Zero continued to block and parry the blows, each of them as powerful as a cannon blast. The dragon’s jaw began to tighten as he fixed his gaze on Jack’s eyes—and his acceptance of death. A full force punch to the gut, and Jack fell to his knees.
“How many lives have you ruined? You’re like a ball of grudges and anger,” Zero assessed.
“I am king... I repaid the pain and humiliation I’ve suffered twice over... That’s all...” Jack shook his head as if to reel in his fading consciousness.
Zero watched with mixed emotions as the Satanic Crosses fell off and Jack returned to his human form. He wasn’t surprised, though. Plenty of Skills in the Game bestowed supernatural powers to Players and even altered their anatomy.
“Got your sweet revenge, did you?” Zero asked. “You don’t look too happy about it.”
“Shut up! Blood for blood was the only way to survive in that country. That was my life! You’re either prey or a predator, and I made my choice.”
“What a sad sap you are... Maybe if you’d had a friend or two, you could’ve—”
Before Zero could finish, Jack pushed himself up and began throwing his fists again, barely keeping his balance. Zero quietly dodged the punches that barely had any strength behind them.
Finally, Jack fell to his knees and heaved heavy breaths. Jack, the notorious tyrant of the North, glared at the morning sun and grinned wide. “That’s all I got. What’s your name?”
“Zero.”
“Zero... That’s a good name. I wish—” Jack stopped himself.
While the crowd could not guess as to what Jack intended to say, Zero felt he understood his opponent. Jack wanted to go back to zero himself. Start over from square one.
Zero saw life begin to fade from Jack’s face, and gave a smile that shone entirely with sportsmanship. Jack could see, too, that there wasn’t a drop of animosity in Zero.
“If there is a next life, go make a friend,” the dragon said. “Someone like me, who can kick your ass all over again.”
Jack laughed, the weight of regret lifted from his voice. “Go... Shove it...”
Then the light in Jack’s eyes went out. The tyrant who’d ruled Euritheis went down swinging his iron fists. His corpse crumbled to black dust and scattered to the wind. Such was the fate destined for all dark and twisted beings—a single moment of beauty when everything that they were faded away.
“See ya.” Zero gazed up at the sky like he was watching the wind shake the last cherry blossom petal from a tree.
With the duel concluded, Fuji hobbled over, deeply injured. “Lord Kirisame, I’m sorry... If I had had the strength to handle it... I am ashamed.”
“You put your life on the line to defend these people. That’s cool, man,” Zero said.
“W-Well...” Fuji stared at his feet, rather embarrassed by the straightforward compliment. His primary motivation had been to serve Queen, but perhaps a subconscious part of him wanted to atone for his crimes against his country.
“I never got your name,” Zero said.
“M-My name is Fuji!”
“Fuji. You’re in charge of cleanup.”
“W-Wait! Allow my—the Lady Queen to have a word with you.”
With a glance at the castle, Zero saw Queen trying to crawl out of its gates, Warlkin barely managing to hold her back by her legs.
Zero laughed. “Like a princess locked in a tower. Wears her spunk like a crown.”
“Princess...” Fuji forced a polite smile, wondering if the Dragonborn was so powerful that even his mighty Queen seemed like a helpless princess, or if it was simply due to Zero’s personality.
As Zero approached the castle, color returned to Queen’s cheeks, which had been pale while she was on the brink of death.
Fuji sighed in relief at this, remembering all too clearly how Queen had made a bloodbath of her men when she’d first activated the Blessing.
“Funny how you’re always beat to hell when I see you. You’re just a girl. Don’t push yourself too hard,” Zero said.
“I-I’m sorry... Lord Zero, I—” Her face beet red, Queen tried and failed to stand.
Without a word, Zero lifted and carried her in his arms, walking up to the entrance of the Holy Castle where severely injured men in postapocalyptic attire congregated. Despite his almost allergic aversion to women, Zero had no problem making physical contact with them when they were injured.
“Those hardcore-looking guys, are they your men?” he asked, ignoring Queen’s unintelligible reply and continuing his approach towards the men, who were all covered in blood but smiled with a sense of accomplishment. Zero grinned, enjoying the reverie of his old friends.
On the other hand, Queen’s guards were thunderstruck by what they saw. Never before had they seen Queen allow herself to be carried like a damsel, let alone play the part of one.
The hardened men whispered like nervous mice to each other.
“You assholes better not laugh! Our lives are on the line!”
“Worry about yourself! Our Queen’s lifelong happiness hangs in the balance. Don’t ruin her reunion with Lord Zero!”
“But look at her acting so...helpless,” one snickered.
“Can it, dumbass! She’ll kill us all!”
Fuji, too, seemed to be holding back laughter with every drop of strength he had left. The only one who remained cool about the situation was Zero, who was blissfully oblivious.
Queen’s men stood at attention with their hands behind their backs as Fuji frantically gestured at them. Their usual salute was far too militaristic to welcome the return of—as far as Queen would want it to seem—their princess. Taking Fuji’s cue, the men knelt and lowered their heads.
“Everyone’s got that look in their eyes. Not too shabby for a princess’s entourage. I expected you guys to be, well, scrawnier,” Zero said. Where most people saw intimidating bandits who could snap at the drop of a hat, Zero saw a band of men as well organized and hardcore as any bosozoku gang. “Why don’t you give them a word or two, princess? These guys risked their lives to protect the city too, didn’t they?”
“Uh... Well...” Queen stammered. Usually, she would have given them each a slap powerful enough to dislocate their jaw to reinvigorate them. That was her method of rewarding her men. However, even the Queen of Bloodshed didn’t have enough courage to go savage in the presence of her beau. She racked her brain more than she ever had and managed to squeak out. “E-Everyone... I thank—I mean... Good...job.”
None of her guards dared to look up, all of them shaking with the effort to maintain straight faces, as if they were on one of those Japanese TV shows where they would get paddled for laughing. Fuji’s face grew even redder as he suddenly found the sky very interesting, all the while pinching his sides hard enough to bruise.
Still oblivious, Zero actually looked impressed. “They really look up to you, huh? Look at those guys, all tearing up.”
“D-Do you think so...?” Queen sheepishly asked.
“You guys made a stand out there, right?” Zero said to the guards. “Chin up, men! Be proud!”
Zero had no idea how disastrous it would be for them to raise their heads. All of them were pushed to their breaking point of restraint so that even if just one of them broke, a catastrophic chain reaction would send them all hollering. Queen’s guards heaved their shoulders, feeling their lives more on the line than they had been during the battle.
Finally Fuji made a move to get them out of this bind. “Uh, Lord Kirisame... If you could do the honors of declaring our victory? A crowd has formed behind us.”
“Now we’re talking!” Zero said. “You gotta end every party with a bang!”
Daylight finally shone on the Holy City, and its citizens rushed to the Holy Castle to catch a glimpse of the famed Dragonborn. After surviving the harrowing night, they were already on cloud nine, but when they saw him carry the Queen of Bloodshed in his arms, their excitement became electric. The unfathomable courage Zero possessed, the courage that allowed him to carry Queen in his arms, was more than enough reason for the people to wholeheartedly believe that dragon blood ran in Zero’s veins.
They cheered as loud as they could, their voices reverberating through the city.
“Thank you, Dragonborn!”
“He’s perfect for you, Lady Queen!”
“Thank you, Dragonborn! Thank you, everyone!”
“Stay with us, Lord Zero!”
Showered with booming adoration, Zero lowered Queen to the ground and straightened his spine, turning away from the crowd so they had a full view of the dragon on his back.
“Remember this silver dragon! No evil can stand before me!” In one powerful gesture, Zero thrust his fist to the sky, his index finger outstretched. Unabashedly, he’d staked his claim—he stood undefeated. “No one above and no one below can defeat me! As long as I breathe, there’s nowhere villains can run or hide!”
The crowd went wild, throwing their fists up and screaming for the Dragonborn.
Their voices traveled to every district, igniting the entire city into a frenzy of victory. Zero was a showman, through and through, even though the Demon Lord felt like he would cringe to death.
Finally, the civil war that had spanned the entirety of Holylight came to an end. As with most internal conflicts, the postwar efforts would prove more difficult than resolving the war itself. New conflict loomed just out of sight at times like these.
The storm had passed, but the Demon Lord’s true trial was right around the corner—the meeting. There was no telling whether he would survive the meeting.
System Message
Achievement Unlocked—Defeat an Agent of Chaos.
Dragon’s Glory—Minor Improvement (25/100)