Ankoku Kishi Monogatari ~Yuusha wo Taosu Tameni Maou ni Shoukansaremashita~ Chapter 183: Slugfest

◆Dark Knight; Kuroki

I transford into a dragon and grappled with Ferion. Though I had no weapon in this form, my overall power increased trendously.

But I had yet to fully master this strength. I had to be extrely careful to prevent my power from running wild. That’s why I suppressed it when I took on this form.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to go all out—Ferion was still partially sealed.

He rampaged with his powerful arms, thrashing about. He was slightly stronger than , but not enough to defeat outright.

Each of his movents sent waves of destructive wind against my body.

Though my dragon form made tougher, the wind still stung my skin.

My wounds healed instantly through self-regeneration, and in return, I scorched Ferion’s body with black flas.

Yet, just like , the burned parts of his body regenerated.

We repeated the sa attacks over and over—flas and wind clashing violently within the do.

Then, in a sudden movent, Ferion broke free from my grip and latched onto my dragon body.

「What the—?!」

I imdiately relaxed my muscles, slipping from his hold and counter-locking him instead.

「GRRR! DARK KNIGHT! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!?」

It seed Ferion had no idea what had just happened.

Not that I was going to explain it to him.

「Pipe down, Ferion!」

I seized his foreleg and pinned him down.

While my dragon form granted imnse strength, it also ant I couldn’t wield my sword.

I had been training to harness this power in my normal form, but it was still beyond my reach.

However, I could still use martial arts in this form.

That was how I managed to overpower Ferion despite being slightly weaker in raw strength.

Just as I thought I had him pinned—

Suddenly, I felt his muscles relax.

「Eh?」

My eyes widened in shock as Ferion slipped from under my feet and launched a counterattack.

「I see! This is getting interesting!」

Ferion grinned in amusent.

「You must be kidding … Did you just copy my technique!?」

I muttered in disbelief while struggling to stop his massive jaws from closing in on .

He had copied my movent from before.

He wasn’t just a brute relying on strength—he was cunning, adaptable, and dangerously intelligent.

Ferion was a truly wicked and rational beast.

「I’M ALL FIRED UP, DARK KNIGHT! THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING FIGHT I’VE HAD SINCE MODES!」

「Thanks for the complint!」

Our bodies clashed again, locking each other in repeated grapples.

At first, I had the upper hand in technique.

But to my horror, I realized he was learning—fast.

The gap between us was closing with each exchange.

If this continued, I wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

「YEAH! I WOULD HAVE EVEN MORE FUN IF NOT FOR THESE CHAINS! DARK KNIGHT, REMOVE THEM!」

「DREAM ON, FERION! RATHER, TELL —WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?!」

「THE HELL YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT, DARK KNIGHT?! I FIGHT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I EXIST FOR! I WAS BORN TO DEVOUR THIS WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT! AIN’T THAT THE SA FOR YOU?! YOU FIGHT TO EAT! YOU FIGHT SO YOU WON’T BE EATEN! THAT’S THE ESSENCE OF THIS WORLD!」

「!?」

I was at a loss for words.

For Ferion, that was his truth.

And deep down, I couldn’t deny there was so logic to it.

All living creatures fought to eat.

Even back on Earth, in a world far different from this one, survival followed the sa rules.

The strong consud the weak.

For Ferion, that wasn’t just survival—it was entertainnt.

He was a pure predator.

I enjoyed good food, too.

Had I ever truly thought about the fact that the ingredients I consud were once alive?

Now, standing before Ferion—the ultimate predator—I was forced to face that reality.

To live ant to fight for food.

「BRING IT ON, DARK KNIGHT! YOU CA TO FIGHT , DIDN’T YOU?! I’M GONNA EAT YOU, MODES, AND THIS ENTIRE WORLD! ONCE I’VE CONSUD EVERYTHING HERE, I’LL MOVE TO ANOTHER DINSION AND DEVOUR THE WORLDS THERE TOO! JUST THINKING ABOUT IT GETS ALL FIRED UP!」

Ferion opened his massive maw, attempting to swallow whole.

I barely managed to fend off his attack.

「BRING IT ON, FERION! IF IT’S A FIGHT YOU WANT, I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU! BUT YOU’RE NOT EATING !」

Words were aningless now.

I had to stop him—no matter what.

Now that I truly understood Ferion’s nature, my resolve only strengthened.

If he was ever released, he would destroy this world without hesitation.

And once he consud everything, his hunger would drive him to the world I ca from—Earth.

I had to stop him at all costs.

But my control was slipping.

The battle had only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

I struggled to maintain my sanity in this state, forcing every ounce of willpower I had into restraining Ferion.

At that mont—

The chains around his body began glowing brighter.

I felt his strength fading.

「Aaah! Ti’s up, huh?!」

Ferion groaned in frustration.

Heibos had restored the broken seal.

As a result, its original power had returned.

At the sa ti, my own power was reaching its limit.

The black flas around my body shrank as I reverted to my human form.

My armor returned to its original size, adjusting itself.

What an incredible suit of armor.

I looked forward—Ferion was no longer rampaging.

「I won, Ferion…」

「Looks like it… That was fun. Let’s play again soti.」

Ferion grinned.

Honestly, I never wanted to fight this monster again.

But deep inside, I couldn’t deny it—I had enjoyed the fight.

Not that I was about to admit it to him.

「Sorry, Ferion, I can’t answer your challenge. Just stay put in this place.」

I turned away from him.

Heibos was waiting for as I dragged my exhausted body out of the do.

「Sorry, it took a while to repair the seal.」

Heibos apologized.

「Don’t worry about it. You made it in ti.」

I made it sound easy, but in truth, we had barely made it.

A few more seconds, and my power would have spiraled out of control.

If that had happened, I might have accidentally freed Ferion myself.

It had been far too close.

「Let’s head back.」

「Yes. And… my apologies, Heibos-dono. Allow to rest for a bit on the way.」

「Of course. Get so sleep. The return trip won’t be dangerous.」

「That’s reassuring…」

I lay down on the skyship, removing my Dark Knight armor.

Heibos guided the ship back toward the surface.

And so, we left the cave that contained Ferion’s Seal.

===

◆Silver Witch; Kuna

I could sense the barrier before being undone.

That ant we had successfully prevented Ferion’s revival.

The snakefolk had also retreated.

Shirone and the others were busy tending to the humans who had been captured by the goblins.

They didn’t even realize that the barrier had been lifted.

Not that I cared. I had no obligation to tell them. Nor did I want them to et Kuroki.

「Now then, it’s ti for Kuna to reunite with Kuroki. The problem is… Rena and Kouki are there too…」

Kuna’s thoughts drifted to Kouki.

The child of Kuroki and Rena.

A sharp pang stung her heart whenever she thought about it.

That was why Kuna didn’t want to see Kouki.

「Well… sooner or later, Kuna will bear Kuroki’s child too. That should ease this prickling in Kuna’s heart.」

Muttering those words to herself, Kuna continued on her way.

===

◆Goddess of Wisdom and Victory; Rena

The wolves retreated as soon as they realized their plan to revive Ferion had been thwarted.

The dwarves, noticing their retreat, erupted into cheers.

We had won.

「Fufufufu, have a nice dream.」

Kouki lay asleep, using my thigh as a lap pillow.

He must have been exhausted after overusing his power.

But that power had to be sealed—for his own good.

If word got out that he could wield the Black Fla, his true identity would be exposed.

We were currently resting in the dwarves' guesthouse.

Aside from Kouki and , only Luusien and the others were present.

「Sorry, Kouki…」

I murmured my apology before shifting my gaze to Luusien, who stood nearby.

「Good news for you, Luusien. I've sealed Kouki's power. From now on, it's your job to protect him from the shadows. If he ever encounters a truly powerful opponent, you must do everything in your power to keep him safe.」

「L-Leave it to , MOTHER-IN-LA—GUAH!!」

Before she could finish, I knocked her on the head.

Did this girl even understand her duty?

「You do understand, right? Your job is to protect him from any B-U-G trying to sink their fangs into him, Luusien.」

I laced my words with a subtle threat.

「Hii… I-I'll do my best to protect Kouki-sama…」

Clutching her head, Luusien replied tearfully.

That should be enough.

「Well then, I have to return to Elios imdiately. I'll leave the rest to you.」

I didn't go to see Kuroki.

After all, I would visit him later.

We had managed to foil the snakes’ plot this ti, but this wouldn't be the last.

For now, I would take a well-earned break—until the next battle ca.

Thus, the battle in the forest ca to an end.

===

My first CN project, why waifu though? Well, coz the main heroine's job is buying soy sauce till the end of act 1

New Project:

Harem, Hero, Demon King, Seven Deadly Sin, Seven Virtue, Sacred Beast, Sword and Magic, Dystopian Future, DESTINY PROJECT HAD IT REALIZED!, Dungeon, Dragon, 72 Demons, Reincarnations

===TN: Those Who Can't Wait For more Chapter, I've Uploaded Advance chapters in Fox