30-30 I'll parry the dragon




 The dragon was puzzled as it fell.

 Why am I falling from the sky?
 Why is he falling towards the ground?

 I was sure I was going to shoot the light at those wise little people.
 And the light was released.
 I thought so.

 No, it had to be.
 Because the light that will destroy everything is shining right in front of me.

 Then why?

 I thought I shot the light straight at the little ones with the intention of feeding it to them.

 Why is it in the sky?
 And why am I falling as I look at it?

 The dragon wondered.
 As he fell, his back, covered with scales harder than crystal, crushed stone structures one after another, breaking the earth with a roar and sinking his body into the ground - the dragon still did not understand.

 What the hell was going on?

 He wondered.
 This is not right.

 It was as if he had been flung away (・・・・・・・) by something.

 In the midst of the dust and debris flying high in the sky, as he wondered and tried to raise himself up, the dragon suddenly saw the figure of an object.

 A small being with a black needle-like object in its hand.
 It was the same thing he had seen just before he had tried to shine his light.

 It stood quietly on the stormy ground, staring at the dragon's figure.

 Oh, that's it.

 Is it because of this?
 This is what made me this way.
 This is the one who covered my scales with dust.

 So this is the one who did it.

 The dragon was furious when he realized it.
 There was no pain or injury to the body.
 But I couldn't forgive it.
 I don't know how this little one did it.
 I don't know what tricks he's played.

 But... he did something.
 And that's what got in the way of what I was trying to do.
 That's what the dragon believes.

 I'll never forgive him.

 The dragon's roar of anger resonated with the earth and shook the sky.

 There was no particular reason for his anger.
 I will crush anything that stands in my way.
 Those who resist will be torn apart and chewed without mercy.
 It was like an instinct etched deep within the dragon's body.



 If the dragon wanted to, there would be nothing left of the bodies of the little ones.
 That was the absolute result and the whole experience of the dragon for thousands of years.

 So the dragon swung its proud claws, which were several times the size of the little one's body, at the unpleasant creature in front of it without hesitation.

 But...

"Parry!

 The dragon didn't understand what was happening at first.

 The dragon's claws did indeed swing down.
 The dragon's claws, which had torn apart mountains, crushed the petty castles of the little people, and torn apart his own kind, slammed down with all the force they could muster.

 With a roar, the earth cracked and sank.
 With a roar, the earth cracked and sank, crushing the smaller ones into a single stain.

 It was supposed to.

 But somehow, the little being is not crushed by his claws.
 On the contrary, it seems to be passing through (・・・・・・・).

 That would never happen.

 With that in mind, the dragon turned around to take a tail strike with its long tail, which boasted an even greater mass.
 With this, the dragon has smashed and shattered even the hardest scaled of his kind.
 Those clever little bastards are nothing to me...
 With that thought in mind, he turned his body and spun his tail with all his might.
 In the process, hundreds of dwellings built by the little ones and several masonry walls were crushed and broken one after another, sending up a cloud of dust.
 The dragon listened to the rumbling sound and swung its proud tail, covered with scales much harder than iron, as hard as it could to strike the annoying little ones.

 This time, it would not be able to stop him, he thought, filling his mind with feelings of pleasure.

 But...

"Parry!

 Immediately after, the dragon felt a strange sensation in his body...
 The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground on his back.
 When he looked up, he saw his long tail flying high in the sky.

"────? ────

 The dragon did not know what had happened.

 And then...

 You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.
 He just held a black object in one hand - that meaningless little needle thing that the little ones always like to hold in their hands - and stood there quietly as if nothing had happened.

 What the hell is this?
 What the hell is going on?

 The dragon wondered.
 It's as if... the little guy had just knocked off his own tail (・・・・・).

 No, no.

 That's not possible.
 That must be some kind of mistake.

 Yes.
 I should've done that from the beginning.
 Unleash your most prized means of destruction, the light, the breath.


 With that thought in mind, the dragon opens its jaws and rapidly concentrates the vast amount of magic power it has stored up over hundreds of years of sleep into its throat.

 Then, the space around it distorts as if it were cracking.
 The magic power increases in the back of his throat, and he feels it getting very hot.

 The dragon, who has no facial muscles, laughs in his heart.

 Yes, this is it.
 This is the way to go.
 There is no way you can make a mistake.
 There's no way...

 Because there has never been a creature that didn't disappear by doing this.
 The dragon reawakened thousands of years of memories and confirmed its own righteousness.
 And it concluded.
 This is the end of the little guy.
 This is the end of the fool who defied the dragon, the pinnacle of all living things... the dragon never doubted that.

 Immediately, a huge amount of magic power converged in the back of the dragon's throat... reaching critical mass.

 And so...

 And so it was that the dragon was able to destroy the lands of the little princes without a trace.
 Crumbling mountains, changing the shape of the earth.
 The dragon's prized light, which has burned away all manner of unsavory enemies for thousands of years...

 The dragon's vaunted "light", which has burned away all sorts of unwanted enemies for thousands of years, is now unleashed on a single "little thing".

 In an instant, the area turns white, and a line of magic, promising certain destruction to anyone who touches it, shoots from the dragon's mouth... straight to the little annoyance.

 Now, no matter what happens, it's over - the dragon narrowed his eyes with certainty.

 But...

"Parry!

 The light that the dragon was so proud of, that he had shot with all his might, was easily flicked upwards and out into the sky, making a meaningless dent somewhere in the distance.

 Why?
 Why is this happening?

 But the dragon finally understood.

 There's no doubt about it.

 It's him...
 This is the one that interfered with the breath that I tried to release in the air.
 It's because of him that I couldn't satisfy my desire to destroy and overrun.

 The dragon finally admitted it.  
 This... this little one is the enemy.

 A nasty little thing with the power to interfere with him.
 That's how powerful and unpleasant he is.

 A small thing.
 He is standing in front of you, the dragon, as your "enemy".

 Knowing this, the dragon became even angrier.
 That was unacceptable.

 I don't care what happens now.

 I'll make you disappear completely!


 I'm gonna lay you out again and again and again.
 Not a single piece of you, not a single piece of flesh, not a single bone will be allowed to exist.
 Complete and utter annihilation.
 That is the end and the inevitable result of those who defy the dragon.
 There are no exceptions.
 And so will this little one.
 We will.

 I can't help it.



 The dragon's instincts of destruction and violation awakened.
 The dragon's instinct to destroy and ravage is awakened. From there, it unleashes all of its power into every attack in order to crush the annoying existence.
 It no longer cared if its own body was hurt.
 The only thing that mattered was that the unpleasant little person in front of me would scatter and disappear.
 With each blow, the ground was gouged, the earth was shaken, and all of the little one's structures within sight were smashed.
 The dragon's instincts dictate that it destroys everything it sees.
 The only thing left to do now is to let go.
 Before you know it, it's all over.
 All that's left is an airy plain of rubble.
 Then, after you've destroyed everything and you feel better, you go back to bed... and sleep. For hundreds of years.

 It would happen again this time... it had to.
 The dragon didn't have to think about it, he was sure of it, and once again, a feeling of pleasure filled his heart.

 But...

 But as he continued to attack the little one over and over again, his anger and pleasure were gradually transformed into something else.

 Doubt. Doubt.
 And... confusion.
 The dragon thought as he watched the little one holding the small black needle in front of him.

 Why is this little one still alive...?
 Wasn't he supposed to be attacking with all his might right now?
 Why isn't it dead?
 Why is it moving?

 And...

 Why are my claws and scales so damaged?
 The dragon's prized claws and scales, which were supposed to be unharmable, harder than iron and crystal, even vajra would be hard to damage.
 They are as fragile and damaged as if they were pieces of wood or something.
 This has never happened to me before.

 And then the dragon noticed something else.

 This little thing had no intent to kill him.
 Not once did it even show any sign of attacking.

 It's as if it doesn't even recognize the dragon as an enemy.


 Even though the dragon, this dragon, has properly acknowledged this little one as an enemy.

 This situation is familiar to me.
 The dragon always dismissed as insignificant those who came at it with hostility.
 Their hostility and "attacks" are nothing to itch for the dragon.
 You can let them do whatever they want to you - just smash them whenever you feel like it, whenever you feel like it.

 Because they are weak.
 They're not even the enemy.
 That's why the dragon was never hostile.

 But now...
 The situation I'm in right now, wielding my claws...

 This is like...
 This situation is like...

 Isn't this just like the weak waving their claws at the strong?

 The dragon was furious.

 That's not acceptable.
 I will not tolerate such arrogance from the weak.
 Only you, the strong, are allowed to be arrogant.
 The dragon's pride is engraved deep in his body.
 The instinct of the absolute.
 And so the dragon pounced with his prized fangs, harder than anything else, which could bite through a vajra.

 But the little one waited quietly for the dragon's bite... and then...
 And then he grasped the black needle-like object in his hand...

"Parry.

 The dragon's bared fangs were smashed and its neck was bent... and it was rolled to the ground once again in a heap.

"────? ────

 The dragon crushed the earth with its own momentum, and as it sank into the ground it ruminated on what had just happened.

 The anger had passed.
 Next came the question.

 And then... he was sure.
 The dragon realized.
 It had to.

 ──── The world is ruled by the strong. ────

 The strong rule the weak...
 The "weak" must obey the "strong.

 This is the principle and instinct of the dragon.
 It's the only logical way for a dragon to live.

 So the dragon, being the dragon that it is, has no choice but to acknowledge its instincts.
 Now the "weak one" is himself.
 That he is now the loser, the one who is forced to submit.

 And once he understood that, his instincts told him what to do.
 He did what his instincts told him a loser should do.


 That is to say, lie on the ground on your neck and stomach, rub your head against the ground, close your eyes...
 The dragon then crouched down with his head in front of the little one.

 For the first time in his life, the dragon assumed a posture of submission.