The Story of Hero Among Heroes ~The Founding Chronicles of Arestia Chapter 80

Weekly chapters (1/2)

Quite long chapter.
Enjoy and have nice weekend~

Translator: Raizu
Editor: s.h.i.+rayuki

Chapter 80 – Miracle of Heinz – Behind the Scenes –

The capital is currently under siege by millions of monsters. Everyone who could fight headed to the wall, while the children and the elders gathered up in the hall on each district, praying.

At the city center of Heinz…
This place was originally the busiest part of the city, but now n.o.body was there at the moment.
Zekka ran through the road like a gale.

Ares' instruction to Zekka was:

[To destroy the Demon King Galgain's Artifact or to kill whoever has it.]

And therefore, Zekka had several of his subordinates to look around with him.

Zekka was given a compa.s.s by Ares. The instrument would show him the direction to the item he's searching for.
The search was more difficult than expected. For he had no prior knowledge about the city interior and there was no one he could ask around…
Even so, they silently continued on. Because they knew, that they are racing against time.

And then… Zekka saw a certain house.

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[Head, the reaction apparently comes from this house.]

[It seems to be so…]

Zekka discussed the situation with his subordinate while observing the house from a distance.
Although they had the general direction set, it's still very difficult to pinpoint a single house within a capital city like Heinz, even for a Dragon's Eye agent like Zekka.

Looking at the sky, the sun had begun to set. Starting from last night when he began the search, it took almost a full day to find his target.

[Looks like there is no mistake here… let's hope that there are no more surprises…]

Zekka cued his subordinates with hand gestures. The two men quickly approached the entrance of the house silently according to the signal.

With that timing…

A person popped out from the entrance, followed by an explosion.

[! Did they notice us!?]

Trying to escape, the person emitted some kind of shockwave from his mouth. Taking a hit directly, Zekka's men were blown away to the adjacent house' wall, instantly knocking them out.

Zekka took a good look at this 'person'.

It has the head of a goat and a thick muscled body. On its hand was a big eyelid that stared back at Zekka with its golden eyeball.

[『War G.o.d』's dog… huh?]

The goat headed creature said upon noticing the emblem of the [Eye] on the cloth wrapped around Zekka's arm.

[That means… you are a 『Dragon's Eye』?]

That said, the goat headed creature struck its broadaxe to the ground. Right afterward, the ground in front of it parted with a crack. Zekka, instead of giving an answer, questioned the man as he dodged away.

[How did you know that we are here?]

[Anyone would be able to tell if you run around with that much of magic power. Immature.]

The goat headed creature repositioned its broadaxe up.

[Well then… let me tell you, being the『War G.o.d』's dog, it means that I must kill you. Especially since I'm now all excited thanks to this『Demon King's Artifact』!]

The goat creature leapt with great momentum.

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[Guh!]

Zekka kept his distance, but he's slowly losing momentum.
Seeing the situation, Zekka shouted at his remaining men who hadn't been knocked out cold.

[Ginga! Retsuga! Take Souga and Kouga. You two are not this creature's opponent. Hurry and inform Ares-sama.]

Zekka drew out the two swords hanging in his waist.

[Let me tell you, I'm going to go all out now. Too bad for you.]

Having said so, Zekka unleashed his magic power, which blanketed his body in red aura.

[But… Head…]

[Heed my words! It'll be all over once you all reach Ares-sama]

[….yes. G.o.dspeed.]

The two subordinates called Ginga and Retsuga carried their unconscious companions and left
The goat creature grinned a ferocious smile upon seeing this.

[Hou, that was surprising. You ordered your subordinates to escape. But to think you harbor even more power than I thought. Then I should also take this seriously.]

The goat creature's body was wrapped in a black aura.

[You cur… that power…]

[Correct. This is the『Demon King's Artifact』's power. It's not only capable of driving demons mad, it can also give an overwhelming power.]

Then he added.

[Equal to that of the ancient demon king, Galgain himself.]

[That means… those forms too is…]

[Correct… This is due to the influence of the demon king's power. Now, let's test it out… just how strong this power is!!]

Having said that, the goat creature rushed towards Zekka with a speed much faster than before.
It swung down the broadaxe.

[Diieeeee!]

Zekka barely managed to block the attack with his two swords. But he was slowly losing ground as the opponent pushed with overwhelming force.

[Ha!]

Zekka created some distance once more, making his way around the goat creature. He moved so fast that he left behind afterimages, throwing the goat creature off.

[Noisy small fry… are you trying to trick me with your speed… but!]

The goat creature swung its broadaxe sideways.

[Gah!]

That swing took Zekka by surprise and sent him cras.h.i.+ng into the wall. The momentum was enough to cause the hard wall to crumble.

[Too easy… Too easy… oh, dog of『War G.o.d』. Your lord will fall here. The 『War G.o.d』will be consumed by the monsters and be forcefully returned to the『Eternal Cloister』. Arcadia will be in jeopardy. The world will become turbulent. And the world I've dreamed of will come true.]

[……………….what the h.e.l.l do you actually want?]

The goat creature grinned at Zekka's question.

[Let's treat this as a souvenir for your journey to h.e.l.l. We are the『Snake of Darkness』. Our lord, once a great deity, was destroyed by the『War G.o.d』in the past]

He continued on.

[Our dream is to set the world in chaos. Where no human, demi-human nor demonkin live. That is what our lord, the『Lord of Chaos』wishes.]

[Lord of Chaos…?]

[Well, time to stop this nonsense. Die now. It's hard to control this overflowing power of the demon king]

The goat creature swung his broadaxe with a laugh.

At that moment…

The goat creature's arm disappeared. No…

It was torn apart.

[Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]

It couldn't even react on time. Its golden eye turned toward Zekka.

[You… what's with that arm?]

Zekka's right arm had turned into a large green scaled claw. In his grasp was the goat creature's hand.

[I don't really want to show this true form…]

Zekka said as he rose slowly.

[You… what in the world are you…]

[I'd be grateful if only you speak up some more information. But this is it.]

Following that, Zekka's other arm, then his torso, both legs, and head …transformed.

A pair of horns grew on his head. His body became covered in green scales, with bulging muscles underneath.

He also grew… a tail.

The goat creature was visibly upset upon seeing his appearance.

[No way…you are a dragonkin!? Why, why would [a race closest to G.o.d] willingly serve under a human…]

[That man has always been the master of us, the dragonkin. As per the ancient contract.]

Zekka bared his fangs.

[As the dragonkin, we shouldn't involve ourselves into the conflict of other races. However we can still lend our aid from the shadows by becoming his eyes. Thus, the『Dragon's Eye』.]

[That means, your kind aren't supposed to be allowed to take other's lives…]

[Didn't you hear me? Indeed, we should keep our hands off, but that doesn't mean we must.]

Zekka quietly approached after throwing away the goat creature's severed arm. In exchange, a condensed lump of magic power could be seen on his hand. The goat creature crawled on the ground trying to get away.

The situation was reversed in such a short notice.

[You sure are strong… my subordinates might have a hard time fighting you even in their true form. But… I am the first of the dragonkin.]

A huge flame took form on Zekka's palm.

[Your power is lacking. If you want to match me on equal ground…..bring along a demon lord…or an ancient dragon or someone as strong as our lord.]

[Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamnnnnnn yoooooooooouuuuuuuuu!]

[Secret Dragonic Arts『Zekka』!]

At the same time, the goat creature's body was enveloped in a whirl of flame. After a while, the flame gradually died down. What's left was a small black lump.

[The Demon King's artifact… devious instruments that Galgain left behind. Will its present affect this era? This is troubling.]

Zekka silently stabbed the lump with the dagger that Ares entrusted to him alongside the compa.s.s. The lump immediately disintegrated into nothing.

[But…unfortunately for『that man』…. Ares-sama is here. The plot that the lord of chaos weaved… has come to an end.]

Zekka turned his gaze towards the ramparts.
Hearing the sound of cheers and joy gradually building up from the distance, he smiled calmly.

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Dragonkin
Literature found in churches said of [a race closest to G.o.d].

They took a different evolutionary path than the Ancient Dragon, gaining a humanoid body, high level of intelligence and a large amount of magic power. Aside from wielding [katanas], they are also known for their [Jutsu] and unique culture. (TL Note: I somewhat imagine them as Isekai Ninja)

When they released their power, their body partially turned draconic, having power that was said to be comparable to an Ancient Dragon.

They normally avoided contact with other races, and very rarely appeared in historical accounts.
They were said to be a proud and solitary race.