* * *

The Great Desert of Lasanaskiros

That’s the name of the desert where the Great Prison of Delenezo was located.

In this scorching world, covered in white sand—

It snowed that day.

Scorpions, snakes, lizards, rats, sea urchins, and so on.

The surprisingly numerous magical creatures, adapted to and living in this great desert, surprised by the sudden event, looked up at the sky.

And there—

A giant white dragon, large enough to cover the sky, shining in the sunlight… was flying.

* * *

(What… dreadful sunlight…!!)

That giant white dragon… Shijishiba Kochi Rekatiki, the Ice White Emperor Dragon, with large wings, a long neck, and two ice-like, transparent horns extending from its forehead, flying through the sky above the great desert at an incredible speed, was very displeased.

After all, this is a desert.

The scorching sunlight is incredibly irritating.

He’s a white dragon, adapted to living in cold regions, and his usual habitat, the Great Icefall, is a world of extreme cold.

Although the harsh climate of the great desert isn’t enough to threaten his life, being a long-lived and powerful dragon, it’s certainly unpleasant.

The magical power leaking out from his irritation turned into snow—flutter, flutter—momentarily moistening the desert sand.

(…Patience. Patience is key! I am the Ice White Emperor Dragon… unlike those other idiotic Emperor Dragons, I’m a wise and noble dragon among dragons!)

But here, Kochi, snorting a breath cold enough to freeze anything it touches, suppressed his irritation with reason.

After all, this expedition to the desert is beneficial for him.

It’s a chance to surpass and distinguish himself from those insufferable peers of his… the Flame Red Emperor Dragon, the Wind Green Emperor Dragon, and so on.

(To rampage and consume my power out of irritation is the height of foolishness… The one I must defeat is the Calamity, ‘The Happy Sludge’, Kolmallya! Even if I have an advantage, it’s not an opponent I can underestimate!)

…Yes.

Although it’s not that far for him, being an Emperor Dragon… the reason he came all the way to the Great Desert of Lasanaskiros is to subjugate ‘The Happy Sludge’, Kolmallya.

(Kukuku… It was a wise decision for “that apostle” to ask for my help. With my power, and my wisdom, even a Calamity is nothing to fear!)

And the reason he decided to subjugate Kolmallya is because of the suggestion of a god’s apostle, who suddenly appeared at his dwelling earlier.

The human-shaped apostle said—

The Calamity, ‘The Happy Sludge’, Kolmallya, has suddenly appeared in the Great Desert of Lasanaskiros

His revered master is worried about this situation.

There’s no one but you, with your exceptional ice powers, who can subjugate that Calamity.

If you succeed, the higher-ups in the heavens will surely look favorably upon you… and so on!

Kochi considers himself a dragon among dragons, usually calm and collected, thinking things through, but also flexible enough to make quick decisions and act immediately when necessary, so as soon as the apostle finished talking, he immediately headed to the great desert.

Come to think of it, he didn’t even ask the apostle’s name, or the name of the god he worships, but… it’s a trivial matter, he can ask later.

Anyway, Kochi was flying to the Great Prison of Delenezo, the location given to him by the apostle, in a hurry.

With this achievement, the gods will surely acknowledge me…!

And perhaps… ascension to godhood…!

He can imagine the dumbfounded looks of the other Emperor Dragons, regretting that they didn’t hear about this…

Thinking that, Kochi gradually became cheerful.

Magical power, leaking out from his joy, turned into snow—flutter, flutter—momentarily moistening the desert sand.

* * *

(What… what!? Kolmallya… isn’t here!?)

But Kochi’s good mood didn’t last long.

Kochi definitely arrived at the location given to him by the apostle.

And yet… the Calamity’s sludge, which should have been emitting a terrible stench… isn’t there.

Moreover, even the Great Prison of Delenezo, which should be here… doesn’t exist.

(Don’t tell me that fellow… deceived me, the Ice White Emperor Dragon!!)

Kochi was furious.

The magical power leaking out from his rage turned into a blizzard, blowing across the area, turning the desert landscape into a snowy scene.

But.

(Hmm!?)

There’s no Kolmallya here, and no Great Prison of Delenezo.

But… there is something.

Kochi suddenly noticed it.

A small, jet-black lump.

Lying on the ground, it looked like a cocoon… made by a ground-crawling caterpillar, which Kochi dislikes.

Or perhaps… a bud, about to bloom into a beautiful flower, which Kochi loves.

…Although both cocoons and buds have become distant things for Kochi, now that his surroundings have turned into a world of extreme cold due to the magic power leaking from him.

Anyway, Kochi, interested in the jet-black thing, stopped circling in the sky, and landed on the ground.

The snow and sand swirled, and the ground rumbled—ZUZUN.

And perhaps stimulated by that vibration—

Creak, creak, crack…

—With a creepy sound, several cracks appeared on the jet-black thing.

And then—Pakari—it split open.

(…So it was a flower.)

Kochi, seeing the being standing inside the jet-black thing, widened his eyes in surprise and admiration.

It’s a human… or at least, a human-shaped girl.

A well-proportioned body.

A beautiful face.

Skin as white as snow.

Jet-black hair and eyes, like the night, and something like clothes covering parts of her body.

Although Kochi is a dragon, he doesn’t dislike humans.

He likes them enough to freeze and collect the beautiful ones he takes a liking to.

Kochi’s aesthetic sense instantly declared—

That the being before him is the most beautiful human he’s ever seen.

(…No, was it an insect!?)

But Kochi immediately threw away that judgment.

Because the moment Kochi made eye contact with the girl—

He felt… an unprecedented fear.

What was reflected in that girl’s unreadable, jet-black eyes… wasn’t the great Ice White Emperor Dragon.

What was reflected there was…!

<<<How… dare you!! Insolent! You are insolent!!>>>

Kochi, as if to hide his fear, roared, and screamed with 【Telepathy】!

<<<What an insolent gaze! For a tiny human to look at me, Shijishiba Kochi Rekatiki, the Ice White Emperor Dragon, with such impudence! That’s absolutely unforgivable!!>>>

And Kochi opened his mouth wide!

And then, the back of his throat started shining white…

He’s about to unleash his 【Ice Breath】!

<<<Be frozen, and shattered, down to your very soul!!>>>

But that 【Ice Breath】—

Which should freeze everything around him, steal all life, and bring about the end—

Wasn’t unleashed.

Because.

“…………”

Before the 【Ice Breath】 could be unleashed.

The beautiful, yet terrifying girl standing before Kochi… Emi—instantly extended something jet-black from her shoulder… swung her 【Black Tentacle】—WHOOSH.

SNAP

And easily severed Kochi’s neck, which should have been thicker than a thousand-year-old tree.

(Huh…? Huh…?)

Kochi, now just a head, separated from his body, fell onto the snow and sand—Thud.

And rolling over—Gorori—he looked at his own body.

(Huh? Huh…?)

Kochi’s body, larger than a small hill.

The cross-section of his severed neck instantly froze, like frozen meat.

His blood solidified into icicles before it could even drip onto the ground.

(Why… how…?)

Emi walked towards Kochi’s body… and extended several 【Black Tentacles】 from her shoulders, piercing them into it without hesitation.

…Even Kochi, now just a head, can understand.

She’s absorbing mana.

At a terrifying rate.

(I… I am…)

And that’s not all.

With the mana in his body decreasing, Kochi’s body started to thaw.

Kochi’s blood dripped from the severed neck—Plop, plop.

Emi, unsteadily approaching it… started lapping it up.

And that’s not all.

She started devouring his flesh.

(Even though I’m the Ice White Emperor Dragon!)

And then, halfway through.

Emi suddenly looked at Kochi’s head, which was still conscious.

(Even though I’m a wise and noble dragon among dragons!)

And she stared… into Kochi’s ice-like, shining eyes.

(Stop! Don’t look at me with those eyes!)

…Nururi—a new 【Black Tentacle】 grew from Emi’s shoulder.

(Even though I’m Shijishiba Kochi Rekatiki, the Ice White Emperor Dragon!)

And it… slowly approached Kochi’s head… and—

(I… I’m different! I’m not… meat…!!)

—Pierced his forehead.

Kochi’s consciousness vanished.

* * *

The snowy landscape has completely disappeared, and the scorching world has returned to the Great Desert of Lasanaskiros

Under the blazing sun, Emi continued to devour the still-cold body of the Ice White Emperor Dragon, absorbing its mana.

Emi’s greedy soul has grown significantly again, and her body craves sacrifices.

Emi is hungry.

For her… and for everything around her.

Hell begins anew.

【お肉】 (meat)

A large dragon called Shijishiba Kochi Rekatiki, the Ice White Emperor Dragon.

Self-proclaimed ‘wise and noble dragon among dragons’.

There seem to be several other dragons of the same rank.

His combat ability is high, and he has enough power to change the surrounding environment just by getting angry.

If his 【Ice Breath】 had hit, Emi would have died, and even against the Kolmallya part, he probably would have won easily, since he has an advantage.

But, well…

He was careless, and was defeated in one blow.

Now, with this chapter, Emi’s role in Arc 25 is over.

From the , it’s an epilogue from another person’s perspective.