The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 86

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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 (86)
“Your Majesty, I recently crafted a Dragon Bone Knight from Virus’s fangs and scales, and upon seeing your valiant knights, I’ve grown curious about who might prove the stronger. I was hoping you would permit a match between them—what do you think?”
The Emperor clenched his teeth inwardly as he beheld Jang Gain, who had arrived unannounced and spoken with such brazen discourtesy.
By protocol, one seeking an imperial audience was required to observe numerous formalities, yet this man had dispensed with all of them and simply appeared before him with such a demand.
His temperament urged him to have the man dragged out and beheaded on the spot, but this was no ordinary visitor—he stood under the protection of two dragons and was an Expert-tier Sword Master who had shattered the Kram Empire’s second and third greatest swords.
Though deeply displeased, he could neither display his displeasure nor refuse the request outright.
“Ahem! The Dragon Bone Knight is said to be a formidable Magical Weapon, scarcely inferior to the Death Knight. A match with my knights, you say? I confess I am curious myself. But tell me—how did you obtain the dragon’s fangs? Even with close ties, I hardly imagine a dragon would simply extract its own teeth for you?”
“Ah, I had a minor dispute with Virus not long ago. As a result of that disagreement, I obtained several of his fangs, some scales, and portions of his horns.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief for a moment. After a brief pause, he asked carefully.
“You obtained several fangs, scales, and portions of horns as a result of a minor dispute? Are you saying that you—the Duke—severed the fangs, scales, and horns from the dragon Virus?”
“Well, yes. It’s not uncommon for men to lose teeth and break bones when they fight, after all. It was something like that.”
“Did you perhaps defeat the dragon in combat?”
“If I had lost, I wouldn’t be standing here alive.”
“Extraordinary! Are you perhaps a dragon in human form?”
“No. I am human.”
“You are unreasonably strong for a human.”
“Well, I suppose I am fairly strong.”
“But if you fought like that, wouldn’t you ordinarily become enemies?”
“One becomes enemies only if there is lingering resentment. Don’t children become friends after fighting? It was much the same.”
“Remarkable! Comparing a battle with a dragon to children’s play—only a strong man like the Duke could make such a comparison. Are you truly human?”
“I assure you, I am human.”
“I see. Well then, extraordinary! A human defeating a dragon in combat! Does this mean you also defeated the dragon Noxkasarsis?”
“No. I lost to him.”
“You lost? Then how are you still alive?”
“Noxkasarsis had reason not to kill me. Though I suspect that hardly matters now.”
“Hardly matters? It matters greatly to me.”
“It does not matter to me. What concerns me is how well the Dragon Bone Knight, crafted from Virus’s fangs, performs against the knights.”
“Hmm, I too am curious about that. Very well. Let us summon the knights and arrange the match.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
* * *
Ilmaserk Alberto and Breuoli Kante, who had rushed to answer the Emperor’s summons, inwardly scoffed upon hearing that the Dragon Bone Knight would be tested against the knights.
Though the bones were not from a dragon, many dark mages and necromancers had created Skeleton Soldiers from human and monster bones, causing considerable trouble.
While a skeleton bearing a sword was a source of terror to common folk, an armored knight could single-handedly obliterate dozens of Skeleton Soldiers.
“Dragon bones or not, if we shatter its skull with a War Hammer, isn’t that the end of it?”
“That may be what we think, but would His Majesty have summoned us both merely for something that simple?”
“Under ordinary circumstances, the Emperor would scoff at such a request or pretend not to hear it. But when it comes from the Duke, he cannot refuse, no matter what.”
“True. The Duke himself is unreasonably strong, and with two dragons backing him, there is no request, however absurd, that can be declined.”
“That the dragon would extract its fangs to help the Duke craft a Dragon Bone Knight suggests his intimacy with the dragons runs deeper than ordinary.”
“Indeed. If my friend came to me and asked me to extract my teeth because we were close, I would punch him in the mouth and knock every tooth out myself.”
“Ha! I would do the same.”
The two men arrived at the Training Ground as they conversed, and saw that the knights had already gathered and were warming up.
Neither the Emperor nor Jang Gain had yet appeared.
After receiving the knights’ salutes, the two men waited for the Emperor. Some five minutes passed before they could see the Duke approaching with the two dragons, accompanied by the Emperor.
“Breuoli.”
Ilmaserk Alberto called out in a whisper only the other could hear, and Breuoli Kante replied in kind.
“Yes?”
“Looking at how the Emperor has summoned nearly all the knights and the two of us, it seems he intends to have the Dragon Bone Knight fight against our knights in succession. Doesn’t that sting your pride somewhat?”
“To be honest, it does wound my pride. Even if the Dragon Bone Knight is strong because it’s made from a dragon’s fang, it’s still just a single fang. Using our knights as experimental subjects to prove its strength is an affront to knighthood itself.”
“That’s why I’m thinking—what if we obliterate the Dragon Bone Knight in the first match? Then the other knights won’t need to fight, and we’ll preserve our honor, won’t we?”
“Hmm, but I suspect the Duke and the dragons wouldn’t take kindly to that.”
“I believe the pride of our knights matters more than their feelings.”
Upon hearing Ilmaserk Alberto’s words, Breuoli Kante pondered briefly, then nodded in agreement.
“Since you and Ilmaserk have both suffered defeats at the Duke’s hands, the knights’ morale has taken a considerable blow. It would be good to raise it again with this opportunity.”
“Then what about Paiolder as the Dragon Bone Knight’s first opponent?”
“Paiolder is an Expert Peak Tier knight being discussed as a likely candidate for the next Sword Master. Isn’t that somewhat excessive?”
“Didn’t you just say we should raise the knights’ morale?”
“That’s true, but… no, you’re right. Let’s do it. It will probably be good experience for Paiolder as well.”
“Indeed.”
Shortly after, Ilmaserk Alberto bowed before the Emperor and recommended Paiolder Domi as the first knight to face the Dragon Bone Knight.
“What? Paiolder Domi? Isn’t Paiolder Domi exceptionally strong?”
The emperor tilted his head in curiosity, and Ilmaserk Alberto hastened to continue, concealing his bewilderment.
“Though Paiolder Domi is certainly formidable, the Dragon Bone Knight is equally renowned as a Magical Weapon, scarcely inferior to the Death Knight. I am confident it will prove an excellent match.”
“Very well. What of you, Marquis Gain? Would you be pleased to face a stronger knight?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Since this is an occasion to measure the Dragon Bone Knight’s capabilities, the stronger the opponent, the better.”
“Then let us make Paiolder Domi the first challenger.”
Moments later, Paiolder Domi emerged in full armor, paid his respects to the emperor, and took his place at the center of the Training Ground. Jang Gain then retrieved dragon fangs and scales from his Pocket Dimension and hurled them to the floor.
“Virus Fang Number One—come forth.”
The fangs and scales that fell to the ground began to transform as Jang Gain’s incantation ended, much like branches sprouting from a tree and leaves unfurling. From the fang, a skull emerged and grew limbs, while the scales metamorphosed into armor.
* * *
Having heard from the two Sword Masters that he should shatter the Dragon Bone Knight in a single blow to bolster the knights’ morale, Paiolder Domi grasped a War Hammer instead of the sword he usually wielded.
A War Hammer is a long-hafted mallet, primarily used on the battlefield to shatter an enemy’s helm or armor.
‘Blast it—my blade would suffice, yet they insist I wield this unfamiliar hammer.’
Though displeased, he had no choice but to comply for the sake of his comrades’ confidence.
Moments later, as Jang Gain threw the dragon fangs and scales to conjure the Dragon Bone Knight, Paiolder Domi’s grip on the War Hammer tightened reflexively.
‘So the bone becomes a skeletal knight and the scales become armor. Is it wonder at seeing it for the first time? Remarkable.’
“Now then, begin the duel.”
As the emperor’s command fell, the Dragon Bone Knight lowered its stance, then drove off from the floor with its feet. With each step it planted, stones beneath it exploded outward.
In that instant, Paiolder Domi’s eyes widened.
A speed incomparable to the Skeleton Soldiers.
He reflexively dodged to the side and swung his War Hammer toward the creature’s helm.
‘An ordinary knight would not have reacted in time—but I am not ordinary.’
Crash!
As the head of the War Hammer collided with the Dragon Bone Knight’s helm, a deafening boom erupted, loud enough to make ears ring.
Screech.
And in that same instant, the Dragon Bone Knight’s blade slashed past Paiolder Domi’s ribs.
In moments, his armor and the leather garment beneath were torn asunder, and a sickening sensation bloomed across his ribs.
‘Damn it—I’m cut deep!’
Paiolder Domi could scarcely believe he’d been struck despite his evasion, yet seeing the Dragon Bone Knight’s helm—with the skull within—rolling away at a distance after taking the hammer blow, he released a breath of relief.
‘Wounded or not, I’ve won. At least I’ve saved face.’
As he prepared to declare the match over, the helm rolling across the floor suddenly rose into the air and flew back toward its neck.
‘What—?’
Paiolder Domi reacted instinctively, leaping to strike the approaching helm with his War Hammer.
Whoosh.
Yet the helm twisted like a bird, evading the hammer, and swiftly reattached itself to the neck. Paiolder Domi spun his body and swung the War Hammer at the helm once more, but the Dragon Bone Knight’s blade blocked him.
Clang.
‘Damn—must I destroy the skull within the helm?’
Emperor Soc Tramus knew Paiolder Domi extremely well—a knight whose name always appeared among those honored for their valor.
He had assumed the Dragon Bone Knight to be formidable, yet surely one touted as the next Sword Master would defeat it with ease.
Clang, clang, clang-clang…….
But contrary to his expectation, sparks flew with every collision of their weapons, and Aura and Mana tangled turbulently between them.
‘What—what is this? Is the Dragon Bone Knight immortal?’
Though Paiolder Domi was clearly landing fatal strikes upon the Dragon Bone Knight, the battle remained strangely balanced.
The emperor narrowed his eyes to discern the cause, and his mouth fell open.
‘The Dragon Bone Knight does not defend unless facing a truly fatal blow! Moreover, the places struck by the hammer are repairing themselves through sheer magical force.’
Upon closer inspection, the inequality of the duel became evident.
The Dragon Bone Knight’s broken leg reattached; its severed head fused back to its neck; the split armor mended as Mana surged through it.
There was no way to defeat it save to obliterate the skull hidden within the helm with overwhelming force.
And the Dragon Bone Knight seemed to understand this was its weakness, for it merely evaded or blocked whenever the hammer struck at the helm.
Hissss-crack!
“Argh!”
At last, as the Dragon Bone Knight lost one leg, it carved a long gash across Paiolder Domi’s chest, sundering armor and flesh alike.
Paiolder Domi staggered and fell, while the Dragon Bone Knight raised its blade toward his throat.
“No, this cannot be!”
“Stop!”
The emperor’s urgent cry and Jang Gain’s command fell nearly in unison. The Dragon Bone Knight’s blade halted mere inches from Paiolder Domi’s neck.
“Ugh—I yield. I am… defeated.”
And Paiolder Domi collapsed to his knees, clutching at his ravaged chest.

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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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