Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 325

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 325 – Battle with the Black Dragon Part 1

Ain’s eyes opened wide in stunned horror at the scene before him.

Not only had the Black Dragon spoken, but it had also begun rampaging.

What had once been Neusch now lay sprawled, crimson and black. Camilla stood beside it, so shocked by the unexpected turn of events that she nearly collapsed. Fortunately, the Heim Knight she had brought along rushed over and caught the limp Camilla in his arms.

“We must evacuate immediately!”

“No! With Neusch-dono fallen, we cannot remain here!”

“B-but—! I must take revenge on that man!”

“Our comrades sent over there will fulfill our long-held wish. We should wait for their return and exact our revenge then!”

They blurted out words that must have been part of the plan in an attempt to persuade Camilla.

Ain clenched his hand around his sword, but quickly relaxed it. But before he could make them pay for their past deeds, he couldn’t take his eyes off the enormous black dragon that had appeared before him.

Had Ain been alone, he would have unleashed his power without a second thought.

But the Black Knights, the Royal Knights, and important people like Chris and Dill were nearby.

To sort out his feelings, he avoided targeting Camilla.

As they fled, the black dragon did not extend its arms toward Camilla and the others; instead, it quietly revealed its face from within the golden light.

“The kin of the sinful are also sinful.”

It had branched, twisted, jet-black horns; eyes that pulsed with such potent magical power that they felt like terrifying magical artifacts themselves; razor-sharp fangs that stretched several meters long; and a long neck that was covered in layers of scales that were as sharp as the swords that Mouton made.

It soon revealed its muscular frame and assumed a posture like a dog or cat sitting before spreading its arms and wings. Its form was as vast as a battleship.

The black-purple aura surging from its wings was as terrifying as that of the World Tree of Gluttony, which Ain had fought in the spiritual world.

As its wings slowly moved, the very air around it became polluted.

“Chris.”

“Eh, ah… yes!”

She seemed stunned as well, but Ain’s words brought her back to her senses.

“That thing is problematic in many ways. I’m sorry, but it would help if you could evacuate everyone.”

“B-but!”

He could have insisted more forcefully, but he had made such decisions countless times before.

Calling it “learned” sounded good, but Ain composed himself and gave the order.

“In exchange for doing this, I have a favor to ask. I want you to pursue Camilla.”

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

“Yeah, it’s something only Chris can do.”

Being told that left her feeling a bit weak.

Ain’s phrasing was cunning, and even in this situation, she couldn’t help but smile wryly to herself.

Deep down, she knew she’d only be in the way, so she couldn’t argue strongly. In the end, Chris…

“I’ll definitely track down Camilla. So when you return, Ain-sama, please praise me a little, okay?”

“Haha… I’ll praise you as much as you want. Sorry, I’ll return right after I take care of that thing.”

Finally, Ain patted Chris on the head twice.

Though slightly annoyed that the other knights had seen it, she enjoyed that brief moment before leaving him.

“Dill! Since Ain-sama will fight, we should retreat. No, we’ll pursue Camilla!”

“We’ve already sent pursuers! Let’s hurry!”

“Yes, understood!”

Then, Dill glanced at Ain and murmured,

“Good luck in battle, Ain-sama.”

As he watched his subordinates leave the battlefield, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Though ultimately, it was because Ain was simply too powerful, and the situation demanded his presence.

“The Holy Father has passed away!”

“Ah, but such a divine presence right before our eyes—”

The robed figures panicked, yet the most devout approached the Black Dragon without hesitation. Some were crushed by the pure gold dripping from its high temperatures; others were crushed by its powerful feet.

The dragon, the object of their faith, was more important than Neusch, their former leader.

Those who fled pursued Camilla out of the basin. Soon, Ain and the Black Dragon stood face to face.

“All this talk about ‘servants’… I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You, who command the children of the Water Dragon, are none other than a servant of that sinful dragonkin.”

“…Water Dragon?”

Could that be the Sea Dragon, implying that it referred to El and Al? Ain was filled with questions.

More than anything, however, Ain had no recollection of the term “dragonkin’s servant.”

Seeing Ain’s puzzled expression, the Black Dragon opened its massive jaws wide.

Suddenly, it spewed crimson-black flames like piercing arrows.

“Talk about being rude after I addressed you.”

Thick tree roots sprouted from the ground and encircled Ain.

Fire and wood are a terrible match, yet when the flames ceased, Ain was unharmed.

“I don’t get any of this. Dragons speaking the human language? Me being a dragonkin? Or some sort of servant?”

“Nonsense. The fact that dragon speech reaches all things is self-evident. You should know that we dragons sang of coexistence in paradise.”

No, I don’t know that. Ain couldn’t say that.

“…”

If he had to propose a hypothesis, it was that the Black Dragon had misunderstood.

It wasn’t tense, but it was embarrassing, he thought to himself. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon the current situation and try to persuade it.

The dragon language, the dragon clan’s paradise—many words piqued his interest, but—

(The goal remained the same: to defeat it.)

Gripping the sword, he channeled his magic.

It was an unprecedented, colossal amount.

The entire blade pulsed violently and trembled with rapid, fine vibrations, as if struck by a sonic wave.

“Suh—hah.”

After taking a short breath, he struck when the black dragon blinked.

“The horns—they’re packed with magical power, right?”

Following Sylvie’s instructions, Ain lunged forward and raised his sword near the black dragon’s head.

But—

“Even knowing this, I praise you for drawing near my gaze.”

As the black dragon’s eyes snapped open, Ain’s entire field of vision shook erratically.

“What? Was I attacked?” He raised his sword, ready to strike down the threat.

“Gah—my strength’s gone…!”

His body, which had been tense with power, now felt as if he were sinking into the ocean—a sensation of utter weightlessness.

“Don’t you know about the Demon Eye, you dragonkin’s servant?”

“Guh…”

Suddenly, the Black Dragon’s arm, wrapped in a fierce wind, swung upward.

Just before its claws could tear into Ain’s body, Dullahan’s gauntlet and Marco’s sword blocked the strike.

Struck by a whirlwind that cut his cheek, Ain used the momentum to create distance between himself and the Black Dragon.

“Cain-san’s teachings really are right in situations like this, aren’t they?”

He couldn’t help but smile wryly.

It reminded him of when he trained under Cain in the spiritual world long ago.

Indeed, in situations like this, it was disadvantageous to let the opponent strike first. Lloyd and the other knights would play it safe, but the outcome of this battle depended entirely on Ain and Cain’s fighting styles.

(Our eyes met for just an instant. For those few seconds, all the strength drained from my body.)

After that, he could barely defend himself.

By the time he came to his senses, Dullahan’s gauntlets had vanished as well. The impact must have been that great.

Ain hurriedly summoned them again, careful not to meet its gaze.

“Come to think of it, this is only the second time I’ve fought such a large opponent.”

The first was the Sea Dragon.

There had been other battles against powerful foes, but Marco in the Demon Lord’s Castle and the World Tree of Gluttony in the spiritual world were both humanoid.

He thought. With its power still unknown, the Black Dragon was undoubtedly a formidable enemy.

“I have to get stronger.”

Drip… A jet-black droplet fell.

It fell from the mass above Ain’s head and enveloped him.

Soon, its surface began to churn as if boiling.

(This isn’t an opponent I should fight as a swordsman.)

He should fight as he did when facing Cain in the Demon Lord’s Castle.

As Demon Lord Ain, as the World Tree of Gluttony itself.

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