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Chapter 268 part 1

In the far eastern regions beyond the Arkrest Kingdom, even further east than Todorokuni and Akitsukuni, in the deep parts of the vast ocean, a battle of a great magnitude was unfolding. If known to those on land, that battle would have engulfed them in deep despair and terror.

The outcome of this battle had the potential to bring ruin not just to the world of the sea, but also to the land above.

In the deep, dark depths of the ocean closed in darkness where sunlight could not reach…

A dragon, with its colossal body and beauty recognizable even to different species, stirring immense amounts of seawater, roared in all directions, filling the entirety of the oceans on this planet with the pinnacle of spiritual power.

This was one of the strongest forces on the planet, the Water Dragon Emperor Ryoukichi.

Ryoukichi’s gaze was drawn to an oddly shaped monster. Her massive body was covered in deep purple scales and mucus, with tentacles ending in a variety of heads such as sharks, turtles, squids, and whales.

This was Sobnable, one of the Sea Demon Kings. The Ocean Demons, including Sobnable’s underlings, had already been exterminated. Receiving a full-strength blow from Ryuki, Sobnable had breathed its last and his huge body was rapidly disintegrating.

Within the ocean, which had been disgraced by the effects of being under the Ocean Demon King’s control for a long time, alongside Ryoukichi resided the elites of the Ryuuguu Kingdom, high-ranking Dragonkin, and a handful of merfolk.

Myoka, the queen of the Sea Moon People, who had a spherical nucleus shining like a nebulous moon in the center of her huge, transparent body, reminiscent of a sea moon jellyfish, and Jigante, a young Sea Giant with a body so beautiful that seemed to shine on its own, was also fighting alongside Ryoukichi.

Myoka was a follower of the Sea Goddess, who was an enemy of the Sea Demon King defeated by Dran just now. Jigante was a young, most formidable member of the ancient race of Sea Giants and set to become the next chief.

The Ocean Demon King Neltona’s faction, previously restrained by the Ryuuguu Kingdom, was completely destroyed. This allowed Ryuukichi and his group to focus on vanquishing the six remaining Ocean Demon Kings. In this way, they could join forces together against the Ocean Demons and other hostile forces.

The power of the Ocean Demons had dwindled significantly following the total destruction of Octour, their creator on this planet. This shift made the battles against them considerably smoother.

Ryoukichi, known as the most formidable Water Dragon Emperor in history, could now single-handedly defeat an Ocean Demon King without sustaining grave injuries. This showcased the significant weakening of the Sea Demons.

Especially if he joined forces with the most powerful warriors from other factions, the subjugation of the Ocean Demon Kings was inevitable.

「Your Majesty, your exquisite skill remains as impressive as ever」

Jigante remarked to Ryoukichi with profound respect. Even within the giant clan that housed giants significantly larger than the norm, this young man Jigante was blessed with an exceptional physique. His stature was nearly a hundredfold that of a human and since his childhood, he had admired the esteemed Water Dragon Emperor.

Ryoukichi’s renown and prowess were well known not only to Jigante but also among the Sea Moon People and the Sea Giants who had long opposed the Ocean Demons.

「Oh, dear, nothing will come out of praising me, young master. I don’t feel bad about being praised, however」

Seeing Ryoukichi’s reaction with her remarkably calm demeanor for someone who had just emerged from battle, Jigante broke into a wide smile. The response from the warrior he revered as the strongest evoked a genuinely joyful smile, regardless of what it was.

「Jigante is truly fond of Lady Ryoukichi. Haha, it’s quite heartwarming to watch from the sidelines.」

「Myoka, please do not tease me. I’m just a little bit lax since our arch-enemy was defeated」

「Seeing the demise of our arch-nemesis brings joy to me as well. Lday Ryoukichi, I am truly grateful for your assistance. With the help of you and your country, we were able to destroy Sobnable and his underlings without much damage.

With this, only one Ocean Demon King remains and the fate of Ocean Demons on this planet is in a precarious state. We know that we must not let our guard down, but the people of the sea are beginning to prepare to unburden their shoulders, knowing that the time to fulfill their destiny is near at hand」

As Myoka the giant semi-translucent queen said, the long-cherished wish of those who live in the ocean since the appearance of Ocean Demons on this planet was about to be fulfilled.

And the existence of the overwhelming power, the Water Dragon Emperor Ryoukichi in front of them was the extremely important key to this

「For my next generation, If I can manage to spare my daughter from the heavy responsibility of battling the Ocean Demons, I cannot help but feel relieved. So, I understand well what Myoka is saying.」

「When it comes to the next generation in your country, you are talking about Princess Liu Yuu, aren’t you? Speaking of which, where is this Princess Liu Yuu living now? She was with us on the battlefield until the last battle against the former Ocean Demon King Tescalpatola」

「She has been sent to a certain place for training. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to call it training, but the way she interacts with her compatriots on earth is going to change somewhat in the future, so I wanted her to get to know them beforehand so that she can broaden her knowledge and insight,」 Ryoukichi explained.

「Princess Liu Yuu is training? Is she with the other three Dragon Emperors?」

「No, it is a very different place from the one you are thinking of, Myoka. There’s a spot on the surface where there are slight indications of impending conflict, and we’ll be involved there as well. The name of that place is––…」

*
Within the Inraen Explorer Management Branch, there were several training grounds dedicated to registered explorers. Thanks to the vast magical powers and abilities possessed by the higher-order Dragon Succubus, they provided nearly limitless monsters for training. Novice explorers inexperienced in battle and those seeking to test new weapons or magic frequently made use of these facilities…

In one of the circular, sand-covered training grounds, Jirgu, a new explorer who had bonded with Dreissen groups, and Vitellael, a potential new companion, were present.

The remnants of clay golems, powered by magical devices, attached to the underground and ceiling of the training grounds, were scattered across the area. Additionally, there were remnants of wooden puppets equipped with swords and shields.

「Jirgu, you really didn’t go through the training before you went into the tower, did you? It’s surprising you’ve managed to stay alive until now. Even though your life is guaranteed because of the Ariadne, wouldn’t it be reasonable for you to have given up on being an explorer already?」

Vitellael, or Vite, a Dragon Succubus dispatched by the Inraen administration. To put it mildly, she was a talkative and cheeky young girl.

What she was saying about Jilgu was entirely true, and there was hardly any aspect to refute, so he was left speechless and unable to talk back in an effective manner.

Jirgu and Vite visited the training grounds Yor-El had arranged, aiming to understand each other’s capabilities. While Jirgu struggled to battle a golem, Vite had already wiped out the other golems and figures, casually sitting on the remains of the golems.

「W-…wow, you are very strong, aren’t you?」

Vite appeared one or two years younger than Jirgu, and despite their completely different appearances, it was almost like they could pass as siblings. However, their personalities are worlds apart.

Considering the fact that the other was a girl, younger than him, Jirgu was internally conflicted, feeling a surge of awkwardness. Yet, being a teenager, he contained these feelings with a wry smile, knowing it’d be embarrassing to show them openly.

Considering Vite was a long-lived Dragon Succubus, it wasn’t strange if she was mature despite her appearance. However, it seemed she might not have fully understood Jirgu’s delicate and complex inner world during that complex stage of adolescence, making her perception of Jirgu somewhat judgemental.

「It’s because I’m a Dragon Succubus. our basic abilities are higher than those of the species living on the surface. Not just me but all my sisters, Yor-El, Asael, working as the waitress, Euell at the monster-skinning site, or any Dragon Succubus can do it」

「Wow, you guys are really that strong !!!」

In Jirgu’s understanding, until now, most Dragon Succubus were overwhelmingly sensual and kind women, so he had never really considered their combat abilities.

The words from Vite carried an incredibly significant impact. It wouldn’t just be Jirgu, but anybody learning that she and all the Dragon Succubus were all much stronger than themselves would be shocked.

Vite appeared to enjoy Jirgu’s astonishment, haughtily snorting and puffing out her small breasts

「Absolutely, we are!」

「Ah, it’s like my whole perspective suddenly got flipped, it’s truly astonishing」

「Well, if we were just ordinary Succubus, we’d be much weaker. It’s because of Lord Dragon’s favor that we’re capable of holding our own against beings of much higher divinity who’d usually outclass us.

Be it humans or other species from the surface, none of them would stand a chance at us in a serious fight. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s hard to imagine anyone who would dare to start a fight with us, who are the tower explorers and operators of Inraen unless they’re completely crazy」

Indeed, as far as Jirgu knew, he hadn’t witnessed any occasion where a party dared to challenge Dragon Succubus to a fight.

There were occasions when people, after drinking excessively and becoming heavily wasted, approached the Dragon Succubus. From the Dragon Succubus’s viewpoints, handling those individuals, whose wills were weakened by alcohol, was easier than taking candies from the babies.

Currently, not only Jirgu but before the sober explorers could step in to help, the situation was already calmly resolved without any injuries occurring.

「It seems Yor-El gave me an unbelievable ally, and it’s only just now that I’ve realized it」

「So you finally understand my worth? Honestly, it’s troublesome if people can’t grasp that much at a glance. But well, starting with Sister Yor-El, all my sisters hope to get along with the explorers, so there’s no need to worry too much about it.

If you feel even a single grain of gratitude, then from here on you must strive to live as long as you can and as an explorer, serving actively for as long as you are capable of. Especially about the living-long part, it is mad important.」

「Yeah, there’s no way I want to die even a tiny bit! To spread the name of my hometown and to learn more about this tower, I’m going to keep on living and working hard for a good long time!」

「Such spirit, that’s the spirit. First of all, my trial period for you is one month. During that time, gain experience and work towards becoming valuable enough to form a party with other explorers, okay?」

「When the trial period is over, will you be partnered with someone else?」

「For the time being, that’s the plan. That is my job after all. Forming a party with you is also my first assignment. Reporting back on what it was like teaming up with a human this time is one of my duties.

From now on, the Dragon Succubus will investigate the requirements for potential partners in detail. I’m one of the touchstones for that.」

「I see, it’s only been about a year since the Tower opened, right? There’s still a lot of trial and error going on」

「That’s right. I know it’s repetitive, but Jirgu, instead of thinking too hard about the future of the Dragon Succubus and the explorers, you should just fully focus on what you are capable of and what you want to do. If you get too worked up, you might hinder your already limited abilities from fully blooming.

「Ugh, I know it’s true, but you really should mince your words!」