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“Gal… what is all this?”

In the silence, broken only by the heavy breathing of a wounded beast, I managed to speak.

The dragon, collapsed in its nest and panting, opened its eyes, and I could see the fatigue and pain within them.

But even as Gal looked at me with those eyes, it only struggled to breathe, unable or unwilling to explain.

Realizing I wouldn’t get an answer right away, I instinctively began to assess Gal’s condition.

Giant swords, like ancient trees, were embedded deep within Gal’s body, tearing through the scales that served as armor. I couldn’t tell their exact length.

‘Giants…’

The only race that wielded weapons like that was the Titans.

‘But how?’

I watched the shimmering heat haze rising from the crimson pool spreading across the floor beneath Gal.

It wasn’t just steam from hot blood; the concentrated Mana within the blood was dissipating into the air, causing a refractive effect.

The all-powerful dragon’s strength was still intact.

What was most surprising was Gal’s injuries.

Having fought Gal myself, I knew that wounds meant little to this dragon.

A single draconic word could work miracles, instantly healing even the most grievous injuries.

For a moment, I wondered if this was all an act to mock me, but the pain in Gal’s ragged breaths quickly dispelled that notion.

Probing All Forms revealed that the core near Gal’s neck was weakened, but not critically damaged.

“…Swords.”

I stared at the dull, leaden blades embedded in Gal’s flesh.

If it couldn’t heal even with such severe injuries, the cause of the wounds must be the problem.

I reached out to one of the nearly twenty swords piercing Gal’s back.

Since these were giant-sized swords, there was no way I, with my smaller frame and hands, could physically pull one out.

The energy extending from my body gently enveloped one of the massive swords.

‘…A little stiff.’

Was it the sheer weight of the thing, or was there some trickery involved?

It took a moment to gain control of the sword.

“…Krrgh.”

But finally, the giant’s sword was pulled free with Gal’s groan.

Even in pain, Gal seemed surprised that the sword had been removed.

‘…If it was just this, there’s no way it couldn’t have handled it alone.’

“Are you with it, Gal? What happened to leave you in this state?”

I continued to ask questions as I manipulated my energy to pull out another sword, hoping to keep Gal conscious.

When more than ten swords had been removed, halving the number embedded in Gal’s body, Gal slowly opened its mouth.

“…I was ambushed.”

“Ambushed? By the Titans?”

“…There was a big ape too.”

There was only one being Gal would refer to as a big ape.

The Elder Loa Terato, creator of the Titan race.

Deep down, I suspected as much.

Even if there were giants I hadn’t seen, or even more powerful individuals, Gal shouldn’t have been defeated.

“Hard to say what the reason was… come to think of it, you did recently make an enemy.”

The sudden increase in the number of giants in the north was a result of Gal’s attack on Terato, fueled by dissatisfaction with the Titans Terato had recently created.

The suddenly increased number of giants were beings born from the blood Terato shed at that time.

It was an absurd story, but Elder Loa were never bound by ordinary rules.

“Even so, I never expected a being of your caliber to end up so battered.”

“Things born from him are immune to my power.”

“…Draconic words?”

I wondered how that was possible for mere giants, but then something occurred to me.

“Come to think of it, you always used your claws when attacking giants.”

Not only when attacking my two disciples, but all the corpses of giants defeated by Gal had spinal columns severed by what appeared to be bestial claws, not any transcendent power.

Come to think of it, Gal pathologically hated anything dirty or vulgar.

Choosing to get its own hands dirty was definitely strange.

“So, this sword stuck in your body too?”

“…Yes.”

My energy was accepted, albeit with resistance, while Gal’s superior Mana and power were strongly rejected.

Examining the extracted sword, it felt dark and oppressive, but I couldn’t sense any transcendent power.

‘If that’s the case…’

With about half the swords removed, I looked at Gal, who seemed to have regained some strength.

It was already remarkable that it was still alive after suffering such grievous wounds, but it was equally impressive that it seemed somewhat relieved after having about half the swords removed.

Even without the godlike power of draconic words, the dragon before me was an incredibly strong and resilient creature.

And as long as this dragon lived and bound me, I would have to wait for an uncertain future.

Now, as if by fate, I was presented with a severely injured dragon and the weapons to harm it.

A certain emotion welled up within me.

The ten massive, dark swords lying scattered on the ground twitched.

And Gal, with its superior Mana control and sensitivity, even in its injured state, couldn’t have missed it.

“…I see. You were forcibly taken by my power. If I lose that power, you would naturally want to escape my grasp. I never considered it, having never been weak in my life.”

At first, Gal seemed surprised, but then its eyes showed acceptance, becoming serene.

“Since I’m already this wounded, the big ape won’t miss this chance to finish me off. I’d rather die by your hand than by that ugly creature who doesn’t know its place and is full of greed.”

The all-powerful and beautiful golden dragon calmly spoke of its own death.

“You Elves and humans use animal carcasses to make tools and clothing, don’t you? I wouldn’t be comfortable with my body being defiled after death, but it would be better than being taken and used by the big ape. But if possible, I’d prefer you not to make anything using my body. It would become a hideous monstrosity.”

The dragon chuckled, its body shaking despite the pain, then stopped laughing and laid its body fully on the ground, slowly extending its neck.

It turned only its massive eyes to look at me.

As if telling me to end it.

If I used the swords Terato had tampered with to strike Gal’s neck, I would be free.

The laws that separated the outside world from this nest would disappear when Gal died.

Even if they didn’t, I could break through them once my Upper Dantian recovered.

With those thoughts, I reached out towards the massive swords.

“…What are you thinking?”

“…I am a Martial artist, and a High Elf.”

“I don’t understand. Does that explain your actions?”

Gal said, looking at the swords that had been completely removed from its body by my gesture.

“Speaking as Araya the Martial artist, I don’t want to end my rival in such a meaningless way.”

“That is a foolish decision.”

“…That’s what a Martial artist is. If my other siblings saw this, they’d probably hit their chests and tell me not to be stubborn.”

“…So, what is the heart of Araya the High Elf?”

“…We value balance. Gal, you are a powerful being. A single species, a single individual, but enough in itself.”

“Accurate. I am a complete being.”

Even though it looked unsightly, not having healed and with blood everywhere, Gal’s attitude was still arrogant and confident, making me chuckle.

“A force capable of killing such a being. If you die and disappear, the Elves and humans will have to face powerful beings with unknown motives head-on. By chance, due to your personality, but whether you like it or not, you have been the giants’…”

“A deterrent, you mean.”

“…Exactly.”

Gal slowly raised its head and offered it to me.

“…Is that all the reason?”

“…What else could there be?”

“…Hmph.”

After that, a healing draconic word enveloped Gal’s body.

After a moment, the blood that had been spilled on the floor, the massive dragon that had suffered terrible wounds, disappeared, and in its place was a single Elf.

The Elf wore golden clothes, the same color as its hair, from the treasure vault.

“You won’t regret not killing me?”

“…Honestly, I’m regretting it a little now. So, what are you planning to do?”

“I wonder…”

Gal’s expression became complicated.

Normally, with its arrogant personality, it would have flown off to take revenge immediately.

But it was arrogant, not foolish.

The outer body seemed to have recovered, but the damage to its spirit, like the injury to its Upper Dantian, was clear.

Having been ambushed in such a weakened state, the opponent who had inflicted such grievous wounds that it was a miracle it survived would likely have a high chance of winning even if it attacked again.

“Do you think Terato can find this place?”

“I can’t guess what the principle is, but it seems to have a way to ignore my power, so it will find it someday.”

The nest was a space where the laws were twisted by Gal’s draconic words.

Originally, it was a place that couldn’t be approached without Gal’s permission, but now it was no longer a place where safety could be guaranteed from Terato, who had some means.

“Then we must leave.”

“…I never thought there would be a day when I would suffer such humiliation from the big ape.”

“Then why don’t you come with me?”

“…What?”

“There is a being comparable to you on my side, my mother, and I have made separate arrangements on the human side. If you join us, even Terato won’t be able to move carelessly. Besides, I’ve been out of contact with the outside world for a long time, so shouldn’t I let them know I’m safe?”

“……”

“…Surely you’re not still spouting nonsense about me being yours, are you?”

It didn’t dare to say yes so brazenly, but it grimaced and turned its head away, clearly displeased.

But it didn’t utter a word of refusal, only turning its eyes to look at me.

“…So, will you come?”

Gal, wearing an expression of wounded pride for a long time, nodded very slightly.

I chuckled at the sight.

Just as defeat had come suddenly, so too had freedom.

Thanks to that, although I had a bit of a troublemaker with me, I could end my long confinement and return to Pohln at the end of spring, as I had promised Aliya.