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Chapter 365 – Post-Battle Disposal
Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes
Post-Battle Disposal
As soon as they were out of the miasma, Hikaru’s legs stopped moving. They had made it to the top of the basin. Paula recovered first, and when she noticed Hikaru’s battered legs, she hurriedly healed him. Hikaru was finally able to catch his breath.
Lavia was unconscious for about an hour. Never before had she experienced expending all her mana so rapidly. Combine that with the miasma she inhaled and the extreme mental pressure, it was no wonder she fainted. Hikaru let her sleep. It was sunset when she woke up.
「We did it.」Hikaru said.
The miasma still remained, but they couldn’t see the Evil Drakon. Their Soul Rank going up, however, indicated that it was dead.
「Yeah.」
「It feels like a dream…」
Lavia and Paula sat in a daze.
「More like a nightmare.」Hikaru said.「What the heck was up with that huge drakon? This whole place’s dangerous too. We wouldn’t have been able to kill it without Stealth.」
If they wished to kill the Evil Drakon head on, they probably would’ve had to break through multitudes of monsters first. Monsters as strong as the Root guardians were all over the place.
Man, it’s not even funny.
Hikaru’s revolver was completely destroyed, and his clothes and shoes were in tatters because of the miasma.
「I’m not fighting that kinda thing ever again…」
「Hikaru, why do you think the miasma’s not dissipating?」
As Lavia pointed out, the miasma still remained. Hikaru’s Mana Detection told him the Evil Drakon was completely dead.
「Maybe it’s because the body is still there, or maybe the miasma doesn’t disappear unless purified…」
「Maybe it’ll disappear eventually.」
「Perhaps, but there’s a few terrible possibilities I have in mind.」
A large amount of concentrated miasma remained here. There were plenty of Root guardian-class monsters nearby. What would happen if powerful monsters came here, curious about the Evil Drakon’s death, and sucked the miasma? What if they devoured the drakon’s corpse?
「Hikaru-sama, don’t tell me that a second or third Evil Drakon is going to show up!」
「Perhaps not exactly a drakon. But like an evil man, evil beast, or even an evil fish…」
「Hikaru, this is not the time to be escaping reality.」
「Yeah, you’re right. We’re gonna have to clean up this mess.」
Hikaru hadn’t considered what to do afterwards, a rare mistake for him, which made him feel a little dejected.
It just showed how overwhelming the Evil Drakon was. His mind was filled with prior arrangements, coming up with ways to kill the creature, and executing his plans.
「I came up with two possible course of actions.」Hikaru said.
「Two more?! Wh-What would those be?」Paula asked.
「The first is simple. You two will purify all the miasma with holy magic. Your Soul Ranks had gone up, after all.」
Hikaru glanced at his Soul Board. Then did a double take.
「Wow. Mine’s gone up by 13.」
Lavia’s rank had gone up by 23, and Paula’s by 31.
「If we pour all your points to Mana and Magic Principle, we might be able to clean up quite a bit of it before our time is up.」
「We have a time limit?」
「Yup. We have until the other monsters get here.」
「I see…」
Hikaru surmised they didn’t have that long. He could see flying dragons—the Evil Drakon’s scouts most likely—in the distance coming towards their location. The fact that they were still alive after the death of the Evil Drakon meant they were separate beings entirely. Hikaru couldn’t anticipate what they would do after they discovered the Evil Drakon’s death.
「What’s our second course of action?」Lavia asked.
「Easy. We’ll do a little clean-up, then leave.」
「…What?」
「Monsters will naturally flock here and absorb the miasma. But I don’t think only one will absorb it. Several… or maybe even a lot more will share the miasma. In that case, I don’t think they’ll turn into anything as strong as the Evil Drakon.」
It would be best if they went mad and killed each other, but that was asking for too much.
「The good thing about this one is that the monsters won’t grow, and there’s even a chance that they won’t do anything.」
「So put it another way, we’re leaving the rest to the heavens.」
「I suppose. Though the heavens of this world have a reputation for not doing anything.」
This world’s Rule Maker granted Hikaru a class called Heaven’s Messenger, yet hadn’t even once told him what to do.
「Well then, what do you two want to do?」Hikaru asked.
The girls exchanged glances and nodded.
「I want to do everything I can.」Lavia said.
「Me too!」Paula added.「I don’t want to regret not doing anything.」
Hikaru expected their answers, but actually hearing the words from them directly brought a smile to his face.
Most people would never have been able to kill the Evil Drakon, yet they managed to do it. No one would criticize them if they simply left afterwards without doing anything else.
But the two of them didn’t want to turn their backs around on a problem that lay right before their eyes. They were even willing to spend their precious Soul Board points.
「Okay. Then let’s get this over with quick.」
「Yeah.」
「Let’s do it!」
Hikaru was about to open their Soul Boards when something triggered his Instinct.
「What the hell…? Something’s coming!」
Lavia and Paula also look in the direction that Hikaru was facing. It was coming from the southwestern skies. He was able to notice it right away because they were on high ground.
Two gleaming white lights dotted the half-red, half-blue sky, heading towards them at an incredible speed.
They weren’t flying dragons. Those were circling a mountain summit in the distance. Or rather, it looked like they were fleeing from the approaching lights.
「Hold on to me!」Hikaru said.「I’ll conceal our presence!」
「O-Okay.」
「Got it.」
Hikaru activated Group Obfuscation and got down on the spot. The girls followed suit.
By the time they came in range of his Mana Detection, Hikaru could see huge figures. The light wrapped around them, however, prevented him from looking at them directly. He couldn’t even tell their body shapes. They passed overhead, zooming like airplanes.
A strong wind blew. It was all Hikaru could do to keep himself from tumbling over.
The two creatures passed over the Evil Drakon, before turning back, then started circling above the dead drakon.
What in the world?
Even with the strong wind blowing, Hikaru raised his body and peered at the creatures.
《Gramps! I’m sure it’s here! Look at this miasma! But I don’t see the Evil Drakon.》
《You don’t have to shout. I can hear you. There’s the Evil Drakon.》
《What?! Where?!》
Their words sounded like animal cries, but they registered clearly in Hikaru’s mind.
《It’s dead. Right there in the middle of the miasma.》
《What? Dead?! For real?! No way!》
《It’s true. And I’ve been telling you to keep it down, Lake White Drakon.》
Hikaru’s mouth dropped open.
《Perhaps it was too early to promote you. You should’ve stayed as a Young White Drakon.》
The two figures were actually drakons.
「Drake?」Lavia muttered in surprise.