Blood sprayed out as its arm was torn away.
Let me hit him aga—
I tried to use my mana, but nothing answered. My legs faltered... My mana, my life force, it was all but spent.
Darkness crept into my mind, my vision narrowing.
No...! I have to kill Ares here...!
But my body wouldn’t move. Just one more blow... That’s all I need to finish him off!
“Ugh...”
Huh? Ares...vanished? Did he teleport?
Damn it... He...escaped...
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ahh...”
How glorious.
From deep within...
From the bottomless pit of darkness inside me...
Black emotions are welling up, spilling forth one after another.
I told myself this isn’t who I am and tried to resist, but it was useless.
Will I be erased? Will I cease to be myself?
No. I can’t lie. These desires are undeniably mine, lying dormant within me. This, too, is me. This is who I truly am!
“Hee hee...”
Just remembering it makes me chuckle. The sensation of soft flesh and fragile bone beneath my fist as I punched that boy...
How...
How intoxicating...
To trample and hurt something absolutely weaker than myself!
What ecstasy!
Oh, how magnificent it is to surrender to the black emotions smothering my heart!
I want to destroy more.
I want to trample on children and destroy them!
I want to hit and slash and beat and bite them...!
No. I can’t stop anymore.
Now that I’ve tasted this, there’s no holding back!
Where’s my next prey?
Who is...going to be...destroyed next?
✦ ✦ ✦
Suddenly, I snapped awake. It was dark all around. I couldn’t see anything.
Where am I?
“Ugh!”
I’m aching all over. What happened—
I heard soft snores coming from beside me.
“Shiro, Kuro...”
The girls were sleeping on either side of me. I could tell from their breathing and warmth, even without seeing them. Relief washed over me, and I let out a faint trickle of mana, casting a soft glow. The dim light revealed them resting peacefully on bedding spread across the ground.
Where are we...?
The ceiling and walls are made of earth. This isn’t our hideout...is it?
“I remember... That black beast jumped us...!”
I flashed back to the battle. Not everything was clear—it was more hazy than not—but fragments remained. Shiro and Kuro had damaged the beast. I’d also unleashed the power surging inside me and spat my flame at it. Still, we couldn’t finish it off, and in the end, it had teleported away...
“So, we lost, after all...”
The realization brought a flood of emotions. My feelings were a mess. I hugged my knees, burying my face. My throat burned—my dragon power must have been reacting to my fury.
“Dammit!”
I did it again! I failed to protect Shiro and Kuro!
Nothing’s changed from when dungeon malice nearly killed us! I’ve grown? I’ve gotten stronger with dragon power? Like hell I have! I’ve been weak all along! I swore to protect them, but I nearly let them die again! I’m a worthless fool, nothing but talk!
The image of Shiro and Kuro lying weakly in a pool of blood replayed vividly in my mind—it was the worst sight imaginable.
“How are their injuries...?!”
I immediately checked on them. Their wounds had mostly healed; only faint scars remained. Did I heal them myself?
“Umm... I bit the beast, I breathed fire...” It looked like it was doing damage...
Oh, right! The darkness peeled away, and I saw its face! The black magical beast was that black-haired guy, Ares! I’m positive!
I had attacked to finish him, but it hadn’t been enough. I’d thought I had inflicted serious damage, but Ares suddenly vanished. He must have used a spell or item for teleportation.
After that, I’d healed myself and the girls with everything I had, then hid us with earth magic. I sank us beneath the ground and sealed the ceiling above. That must have been the underground chamber we were in now.
I was glad I’d practiced making underground shelters. Even half conscious, I’d managed to create a proper refuge.
Finally, I had thrown bedding onto the ground, laid Shiro and Kuro down, and then lost consciousness myself. We’d bled plenty, but somehow, no beasts or mercenaries had spotted us.
I let out a deep sigh.
Ares didn’t seem like someone who’d turn on us so suddenly... It looked like he’d gone mad and lost his reason, but what was his deal? Maybe there’s some sort of berserk ability.
Did he approach us with the intent to capture us in the first place? It felt like he was dead set on killing us, but maybe that was a berserk skill. So did he use that skill somewhere, lose control, and attack us because we happened to be nearby? No, that doesn’t add up. With mana that vicious, I would’ve noticed him fighting even from far away, no matter what sort of situation I was in. Which means he crept up on us while we were fighting the tortoise treant, then unleashed his power right there and attacked us. That shows that his attack on us was fully intentional. He clearly meant to hurt us.
I hate how clueless I am when it comes to people. How could I have thought that he seemed like a good guy even for a second?! He damn near killed us! And if Ares is an enemy, then what about Gailland? He was nice to us the few times we met, so I trusted him that easily. I guess I walked right into his trap.
I should’ve never trusted mercs in the first place. Maybe they let us wander so they could snatch clues for conquering the dungeon. Or wait... Maybe they’d planned to hand us over to the lord. He’s dead now, but Ares probably doesn’t know that Shiro and Kuro no longer have a bounty on their heads.
It doesn’t make sense why Gailland and Ares didn’t try to catch us when they were together, but maybe they were just making sure. They watched us, and once they confirmed that we were the wanted ones, they attacked. That seems most likely.
“They must have seen our bodies too...”
The dragon’s throat, arm, eye... None of them are normal. We might be valuable as slaves. Even without the bounty, we could still be worth something. At least, that’s how someone greedy would think. Maybe letting Ares escape is a bigger deal than I thought.
I don’t know how long we’ve been asleep for, but we need to move before Ares or Gailland return. We’ll head for the escape circle I found before Ares attacked.
“Shiro, Kuro, wake up.”
“Myaaah...”
“Wuffuuu...”
Dammit, they won’t wake up!
“Fine...”
My mana’s recovered enough, I’m sure I can carry them with magic.
“Here we go...!”
My body still aches, but I’ve got no major wounds. Was it the healing spell I used before I passed out? Or maybe the dragon’s power boosted my regeneration? I’m not healed a hundred percent, so I want to use holy magic, but I need to save mana for the journey. I guess I’ll deal with it for now.
“We’re gonna...make it home.”
Shiro and Kuro are not gonna die.
They murmured softly in their sleep as I watched over them silently.
“Gosh...” Look at them sleeping with their innocent faces.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Heh heh...a sacrifice. A sacrifice has come...”
“A sacrifice for us...”
The pitch—black darkness stirred. The shapeless darkness shuddered, overcome with joy.
“A sacrifice is a sacrifice, is it not?”
“It’s possible.”
“It still lacks depth, though...”
“But not bad.”
“What color will this sacrifice be...?”
“It is not yet decided.”
“Grow... Gain color and grow...”
“It’d be best if it grew fully without dying.”
The words carried a sense of guardianship. Indeed, there was a tone of affection. Yet at the same time, malice, hunger, contempt—various negative emotions were mixed in. Compassion and scorn, affection and malice—contradictory feelings coexisted without clashing.
“There is the color of wrath...”
“I see the color of pride.”
“The color of gluttony as well...”
“Which sacrifice will settle into which color?”
“The last sacrifice was a dragon—wrath incarnate...”
The darkness trembled again.
“Next will be my turn.”
“No... Mine.”
They imagined the coming future.
“The problem is that singular being...”
“The new reincarnator. That one is not within our domain.”
Unlike before, the darkness spoke in hushed tones, as if in fear that some dreadful presence might discover them. The darkness was a monster itself, yet it feared another monster.
“The ones who pretend to be goddesses?”
“Indeed.”
“Cursed administrators... They absorbed original sin and gained the power to interfere with us...”
“Goddesses who became great demons.”
The darkness shifted uneasily.
“Can the singular being be used as a sacrifice?”
“If we can deceive the eyes of the goddesses...”
“It should be possible. If we can touch its spirit directly at the deepest part of the dungeon.”
“But the goddess’s gaze lies there.”
The darkness twisted in unease. They felt strong fear and resentment toward the goddesses. Yet, to satisfy their own desire, they schemed.
“Once incarnated, all will be possible.”
“If only escape is needed, perhaps it can be done.”
“Indeed. Wrath became a dragon and fled the dungeon...”
“Then, at the bottom of the dungeon...”
“Yes. If we use those humans as sacrifices and incarnate...”
“What color will the sacrifices be when the time comes?”
“Sloth or gluttony...”
“Envy or pride.”
“How delightful...”
“Delightful indeed.”