A suffocating heat surged forward. And many warning messages assaulted his senses.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, is watching you.]
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, is hostile towards you.]
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction...]
[Potions and the Shop cannot be used in this location, and your condition will not recover even if you level up.]
A sense of urgency could be felt from the system messages that appeared one after another. A crisis had befallen without warning.
'I didn't expect it to be easy...' Suho gritted his teeth and glared at the giant, burning mountain that filled his vision. If boiling lava were to gain life and take the form of a dragon, would it look like this? That colossal, blazing form was the true image of the Dragon King, Antares.
[How dare you. The offspring of the one who defied me appears before me on his own accord.]
Even though he merely muttered in a low voice, an immense pressure seemed to weigh down on Suho's entire body. The Dragon King, Antares. His father's true nemesis, who had waged a fierce war against the Shadow Army longer than any other Monarch. Indeed, he possessed an overwhelming power, surpassing anybody Suho had encountered so far.
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, uses Skill: 'Breath of Destruction'.]
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
A crimson waterfall of flames poured down on Suho like a whip.
'Ruler's Authority!' Suho flew upwards at his maximum speed and evaded the attack. The flames that erased everything... The terrifying white light narrowly grazed his head.
Swish!
At the same time, two swords, the Vulcan's Horns, appeared in Suho's hands.
[Skill: 'Storm Slash' activated.]
Slash! Slash! Slash!
A fierce storm of blades swirled, attacking the dragon's body as it breathed out destruction.
[Useless! Do you think those swords made from a demon's horns can even scratch me?!] The Dragon King mocked Suho and roared towards him, opening its giant maw.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, uses Skill: 'Dragon Fear'.]
'...!' Suho felt an indescribable fear at the intangible energy emitted by Antares, the ruler of dragons.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! The earth trembled, and the sky shook. No, it was Suho himself who was truly trembling.
Ring!
[Debuff: 'Fear' activated.]
[All stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
'Ugh!' Overwhelming. There was no other way to describe it. Suho saw his hands holding the Vulcan's Horns tremble. The pressure was on a completely different level compared to when he fought Queresha.
But.
'So what?'
So what if he was overwhelmed? His opponent was the loser who knelt before his father. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to his name to back down in fear?
'I'll endure.'
Suho clenched his trembling jaw and forced a grin. He barely resisted the fear instilled by Dragon Fear and spoke.
'Are you all... watching?'
There were those who answered him.
[The King of Beasts and the Monarch of Fangs is watching you.]
[The Queen of Insects and the Monarch of Plagues is watching you.]
[The King of the Snow Folk and the Monarch of Frost is watching you.]
The gazes of the other Monarchs who had bestowed their blessings upon Suho poured towards him.
[Oh?] It wasn't just Suho who felt those gazes. The Dragon King raised an eyebrow in interest.
Fwoosh! Suddenly, silver dust scattered around Suho, and the phantoms of the deceased Monarchs appeared. Under their gazes, the Dragon King smirked and asked,
[What trick did you use? You've cleverly brought the other Monarchs to your side.]
'I... am their Priest.' Suho answered
[Priest?]
'Yes. You'll also need a successor to inherit your power, won't you?'
The Dragon King laughed scornfully at those words.
[...A successor to inherit my power?]
[You're not suggesting that fool you hatched as my successor, are you?]
'Fool?'
Something was strange. The Dragon King was genuinely mocking Suho's suggestion.
[Hatching Kamish's egg with a human's meager mana is impressive… But so what?]
[Do you really think a creature that has become someone's pet is worthy of inheriting the power of the Dragon King?]
...!
Antares already knew everything. But the fact that the hatchling of Kamish, who was only born thanks to Suho's mana, became his pet infuriated him the most. That's why he couldn't suppress his rage, and at the same time, he felt an immense shame at the weakness of the baby dragon, who had become a mere human's pet right after birth. The arrogant Dragon King's pride erupted into a giant flame and spewed towards Suho.
Rumble Rumble! Rumble!
[Child of Shadow, you shall burn and suffer eternally in this place!]
Whoosh!
At that moment, the entire world turned into boiling lava which swallowed everything. This was Antares' domain. If he wished, he could turn this entire space into a burning inferno. And Suho would have no way to escape the flames.
'Kaaaaaaaagh...!' All he could do was writhe and scream in the excruciating burning pain. The other Monarchs hurriedly bestowed their blessings to save him.
[The spirit of Pet: 'Gray' possesses the Priest's body.]
Fwoosh! Suho's hair turned silver, and a divine wind enveloped him.
[Skill: 'Blizzard of Frost' activated.] The Monarch of Frost summoned a blizzard to counter Antares' flames.
[The Queen of Insects and the Monarch of Plagues, uses Debuff: 'Paralyzing Poison' to alleviate your pain.] Queresha also tried to protect Suho in her own way.
After all, Suho was their Priest, so they had to prevent him from burning to death. But…
[Get lost! You spineless fools!]
Whoosh!
All those blessings were burned away by Antares' roar, as if they were nothing. His fury was directed not only at Suho but also at the other Monarchs beside him.
[Those who should reign above choose to submit. You are no longer worthy of the title of Monarch!]
Crackle!
His inferno repelled the Grasslands Wind and even melted the Blizzard. The phantoms of the Monarchs who were trying to help scattered and disappeared like mirages.
'Ugh...!'
With all help gone, Suho was left falling into the flames Antares was pouring out, completely exposed... His resilience skill…? It only increased physical defense so it was useless in this situation. His HP plummeted relentlessly. And since the use of potions was prohibited, the situation was truly desperate with no hope in sight. But then…
...Thud.
At some point, screams stopped coming from Suho's mouth, buried in that inferno.
[...Huh?] A glint of surprise flickered in Antares' eyes.
Thud! Thud!
Step by step. Suho was walking through the flames, slowly approaching the Dragon King. Of course, the pain was still there. His whole body was so hot that it felt like his heart would stop at any moment. Nevertheless…
'...It can't be helped.'
Change of plans. Suho gritted his teeth with a stubborn expression, forcibly suppressing his screams, and raised his fist.
'I'll kill you before I die.'
[Huh?] A scoff escaped Antares' lips at those ridiculous words.
[Skill: 'Giant's Armor' activated.]
[Skill: 'Iron Body Technique' activated.]
Fwoosh!
Suho's body grew larger as he channeled the black aura with all his might.
Boom!
His fist landed. And Antares' massive body staggered.
[...?!]
For the first time, a look of bewilderment crossed the Dragon King's eyes. But it was only for a moment. Then he laughed heartily.
[Hahaha... Uhahahahahahaha!]
He, who was riding atop the giant dragon in human form, clutched his forehead and started chuckling. His laughter seemed to carry mana, making Suho's heart pound with every burst. But suddenly his laughter ceased. Antares' vertically slit pupils gleamed ominously, and he looked down at Suho with an arrogant smile. An expression as if he had finally found an interesting toy.
[How amusing.]
[Entertain me more.]
The giant dragon's maw opened to devour the toy.
Crunch! Suho was swallowed in one bite.
'Ugh...' He barely managed to support himself with his arms and legs spread wide within that giant maw. But he succeeded in breaking one of Antares' fangs.
Crack!
[Kaaagh! How dare this insect-!]
'Insect, huh.' Seemingly pleased with that term, Suho grinned and said,
'How about calling me vermin instead?'
Crack!
He mercilessly stomped on the Dragon King's broken fang infusing numerous poisons into his attack.
[Debuff: 'Paralyzing Poison' activated.]
[Debuff: 'Kasaka's Venom' activated.]
...
[How dare you-!]
Vermin indeed. Suho, with a ferocious expression, repeatedly struck the roof of the dragon's mouth.
Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
[The King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction, uses Skill: 'Breath of Destruction'.]
...Whoosh!
Terrible flame erupted from Antares' throat. It instantly burned away the poison and scorched Suho's body black. But…
'I'm not dead yet.'
Crack!
[...?!]
Even in that excruciating pain, he managed to break another fang. And using that as a weapon, he chose to jump into the dragon's throat instead of dodging the atack. wHe mercilessly thrusted the fang into the gap, and the Breath of Destruction flowing through the throat exploded.
Booooom!
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaagh!]
Antares thrashed his head from side to side, struggling. The shock of the Breath of Destruction exploding within his own body was far greater than he had imagined. But Suho didn't stop there. He raised his fist and repeatedly hammered the embedded fang like a nail.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! He punched a hole in the giant dragon's neck and forcibly tore it open with both hands.
Rip! Antares' neck split open as if cut by a sword, and dragon blood gushed out like a fountain.
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaagh!]
The screams echoing through the sky were incredibly satisfying, but he knew he couldn't defeat Antares with just this level of attack. Suho was also at his limit. His consciousness was fading, as if he would pass out any time. At that critical moment a thought suddenly occurred to Suho.
'Dragon King! I have another idea.'
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaagh!]
'I don't need a Priest anymore.'
Whether Antares listened or not, Suho spoke his mind.
'I will become your successor.'
He stood firm.
[...What?]
Antares, writhing in anger and pain, couldn't believe his ears.
'You said Ragnar isn't qualified to be the Dragon King because he's my pet? Then how about me?'
'If the meaning of 'Dragon King' is the master of dragons. I have one as my pet.'
[...!]
Yes. This insanely powerful Monarch's power. He had witnessed it firsthand; how could he not be tempted?
'I will become the Monarch of Destruction.'