The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 82

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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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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (82)
“What kind of magic are you casting? How is your tail wound healing so fast?”
Noxkasarsis watched as Virus, having returned to his true form after consuming the Duke-class demon’s finger, closed his eyes and concentrated his mana to heal his wounds, noting with widened eyes just how rapidly they were mending.
“Mother was right after all.”
Upon hearing Noxkasarsis speak, Virus cracked open one eye and gazed at his tail wound, which had already scarred over considerably, his expression growing satisfied.
“Mother was right? What are you talking about?”
“That eating something strong makes you stronger—she was right about that. After eating that Duke-class demon’s finger, I can feel my muscles and bones gradually growing stronger inside. And because of that, my tail wound is healing faster, and my broken teeth and horns are even beginning to regrow.”
“What? Your teeth and horns too? They really are growing back. At this rate, it’s not Heal Magic anymore—it’s more like Regeneration Magic, the kind only an Ancient Dragon could use.”
“Now that I hear you say it, it actually seems even better than Regeneration Magic.”
“Better? Better than Regeneration Magic?”
“Regeneration Magic can make horns and teeth grow, sure, but it can’t make my bones, tendons, and muscles stronger. That’s why it’s better than Regeneration Magic.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
“Once I’ve completely digested the Duke-class demon’s finger that’s being processed in my belly right now, I should become quite a bit stronger.”
Noxkasarsis watched as Virus’s horns slowly sprouted and grumbled with a aggrieved expression.
“Ugh! If I’d known it had this effect, I would’ve eaten that Duke-class demon’s finger myself.”
“Hah, I thought my luck was bad today, but it wasn’t all bad after all. It turned out to be a blessing instead.”
“Now that I think about it, I have a headless Earl-class demon’s body in my Sub-space. I should eat that too.”
Noxkasarsis retrieved the headless Earl-class demon’s corpse from his Sub-space and transformed back into his dragon form.
“You’re actually going to eat that?”
“You’re seeing results from eating that demon’s finger, so I want to get some benefits from eating this too.”
“But that thing’s demonic energy is so thick—you might get an upset stomach if you eat it.”
“I’ll purify it first before eating. Jang Gain, can you absorb the Demonic Energy from this demon’s body?”
“Sure.”
Jang Gain, who had been in the middle of his Qi Circulation Cultivation, approached at Noxkasarsis’s words and absorbed the Demonic Energy dwelling within the Earl-class demon’s body.
After absorbing the Demonic Energy for roughly an hour, Noxkasarsis told him that was enough.
Once Jang Gain withdrew his hands, Noxkasarsis lifted the Earl-class demon’s body and began crunching it down bite by bite.
Jang Gain resumed his Qi Circulation Cultivation at a distance, and after Noxkasarsis finished consuming the demon’s body, he closed his eyes and cast Heal Magic on his broken fangs.
A moment later, feeling his fangs slowly regrow, he felt a belated pang of regret.
‘A demon’s body with its Demonic Energy removed—it’s like a tonic for dragons!’
From now on, whenever he caught demons, he decided he wouldn’t just use them as Chimera materials; instead, he’d eat them this way to nourish his body.
* * *
“By the way, there’s a question I was asking earlier but didn’t finish—if a Gate opens, couldn’t you just close it? Why are you so serious about the danger?”
At Jang Gain’s question, Virus, who had finished treating his tail and was now focused on regenerating his horns and teeth, opened his mouth.
“A Gate that forms when human blood exceeds a certain amount is different from a Gate made with a Magic Circle—the Demonic Energy is far more concentrated, and it doesn’t easily dissipate from magic or physical force.”
“Still, wouldn’t our Breath be enough to destroy it?”
“Of course our Breath can annihilate a Gate. But those kinds of Gates often connect beyond the Demon Gate and link to the Demon Realm itself, so Demons emerge before Demonic Beasts or Magical Creatures do. They could be Earl-class or Duke-class, or possibly even higher ranks, which is why it’s so dangerous.”
“I’ve experienced Duke-class once, and they were frighteningly powerful.”
“Exactly. And when such top-tier Demons appear, an Ancient Dragon has to come, but the damage inflicted in the meantime is beyond description.”
“When a Duke-class Demon appears as their true form, I don’t think the three of us could win even if we attacked together. Is an Ancient Dragon strong enough to defeat such Demons?”
“They are strong. But even an Ancient Dragon can’t guarantee they’ll beat a Duke-class Demon unconditionally. That’s why in such cases, multiple Ancient Dragons sometimes join forces.”
“Hmm, with that reason, I understand why you spread the Sea Fog so thickly to stop the human war.”
“In the past, Dragons often intervened to prevent human wars from escalating. So some have even called us the caretakers of this world.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Anyway, once my horns and teeth fully grow back, I should find out how the Bermuda Maritime Alliance’s ships manage to freely navigate through the Sea Fog.”
Noxkasarsis, who had been listening to the conversation between Virus and Jang Gain, casually opened his mouth.
“Virus, once your body is fully healed, let’s go educate the Kram Emperor together.”
“I already told you I’m not keen on that. And with Jang Gain, who beat me, around, there’s not really a need for me to go either.”
“Right! Jang Gain. Hmm, certainly Jang Gain is on a different level from the Sword Masters I’ve encountered before.”
Hearing Noxkasarsis’s words, Jang Gain’s expression turned curious.
“My level is different from other Sword Masters? How much different?”
“The Sword Masters I’ve faced built their Aura to an absurdly high degree—quite flashy, but the destructive power was around Seven-star level at most, maybe Eight-star at the highest. But your Aura isn’t that large, yet your cutting power exceeds Nine-star and comes close to Ten-star.”
“Didn’t you say last time that your Breath delivers Ten-star destructive force?”
“It does.”
“My Aura is sharp, sure, but I don’t think it reaches that level.”
“Your Breath has far greater range of destruction, but that threadlike cutting power hidden in your Aura—honestly, I have no idea how to block it. It’s subtle and chillingly sharp.”
“Hmm, certainly Force Projection can only be stopped by Force Projection itself.”
Jang Gain briefly thought of the Heart Realm beyond Force Projection Mastery, but soon shook his head.
He’d heard that mastering the Heart Realm would let you kill someone with just a thought, but honestly, that didn’t sound right.
Noxkasarsis glanced between Jang Gain and Virus before speaking.
“As you say, if Jang Gain goes with me, there’s no need for you to come along.”
“That’s right. With Jang Gain’s strength, he could face the Sword Masters of the Kram Empire alone.”
“Then Virus and I will go to the Emperor of Kram, and you handle your own business.”
“Wait, actually, now that I think about it, I’m curious what kind of fight Jang Gain would have against the Sword Masters of Kram.”
“And?”
“Let me come too. And I just thought of something good.”
“Something good? What is it?”
“My concern was that if you and I kill many people at once, a gate connected to the Demon Realm might open. But if I mix your poison into my fog very weakly, we could put people to sleep without killing them.”
“I have poison that puts people to sleep, so that’s not difficult at all.”
“Then we can put the soldiers to sleep with the poisoned fog, and then educate the Emperor of Kram. Once the soldiers fall asleep, the Emperor’s morale will probably break.”
“Hmm! That does sound right, but it feels like something’s missing. I think I’ll only be satisfied if we overwhelm him with sheer force.”
“No mass slaughter.”
“Then what? Just put the soldiers to sleep, scare the Emperor, and call it a day?”
“Satisfy that urge by watching Jang Gain fight the Sword Masters. And if he beats all of Kram’s Sword Masters, the Emperor won’t have any choice but to bow his head to you.”
“You want me to release my anger through a proxy fight? That feels a bit insufficient.”
“Then you suppress the Emperor’s mages and spirit summoners. If Jang Gain defeats the Sword Masters and you suppress the mages and spirit summoners, the Emperor will have no choice but to kneel.”
“Hmm! At that level, I think I could be satisfied. What do you think, Jang Gain?”
As the two dragons turned their gaze toward him, Jang Gain shrugged his shoulders.
“Actually, I’m curious how strong the Sword Masters of this world are too.”
“Right. Then Virus and I will handle the mages and spirit summoners, and you handle the Sword Masters. Let’s do it that way.”
“Even if I’m an emperor, if all the power I have is broken like that, I suppose I would have to kneel.”
“Then let’s go to the Emperor of Kram.”
“The Emperor of Kram is at the far end of the Quardo Coast, so I’ll send the fog there first. You mix your poison into it.”
“Understood.”
As the two dragons transformed into their true forms and wielded their magic, Jang Gain tilted his head watching them.
“Virus, by the way, why haven’t you spread the Sea Fog where the Emperor is?”
“If I covered that area with Sea Fog, the people living on the coast wouldn’t be able to fish, so I was being considerate in my own way.”
“Ah! Right. You’re quite thoughtful and meticulous.”
* * *
After engaging in a contest of wills with the dragons through the communication line, Emperor Soak Tramus of Kram hurried to gather all troops deployed on the battlefield.
After roughly an hour had passed, thirty thousand soldiers had assembled at the Quardo Main Camp, along with the knights and Mage Battalion and Spirit Battalion that led them.
The Emperor gazed with satisfaction and contentment at the high-ranking mages and spirit summoners arrayed to his left and right, as well as the Sword Masters.
“I was a little worried the dragon might come before all the troops gathered, but now I have enough strength to face it head-on!”
“Your Majesty, a dragon that was struggling against a single Sword Master—we would be more than sufficient without calling in all these soldiers. Was there a need to muster them?”
Heritia Domar, commander of the Mage Battalion, tilted her head, and the Emperor chuckled.
“A lion gives its all even when hunting a single rabbit. And if these soldiers witness with their own eyes that arrogant dragon submit before my might, how much greater would my authority become?”
“Ah! Of course. If word spreads throughout the Kram Empire through the mouths of the soldiers, all the people will sing your praises.”
“Hehehehe…… Now I’m beginning to worry the dragon will tuck its tail and flee at the sight of my forces!”
Whoooosh…….
As the Emperor laughed, a sudden violent wind swept across the field. Then, from the distant coast and islands, the Sea Fog that had extended in a long line began pouring toward the Main Camp.
“What? The Sea Fog hasn’t moved until now?”
“Your Majesty, something is wrong with the Sea Fog.”
“It does seem strange to me as well. Duke Heritia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Since the Sea Fog was created by the dragon’s magic and is now moving, there’s a high likelihood the dragon is plotting something. Go investigate the cause.”
“Yes. I accept your command.”
Heritia Domar immediately took several mages with her and flew toward the sea where the Sea Fog was advancing.
Screeeeech…….
But upon contact with the Sea Fog, they suddenly shrieked and plummeted, flailing in the water. And as the advancing fog obscured them, they soon disappeared from view.
When even their screams ceased to be heard, the expression of the Emperor watching this turned grave.
“It seems the dragon is hidden in that fog and scheming something. What should I do?”
“I will send a wind spirit to investigate what scheme is being used.”
As soon as the Emperor spoke, Murine, commander of the Spirit Battalion, summoned a mid-tier wind elemental and sent it toward the Sea Fog.
Swirrrrrr…….
But the wind elemental also vanished into the Sea Fog and disappeared from sight, and for some reason, even as time passed, it did not return.

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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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