Sairaorg faced off against Grendel.
The dragon broke out into a defiant grin. If anything, he was excited to have a new opponent.
“Gwa-ha-ha! I’ve heard of a Bael who likes to throw his fists around like a real knucklehead! So that’s you?”
“Grendel. I know the tales. You’re a wicked Evil Dragon who finds joy even in death.”
“Gwa-ha-ha! To be called wicked by a demon prince! Whatever. Can you take me on?!” The Evil Dragon laughed, his sinister aura seeping from his body.
“…Come at me,” Sairaorg answered simply.
The massive Evil Dragon’s fists went flying—but Sairaorg chose to take the hit head-on! His abundance of fighting spirit had rendered his body tougher than steel, more than enough to withstand the force of the blow!
Next came his counter!
“Hmph!”
Sairaorg jumped up and launched a punch straight into the dragon’s face, the force of the impact sending shock waves through the air.
“Hah!” Grendel chortled in delight, blue blood oozing from his mouth. “Seriously? A demon using martial arts in the flesh…? And you actually hit me with a punch…?” Shaken, Grendel, turned to his counterpart. “Ladon! Let me take this one! Come on! He’s the best damn demon I’ve seen in ages! He’s practically begging me to mess him up! If I don’t do it, who else is gonna beat the crap out of him?!” he roared, baring his teeth at Sairaorg.
Ladon shook his head in disbelief—when small magic squares unfolded by the dragons’ ears. A communication technique, no doubt.
…It must have been Euclid, giving them both fresh instructions.
“I’m staying right here! I’ve finally found a worthy opponent!” Grendel roared, arguing with whoever was on the other end of the magic square.
Ladon, on the other hand, breathed a heavy sigh—and with that, the barriers holding me in place were suddenly released.
“…Very well,” the dragon answered, dissatisfied. “I’ll make my way over.”
The next moment, Ladon activated a teleportation square—a Dragon Gate—right beneath his feet.
“We’ll meet again,” he said, casting a glance our way and vanishing in a flash of light.
…Had he fled? No, maybe he went to Agreas? Our side seemed to have the upper hand over there, after all. Did the attackers need the Evil Dragon’s barrier and ward abilities? It sounded like Grendel had been ordered to go with him, but stayed behind to fight us…
Now that I was free, I took my position next to Sairaorg.
“This guy is too tough to take alone,” I told him.
Sairaorg nodded. “Yeah, I gathered as much after that last attack… But what if you and I worked together?”
—!
…Those words struck a chord in my heart, a sense of exhilaration taking root inside me.
How could I possibly refuse such an offer?!
To think Sairaorg had offered to team up against this enemy!
A wave of joy swirled within me, my fighting spirit surging!
“I’d be honored. Let’s knock this Evil Dragon out of the park!”
“Ha-ha, that’s the spirit. Time for me to don my Lion’s Robe.”
Beside Sairaorg stood a golden lion—Regulus.
Sairaorg pointed a finger straight at our opponent. “Evil Dragon Grendel! I hereby declare you a sworn enemy of the underworld! Regulus?”
“Right!”
Regulus began to emit a golden glow! I recognized this move!
“My lion! King of Nemea! Heed my ferocity, robe me in your glory!”
The ground began to tremble, the space around Sairaorg and Regulus being blown away!
“Balance Breaker!”
“Balance Breeeaaakeeerrr!”
The next moment, a dazzling golden light flooded Sairaorg’s surroundings as he equipped his golden armor.
This was his Balance Breaker, the Regulus Rey Leather Rex!
He stood beside me, shrouded in fighting spirit… Last time I had seen him like this, we had been enemies. This time, however, was different. Now, he was a solid ally, ready to help me take Grendel down a peg or two!
The Evil Dragon chortled in amusement at the sight of me in my crimson armor and Sairaorg in his Balance Breaker.
“Good, good! Now we can have a good old-fashioned brawl!”
The next moment, Sairaorg and I charged straight for him. Grendel, however, crossed his arms and took our fists head-on!
A thunderous crash echoed all around as our double punch shattered the Evil Dragon’s guard. Surprise flickered in his eyes for a second, before his lips curled in a mischievous grin!
Neither Sairaorg nor Grendel stopped, both of them launching into a fistfight that belied their size difference. Sairaorg’s fists landed squarely in the Evil Dragon’s face, while Grendel’s punches connected all over Sairaorg’s body! They were aiming for each other’s weak spots, hitting, gouging, piercing, kicking, and striking again and again!
Blood continued to splatter all around as dull thuds rang out. Sairaorg’s and Grendel’s primal brawl showed no sign of slowing down!
As fighters, they were both embodiments of raw power. There were no fancy techniques on display, no magic, no demonic powers—just brute strength running up against its mirror image.
It was a battle of wills between two stubborn, unyielding, Power-type fighters!
…I had to join the fray…! I was the Red Dragon Emperor, which made me a Power-type fighter, too! There was no way I could just stick to the sidelines!
After taking a deep breath, I charged straight for Grendel, throwing a punch into the side of his face and launching into a barrage of hellish blows!
On seeing this, Sairaorg flashed me a grin while launching a simultaneous attack!
Our punches and kicks slammed into Grendel, and with each hit, fierce counters came flying back at us! He could slam me into the ground and throw me into the air, but once I started, there was no stopping me!
Sairaorg and I kept pressing on, a relentless show of brute force, hitting and hitting as we whittled down our foe. There wasn’t a shred of strategy to our actions. Even with our armor breaking and our bodies crying out in agony, we kept on going, throwing even more ridiculous physical attacks!
Slowly but surely, bitterness wormed its way into Grendel’s smile!
“Hah!”
Our simultaneous punches landed squarely in Grendel’s face!
He arched his back, dropping low to the ground as he gasped for breath. There was no way he could have managed to breathe properly during that last exchange. Even an Evil Dragon would be at its limit under a constant bombardment like that.
In fact, Sairaorg and I had used up so much energy that we were likewise laboring to catch our breath.
“…Gwa-ha-ha! Awesome. Awesome! You’re trying to corner me with just close combat? Most people who fight me try to avoid a straight-up brawl!” Grendel laughed, spitting out blood.
“Sorry, but that’s the best I can do,” Sairaorg answered. “I’ve come this far with my fists alone.”
Grendel positively trembled with joy at those words, jumping back to regain his footing. At that moment, he crunched something between his teeth—and his wounds started healing.
A vial of Phoenix Tears. Where did he get his hands on that?!
His abdomen swelled as he prepared to unleash a fireball. Sairaorg and I split to the sides to launch kicks into his flanks—but just before we could reach him, Grendel started letting loose with several massive fireballs!
I leaped sideways to avoid a direct hit, while Sairaorg dispersed the fireball coming his way with an all-powerful punch. Impressive! He could practically speak with his fists, blowing away the dragon’s fire with just a single punch!
But by the time the flames died down, Grendel had vanished. I glanced around—and spotted him right above us, diving down from the sky at high speed!
“Hah!”
Sairaorg refused to back down, firmly planting his feet as he prepared to throw another punch. But come on, there was no way he could intercept that swoop alone! So I jumped behind him—and transferred my power!
“Transfer!”
My increased power flowed into him, bolstering his fighting spirit to explosive levels! Sairaorg, in turn, channeled enough energy into his fists to level a mountain, and unleashed it at the approaching Grendel!
His perfectly timed uppercut struck the dragon flat in the face, slamming him into the ground as blood sprayed from his wounds!
“Gwa-ha-ha! I’m not done yet! Haaah!”
He rose to his feet with a laugh, while I closed in to unleash a powerful kick!
The impact threw back the dragon, sending him staggering!
But even so, he stood firm, wiping the blood dripping from his mouth with one hand. A smile of genuine joy spread across his face… Yep, he was utterly obsessed with fighting.
“…You’re strong. That last hit from the Bael princeling really packed a punch. It’s like your hits are reaching all the way to my soul… My spirit hurts so much I could keel over. No doubt about it.”
…Was Sairaorg’s fighting spirit so strong his attacks reached all the way to Grendel’s essence? A strong fighting spirit was said to enhance one’s life force, so maybe the opposite was true as well. In that case, he was dealing more damage than I first thought.
Sairaorg clenched his fists once more. “I see. You’re even tougher than they say.”