Aquilo and Theodore took the boat back to the altar, where the festival was in full swing.
The belly dancers captivated the audience with their aggressive dance, while there was smoke blowing everywhere, from the opium being lit in light concentrations. It would be difficult to maintain reason in a place like this.
However, the ugliness of the area couldnât be hidden.
âEven so⌠there is no chaos.â
Theodore eyebrows twitched as he looked around and clicked his tongue lightly. It was as he said. The prostitutes were already brought onto the surrounding boats, and drunkards were sleeping while tangled together.
On the other hand, Aquilo watched the humans with a satisfied expression. However, her eyebrows raised when she found a ship approaching them. What idiot dared to block her way? Aquilo raised a sharp nail at the end of a white finger and waited for the right moment to slice the person.
âYoung Master!â
However, the man who jumped onto their boat stood beside Theodore. He held two swords, and the aura flowing from the blades seemed like they could cut through the darkness. Randolph sighed with relief when he saw Theodore, who had disappeared from his eyes for a while. His warriorâs instincts had predicted death.
âAha, is he your companion, Boy?â
Aquilo recognized Randolphâs identity and put her nails away. The red lips on her white face seemed like cherry blossoms in bloom. Randolph lost his spirit for a moment at the smile, but his trained mentality meant that he quickly recovered. She might superficially appear as a beautiful woman, butâŚ
âDammit, Iâm not a match for her.â
Randolph felt himself quickly getting drenched in sweat. Unlike magicians who pursued ideas, a warriorâs ability to determine strength was unmatched. His senses, which had been trained for many decades, were screaming that no matter what, he shouldnât fight her.
ââŚDamn, I want to hit you.â
However, Randolph didnât put his swords away. Rather, his two eyes stared straight at Aquilo. The surprising thing was Aquiloâs reaction. She ignored Randolph, who had been prepared for battle, and manipulated the ocean currents to guide their boat to the center of the festival.
Then she climbed onto dry land and licked her lips.
[Stop.]
Simultaneously, everything became static. The hundreds, maybe thousands, of people stopped moving.
This was âDragon Fear,â the ability of a transcendent species which allowed them to dominate those below them. It didnât mean much to Theodore and Randolph, but the merchants and pirates couldnât resist.
However, shortly after thatâŚ
-Itâs coming.
Theodore perceived its presence before anyone else. Gluttony warned him, but this was the second time today that his senses let out a howl of warning. The size of the warning was equal to or greater than that of Aquiloâs surprise attack. The biggest problem was that this presence was somehow familiar.
âNo, I distinctly remember this presence⌠Can it beâŚ?â
Theodore stiffened while trying to figure out the identity of the intruder. If his guess was correct⌠it was possible the uninvited guest had come for Aquilo, not him. There was nothing to base his speculation on, but it might be considered reality when thinking about the ominous warning.
Like right nowâŚ
Kuuong!
The ground formed a pit as something landed from the sky, and six fluttering wings caused dust to rise up. In front of the expressionless Aquilo, Pride of the Seven Sins revealed its heinous appearance.
-I found you.
When Theodore saw it, he became nervous.
âDangerous. Even more than last timeâŚâ
Gluttony heard his thoughts and agreed.
-5th stage. This time, donât even try to fight it.
âWhat? Already?â
-Thatâs right. I donât know what Pride ate, but it has already unlocked the 5th seal. That swine.
A Seven Sins grimoire with the 5th seal releasedâŚ! When Pride had been at the 4th stage, Theodore had been helpless until Veronica arrived. Now, it was even stronger? Theodore gulped and carefully looked at the confrontation between two monsters.
âHow much stronger is it?â
Gluttony hesitated for a moment before replying.
-Now, even if that woman called Veronica comes, the odds are fifty-fifty. No, it is probably around 40%.
âThis is just stage 5?!â
Theodore barely managed to maintain his expressionless face as he screamed inwardly. The last time, Theodore had to use Transmission to borrow Alfredâs power. Now, Pride had released one more seal and could fight Veronica equally? If Theodore was currently five times stronger than that time, then Pride was 10 times stronger.
As another piece of the Seven Sins, Gluttony replied like it was natural.
-Of course. For the Seven Sins, releasing the seals is the process of returning to our âoriginal stateâ⌠If you reach stage 6 according to Prideâs standards, you can slaughter an ancient dragon by yourself.
ââŚCrazy.â Theo couldnât hide the astonished cry which emerged from his mouth. The ancient dragon was already mostly gone from the material world, but a 6th stage grimoire could defeat it. If so, what was the 7th stage, and what would Pride be like at that point? He couldnât imagine such a horrible future.
However, Theodore wasnât given any more leeway.
-We meet again, Gluttonyâs monkey.
âUh!â
Superbiaâs head didnât need to turn around as an eyeball appeared on the back and stared at Theodore. Perhaps it had known he was there from the beginning. It glanced at Theodore and wriggled its blade-like projections, as if it wanted to kill him right here.
However, the response came from a different direction.
âWhat, do you know this thing?â Aquilo smoked her pipe and spoke while pointing at Superbia. She seemed mild-mannered and friendly, but there was a sharp look in her eyes. Aquilo was certain that Superbia wasnât an easy opponent.
Theodore kept up his vigilance and nodded slightly. âI do. It is an unfortunate relationship.â
âHrmm, then this guy is chasing you as well?â
The answer came from elsewhere.
-No, I have no interest in a monkey. [Pride,] Superbia, spoke while gazing at Aquilo with hungry eyes. Of course, only Aquilo and Theodore could hear its low frequency voice, but Randolph felt an unpleasant sensation every time it spoke.
-Young sea dragon, I will ask you something. [Pride] Superbiaâs super low voice rang out. -My purpose is completion. Are you willing to join this noble purpose and be reborn as the perfect creature?
Aquiloâs answer was clear. âMany dogs are noisy these days.â
It was instant. Aquilo spoke in a way which didnât suit her beautiful lips and stepped forward. Veronica, a quarter dragon, was able to display the body of an aura user. Then how strong was a pure-blooded dragon? The question which Theodore couldnât answer was resolved in front of him.
Kwaang!
The origin of the blow was the tail. As soon as Aquilo twisted her body, the fast-waving tail became the strongest whip on the planet. However, Superbia, who was hit by the blow, wasnât normal either. As half of its body burst, it used the repulsion to push its body back into the strong currents.
-Kuhu, huhuhuâŚ! Refusal, I see!
As Superbia laughed at her, Aquilo was astounded.
âYou want to go a round with me?â
Superbia wanted to face the sea dragon in the sea? Even the gold clan, the so-called strongest dragon clan, avoided fighting Aquilo at sea. Aquilo didnât hesitate to jump into the sea currents after Superbia. It wasnât the shadow of a woman but the long shadow of a huge snake moving through the waves.
Randolph held his double swords and looked at Theodore.
âI donât know really know what is going on, but⌠Young Master, what are you going to do?â
âIâm not sure.â
Theodore looked at the shadows of the two monsters who had disappeared into the sea, and inquired inwardly, âGluttony, can Aquilo defeat Pride?â
-It is impossible, Gluttony replied immediately, without any hesitation. -The dragonâs power would be sufficient if Pride was still stage 4, but after reaching stage 5, the odds are 0%. There is no means for a sea dragon to kill it.
âEven if the sea dragon is fighting in the sea?â
-Prideâs combat power doesnât depend on environment. You should remember since you fought it once.
Certainly. Theodore couldnât deny it and stopped speaking. Prideâs ability meant it could instantly create a shell which reflected Magic Bullet and could endure 5th Circle fire magic. There were many creatures which were strong in the sea, and Superbiaâs immortality wasnât something that a sea dragon could beat.
In the end, Theodore was forced to make a difficult decision. âIâm going.â
âAre you serious?â Randolph was stiff, unlike his usual self. âI donât know what it is, but this isnât something we can afford to get involved in. It is like shrimps interfering in a fight between whales.â
âWell, I canât deny it.â Theodore shrugged. âBut I have an unfortunate relationship with that creature. If that dragon is defeated, the creature will surely come to kill me. It is better to fight with the dragon to beat it.â
âHowever⌠no, even if you win⌠can you trust in the wicked dragon?â
âA wicked dragon is still a dragon. Perhaps it will pay back the favour.â
He had already made a decision. Theodoreâs face was showing that. The one struggling now was Randolph. Randolph followed Theodore with the desire to become a complete master, but he had never imagined contending with a dragon or monster.
How could Randolph fight an opponent that he couldnât win against? Did he have to risk his life just because Theodore helped him find the heirloom swords?
As he hesitated, Theodore spoke to him, âCaptain Randolph, thank you for everything in the meantime.â
ââŚWhat?â
âAll old debts have been repaid, so you can leave me here. It is enough.â
After giving his farewell message, Theodore ran in the direction of Aquilo. He ran by using the boats as stepping bridges. Using acceleration magic and physical strengthening magic, Theo soon disappeared from Randolphâs sight.
Randolph simply stared dumbly in that direction. ââŚâŚâ
After Aquilo disappeared, the influence of âDragon Fearâ gradually lifted and people started making noise again around the confused Randolph.
ââŚHah.â
Randolph had received consideration from someone younger than him. Whether Theodore realized Randolphâs hesitation or not, his intentions were good.
ââŚDamn, dammit. This sucks!â Randolph scratched his head in a rough manner as he shouted loudly, surprising the people around him. His wounded pride, disappointment in himself, worry for Theodore, and fear toward the dragon and unknown monster mixed together.
Kang!
Then Randolph grabbed his two falchions and ran over the boats like Theodore had done.
âAh! This bastard!â Complaints came from behind him, but he didnât hear them. Randolph ran toward the battlefield of monsters.
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âDamn! It sure came without warning!â
The clear sky was now filled with dark clouds, and strong gusts of winds blew over the previous silent sea. Todayâs fighting promised not to end peacefully, as one swordsman entered the storm of his own volition.
TL: To clarify things slightly, GLuttony states that Veronica has better odds of defeating Superbia than Aquilo because she has the destructive power of a red dragon to overcome its healing rate. Aquilo might be pure-blooded and old but she doesnât have such destructive power.
Current schedule:Â 6 chapters a week to match the authorâs release rate.
I have also updated my  to reflect my new novels. Every tier has early access to a certain number of unedited chapters and the chapters will be updated after I finish releasing the chapters for the day.