Chapter 17. War with the Demonic Realm

 

Dragons are the noblest race.

 

They are the first race created by the Goddess and the Demon God, and the regulators of all worlds.

 

Although their significance has faded now, the dragons’ prestige had not diminished.

 

At least a few hundred years ago, dragons still possessed immense majesty. Mostly infamous, though.

 

Anyway.

 

Among them, the Red Dragon was unrivaled.

 

Therefore, Levelis was confident.

 

No matter what creature challenged her, she believed she could win.

 

But that confidence vanished just now.

 

Jörmungandr, the Azure Dragon.

 

Just their presence made her mind go blank, as if she were about to fly away. Though she really did lose consciousness, anyway.

 

The important thing is this:

 

Levelis Atreyina realized the world was vast.

 

“Pl-please spare me! I’m sorry!!”

 

She immediately bowed her head.

 

She had only recently reached adulthood.

 

During her youth, she shivered in her lair and had just become an adult, thinking she could finally accomplish something. Then she immediately met a stronger monster and nearly died.

 

That was something she absolutely detested.

 

Dragon’s nobility? Pride?

 

They meant nothing if she were dead.

 

So, Levelis could bow her head without any hesitation.

 

‘A m-monster…’

 

She trembled as she looked at the serpent before her.

 

For some reason, it was significantly smaller than before.

 

But it was still several times larger than Levelis.

 

‘At a glance, it seems ordinary…’

 

There was no visible intimidation.

 

Rather, Jörmungandr’s presence was so faint it was confusing whether he was there at all.

 

That made it even more terrifying.

 

Levelis recalled the aura Jörmungandr had revealed.

 

Just a hint of it made her entire body tremble. It didn’t feel like a simple aura. The karma accumulated from countless lives she couldn’t dare to compare, but there was also something holy about it.

 

It felt fundamentally different from a simple aura.

 

[Enough. Raise your head.]

 

[Y-you’re not going to kill me?]

 

[I never intended to kill you.]

 

With those words, Levelis raised her head.

 

Jörmungandr was just watching her quietly. His transparent eyes held no hostility. Only then did Levelis cautiously huddle in a corner of the cave, feeling relieved.

 

Jörmungandr looked at her, seemingly bemused by her abandoning all dragon dignity.

 

Feeling his gaze, Levelis turned her head.

 

She saw the cave.

 

A very spacious cave, strangely filled with the scent of humans.

 

And what was that statue in the middle of the cave?

 

A wooden statue resembling Jörmungandr stood prominently in the center.

 

When Levelis’s gaze turned to the statue, Jörmungandr shook his head.

 

[The people who worship me made it a bit excessively large.]

 

Worship.

 

Indeed.

 

A being of that magnitude not being worshiped would be strange.

 

Levelis nodded.

 

She too had worshipers.

 

Squirrels, deer, rabbits, and the like in the forest.

 

Although not very strong, they were soft and pleasant to have around.

 

Oh, the deer might be worried.

 

Levelis glanced at Jörmungandr.

 

A calmly observing gaze.

 

Sensing that gaze, Jörmungandr nodded.

 

[Yes, if you have something to do, go.]

 

[Y-yes! Thank you for your mercy!]

 

The Red Dragon bowed endlessly. Her previous arrogance was nowhere to be seen.

 

[Ah, take this.]

 

As he spoke, he gave Levelis a dark scale. It had a subtle luster, reminiscent of obsidian.

 

Unconsciously entranced by the shine, Levelis accepted it with a puzzled look.

 

[Why are you giving me this…]

 

[Knock on it if you ever encounter danger.]

 

[Y-yes….]

 

Levelis nodded calmly.

 

She feared what tricks Jörmungandr might have placed on the scale but realized if such a being intended harm, she couldn’t stop it and humbly accepted the scale.

 

…It was also quite shiny and cool.

 

After bowing deeply to Jörmungandr, Levelis flew back to her lair.

 

Hoping it would be their last meeting.

 

* * *

 

Since obtaining divinity,

 

new things have changed.

 

First, people no longer tremble when they see me. To be precise, I learned to conceal the aura I used to emit unintentionally.

 

Before, no matter how I tried to hide it, some aura always leaked.

 

And that tiny bit of aura naturally frightened people who saw me.

 

That no longer happens.

 

Of course, there’s still the fear from my appearance, but that can be worked on gradually.

 

In the past, my emotions would inadvertently affect nature. When I was angry, thunderstorms and storms would sweep everything away.

 

That used to be a problem.

 

Now, I can fully control such weather.

 

For instance, I can make it rain wherever I want.

 

I can make it rain in drought-stricken areas or turn a desert into a sea.

 

Beyond controlling the weather, I can completely alter the landscape. It’s truly a divine power.

 

Even my body has fully grown.

 

Previously, I could only wrap around mountain ranges. Now, I can wrap around planets.

 

Of course, if I actually wrapped around a planet, all life forms in that path would die, so I float in the sky or hide my mass.

 

It’s no exaggeration to say that a planet is my domain.

 

If I can cover a planet with my body, what else would you call it but a domain?

 

However, that doesn’t mean I know everything happening on the planet. Strangely, this planet has many restrictions, so even as a divine being, I can’t act without any constraints.

 

It feels like I have more restrictions as a divine being.

 

But even so,

 

most things I want to do are possible.

 

For example,

 

[It’s time to settle the score.]

 

Ending the thousands of years of war between the Human Realm and the Demonic Realm.

 

[Demon King.]

 

* * *

 

Thousands of years have passed since the Human Realm and the Demonic Realm began their war.

 

During that time, the Human Realm and the Demonic Realm continuously sent forces to each other, maintaining the front lines for a long time.

 

Of course, the front lines were so extensive that there were countless close calls.

 

Constantly strategizing against each other, new heroes emerged from the long war, barely maintaining the retreating fronts.

 

To be honest,

 

the Demonic Realm always had the upper hand.

 

It was inevitable.

 

The Demonic Realm constantly ‘created’ monsters and beasts.

 

When demonic energy in the Demonic Realm accumulated in certain areas over time, it coalesced and formed monsters or beasts.

 

Thus, the Demonic Realm’s forces were endlessly replenished. No matter how many were killed, it was impossible to eliminate all the monsters.

 

Pushing back the front lines was impossible.

 

The places where portals connected the Human Realm and the Demonic Realm had already been heavily polluted with demonic energy.

 

Most people would rot and be corrupted into monsters just by approaching.

 

Once, a party of heroes set out to find a portal.

 

A party of 20 heroes, 300 knights, 300 mages, and 50 clerics.

 

News arrived that they had found the portal and crossed it, but that was the last anyone heard.

 

All contact was lost after they crossed the portal, and for decades they remained missing.

 

As a result, no one approached the portals anymore. Maintaining the front lines was challenging enough.

 

One of the many front lines.

 

The frontline, Askeral.

 

Argeamiac, the commander and leading hero there, frowned.

 

“The frontline… something feels off.”

 

Recently,

 

the number of monsters coming through the portal had decreased.

 

To be more precise,

 

the monsters that continuously rammed their heads against the front lines had begun to retreat.

 

Had humanity finally instilled fear in the monsters?

 

“No. That can’t be it.”

 

He dismissed such hopeful thoughts.

 

He meticulously and ruthlessly analyzed the reason.

 

The lives of tens or hundreds of thousands depended on his every decision.

 

He thought and analyzed thoroughly.

 

He didn’t overlook a single mistake.

 

Argeamiac frowned as he spread out a map.

 

“Exactly here, they disappeared.”

 

He pointed to Kerass, a forest far from the frontline of Askeral but close to the portal.

 

Monsters had started disappearing there suddenly. It was highly unusual. He thought monsters only knew endless slaughter and battle.

 

In the decades he had maintained the front lines, Argeamiac had never seen monsters retreat.

 

“Strange… very strange.”

 

He wanted to find the cause.

 

But he had too little information.

 

His ability was to find the optimal strategy based on given information, not to predict and act on unknown events.

 

As he frowned in thought,

 

Bang——!

 

The door burst open, and a knight rushed in urgently.

 

“Hey, didn’t I always tell you to knock first…”

 

“It’s an emergency! Commander! The western forest, Artel, has been attacked by monsters!!”

 

“What?”

 

“Their number is… thirty million…. An unprecedented number….”

 

“…Mobilize all forces immediately.”

 

The western forest, Artel, was in the exact opposite direction from the portal where monsters appeared.

 

Thus, it was the most vulnerable area.

 

Argeamiac donned his armor and stepped out.

 

“It seems the Demonic Realm is trying to end this.”

 

A massive war destined to be recorded in history

 

had just begun.