I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 677

A little while ago.

Lake Kingdom, District 1, ‘Dried-up Drainage’.

“Crawling all the way here is no easy feat…”

Ash grumbled as he stepped off the small boat.

During the Great Flood, black rain poured down on the Lake Kingdom, and the underground drains were filled with black water.

Ash, aboard a small boat steered by the Sword Demon and Spear Demon, reached the safe zone in District 1 via these drains. The closest teleport gate to the bottom village was located here.

As Ash activated the teleport gate without saying anything more, the Nameless One, who had followed him, urgently stopped him.

“Ash! Where are you going now?”

“To the Black Dragon.”

Ash declared resolutely, as if he had made up his mind from the start.

“This is the only chance to kill him. There’s no time to ask for help from others, and no room to coordinate. I’m going alone.”

“That mighty Black Dragon, how are you going to face him alone…”

“Even though I’m a weakling with absolutely no talent for combat, experience does teach you a few tricks. I have a way.”

If any more time passed, if the Black Dragon moved even a little further north.

This chance would be lost. So, Ash, though it seemed reckless, intended to confront the Black Dragon alone.

The Nameless One urgently followed him.

“Then, Ash! I’ll come with you…”

“You can’t.”

Ash coldly refused, his golden eyes scanning the Nameless One.

“Don’t fight anymore, Princess. You’re already at your limit.”

“……”

In the last battle, the Nameless One had used up a considerable amount of ‘light’ [a form of energy or power].

Already, chains made of shadows were connected to her entire body, linking her to the darkness beneath the Lake Kingdom.

“You’ve held out well so far.”

Ash said in a bleak voice, but with a hint of tenderness.

“Actually, normally you’d be losing sleep and going crazy by now, but seeing you so composed… well, it’s kind of nice. You’ve really pushed yourself.”

“Ash…”

“The times when you and I can talk to each other like this, in our right minds… they haven’t been that frequent.”

Standing in front of the fully opened teleport gate, Ash slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t lose that light, Princess.”

“Ash!”

The Nameless One said in a trembling voice to Ash, who had already turned his back.

“What I said before, you might have forgotten now… but no matter what form you take, we are…”

“Friends.”

Ash whispered softly. The Nameless One’s eyes widened.

“No matter what form we take, we are friends.”

After uttering the same promise they had made sometime in a distant past life.

“See you again. Princess, and… Prince.”

Ash waved his hand and disappeared into the teleport gate.

“Especially you, Prince, keep doing what you’re doing-”

Flash-!

The teleport gate emitted a magical light, then fell silent.

“Ugh…!”

The Nameless One, who had collapsed in front of the teleport gate, looked at the chains wrapped around her body, then clenched her teeth and punched the ground.

“……”

Crown, who had come with her, quietly watched the Nameless One.

Crown, who had been called ‘Prince’ by Ash, pondered over Ash’s last words.

‘What I’m doing, huh….’

He lowered his gaze to the flute in his hand.

‘…Is this really going to work?’

Kugugugung!

Once again, the entire Lake Kingdom shook violently.

Sighing, Crown tightly gripped the flute and headed towards the teleport gate himself.

Though he was a son he didn’t like, Ash was doing what needed to be done.

Therefore, Crown also had to do what he had to do.

***

Present.

《Is he the same Player as before, yet a different being?》

Looking down at Ash, who stood before him, the Night Bringer spoke in a voice that sounded intrigued.

《So, that’s why you endured even after your core was shattered. To think that so many shadows could be cast within one being… fascinating.》

Ash then scoffed cynically.

“Is that so? I find you more fascinating. How can you always act the same way?”

《Because my beliefs are firm, my ideology and actions are consistent.》

The Night Bringer easily noticed what was flowing within Ash’s body.

《So… it seems you stole my blood and heart and became a ‘Dragon,’ but you dare to confront me with just that much power?》

“You’re not angry that I stole your blood?”

《Would I care about a single drop of blood or a single scale I scattered? Even the dragons who claim to be my children are no different from you to me.》

The Night Bringer chuckled softly.

《Still, my blood should be quite potent… you managed to endure and become a ‘Dragon.’》

“Compared to the poison of time I’ve drunk, your blood is like plain water.”

Ash rubbed his eyes as if tired, then glared straight at the Night Bringer and spat out.

“I’m a bit busy, so let’s not waste time with small talk. Let’s just kill each other.”

《Hmm, I have plenty of time…》

The Night Bringer, feigning leisure, gestured with his eyes towards the breath gathering at his chin.

《May I fire this first?》

Ash glanced at the breath once, then gestured north as if he had no choice.

“As you wish.”

《Then.》

The next moment.

Kwaaaaaaaah-!

Terrible heat and immense energy distorted the surrounding space, gathering at the monster’s mouth, and then the Night Bringer unleashed the breath that had reached its limit towards the north.

The fifth breath after landing on the human realm.

A fierce gust of wind ruffled Ash’s hair. Calmly enduring the wind, Ash watched the breath without bothering to block it.

Too much power was needed to block or redirect that breath. If the Night Bringer had fired it at him, it would have been different, but since he hadn’t, it was reasonable to let it go.

‘I can only hope that the Crossroads will block the breath.’

What Ash was aiming for now was the Night Bringer right after firing the breath.

Essentially, breath is an attack method that consumes the dragon’s existence and soul. No matter how much the Black Dragon has merged with the night of the world, a certain degree of depletion is unavoidable.

To target the Night Bringer at his weakest moment, after he had unleashed his power.

Ash had arrived here via the teleport gate just as the breath was fired.

Gooooooo…!

The breath emission, which seemed like it would last forever, ended.

Exuding immense heat and steam, the Night Bringer slowly turned his head.

《Thank you for waiting.》

“You’re welcome.”

《It’s exciting, as this is the first time someone who has been defeated by me has come back for revenge.》

Except for the Red Dragon race, all those who had confronted him had died in the first battle, so it was only natural.

The Night Bringer, holding his head high, spoke in a questioning voice.

《By the way, how do you, a being derived from me, intend to defeat me?》

“Do you think I’d challenge you to a head-on fight to the death if all I had was your blood to become a dragon?”

Ash chuckled and placed his hand on his waist.

The equipment currently at his waist was a ceremonial longsword that could be converted into a flagpole.

And—there was a long thorned staff that hadn’t been there before.

《That is…?》

A strange light flickered in the Night Bringer’s eyes. Ash smiled, biting his lower lip, and then pulled out the staff.

In fact, Ash hadn’t come directly here from the dried-up drainage. He had stopped by a dungeon in District 8 in between.

The secret warehouse of the dungeon ‘Magic Tower’.

The Magic Tower had already collapsed, but the hidden warehouse in the nearby basement was intact. And now that Baekya was dead, Ash was the only human who knew of this warehouse’s existence.

Inside the warehouse, some of the supplies that had been stored in the Magic Tower remained—among them, one guardian tree from each of the four major races was stored.

Ash had created it on the spot in that warehouse.

An artificial guardian tree created by grafting the guardian trees of the four major races, a guardian tree for humans—

‘Everblack’!

“Upper Black Tree, Everblack. Activate.”

Ash closed his eyes as he activated Everblack.

The basic function of Everblack was ‘Magic Beacon’. It provided the user with information about the future.

With such a small staff, it couldn’t reveal the distant future, only what would happen in the next few minutes… but that was enough.

The fragmented information that the magic beacon had found poured into Ash’s mind. Everblack bombarded Ash with a jumbled mess of future images.

And Ash was already proficient in using this beacon.

The fragments of information were arranged one by one, drawing a map in his mind. After gathering all the information, Ash opened his eyes, his golden eyes gleaming.

He could see it.

The ‘future’.

“You know, I wasn’t as skilled with swords or magic as our old first brother or our gangster second brother, and I didn’t have the grand ambitions of our father, and I’m just a talentless moron…”

Ash inhaled, self-deprecatingly.

“But even so, if you accumulate this much experience, you become useful.”

No need for sense.

No need for talent.

With extremely skilled experience, endlessly accumulated data, and an indomitable will.

Even if all you have in your hand is a twig, a human can fight an evil dragon.

《Then, let’s see it. That usefulness-!》

The six heads that had been floating around the Night Bringer’s central head flew towards Ash all at once.

Each of the six heads glared fiercely, charging their breaths, magic, and dragon roars.

But Ash didn’t even blink, calmly extending his staff forward—

Charrrr-!

He released magic from the tip of the staff into the air, then slammed it down onto the ground.

Then,

Thud! Thud! Thud-!

All six heads that had been flying towards Ash lost the light in their eyes and fell to the ground as they were.

All six heads rolled on the ground around Ash, their tongues lolling out. Shock flashed across the Night Bringer’s face.

《What…?》

“Your blood flows in my body now, Evil Dragon. My magic pattern is the same as yours.”

All six of these auxiliary heads were dead.

The Night Bringer was only controlling them with his own magic.

“It’s not hard to interfere and cause chaos…!”

Ash spoke as if it were an easy task, but the Night Bringer knew. It wasn’t something that could be done simply because the magic patterns matched.

It was impossible without mastering all of his, the dragon’s, magic system.

《There’s no way that’s possible…》

Taat!

Ash was already running towards the Night Bringer.

Ooooh-

A chill that shouldn’t be possible on a dragon’s body ran through him, but in the face of this small human’s advance, the Night Bringer tasted a sensation similar to it.

The Night Bringer spread his massive wings and unleashed a barrage of feathers.

Thududududud!

Thousands, tens of thousands of feathers swept across the ground with the sound of a torrential downpour.

And Ash,

《…?!》

By a hair’s breadth.

He dodged all of the feather barrage and advanced.

He didn’t deploy a magic barrier, nor did he even cover his head with his hands. He ran through the hail of the barrage as if he knew he wouldn’t be hurt.

As if he could see every detail of the future…!

《…Heh. Hahahahaha-!》

Letting out a laugh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, the Night Bringer prepared magic this time.

《Impressive, truly-!》

Charrrrrr-!

Hundreds, thousands of magic circles floated to the left and right of the Night Bringer’s head.

Ancient magic from the distant past was fired one after another, all aimed at Ash.

But Ash still didn’t stop running, staring at the incoming magic with wide eyes.

Inside Ash’s golden eyes, magic circles with complex diagrams appeared one after another,

Tu-hak! Tu-hak! Tu-hak-!

He dispelled all the magic that had flown right up to his face, just before they touched his body.

The magic that had shattered in the air scattered in all directions, leaving behind only magic light like finely broken stardust.

Seeing Ash advancing while taking the shattered magic particles on his body, the Night Bringer was so dumbfounded that he opened his mouth slightly.

《How, exactly?》

“Disassembling magic is just a matter of memorizing formulas… even that blood-sucking king bastard can do it, so why wouldn’t I be able to?”

Ash was now within striking distance of the Night Bringer.

Ash lowered his stance and gathered strength in his legs. A halo of black magic gathered at the tips of Ash’s feet, and the next moment, Ash soared into the air.

In an instant, the height of the towering black dragon’s head and Ash’s soaring eyes were the same.

“I’ve wanted to say this from the beginning…”

Ash smiled wanly and extended his hand forward. Then, following that motion, formless black magic coalesced and transformed into the shape of a giant dragon’s forepaw.

The Night Bringer tried to dodge, but having absorbed so much night, he was now too large.

Kwa-deuk!

The giant dragon’s forepaw that Ash had summoned grabbed the Night Bringer’s neck as if by the collar, and then—

《…?!》

Slammed him down.

Kuwagwagwang…!

The massive black dragon’s head smashed into the dirt floor, sending up a cloud of dust in all directions.

In the ears of the Night Bringer, who was bewildered by the unprecedented situation and couldn’t come to his senses, a voice was heard from right in front of him.

“Lower your eyes, you impolite bastard.”

Looking down at the Night Bringer, who was now lower than him for the first time. With one foot placed on his head.

With his golden eyes, which shone even in the darkness, narrowed, Ash bared his teeth and laughed wildly.

“I’ve eaten my fair share of years, too.”