Dark Knight Kroki

　He lowered Glorious down to the entrance of a cave on the side of the mountain where the Silver Holy Dragon King would live.
　The cave was large, and even Glorious, whose body was huge, could easily get inside.
　I am now dressed as a dark knight. The reason is that there may be a sudden battle.
　But if that happens, I will flee at once.
　It's not a good idea to take away the horns by force. He wondered if he could bargain with them and get their horns. Of course, it would be unlikely.
　The cave was wide and deep, with darkness at the back.
　I walked through the cave with Glorious.
　I wonder how far we walked, and suddenly we were in a wide open space. The wide space was bright even though it was supposed to be a place where the sun's rays did not reach.
　Inside the cave, there were countless glowing crystals that lit up the cave with light.
　And there was one of those dragons in the center of the space. That dragon was definitely the Holy Dragon King.
　That dragon was much larger than Glorious, and most importantly, it was very beautiful.
　Unlike most dragons, that dragon had no visible scales and was covered in silvery white body hair, and each hair was glowing.
　And the sight of the dragon's silvery white body glittering in the crystal light is very magical.
　I can't help but admire it.
　I'm not sure if that dragon has noticed me or not, but it turns to me. The blue eyes of the dragon catch me.
　I didn't feel any hostility. Rather, the sign seemed to be gently enveloped.

''You are very welcome here, dark knight. I knew you were coming.''

　He speaks to me in a clear voice.
　Did you know it was coming? Could it be that he has the ability to predict things?

'I got a call from Modes,'

　But what came from the dragon was a surprising word.

'Have you heard from Modes?'

　The dragon nodded.

'I was having trouble with my horns growing too long. You can cut these horns cleanly, right?
Ha, ha. ......

　The dragon's words make me feel a little weak. I was prepared to be attacked out of the blue, and I'm disappointed that I came here. But we should be glad that we didn't have to fight here.
　Come to think of it, Modes told me to go get a horn, but he didn't force me to get one.
　I was just misunderstanding myself.
　In short, just a simple errand boy. I apologize to Modes for what I suspected in my mind.
　I look at the dragon's head. It has magnificent horns that are clear and brilliant, shining brighter than the crystal around it.
　The horns are large and huge, and when combined with the body of the dragon, they hit the ceiling. It is certainly not convenient to do this.

It's a good idea to cut it down from the middle. Anyway, it will grow to the same size in 5,000 years, so I'll ask you to do it again then.

　I don't know if I'll still be around in five thousand years, but I nodded to myself.

'I understand. I'll leave it to you.




Dark Knight Kroki

　Glorious shakes a little as he slices off his horn and ties it to Glorious with a rope.

'I'm sorry, Glorious. Just bear with me for a moment.

　I apologize to Glorious for myself.
　The horns are large and, like Glorious, they don't fit into the magic circle at the transfer point. Also, I couldn't even carry it in my flight because it was too big. That's why I decided to tie it to Glorious and carry it.

''Oh no, thank you for the help.''

　The Holy Dragon King thanks you.

''Here's my thanks. Thank you, Holy Dragon King White Silver.''

　I also bow to the Holy Dragon King myself.

''Hm. ......''

　The Holy Dragon King watches as he bows his own head.

''What is it ......?''

　I ask the Holy Dragon King.

''It seems you have the ability to be a dragonslayer after all. I can smell good from you.

　The Holy Dragon King pulls his nose closer to mine.
　He's a little confused, but when he strokes his nose, he looks happy. Glorious sees this and pulls his nose closer to mine.
　I thought the Holy Dragon King laughed at that.

''I've been watching you ever since I came to this land.

　The Holy Dragon King's words surprised me. If such a huge dragon was looking at him up close, he would indeed notice it.

''I have the ability of clairvoyance, you know. I can see with that power. And as expected, it seems that you can't detect it without hostile intent.

　Sensing his own doubts, the Holy Dragon King replied.

''Besides you, the other brave men were also watching. As expected, the short-haired girl seemed to have somehow noticed your gaze.

　The girl with short hair is probably Todoroki Naomi. It seems that her sensing power is considerably higher than mine.

'That's why I saw what happened in that country too. The thread of Zarxis binds even the gods. I would have fallen prey to that one once I entered that realm.

　I am shocked by his words.

'Do you know about Zarxys?'
'Yes, of course. But if you want to know more about that one, you'd better ask Modes. They were my friends to begin with.

　It was the first time I'd heard of it.

'So I'll have to thank you for that as well. It's you, isn't it? I stopped Xarxis. As expected, I couldn't see the scene because of the wards, though. That country and I had a bit of a relationship. I would like to thank you for protecting me instead of me having no strength to fight. Thank you, Dark Knight Dihardt.

　Although the White Silver Holy Dragon King's appearance was huge, he wasn't very good at direct combat.

''No, I'm not such a ...... big deal.''

　But I don't feel bad about being praised by people ...... or even the dragon. I can see my own face turning red.

''I didn't expect you and the brave men to fight together, after all, do you cooperate with a common enemy?''
No, we didn't fight together: ......

　I deny it. I didn't mean to fight with you. It's just a coincidence.

'Well good, but I'm basically going to stay out of Modes and Raina's fight. I'll try to remain neutral.

　That's what I heard from Modes. The Dragon King is neutral in this conflict.

'Also, I can sense a dragon's soul from you. Perhaps you have freed the dragon's soul from Zarxis's captivity.

　This dragon seems to have everything figured out.

'I wasn't sure if I should give you the horn, even though it was overgrown at first. But then I looked at you and thought I could give you the horn.
That's right: ......
'You could use those horns to build a goddess. Apparently you're just as unlucky with women as Modes is.

　I think that's a bit of an afterthought. That makes me want to cry.
　But with these horns, you can build a goddess. For that, we should be grateful.

My power is healing. A goddess born of my horn must have the power to heal. I am sure she will be able to help you.

　The Holy Dragon King looks at the horns tied to Glorious and says
　He pats the horn. The horns are brighter and more beautiful than the crystals in this place.
　I'm sure it will give birth to a beautiful goddess.

Thank you, Holy Dragon King. I would like to come back once the goddess is born.''

　I bowed my head again and the Holy Dragon King smiled at me.

''Ah, come again, you who misses the dragon.
Yes. Let's go, Glorious.

　I bowed my head and then urged Glorious to return to the entrance of the cave.
　There's a lot to do when we get back to Nargol. I may get busy.
　I walk with that in mind.
　And when I reached the entrance of the cave, I felt an intense flow of magical power along with hostility.

''Hey ...... this is!!!!!

　When I stop Glorious, I activate my magic.

''Extreme dark hole!

　A huge black hole is created in front of you. At that moment, a rush of light comes towards you.
　It was in the nick of time. The light was sucked into the dark hole and disappeared.
　The light had a memory. It was the light magic that Rage used last night. If I had tried to receive that magic with normal defense magic, that defense magic would have been annihilated in its entirety. I'm not going to be able to get rid of it.
　What was he thinking when he used such a powerful spell even though the Holy Dragon King is behind here?

Glorious. Wait here.

　I let Glorious wait a short distance from the entrance of the cave, and I walked out of the cave alone.
　Just as I expected, there was Rage and his friends.
　There were seven of them. All of them except for a girl named Kyouka, Rage's sister. Naturally, Shirone is there too.
　I don't know why they're here. I was completely caught off guard.

''Dehart!

　The dark-haired girl shouts out. It's Chiyuki Suiji.

''You are indeed strong. You would be no match for each of us individually. But what if it's against all of us?''

　When she said that, Rage and the others held up their weapons.
　Wait a minute---! I screamed in my mind.




◆Chiyuki, the black-haired wise man

Spirit of the wind, help us all.

　With Reno's words our bodies become lighter. We move easier and more quickly.

'Holy power, bless us all.

　With Sahoko's words we are enveloped in a white light. This light is small but sustained and restores us.
　The two of us cast a spell and prepare for battle.
　I cast a spell, too. Everyone's weapons are imparted with magic. This should have increased our attack power.
　In front of me is Dihardt. This is the third time we've met.
　I was surprised to see Rage unleash his divine light cannon as soon as he arrived here. Even though the Holy Dragon King might possibly be alive.
　If Dihardt hadn't used his magic to prevent him from doing so, there was no telling what would have happened inside the cave.
　Rage doesn't care about anything else as long as the girl isn't harmed, so he probably doesn't care what happens to the Dragon King who protects the Rox Kingdom.
　But still, what a guy to prevent that magic of Rage. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to prevent that magic from being used by ordinary defensive magic. Once again, the opponent's strength is realized.
　Seeing where Dihardt came out of the Holy Dragon King's cave, the horns must have been taken away. I wonder what Raina is doing.
　This time it's Raina who's making the plan and all we've heard is that we're stalling Dihardt.
　That Raina didn't show up to see if there was an accident.
　That's why she had the Holy Dragon King's horn whipped away from her.
　At first she was hesitant to fight Dihardt, but not now. They wanted to kill all the people of the Rox Kingdom. They are very dangerous people, and we can't let them go unchecked.
　I still think we should tread carefully, but I'm no longer hesitant. I'm going to take them down with all my might.
　The formation is centered on Rage, with Shirone and Kaya in the front line, with Nao supporting them from the flanks. Reno and I will attack from behind with magic and Sahoko will restore the front line. It's our winning pattern.
　This time, there doesn't seem to be any black fog like last night's, so we can fight with our original strength.
　First up is Nao with her flying tools. Nao's boomerang attacks Dihardt.
　When thrown, Nao's boomerang splits apart and creates a vacuum blade that slices through multiple targeted enemies.
　But Dihardt pulls his sword and with a single swing, the vacuum blade disappears, knocking off all the boomerangs. The movement of the sword is brilliant, with no hesitation.
　The boomerangs were easily blocked, but that's okay, because Rage attacks where he swings his sword and is defenseless.
　Syrone and Kaya say that Rage's attacks are very hard to read and avoid. It's not possible to avoid Dihardt, who has lost his stance.

''Eh ......!!!''

　For a moment, he didn't know what had happened. Rage's attack had slipped through Dihardt's body.
　Even Rage, who had cut him, was stunned.
　He didn't know what happened in the end, but next the winged Silone attacked from the sky. It can't be used in a confined space, such as inside a room, but in this open space, the effect is great. It's a good idea to fall at high speed from a considerable distance above your head and swing your sword. But that sword is easily ducked by Dihalt's slightest movement.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal more information on this topic. If Kaya's fist is hit, even if you receive it with a shield or armor, the impact is transmitted inside, causing damage and making it impossible to prevent.
　However, that Kaya's attack also passes through Dihardt just like Rage's attack.

''Everyone---!　Step aside: ----!

　At the sound of Reno's voice, the four of them leave and come back here.
　When I looked, I saw a woman in a tall blue and white dress standing in front of Reno. And above her head, a huge bird dressed in lightning was flying.
　They are the Snow Queen and Thunderbird, the two high-level spirits that Reno had called up.
　It seems that there are few elves who are skilled in spirit magic who can summon a high level spirit, much less two of these high level spirits at the same time, and only an elven queen can do it.
　But Reno can do it.
　Even if physical attacks don't work, how about the simultaneous attacks of two high level spirits?

'Please, genie!　Get rid of that guy!

　At the sound of Reno's voice, the Snow Queen releases a blizzard of ice spears as a thunderbird releases a storm of lightning.
　With a roar, the vision is momentarily covered by a cloud of dust.
　A few seconds later, the dust cloud clears. Dihardt was standing there.

'What the hell, that guy!　All these attacks won't hurt you!

　I am appalled. What is that guy?

'It's abandonment and passing off. The attack doesn't reach me at all. There's an anecdote about Miyamoto Musashi receiving a slash with a grain of rice on his forehead and letting his opponent cut only the grain of rice, but maybe he can do the same thing.'

　Kaya explains to me when she returns.

'What's that?!'

　I can't believe he can do such a joke of a feat. What should I do?

''But it looks like you weren't able to prevent the spirits from attacking you.
Eh, .......

　When I looked, I saw that Dehardt's body was shaking a little.

''And they haven't attacked me since earlier, they seem to be doing their best to just defend themselves.

　I laugh at Kaya's words. If I can at least do some kind of damage, I have a chance to win.

''Then let's let him slowly chip away at it without giving him time to recover.

　What happened in the basement was really scary. It wasn't done to me directly by Dihardt, but he was one of the men in that mask, so it would be the same. I'll get even with him, I promise.
　Let's make Dihardt pay for it, including the people of Roxx Kingdom.




Dark Knight Kroki.

'Ouch ....... Ouch ...... na.

　I couldn't prevent the magical attack of what was probably a higher level spirit. My body hurts.
　As expected of a 7 to 1 is tough.
　It's manageable for now.
　It's easy to duck Syrone's attacks, her sword has been hit many times. It's the same thing when flying through the air. In fact, flying attacks are straighter and easier to avoid.
　The attacks of a girl swinging her fist are harsh. But it's not as scary as the master. So far I've been able to avoid them by dodging them.
　Rage's attack is scary. This guy's sword would be enough to cut people in the original world. Each strike is coming at you to capture your own life.
　However, you can read Rage's attack pattern to some extent. It will never stand in front of you and attack from out of sight. It moves like a wild animal.
　Normally this would not be possible, but Rage's physical abilities make it possible. That's why I managed to duck by shifting my vision and guiding them.
　But we can't prevent spirits from attacking us. I'm sure that if we put up a better magical defense barrier, we could prevent it, but Rage and the rest of the front line won't let us do that.
　Now, what should we do?
　We'll have to take our chances and run. But that would be difficult. You can't leave Glorious behind when you try to escape with transference magic.
　When you look, you see Rage and his fellow girls coming towards you again.
　If it was just Rage, the situation of the girls around them coming to capture their lives was mentally tough.
　I don't want to fight with Rage's girls.

How did this happen: ......

　It makes me want to laugh.
　But if you think about it, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?
　If you turn Rage into an enemy, the girls around them will also become enemies. That's not going to change in this world or the original world. We should have predicted this when we fought Rage.
　That's why everyone didn't want to make an enemy of Rage in the original world. In a way, it can be said that Rage is protected by the girls.
　Those Rage girls are coming up alongside Rage. What an unpleasant situation.
　This is the result of a trivial rivalry. How stupid I am.
　When you make an enemy of Rage, you must be prepared to make the girls your enemy as well.
　It's because they take the sword without such a preparation that they are driven into a corner.
　Maybe I shouldn't have helped Suiji Chiyuki too. In fact, her magic is going to cost her own life. She must have wanted to be saved by Rage, not herself.
　That's why we should not only defend against the war, we should also fight back. That meant cutting down on them as well, including Shirone.
　If you don't fight back, you will eventually be overwhelmed by force and you will die.
　Rage and others will reach you and attack you. The damage you have just taken is still intact, and it is becoming more and more difficult to prevent their attacks.
　The rajis attack, and magic flies in from behind repeatedly.
　Although my own power has fallen, Rage and others do not lose their power because Yoshino Sahoko recovers the fatigue of Rage and others.
　You can see that you are gradually being driven into a corner.
　But even so, I couldn't attack them. How stupid I am, I think. After this, I'm more worried about hurting them than I am about myself.

''Ugh!

　I take the spirit's attack for the umpteenth time. I almost fall to my knees in pain.
　My strength is diminishing, but I can still fight. That said, I manage to cheer myself up.
　But this time, that wasn't all.
　The way Rage and the others are separated from each other is unusual, they're quite distant from each other.

'What the ......'

　I mutter to myself, and by the time I realized it, it was too late.
　At what time did Suiji Chiyuki create this huge magic ball that glows red and shoots at me.
　The magic power I felt from that magic ball was extraordinary.

''It's an extreme super-heavy roaring flame explosive magic with dozens of layers of flame magic and explosive magic! You will pay for your misdeeds, Dihardt!

　Chiyuki Suiji shouts.
　Oh no. That magic is bad just by looking at it. It's coming towards us.
　You can't avoid it with Glorious in the back.
　I'm going to be able to spit out all the magical power I can. At the very least, I'll protect Glorious. I resolve to do so.
　The magic ball collides.
　And a huge storm of energy dominated the scene.



The black-haired wise man Chiyuki.

I hope I did: ......

　A magical attack with my greatest destructive power. I'd like to believe that he is indeed dead.
　The problem is that I'd have to destroy the Holy Dragon King's cave as well, but I'd rather bet on Dihardt's magical defense.
　If he can take the impact of the explosion by himself, he won't have to destroy the cave.
　And it looks like that thought was correct. This magic is supposed to be powerful enough to annihilate one of these mountains, yet the mountain doesn't seem to be particularly broken. It looks like he was able to take the magic all by himself. I don't think I've ever seen such a thing.

"Or at least the last good thing a bad person does.

　I laugh.

'Sass. Chiyuki-san.
　Nao comes up to me.

'It's a partnership between all of you, and I'm not on my own.

　Since the magic just mentioned takes time to activate, it is easy to get countermeasures during that time.
　It was only because Rage and the others didn't leave an opening for it that they were able to hit this magic.

''Thank you, genie.''

　Reno returns the spirits as if he has no longer won. The Snow Queen and the Thunderbird fade and disappear.

''So this is the end for him, too. I wish I could have put a stop to this with my own hands.'

　Shirone says ruefully.

'That goes for me too, Sirone. After all, you've been mortally wounded.

　Rage says as he looks at the entrance to the cave where Dehardt was, "I can't see it because of the smoke from the explosion, but he's probably dead.
　You can't see it because of the smoke from the explosion, but it is indeed dead.
　The smoke gradually clears.

'That's not true!

　Nao shouted when she first noticed him.
　Dihardt was still standing there.

'Oh no!　That's impossible!!!!

　I scream. I put all the magic I could find into it, there is no way I could eat that and stay safe.

'I can't believe I survived that explosion: ......

　Sahoko also gives me a look of disbelief.

'No, it looks like it's over. Take a closer look.

　Kaya says, pointing to Dihardt.
　She uses her magic to get a good look at Dihardt. His armor is cracked and his helmet is cracked. And it looked like he was having a hard time standing with his sword as his staff.

'Phew!　I guess he wasn't safe, as expected!　But this is the end!

　Rage points his sword at Dihardt.

'Dihardt!　You were strong!　A lot more than I do!　But you're missing something!　That's something I've got on my side and you don't!!!

　When he says that, Rage looks over at us.

'Ray-kun: ......'
Mr. Rage: "Mr. Rage: ......

　Sahoko and Reno's eyes are watering with emotion.
　Nao and Shirone are smiling with embarrassment.
　Kaya is expressionless.
　By the way, I'm looking at Rage with a blank stare, saying, "What are you talking about," as I suddenly start my speech. Is this a promise? But it looks like we've won, so let's hear it out.

"These goddesses in here will save me!　So no matter how strong the guys are, I'm not afraid of them!　Because I know I'm going to win in the end!

　As he says this, Rage's sword glows.

'Come on, it's over now, Dehart!　You may disappear with my sword of light!

　With that, Rage turns to face Dihardt.

'Wait, Rage-kun!

　I call out in a rush.

'What the hell, Chiyuki,'

　Rage turns around with a disgruntled look on his face. It's no surprise that he stopped me when I was about to go in for a good look.

''What's up, Chiyuki-san? You're going to help this guy?

　Reno asks me.

'Yes!　This guy is dangerous!　We should take it down right now!　It's hilarious to help!

　Cyrone says.

'Help?　No way. I just need to ask this guy a few questions.
You want to hear it?

　I nodded.

'I need to ask you one last question. About that masked man.

　We owe that masked man a debt of gratitude. I need to get that information out of him.

So I just need a little more time to kill him.

　The game is now won.

'If that's the case, I guess I have no choice: ......

　Cyrone and Reno agree.

'Then I'll ask you a lot of questions at this time. Even if you don't want to, by force.'

　Rage laughs. 'He's going to torture you.

'It's in front of the girls, so you'll have to be moderate. ......

　I've gotten used to it a lot since I came to this world, but even if they are demons, I don't think it's a good idea to hurt them needlessly.
　Unless, however, they don't talk quietly.
　We laugh and head to Dihardt's place.




◆Dark Knight Kroki

　Rage is screaming.
　I was dazed and dazed, but I listened to the words.
　Rage was right. I don't have a goddess to help me.
　This must be the difference between Rage and myself. I felt a wall that I could never win.
　To begin with, there was one over here and seven over there. To be honest, I think it's unfair.
　But there was no point in worrying about that now.
　That was a tough spell back there. It's a wonder I'm still alive.
　I put my hand on my chest. I can feel the breath of a fire dragon.

You're a lifesaver: ....... Thank you ....... But it looks like ...... isn't working anymore.

　I mutter to myself.
　Thanks to the resistance to fire that the fire dragon's soul gave me, I was able to prevent the flames contained in the explosion. That's why I could live.
　However, I couldn't completely prevent the shock wave of the explosion. Thanks to this, the armor I'm wearing is tattered. It's also hard to stand.
　I can see them approaching. They are laughing happily.
　I'm sure they're happy to have beaten me.
　I know it's not good if I don't do this, but I can't move my body.
　What should I do? If you reveal your true identity and apologize, you may be able to save your life.
　But I couldn't do that. I think I'm an idiot for putting my life in danger.
　From the feeling on my back, I can tell that Glorious is about to jump out of the way.

'No, Glorious ....... Just stay hidden.'

　If we stay hidden, they won't find us. If we do that, at least Glorious will be spared.
　They're getting closer.
　My body wobbles and my head wobbles.

'Ah, ......'

　By the time I realized it, it was too late.
　Maybe it was because I shook my head. The helmet that had cracks in it shifted and fell to the ground.



The black-haired wise man Chiyuki.

　Dihardt's body shakes and Dihardt's helmet falls to the ground.
　From that moment on, Dihardt's true face is revealed.

''What? You're a human ......

　I didn't expect it. I was sure that its true face was a monster.
　The face looked like a normal human being, neither a demon nor a monster. It had black hair and a slender face. Its white face was tinted a little red.

''Ah-----!!!

　Suddenly Reno points to Dihardt and shouts.

'What's going on!　Reno-san!

　I look at Reno.

'Ah! I've seen that man before!

　Reno looks at Dihardt and exclaims.

'Ku...... Kroki......!

　Cyrone mutters.
　Everyone looks at Shirone at his words.

'Nah, why is Kuroki here---!

　Cyrone exclaims.

'Shit!　Yes, that's Shirone's childhood friend!
""E--------!!!

　Me and Nao look at Reno in surprise.
　Come to think of it, Reno must have seen Shirone's childhood friend before. And Sirone also says he's the one who Dihardt is.
　Could that be him?
　Why is Syrone's childhood friend here?
　I get confused.

'Why is Sirone's childhood friend here?'

　Raige mentions a question. That's what I want to know.
　I look at him, my childhood friend.
　He looks like he's going to fall over, looking like he's going to die.

'Oh, I'm going to fall over!

　Reno shouts.
　His body shakes and he almost falls backwards.

'Hey, Kroki!

　Syrone tries to run up to him.
　But a moment too soon, a huge shadow jumps out of the cave.

''Eh, a dragon!

　It was a jet black dragon that jumped out.
　The dragon scooped him up on his back and placed him on his back and flew at a furious speed.
　We couldn't move because of the suddenness of the situation.

'Eh, what ....... What happened ----!

　Cyrone screams out. She looks confused, unsure of what's going on.
　The dragon carrying him was getting smaller and smaller.
　I could only watch the dragon fly away.



◆Kuroki the Dark Knight

　I'm flying on Glorious's back.

You're safe, Glorious.

　It's like I almost fell over myself, which made me jump out of my skin unexpectedly.
　As a result, I was saved.
　There is no goddess of victory, but it seems that there is a dragon that can help us. So even if you can't win, you can still live.
　For some reason, Rage and the others didn't chase after me. I don't know why.
　I put my hand to my face. There is no helmet there. It's my real face.

'You've been exposed: ......

　This would have completely disliked the person called Kroki, not Dihardt. After all, he had cut down someone he loved. There's no way we can go back to our original relationship.

''I guess we can't win after all: ......

　I think it's a silly rivalry, I don't know what I'm fighting against.

It's really stupid: ......

　I laugh a little.
　He touches the horn of the Holy Dragon King tied to Glorious' back.

'I wonder if this will bring a goddess to me: ......

　Then maybe we can win next time.
　I'm starting to feel dazed. I'm tired, as expected.

'Sorry, Glorious ....... I need to get some sleep.

　Consciousness fades on Glorious's back.
　Glorious flies through the blue sky. The clouds were clear and the sun was shining on them.
　In the midst of it all, I fell asleep.