Episode 259: A Heartless Journey
Yuma looked up at the sky. A metallic screech echoed overhead, and several Fire Drakes appeared.
They had blown up the cars on the road. It was inevitable that the Monsters would notice them.
Yuma crouched low, kicking off the ground the moment he flapped his wings. He soared into the sky, and the Fire Drakes circled to meet him.
They were Monsters that lived in the same Red Dungeon. He had hoped they would let him pass, but they seemed eager to fight.
–Then I’ll take you on!
Yuma gathered a spark of fire in his mouth and charged towards them.
The Fire Drakes came straight at him. In the Red Dungeon, Fire Drakes were said to be lower in rank than Ancient Dragons.
If that was the case, he shouldn’t lose. Yuma unleashed a Fireball from his mouth.
Above all, the difference between them was–
The Fireball struck a Drake, exploding in a blinding flash. The Drake, engulfed in flames, fell from the sky, trailing smoke.
–Explosion magic! A method of attack that Fire Drakes can’t use.
Yuma flew through the sky, engaging the remaining two Drakes in aerial combat. He dodged their fiery breath and slammed them with his own Fireballs.
The Drakes exploded and fell helplessly.
With the power of this Fireball, he could take them down in one shot. He gathered a spark of fire in his mouth to finish off the last one, but the Drake turned and fled.
It must have realized it couldn’t win.
But Yuma had no intention of letting it escape. He flew at high speed, hurtling towards the Drake.
By the time it noticed, it was too late to evade.
He slammed into it head-on, causing a blinding explosion. The Drake was blown away, falling to the ground in flames.
Probably instant death. It wouldn’t be moving again.
He felt like he was getting better at aerial combat. Maybe the fight with the Green Lord had been good experience.
Thinking about that, Yuma flapped his wings and searched for Rui’s truck.
In about three minutes, he found the parked truck. He descended, canceled his Chimera transformation, and landed on the ground. Approaching the vehicle in his Metal Armor, Rui, who had emerged from the driver’s seat, said, “Good work,” to thank him.
“The road was clear. As expected, the firepower is different when you transform into a Dragon.”
‘But the sound is so loud that it attracts Monsters.’
As Yuma reached for the passenger door, the Metal Armor began to change. It seemed that five minutes had passed, and the Metallization effect had worn off.
The black armor lost its shape, and the metal receded from his body.
Returning to his original form, Yuma climbed into the truck, and Rui, who was also in the driver’s seat, started the engine.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yeah, if the road is blocked again, I’ll blow it away. I don’t care if Monsters show up.”
“Got it. I’m counting on you.”
Rui stepped on the accelerator and slowly pulled the truck out.
◇◇◇
Yuma and Rui left Afghanistan, passed through Iran and Turkey, and entered Bulgaria, their fourth country.
Along the way, they blasted away any obstacles they encountered.
When they encountered Monsters, they defeated them without hesitation. No matter what kind of Monster appeared, they were no match for Yuma and Rui and could be defeated without much trouble.
But the most troublesome encounters were with “people.”
“Hey, you guys… can you give us a ride in that truck? You’re evacuating, right?”
A man in his forties, with dirty clothes and face, knocked on the driver’s side door and pleaded.
Rui lowered the window and gestured that he couldn’t. When they left India, Dasha had given them several Earbud Translators, so they could understand what the other person was saying, but they couldn’t explain things in detail because their words wouldn’t be understood.
“Please! Give us a ride. You’ve got a big container, don’t you?!”
Anger mixed with the man’s voice. Of course, they couldn’t take him. The place they were going to was even more dangerous.
Yuma looked out the driver’s side window and saw a woman and two children standing behind the man.
They were probably the man’s family. He had seen many people like this in various countries. They were all tattered like vagrants, living in buildings on the verge of collapse.
Every day, they were in danger of being attacked by Monsters. It was only natural that they would try to cling to something in their despair.
But they still couldn’t help them.
This wasn’t a journey to help people in need. Rui stepped on the accelerator and started the truck.
Then the woman behind the man ran out and stood in front of the truck, spreading her arms. Rui slammed on the brakes.
“Then, at least give us some food! The children have nothing to eat. Please! Please…”
The woman knelt and clasped her hands together, pleading.
Rui and Yuma exchanged glances. If they listened to these requests every time, they would run out of food quickly.
They knew it well enough, but they couldn’t coldly refuse.
Rui and Yuma got out of the truck, opened the container doors, and brought two cardboard boxes of food to the man and woman.
When they checked the food inside, the two of them rejoiced with tears in their eyes.
The children also ran over. They peered into the cardboard boxes, their faces beaming with smiles at the sight of so much food.
Taking a glance at their faces, Rui and Yuma climbed back into the truck.
As Rui started the engine and the truck began to move, the family bowed repeatedly to show their gratitude. Watching them in the side mirror, Rui muttered in a small voice.
“I wonder if that family… will be able to survive from now on.”
Yuma stared out the window, saying nothing. The world’s situation was getting worse day by day.
The number of Monsters rampaging on the ground was increasing, and the damage to the human side was growing.
The armies of each country were in a state of collapse, and the number of Seekers was probably decreasing. This was evident from the situation in India and Indonesia.
Yuma didn’t know if this worst-case scenario would improve.
More than anything, he didn’t feel the need to know. For Yuma, the only important thing was to save Kaede. He hadn’t considered helping the people of the world from the beginning.
No matter how heartless it might seem, he had no intention of stopping.
Rui understood that thought well. Glancing at the silent Yuma, he pressed down hard on the accelerator pedal.
The truck, which had been running for hours, left Bulgaria and entered Romania.