The Foreigner on the Periphery

The dragon barely finished its spell right before being shot down by the Photon Cannon.

Teleport. Immediately followed by releasing Polymorph.

Its field of vision changed drastically.

—!

The moment he blinked, the dragon was outside the spaceship.

Having narrowly escaped, the dragon saw a bright flower bud blooming right where he had just been. Hellfire that even a dragon would struggle to survive blossomed like a rose. A silent explosion decorating the vacuum of space.

'Did... did I survive? I lived!'

He was now tossed out into the void of space with only his bare body. The massive form of the platinum dragon spun through the darkness, drifting continuously in one direction. Fortunately, there were no obstacles blocking the sun, so his platinum scales quickly took on a golden hue and glowed. If anyone on the ground were looking up at the night sky right now, they would have spotted a new twinkle where no star had been before.

'Ugh!'

The only reason he hadn't immediately lost consciousness was because he was a dragon.

'One more Teleport...!'

The moment he made that decision, the dragon witnessed a despairing sight. Another flash of light was gathering around the barrel of the cannon that had just shot down his ship.

At this speed, the reloading and charging delay was virtually nonexistent.

Thick emotion swirled in the dragon's eyes.

'No!'

The moment he released Polymorph, his increased mass simply made him a better target. Whoever was aiming the Photon Cannon from inside the Mothership cheered in delight.

A white flash engulfed the pitch-black space the dragon was staring into.

That was the last sight the platinum dragon ever saw alive.

*

"Direct hit! It's a hit! Oh, Lord!"

Inside the Space Mothership's control room.

A bishop waved his hands in joy. It was the artillery officer who had previously sought counsel from Yuntus.

He had shot down his target twice in a row during his first actual combat operation. It was a triumph achieved without the aid of artificial intelligence. Just as his eyes gleamed with intoxication and he hummed a hymn like a lullaby...

Someone looked at the instrument panel and spoke.

"Wait, this is somewhat strange..."

At that moment.

A colossal explosion erupted on the screen they were watching.

"What?!"

A flash of light burst from the Dragon Corpse that had been swallowed by the Photon Cannon.

Immediately after, a shockwave battered everything in the vicinity. It was on an incomparably larger scale than when the small spaceship had exploded moments ago.

After the matter comprising the dragon collapsed into fine dust and gas, it spread in all directions, carrying tremendous heat, light, and force. The Mothership that had shot him down shook violently, and even the other ships still hidden within the Distortion Field were affected.

"L-Lord!"

A long while later, the tremors finally ceased.

The bishops in the control room lost their words for a moment, staring blankly at the screen.

"What on earth did you just do?!"

A message flew in from a terrified neighboring Mothership.

There was a reason the feedback was so immediate and intense. They had suffered through a very similar experience right before flying here.

The phenomenon occurring where the dragon had vanished...

"Isn't this... similar to a star exploding?"

Of course, the energy output was lower than a supernova, but it was incredibly similar.

The supply officer in the control room quickly identified the problem.

"Damn it, there's no reading on the Dragon Heart!"

The Photon Cannon had ruptured even the dragon's Dragon Heart.

The reaction that exceeded all expectations just now was assumed to be the result.

Instead of the Dragon Race splitting and absorbing the Dragon Heart or processing it into a Mana Crystal, the bishops were learning for the first time what happened when it was exposed to such high-output energy.

The bishop acting as the supply officer berated the artillery officer.

"This isn't something to celebrate just because you got a direct hit! The Photon Cannon's output was excessive. Even if the bones, scales, and flesh burned away, you should have left the Dragon Heart intact, but now even that blew up!"

The inexperienced priest had succeeded in hitting the target but failed to control his firepower.

Listening to their conversation, Yuntus fell deep into thought.

'If push comes to shove... we could use a Dragon Heart as a planet-destroying weapon. Assuming we detonate a sufficient amount.'

Admiration flowed out naturally.

Just how far did the usefulness of these creatures called dragons extend?

Draw their blood and it becomes food for a god; take their hearts and they serve as material for Mana Crystals, and the organ itself acts as a terrifying explosive.

'If God captures the dragons, we can lock them up and harvest their blood, then use them as bombs if the situation grows dire...'

Yuntus's eyes sparkled.

God must have undoubtedly planned this far ahead.

"Oh, avatar."

The bishop's lips parted, naturally praising this testament to God.

*

'Good lord, how did I end up like this?'

While the interception of escapees continued outside the atmosphere...

...hunting and capturing were also underway across the planet. Most of it was conducted secretly, but not every operation could be executed flawlessly.

Contrary to Minjun's original intentions, a massive pursuit was unfolding across the planetary surface.

More accurately, it was a chase spanning both above and below ground.

'I have to run! Further away!'

Rumble!

Minjun's final prey was an earth dragon, a relative of guild master Rahgangquia.

The dragon was fleeing by boring holes underground. Powerful shockwaves pulsed from between its pitch-black scales, and rocks and soil crumbled wherever its elongated body brushed past. Coupled with its superior draconic physique, the earth dragon's excavation speed was faster than any other creature's.

Judging purely by efficiency, it was a sight that would make anyone argue that dragons, not goblins, belonged in the mines.

Of course, the moment someone voiced that thought, they would lose something much thicker than their wrists and ankles.

Crunch!

The black dragon gritted its teeth.

'Everyone was taken out in such a short time!'

While their peers were being abducted one by one, a few dragons finally noticed the anomaly and began to fight back or flee. Most tried to escape off-world, only to be shot down by the ambushing Space Motherships.

It was only after grasping this situation that the earth dragon decided to run in the opposite direction.

"Fleeing into the sky is just a pointless death!"

Using its specialty, the earth dragon dove beneath its feet instead of taking to the skies.

It seemed like a wise choice.

Up until now, anyway.

"Halt!"

A voice pierced through like a blade.

Its source was the surface, a few kilometers away.

"Ugh!"

The burrowing earth dragon hesitated for a split second, then resumed its movement. Just as before, it frantically bored through the ground, piercing deeper into the earth.

The ability user pursuing it from the surface (presumably belonging to the Committee) continuously unleashed bizarre psychic waves in an attempt to cloud its mind.

Fortunately, they hadn't succeeded yet.

'Deeper! I need to go deeper!'

Enduring the sweltering geothermal heat, the earth dragon dug further down. The deeper it went, the more distant and faint the voice became.

Hope was in sight!

The black-scaled dragon squeezed out every ounce of its strength as it sank lower.

*

"...I apologize."

Asiph-1, who had been tracking the dragon, bowed his head.

Minjun brushed it off as if it didn't matter.

"It can't be helped. The dragons aren't idiots; I never expected them to stay entirely oblivious while dozens of them were abducted."

Asiph-1's abilities were entirely ineffective against a dragon that had burrowed underground to escape.

For one, it was difficult to pinpoint its exact location to focus his power. Furthermore, unlike the Children of Endelion whose mental defenses were already shattered, or the helmsmen priests who were pre-conditioned to obey, it was hard to brainwash this target from a distance.

"If we let it go, it'll become a source of trouble later."

"Don't worry, there's a way."

"Are you going to use the shadow monsters?"

"No, the 'work' over there isn't finished yet."

"...?!"

Minjun gestured toward a certain direction. In the distance lay the dragons they had successfully brainwashed and kidnapped so far.

He singled out the plumpest dragon among them. Once chosen, it immediately canceled its Polymorph and reverted to its original draconic body.

Its leathery wings tore through the air as a white dragon of the frost brood flew over. It touched down on the hilltop in a demure posture, like a bird settling onto a perch.

Approaching the beast, Minjun swung his hand decisively.

He held no weapon in his bare hand, but—

Slash!

The white scales shielding the dragon's nape tore like scrap paper. Crimson blood erupted like a fountain.

Even as its flesh was ripped apart and its blood spilled, the dragon remained docile. Its listless eyes were calm, like a beast accustomed to having its blood drawn.

Whoosh!

The bloody waterfall thinned out and vaporized. Minjun absorbed that mist of blood with his entire body.

'It would have been nice if that guy was around, but...'

He'd just have to make do with what he had.

Aside from the debtor he could rescue once he reclaimed control of Elahu-Praga...

He possessed searchers capable of ignoring physical obstacles.

"Kyaaaaah!"

A ghostly aura briefly flickered in Minjun's eyes.

A mountain of thrashing wraiths surged from his back.

Asiph-1 let out a belated exclamation of awe.

"Ah, right. You didn't feed them to the shadow monsters back then, did you?!"

These were the souls of those Minjun had killed in such horrific ways that they naturally became wraiths, or those he had forcibly captured and corrupted into spirits.

Comprised mostly of Todd and Kavites, they shrieked in absolute agony. They had been trapped in suffering from the moment of their deaths until now.

An endless, eternal hell.

"It hurts, please... no... I... like this..."

"Send me where I belong... not here..."

"I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong..."

"I'm innocent! I... I...!"

Minjun projected the power he had just replenished with the dragon blood. Upon his command, the dead flowed like a river and tunneled into the earth.

Even as they moved, the wraiths bit the shoulders of the ghosts beside them, smashed their heads, sliced open their bellies to rip out intestines, and flung them in all directions. Since they were mere illusions reconstructed as spiritual bodies, only the mental anguish remained while their forms regenerated instantly.

Unrelieved torment twisted into hatred, targeting the closest available prey.

"Kyaaaaah!"

The soil and bedrock posed no obstacle. The procession of ghosts spread deep underground, scratching, biting, and tearing each other to pieces.

It didn't take them long to find the single dragon deep within the earth.

"Wh-what is this?!"

The Ancient Dragon, having dug down as far as it possibly could, was horrified.

A ghostly intent abruptly echoed out.

Despite not being a spirit-sensitive person, it could hear the wailing tune of the wraiths. It was a song built on a melody of pain, weaving lyrics from pure agony. The caster's power made it possible.

"Aaaah! You too, you too!"

A river of wraiths flooded through the ground.

It was the first time in its life the dragon had ever laid eyes on the dead.

A Kavite split in half crawled forward, its tangled intestines wrapped around its body. Todd rolled on the ground howling with mad laughter, clutching the crushed skull of a comrade. Members of the Ancient Race gouged out each other's eyes, plucked out their fur, and ripped off their shells, reaching out with shrieks as if they had found fresh prey.

"G-Get away! Get..."

It was a sight more than enough to overwhelm the dragon's sanity. It desperately dug through the earth to flee, but it couldn't outpace the speed of the wraiths.

The ghosts tunneled into the dragon's body. Since the target lacked a medium's aptitude and was a dragon, seizing control of its body was no easy task. However, transmitting horrific memories to the beast was easy enough.

Countless deaths were beamed directly into the earth dragon's brain. The ghosts weaponized the memories of their murders to torture the beast. Pure hatred for the living boiled over.

The memories of what they suffered while alive were relatively mild in comparison. The vast majority of the wraiths had experienced far more atrocious torment after death. This, too, was relayed completely. The agony and madness of the dead layered thousands, tens of thousands of times over, ravaging the depths of its mind.

There was no way to endure it and remain sane.

"Graaaagh!"

The moment the earth dragon lost its reason and thrashed—

Ruuuumble!

The tremors reached all the way to the surface.

Minjun opened his closed eyes.

"Over there!"

The two men, along with the white dragon that had just offered its blood, tore through the sky toward the epicenter of the quakes.

In the meantime, the earth dragon, consumed by madness, had abandoned its original goal and was rampaging wildly.

"It's dark! It's dark! It's too dark here!"

The wraiths flooded it with terrifying memories of the place they had been trapped in all this time.

Consequently, the earth dragon could no longer bear being underground. Feeling the wraiths' memories as its own, it roared in mass confusion. It lifted its jaws and shot upward, frantically boring a path toward the surface.

Boom!

The ground erupted like a volcano, sending rocks and dirt flying everywhere.

Rumble!

Boulders, clods of dirt, and tree roots rained down in a downpour!

Revealing itself above ground, the earth dragon writhed desperately like a fish caught on a hook. Every time it gouged the earth with immense force, its black scales were torn off and scattered, leaving behind bloody trails like coarse brushstrokes.

Before Minjun even signaled with a glance, Asiph-1 was already moving.

Swish!

He plunged down like a meteor, tearing through the air. A silver frying pan was gripped in his hand.

He pulled his shoulder back with all his might.

And swung!

Craaash!

Asiph-1 relentlessly smashed the back of the earth dragon's head with the Orichalcum Pan.

That spot was where the dragon's sixth brain—the one governing Magic—was located.

"Krrrggh!"

The magic resistance faded from the dragon's body. The earth dragon went limp and then began to convulse. Blood-tinged foam bubbled at the corners of its mouth.

The contrast was stark: the white dragon sitting quietly despite its blood-drenched neck, and the black dragon convulsing and foaming at the mouth at its feet.

Minjun recalled the wraiths. Asiph-1, who was examining the dragon and attempting something, frowned.

"This one's completely fried, you know?"

It meant its mind had entirely collapsed. To the point where brainwashing was impossible.

Minjun muttered.

"It's a shame, but..."

In that state, it was better to discard it. It would be highly problematic if it went on a rampage inside the battleship.

He murmured a spell toward the dragon, which had lost its magic resistance.

The reaction was immediate. Starting from its extremities, furthest from the heart, its body hardened and turned white. It looked as though the black dragon was mutating into a white dragon.

Along the borderline where the pitch-black scales turned white, the blood drained away and evaporated.

Hssss!

"Karrr... karrr!"

The dragon kept twitching and trembling. From the tips of its blood-drained toes, it began to crystallize, and the transformation gradually crawled up its four legs. The movement of its wings ceased. As the white area expanded, a salty scent permeated the air.

The moment the white crystals reached just beneath its chest...

The light faded from the dragon's pupils.

A moment later, a salt statue sculpted in the likeness of an elongated dragon thrashing on its back materialized before their eyes.

Due to its sheer scale, it looked more like a natural rock formation than something crafted by human hands.

"We can't leave any evidence..."

Before his creator could say a word, Asiph-1 hoisted the silver pan once more. Then, he brought his fist crashing down onto the bottom of it.

Goooong—!

A heavy reverberation, akin to a ringing bell, echoed outwards.

Crack! Cra-crack!

Fissures began to run through the dragon-shaped salt statue.

Ultimately, it crumbled! It collapsed entirely.

Having lost its structural form, the dragon's corpse was reduced to a mound of salt.

Atop it, Asiph-1 poured a stream of water like a torrential downpour. The earth dragon dissolved into saltwater, seeping down into the very hole it had so diligently dug earlier.

Splash!

Asiph-1 fished a red crystal out of the splashing brine.

The pope, after filling in the gaping hole in the earth, looked at his creator with eyes hungry for praise.

"...Perfect."

Tearing his gaze away from the grinning Asiph-1, Minjun looked at the mob of goblins waiting in the distance.

The dragons, all mimicking the appearance of the slaves they once commanded, had in some ways fallen to a status worse than slaves, awaiting their master's orders.

Just looking at them filled Minjun with a natural sense of satisfaction, as if he had eaten his fill, yet at the same time...

"..."

He felt an inescapable bitterness.

A feeling that before he could even make a decision, it had already been made for him.

"Let's head back."

He raised his head to look at the sky.

Following Minjun's directives, the Space Motherships, cloaked by the Distortion Fields, were slowly descending toward the Terminal he had designated.

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