Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 327

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 327 – Battle with the Black Dragon Part 3

For example, might the battle between Ain and the Black Dragon have been enveloped in a special atmosphere if music had been played around them? A hymn played on a pipe organ would have been perfect.

“Was he born with the Demon King’s power?”

The Black Dragon muttered, its aura surging erratically.

Combined with the molten lava mixed with pure gold raging around them, an otherworldly sensation began to permeate the entire area.

Several fruits emitting a glitter reminiscent of the night sky began to appear.

One, two, three—they multiplied rapidly. The fruits were round and resembled Ripples.

Soon after, the Black Dragon’s eyes betrayed his growing impatience.

“The battle against the Drain species will be terribly futile.”

Despite its perpetually haughty demeanor, the Black Dragon felt genuine impatience.

Though it possessed power in which it held absolute confidence, Ain had begun absorbing the surrounding magic at a speed surpassing its own. Though the Black Dragon had an even more sensitive ability to probe the surrounding magic than Ain did—

“I dislike this—I truly dislike it.”

Not only was the naturally drifting magic power diminishing, but the magic power that had originally enclosed him was too.

“I haven’t seen an existence like yours in a long time. Not since that dragonkin killed my brother.”

“Huh… So that person really is strong.”

No longer needing to pretend, Ain spoke under the assumption that it was the goddess in question.

Though counting people is a strange way to go about it.

“This conversation is over! I shall take all of you as my offering!”

The black dragon’s entire body swelled even further.

Unlike the red dragon’s forced expansion, this felt natural, radiating a power that revealed its true might.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”

“…!?”

A roar shook the earth.

The trunk of the World Tree of Gluttony, which was standing on Ain’s back, swayed quietly.

Simultaneously, pulsations that shook the vision of those facing each other rippled out across the entire area.

Vines sprouted from Ain’s back and connected to the World Tree of Gluttony. An unimaginable amount of magic power flowed into Ain’s body through them.

But…

“…It’s still not enough.”

With that, Ain absorbed the magic power he had infused into his sword into his own body.

He would never use it to attack.

“Are you cowering now, O descendant of the dragonkin?”

“Of course not! I just thought it wasn’t enough!”

“Nonsense!”

Soon, the distance closed. A powerful strike came from the black dragon’s massive body, delivered by its sturdy arm.

The dragon grazed the World Tree of Gluttony and extended its arm toward Ain, who was standing below.

Then, the black dragon grinned with delight. The thick trunk of the World Tree of Gluttony was scraped. Though Ain’s attack was blocked by roots and vines, the black dragon was pleased by the thick magic power overflowing from the trunk.

It flapped its wings as if sucking in the air.

“You’re just a tree after all! Can’t you move? You’re nothing but a solid wall—ah…?”

Suddenly, the black dragon made eye contact.

They were the same eyes that Sylvia had called “capable of destroying the world” during the Heim War.

Peering out from the gouged trunk was a mass of pure malice, the first such sight the Black Dragon had ever encountered. Its eyes widened, and it instinctively backed away from Ain.

A sudden, powerful flap of wings sent a gale-force wind swirling around them, fierce enough to be mistaken for a typhoon.

“You…!”

Then, the Black Dragon realized something else.

The power had drained from its tense, strained body.

“When did you take my magic?” He swallowed those words hard.

“Sucking the Sea Dragon’s magic felt incredible. Now, I’m thinking of words like ‘gluttony.’”

It was Ain’s voice.

“What flavor would you have? Meat, vegetables, or fish? Which one? But it wasn’t any of those. Your magic was sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s fragrant, like the finest honey.”

“Such nonsense on the battlefield! Do you intend to mock me?”

“After calling me a sacrifice? Besides, this is me. Even in the midst of a battle like this, deep down, I can’t help but wonder about the taste. That’s why I’m Gluttony.”

In the middle of the conversation, the lava overflowing around them stopped.

Soon, the ground solidified, its surface covered in pure gold.

Ain severed his connection to the World Tree of Gluttony with a sharp snap and advanced.

A black dragon whose body, when its wings were spread, was as large as a battleship appeared, and Ain was tall yet still within the bounds of human stature.

However, the size and superiority of the two standing side by side were not proportional.

Ain’s expression evoked that of a ferocious beast closing in on its prey.

Ain vanished from the dragon’s sight.

In his place, a black, viscous liquid dripped from the towering tree’s wound.

Wriggling eyes pierced the black dragon.

“This should finish you.”

Ain, who had flown atop the great tree unnoticed, brought his sword down upon it—a tree that could almost be called his avatar.

The gash he carved was far deeper than any of the Black Dragon’s claws could have made. Countless eyes, trapped within, burst forth with piercing laughter: “Ahahahaaaaaa—hahaha!”

As they approached Ain, they dissolved into particles of light and merged into him until the last one vanished.

The overwhelming sensation that flooded Ain’s entire body reminded him of the moment he absorbed Marco’s magic stone during battle and transformed into the Demon King.

It was a strange feeling, as if he had channeled the essence he stored as the Demon King into himself.

“You think you can defeat me with makeshift power? How amusing that you feel stronger after seeing something rare.”

“No, I know how to use it well. I used this attack on myself just over a year ago.”

“Used it on yourself…?”

“Yes, that power, which he said could only be used in the spiritual world, is within me. I understand now. Back then, he lacked sufficient magical power and physical growth. But now that I’m completely unified… I can utilize his power, too.”

“Kuhaha! Hahahaha! Kill me? You want to kill me? Me, a being born from the souls of countless dragons and their grudges?”

“Yes, I intend to defeat you.”

With clear intent to kill, Ain spread his arms wide.

Jet-black magical power shot skyward from the surrounding ground and gradually coalesced into a single mass.

This sinister mass of power leaked crimson-black light—a force distinct from the power Ain called the Seed. It was reminiscent of the final technique used by the World Tree of Gluttony in the spiritual world.

Instantly, the sound of stringed instruments echoed throughout the area.

This sound had also resonated when Ain fought the World Tree of Gluttony. It reverberated like a hymn each time the crimson-black light undulated.

And Ain realized. This sound was like a birth cry.

Eventually, Ain gazed up at the sky and declared,

“Pour down! This is the World Tree’s blessing.”

A mass of power erupted in midair.

A jet-black celestial sphere enveloped the entire basin, plunging it into a separate world where the distinction between inside and outside was severed.

A boisterous hymn echoed within, distorting everything with gravity as if to transform it into particles of light. Everything stretched out and was filled with an inhuman, terrifying power beyond comprehension, as if the atoms themselves had been detonated.

“Guh… nngh… this… is…”

In the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon lost its life over and over again —once, twice.

Whether it possessed as many lives as it claimed or was simply struggling to kill Ain in a space that forbade life, it opened its mouth and unleashed its breath.

But none of it was permitted to exist. Whenever it used its power, it bared its fangs, only to be absorbed by Ain.

“Such power… worthy of ranking… in this… remote… land…”

The tip of the Black Dragon’s claw, desperately extended toward Ain, who was floating within the jet-black celestial sphere, drew near.

The claw tip trembled; the Black Dragon was barely breathing.

Yet, was life still within it? No weakness was visible in its gaze.

But—

“I am the one who will win! Black Dragon!”

Ain’s declaration triggered the pitch-black celestial sphere to emit a shrill sound and shatter into pieces.

The Black Dragon then smirked as if to say that it had endured. But that joy was fleeting.

A momentary flash erupted between them.

“Your story was fascinating—but this truly ends it!”

A blinding light pierced the heavens.

Yet its hue was crimson-black, enveloped by violet lightning.

The light gradually thickened and expanded, growing immense in scope.

Its diameter was vast enough to hold dozens of battleships side by side. The ground was gouged out. No, it seemed to connect directly to the abyss itself. It created a bottomless, dark hole that made one think just that.

“…Our… grudge…”

Finally, the Black Dragon used the last of its life force to support its entire body.

Its body plummeted into the abyss, holding not even a flicker of life’s light.

It finally breathed its last, unable to fulfill its grudge against the dragon-kin.

“Sorry, but I’m going to finish you off completely.”

Ain wouldn’t let the Black Dragon fall into the abyss. From every edge of the hole, he sprouted black roots.

They bound the falling black dragon and extended their roots to haul it up to the surface. Ain floated in midair directly beneath the Black Dragon as it descended leisurely toward him. He placed his foot upon its massive head.

“Well, that was quite a series of shocking revelations,”

He said, drawing his sword.

“You were strong.”

He thrust the sword into its forehead.

The sword pulsed, drawing out the last of its power.

The magic stone must be nearby. Ain felt a sense of fulfillment throughout his body similar to when he absorbed the magic stones of the Sea Dragon and Marco.

The taste was sweet and pleasant, just as he had described.

Glancing at the surrounding terrain, he couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.

“Whoa…so this is what it looks like.”

It was a hole leading into an abyss of unimaginable vastness.

It was so enormous that it could swallow the entire center of the royal capital. Gazing into it, he felt as if it might swallow him whole.

Here all by himself, Ain became acutely aware of the “power to destroy the world.”

“Is holding back like this… because I’m the Demon King of the World Tree?”

The “holding back” wasn’t about power; it was mainly about range.

If he spread it too wide, it would affect Chris and the others, who were acting separately. As a result, he instinctively held back, narrowing the range.

When he attacked without reservation, he couldn’t imagine how far the effects would spread, even with his own power.

“If I wanted to channel that power into my sword… Wow, I actually did it…”

Ain had mastered the crimson-black magic and realized that he could channel it into his weapon.

Would he ever get a chance to use something like this? He pondered it, but for now, he had no plans.

He smiled wryly, realizing that he had become a genuinely dangerous person without noticing. Quietly, he sheathed his sword.

Looking up at the sky, he saw that the dark aura that had filled the air during the battle had vanished completely. It was now replaced by a vast expanse of clear blue sky.

“Tired…” Ain murmured, settling down on the black dragon’s forehead.

What could this black dragon’s corpse be used for? He surrendered to a moment’s rest.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Now, shifting our focus to the Heim Autonomous Region and its western plains.

Geographically, it was near the highway that connects to the Duchy of Euro. Recently, the area has been bustling with good public order.

Today, however, an army led by a certain man is marching through.

“Lord Marco. What are you laughing at?”

“Hm? Ah, well… It seems my lord has exercised his true power.”

“Ah, you mean Ain’s true power?”

“Precisely. He has a habit of holding back in everything. Getting this chance, considering what lies ahead, isn’t a bad thing.”

Chuckling cheerfully, Marco surveyed the surroundings from his horse.

“Hmm. It seems the so-called Red Dragon is near. Batz-dono, please relay that to everyone.”

“Roger that! Lord Marco!”

Steeling himself for the approaching battle, Marco watched Batz’s back as he answered boldly.

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