Parties and Clans.
These terms defined the typical groups in which adventurers gathered.
Among them, Clans referred to large groups ford around a common purpose or a specific person as a focal point. Naturally, the heroes from other worlds beca the heart of these clans in the current era.
And the attacker who appeared at this mont was one of the heroes leading such a clan
Yes, that old man over there? Hes the one who crippled a subordinate of mine, the Fla Dragon.
He was commonly known as the Fla Dragon.
The flas from his sword could create devastating blazes, and their intensity was said to be like the breath of a dragon from legends, not an exaggerated rumor.
This fact was evident from the woman he had been conversing with, who had been burned alive without being able to lift a finger.
Tacchia. Are you dead?
Chuckle, speaking of short-lived species, theres no order in death, is there?
Jang laughed jestingly while mourning her death.
Seemingly irritated by his behavior, the Fla Dragon soon pointed his sword at Jang.
Just to confirm, are you the old man who split my subordinates head?
If youre referring to disrespectfully splitting a soldiers head, then yes, youve co to the right place Isnt it a bit beneath a hero like yourself to co here in person?
If I stayed quiet after hearing my subordinate was hard, it wouldnt befit the dignity of a clan leader.
From his words, he seed like a leader who was looking out for his subordinates, but
It was hard to take him at face value, especially with the crosses erected among the clan mbers he had brought with him, which were highly conspicuous.
Well, as youve said, its annoying to co here personally, so its necessary to set an example to prevent such incidents in the future.
Two crosses were erected as if to show others.
On one of the two bodies tied to them, the skull bore a large fracture, as if it had been struck with great force from the outside.
Did he consider his subordinate being beaten sowhere a disgrace to the clan?
For soone who only scolded and sent them back, it was indeed not a good look.
Thats a fine-looking sword.
But the opponent, who considered himself akin to a dragon, believed he was beyond human.
As one steps on a bug, the strong trampling the weak was a natural occurrence in turbulent tis.
Isnt the heat emitted by your sword hot?
Kuhuhu, such concerns are for ordinary people without inherent abilities.
Was he pleased to have his prides symbol acknowledged by another?
Even after finding his target, he didnt imdiately swing his sword but leisurely explained.
What I awakened to when I ca to this world was a complete resistance to heat It wouldnt be strange for soone who can survive entering a volcano with my bare body to wield a sword that produces flas, would it?
-Whoosh, whoosh.
The Ego Weapon in his hand ignited flas the mont its owner gripped it.
It was a reaction of the soul within rejecting him, but for him, who had complete resistance to heat, even that was a useful tool.
That must be the basis for your confidence.
Its too late for regrets, old man. If I dont rectify my subordinates foolishness, it will tarnish the na of the clan I established.
His joy in explaining his power was brief.
After that short respite, he pointed the tip of his sword and spoke in a soft voice.
Well, even as a hero, I suppose I should at least hear the last words of an old, senile man. Do you have any final wishes?
Ha, ha, how magnanimous of you, befitting a hero.
Did he expect him to beg for his life in a disgraceful manner?
To show such a scene to his subordinates and even trample him rcilessly to highlight his cruelty?
Yes, since this opportunity has arisen, it might be good to tell an old story as a commoration of my journey to the afterlife.
An old story?
A fact many have forgotten. The practice of calling people like you, who are from other worlds, heroes in this world, is less than 20 years old.
There had been dangers before, but never to the extent that summoning heroes from other worlds beca an obsession.
Therefore, the term hero referred only to the strongest individual or a small party led by such a person.
In this world, there were those called heroes too, but they didnt have special powers like you. It was just a title given to the strongest person or those who achieved similar feats.
Ha, they must have been quite diocre beings then.
Compared to you, perhaps. But the heroes I knew faced a different kind of entity.
Jang continued, squinting his eyes.
He placed his hand on his mouth, recalling the past, and began to exert force in his grip.
Well, she was a dragon at the pinnacle of all things, beyond the reach of re humans.
A dragon?
Not a nickna like yours, but a real dragon.
Ssshhh.
A pungent sll began to drift in from behind.
Unaware of the spreading odor, the Fla Dragon and his subordinates simply listened to Jangs chattering.
That dragon, nesting in a volcano, was once called the Volcano Dragon, and also the Firewood Dragon, for she burned herself in battles against heroes.
Yes, they hadnt realized.
At that mont, spreading among them
Sothing more lethal than any poison was slowly seeping into their bodies.
Do you know what remained after she burned everything against her formidable enemies?
Cough!
A mont later, harsh coughs began to escape from their mouths.
The Fla Dragon prepared to exert force on the sword in his hand after realizing that sothing was amiss.
You, what have you done?!
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust Even the grandest form must ultimately crumble and vanish from this world.
No, it wasnt this old man.
The source of the strange smoke spreading around them emanated from behind them, where the woman he had previously burned to death lay.
However, her inherent nature compelled her to persist in this world, even in such a state.
-Crackle, thud.
Her body rose, and as the ash fell away, the form within began to reveal itself.
Gray scales of a reptile remained where her skin had burned away.
Though the eyes that covered it were cloudy, they locked precisely on her attacker.
Then, her mouth opened to attack him.
Having lived in this world, even in such a shattered state, I personally call her this
The Dragon of Smoke.
A fading symbol of legend that was permitted to persist in this land only in form as its life neared its end.
Smoke Dragon, Tacchia Pheloi.
The ashen breath exhaled by this being soon engulfed the clan mbers, including the Fla Dragon.
A massive attack, like a pyroclastic flow that erupts from a volcano, overwheld them.
-Kwaaaaah!!
The clan mbers fell, unable to scream, exposed to the pyroclastic flow.
The clinging ash hardened their bodies, solidified their insides through their respiratory systems, and cooked them with the hundreds of degrees of heat it carried.
Even the Fla Dragon couldnt escape such an attack.
Keh, huk, euk.
He could withstand the heat due to his abilities, but the inadvertently inhaled pyroclastic flow was still damaging his lungs at that mont, spreading throughout his body in place of oxygen and making movent difficult.
Ah, aaaaah!
Yet the Fla Dragon tried to resist by setting his own body on fire and soon swung his sword, spewing flas toward the being who had risen from the ashes.
But she didnt burn.
Swept up in the flas, the woman, already stripped of her outer skin, crossed her arms, fully embracing the fire.
Why, why How?
His attack, which he believed would burn any defense, was futilely blocked.
The Smoke Dragon spoke, facing the desolation of the Fla Dragon.
Does ash burn when burned?
Even though there was nothing left to burn in a body already consud by fire.
Wasnt it laughable to think that these flas could kill her?
Keh, huk, euk.
Unaware of this fact, he soon fell, suffocating.
As his consciousness faded and his powers waned, the ability that had earned him the na Fla Dragon disappeared, and his body was swallowed by the ashes.
In the end, a bit too late, he beca indistinguishable from the other shattered statues around him.
Tsk, tsk. Is it because his life was nearing its end? Hes beco far less impressive than the last ti I saw him.
Jang, the only one who had successfully shielded himself at the scene, removed the hand that had been protecting his respiratory system and turned to look at the Smoke Dragon.
The shape of the once fearso dragon had beco a re shadow of its forr self.
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