Side Story Chapter 176

Crevasse reeled. He realized that he had to accept it this time.

‘I’ve lost.’

The red spear gleamed wickedly, its razor edge threatening to cut through Crevasse’s neck if he so much as twitched.

Aisha Sestropi, the dark elf known to the Human Realm as the Assassin King, could also use a shadow movement technique similar to what Joshua had used. Since Crevasse had spent several years in her company, he was familiar with the technique, but Joshua Sanders’s was on a different level.

“Would you like to continue?” Joshua asked.

-...I can’t believe it. Are dragons supposed to be this weak?

“If your opponent had been someone else, I’m sure the outcome would have been different.

Dragons lived for a thousand years, normally; hundreds of times longer than humans. Yet, Crevasse had lost before he could land a single blow on Joshua. Crevasse’s pride wasn’t just hurt, he was also so humiliated that he couldn’t even raise his head.

The flow of mana in the area changed drastically and black light filled Crevasse’s eyes. Although those were signs that would normally put people on alert, Joshua just quietly landed on the ground. The fight was over, as indicated by the black-haired man who appeared and gently pushed the tip of Joshua’s spear away. The light came from Crevasse’s polymorphing.

“...Well, losing to you isn’t that surprising, considering that you’re a god-slayer...”

“From what I’ve experienced, I have no doubt you would also have lost to Bel.”

Crevasse pressed his lips together. Joshua didn’t stop to consider Crevasse’s feelings because he had to wake Crevasse up to reality.

“I’m sure that you never felt the need to make an effort since dragons are born mighty.”

“What is it you want to say?”

“If you don’t change your mindset, you will be the end of the dragons,” Joshua bluntly stated.

The dragon lord’s last message came to Crevasse’s mind. In her message, she had asked Crevasse for a number of “favors”. One was to never fight a human named Bel, and the other one was to stop dragon kind from disappearing from this world entirely. It seemed contradictory to Crevasse. At the same time as she was asking Crevasse not to fight Bel, she also wished for the race of dragons to be saved from extinction. However, the dragon lord’s message was worded out of consideration for Crevasse’s pride. It was a roundabout way to ask Crevasse to quietly live in the shadow.

“...Ha, so I have to bet everything on you, huh?” Crevasse chuckled.

Joshua's eyes widened in surprise. Crevasse’s remark just now would have hurt his pride more than Joshua’s advice to contemplate his mistakes and make an effort to improve himself. The dragon was basically putting his fate in the hands of a human out of fear for another human.

“I’m a little baffled,” Joshua mused, tilting his head in confusion.

“I recently carried an egg.”

Joshua gasped in uncontrollable shock. However, that was just the start of a series of surprises, each even more incredible than the other.

“And I gave birth to it.”

“S-So you have a baby now...?”

“It was that stupid dragon lord’s request to stop the complete extinction of dragons.” Crevasse shrugged. He had long owed a debt to the departed dragon lord, so he couldn’t turn down her last request. He knew that he couldn’t keep a promise not to do battle with Bel, so in the spur of the moment, Crevasse had come up with a different way to continue the survival of the dragons. After pondering for a moment, the dragon lord had nodded since she believed that Crevasse would have to avoid meeting Bel to avoid the complete extinction of dragons. However, she had been mistaken because she didn’t know how prideful Crevasse was.

“Wh-Where is the baby’s mother then?” Lilith asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“...You aren’t Joshua Sanders.”

“I’m Lilith Aphrodite, this body’s original owner.”

“I remember seeing you.” Crevasse nodded. “But there is no mother.”

“Th-There is no mother?”

“Don’t treat supreme beings such as I the same as you lowly humans. Dragons are beings who can create new life without something as vulgar and animalistic as sexual intercourse,” Crevasse sneered. He was still just as proud of his race as he had always been even though he was hiding from a human.

“I can’t believe that’s possible... Then you needed a nest to protect your baby. Most—no, all the pesky invaders would be taken care of by the Palace’s defenses before they got to the underground floor,” Lilith said, carefully picking her words to suit the dragon’s pride.

Crevasse nodded. “You’re right.”

“You still haven’t answered my question. Where is the Demon Spirit’s legacy?”

Noticing that Joshua was the one who asked the question this time, Crevasse instantly stopped talking. Joshua waited patiently for Crevasse to answer.

Suddenly, their heads both turned toward the deepest, darkest recesses of the vault.

“I sincerely hope I’m wrong about this one,” Joshua said, biting his lip.

“...You’re definitely quick.”

Joshua’s lips trembled because Crevasse’s answer was as good as a yes.

“Sir Crevasse, did you...?”

“I didn’t use the Demon Spirit’s legacy for myself. If I get killed by that human named Bel, the future for my hatchling becomes uncertain, so I had to give the baby the power to survive on his own.” Crevasse quietly closed his eyes; there was no hiding the truth now. “...Yes, I fed my baby the Demon Spirit’s legacy, just like you guessed.”

* * *

Meanwhile, a storm of demonic power wracked the Palace of Avalon’s council chamber.

-Hahahahahaha!

The power belonged to Perchilin, the witch demon who now embraced the powers of both Lust and Sloth. On the other hand, Urus, the red devil who was only left with his head, stared at Perchilin in disbelief.

-Perchilin... You bitch...!

-Devils are certainly persistent.

-Tshchary! What is the meaning of this?!

In reply to Urus, Tshchary silently raised his scythe and ground its butt into Urus’s cheek.

-Urgh... How... dare you...!

-I’m the one who should be asking you two a question. What were you planning to do in this place by hiding the fact that you two had the Evil Sins?

Tshchary was looking at Urus, but his question was for Altheon, the silver-haired demon.

-The only thing that weaklings... have to do... is listen to the stronger ones... Don’t talk back...

-Right back at you.

Tshchary pressed down on Urus’s cheek harder, silencing him—and then the devil’s head burst like a balloon under the pressure. It was a vain end for the second-strongest demon of the Demon Realm.

-You’re next if you don’t answer me, Altheon.

-You asked me why I hid my power, yes?

Altheon grinned.

-Not exactly, but let’s move on since it means the same thing.

-Then what about you, Tshchary? You’ve been hiding power that even I can’t fathom; however, you lived for hundreds of years without trying to increase your rank.

Tshchary didn’t answer him.

-Don’t try to deny it. From what I’ve seen, you’re at least comparable to me.

-...Then you know that when I and Perchilin join forces, you won’t stand a chance, especially since she possesses two Evil Sins.

-I would have if I were the old me.

Altheon’s silver hair fluttered as his ominous, blood red demonic power burst out of him. Altheon’s power was so overwhelming that it even made the air in the chamber tremble.

Tshchary flinched in surprise. Cain and Ulabis, who had been vigilantly watching the demons’ staredown, also stumbled several steps backward. Icarus shook like an aspen leaf in a hurricane because she was an ordinary person as far as martial arts were concerned.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” Cain said, positioning himself in front of Icarus.

Icarus slowly calmed down after Cain shielded her with his robust physique and released an enormous amount of mana along with Ulabis to stabilize the air in the room. However, the chamber’s stones were crumbling, unable to withstand Altheon’s demonic power.

-Pride...

Tshchary’s eyes were filled with greed after witnessing the overwhelming power that could be used to crush all of creation. Tshchary had wanted that power longer than he could even remember.

-Let’s make a deal, Tshchary.

-A deal...?

-Perchilin has already obtained two Evil Sins. Don’t tell me that you actually think she would willingly hand over Pride to you after bringing me down?

-Wh-What is this? You will not drive a wedge between us! Tshchary already let me have two Evil Sins, so it’s only natural I should hand him Pride!

Tshchary’s sharp eyes didn’t miss Perchilin’s moment of hesitation, however brief.

-How about this? I believe that you want my Pride. It’s always been well known that you’ve been looking for this power, even when we were in the Demon Realm.

-What is it you want to say?

-I’ll give you Pride.

Tshchary was taken aback again.

-Tshchary! Don’t tell me you’re falling for his lies!

Despite Perchilin’s protests, Tschary’s eyes were glued on Altheon..

-...I’m sure that there’s a condition—isn’t there?

-I won’t ask you for Perchilin’s two Evil Sins.

Altheon’s offer continued to subvert Tshchary’s expectation. He had thought that Altheon would ask for the other two Evil Sins in return for the power of Pride.

-What do you want then?

-I’m sure that you’ve already detected the Demon Spirit’s legacy underground. I want it, so let me have it.

-The Demon Spirit’s legacy...

Tshchary didn’t know what exactly the Demon Spirit’s legacy was, but he didn’t feel like it was going to be greater than an Evil Sin.

-I’ll let the two Evil Sins choose their own masters.

When Altheon finished listing his demands, Tshchary was silent for a long time. Perchilin grew anxious. She knew that this long silence was not a good sign for her. Altheon gradually regained his composure and smiled.

“Perchilin!”

-Wh-what?

“You look like you’re going to get a real stab in the back, so why don’t you team up with us!”

The three demons’ eyes widened at the human voice.

Behind Cain and Ulabis, Icarus shouted, “Wouldn’t it be better to fight against them with two more people than on your own?!”

-You...?

Icarus delivered the final blow:

“We don’t even need your Evil Sins!”