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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Hero's Trial
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Above the city, in the wide-open sky, a heavy snowfall descended.
I, riding on the back of a dragon, greeted the blonde hero flying before me.
"Greetings, Stardust."
"Haa, haa..."
*
[Here we go, they finally meet LOLOLOLOL]
[This is it LOLOLOLOL]
[Stardust is stunned by the dragon as soon as she arrives, ahaha. What villain brings a dragon to a terror attack, lolololol]
*
Before me, she looked at me with an incredibly bewildered expression in mid-air.
I, mounted on the dragon with its wings spread wide, began to speak to her.
"You've arrived at the perfect time. I am about to conquer Seoul. With our Ego Stream's new comrade, Shillyeong, it will be easier than anything!"
"....KRAAAAAAAAAAH!"
And as soon as I finished speaking, Shillyeong let out a roar as if on cue. It sounded a little grudging, but to others, it must have been a truly menacing roar. When Shillyeong opened its mouth and bellowed, the air practically vibrated, creating a dramatic effect that sent Stardust's hair flying backward.
From atop the dragon, I proclaimed majestically.
"Stardust. Even you won't be able to withstand my attack. You've been quite active lately, and I simply cannot allow that."
".....Huh?"
"Well, if you manage to stop me here, I might acknowledge you... but that's impossible. How can a mere human stop a dragon?"
Hahahaha! As my laughter echoed, Shillyeong let out another mighty roar.
...I felt a slight sense of disillusionment from Shillyeong's howl, but it must be my imagination.
Anyway, I made such a blatant statement.
Yes. Let's get straight to the fight.
...Honestly, because of the karma from rushing in blindly when Stardust fell at the Demon King's Castle just last time, a prolonged conversation here would be problematic for me.
Of course, given Stardust's righteous and strict personality, it's unlikely to happen, but if she were to suddenly press me about why I saved her last time, the situation would take a turn for the worse. Although I had prepared an excuse, a villain proves their villainy not with a hundred words, but with a single wicked act.
So, I maintained a relaxed expression, but internally, I anxiously awaited Stardust's reaction. The best outcome here would be for Stardust to say, 'You wretched villain, I'll defeat you!' and immediately engage in combat. If she were to try to continue the conversation, I would have no choice but to interrupt her and launch a preemptive strike. ...Though I'd rather not.
And finally,
Stardust, who had been quietly, silently standing, chuckled and opened her mouth.
"Alright, I understand. I just need to stop you here, right? This time too."
As she spoke, she clenched her fist. Simultaneously, a yellow light began to emanate from it.
Watching her, I found myself grinning.
...I wasn't sure why Stardust was smiling, and her tone seemed a little softer than usual, but it must be my imagination. Well, what mattered was that it was clearly time to fight.
I laughed out loud again, then said to her,
"...Yes. Excellent, perfect! Go on, try to stop me, if you can!"
As I said that, I soared higher with the dragon.
And as Shillyeong, in its dragon form, sensed the start of the battle, it simultaneously used its power to summon countless ice blades, like icicle needles.
*
[What's with their vibe, seriously? (´,,•ω•,,｀) lololol]
[Anyway, the fight's finally starting LOLOLOLOL]
[Ah, this is it! Let's go~]
[The long-awaited dragon battle begins LOLOLOLOL]
[Ice Dragon, you bastard~~~!!!]
[Watching live from a nearby rooftop, getting snowed on like crazy LOLOL. This is the life LOLOLOL.]
[Dragon Punch! Dragon Punch! Dragon Punch!]
*
The real battle had finally begun.
***
Shin Haru had actually felt a little nervous about seeing Egoistic again.
That moment when he came to save her in front of the so-called Demon King's Castle.
She had smiled without realizing it, her heart had fluttered faintly, and his back had brought her such immense relief.
No matter how much her mind told her to be hostile, her heart felt no animosity towards him.
That's why Shin Haru had been so nervous about seeing Egoistic again. She wasn't sure what reaction she would have.
What should she say when she saw him? No, how would *he* approach *her*? ...Given Egoistic's usual self, he'd probably act the same as always...
She had, in fact, spent a long time delving deeper into Egoistic's reasons for his terror attacks, his relationships with the women around him, and why he wasn't truly a villain... but ultimately, all of that was part of trying to figure out what kind of face to show him when they met again.
Anyway, the day finally came. The day Egoistic finally launched a new terror attack.
And,
Stardust, forgetting all her previous worries, simply stared in bewilderment at the scene before her eyes.
...Where on earth did he get that dragon?
Snowflakes mixed with icy pellets fell from the sky.
As she flew there, stunned by the sight of him riding a dragon, Egoistic saw her and began to speak.
"This dragon is a new member of Ego Stream," he said, "I'm going to conquer Seoul..." Such words, which would have provoked anger and hostility if spoken by any other villain, somehow felt familiar and almost friendly coming from his mouth.
...That aside, Stardust still stood there, a little dazed. ...Dragon or no dragon, facing Egoistic's smiling face and eyes again, she didn't know what to do. Should she be angry about the terror attack? Or should she ask about what happened last time? There was so much she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt tangled.
And what awakened her from her confusion was Egoistic's next remark.
"Stardust. Even you won't be able to withstand my attack. You've been quite active lately, and I simply cannot allow that."
".....Huh?"
"Well, if you manage to stop me here, I might acknowledge you... but that's impossible. How can a mere human stop a dragon?"
He laughed, "Haha!" as he spoke.
And at that moment, she finally understood Egoistic's intention.
Ah, he's telling me to stop him. He's telling me to stop this dragon.
"You can do it, Stardust."
And then, she found herself recalling an old memory.
Yes. Egoistic had always been like this. From the beginning until now, he had always thrown some kind of trial her way and told her to overcome it.
...It felt familiar.
And with that thought, Stardust—Shin Haru—realized.
She no longer even considered Egoistic's terror attacks as actual terror.
She saw what he did as trials he set for her.
...She didn't know what the truth was. Perhaps it really was a terror attack.
But what did any of that matter?
Ultimately, this too was something Egoistic had prepared, solely for her.
Yes.
Then, since he had put so much effort into preparing this.
She had to face him with all her might.
And she had to show him that she could overcome it.
Because that was what he wanted.
With that thought, Stardust chuckled to herself and said,
"Alright, I understand. I just need to stop you here, right? This time too."
Seeing Egoistic grin in response to her words, she felt certain.
Indeed, this was what he wanted.
Then, she had no choice but to act accordingly.
With that mindset, she clenched her fist, emitting light. To thwart his 'terror' and to emerge victorious over him.
She soared into the sky.
***
In the sky, where heavy snow was falling,
a battle of mythical proportions was unfolding.
"Shillyeong, a snowstorm right ahead!"
Riding the dragon that swiftly cut through the air, I commanded Shillyeong. In response to my words, it conjured a blizzard.
As a result, Stardust, who had been fiercely flying towards us, had her vision momentarily obscured. And seizing that opportunity, we soared even higher.
"Another lightning bolt, just like this!"
And as soon as I finished speaking, lightning bolts began to strike down from the sky. Though not as powerful as Electra's, they were disorienting, appearing unexpectedly within the snowstorm.
Thus, with Shillyeong's dragon power, the sky itself was taking on an almost primordial, world-shaping form.
Heavy snow pouring down everywhere, lightning bolts suddenly striking amidst the snow, and swirling, tempestuous blizzards. All of this was unleashed solely to contend with Stardust.
*
[This is absolutely insane LOLOLOLOL]
[This is... terror? What have I been calling terror until now?]
[If you think Egoistic should just conquer Seoul, hit like LOLOLOLOL]
[Isn't it crazy that all of this is just one dragon's power?]
[Ego Stream could totally conquer South Korea if they put their minds to it LOLOLOL]
[But it's even more amazing that Stardust is breaking through all of that, wow LOLOL]
*
And, just as they said.
Stardust was breaking through all of it, flying straight towards me.
"Yes, this is it!"
Watching her, I couldn't help but exclaim with a smile.
Yes, this is what I expect from my hero.
If she can break through even this, then perhaps it's time for the next stage.
I smiled, thinking that thought.