Overgeared

Since ancient times, humanity had regarded the stars as special. They admired the shining stars even in the distant universe. This was why the noblest humans were often likened to them. It was also the basis for Braham's belief that he was the best.

He was the one who pulled down the stars. He naturally trivialized the humans who compared themselves to stars.

It was a temperament that had become more prominent recently. The magic theories that were rebuilt based on the enlightenment gained from fighting Gamigin, the power of the direct descendant that was restored due to Marie Rose's whim that rapidly strengthened his mana and physique, and the evolution of his equipment thanks to Grid's favor—Braham was entering his best prime period ever.

He was confident that he could protect Grid's back and he believed that he could face any opponent as long as they weren't outside the standards like dragons or the Martial God.

A little while earlier, he was even more convinced. That dragon that he encountered after following Marie Rose's traces. He wasn't too afraid considering that both of the dragon's wings were torn off. It felt completely different from when he met Trauka in the past.

That magic power in the atmosphere that shared its senses with Braham was shouting in unison. Maybe it was worth discussing the odds. Braham could've looked at being the first dragon slayer in history if it wasn't for the interruption of the three dragons that invaded the scene in real time.

It was arrogance.

[There is no being who can leave here.]

Braham was held to the rule set by the Dragon Words and realized that there was a serious error in his calculations.

'Not all dragons are the same?'

All beings who lived with their feet on the ground didn't know the physiology of the dragons. It was like how humans understood only a very small part of the universe. Braham didn't have much interest in dragons. He was immersed in magic rather than obsessing over the impossibilities.

It was also something induced by Beriache's knowledge. Braham believed that his mother passed on all her knowledge to him, but this was actually a belief that should be broken. Had he forgotten about the source of the curse that ruled his kin?

Beriache didn't give Braham some of her knowledge. One of them was knowledge of the dragons. This made the dragons complete unknowns to Braham and induced him to perceive them as merely fearful beings. It was proof that Beriache loved Braham. She feared that an unqualified child would be killed in vain due to his interest in dragons.

On the other hand, it meant Beriache hadn't predicted the fact that he would do something crazy like break into Trauka's lair without knowing the subject.

"……"

Braham's face was pale as he noticed the truth.

Fire Dragon Trauka, Evil Dragon Bunhelier, Insane Dragon Nevartan, Gourmet Dragon Raiders—Braham thought that all adult dragons would be like them. He didn't expect the inferiority or superiority of the armed force to be different depending on the nature of the individual.

However, it was different. The four dragons with poorly recognized colored scales were of a lower class than Trauka. The emergence of another dragon, who just unfolded his willpower through Dragon Words from somewhere unknown, proved this fact. It was in a different dimension.

'I will die.'

Everyone here, including himself, would soon disappear. It was a gut feeling, not a guess. Braham's calculations that took into account the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of branches of mana in the atmosphere were absurdly fast and accurate. It took him a split second to be sure of his own death.

'It is checkmate.'

Braham was a magician before he was the Duke of Wisdom. It was right to prepare countless countermeasures for each action and avoid the worst. Yet he couldn't do so now.

'I still have a long way to go.'

Braham, who realized his shortcomings only when he was on the verge of dying, turned his attention to Xenon. Less than a minute had passed since he was attacked, but the scales were already torn off. The color, disguised with magic out of near instinct, was revealed nakedly and he saw that Xenon's scales were as gray as the cloudy sky.

"I'll say it again."'

The presence that reminded Braham of Trauka—it was the emergence of a top dragon that could easily be mistaken for an old dragon by those who didn't know the hierarchy of dragons. Braham's absurd voice permeated the hearing of the dragons who recognized him and caused them to stiffen.

"Give me your heart. There is no hope other than that."

Braham was clearly speaking to Xenon, but the one who reacted was the dragon who shoved his teeth into Xenon's neck.

[You… keep quiet.]

Basque, the gray dragon who had survived for 3,000 years—he hadn't slept for 500 years. It was for one opportunity in the future. He just needed one more chance to eat and he could climb to the upper ranks of the hierarchy. His magic senses stretched out around his lair in the center of the continent and he closely observed the trends of his kind. He endured the long boredom with transcendent patience.

Then he missed two big opportunities.

First was the stone dragon. He was tracking the stone dragon, who was wounded and weakened by the insane dragon, only to be deceived by the tower members and turned away from the Behen Archipelago. The camouflage techniques of the tower members were indeed undisputable. It was how the location of the tower had been undetected until now.

The second opportunity was the fire dragon. At first, he was uncertain, but Ifrit was clearly weak. He was more likely to encounter an old dragon if he targeted her, but he still chased her. It was worth taking the risk. Then he belatedly noticed Ifrit's destination and turned back. The best thing was that he felt her being annihilated without a trace and he comforted himself that Trauka hadn't become stronger.

Now a third chance had arrived. The situation was better than the previous opportunities. The lower dragons were too low on the hierarchy to attract an old dragon's attention. Due to the recent extinction of Ifrit, the top dragons became cautious. Surprisingly, he thought it was an opportunity to eat easily.

The uproar was louder than necessary due to Marie Rose and two competitors followed, but they were opponents he could easily handle. The flow was good. He saw that he would finally achieve his aspirations today. This was until a little while ago when he felt the signs of the cloaked dragon.

'…It is lucky just to be aware of his existence. It is encouraging to be able to defend against a surprise attack from a cloaked dragon.'

It was because his eyes couldn't see a cloaked dragon. The original cloaked dragon wasn't easily recognized. It was because they enjoyed the technique of creating shading with magic power and blocking vision, so the operation of magic power was very strange.

Was it the child of the refractive dragon or a cloaked dragon itself? No one knew. It was because no one had been able to prove that the refractive dragon existed.

'First of all, I need to keep Xenon alive.'

Basque was a mid grade dragon close to the top rank. If he cooperated with the three lower ranked dragons, even a top dragon would be embarrassed to handle them alone. It was because time was dragging out while they were discussing victory or defeat. They needed to endure a huge uproar, making it so that there was a possibility that the cloaked dragon himself would become prey.

It was likely that the cloaked dragon would become the first target after eating Xenon and evolving. He must've planned to take efficient action to quickly arrange the situation or retreat if that wasn't possible. This was why he should protect Xenon without killing him.

[It is better to join forces.]

Basque said. He didn't add any explanation. A dragon's head contained the universe. They saw through all things naturally. Depending on the nature of each individual, there were often dragons who didn't utilize their knowledge, but only the insane dragon would have a slow understanding of the situation.

[Xenon, restore your strength.]

The two other lower dragons agreed to Basque's suggestion. Their attitude of guarding Xenon was evidence. Xenon swallowed his curses.

'How many times will I have nightmares of the humiliation I suffered today?'

The tower members who acted like they were going to help and then left. His kin who rushed to eat him only to reach out a hand. He didn't like either one. He felt pathetic and ashamed for being dragged into this situation against his will. There was one thing that was more annoying than that.

"Isn't it better to kill him than to carry him as a burden? It is hard to comment because I don't know the physiology of a dragon. Tsk."

Vampires—Marie Rose, who tore off his wings and disappeared leisurely, and Braham, who kept asking for his heart. They were truly of the same bloodline. He thought they were the most hateful creatures in the world.

[Braham, you… keep staying quiet.]

The reason why dragons preyed on their own kind was simply for survival. They had to be strong in order to survive. The most efficient way was to eat their kin. It was a barbaric culture taught and established by the old dragons. Predation couldn't take precedence over survival unless it was the Fire Dragon Trauka or the insane dragon.

Basque wanted to live. He wanted to somehow persuade Xenon to cooperate. He wanted Braham, who was constantly trying to ignite the flames, to shut up.

Braham cocked his head. The silver hair that hung below his ears waved beautifully. "Do you know my name?"

Wasn't it proof that this dragon was keeping a close eye on the world? Braham was intrigued when he learned this new fact.

"Are dragons interested in the surface? Then why not intervene? It is too much to say you are careful simply because you are afraid of being eaten by your kin."

[……]

"Isn't the world so wide? Until just 30 years ago, it took three or four months for news from the northern lands to reach the south. It might be the standard for ordinary people, but it can't be impossible for you to monitor the entire continent all the time, right? Dragons can't be like common creatures that live everywhere on the continent… are there any restrictions on you? What type of restrictions are there?"

It was a chance to figure out the dragons. Braham was very active because it was a difficult opportunity to get again. He spoke in a fast manner that was rare for him. Was it necessary to use Dragon Words to shut him up? Basque was seriously considering it before shaking his head.

It was a very disadvantageous situation. He needed even one more helper. He couldn't ignore Braham any longer and roughly replied.

[We aren't interested in any beings other than ourselves. You are just famous.]

"I… am famous among dragons? Well, I can guess why."

Braham's eyes twitched as he turned his head.

The dragons—he was proud of his magic skills which were so good that a magic species showed interest in him. Putting aside the situation where his life was in danger, he wanted to smile.

Basque and the dragons, who were now on the same side, weren't interested in him. They were busy focusing on the dark shadow on one side of their field of view.

[Cranbel, it is better for us to all step back here. Let's make it a tie.]

The cloaked dragon, Cranbel, responded to Basque's suggestion. [You are overconfident.]

The four dragons and Braham's eyes moved to the right at the same time. It was because the position of the shadow presumed to be the cloaked dragon had changed.

Braham felt something strange.

'I don't feel anything.'

The atmosphere's mana that shared its senses with Braham was silent. He couldn't detect the texture of the magic power that made up that shadow. It was amazing.

Braham recalled the Dragon Words of the cloaked dragon. No one could leave here. This meant he was confident about taking care of everyone here alone. The problem was serious if he was so confident even though his enemies might cooperate.

'As expected, it is annihilation.'

Braham didn't distinguish between the top and old dragons. To him, both Trauka and the cloaked dragon felt like they couldn't be resisted. He thought in his head about how he would soon die from an unidentified attack that flew from an unexpected place.

At the same time, Braham's thoughts became a reality.

The shadow was still fixed at the point where the group was watching, but a fierce attack flew from the side. It was a tail covered with silver scales. Basque's thick waist was dented. It wasn't known how many ribs a dragon had, but they all seemed to be broken.

Basque reacted quickly. He twisted his long, bent neck in the reverse direction of the impact. He stabbed at the air with the horn on his forehead. At the same time, a Breath was shot. The position of the cloaked dragon was determined based on the direction in which the tail flew. Then a gray breath appeared and crossed the sky like it existed from the beginning. It was an unchallenged power. It was like a huge pillar. The surroundings quickly darkened. It was the aftermath of the sun being obscured by the pillar.

Basque's expression was stiff. The counterattack failed. The cloaked dragon wasn't in that position. The problem was that the damage was too great, even though it was one-sided. He became disadvantaged in an instant.

'Is the only way to make him step back under the pretext of mutual destruction?'

If the Breaths were overused, someone new would eventually invade the scene. He had to bet on the variable that would occur at that time. The attitude of the cloaked dragon was that he didn't care about anyone, but this would soon change if a bad enemy appeared.

[Resistance is pointless…?]

The voice of the cloaked dragon was echoing everywhere only to be cut off in the middle.

"The name tunnel dragon matches you." Braham's red eyes were staring at the cloaked dragon. It was from a gap in the ground that was formed by an earthquake.

"It isn't bad to be called a rat."

The silently waiting mana of the atmosphere had reacted the moment the tail of the cloaked dragon appeared. Braham had noticed it from there. It was true that the cloaked dragon cast a shade over mana, but it wasn't necessarily stealth. The cloaked dragon used his sophisticated mana operation abilities to move under the ground. He dug tunnels in the ground without the slightest vibration to make sure that no one on the ground noticed him and then he disturbed the enemy. It went against the norm. It was impossible for Braham to use mana in such a way.

"It is great. The problem is that the form doesn't work."

[…Shut up.]

The tunnel dragon, no, the cloaked dragon, Cranbel, emerged from the ground. He was 1.5 times larger compared to Basque or Xenon. Any small movements could cause all types of ripple effects. It seemed like if he just took a deep breath and exhaled, it would become a Breath.

By this point, Basque also noticed it.

'We can't win no matter what we do.'

Cranbel's strength transcended Basque's imagination. It was a power Basque realized only after Cranbel showed up. Basque and the dragons were forced to open their eyes wide. They sensed their own deaths.

[Since it is like this, I will do it quickly. I am going to turn you all to dust like this city.]

He was referring to the remnants of the buildings touching his feet. It didn't mean much. Cranbel merely mentioned the collapsed city for the purpose of threatening his enemies. However, the timing was bad.

"Is it you?" Grid had just arrived at the scene and now his blazing eyes glared at Cranbel. "Why did you hurt innocent people?"

There was a gust of wind that didn't suit the hot desert.

While Braham stared anxiously at Grid, who jumped in on his own, the dragons were shocked.

It was because the remnants of the fire dragon held by Grid resonated with the magic power of the dragons and showed them a certain scene. The scene of Grid riding Ifrit was projected onto his divinity that spread out like the polar lights.