Episode 321: A Monster Called God
Wyoming, USA.
A reconnaissance drone flew over the summit of Grand Teton, a mountain reaching 4,000 meters.
Snow remained on the peak, whipped up by the raging winds.
The reconnaissance drone, an MQ-9 Reaper, flying overhead, pointed its nose-mounted camera towards the mountain’s summit.
There, it spotted a creature resembling a deer.
Its entire body shimmered, slowly walking across the snow. The image of the glowing deer was transmitted via the drone to Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.
General Charles of the Air Force, in the command center, sighed as he watched the large monitor.
“…So it was here after all. Commence the attack as planned.”
At Charles’s command, one of the officers seated at the table replied, “Yes, sir.”
He issued instructions to the field from a laptop connected via a secure line. The order was received by a B-21 Raider stealth bomber circling over Wyoming.
Sharing the information, it headed towards the summit of Grand Teton.
As the drone reached the point where it had captured the target, it opened its lower hatch.
The B-21 Raider carried a B61-11 strategic nuclear weapon, a nuclear bomb with a yield of 400 kilotons.
Reaching the summit, the B-21 Raider dropped the B61-11. The missile-shaped bomb ignited as it fell.
For a moment, flames erupted, and it spun as it fell towards its target.
The last image captured by the MQ-9 Reaper was the bomb falling a mere ten meters in front of the golden, glowing deer.
The command center shook slightly. Charles looked up as the large monitor, which had gone dark, displayed a different image.
A scene of the mountain being blown away, with crimson flames erupting high into the sky.
The threat of “nuclear” annihilation, erasing everything, was vividly displayed.
A mushroom cloud rose, making it seem impossible for any living creature to survive. However, Charles did not hesitate to issue his next order.
“Minuteman III, one through six. Launch!”
The subordinate repeated the order without changing his expression and relayed it to the field.
Six ICBMs, prepared at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, rose into the sky, leaving trails of smoke.
The Minuteman III, capable of carrying up to three nuclear warheads each, broke through the stratosphere and fell towards the devastated Grand Teton.
All six missiles struck their target. The heat rays incinerated everything, and the blast wave blew away all that remained.
The mountains vanished, and the nearby national park evaporated. A pillar of smoke that seemed to pierce the heavens rose, creating a massive crater.
Charles and the military officers in the command center stared intently at the monitor.
A wave attack capable of changing the country’s topography. No monster could possibly survive.
However—
“Still… no good…”
Charles bit his lip and narrowed his eyes.
Emerging from the black smoke was not a deer. It was a golden giant.
Its height exceeded twenty meters, and its entire body was covered in something resembling armor.
Not a single scratch could be seen on its shimmering body. Humanity’s greatest firepower had no effect on the monster 【King】.
The giant raised its right hand, holding its palm forward.
With a crackling of light, a massive flash was emitted from its hand.
The light traveled dozens of kilometers, striking a mountain directly. The earth erupted as if exploding, blowing everything away.
The giant slowly moved its hand horizontally.
The flash moved, licking across the mountains. The areas struck by the light exploded and shattered. As the giant continued to move its hand, the land, the cities, everything was blown away.
When the light subsided, the area dozens of kilometers away from the giant was carved out in a semicircle.
The scale of the explosion was dozens of times greater than the “nuclear” weapons used by the American military.
The giant was enveloped in particles of light and returned to the form of a small deer. It trotted across the land and disappeared as a faint light.
“The ‘God of Destruction’… can humanity even defeat it?”
Charles closed his eyes in frustration. The other military personnel could only succumb to despair.
◇◇◇
The RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft carrying Yuma and the others entered American airspace.
“We’ll be reaching the American mainland soon,”
The British military officer acting as their escort announced, and Akito, who had been snoring, woke up with a “fugoo~”.
Yuma and Rui looked out the window.
The continent was not yet visible, but dark clouds hung in the sky.
Yuma didn’t know what the situation was in America right now. He hoped to cooperate with the American Seekers to defeat the 【Yellow King】…
As Yuma was thinking about this, he heard hurried voices from the front.
Wondering what was happening, he looked forward and saw the pilot coming out of the cockpit, talking to the escorting officer.
The officer came towards them with a pale face.
“I’m sorry. I just received a report from the pilot… there’s a ‘Golden Dragon’ in the airspace ahead. He says that if we continue as is, we will engage it, so he will make a large detour. Please understand that our arrival will be delayed.”
“A Dragon…?”
As Yuma frowned, Akito stretched his arms and said, “Hmm.”
“It’s the ‘Gold Dragon’, right? I’ll go defeat it, so you can just fly straight ahead.”
Akito picked up the large bag he had placed beside him, took out Gae Bolg from inside, and placed it on his shoulder.
“Well, I’m off.”
As Akito was about to head towards the rear hatch, Yuma called out to him.
“Wait a minute, Akito. The Gold Dragon is a ‘Lightning’ monster, right? Isn’t Thunder Magic going to be ineffective?”
“It’ll be fine, I’ll manage somehow. You guys just wait here obediently.”
Yuma followed Akito, who was about to leave without paying attention, saying, “Wait a minute. I’m going too.”
“Are you sure? It’s going to be an aerial battle.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll manage somehow.”
As Rui watched them off with a worried expression, Akito opened the rear hatch. The pressure dropped rapidly, and the wind raged, threatening to throw them out.
As Yuma grabbed onto the seat and braced himself, Akito said, “See ya,” and jumped out. He was caught in the wind and disappeared in an instant.
Yuma put his hand on the hatch and looked outside, seeing Akito flying away at high speed on his spear.
“That’s amazing speed.”
Yuma grinned and jumped out himself. He was hit by a strong wind all over his body and fell at a tremendous speed. He put strength into his body and transformed into a Black Armor.
Yuma, now in Black Armor, focused his consciousness on the “Jewel” in his left hand.
His back bulged out, and large wings spread out. A long tail extended from his tailbone, fluttering in the wind.
He had materialized a part of the Ancient Dragon.
He flapped his wings, catching the wind and flying. Gradually increasing his speed, he chased after Akito, who was flying at high speed.