Episode 189: The Descending Giant God
The Mitsui Tower Building in Nihonbashi, Chuo Ward, where fires were breaking out across the city.
On its rooftop stood two men.
“Hey! Hurry up, I can’t get a good shot!”
“Tanoura-san, please have mercy. We’ll die if we stay in a place like this.”
“It’s fine. We’re far enough away from the monsters. Besides, when you’re gonna die, you’re gonna die no matter where you are.”
“Mooo, this is insane!”
The one who clicked his tongue at his chubby junior, Tada, who was grumbling, was Tanoura, a reporter for Taiyo Publishing.
He stared far into the distance from the top of the building.
Countless Dragons soared through the sky, many buildings collapsed, and flames ravaged the area. It was hard to believe it was actually happening.
“We can get such interesting footage! Don’t complain.”
Taiyo Publishing, where Tanoura worked, posted articles on the web, and also uploaded news videos to the same site.
This time, they advertised a live broadcast on the web, which resulted in an unbelievable number of viewers gathering. This was probably because terrestrial news programs had all stopped broadcasting.
He had his subordinate, Tada, carry a small IP camera, connected a cable for communication, and attempted to broadcast live.
“But senpai, it seems like the lines have been wrecked by those Dragons, and there are only a limited number of places where we can stream the video.”
“It’s fine. Even the people in the areas where it connects are a considerable number. This will be the highest viewership Taiyo Publishing has ever had! Isn’t it exciting?”
Next to Tanoura, who was getting excited, Tada looked dejected. It was 2:18 PM.
The live broadcast from the dangerous location was carried out. It was broadcast in limited environments, such as internet TVs installed in shelters and computer screens connected to the network.
The viewers watched the city being burned to the ground and gasped.
And then—
“Hey, wait!”
Aisha and Kanzaki, who were running through the shopping street to evacuate. Aisha stopped when she saw the TV visible from the window of an electronics store.
“What is it? A TV broadcast?”
“No… the radio waves for broadcasting can’t be used because of the Mana influence. It must be a network connection.”
It seemed to be a small, privately-owned electronics store. Aisha opened the door and peeked inside, and a couple in their fifties came out carrying luggage.
“Hey, you. Is this a real-time video?”
When Aisha asked, the white-haired man turned his face.
“Ah, that’s right. It’s connected to the internet. More importantly, you guys should hurry up and run away!”
Saying that, the electronics store couple ran off.
“Leaving the TV and lights on and not even locking up… isn’t that too careless?”
When Kanzaki said that, Aisha shook her head.
“In a world like this, which is like the end times, there won’t be any looters.”
Aisha went inside the store and watched TV.
It seemed to be taken from a distance, but it captured the figure of a giant Dragon, presumably the Red King.
When the Dragon King swung its tail, explosions occurred, blowing everything away. When it spewed scorching flames from its mouth, buildings melted in an instant.
The cityscape of Tokyo was no longer recognizable. It was being destroyed to its limits.
“I don’t think the evacuation is complete. There must be a considerable number of deaths.”
When Aisha muttered, Kanzaki frowned.
“Of course. But still, why is it staying in the center of Tokyo? It should just fly away.”
“Probably it can sense densely populated areas. It’s attacking from the city center to the entire Kanto region to efficiently kill humans.”
Aisha analyzed calmly. The Red King had intelligence.
It intended to exterminate all humans and secure its own habitat. If that were the case, there would be no place for them to live.
Kanzaki called out to Aisha, who was deep in thought.
“Hey, let’s go! This place will be engulfed in flames soon!”
“Ah… that’s right.”
Just as the two were about to leave the store, Aisha caught something in the corner of her eye.
“Wait!”
At Aisha’s shout, Kanzaki said, “Huh?” and stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something fell.”
“Fell?”
Kanzaki shifted his gaze to the TV, but because it was being filmed from a distance, he couldn’t see clearly.
But Aisha was staring intently at the screen with a serious look.
“For a moment… it looked like a person.”
◇◇◇
Falling headfirst. Violent winds hit his face and body, making it impossible to open his eyes.
His body temperature was being stolen, and coldness ran through his entire body. Yuma put strength into himself with a “Hmph.” Intense pain ran through his body.
He had told Kawahara that he was feeling better, but that was a lie.
The pain in his body had not disappeared, and he couldn’t put strength into himself properly. He felt like he would lose consciousness if he let his guard down. His condition was the worst. Even so, he had to do it.
His entire body was dyed black, gradually changing into ‘Metal’.
His clothes were taken into the ‘Liquid Metal’. His body grew two sizes larger, covered in black Metal Armor. Long horns grew from his head, and ferocious fangs sprouted.
His vision cleared as he transformed into Metal Armor, and he could see the state of the ground.
There was a Dragon flying in the straight line of his fall. Yuma extended a Longsword from the back of his right hand, and blue streaks of Water Magical Power ran through his entire body.
The moment he approached the Ancient Dragon, a tremendous impact struck Yuma.
He had collided with the “Magical Barrier” that the Dragon emitted. However, Yuma’s body, clad in Water Magical Power, broke through the Barrier and continued to fall.
In the instant he crossed paths with the Dragon, he swung the Longsword in his right hand and easily cut off its head. The severed head danced in the air, falling along with the Dragon.
Yuma also could not defy gravity and fell straight to the ground.
A loud Crushing Impact resounded, and dust clouds rose.
The Red King, who was more than a hundred meters away, stopped spewing Flames and turned its face.
There was the corpse of the Ancient Dragon, and nearby, a figure was slowly rising.
The Red King watched it with interest. The Dragon’s instincts were sounding the alarm that it was an existence that could not be overlooked.
◇◇◇
Yuma shook his head and stood up unsteadily.
Looking around, he saw the corpse of a Dragon that had lost its head. It seemed he had defeated the Dragon that was flying.
He looked ahead. There was a giant Dragon exuding an unusual Magical Power.
Yuma laughed, “Haha,” at the Dragon looking down at him.
“That’s some amazing intimidation. There’s a guy like this…”
Even Yuma, who didn’t have the ability to sense Mana, could not deny the strength of this monster. The air vibrated, and the heat that he shouldn’t have been able to feel due to his Heat Resistance was transmitted to his body.
It was not an opponent he could possibly fight.
Yuma pressed his chest and took a step back. Even Metallization couldn’t eliminate the pain from the poison.
He could barely stand. His breathing became shallow, and he gasped for air. The Red Dragon King opened its jaws and gathered Flames in its mouth.
It seemed it had no intention of holding back.
Yuma braced his feet and looked straight at the Red King. Unless he defeated this monster, no one in this country could survive.
The faces of his family, Mamezou, his school friends, Rui, and Kaede flashed through his mind.
An unavoidable battle. An opponent he absolutely had to defeat.
Yuma pressed his chest hard and spoke.
“Hey, are you listening, Deca Slime!? I can’t beat that guy with my power. I need your power!”
There was no change in his body. But the power of the Deca Slime that had defeated the Chimera in the Black Dungeon was absolutely necessary.
“You’re in there, right? You should be living inside me. We’ll be killed together if this goes on!! Is that okay with you!?”
Flames leaked from the Red King’s mouth. Its opened jaws were directed at him.
Flame Breath. It would obliterate him if he took it head-on. But Yuma didn’t show any impatience.
“Even if you come out, I won’t let you take over my consciousness this time. I’ll still be in control, and I’m the one who will master you!!”
The Dragon King’s mouth opened to its limit, and enormous Magical Power was released.
“Lend me your power, dammitーーーーーーーーーーー!!”
The unleashed Flames swallowed everything. The Flames became an unstoppable wave, burning the earth.
Buildings, roads, everything evaporated.
The next moment—dust exploded into the sky. The Seekers in the vicinity turned their eyes, wondering what had happened.
As the dust that had soared high into the sky gradually settled, there was a giant figure.
It was the same size as the Red King. Long horns grew from its head, and its entire body was covered in black Metal Armor.
There were shields about its height on both shoulders, and blue streaks ran in multiple layers.
It had been using those shields to defend against the Dragon’s Flames. Yuma’s desire to minimize the damage had changed the giant’s appearance.
It raised the shield that had been facing the Dragon and faced the Red King head-on.
The Black Giant and the Red Dragon King glared at each other. Yuma, relieved that he was still conscious, slowly regulated his breathing and looked ahead.
“Now then… let’s begin.”