9) Black Bear and Dragon

Weed’s high visibility meant the priests found it easy to aim at him when chanting divine magic.

“Twist and pierce through. Wave of Light.”

“Scary memories, the most dangerous things that have happened to you will appear in front of you. Advent of Fear.”

“Flapping its wings. Summon human eating pests!”

“Blood will not stop overflowing. b.l.o.o.d.y Eve!”

Weed swept away the fanatics running towards him with both arms.

Kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

The fanatics were thrown dozens of metres away with the impact causing a deep pit! No matter how their strength was amplified by the power of faith in this place, it was no use against Weed.

Buildings crumbled and there was a deep pit in the ground every time he wielded his arms.

The pleasure of a giant creature trampling on the small and weak! His fists could crush anything while the enemies just rolled around the ground and died. This was the fun of being a giant.

“Bring it on. These people will continue to drop j.a.ptem.”

It was impossible for regular soldiers in the warring period to go against Weed. There was a large difference like heaven and earth. However, his eyes that showed his charisma and fighting spirit also pressed against the enemies.

The enemy could only submit to his authority and their fear would increase his infamy. The knights died with just one hit form the sword and the Great Emperor of the desert created a new chapter in the history of the continent.

Even so, the fanatics didn’t panic or shrink back. Soon the various spells of the Embinyu Church focused on Weed!

Weed bent his upper body to avoid some but most of the magic hit. Of course, the thick leather meant the maximum magic damage was reduced by half and he didn’t feel much pain.

“Act in moderation. I don’t know what I did to become an enemy.”

“Shut up, you are the culprit that destroyed the Sky Tower! You have already forgotten your sins!”

“Yes, it is my fault for living for this world. I was always like this!”

He even used the wreckage of the building in combat. The giant black bear ran around and threw anything he could get his hands on. The large and small remnants of the tower were everywhere. He used the buildings as cover to take out enemies one by one.

Many of the priests were dealing with the dragon so that was a large advantage. Many priests were directing their brainwas.h.i.+ng magic towards the dragon so they couldn’t attack Weed.

Heuller only glared at Weed.

“You will surrender to G.o.d Embinyu. Don’t resist. Blasphemy!”

-The high priest Heuller has used Blasphemy on this entire region.

You will receive a blow to your health and mana, depending on your faith.

Health has decreased by 4,394!

Blasphemy can’t be resisted.

Your faith stat has temporarily been replaced by 0.

For 4 minutes, all corpses of Embinyu knights and priests will exert constraints.

Weed hasn’t received much damage despite currently didn’t have any faith. However, all his resentment exploded out after Heuller used the technique.

“How am I supposed to fight like this?”

The memory of fighting Bardray in the past resurfaced. Even back then, he had to fight through all types of disadvantageous conditions.

Blasphemy would be decisive in a large scale war. Even if he brought regular priests, they wouldn’t be able to help. The priests wouldn’t be able to use healing magic unless Heuller was killed. This situation was like an unfair compet.i.tion between a wealthy son and a rebellious son!

Heuller tapped the ground a few times with his staff.

“Embinyu will burn everything. Summon the Fire of Destruction!”

-The Fire of Destruction has been summoned.

The ident.i.ty of the magic hasn’t been fully revealed.

This black magic is considered among one of the worst attack magic against humans and the method to use the magic has become a secret.

An enormous health will be the nouris.h.i.+ng for the flame that will burn people’s flesh.

The Flames of Destruction won’t burn out.

When it moves around a certain radius, it will burn people except for the one who summoned it and will become hotter.

After finally filling up the required health and vitality, the flame will return to its summoner and be activated.

“This isn’t acting moderately at all.”

But the high priest of the Embinyu Church continued to use his divine magic. A huge fireball was slowly being formed in the air.

He could fight using direct physical combat but Heuller’s holy magic and protection spells were on another level. Even physical attacks like the dragon swinging its paws or tail were easily blocked by a protective barrier.

“My subordinates are invisible at this important moment. It would be nice if Hestiger was here.”

Weed moved to a location where there was a huge pile of rubble from the collapse of the Sky Tower.

Heuller and the priests of the Embinyu Church needed to be near the dragon. Weed couldn’t leave the area due to the curse magic but he could enter deeper into the enemy.

Meanwhile, the Fire of Destruction had hit the dragon.

Weed stepped closer due to this.

“G.o.d Embinyu is a man right? It is difficult to tell so I need a small reminder…..”

“Kill him!”

The Embinyu knights led the attack against him. Usually they were a fairly scary existence. They were rush at utmost speed and crush the enemy with their swords or spears.

The charge of the knights maximized the power of their formation. It was possible for a few thousand knights to slaughter thousands of monsters on the plains. But it was impossible to charge due to the debris so they had to surround him. The ground was also a mess so the knights couldn’t move quickly. Without the charge then they were a good meal for Weed!

-Anger has increased due to the repeated attacks.

Power will greatly increase.

Resilience will be enhanced.

Maximum health has increased and the temporary increase will rise with your percentage of anger.

A state where his anger had risen. Weed smashed the knights into buildings or their colleagues.

“Kuaaaah!”

The roar of a giant bear!

This was the pleasure of being a large creature!

-Kwarararararara!

Another ma.s.sive roar was heard that rocked the land and buildings in close proximity.

“I should fight quietly.”

He blushed as the dragon responded to his yell.

“Come here. I will thoroughly smash all of you!”

Weed fought against the fanatics even more fiercely. Buildings were demolished and he threw rocks at the approaching knights.

There were monsters flying in the sky. Monsters soared up and the sky was filled with a variety of them. They flew towards the dragon but dozens headed towards Weed.

Weed caught any flying monsters that approached and hurled them to the ground. And he roared in a small voice.

“Kuaah!”

When he was younger, he had watched a movie where a huge beast rampaged. People yearned to become a giant creature for the same reason. A King Kong like creature among modern buildings!

Weed was a creature like that as he smashed with his limbs. The evil people gathered around him made him feel very unpleasant!

“Go!”

“It is impossible to jump over on horseback.”

“Abandon the horses.”

“That bear is watching us. Keeook!”

The large bear took advantage of the terrain that he had changed himself. He cracked the ground with his fists and the knights fell from their horses.

Everywhere Weed walked, he would cause a deep pit in the ground due to his weight. He also smashed entrances and alleys to make it difficult for more enemies to appear.

“Don’t get too close and just throw your spears.”

“Call the ranged units. Deploy the archers.”

The Embinyu Church mobilized a ma.s.sive number of soldiers and knights. The priests were almost not visible as they continued to try and control the dragon. The knights covered the ground while archers climbed onto the rubble to fire arrows towards Weed.

“Those are awful shots for soldiers.”

It was inevitable that the spears and arrows from the enemies would hit Weed’s body.

-The glossy fur and leather has exerted its defensive capabilities.

“Kuweek!”

“A-arrows….”

“Continue attacking! Search for those who go against the will of Embinyu.”

The archers fired their arrows. They were aiming at a large target so even arrows fired roughly couldn’t be avoided. But some also went over the target and hit their colleagues.

The arrows and spears that couldn’t penetrate Weed’s thick skin bounced off and damaged their colleagues.

“Throw the spears. All monsters won’t survive in front of the great Embinyu.”

“Let’s go hunting. We can taste the best meat.”

The knights continued to raise their morale with encouragement. The fanatics eagerly jumped to give their support and loyalty so the knights’ fighting spirit didn’t fall.

The advantage in strength and physique that Weed gained as a huge monster was tremendous. Just using his arms would be a long ranged weapon that could a.s.sault a group.

More than 30 enemies lost their lives every time Weed attacked. Just one fist would break a building and the knights holding s.h.i.+elds would fly back into their colleagues!

“Being large is truly funny.”

He enjoyed the enormous damage and flinging debris. But the spears that the knights threw and the arrows caused him a headache due to his high visibility.

Weed didn’t stop at all as he punched and kicked. The knights that came close grabbed his fur and tried to attack. And he couldn’t do anything against the archers.

He threw rocks and swung his arms at the archers but more would come from another place. He killed the enemies but more Embinyu members continued to appear.

-Health is reduced.

The number of arrows inserted in you have exceeded 2,600.

Resilience has increased by 1 due to this great record.

Health will continue to decline due to the many injuries.

“Die!”

“He is weakening!”

Weed was dealing damage to the enemy but it didn’t seem to matter as more of them kept appearing.

“Kuooooh!”

The roar of the giant black bear inflicted fear but the enemy didn’t even hesitate. The frightening growl didn’t express any tiredness as he continued to kill the knights. His health continued to decrease as the arrows kept piercing his body.

It was impossible to defend all his body parts from so many attacks. He had a lot of health but it was gradually reducing. Moreover, the high priest Heuller was clever. He sent troops towards Weed while concentrating on brainwas.h.i.+ng the dragon.

If the Embinyu Church’s brainwas.h.i.+ng of the dragon was successful then everything else would be meaningless. The large black bear would just be like a cute teddy bear or food in front of the dragon!

‘It would be a great honour to die… No, it won’t be tamed in this way. It isn’t a total loss yet.’

Eliminating the Embinyu Church troops and monsters that constantly popped out wasn’t an appropriate method. No matter how much he fought, it had virtually no effect.

‘Should I not deal with these guys?’

Weed gazed at a building that was on fire. But he didn’t know what was happening inside.

Nodulle had used poison in the past but Weed was unaware of its existence. He didn’t know that the poison had already been burned by Hestiger!

He was struggling against the forces of the Embinyu Church alone. The number of troops he saw in the video of the Sky Tower’s construction was impossible for 1~2 people to overpower. Even if he had dealt a huge blow by collapsing the Sky Tower, there was still an enormous number of troops remaining.

-Kuwooooooooh! It hurts! Selfish humans, recklessly giving me pain. I will exterminate your species. Head… My head is breaking!

The dragon suddenly screamed. The dragon was the absolutely strongest creature but now it was making pained groans.

Heuller and the Embinyu Church’s senior priests had firmly grasped the dragon’s head! Just like Weed, the dragon was a large creature with high strength and vitality. That alone meant it could exert a tremendous ability that would prevent it from dying.

But the Embinyu Church had sufficient capacity to brainwash the dragon with their divine power.

“There isn’t much remaining. Once Heuller-nim’s work is completed, this world will crumble.”

“The dragon will be a servant of our church.”

The sound of the archers rejoicing reached Weed’s ears. The collapsed buildings around him meant he could hear a considerable number of sounds from the monsters and knights.

But his sensitive ears would hear those words anywhere!

“Is that right?”

Weed turned around and started to run. Of course, it wasn’t to escape. There was no possibility of him using that method.

Weed jumped over the wreckage and headed towards the dragon. Strands of divine power emerged from the priests and wrapped around the struggling dragon. No matter what the dragon tried, it couldn’t escape from the divine power surrounding its body. And the high priest Heuller continued chanting spells towards the dragon.

The dragon’s tail and wings were still free. It was encircled by dozens of knights.

Weed attacked those Atrocity Knights instead of the troops that emerged. In fact, it was a situation where the troops were dispatched towards the dragon instead of fighting Weed!

Heuller had captured the dragon so they thought Weed was trying to stop it.

“The enemy has appeared.”

“Stop him!”

The Embinyu knights tried to block him but he just broke through them. Weed knocked the bodies of the knights everywhere.

“Ausollet!”

-Who… Who is calling me?

The dragon blinked at Weed with large eyes. The eyes changed from an intense gaze into blank eyes.

The Embinyu Church’s brainwas.h.i.+ng was showing its power! Under normal conditions, the dragon wouldn’t be so easily brainwashed. But Ausollet had been brainwashed by the Embinyu Church for a long time before waking up so it would only take a short time to tame it again.

Weed ran through the knights and the magic attacks from the priests.

“I am going to save you!”

-You… Who are you?

Ausollet had been roaring with aggression towards Weed a short time ago. But now it just asked the question like it had forgotten all about it. A dragon with dementia was the luckiest situation!

“I am your friend.”

-Frie…nd?

“I am going to save you now.”

Weed kicked the priests who were chanting the brainwas.h.i.+ng spell.

“No!”

The priests shrieked.

It was like the Embinyu Church were preparing dinner all night only for the table to be overturned! Half the red lines of brainwas.h.i.+ng around the dragon disappeared.

“Do not interfere. Glacier’s Breath!”

High priest Heuller pointed his fingers and the temperature in Weed’s vicinity declined in 1 second, forming transparent ice cubes. An unavoidable attack!

-You have been shocked by the broken fragments of ice.

Health has decreased by 36,212.

Movement speed has slowed down and additional damage will continue to be received as the ice melts.

-You have been continuously hit by the broken ice fragments.

Damage is added.

Glacier’s Breath was a powerful magic attack that continuously hit him ten times. His reflexes were quick but it was impossible to avoid the damage with his large body. He was able to endure it thanks to his angry state.

-Movement speed has slowed by 58%.

The other priests also used divine magic attacks but by that time, Weed had already released all the red lines of the brainwas.h.i.+ng spell.

Some of the red lines. .h.i.t him instead.

-Embinyu’s Mark of Faith has confined you!

The soul attack has dealt a direct impact to concentration.

Once concentration is completely reduced, you will be a willing slave to Embinyu.

Current mental power status: Dizziness (87/100).

Weed always experienced curveb.a.l.l.s on his adventures. The remaining attacks from the priests were aimed at his health!

As a human sculptor, Weed needed to manage his health well. If his health was low then he would just be slain.

Whether he had 500 health or 1,000 health, he needed to take advantage of everything in order to survive. But now he was huge so the attacks weren’t as dangerous.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t freely move around to kick the priests due to the dragon. Ausollet gazed at Weed who was almost the same size as it.

-Friend….

“Yes, friend.”

-Calling you friend is a little awkward.

“We are very close friends. There is no need to be ashamed.”

The inspirational feeling of a pure friends.h.i.+p.

Dragon and extra-large black bear!

Just standing near the two giant creatures was intimidating as they gave off an enormous pressure. The dragon with dementia was deceived while the black bear was a scam artist!

An absurd number of magic attacks were poured towards Weed and the dragon. The destruction magic that stopped due to the brainwas.h.i.+ng started flying again.

In any other circ.u.mstances, Weed would have no choice except to die. No matter how high his level was, dozens of destructive magic attacks were enough to drop his health in an instant.

-Attack. Stop it.

“No, my friend. You can do that. Unfold your s.h.i.+eld.”

-s.h.i.+eld?

“Yes. You have a really good protection spell. And it is urgent so you should use it quickly.”

-I don’t know how to use it.

“Command the mana that is flooding your bones and heart. Stop the attacks.”

-I will stop it.

Then a thin protective layer was created from the dragon’s body.

“Is this it? Both of us should be protected. Spread out the s.h.i.+eld as much as possible!”

-Block all of it.

Dozens of protective s.h.i.+elds wrapped around Weed and the dragon.

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Despite all the destructive magic attacks, they only pulled down 2~3 of the protective s.h.i.+elds. The absolute magic power of the dragon!

Of course, Ausollet was especially strong among the dragons. However, the hastily unfolded s.h.i.+elds managed to defend against the magic.

Weed was busy thinking as the s.h.i.+elds were maintained for a while. Ausollet had been severely injured by the brainwas.h.i.+ng but the healing powers of its body meant it was slowly recovering.

Of course, Weed collapsing the tower had decreased its health by half. Weed and the dragon were now at risk!

“Friends, would you mind healing me?”

-I’d like to but I don’t know how. What should I do?

“This person, no this bear is very important to you. So I think you should treat the injured areas. Don’t you remember anything when looking at me?”

-I don’t know.

“As expected. On shouldn’t have too many friends. I have to make it work as much as possible.”

-What?

“No, nothing.”

Ausollet thought of Weed as a friend so it used the healing magic on him. The treatment that only a friend of a dragon would receive!

The good news was that the brainwas.h.i.+ng operation slightly purified its arrogant nature.

“He can’t obtain freedom. All knights attack!”

The troops of the Embinyu Church headed towards the dragon. Priests and inquisitors cast their magic. The sight of Ausollet’s s.h.i.+elds blocking the might attacks was spectacular.

But even a dragon’s mana wouldn’t last forever! Ausollet’s s.h.i.+elds decreased one by one. He swung his claws and tail at the enemy before swallowing them. The calibre of the dragon’s attack was different.

Weed was considered a friend so Ausollet didn’t aim at him.

“Are you eating?”

-I’m hungry. Although they have a crude taste.

A dragon grumbling about its food!

‘Now, what will happen…..’

Weed’s brain worked as quickly as the latest computer.

‘A dragon is strong even if it doesn’t use all its battle methods.’

Ausollet damage the people and buildings with its tail. Weed could do that after turning into a black bear but the scale of destruction was different. He could only break the buildings one by one. The armoured knights also held their durable s.h.i.+elds.

“Sacrifice our bodies so that Embinyu can completely cleanse this fallen world.”

Despite the shattered troops and wreckage, the Embinyu troops steadily advanced.

-Go away!

The dragon gave a powerful scream, causing air to compress and pus.h.i.+ng back the troops and arrows.

The relatively weak fanatics were in agony and died. It was a great monster with unimaginable abilities but the Embinyu Church started counterattacking.

The senior priests starting chanting the brainwas.h.i.+ng spell again. If Ausollet continued sitting like this then it would be easily caught.

‘It will be bad even if it isn’t caught by the Embinyu Church’s brainwas.h.i.+ng. After a short time, it will remember its past and the peace of the continent will be at risk.’

Ausollet’s presence itself was enough to cause fear. The Embinyu Church was also dangerous as they had a unique strength. A dragon was one of the most majestic creatures so they would quickly crush the continent if they could control it.

It would be disastrous if the worst dragon in history exerted its power. And Weed had an idea while sticking closely to the dragon.

‘Will it think bear beat is delicious?’

He could only hope that the dragon didn’t decide to eat him.

“It is like feeding a tiger.”

-Friend, I don’t understand what you saying.

Ausollet spoke after catching a roc flying in the sky and eating it. Ausollet was relatively friendly to Weed because it thought they were friends. Perhaps they would have needed to invest money dozens of times in order for Weed to call them a good friend.

“It is nothing. Have you filled your stomach?”

-A little… I’m still hungry.

“Will you eat more monsters?”

-Right now I’m fine. I can’t eat too much at once.

“Then I’m glad.”

In the meantime, Ausollet had devoured 100 monsters. The dragon’s head moved back and forth among the monsters without stopping.

Weed was bored while watching next to the dragon. It was like having no soybean paste in soybean paste stew or no kimchi in kimchi soup! He restored some health but it was quite slow.

“It is no fun since only the monsters are coming out.”

His body was stuck next to the dragon so he couldn’t contribute to the battle.

‘It might be crazy but I won’t know until I try.”

“Spread your wings.”

-What do you mean?

“Spread your two wings and fly into the sky. You can fly.”

Its friend said it so Ausollet spread its wings without any doubts. In the meantime, it had only spread its wings to defeat the onslaught of monsters. The elegant and perfect figure as the dragon spread its wings hundreds of metres wide.

-A familiar feeling.

Wind started blowing from every direction towards the dragon. Ausollet held its head high and lightly flapped its wings. Then its body gradually lifted from the ground.

10 metres. 20 metres. The dragon accelerated and flew into the sky!

The Embinyu Church aimed all types of magic at the dragon but it was blocked by an air s.h.i.+eld.

A dragon that would dominate when flying in the sky!

“Flying is too easy.”

Weed kicked against the ground and jumped. The ground started shaking when he moved. Weed grabbed onto the dragon’s ankles before rotating and landing on its back.

-This impudent thing! A foolish creature being on top of me….

“I am your friend. Have you already forgotten?”

“Is that right?

The dragon easily accepted it!

Well, its mind wasn’t completely awake so it was easy to create a feeling of intimacy. No one knew how long this would last!

“Fly up higher.”

-Understood.

Weed looked at the Embinyu Church as the dragon flew up high.

The speed was on an entirely different level from the wyverns. It was like comparing a three-year-old child to a surprisingly quick motorcycle!

Despite the weight of the huge black bear, the dragon didn’t seem to notice it at all and just kept flying. If he didn’t desperately hold onto the dragon’s neck then he would fall headlong into the ground.

-This is high.

“Yes, that’s right.”

They were so high that the ground was barely visible. It was hard to even fathom the alt.i.tude.

The wind was as cold as ice. Weed would have died if he didn’t have such high resistance. There was a gleam to the dragon’s polished black scales that made it look beautiful. The proportions between harmony and danger made it absolutely beautiful.

Of course, the dragon was beautiful so the enormous bear that had its fur torn from fighting and dirty from rolling around on the ground didn’t match it.

-Now what should I do?

“It is obvious. Get revenge!”

-Revenge…. The humans who live meaningless lives have decided to choose the path of self-destruction?

The dragon aimed its nose downwards while talking. No matter how confused it was, Ausollet’s original nature still shone through.

“That’s right.”

-I’m glad. Then I will head down to the ground.

“By the way, there is one thing that I want you to practice.”

-What is it?

“Take a deep breath. As hard as you can.”

He was teaching Ausollet like it was a kindergarten student. Its mouth widened and it took a deep breath through its nose and mouth. The dragon’s torso became bloated with air.

This was the dragon’s strongest attack. Black Dragon’s Breath.

-Like this?

“That practice is good enough. Then let’s go down. Your greatness…. No, I will show them that justice will win.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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