I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 636

A few days later.

As soon as the training for the heroes who would be on the front lines and the production of the Dragon Slayer equipment were finished, I led the heroes out to battle.

“In the lair of Winged Huan, the Black Dragon’s Wing, there are escort forces called ‘Guardians’.”

One of the essential elements of a dragon’s lair.

Escort forces, Guardians.

They are the subordinates who protect the dragons, who often fall into long sleeps like bears in winter.

They are hired like butlers from the time the lair is built, inherited from parent dragons, or brought along on adventures to the outside world. Dragons use various means to bring them in to protect themselves…….

They are loyal forces who are trusted to watch their backs, servants who attend to their needs, and cannon fodder who fill the ranks when fighting enemies. That is what a Dragon Guardian is.

However, in this dungeon under the lake, the Black Dragon Legion had their own lairs but did not bring in new Guardians.

This was because they couldn’t trust the surrounding monsters.

How could they trust these villains, who are always ready to stab each other in the back, to be on their side? Most of the monsters were even powerful beings who had almost destroyed the world.

But Winged Huan was different. He had recruited several monster legions that suited his taste and used them as Guardians.

“Is there something you believe in? How can you have other monster legions as subordinates, and multiple legions at that?”

Evangeline asked, and I grinned.

“Guess. How was it?”

“Hmm… Did you pay them well?”

“What good is payment under this lake?”

“Do you have ambition, or are you just overflowing with charm?”

“Well, you might have ambition and charm, but that’s not the reason.”

“Did you have some amazing cause and wave an amazing flag?!”

“That’s not it either……”

I just said the answer.

“The answer is mind control.”

“Ah.”

“Winged Huan is a dragon among the Black Dragon Legion who is skilled in mind control. He uses mind control on monster legions he likes and uses them as his Guardians.”

A dragon who can use all the powers of a dragon, and is specialized in mind control and disruption. That is Winged Huan.

That’s why I chose him as the first opponent. Because his abilities can be countered with our abilities.

‘Of course, being able to counter his special abilities is one thing, but the raid on his main body is another matter……’

I turned around to look at my subordinates following me and nodded.

“We’ve trained hard for the past few days on the right strategy… we can definitely win.”

Everyone had not only gone through rigorous final training, but they were also loaded with equipment and weapons to the limit.

“……Is this really okay?”

In particular, Quilan was wearing new armor and gauntlets over his fur, which I had insisted on. He looked like a werewolf in armor.

Instead of answering, I just gave him a thumbs up. I mean, the equipment stats are copied, right? Since ancient times, illegal modification of equipment slots has been an essential skill for speedrunners. Let’s make good use of it.

Clang, clang-

The five knights following me at a distance—the Glory Knights—were also fully armed.

These knights, whom the Emperor had transferred to me, were not the Imperial Guard for nothing. They were acting as my bodyguards, protecting my safety in this dungeon.

Hecate, who never wore armor, was also wearing a full suit of blue armor this time. It seemed that Lucas had given her his armor, [Suwol].

“It suits you very well.”

Lucas, who was looking at her, nodded in satisfaction.

“It is worthy of the armor that my lord made for me. It looks great even on another knight.”

“You’re giving up your armor? What’s the matter?”

I knew that this guy was very attached to his equipment. Why did he give it up so readily?

“Well, my lord gave me better armor… this Black Scale.”

“……Black Scale?”

“Suwol would rather be on the battlefield than just playing around in the warehouse.”

“……Suwol? Are you calling your armor like it’s a person?”

Seriously, these knights… they’re all a bit strange…….

“Above all, Hecate has a connection with my lord. She is qualified to wear the armor that my lord made.”

Anyway, that’s how Hecate came to wear armor. I was always worried about her going around without any armor, so this is good.

Hecate, who seemed uncomfortable with the armor she was wearing after a long time, narrowed her eyes at Lucas and muttered.

“……Should I keep filming, or not?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing.”

Evangeline, who was listening to Hecate and Lucas’s conversation, made a “hooo~” sound and suddenly pretended to chop down an axe in the empty air.

I was puzzled and asked.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about being more proactive with my filming……”

“……?”

I was confused and tilted my head, then turned to look at Junior and Damian.

“What’s filming? Is it some kind of slang?”

“W-Well, I don’t know? Ahaha……”

Junior avoided the question, and Damian smiled kindly.

“I don’t know either, but anyway, if you get filmed, it will hurt, so come to me. I’ll cast a healing spell for you.”

“Thank you, Damian…… The slang of the younger generation is difficult.”

While we were having such trivial conversations and moving forward, Dusk Bringer, who was walking at the very front of the group, looked back at us with a slightly tense expression.

“It’s good to lighten the mood, but be on your guard. This is his territory.”

“……!”

Soon, it began to appear.

A large, ornate building surrounded by a wide fence. This place, which looked like an ancient temple, was…….

The 9th District Dungeon, the ‘Art Museum’.

It was the place where Winged Huan had set up his lair.

“This is no art museum, it looks like a palace just by its size……”

A voice answered my muttering.

“Actually, it was a palace. It was one of the royal family’s detached palaces, but it was no longer used, so it was repurposed as an art museum to collect and display various works of art.”

When everyone looked over there, Muyeong was leaning against the art museum fence, waving her hand at us.

“Muyeong!”

“I’ve been waiting, Ash. Let’s go together.”

Muyeong had been joining us in every battle since the subjugation of the Black Dragon Legion.

Who else could be a more reliable ally than this princess in the darkness under this lake? I smiled broadly, and Muyeong stood next to me, saying something like, ‘Don’t be too happy.’

Creak-

The old, large iron gate of the garden fence opened to the left and right.

We put our hands on our weapons and cautiously entered, keeping a close watch on our surroundings. The wide path from the entrance to the art museum was clean.

And,

“……!”

In the center of the path. Exactly halfway between the gate and the art museum.

Two monsters emitting a chilling aura were standing there.

One was a headless knight in old armor…… and the other was a woman with her back hunched over, her face covered with a veil, making a constant sobbing sound.

The headless knight, Dullahan.

And the weeping fairy, Banshee.

These two monster legions, which are powerful enough on their own, were Winged Huan’s subordinates. They were the Guardians who guarded Winged Huan.

‘His choice of Guardians is quite tasteless……’

They both look so scary, damn it! Is this a horror movie special!

My heroes were all preparing for battle at the appearance of the enemy, but the monsters’ response was unexpectedly the opposite.

《Welcome, guardians of the mortal realm. We have been waiting.》

The Dullahan legion commander said in a voice that sounded like scraping metal.

I wondered how he could speak without a head, but when I looked closely, he was holding a helmet in one arm. It seems his severed head is in there.

《Hic, hic, hic…….》

The Banshee legion commander also said something… no, sobbed something. Is she just crying? The rhythm has changed a bit, so it seems like she’s talking.

When I turned around with a look that said, ‘Anyone understand this?’, my heroes all shook their heads. It seems like no one understands.

《Our master is waiting. This way.》

“Oh, okay……”

Anyway, they didn’t antagonize us, but rather guided us inside.

Lucas shook his head very vigorously, but I followed the Dullahan without hesitation.

“As the leader of the World Guardian Front, I must become the world’s greatest party person, so I don’t refuse any invitations.”

“Someone please heal our senior’s swollen liver……”

Evangeline sighed, and Damian immediately used ‘Heal, Heal’ on my stomach. Hey, do you think that will cure my fatty liver? I need to reduce my alcohol intake, which has increased recently.

I was making jokes and nonsense, but I wasn’t doing this without any plan. Knowing this, my subordinates silently followed me.

“……”

The Dullahan legion commander and the Banshee legion commander quietly led the way.

I carefully observed the two monsters. They looked exactly like the monsters I had seen in the game, but there was something slightly unusual.

‘Feathers……’

They were covered in feather decorations. Black, glossy feathers.

I narrowed my eyes.

《Hic, hic, hic, hic…….》

“By the way, what is she saying?”

《Hic, ugh, hic, hic, hic.》

The Banshee sobbed almost like she was rapping, and I, who was getting uncomfortable, asked the Dullahan. Is there no mute button?

《……Please don’t mind her. It’s just a simple warning.》

“Warning?”

I asked, puzzled, and the Dullahan replied briefly.

《A warning not to become like us.》

We soon arrived at the main building of the art museum.

It was a huge palace built like an ancient temple, and as we stood in front of the main building, a huge stone door slowly began to open from the inside.

Kugugung……!

And finally, when the stone door was fully opened…….

《Welcome, guardians of the mortal realm.》

In the wide lobby of the art museum, the owner of this place was waiting for us.

《I have been waiting.》

A man with long, glossy black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a coat covered in feather decorations.

He smiled, his golden eyes gleaming. I called out the opponent’s name.

“Winged Huan……”

《I appreciate you calling my name properly. My eldest brother doesn’t even remember my name, and my father doesn’t care about my name.》

He smiled bitterly and turned to enter the building. The sound of his shoes clicking echoed in the wide lobby.

《How about we talk a bit before we fight?》

“What kind of talk? We don’t have any common interests other than killing each other.”

《Haha. It wouldn’t do for beings with intelligence to be so hostile to each other.》

“So you do acknowledge that we are beings with intelligence?”

I thought he would say something like the usual arrogant ‘You humans~’ but surprisingly, he didn’t.

Then Winged Huan chuckled.

《Listen. After fighting for the fate of the world and dying once, I was resurrected after an immeasurable amount of time, only to find that all the dragon species had perished, and the beings I had considered pets were ruling the world.》

I tried to understand from his point of view.

So, it’s like a world where World War III happened and humanity was destroyed. I woke up from a cryogenic capsule, only to find that dogs and cats had built countries and were ruling the world.

Is this what it feels like for dragons……?

《My opinion that you are lowly and inferior beings remains the same.》

“Ah, just as I thought.”

《But you have built your own civilization, and above all, you have defeated three of my siblings.》

Winged Huan scanned the artworks displayed in the lobby.

He had a smile on his face, but the emotion in that smile was far from the joy of witnessing beautiful works of art.

It was closer to being proud of children playing in the dirt.

《The world will be destroyed by our Black Dragon Legion anyway, and all life on earth will burn under our black flames.》

“……”

《Before that…… I want to ask you, especially the guardian of the mortal realm.》

Winged Huan turned to look at me and finally asked the main question.

《Why did you decide to attack me first? Why did you decide to attack me first, instead of my older brother or younger siblings?》

“……”

《I am genuinely curious. What is the basis for your decision to attack me first?》

It seems that was the problem after all.

Why did I attack him first out of the remaining three?

Since he asked seriously, I answered him honestly.

“You already know the answer, don’t you?”

I didn’t hide my sneer.

“It’s because you’re the easiest, you piece of shit.”

《…….》

He had come out quite politely from his point of view, so he didn’t expect me to be so blunt. Winged Huan’s mouth opened slightly.

But since you’re being so polite, I’ll be honest with you too.

“You’re the weakest, the most pathetic, and the most useless of the three. That’s why I decided to beat you up first. Why are you asking something so obvious?”

We’re busy! We don’t have enough time and energy to kill your siblings and your dad!

Just die quickly and drop the item materials, you bastard!