable to rise again.
I mounted the fallen Dragon King’s head and let a profound dark energy flow into his body.
“Do you feel wronged?”
“Grr…”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s the law of nature. Just like how countless lives you’ve killed over the years vanished simply because they were ‘weaker,’ now it’s your turn to fade away.”
“Aa… Aaa…”
“You’ve ruled for such a long time, haven’t you? How many years? Almost since the continent was formed, right? So it’s time for you to step down from your throne. Good job.”
“Aa… Aaa…”
The dark energy gathers every bit of essence from the Dragon King’s body. Feeling pleased, I moved toward his heart and placed my hand on it.
“Hmm, I wonder what kind of death you met in your previous life… There weren’t any worthy adversaries for the hero party to grow against. Was there some monster hiding somewhere in this forest?”
“Aa, A… Ba…”
“That probability seems low, doesn’t it? I’ve lived here in Demon Forest for 400 years and never encountered anything monstrous like that. Maybe… 5% chance at best.”
A crimson orb emerges, effortlessly passing through his skin. Within this orb lies the accumulated power of the Dragon King over hundreds of thousands of years.
The Dragon King’s soul. I swear, one of the most desirable souls in this world.
“Kyaa, what a delicious-looking soul. After all these years of training in Demon Forest, my body is ready, and eating this will propel me back to the realm of absolute power. This is quite an exciting moment.”
With a grin, I carefully cradled the orb in both hands and opened my mouth wide.
“Aa, A ba…”
“What have you been trying to say all this time? Aba? Apa? Are you saying it hurts? Don’t worry. Once you close your eyes, you’ll be free from this boiling agony forever. And as a bonus, you’ll leave this world.”
“Aa…”
The elderly gaze looked down at me while the Dragon King desperately muttered something. He seemed to have something important to convey.
“Aba…?”
Huh, you’re bringing up old memories again. Haven’t done that since the dawn of creation, have you?
“You’re seeing your life flash before your eyes, aren’t you? Good posture. Death isn’t beautiful, but the moment before death is always magnificent.”
“Aa, Aba…”
“Stop dragging up the failures of the past. They were losers anyway. Anyway, I’m hungry, so let’s eat.”
Crunch!
I took a big bite of the soul. The spark of life in the Dragon King’s eyes faded. Without hesitation, I swallowed the rest of the soul before it dissipated.
Right now, I don’t feel any change. In my current Chaos state, absorbing the Dragon King’s power won’t make much of a noticeable difference.
But once the Joker Card’s duration ends, I’ll definitely feel the boost—probably several times stronger, or generously speaking, dozens of times more powerful than before.
Glug!
The effects of the Joker Card still linger. My body is overflowing with dark energy. The sky remains shrouded in darkness.
I raised my magic staff. To pull off this trick, I need to set the stage properly. Especially since I don’t have an assistant here today.
Whoom!
Using telekinesis, I moved the Dragon King’s corpse to the exact spot where the Meteor initially landed. Then I lifted the massive crater-forming meteorite lying in the center.
Grind!
I placed the Dragon King’s body in the center of the crater and positioned the meteorite on top of him. It now appeared as though the Dragon King had been crushed by the meteorite.
It’s satisfying, but this alone won’t suffice as an explanation.
I gathered the broken tail and limbs of the Dragon King, minced them finely, and scattered them around the meteorite.
The area was already devastated from the fight between the Dragon King and me. Anyone could tell there had been a fierce battle. I pointed my magic staff towards my hand.
“Transform!”
With a cheerful voice, I commanded, and the terrain began to shift. Empty spaces filled with dirt and rocks, and blood-soaked soil floated towards the Dragon King, decorating the surrounding area.
From now on, this place will be where the Dragon King ‘summoned a meteor and got crushed by it.’ I made it so.
A circular blue magic circle was engraved around where Merlin lay unconscious, making it seem as though his magic worked perfectly.
Hmm, perfect. Since there’s still some time left from the transformation effect, I should search for others. To deeply engrave the deaths of the entire hero party into Merlin’s mind, showing him the bodies would be effective.
I spun my magic staff around and shouted.
“Appear!”
Wooom!
Four corpses and one faintly breathing life rose from the ground. The barely alive person was Langwang, and the dead members of the hero party were Saleyr, Katarina, Igor, and Victor.
Good job, everyone. If you hadn’t died to the Dragon King, you’d have ended up dying to me, but either way, thanks for your hard work.
After neatly arranging the bodies, I deactivated the Joker Card while some time remained. The 49th card was added to the deck. My vision returned to normal as I became Oscar again.
The effect of absorbing the Dragon King’s power is evident. For the first time in ages, I feel completely full of energy. This power rivals my abilities from my previous life.
The dark skies cleared, revealing the blue sky. I grabbed Merlin’s shoulder and shook him. He didn’t wake up easily.
“Ugh…”
“Merlin! Are you conscious? Wake up quickly!”
“Ugh, ugh…”
Typical mages. Relying solely on magic and neglecting physical training leaves them in near-death states from minor shocks.
Magic users may be good, but magicians are better. Mages versus magicians, after all.
Of course, right now, I’m just a mere con artist.
Slap! Slap!
“Kyaah!”
“Oh! Merlin, you’ve finally come to!”
As soon as his bottom was slapped, Merlin’s eyes snapped open. Some education has paid off; direct hits to the buttocks get results.
The impact of the Meteor shattered Merlin’s glasses, allowing me to see his naked eyes for the first time.
“S, Suoka-sama? What happened? Why am I in Suoka-sama’s arms… Yikes!”
“Does your head hurt? Try blinking slowly a few times.”
Following my words, Merlin blinked repeatedly. His eyes were exceptionally beautiful, with long lashes. Damn, why did you hide such pretty eyes? You’d pass for a real woman if you dressed up.
Even in my past life, there were issues with Merlin’s appearance. People noticed things like never seeing him in public baths or his face never changing despite aging. No wonder Eden Academy’s female students confessed their love to him, decades older than them.
“The Dragon King was crushed by the meteor. Even the mighty Dragon King couldn’t withstand a direct hit from a Meteor-level spell.”
“W, what? You mean the Dragon King… is dead?”
“All thanks to your efforts. Your Meteor spell reversed the entire situation.”
Pointing at the meteor and the Dragon King with my finger, Merlin looked bewildered.
“No, no! I didn’t cast the Meteor spell! I thought I did, but actually, it was the Dragon King who…”
“Is that so? But what about this magic circle? Could your incomplete spell leave such a clear mark?”
“Huh? A magic circle? Where… uh…?”
When I pointed below his feet, Merlin hastily checked and widened his green eyes at the vivid green magic circle beneath him.
Perfect setup.
“So, I succeeded in summoning the meteor after all! But, I distinctly remember hearing the Dragon King muttering something about Meteor…”
“Seems like the pressure from the Dragon King’s aura and the heat of the meteor caused hallucinations. The Dragon King only used Ignis Verus, you know. Binding magic with flames.”
“Ignis Verus? Now that you mention it, I think I heard something like that… But why would the Dragon King use Ignis Verus…”
“Hmm, don’t you remember? To bind your party members…”
“!!”
Merlin’s pupils quivered like thunderstruck. He gasped in shock.
“M, my companions! What happened to our party members?”
“…Turn around, Merlin.”
“W, why should I…?”
Why? Because I laid their bodies behind you, obviously.
Merlin turned his head. His breathing quickened, and his heart raced irregularly. I quietly approached him from behind and gently embraced his shoulders.
“Aaaaahhh!!!”
A heart-wrenching scream. The anguish in Merlin’s cry was palpable. His knees buckled, and he crawled on all fours towards his fallen comrades.
“S, Sir Saleyr! Lady Katarina! Sir Igor! Sir Victor…!!”
Hot tears streamed down Merlin’s face. I didn’t interfere with his sobbing. Emotions need to burst out fully when they need to, making closure easier afterward.
“S, surely it wasn’t because of me, was it? Did my summoned meteor… kill everyone??”
“Merlin, the Dragon King used Ignis Verus at the last moment, didn’t I say that? The ones responsible for their deaths are the Dragon King—not you.”
“But…! Nonetheless, my spell ultimately… Ugh! Gah!”
“Don’t burden yourself with unnecessary guilt. Summoning the Meteor was their decision, wasn’t it? There’s no such thing as a guaranteed victory in battles. Sacrifices and losses are part of natural warfare.”
“Sniffle…! Waaahh… All because of me… The hero….”
Of course, overcoming this process won’t be easy.
“Aaaaaahhhh!! Why, why!! Why did you all…!!”
What can you do? You need to overcome it yourself.
Since Merlin didn’t actually kill the hero party, he’s currently feeling meaningless guilt.
Unseen lies become truths and history. Countless fabricated hero tales in the continent’s historical records prove this.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!!!”
His roar-like wail echoed endlessly.
“Merlin, have you calmed down a bit?”
“…”
“Merlin?”
“…Yes.”
With dark circles under his eyes, Merlin answered with a vacant gaze. The atmosphere had changed significantly in a short time.
“I’ve been through losing comrades too.”
“…”
“It wasn’t easy. Every day felt like I wanted to die, and I constantly heard the voices of my fallen friends. Life was hell.”
“Suoka-sama…”
“But think about what your comrades wished for before they passed. Would Sir Saleyr, Lady Katarina, Master Igor, and Sir Victor have blamed you when they were bound by the Dragon King’s magic and hit by the meteor?”
“…”
“No, if I were them, I’d be happy. The Dragon King was crushed, and you survived. At the moment of their deaths, they probably felt joy and relief knowing you lived on.”
“…”
“Stand up. Keep moving forward. You still have two functioning, albeit delicate, legs. If you truly feel sorry for your comrades who perished in your spell, honor their wishes and dreams.”
“…”
Green circles brimmed with translucent tears. Seriously, after crying so much, do you need to cry again?
Poof!
Merlin buried his head in my chest, collapsing. I debated whether to help him up but decided to simply pat his head gently.
It’s fine to lean on someone when it’s tough. Now that Merlin has lost his comrades, he needs something to lean on.
“Sir Saleyr…”
Merlin spoke in a choked voice.
“He always wanted to teach children…!”
“…”
“In a way that disregarded status, nationality, race, gender, and age—different from the current Imperial Royal Academy, Holy Nation’s Divine Academy, or the Mage Tower’s Wizard Academy…! Whenever he gazed at the night sky, he dreamily murmured about creating such an ideal academy…!”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
Tangled threads of voice, trembling like rubber bands.
Yet, with unwavering resolve and new determination, he articulated clearly.
“The hero party that lost its hero is no longer a hero party. Thus, the imperial order is void, and I have the authority to return to the continent.”
“Well done. Go rest after such a major ordeal.”
“…On the continent, I will establish an academy.”
My chest soaked with his streaming tears—it’s hard to tell if it’s drizzle or a storm.
“An academy open to everyone, equal for all citizens, a heavenly garden and paradise-like academy.”
Resolute tears fall sadly.
“…Since it’s thanks to Suoka-sama that I’m alive, I’d like Suoka-sama to name this academy.”
My answer is already decided.
“Eden Academy, how does that sound?”
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