Chapter 834

At the dawn of time, when the Creator forged this world...

The Creator created the angels first, followed by the dragons. The dragons were bestowed with unparalleled intellect, immense power, and immortal bodies—gifts that elevated them above all other intelligent creatures.

The Creator tasked them with preserving the balance of the world. They were to mediate conflicts and rivalries among the various races and, at times, guide other sentient beings with their wisdom.

At first, the dragons faithfully carried out the Creator’s will.

However, they grew increasingly complacent over time until their complacency turned into arrogance, and this arrogance only worsened when some dragons ascended to the status of demigods.

Drunk on their newfound supremacy, they abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them by the Creator and indulged in pursuits to fulfill their own greed and selfishness.

The Creator, witnessing their betrayal, created a predator to keep the dragons in check, and this creature was called Garuda, the first Dragon Slayer.

Just as the Creator intended, the dragons feared Garuda upon realizing that it was a threat to their very existence.

Then came the pivotal event, the Crusade for Freedom.

Some dragons—no demigods, actively joined the crusade, aiding in the downfall of the church devoted to the Creator. The vast majority of dragons were commanded to fight against the crusade, but they remained passive and merely observed the ensuing destruction.

For the dragons, the collapse of the Creator’s religious order was advantageous.

With the church gone, the Creator’s emissaries, the angels, could no longer descend upon the world. This would effectively remove any power capable of challenging the dragons.

Although the dragons had no desire to rule the world outright, they desired the freedom to do whatever they wanted and stand at the pinnacle of all sentient creatures.

“At that time, the dragons turned a blind eye to the Crusade for Freedom in exchange for the promise that the various religious orders of the demigods would hunt down the Garudas,” Phoenix explained. Then, he paused for a moment and added, “As a result, the Garudas were driven to extinction.”

“What?”

“While the Garudas had been wiped out, the Creator’s will and power remained in this world. They transformed into a spiritual phenomenon that is eternally bound to this realm.”

“Oh...”

“Captain Drake. I merely seek to punish the dragons and fulfill my duty as Garuda’s avatar. So, if you would just—”

“Wait,” Siegfried interrupted him. Then, he asked, “What’s your connection to the angels?”

The sudden question caught Phoenix off guard, causing him to lose the composure that he had barely managed to scrape together.

“T-The angels?” Phoenix stammered, momentarily flustered by the unexpected interrogation.

‘

Heh. So this guy’s in cahoots with the angels, huh?’

Siegfried thought. Thanks to his uncanny intuition, he managed to quickly piece together Phoenix’s true intentions. It made sense that Phoenix, as Garuda’s avatar and a Dragon Slayer, was fulfilling his duty.

However, the story shared just now revealed a deeper resentment that extended beyond just dragons; it included everyone involved in the Crusade for Freedom.

If the dragons, the mightiest of sentient beings, were eliminated, would that not pave the way for the angels to invade this world with ease?

“You’re working for the angels, aren’t you?”

“W-What are you talking about? I’m not working for the angels!”

“You’re not?”

“Angels haven’t descended upon this world since the Crusade for Freedom!”

“

Hmm...

”

“I have no ulterior motives! I only want to hunt the dragons down!”

“Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes! Captain Drake! I can make you the richest man in the world! Every dragon I hunt will end up in your possession!”

“

Ahng~

That does sound... appealing...” Siegfried said with a moan, shivering in delight at the thought.

“Captain Drake! So, please—”

Before Phoenix could finish his words.

Boom!

The +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp imbued with Touch of Death landed on Phoenix’s head.

***

Krwaaaang!

The Barrier of Victory came crumbling down with a thunderous sound.

Kieeeek!

The image of a two-headed bird, the manifestation of Garuda, emerged from Phoenix’s corpses and soared into the distance.

Without a doubt, the Garuda would find another host, lie dormant, and eventually awaken as a new Dragon Slayer.

“Damn... that was actually a pretty lucrative business model...

Tsk!”

Siegfried grumbled and clicked his tongue in frustration.

It was true. Hunting dragons promised astronomical profits, and the fact that he could have a near monopoly on their body parts proved to be a very lucrative enterprise.

If he had no lingering attachment to this world, he would have used Phoenix to rake in money, amassing a massive wealth before abandoning the game altogether.

However, Siegfried was not ready to quit the game. He wanted to keep playing this game. In addition, dragon hunting was not a risk-free business, as it could quickly become catastrophic.

Why?

It was all because dragons were not fools.

There was no way they would allow Phoenix to keep running rampant unchecked. In no time, their retaliation would surely come.

And what if the dragons discovered Siegfried’s involvement? It would not just end with his character dying dozens of times.

The repercussions could extend much further and could result in the wrath of the dragons descending upon the Proatine Kingdom. The kingdom he had painstakingly built with his blood, sweat, and tears would be destroyed overnight.

On top of that, there was the chance that this entire scheme was part of a larger plan.

What if Phoenix was merely a tool in a plan hatched by the angels? What if he was nothing but a hunting dog sent to clear the world of dragons ahead of an invasion by those celestial beings?

For these reasons, Siegfried chose to eliminate Phoenix and give up the so-called lucrative business.

‘

Might as well take the loot as a consolation while I’m at it,’

he grumbled.

Having forfeited the lucrative business that had the potential to become a bustling enterprise, he decided to at least take solace in collecting Phoenix's gears.

[Alert: You have obtained +11 Golden Dragon Full Plate!]

[Alert: You have obtained +10 Flame Volcano Gauntlet!]

[Alert: You have obtained +10 Ignis Pulse Gauntlet!]

[Alert: You have obtained Glacial Barrier!]

[Alert: You have obtained +12 Irradiate Sword!]

[Alert: You have obtained +10 Supersonic Dragon Wings!]

The haul was nothing short of spectacular. Every piece of gear used by Phoenix was crafted from dragon bones, scales, and hearts, making them extremely valuable.

“

Oh,

sweet... so sweet...!

Huff... Huff...! Nng...!”

As Siegfried gathered the items with a greedy face, a chill rushed through him, and an almost orgasmic sensation pervaded him.

The troublesome Dragon Slayer had been dealt with, so it was time to go back and see the aftermath of the battle.

***

The battle was over by the time Siegfried had returned.

“Wooooah!”

“We defeated the Naval Alliance!”

“Long live the Green Isles!”

“All hail the Pirate King!”

The pirates—no, the newly-formed Navy of the Green Isles, shouted cries of victory with all of their might.

It was a decisive victory, a monumental triumph.

The Green Isles saw its combat capabilities reduced to a third after the internal conflicts they suffered, but they still managed to annihilate the powerful naval armada formed by the Naval Alliance.

However, what made things even more incredible was the fact that they managed to capture sixty-nine warships from the Naval Alliance during the battle. This meant that the Green Isles would emerge from this battle stronger than ever before!

Without a shred of doubt, this victory was one for the history books.

“

Kyuuu!

Over here, you lazy owner punk!” Hamchi called out, waving energetically from the deck of the flagship, the Nemesis.

Waiting there alongside Hamchi were Captain Bellatrix and Lionbreath as well as—

“...”

The Supreme Commander of the Naval Alliance, Grand Marshal Claude. He was tightly bound with ropes and was sitting in silence.

Claude had attempted to take his own life but was captured by the Nordic Marines before he could muster the courage to pull the trigger. After that, he was bound and captured as a prisoner of war.

“

Tsk, tsk...”

Siegfried strolled over to Claude as soon as he landed on the Nemesis.

“Not looking too good today, are you?”

“Captain Drake...”

Claude could not bring himself to meet Siegfried’s gaze.

He was overcome with shame after recalling how Siegfried had earnestly asked the Naval Alliance and himself for help so that the Green Isles could be reborn as a maritime kingdom.

Instead of helping, he had shamelessly lied straight to Drake's face and had launched an invasion of the Green Isles behind his back.

To make matters worse, his decisions had led to the death of tens of thousands of his sailors. Their bodies had become fish food, and they would never return to their loved ones, even in death.

The guild was indescribable.

With this defeat, the dissolution of the Naval Alliance was inevitable.

Instead of being decorated as a Grand Admiral, he would go down in history as the most incompetent and foolish naval commander the continent had ever known.

“Good grief! What a mess you’ve caused, huh?”

Siegfried deliberately rubbed salt into the wound to make Claude feel even more guilty.

“I told you, didn’t I? Let’s stop all this piracy nonsense and work on building a better world together. But

nooo,

you just had to go and make things awkward for everyone.”

“...”

“And now look at the mess you’ve caused!”

“...I have no excuse,” Claude muttered. Then, he bowed his head deeply and pleaded, “Don’t humiliate me any further. Just kill me already. I beg of you.”

“

Eh?

That’s your plan? You dump this colossal pile of crap on everyone and think of walking away scot-free by dying? Nah, I don’t think so,” Siegfried retorted coldly.

“Please... Just report that I died honorably in battle at least—”

“In your dreams,” Siegfried cut him off. Then, he growled, “Do you know how many men you sent to their deaths? Do you really think you can just die here without facing them?”

“...!”

“You will be executed at the Naval Alliance’s headquarters in full view of the families of those who died because of your decision.”

“I... I won’t let that happen!” Claude cried out.

He attempted to kill himself once again by biting down on his tongue, but Siegfried was faster than him. With one swift motion, he opened his inventory and pulled out an item to shove into Claude’s mouth.

The item he pulled out was called +3 Holey Beggar’s Sock, which was a filthy sock with fungus growing on it.

“

Mmph! Mmph!”

Claude choked on the foul item.

“Take this war criminal and lock him up securely until we deliver him to the Naval Alliance.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Siegfried’s command, the Nordic Marines dragged Claude off to a secret location.

‘

Might as well bring the fleet for some military posturing while we’re at it,’

Siegfried thought.

He decided to bring their newly captured ships as a show of force before handing Claude over to the Naval Alliance. It was time to make it clear to the entire world that messing with the Green Isles came with dire consequences. That way, nobody would get any funny ideas like Claude.

“Alright, everyone! The battle’s over, so clean up and get some rest!” Siegfried announced.

"W-Wait!" someone screamed while pointing at the skies. “Over there! A dragon! A dragon has appeared!”

The pirates—no, the sailors gathered around Wailing Canyon erupted into chaos.

“A dragon?! A DRAGON?!”

“

Aaaahhh!”

“There’s a dragon!”

The sudden appearance of a dragon sent everyone spiraling into panic.

They barely finished the intense battle against the Naval Alliance only for a dragon to show up right afterward.

‘

A dragon?’

Siegfried turned toward the commotion.

Swoosh!

Far off in the distance, a shimmering silver dragon with wings resembling those of a flying fish was cutting through the waters at breakneck speed.

Grruuu Oooh!

In mere moments, the Silver Dragon had reached the waters over Wailing Canyon and unleashed its Dragon Fear to assert its dominance over the entire place.

“O Great and Mighty One!”

The people immediately dropped to their knees and bowed before the dragon.

What about fighting? That was a laughable idea.

Even if they somehow managed to win, it would come at the cost of tens of thousands of lives and the complete destruction of their fleet.

Considering the fact that the dragon was likely over three thousand years old, defeating it even after suffering such insurmountable losses was highly unlikely.

‘

Ugh... Why did it have to wake up?’

Siegfried grumbled inwardly.

Of course, not wanting to die, he obediently prostrated himself before the Silver Dragon.

“Who dares disturb my slumber?!”

The Silver Dragon’s voice thundered over the waters of Wailing Canyon and sent chills down everyone’s spines.