kscans

Chapter 144 - One-on-One Combat

On the day they were to enter the Dragon's Grave, Hayato, Ash, and Ren arrived near the transfer device in the Royal Capital early in the morning.

No one was there to see them off. This was what Ash had wanted.

If Ash lost, he didn't know how his father, Veru, would act. He had asked the other members to stand by in their respective countries, as there was a possibility that Hardline Dragons might attack across the nations.

The members had agreed. Each was now on standby in their affiliated country.

Normally, it would have been better to go in with a large group, but as per Hypnos's suggestion, only Hayato, Ash, and Ren were going.

At first, Ash had said he would go alone, but Hayato had vetoed that.

They were going as a trio because Hypnos, the one managing this event, had told them to. He couldn't say that to Ash, but if they didn't do as their opponent wished, it was doubtful they would even get to fight Veru. Even if it was almost certainly a trap, they had to do as he said.

The chances of a trap are high, but it can't be helped, Hayato thought. Besides, we have Diite-chan on our side, and the other members too. We should be able to manage.

Hayato was useless as a combatant, but he was mentally prepared. Just in case, he had also brought the AI Killer as a countermeasure against Hypnos. He didn't think he could use it the same way he had with Diite, but he brought it just in case.

However, Hayato was a bit hesitant. He wasn't sure if it was even okay to attack Hypnos. He was concerned that hurting Hypnos might cause even more problems.

This whole situation was, in a way, influenced by him hurting Diite six months ago. This powerful weapon was a major anomaly in this world. A weapon that bent the world's very laws. Using it on Hypnos was difficult to handle because he had no idea what might happen.

When he consulted Diite, she had said it should be fine. She also said that she was preparing countermeasures against Hypnos. However, she didn't know if those measures would work, so she had also told him not to hesitate to use the weapon if something happened.

Don't hesitate, huh. Well, I don't even know if Hypnos will show up at the Dragon's Grave, so there's no point thinking about it... No, whether he comes or not, hesitating about what to do is no good. When it's time to use it, I'll use it. If something happens because I hesitated, I'll regret it forever.

Hayato made up his mind.

All that was left was to go, but Ash wasn't stepping forward.

"Ash, what's wrong?"

"Well, yesterday, I told you guys about my old man. Now that I think about it, he seems so much bigger. This isn't trembling with anticipation... I think this is fear."

Hayato recalled the night before.

Ash's stories about Veru were those of someone who respected a great father.

Ash's dislike of Veru was a side effect of Veru's wish to keep his real-world memories. It was a false memory, a false emotion. The real Ash respected his father.

After hearing Ash's story yesterday, that was Hayato's conclusion.

Because his memories had been altered, it had been changed to the strength of a dragon, but Hayato thought it was probably about his prowess as an actor.

The upcoming battle wasn't a contest of acting skill, but a pure in-game fight. Veru's prowess as an actor was completely unrelated, yet Ash was intimidated. Hayato felt a little regretful, wondering if bringing up the topic yesterday had been a bad idea.

"Big brother, make up your mind already. Besides, you're always saying, 'Someday I'll surpass my old man.' That day is just today, that's all."

"Yeah, I know, but..."

"More importantly, what's the deal with having such fun conversations after I've gone to sleep? If you were going to talk about Father, I wanted to hear it too... Hayato-san, what is the meaning of this?"

"Uh, oh, sorry. But it was Esha who brought it up, you see?"

"No excuses. And blaming Esha-san... Hayato-san, you need to study up on a woman's heart more. If you keep this up, you'll get dumped someday, you know?"

"Yes..."

Hayato, who had a slight inkling of what she was talking about from yesterday, nodded at Ren's words.

He didn't have clear feelings for Esha yet, but he did have the feeling that he didn't want to be disliked by her. And he vaguely understood that if he continued like this, he would definitely be dumped.

After speaking her mind to Hayato, Ren turned to Ash, but only for a moment before looking down.

"Ren? What is it?"

"I just realized it's pointless to tell you to understand a woman's heart, big brother."

"Hey, wait, Ren. I think I'm still okay in that department—ah, I see. I feel a little more relaxed now. Thanks."

When Ash said that, Ren showed a slightly surprised expression before breaking into a smile.

Was that to ease Ash's tension? Ren-chan is young, but she's so considerate. But it felt like she was serious with me... Is it just an act since she's from a family of actors?

While Hayato was pondering this, Ash psyched himself up with a "Alright!"

"Let's go. It's a wall I have to overcome someday. And today is that day."

"Yeah, it's a go for broke spirit!"

"I don't think that's quite right, but I get what you mean."

Ash nodded to Hayato and Ren, then approached the transfer device.

It was a blue stone, like a Clan Stone. Its shape was a vertically long oval, similar to a diamond, and it was slowly rotating horizontally.

When Hayato touched it, a menu appeared. Several destinations were displayed. Among them, he found "Dragon's Grave."

Ash and Ren must have found it too, as they were looking at Hayato, waiting. Hayato nodded and selected the location.

After a brief feeling of floating, his vision changed in the next moment, and he was transported to another place.

The Dragon's Grave. The same place he had been brought to before. Its surface.

But to Hayato, it felt different from before.

Not a single bird's cry could be heard. Perhaps because it was an island in the sky, the only sound was that of a strong wind blowing. And from all around, he felt gazes as if they were being watched.

"Hayato, don't stray from us. This place is full of Hardline Dragons. We could be attacked at any moment."

Hayato nodded. Then he started walking with Ash and the others.

They were at the southernmost tip of the island. And in the center of the island stood an old castle. The area around the castle was an unkempt forest, or rather, a jungle, which they had to pass through.

He felt gazes on them as they walked, but they were not attacked. Hayato figured Veru had ordered them not to.

Even if they were attacked, Ash could defeat them. Here, Ash could become a dragon. In that form, he wouldn't be outmatched.

Hypnos said Ash could also transform into a dragon here. But Ash intends to fight as a human. I hope Veru-san goes along with that.

In Ash's case, even as a dragon, he could use the Dragon Eater's ability, so he could deal five times the damage with the dragon special attack. But even so, he had said that defeating Veru would be difficult.

So, if anything, fighting in human form would increase his chances of winning. Whether Veru would go along with that was another matter, but Ash had told Hayato that he wanted to bring about that situation somehow.

"We're here."

Ash's words brought Hayato back to his senses. While he had been lost in thought, they had arrived at the old castle in the center of the island.

Ash and Ren braced themselves and stepped inside. Hayato followed.

A short walk brought them to a huge entrance hall. In the center stood Veru in his human form. His clothes were as disheveled as ever, but there was a smile on his face, giving him an air of composure.

"So you've come, Ash, Ren. And Hayato, too."

"Yeah. We've come to get our mother's soul back."

"...I see. But to do that, you'll have to defeat me. Do you think you can win now?"

"I will win. That's what I've been training for."

Veru-san is really getting into the role, or something. The story about the soul is probably just a game setting. Maybe he's acting this way so Ash and the others don't feel anything is out of place.

Ash drew the sword from his back and held it with both hands.

"Father. No turning into dragons. Let's settle this in our human forms."

"Why?"

"I want to settle this in a one-on-one duel between you and me. Besides, if we fight as dragons, Hayato and Ren will get hurt."

"Big brother!"

Ren cried out to Ash, but he said nothing, his gaze fixed on Veru.

Veru then glanced at Ren, and then at Hayato. He smirked.

"Very well. A one-on-one fight in human form. If you win, I'll return your mother's soul. But if you lose, I'll take the artifact."

As Veru said this, he held out the palm of his right hand towards Ash. He wasn't holding anything, but the shadow at Veru's feet became like a black liquid and crawled up his body. It then formed into a jet-black sword in Veru's right hand.

"Hayato, Ren, stay out of this. This is a fight between me and my old man."

"Big brother, what are you trying to act all cool for! Hayato-san aside, the two of us can—"

"I just need you to cheer me on, Ren. Trust that I'll win and watch from there. You too, of course, Hayato."

Whether he was trying to be cool or just being stubborn, Hayato didn't know. Esha would probably attack without reading the room, but even if they defeated Veru as a group, Ash himself wouldn't be satisfied.

Honestly, this wasn't the time for such things, but Hayato could somewhat understand Ash's feelings. So, even if Ash lost, Hayato resolved to do something about it himself.

"Got it, Ash. If you're going that far, you'd better win. Ren-chan, let's move back."

"B-but, Hayato-san!"

"Ren-chan, you might not understand, but let's respect Ash's manly pride here."

At Hayato's words, Ren looked down and fell silent. But she immediately looked back at Ash.

"Big brother! If you lose, I'll curse you for generations!"

"That's scary. I'll make sure to win so that doesn't happen."

Ash said this and gave Ren a cynical smile.

Watching this exchange, Veru's lips also curled up slightly.

"No allies on my side, I see. But this isn't a battle decided by the number of supporters. Ash, come at me with all you've got. Show me how strong you've become."

"Yeah, I'll do just that."

As soon as he spoke, Ash charged towards Veru and brought the Dragon Eater down from above.

Veru blocked the attack with his thin shadow sword.

The high-pitched sound of metal clashing echoed through the hall.