ーーin a lake that is very near to the ancient forest that is the dragon’s sleeping place, an easy going Kansai-ben echoed.
「You guys, aren’t you quite calm?」
A golden dragon and a red-haired girl sitting in its back.
The girl she tilted her head to the host-like guyーーHarada.
「Calm? What do you mean?」
「You guys, if I’m correct, you had a huge fight very long ago, and currently healing from the damage from that right?」
“Yes”, the girl nodded.
「And so, since you’re currently healing, it means that you’re still injured right?」
「Exactly」
Harada shrugged his shoulder and made a wry smile.
「But, if I’m correct, you can’t use the true powers of the Dragon Emperor if you aren’t together, I mean, combined? You’re currently allied temporarily to protect yourselves from the other dragon species……that’s why you’re hiding in this remote place」
Once again, the girl shook her head vertically.
「Yes, that is exactly true」
「If so, why aren’t you becoming one? By the way, I have the experience of killing tens of dragons within the labyrinth. If you won’t use the power of the Dragon Emperor, isn’t it a little difficult?」
「Do we, really need to start killing each other?」
Harada answered the girl’s question with a shrug of his shoulder.
「That’s our leader’s intention after all」
「I am asking you yourself」
「I’m also interested in you guys you know? You seem like opponents that would make me level up a lot after a long time……」
「Do we really, need……to start to kill each other?」
「We really need to fight no matter what. Well, in the first place, you guys are……captives of the prison of time, and VIPs in a sense for clearing the dungeon, but you’re also guys who don’t have that many desires, you didn’t even reach the deepest floors before you came out……」
The red-haired girl who heard that made a face of sadness.
「No, that is wrong」
「Wrong? What?」
「We are not captives of the prison of time」
「……what does this mean?」
「We have chosen to accept things as they are and exist as there is. We controlled the prison of time by a.s.similating to nature. Well……though I think that it’s something that you who have chosen to continue wandering in the labyrinth even taking time eternal cannot understand. Howeverーーthe path that we have chosen, it is something that you guys can also choose」
Harada raised both his hands to show a surrender pose after thinking about something for a while.
「Is that something like Zen or something? Too bad but, I don’t want something like that……sorry, Ojou-chan? I’ll say no thank you to those sermons or preach and the kind」
And then, the golden dragon who has been quiet up until now opened its mouth.
「More words are useless……Balfnaught」
「……it seems so」
The red-haired girl jumped off the back of the golden dragon.
The dragon asked the girl after seeing her land with light steps.
「Balfnaught?」
「……I’ll go this time」
Harada made a wry smile to how the situation went while seemingly amazed.
「After not-want-to-fight disease……it’s not-want-to-combine disease huh」
“Yareyare”, Harada continued his words.
「Haha!……however, you’re really looking down on me huh. This Ojou-chan who’s not even a dragon’s my opponent? For my sake too, it’s better if I kill you in your Dragon Emperor state because I’ll level up much more, so here’s a friendly advice, hurry up and combine with that dragon」
And then, the red-haired girl also shrugged her shoulders not losing to Harada.
「……that is not needed」
「n? What does that mean?」
The red-haired girl distorts her face with a blatant unpleasant expression.
Furthermore, fury dwelled in the red eyes of the girl.
「……Human. Do not look down on dragons too much」
「What a hot gaze……is that some kind of skill? Small fries like Cerberus would get burned just by that……」
Harada did not stop smiling and said with a tone of joking around.
「Too bad〜!【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
A blue flame ran on the girl’s skin.
She made a slightly surprised expression and snapped her finger.
The blue flame was immediately erased, and burnt smell started to rise from her red hair.
「Haha!! You look surprised? That should be so, my skillーーit’s a high cla.s.s even within the Extreme Skills, cheat within the cheats! It’s the【Physical Attack Reflection】skill!」
「I see. He has an excellent brain」
「I’ve had a hard time until I met with this body after all……there’s so, so many times that the brain won’t adapt」
And then, the red-haired girl sent gazes to Harada as if she was looking at a pitiful thing.
「Until you met with that body……huh. I see, it looks like you are connecting your life using quite a wicked way」
「You understood with that explanation just now?」
The red haired girl nodded to Harada’s amazed words.
「You have stopped being a human a long time ago. Most probably……by removing your memories and soul from your body……you were able to achieve longevity by continuing to take over another person’s body」
「Well, it seems though that there are many ways to live very long. It’s just that this way feels the best for me. That’s why, I would get old and die as well」
“However……”, the red-haired girl let out a sigh.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】. Oh really……you are dexterous for a human」
「Flame Dragon Emperor Balfnaught was it? The heat’s physical law governance that you’re good at, it is within the physics calculation range that my reflection can cover. That’s whyーー」
Harada continued while he raised his middle finger.
「The two of you, hurry up and come at me!」
The golden dragon asked the red-haired girl.
「What do you think? Balfnaught? According to that man……it looks like the situation is bad, but……you want me to help?」
And there, “Fu!”, the girl laughed and said.
「Charlings? Are you seriously saying that?」
The dragon and the girl laughed out loud at the same time.
「Haha!……hahaha!! With that level of physical law governance, he said……haha! Hahahaha!」
「Kuha!……kuhahaha!! This is ridiculous!! What nonsense!!」
「Haha!……ufufu……it’s been a while since I laughed this much. Hey, Charlings?」
「What」
「I’ll erase this thing that does not know its position」
「Kufu! Kufufu!……well, you should do what you want」
The red-haired girl kneeled with one leg.
The distance between the girl and Harada is about 7 meters.
Furthermore, the girl placed both her hands on the ground and made a crouching start pose.
「Oh? Are you going to start track and field or something?」
Andーーthe next instant.
The red haired girl’s appearance, no, her existence itself, Harada felt as if it blurred for an instant.
The girl had disappeared when he noticed it.
“What……?”, but the moment Harada thought of that, he heard knuckle cracking sounds from behind.
The next instant, Harada slowly looked back with cold sweat.
In there, at about 10 meters behind Harada, the red-haired girl was cracking her knuckles.
「Haha……although I’m like this, I’m in the group that captures the labyrinth at the deepest floors though……to think that you’d move at super high speed without leaving a shadow behind……」
「He〜. I’m surprised」
「Surprised?」
「To think that you could a.s.sert that what that thing right now was not teleportation……but just a super high-speed movement. I change your evaluation just a little higher」
Harada got silent for a while.
「…………aren’t you looking down too much on me? That made me p.i.s.sed off a little」
The red-haired girl did not wait for Harada’s words and started to move around him at a 10-meter distance with him as the center.
It was not simply circling him, but she was walking in zigzag and appears at points within the circle.
More accurately, tens or hundreds of red-haired girls appeared within the 10-meter radius as if she used a multiple clone skill.
Those were the afterimage that super, super high-speed movements made possible.
Harada honestly raised a voice of amazement.
「This’s amazing……it’s completely using brute force. With speed and agility that even I can’t capture, this afterimagesーーit’s an excellent physics calculation laws intervention. I mean, the concept of status and skill……you completely left it somewhere」
「The concept of status huh」
A grin showed in all of the girl’s afterimages.
「Status is important. Even if you’re intervening in the physical laws, the original status will have some effects. Howeverーーjust like your words that describe it as leaving the concept of status and skill somewhere, and because you are still relying on something like that……you are third-cla.s.s」
“PachiPachi”, Harada started to clap.
「There’s some truth with those words. What an excellent physics laws intervention」
All of her who have appeared within the circle rushed to Harada who is in the center at once.
And, all of them swung their fist.
What their aim, it is Harada’s head and face.
「But, even so, you can never win me with that」
In an instant, all of the afterimages gathered in one image.
And without stopping, the killing fist was thrown to Harada’s nose.
「ーーthat’s as long as I have this【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
After an instant, Balfnaught’s nose got crushed.
*Mis.h.i.+ri*, an unpleasant sound.
Fresh blood scattered. The blood danced in the air. Blood cosmetics was put on her beautiful face.
However, Balfnaught did not stop.
Her red hair disheveled but her fists were still being thrown towards Harada.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!」
Balfnaught’s cheek got crushed.
*Gushari*, a dull sound.
Fresh blood danced again. Blood scattered.
But still, Balfnaught did not stop.
Her hair swayed like a lion dance and released a strong fist to Harada without changing her expression.
What she aimed was Harada’s eye.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!」
Balfnaught’s right eye got crushed.
*Pachin*, a light sound.
Serum mixed liquid fell and scattered.
Regardless, Balfnaught would not stop.
She swayed her red-hair like a lion dance and repeatedly attacked Harada without changing her expression.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Sticky liquid gushed out of Balfnaught’s right ear.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Balfnaught’s throat got smashed.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Balfnaught’s clavicle got crushed.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Balfnaught’s ribs got crushed.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Even so, she still continued to attack.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Right straight.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Left hook.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Right upper.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Standing lock.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
Left hook.
「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」
And there, Balfnaught stopped.
Her throat smashed and her bones here and there crushed.
Her broken rib pierced her lung and she cannot breathe properly.
She cannot get enough oxygen supply.
Both of her eyes broken and her whole body full of blood. A state that it is strange that she is still alive.
Harada laughed enjoying from the bottom of his heart.
「Haha! Hahaha! You were saying big words, but you aren’t that much huh? I still have no damage, but Jou-chan’s pretty much splattered……haha! Hahaha! My skill was the one overwhelming after all!」
