Chapter 1936
Using his elbow, Dominion broke the sword that was stuck in his ribs. He threw his spear at the same time, but Hayate blocked it with his Dragon Killing Sword swung by his left hand, as if he had predicted the move.
———!
The collision between the sword and spear sent out a transparent shockwave, followed by a thunderous blast, the resulting shock sweeping through the Valkyries like a tidal wave.
[...This is the trick of the Sword Saint.]
Dominion took in the pitiful condition of the Valkyries, who were bleeding from their eyes, ears, noses and mouths, and figured out Hayate’s previous tactic.
It was the sword. Hayate’s weapon, made from the silver dragon killing energy, changed its weight every time. Sometimes it was so light that it broke easily. Other times, it was so heavy that it lost its sharpness. However, the Dragon Killing Sword was different at that moment.
The moment it collided with the spear, it emitted a resounding sound as clear as a melody. This changed the nature of the shockwave, causing it to induce internal injuries to those who listened to it. He must’ve been aiming for this from the very beginning after a lot of trial and error.
[Your fighting technique is quite inventive.]
Dominion could only praise him sincerely, despite feeling uncomfortable deep down.
‘The compatibility between our fighting styles is bad.’
Dominion’s forces had performed well against Martial G.o.d Chiyou in the past.
As they crossed the continent five times, Chiyou had barely been able to harm the Valkyries. This had allowed Dominion to inflict several serious wounds on Chiyou while maintaining his full strength.
Of course, Dominion had still been seriously injured.
In any case, Hayate’s style was completely different from Chiyou. Unlike Chiyou, whose entire focus had been on Dominion, Hayate’s attention was on the Valkyries. Every time he blocked or dodged Dominion’s attack, he attacked the Valkyries without aiming to deal a counterattack on Dominion.
Even when Dominion deliberately left himself exposed, Hayate’s strategy remained the same. He didn’t look away. He stood firm and only aimed at the Valkyries.
Recalling his previous fight with Chiyou, Dominion realized it was only toward the end of the battle that Chiyou had taken to slaughtering the Valkyries…
‘...Is it just a matter of compatibility?’
Dominion had been comparing Hayate to Chiyou, only to pause in his thoughts, shocked at the sudden realization. The reason why the Valkyries performed well against Chiyou–it was because of Chiyou’s greed!
‘It seems that he’s been harboring expectations for me for some time.’
Yes, that had been Chiyou’s test. He’d wanted to see if the all-powerful Dominion could make him experience death...
‘In the end, I failed the test.’
After checking the results sheet, Chiyou had started slaughtering the Valkyries fiercely.
[...Sigh.]
Dominion’s expression changed in real time as he sighed deeply. His face had always been stern, befitting an existence in the highest position such as his. Now, raw emotions like greed and aggression materialized on his face.
“......”
Hayate took a step back.
———!
The speed of the attack was impossibly faster than all the ones that had preceded it.
Dominion’s spear extended like a ray of light, marking dozens of dots. The dots were connected by lines, and the lines formed shapes, each shape different from the other.
There were illusory spears falling from the sky like heavy rain. Hayate’s white coat had been torn in several places. He’d failed to perform a counterattack, so now he had to focus on defense and evasion. Because of this, he was no longer able to target the Valkyries.
Dominion let out an exhale only after the whole area was devastated. He opened his mouth to speak. [I didn’t expect you to withstand this, too.]
“You have human-like expressions. I was able to react because I was prepared in advance,” Hayate simply stated. He even had a faint smile on his face.
[......?]
Dominion was confused. He wasn’t particularly emotional. He just surrendered himself to the unfamiliar emotions experienced in the moment. His heart was beating the hardest it had ever beaten since his birth.
Feelings of jealousy, struggle and a desire to get stronger. These emotions, unfamiliar to a being who was born an Absolute, were changing him.
The spear had moved in a machine-like manner, following a constant pattern due to Dominion’s confidence in himself. Now, it was moving in an unconventional trajectory.
‘Dragon Slayer Hayate.’
His always upright posture, which had always maintained his dignity, was now unusually bent.
‘If I beat him—’
Little by little, trickery was flooding into the gaze that was locked onto his target.
‘It will be different the next time I meet Chiyou.’
The number of times that the sword and spear collided with each other promptly increased. The illusory spears pouring down from the sky never stopped.
“......”
From a certain point on, Black Knight Eligos and Seuron had just been quietly watching the battle. The same could be said about the Valkyries. There was no room for them to intervene. The Dragon Slayer and the G.o.d of War were solely focused on each other.
No, the battle between these two was strengthening them both. The vast battlefield continued to narrow.
At the end, victory belonged to...
[...Keuk!]
Hayate narrowly won. This was mostly because Dominion became stronger when he commanded an army. The fight had become overwhelmingly disadvantageous for him the second he became solely focused on fighting alone. After all, the opponent was the Dragon Slayer who evolved to have two mental worlds. He was probably one of the few in the world who could compete with an old dragon.
“Dominion!”
A corps commander-level Valkyrie, who had been fighting admirably against Eligos, rushed over to support Dominion. Hundreds of Valkyries were still alive and well, but Eligos no longer cared.
“”Can you afford to help the loser? You will all pay with your lives.””
“Just let them go...” Seuron offered a cautious comment.
Hayate’s condition also wasn’t ideal. The moment his final blow struck Dominion’s chest, Hayate also suffered a serious stab to his side. Moreover, Hayate was a human being. Dominion had already started restoring his severed heart, while Hayate’s wound was still bleeding heavily.
Just then, Leraje and Knight joined the rest. The odds of winning were low when they met head-on.
Over there, the number of captain-level Valkyries with skills equal to or greater than Seuron was at least fifty. There were also corps commander-level Valkyries whose strength wasn’t inferior to Eligos and Leraje.
Of course, Eligos was already aware of this. Still, he was a ruler. He wasn’t in a position to simply let go of enemies who dared invade his territory.
In the midst of the heightened tension between the two sides, Dominion, who had been staring at Hayate blankly, finally spoke again.
[Your mental world... There really are two.]
The wound Hayate had inflicted was a mere three centimeters. Despite Hayate’s sword piercing that deeply, Dominion had already recovered enough to be able to stand without requiring any help.
On the other hand, Hayate was in a state where he couldn’t even open his mouth. It was all relative. Hayate was also recovering at a quick pace because of a potion hidden inside his coat, a Reidan recovery potion that he’d received from Grid in the past, which now proved to be of great help.
However, the potion paled in comparison to a G.o.d’s inherent recovery ability.
“”We must not give him more time to recover.””
Eligos signaled to Leraje with a knowing glance. Just then, Dominion spoke.
[I lost. I consider my defeat a worthy enough price for invading h.e.l.l.]
Dominion was admitting defeat.
Knight and the Black and White Sisters didn’t notice, but Seuron had been frequently building up his transcendent status this year and he could feel that the pressure coming from Dominion was reduced momentarily.
“”.......””
Eligos and Leraje stiffened like statues. Eligos’s face was covered entirely by his helmet, but he had a rough idea of what his expression was like when he met Leraje’s wide eyes.
[However, Dragon Slayer. Next time, It will be different.]
“......”
[Also, don’t even dream of becoming a G.o.d killer. I will be the one to get rid of Chiyou, not you or Grid.]
Asgard being obsessed with Chiyou wasn’t solely because of revenge. Chiyou was a fallen G.o.d whose desire was to experience death. He was an incomplete being who, if slain, could give someone the qualification to be considered a complete G.o.d killer. He was a risk factor, so it was only reasonable for Asgard to want him removed before anyone else.
But, at least for Dominion, he wouldn’t be buried by Chiyou in the future. Today, he experienced the position of being inferior to someone for the first time. He experienced emotions he had never felt before.
Hayate thought that Dominion would continue to experience changes in the future.
“If you don’t help the old dragons... I will think about it.”
[That is just speculation. As far as I know, Judar has recently targeted the heart of the Fire Dragon. He would’ve never done that if he secretly joined forces with the old dragons.]
“That could be an act, right?”
[...In any case, I will take your advice about my mother wholeheartedly.]
Was his mother lonely? Dominion still wasn’t convinced. However, he wanted to at least try to understand how she was feeling.
A Valkyrie blew a trumpet and clouds radiated light before forming a staircase.
Dominion and the Valkyrie army climbed the stairs confidently, as if they had been victorious in battle.
Once h.e.l.l was far behind them, one of the Valkyries expressed a question she had been willing to ask.
“I don’t understand why we are retreating.”
Other Valkyries reacted angrily, asking in return, “How dare you doubt G.o.d’s choice?”
Their leader, Dominion, spoke first.
[It is better than being wiped out.]
There was whispering coming from the rear of the formation, but even the quietest voice buried in the footsteps of the army couldn’t escape his hearing.
He collapsed the moment he arrived at Asgard. Even a being as great as him could no longer maintain his bravado.
[There is a long way to go.]
On the other hand—
[You have defeated Dominion, the G.o.d of war.]
Hayate’s body was bathed in light many times.
As a reward for defeating the G.o.d of War and the Valkyrie army, the level of Knight’s group rose rapidly. Some people even gained an increase in status.
“How many buses does the Overgeared Guild run...?”
Seuron could now understand why the members of the Overgeared Guild grew faster than anyone else and he couldn’t help but tremble.
***
“He lost? It means that what Raphael witnessed is true.”
Judar’s response was unexpectedly calm upon hearing the news of Dominion’s defeat. He even smiled after sending away the angel who had given him the report.
“It will be hard for the dragons.”
Tap, tap, tap...
The movement of his fingers tapping on the table was cheerful.
“The refraction dragon will be stronger.”
Creatures with a sense of reason were bound to become weak eventually. The harsher the experiences they went through, the stronger their desires became, reaching a point where they would even start relying on a G.o.d they wouldn’t normally believe in.
Naturally, dragons were no exception.
Both the refraction dragon and Grid have demonstrated their respective level of power several times.
Judar wished for his mother’s death.