The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (106)
“What! A Duke-Rank Demon and a Marquis-Rank Demon appeared?”
Mayarbanta’s eyes widened as he heard his son’s words.
“Yes.”
“If they were that strong, you shouldn’t have fought them at all—you should have used Spatial Movement to come straight to my lair.”
“A Duke-Rank Demon didn’t appear from the beginning. At first, it was just a Marquis-Rank Demon, and……”
As Noxscasarsis recounted everything that had happened, Mayarbanta’s pupils trembled violently.
“If it’s a Duke-Rank Demon, then it’s capable of overlaying its own space upon this world, so it could have separated space itself to prevent you from using Spatial Movement to reach me. Space Separation used to allow Spatial Movement to go through, but it seems the Demons have modified that spell during all this time.”
“That seems to be the case. Because of that, Virus tore a Spatial Movement Scroll and suffered greatly for it.”
“I need to inform the other Ancient Dragons about this and research collectively how to circumvent a Duke-Rank Demon’s space domination authority.”
……
“Still, it’s surprising that a being from the Heavenly Realm tore through the space that the Duke-Rank Demon separated and fought the Demons. I’ve heard that usually, once one ascends to the Heavenly Realm, they regard the affairs of the Lower Realm as trivial and pay them no mind.”
“Originally, they came to find and kill Gain, but when they saw the Demons, they fought them instead. And because the dragon tore through the space, we were able to use Spatial Movement to come here.”
“For a being to come all the way from the Heavenly Realm to kill someone, they must harbor an enormous grudge. What enmity could possibly run so deep?”
“Gain apparently tried to grab the dragon’s tail and kill them during their ascension. Looking at the dragon’s abilities, I doubt they would have died from Gain’s attack, but the ascension might have failed.”
“Hmm! If I were in such a situation, even if my ascension succeeded, I would absolutely have to take revenge to satisfy my rage. The thing is, if an ascension fails even once, there’s no telling when the next opportunity will come.”
“The dragon must harbor a truly profound resentment toward Gain.”
“Indeed.”
As Mayarbanta nodded at his son’s words, Jang Gain found himself heaving a deep sigh without realizing it.
He had thought that as his Strong Thread grew steadily stronger, once he perfected his Force Projection, he might be able to stand against the dragon. But having experienced it now, even defeating a Marquis-Rank Demon seemed beyond his reach, let alone a dragon.
“Father, but couldn’t you erase the mark carved on Gain’s forehead with your abilities?”
“Let me take a look.”
Light blazed from Mayarbanta’s eyes, and Jang Gain’s forehead began to glow.
After studying that light for a moment, Mayarbanta shook his head.
“This isn’t magic! It’s the ardent will of that dragon. That profound wish has crystallized into a marking.”
“Can an ardent will actually crystallize into a marking?”
“I’ve never seen a marking like this before today. Because they’ve ascended, their power is extraordinary. To manifest an ardent wish so concretely and leave it marked like this—truly wondrous!”
“But ardent will is literally a yearning, a wish. How can a wish become a marking without being magic?”
“I’m seeing this for the first time today, so I can’t explain it to you properly. I suppose when one reaches a high enough level to ascend, they can materialize their will in this way.”
Jang Gain, listening to the dragons’ conversation, found his thoughts drifting toward the Realm of Mental Enlightenment.
‘Could the dragon have reached the Realm of Mental Enlightenment? Well, if they ascended, they must have comprehended a great Way, so they would have attained that realm!’
The Realm of Mental Enlightenment existed only in transmitted legends, and since he had never encountered anyone who actually reached it, he had believed it to be fiction. But hearing the dragon speak, it seemed it might not be.
Noxscasarsis continued questioning his father.
“Since the will has been materialized, you can’t erase it either?”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about this.”
“I honestly can’t believe it. I thought you’d be able to erase it.”
“Most of the dragons in my generation actually return to nature; it’s quite rare for one to actually ascend. But I should definitely meet that dragon once. If I can gain knowledge about ascension or wisdom from the Heavenly Realm by meeting them, it will be of great help when I ascend someday. Noxscasarsis, where did you say the dragon appeared?”
“South of Cram, at the Quardo Coast.”
“I’ll go meet that dragon briefly.”
“Father, the dragon might not be well-disposed toward you.”
“They should be fighting the Demons, so if I go and help them, I can earn their favor.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“Understood.”
Mayarbanta used Spatial Movement with only a incantation, without drawing a Magic Circle, and vanished.
Watching him go, Jang Gain’s face suddenly darkened.
“Gain, why that expression?”
“Now that I think about it quietly, I’m suddenly uneasy.”
“Uneasy? What’s troubling you?”
“Your father went to meet the dragon. But what if he tells the dragon about me? Won’t the dragon come looking for me?”
“Oh, you’re right. If he mentions you, the dragon might search for you. But why would Father bother mentioning you to the dragon?”
“From the dragon’s perspective, if an Ancient Dragon suddenly appears and helps them, wouldn’t they ask how you knew about them, why you came, and all sorts of things? And in that conversation, my story might come up.”
“I see.”
“I don’t think I should stay here any longer. Move me to the Smed Kingdom with Spatial Movement.”
“Hmm, understood.”
As Noxscasarsis was drawing a Spatial Movement Magic Circle, light flared from above the lair and space rippled. Mayarbanta materialized before them.
Jang Gain scanned the surroundings tensely, but fortunately, the dragon was nowhere in sight.
“Noxscasarsis, why did you draw a Spatial Movement Magic Circle?”
“Ah! I thought I should move Gain somewhere else. But you returned incredibly quickly, didn’t you? Did you not manage to find the dragon?”
“No, when I went to where the gate had opened at the Quardo Coast, the Duke-Rank Demon and Marquis-Rank Demon were torn to shreds and scattered in all directions, but the situation had already ended, and the dragon was nowhere to be found.”
In that instant, the eyes of all three dragons and Jang Gain widened.
“A Duke-Rank demon and a Marquis-Rank demon were shredded to pieces? Even with all three of us combining our strength, we couldn’t handle a single Marquis-Rank demon…….”
“I’d assumed the dragon and demons would still be locked in combat, but it seems dragons are far more formidable than I imagined.”
“Could it be stronger than the Demon King?”
“I’m not certain. I’ve never heard of a being from the Heavenly Realm descending to the Demon Realm and fighting the Demon King.”
“Hmm, Gain—what will you do? I don’t think such a powerful dragon will let you go easily.”
Jang Gain fell silent for a moment, then turned toward Mayarbanta.
“Mayarbanta, would you be able to send me to the Quardo Coast? I’d like to see the bodies of the Duke-Rank and Marquis-Rank demons with my own eyes.”
“It will be good study not just for you, but for Noxscasarsis, Virus, and Tapaknaru as well. Let’s all go and see. Truth is, the reason I came in such haste was to show you all that sight.”
The moment Mayarbanta cast the Spatial Movement spell with mere words, Jang Gain felt the world spin and closed his eyes, then opened them again.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself at the Quardo Coast where the gate had opened.
The pitch-black clouds that had completely obscured the sun, moon, and stars had vanished as if they’d never been, and the western sky burned crimson with the sunset as stars slowly revealed themselves.
They appeared about a hundred meters above where the gate had stood. The dragons, in their true forms, steadied themselves by beating their wings, while Mayarbanta kept Jang Gain aloft with magic.
When Jang Gain descended to the ground, he saw that the terrain around the gate’s location had been transformed, and his eyes widened in shock.
‘There was definitely a mountain behind there, and islands in front…….’
The peak of what had been a mountain at least three hundred meters tall had vanished entirely, now appearing less than a hundred meters high. Of the seven small islands that had stood off the coast, four had disappeared, leaving only the turbulent sea.
While Jang Gain was still reeling from the transformed landscape, the dragons—led by Noxscasarsis—gazed in horror at the torn remains of the Duke-Rank and Marquis-Rank demons.
“Father, they’re demonic bodies—why aren’t they regenerating?”
“How could they regenerate when a being from the Heavenly Realm tore them apart with hands infused with Holy Power?”
“Then these demons will never be resurrected?”
“Unless a Demon God comes and stitches them together stitch by stitch with divine authority, they’ll rot and turn to soil as they are.”
“Duke-Rank and Marquis-Rank demons—and all their Demonic Qi purified away without a trace. It’s extraordinary.”
Listening to the dragons’ conversation, Jang Gain picked up what appeared to be part of the Duke-Rank demon’s body and examined it closely, shaking his head.
“For such a powerful demon to be torn to shreds like this……. Yet there’s no sign of the dragon’s wounds anywhere. Could it have been a one-sided slaughter?”
As Jang Gain tilted his head in puzzlement, Mayarbanta spoke.
“The dragon suffered considerable wounds too.”
“Really? I don’t see any signs of that.”
“The dragon must have erased the traces after the battle ended, which is why they’re not visible.”
“But if there are no signs visible, how can you be certain?”
“I can’t sense it clearly now, but when I arrived earlier, I caught a very holy blood-scent in the air. High-ranking demons’ torn flesh should reek of a vile stench, but the sacred blood-scent was strong enough to mask it—enough to gauge how much blood was spilled.”
“Ah, I see.”
The strong wind blowing at that moment, similar to winds before a typhoon, had likely carried away such odors.
“That dragon too shed so much blood it won’t be able to descend to the Lower Realm for some time.”
“Is that so? Then at least I’ve bought myself some time.”
Shortly after, as Jang Gain began collecting demon horns, bones, and claws and storing them in his Subspace, Mayarbanta tilted his head curiously.
“Why are you gathering those things? You seemed incredibly grave until just moments ago.”
“Ah! I thought I might sell these to a mage.”
“There won’t be much use in them—not a trace of Demonic Qi remains. All the demons’ regenerative abilities and immortality have vanished, so they’ll just rot.”
“If I store them in my Subspace, they won’t decay. Couldn’t I sell them to a mage? The very fact that their regenerative and immortal properties have disappeared could itself be a subject of study.”
“Well, who knows what mages might buy, but if you can sell them, try.”
While Jang Gain was methodically gathering the demon’s remains, Virus and Noxscasarsis suddenly began eating the corpses.
Mayarbanta, startled, quickly stopped them.
“You two, why are you eating that filthy thing?”
“Well, you see, not long ago Virus ate a Duke-Rank demon’s finger, and after that his wounds healed quickly and his strength grew.”
“That was when the demon’s immortality was still present in that finger. Now it’s just rotting meat. Spit it out immediately.”
“I’ve already swallowed it.”
“Good grief, you fool! Think before you act. If your stomach feels off, force yourself to vomit.”
“My stomach’s fine, but now that Father’s said that, suddenly it feels disgusting.”
“Vomit it up now.”
“Yes. Uurgh, blech…….”
Jang Gain shook his head as he watched the dragons suddenly retching.
‘They’re old but act foolishly. Anyway, is there anything else worth money here? Wait—these look like Dragon Scales…… with Holy Power infused in them. Why would dragon scales have Holy Power in them? Wait, could these actually be Ancient Dragon Scales? Yes, that must be it—that’s why they’re so saturated with Holy Power!’
When he spread his Qi Sense, he found quite a number of Ancient Dragon Scales and whisker-like remains.
Jang Gain placed those items in his Subspace, and experimentally held a single scale and activated the Absorption Technique.
Whirrrr…….
The Holy Power infused in the scale flowed through his hand and was absorbed.
‘Just as I thought—it has a similar essence to the Poongun Divine Art, so it should be absorbable, and it really is.’
He’d been absorbing an excess of Demonic Qi up to now, and if he absorbed this Holy Power, his Internal Energy would become balanced, and he’d grow considerably stronger.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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