86. Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon
What is the highest-priority instinct possessed by living creatures?
One might mention appetite, the desire for sleep, or sexual desire, but these are merely desires necessary for “survival”.
Appetite and the desire for sleep are primal Survival Instincts.
Sexual desire is a Survival Instinct intended to propagate one’s genes.
Therefore, the most fundamental instinct of every living creature must be the “Survival Instinct”.
The Archmage once defined this Survival Instinct as follows:
—The fundamental nature of a living creature can be described as “selfishness that incorporates Kin Altruism”.
One could sacrifice one’s life for one’s own blood relatives.
But what about a genetically unrelated individual?
One might pity and help them, but if doing so required sacrificing one’s own life, one would not help that unrelated individual.
—In other words, living creatures do not sacrifice their lives for genetically unrelated individuals.
However—
—For some reason, we humans risk our lives to protect other people.
Even though those people were not blood relatives but genetically unrelated strangers.
Even though such behavior clearly defied the instincts of a living creature.
—As for why that happens.... I don’t know either.
It was an exceptional phenomenon that Arcane Studies could not explain.
Arcane Studies was the discipline that interpreted the laws and principles of this world.
In other words, it was a phenomenon that even the laws of this world could not explain.
Isolde was such a person.
Someone who could neither be understood nor explained.
A Saintess who tried to protect others even at the cost of her own life and believed that doing so was the very reason for her existence.
A hero who silently endured even loneliness and solitude, never revealing her own suffering.
That was why Ian had loved her—
And it was also why she had rejected Ian—
“You never listened to a damn word I said, either then or now!!”
She was a stubborn woman who refused to listen to anyone. She had not changed at all from my previous life.
She was still foolish enough never to consider that protecting her own safety would allow her to rescue and save even more people.
But when I thought about it—
I was no different.
I had no need to fight Craulgarr.
Violess would fall because of Craulgarr’s rampage, naturally completing the Hidden Quest.
Afterward, his incomplete body would collapse with time, and Craulgarr would return to the abyss.
There was no need for me to deliberately draw Craulgarr’s attention.
Everyone in Violess would be sacrificed, but what did that matter?
They had absolutely nothing to do with me. They were merely genetically unrelated strangers.
Nevertheless, the reason I had deliberately bought time and confronted Craulgarr was—
Who knew?
In truth, I did not understand it myself.
Perhaps—
I simply thought that Ian would have acted this way.
The Supreme Commander of the Coalition Forces. Ian, the Hero of the continent.
People praised and respected Ian as a Hero, but not everyone did. Some people enjoyed something even more than the existence of a Hero.
They enjoyed watching a once-radiant Hero fail and fall. They delighted in seeing him meet a miserable end.
No matter what Ian did or accomplished, people turned around and envied him.
Such was the ugly nature of humanity.
Was there truly any reason to sacrifice oneself for people like them?
And yet, Ian—
—If you believe the people of this continent are ugly, then I suppose that makes me the Hero of ugly people.
Despite everything, you never stopped helping others until the very end.
You sacrificed yourself for people so recklessly that I thought you were an idiot and an utter pushover.
Whenever you did that, I found you frustrating and irritating—
But at the same time—
I admired you.
You embraced people instead of rebuking and condemning them for their mistakes.
Even while standing at the edge of a cliff every time, you remained as unwavering as a deeply rooted ancient tree.
You were always good at everything and overcame every hardship. But the truth was that you had never been overcoming it—
—Ian, you’re bleeding...!
—Adrian, our comrades are watching. That means I have to look even more impressive.
When I realized that you had merely been enduring it all—
When I realized that Player’s Will [EX] did not actually grant perfect mental immunity—
When I finally understood what you had been carrying on your shoulders all that time—
I sincerely admired you.
So profoundly that I did not even dare harbor the desire to become like you.
Kiiiiiiiiing—!!
A strange sound erupted from Craulgarr.
The patterns engraved across his skin emitted a blazing red light like living creatures, instantly destroying the boundary between day and night.
Rageful Shockwave.
It was a technique that concentrated the anger and destructive energy Craulgarr had absorbed and generated to their absolute limit before releasing them.
The moment this shock wave erupted—
The wavelengths of light distorted first.
The earth tore apart and ruptured, the air heated to extreme temperatures, and an area extending several kilometers around him became engulfed in explosive vibrations.
Every object at the center of the shock wave would be pulverized.
The explosion, carrying tremendous heat and berserk energy, would spread outward and immediately inflict fatal injuries upon every living creature.
It was an atrocious power that went beyond a simple physical impact, devastating the battlefield and destroying everything around it.
Craulgarr had also realized that he was running out of time.
He had realized that as long as I remained here, he could not accomplish his objective within the time permitted to him.
◆Using the Combination Skill “Dragon Rage Explosion [E]”!
And so, he played his trump card.
In other words, everything would be over the moment Rageful Shockwave erupted.
Violess would naturally be destroyed, and neither Isolde nor I would be exceptions.
Therefore, I should have immediately fled—
But I did not.
‘I’ll counter it.’
I had to neutralize Rageful Shockwave.
I knew.
I knew it was insane.
The Rageful Shockwave I had witnessed in my previous life possessed power that was not merely overwhelming but transcendent.
Attempting to neutralize it was beyond foolish.
It was idiotic.
However, the current Craulgarr was unstable. He was not the same as the one from my previous life.
Therefore, if I could strike at the precise instant when Craulgarr’s anger energy finished concentrating and began erupting, forcing the two powers to collide....
There was a chance.
I could counter it.
No—I had to counter it.
The power of Dragon Rage Explosion [E] depended upon the number of calories it consumed.
I had to surpass—
The Predator from my previous life—
And my own limits.
◆Using the skill “Nutrient Synthesis [B]” to create [Hydrogen], [Oxygen], [Acetylene], [Vinylacetylene], [Ethylene Oxide], [Hydrazine], [Nitrous Oxide]....
◆Surplus calories: 31,450 kcal
‘This isn’t enough.’
There was nothing I could do with this number of calories. Even burning all one hundred thousand calories might barely be sufficient.
However, I had no time to consume additional calories.
Therefore—
I created elements and compounds capable of causing exothermic and explosive reactions.
Then, using Metabolic Overdrive [U], I caused a specific series of reactions to explode.
My remaining calories rapidly combusted, while the explosive substances synthesized within my body increased uncontrollably and spread.
Accompanied by tremendous heat and energy, they diffused throughout my entire body.
Up to this point, the mechanism was identical to that of Dragon Rage Explosion [E].
I concentrated all the diffusing energy into my “right arm”.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!!
The concentrated energy began seething as though it were about to explode.
Energy that should have been distributed throughout my entire body became concentrated on one side, compressing the simultaneous energy explosions.
The compressed energy then produced a synergistic reaction, causing overlapping and repeatedly linked chain explosions—
“Uuuuuurgh!!!”
My body could not withstand this much compressed energy.
My right arm should have exploded long ago—
But I had undergone 241 days of training inside the Infinite Labyrinth. My stamina and strength stats had risen tremendously as a result.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—!!
The pain burning through my entire body felt as though it would tear my mind apart.
However….I would not block the pain.
I could not block it.
To concentrate the spreading energy in one place, I had to focus my senses upon it.
My right arm glowed crimson.
The energy surging and seething within it as though it might explode at any moment was impossible to estimate.
My strengthened body allowed me to withstand the compressed explosive energy.
No—it allowed me to endure it.
“Aaaaaaargh...!!!”
The pain penetrated to the marrow of my bones.
The agony made it seem as though time itself had stopped. My mind could not endure the pain that seemed to deny my very existence and began to collapse.
◆Player’s Will [EX] resists the soul-rending pain!!
I leaped across the collapsing ruins—
And finally stopped high in the air, looking down upon Craulgarr.
—Endure it.
I had to endure.
◆The Combination Skill Dragon Rage Explosion [E] is evolving!!
◆Player’s Will [EX] resists the endlessly burning agony!!
A translucent message appeared before my eyes.
—Endure it, Adrian.
I had to endure it.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!”
I roared and squeezed every last bit of strength from my legs. Then I kicked off the ground and leaped—
◆Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon [L] : When this skill is used, the player does not distribute the accumulated [total calories] throughout the body. Instead, the player [concentrates their consumption] in one location, thereby [compressing] the simultaneous energy explosions.
The compressed energy produces a [Synergistic Reaction], resulting in overlapping and repeatedly linked [Chain Explosions]. The damage inflicted by Dragon Rage Explosion [E] increases [fivefold], while the explosion at its center inflicts [eight times] the damage.
<This is an Evolution Skill created through the evolution of Dragon Rage Explosion [E].>
By the time I comprehended that fact—
◆Using the Evolution Skill “Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon [L]”!!
My fist, containing all that energy, had already reached its target.
* * *
Isolde’s mind suddenly froze.
She experienced the illusion that time itself had stopped.
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing—!!
The anger energy concentrated within the monster’s gigantic body finally surpassed its saturation point and began to rupture.
And at last—
Rooooooooooooooooooooar—!!!
Rageful Shockwave erupted.
The impact outpaced sound and tore through the atmosphere.
Isolde’s vision distorted as though the boundary between heaven and earth had collapsed.
Everything that existed….began to break apart.
‘....It’s over.’
Isolde understood that before anyone else.
Shatter—!
The Sacred Veil broke helplessly.
Tremendous pressure surged toward her. Isolde’s feet lifted from the ground, and her body floated into the air.
At that moment—
From within the collapsed boundary between heaven and earth—
Rooooooooooooooooooooar—!!!
An enormous Dragon forged from flames roared.
Every time the Dragon spread its wings, flames fell through the air.
They looked like fragments breaking away from the sun.
The Dragon’s eyes burned fiercely.
The instant Isolde met its gaze—
The Frenzied Dragon.
Those were the words that appeared within Isolde’s mind.
The Frenzied Dragon was enraged. Its emotions seethed as though they were on the verge of exploding.
Flames of burning anger and hatred engulfed the surroundings.
....Yet something was strange.
They were warm.
For some reason, they felt comforting.
They resembled gentle sunlight enveloping their frozen bodies during a long winter night.
The Frenzied Dragon’s colossal body flew directly toward Rageful Shockwave.
Wrath and anger collided.
Sound was torn apart. Light and impact. Heat and anger. Every imaginable force intertwined and engulfed the entire world.
The sky screamed. The earth lost its moisture, dried out, and split apart. Everything collapsed as though the very outline of the world were crumbling.
However, Isolde could see it.
The anger energy was burning within the Frenzied Dragon’s flames.
The Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon was devouring the berserk anger.
The raging chaos gradually subsided. The distorted heavens and earth slowly regained their original forms.
The collapsing scenery finally returned to its proper place.
Rooooooooooooooooooooar—!!!
Everyone in Violess witnessed the blazing Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon.
The burning Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon bared the sharp fangs of hatred at the colossal evil threatening Violess.
Crunch—!
The Frenzied Dragon’s enormous maw violently bit into the monster’s neck, its fangs instantly tearing through the monster’s skin.
Rooooooooooooooooar—!!!
The monster twisted its body in an attempt to throw off the Frenzied Dragon.
The more it struggled, the more tenaciously the Frenzied Dragon clamped its jaws around the monster’s neck.
Fwoooooosh!!
The Frenzied Dragon’s flames blazed even more intensely.
The Frenzied Dragon climbed over the monster’s body and began burning it from head to toe.
The monster writhed in agony and struck the ground.
KABOOOOOM!!
The colossal impact shattered the surrounding landscape, but—
Rooooooooooooar—!!
The Frenzied Dragon instead drove its sharp claws into the monster’s body.
Its claws instantly tore through the monster’s skin. Flames penetrated the wounds and burned them from within.
The Frenzied Dragon then sank its teeth deeply into the monster’s neck.
The monster was engulfed in flames before it could even scream—
Rumble—!!
At last, the monster’s colossal body collapsed to the ground.
The Frenzied Dragon trampled the monster beneath its feet. Its flames continued burning, setting the surrounding land ablaze.
Rooooooooooooooooooooar—!!
The Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon roared. It clearly proclaimed which existence reigned above all creation.
* * *
Rooooooooooooooooooooar—!!
When the roar of the Wrath of the Frenzied Dragon swept across the burning landscape—
“H-Huh...?”
“What was I….doing?”
Sarpedon and the other Visters awakened from minds that had been consumed by anger.
They could also see it.
The gigantic monster and the Frenzied Dragon wreathed in flames.
They clearly witnessed the fierce battle between those two beings with their own eyes.
It was a mythical battle that seemed possible only within a fairy tale.
Eventually, the colossal monster that had threatened the city of Violess fell before the Frenzied Dragon. And a man revealed himself within the flames burning in the distance.
He looked utterly wretched.
His entire body had been burned black, and his breathing was ragged. His right arm was nowhere to be seen, as though he had somehow misplaced it.
Not a trace of strength remained in him, and he staggered unsteadily. It seemed as though even a child could defeat him.
And yet—
No one could approach him. No one dared to draw near.
He clearly looked as though he might collapse at any moment.
However, his appearance—his very existence—emanated an oppressive presence that seemed to look down upon the entire continent.
The strongest existence reigning above all creation—and perhaps something that had surpassed even that.
The immense city of Violess was crushed beneath the presence of a single man.
Amid all those gazes, he slowly turned his head and surveyed Violess.
Thud.
Sarpedon was the first to kneel.
That marked the beginning.
Thud. Thud.
The Visters began kneeling one after another.
Like a spreading plague, it swept across every region of Violess until every Vister had knelt before him.
They understood instinctively. They felt it instinctively.
“We greet the Emperor of Violess!!”
True absolute power had been born in Violess.
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