Chapter 122: The Thing I don't Want, Even If I Die
"I came here because I felt power that I'd been missing so much. Whoever you are, you better not use this power. It's not a pleasant feeling to submit to someone," Noebius responded with a frown, apparently remembering something displeasing, which made the wrinkles on his forehead grow even deeper. I immediately went to answer.
"When did the angels capture you?"
"…So you know. So were you the person on that side?"
"That side?"
"Hmm. The person who saw me when I was young… well, it was amazing. After all, it had happened a long time ago. Anyway, I also have a lot of questions, but I don't have the time to ask them, so let's just get down to business for now."
Finishing his sentence, Noebius jumped high and kicked.
"Crazy!"
I couldn't dodge the blow; I could only swear. This was how Noebius communicated, after all.
Pure violence.
From the very beginning, this dragon didn't like to talk. Without warning, he began to breathe out in different directions, and the peaceful conversation that had taken place ended very quickly. Come to think of it; this was a gimmick. He had bought himself time to get used to the human form, as did the Demon Lord, to get used to the penalty that had lowered his level.
Noebius' attack was definitely impressive. His body became smaller, so his weight was also reduced, but thanks to this, he was firing off attacks a dragon's body wasn't capable of. Martial arts were like that. Techniques could be good or bad, depending on how effectively they could be used against your opponent.
"You have some good moves!"
"Noebius! Do you have to fight before you die?"
"That is why we must fight! There won't be another chance to do so!"
"Oh! I didn't know that!"
During the 2nd playthrough, the dragon fought until it died. If he rested for some time, he would have lived for several more years, but he was exhausted and collapsed to the ground due to the heavy loads on the spine. It seemed that it would be the same now.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He shouldn't be underestimated just because he has acquired a human form. This was Noebius's transcendental skill Taekwon.
Although he used punches, he mostly focused on kicks. Side-kick, Top-down kick, Roundhouse straight kick, Forward straight kick, Running kick…
In short, he used many different types.
"You look like the First Hero. And you fight well," Noebius said with a smile.
"Of course."
I didn't just rely on skills. I couldn't deny their convenience, but my first playthrough was so hard it couldn't be overcome only with skills. That experience became my strength.
"You have dexterous movements. Unlike Fantasy people, who are born with skills, you don't seem to show much of a desire to rely on them. Or are you hiding your strength?"
"Both."
"You're quite an interesting character. You continue to hide your strength even in battle with me. But I understand. Heroes have always loved to seem mysterious and look cool. The main thing is that you know how to fight."
"You must be excited because you can fight until you die."
"Haha! Exactly!"
Unlike me, who was struggling to fend back his blows, Noebius still had a surplus of strength. Because of this, he started talking about himself.
"Once upon a time, I was defeated by a Hero. In all skills, I surpassed him, but I could not get rid of the Hero, who stuck to me like a flea, so I lost. I was so offended then that I began to explore the possibility of transformation into a more compact body."
"So this is where this body comes from?" I asked. This was because, sometimes, villains spoke their plans by themselves. The same apparently went for Noebius.
"The small body was too weak. It would die only from the slightest impact. So I started studying people. How can they be so small but so strong? And I realized that it was about the techniques they use to kill each other. Humans became stronger by killing other humans."
"Not monsters?"
"No. When hunting monsters, you don't need such sophisticated techniques because they will be stopped by the thick skin of the enemy. To kill monsters, you don't need techniques but sharp weapons."
Fencing, Taijutsu, Sojutsu, Bojutsu, Archery Shooting …
All this was invented just for man to fight against man. If you were to ask a person on Earth how to hunt a tiger, no one would think about taekwondo, judo, or other martial arts. Instead, he would think of guns or traps.
Noebius used human techniques simply because he knew they were effective against humans.
"Kuk!"
He kicked mercilessly with sharp claws. The blows were endless. He attacked, changing swiftly between legs. He sometimes used deceptive maneuvers, thereby making all of his attacks unpredictable. He stood and swayed on one heel, but not because he was drunk. Rather, he could skip the movement of lifting a foot and move faster. Because of this, it became harder for me to respond.
And also, it could relieve the muscles…
"Chaooo-!"
Suddenly, Noebius let out a dragon roar in his human form! He proceeded to shoot me with a gust of his dragon breath. It was a sudden attack for me as I had been so focused on his feet.
BAAAM!
There came an ensuing explosion that engulfed my body. However, I was fine. The strength of his breath became weaker as he grew smaller, and by this point, I had already developed immunity to the deadly poison.
This was my chance. A slight hitch occurred after he has used his breath. Taking advantage of the moment, I hit Noebius's body with all my might.
Crack-
I think I had broken his ribs, yet I knew that this was hardly a critical hit. This was my intuition because I broke a lot of spines. These were just small cracks.
"I see. Death breath doesn't work on you after all."
Raising his left leg vertically, it collided with my head.
BOOM!
It felt like I had blacked out for a couple of seconds. For the first time in twenty years, this happened.
Bam!
Then, there came a right kick right to my stomach. My back was bent since I could neither dodge nor block the blow. I fell flat on my back. After that, he unleashed a hail of heavy blows on me.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Grabbing my defenseless body, he threw me into the air and continued to strike, preventing me from falling to the ground. It felt like I was in some crazy fighting game.
I knew I should do something.
"Friend! Sorry, but…"
I admitted defeat and pulled out a trump card to win. This experiment was just that, nothing more. This was enough to understand that without the support of the skills of the fantasy world, I am very weak. This pain served as my proof. However, I haven't lost all my skills.
Yet.
Black Box Activation.
Nine seconds of invincibility! My Divinity deflected Noebius's usual attacks. Thanks to this, I could land normally, and my body, which became little more than a huge bloodstain, quickly recovered.
One second passed. Then, two. That was how long it took for the skills to apply to my body. Thanks to Dark Energy, I gained demonic physical strength, and I began to launch my counterattack.
"Is this your hidden power?"
"Well, something like that."
"I already miss the time when you flew around like a daredevil. Or am I becoming sentimental because it's time to die?"
His claws were broken due to the Divinity repelling the attacks, but he didn't stop. Even feeling the Divinity, he attacked.
Noebius lacked skills like Divinity and Dark Energy. If you think logically, you could ignore his physical attacks, but my intuition told me that it was dangerous to do so. And I believed my intuition.
BOOM! BOOM!
Once again, we exchanged blows. I believed my intuition, but my fighting style has always been "Blow for blow!" If my bones were broken, I responded in kind. Broken bones recovered quickly.
"How do you break through Divinity?"
However, I still didn't understand. The pain was real. Divinity deflected the attack, but the impulse of the impact was transmitted directly to my body.
▷ Type: Skill
▷ Name: Divinity
▷ Rank: Z
▷ ZZ: Use Divine Punishment (0%).
▷ Z: Simply Divine.
▷ SSS: Receive worship.
▷ SS: Use Divine Deflection Attacks.
▷ S: Ignore normal attacks.
▷ A: Praise.
▷ B: Purify Dark Energy.
▷ C: Use divine protection.
▷ D: Bestow blessing.
▷ E: Resist Dark Energy.
▷ F: Use divine attack.
The S-rank effect ignored normal attacks, and the SS-rank effect deflects the same attacks. However, Noebius's attack nevertheless pierced this defense. What had changed from the beginning?
Noebius answered with a smile.
"A lashing blow."
"A lashing blow?"
"I learned this technique to kill the angels I hated."
I wasn't interested in where he got this technique from, only in the principle of its operation. There were so many questions left.
"What about ignoring attributes?"
"You, using the power left by the First Hero, haven't yet understood? Do you think my technique is a common attribute?"
"I see…"
Divine Deflection, an SS-grade effect, reflected attributes of all types except Dark Energy and Divinity. The S-rank effect "Ignore Normal Attacks" was similar yet different at the same time. There were common attributes such as Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Ether embodied in the respective Spirits. In addition to this, pure physical strength was also common. Excluding these six powers, everything else was considered as rare attributes. The main representatives were Divinity and Dark Energy, but there were also others.
It was all still amazing. Noebius, motivated only by hatred of angels, investigated the skill's effect and found a weak spot. Even Father and Daughter K with the Chaos Elf race couldn't manage that. Divine rejection crushed them completely.
"Hero, are you enjoying this world?"
"No," I answered shortly.
Hearing my answer, the slightly confused Noebius grinned.
"I thought you would answer that it is fun here, but you think like the First Hero in the last years of his life…"
Thud.
Having said this, he fell. My comrade was undoubtedly strong but not strong enough to defeat me when I was using skills. Yet, I felt no joy of victory.
Because…
"Noebius. Why didn't you use the skills?
The Supreme Dragon of Oblivion, Noebius, had many more skills besides Taekwon (Z). However, he didn't use any of them.
"You'll understand if I answer that I don't want to use them, even if I die."
"Quite well."
That's enough for me.
"Here's how. I would like to fight more…but it seems my time has come."
"Hey. You're not just dying, are you?"
It would be nice if, like in the 2nd playthrough, he gave me something before leaving.
"Then look at my skills."
"Why would I look at your skills…hmm ?!"
▷ Race: Chaos Dragonian
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Specialization: Supreme Ruler (Conquests → Morale ↑)
▷ Skills: Mass Murder (ZZ), Morale (ZZ), Taekwondo (Z), Transformation (Z), Deadly Poison (Z), Taming (MAX), Flying (MAX), Training (MAX), Leadership (MAX) , Spirit (MAX), Immortality (MAX), Fencing (MAX), Chaos (MAX), Destruction (MAX), Oblivion (MAX), Divinity (MAX), Dark Energy (MAX), Madness (MAX), Fortitude (SSS) ), Physical Strength (SSS), Endurance (SSS), Darkness (SSS), Dexterity (SSS), Subtlety (SSS), Moral Strength (SSS), Five Senses (SSS), Seeking Enemy (SSS), Greatness (SSS) , Stealth (SSS), Management (SSS), Shiver (SSS), Boxing (SSS), Sword Mastery (SSS), Brutal Murder (SSS), Challenge (SSS), Strength (SSS), Foresight (SSS), Judge ( SSS), Pride (SSS), Strength (SSS), Melee (SSS), Fistfight (SSS), Emotion (SSS), Fix (SSS), Endurance (SSS), Breakthrough (SSS), Negotiation (SSS), Recon (SSS), Breath (SS), Recovery (SS), Curse (SS), Evasion (SS), Immunity (SS), Magic (SS), Lightning (SS), Radiance (SS), Perception (SS), Patronage (SS), B Semi-power (SS), Steadfastness (SS), Run (SS), Camouflage (SS), Willpower (SS), Patience (SS), Pressure (SS), Stability (SS), Concentration (SS), Alertness (SS) , Seal (SS), Haste (SS), Futility (SS), Sorcery (SS), Fatality (SS), Strong Constitution (SS), Vitality (SS), Saber (SS), Penetration (SS), Power ( SS), Cruelty (SS), Compulsion (SS), Order (SS), Travel (SS), Rest (SS), Nobility (SS), Vitality (SS), Secret of Immortality (SS), Impact on Nature (SS) , Resistance (SS), Archery (SS), Blessing (SS), Rebirth (SS), Oversized (SS), Obliteration (SS), Plague (SS), Sight (SS), Composure (SS), Good Preparation ( SS), Gravity (SS), Hitting (SS), Stealth (SS), Javelin Throw (SS), Roar (SS), Taunt (SS), Swim (SS), Threat (SS), Defense (SS) ), Charisma (SS), Conquest (SS), Giftedness (SS), Pursuit (SS), Intelligence (SS), Murder (SS), Dignity (SS), Arson (SS) , Mercy (SS), Capture (SS), Energy (SS), Lure to your side (SS), Infinity (S)…
▷ Condition: Serenity, Transfiguration, Withering, Death
My dear companion, the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion, Noebius, remained victorious until his death.
"You indifferent friend! Before leaving me, you could have left your heart…"