Volume 3 Chapter 19 [Robert SIDE] The Ravages of Chaos as Declared by the Dark Heavens
"Damn it. So I didn't get my hands on that power after all... Whatever. Sealing Terra Disas is the mission this time. The two jewels were just a bonus. As long as I get that done, there's no problem."
Robert rode in a carriage with 5 soldiers, moving quickly through the grim weather.
Both the horses and the carriage looked pretty high-end, and even though the storm clouds hung heavy overhead, they kept racing straight ahead.
A massive typhoon had slammed into the far north end of the Dragonstone Kingdom, all thanks to the Chaos Stone.
When Robert heard about that, he decided to give up──for now──on the jewels holding Gai Gigant and Zeth Halcon's power, heading straight to the scene instead.
His real goal? To seal up Terra Disas, the thing rumored to have appeared in the middle of that typhoon.
He didn't care at all about rescuing anyone caught in the disaster.
...Four days had passed since he'd gotten burned, and from the way he acted──and the way he talked about 'recovering' the jewels──it was obvious: the sting had faded, but his pride hadn't.
"I'll never forget the humiliation from 4 days ago. Once I seal Terra Disas, I'll use that power to make the ones who crossed me beg for mercy."
For the last 4 days, all he'd thought about was how to make Horace pay.
Still, even Robert wasn't totally free of the Blood Chalice's curse.
If he blabbed more than the mission called for, his blood would boil and the pain was brutal──so, getting the Gai Gigant and Zeth Halcon jewels counted as an 'official' mission, but really, he'd arranged that himself within Order of the Sealed Dragon just to have a reason to go after Horace.
That's why, as far as the mission went, his plan was to grab up the power of all 3 dragon stones.
But for two of them, Horace had already beaten him down and ruined his shot.
Still, Robert figured if he captured Terra Disas's power, he'd have everything he needed to get back at Horace──and the twisted look on his face made that clear.
"...Looks like the weather's getting nastier. We're almost there."
Just as Robert muttered those words, it happened.
Rain hammered the carriage roof, pounding out a deafening roar.
"We're close now."
He snapped his fingers.
And then, amidst the thunderous sound of rain, the horse pulling the carriage slowed down, eventually coming to a halt.
Robert stepped down from the carriage and gazed ahead.
"There it is. That's the one. Those crimson scales. It can't be anything else!"
Before Robert stood a crimson-scaled dragon soaring through the vast sky.
A presence so intense it seemed to swirl with a tornado, the dragon exuded a fearsome majesty, a harbinger of disaster.
"That's the Calamityshade Dragon, Terra Disas. Its mere presence brings harm. I'll seal it away and make it mine!"
Robert drew his sword.
The blade was engraved with a pattern resembling chains, making it look more like a magical tool than a weapon.
"It hasn't noticed us yet. Let's have it calm this wind and rain. We'll fight it right here on this stage!"
Infusing his sword with magic, the blade glowed, and with a swift slash to the side,
a crescent-shaped strike shot forth and collided with Terra Disas.
'Groooarrrr!'
Terra Disas roared.
At the same time, the weather was reduced to a light drizzle.
"This is the power of the Order of the Sealed Dragon. Now, you all weaken Terra Disas! In that state, it can't be sealed. Hurt it until it's easier for me to seal it away!"
Upon hearing this, 5 soldiers charged out.
However, effective attacks against the airborne Terra Disas were limited.
The 3 swordsmen leaped, solidifying their magic to create a foothold, and advanced towards the dragon.
Although they had seemed like 'ordinary humans' when fighting Horace, they were in fact S-rank Adventurers in terms of strength.
They were even referred to as 'beasts' due to their extraordinary level of power.
Since there are many dragons that fly in the sky, a swordsman wouldn't be considered skilled without some sort of 'technique to somehow get close'.
Therefore, they had mastered this skill of creating footholds in the air.
The 3 of them closed in and struck Terra Disas's body with their swords.
Clearly, its body was reeling, and its position was gradually descending.
"Good, very good. As expected, dragons are no match for us, the Order of the Sealed Dragon!"
As their altitude dropped, the two magicians raised their staffs and unleashed lightning bolts.
The attacks struck Terra Disas right in the body, actually dealing damage.
"Fwahahahaha! The records really hyped this thing up, but in real life? This is all it's got? If it's just like this, there was nothing to freak out about after all. People on the ground are always whining, but I guess they were just plain wrong."
Robert soaked in his own delight.
There was a grain of truth in his words.
Humans never really know how strong they are, or if they've got what it takes to pull off what needs doing.
That's why they blurt out 'No way!' so fast.
Truth is, the reason they say 'No way──I can't do it' is just 'cause they've never tried.
Sometimes if you just get them to give it a shot, they figure it out pretty quick.
So for the folks in charge, sometimes you gotta push people a little.
But... at the same time, Robert was kinda missing something critical.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, a crimson aura burst out of Terra Disas' body──whoomph.
"What the... Is this that 'full-power mode' I read about in the documents or whatever?"
Robert muttered, but the lady magicians nearby looked completely freaked out.
Apparently, nobody told them that this thing powers up the longer you fight it.
"Whatever. Even if it's at full strength, so what. We just wear it down and──"
As Robert babbled, Terra Disas brought down one of its long arms.
One of the swordsmen couldn't keep up with that crazy speed... The arm just slammed him, bouncing him off the ground.
The man's body crashed down right next to Robert, punching a crater into the earth.
"...What?"
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Robert stared at the swordsman, completely baffled.
"H-Hey, what are you doing? Get up, right now──"
"Sir Robert. He's... he's already dead."
"No way... but he was as strong as an S-Rank Adventurer! And he just got wiped out in an instant──!"
He looked up.
When he did, Terra Disas was gathering magic in its mouth, charging up an attack.
One of the swordsmen tried to jump, fumbled the landing, and threw up a magic barrier──but it didn't help.
His whole body vanished, not even a trace left behind.
"N-no way..."
Terra Disas turned to face the swordsman who was still standing.
"H-hey! What are you standing around for? Get to work, wear that thing down already! You wanna ruin my whole career or something?!"
Robert shouted, but it really didn't matter.
Whether someone was a nobody or a noble, it made no difference to the dragons──the strongest beings soaring through the sky.
When Terra Disas's eyes glowed, lightning blitzed down from above and blasted the swordsman straight on.
He went down, body charred black, and crashed to the ground.
"...N-no... This can't be. This is nuts. Just seconds ago he was still fighting..."
"S-Sir Robert. All the damage we dealt earlier, it's all healed!"
"What did you say?!"
Robert stared at Terra Disas's body.
There wasn't a single wound left anywhere on it.
"Impossible. I know we hit him──he had wounds! Now they're gone? How the hell is that even possible?!"
Robert yelled at the top of his lungs.
But Terra Disas simply turned her gaze toward him.
"Eek! H-hey! Cover me! Stall it so I can get out of here! That's an order!"
He slashed the harness holding the horse to the wagon, and in a panic, jumped into the saddle.
Then Robert took off at a gallop.
""...""
The magician women saw all of this, but didn't even flinch.
Like they'd known all along it would play out this way.
Looking beaten already, the two of them raised their staffs.
But honestly, with how Terra Disas was now──just the two of them couldn't even hope to stand on the same battlefield.
Suddenly, the ground under their feet 'erupted', swallowing them whole.
By the time the blast died down, there was nothing left.
And just like that, the rain in the sky turned to a full-on typhoon.
'...'
Terra Disas looked in the direction Robert had run off to.
What was he thinking?
What did he see?
His body launched up into the sky and flew off toward Jewel City Lapis.
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