Published at 30th of December 2020 03:00:49 PM
Chapter 69.2
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
The newly arrived dragon was quite a bit smaller than the one-eyed dragon . It was flapping its wings and hovering in place as it roared at the one-eyed dragon .
The one-eyed dragon retreated about 50 meters away from it and hovered in place as well .
Before long, the smaller dragon unleashed a more aggressive-sounding roar .
Were they actually communicating with each other?
The one-eyed dragon also roared aggressively in retort after hearing the smaller one’s roar . It actually seems that the two were having a heated argument .
Both of them were now roaring so loud, it would probably make people’s eardrums burst . It really seems that they were communicating, but that didn’t manage to resolve anything and they instead became more and more hostile . Rather, it was looking more and more like them picking a fight with each other .
(Are they really communicating?)
『There is no doubt that they are performing some sort of communication method . 』
The two dragon’s heads raised up at the same time, and they unleashed Fire Grenades against each other . It looks like the fight’s starting!
The two grenades met each other in the middle of the space between the two dragons and exploded simultaneously . The two dragons weren’t fazed by the explosion and rapidly closed the distance . Just before they collided, the smaller dragon broke away first .
They were completely ignoring me now, huh . I was a bit annoyed because I actually came here with the resolve to risk my life .
And then, an intense mid-air battle began . They took distance after the first charge, and then rapidly closed in on each other once more . They spewed Fire Grenades at each other during the charge, broke away before colliding, and then repeated the process . They seem to be following some kind of rule during their battle, and the fight really resembled a formal duel, or perhaps a joust .
(What’s happening?)
『It’s probably a territorial conflict . The smaller dragon claims a large area of the forest as part of its territory . And now, it is fighting the wild dragon that suddenly intruded into its territory . 』
(I see… But man, that’s one intense fight . )
Powerful explosions occurred whenever the two dragons passed each other by . No matter how tough a dragon is, if they get caught in one of those explosions at such speeds, I can’t imagine they’d remain uninjured . Both of them were truly risking their lives in every exchange . Neither seemed to be able to fire off Flame Grenades in succession nor quickly change trajectories .
However, they seemed to be employing various different strategies like constantly varying their flying speed and subtly changing the timing of releasing their Flame Grenades .
After their grenade spells crashed into each other for the twelfth time, the movement pattern of the smaller dragon clearly changed . It seemingly predicted its opponents’ flight path, matched its timing while avoiding the enemy’s grenade breath, and hammered an attack at a distance and angle the enemy dragon would find hard to dodge when they passed each other by . The power of its attack was reduced a bit, but it also ensured the smaller dragon didn’t take damage during the exchange . That’s some really skillful dogfighting .
However, it didn’t manage to land a deciding hit, and the one-eyed dragon was still in the air . What a tough body . So it can take such an explosion and still continue to fly huh . However, it seems that it indeed took some damage since its flying speed was evidently slower than before .
They reversed course again and charged toward the other party once more . The smaller dragon managed to land another clean hit using the same strategy . After taking another spell, the one-eyed dragon’s flying speed dropped even further .
It looks like the battle has been decided . The next hit would probably be the last .
However, after the charge, the one-eyed dragon didn’t spew a grenade of its own, but instead withstood the smaller dragon’s attack and spread its wings in order to block the smaller dragon’s flight path . It was an extremely risky move .
It probably realized it would eventually lose if the situation continued and decided to use such a desperate method . The smaller dragon eventually collided with the one-eyed dragon, and the two got entangled and fell to the ground .
It looks like the one-eyed dragon didn’t get weakened as much as I expected . It bit the smaller dragon’s neck and swung its head from side to side to worsen the damage . It looks like the larger one-eyed dragon held the advantage when it comes to fighting on the ground .
But why didn’t it use this method earlier? Maybe it’s because it deviates from the duel style they used in the beginning .
The larger one-eyed dragon held the smaller dragon’s neck firmly and pinned it down . It would probably find it hard to reverse the situation now .
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After three more minutes, the smaller dragon’s struggling evidently began to weaken . It must be finding it really hard to breathe .
(Let’s help out the smaller dragon . The one-eyed dragon should be disposed of . Try not to make it suffer as much as possible though . )
In any case, the one-eyed dragon that has become hostile to humans can’t be left to its own devices and has to be disposed of .
However, I did feel that butting in on the two’s battle was quite a despicable act .
But I was saved by the smaller dragon earlier, and I would feel bad if I left it to die like this .
『Understood . 』
A drone canceled stealth mode and fired an attack at the head of the one-eyed dragon . The round pierced deep into its skull, and the one-eyed dragon slowly collapsed dead .
The small dragon seems to have kept its consciousness, albeit in a hazy state . It would be bad if it thrashed around here . I’ll try to threaten it a little .
(All units, cancel stealth mode and approach the dragon . )
I ordered all the drones present in the area to gather up as I walked toward the dragon . The twelve drones dispatched by a worried Iris gathered near my position .
When I was only 15 meters away from the dragon, it finally noticed me . It didn’t seem to hold any obvious hostility and just stared at me .
Multiple engine sounds gradually grew louder as the drones approached . The dragon seemed to be looking around to search for the source of the noise .
When all the drones reached us and canceled stealth mode simultaneously, they blotted out the light of the sun and plunged the area below them in shadows . The dragon raised its head and stared at the drones hovering above, and then lowered its gaze again to continue staring at me .
Afterward, it suddenly laid itself belly-up on the ground . Its gaze was still focused on me though .
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(What do you think this means, Iris?)
『It’s an action often taken by a lot of creatures to signify their willingness to submit to those stronger than them . It is an action that implies surrender by exposing their bellies, which is often the weakest part of their bodies, to the other party . 』
(So it’s just like I thought huh . So, what should I do next?)
『There are many examples of creatures accepting the surrender of their peers by stepping on the other’s belly . 』
Okay . I’ll do that then . It might be a bit dangerous, but since I had all the drones positioned above us, Iris would probably finish the dragon off the moment it performs any questionable behavior .
I approached the dragon and jumped up to its belly . The dragon kept still as it continued to watch me . And then, it slowly lowered its head on the ground and closed its eyes .
(Hey! It didn’t just die on me, right!?)
『No . Its heart is still functioning normally . It probably just lost consciousness . 』
(I see . Can we do something for it?)
『It’s most serious injury is probably the one on its neck . The bleeding seems to be severe . Why don’t you try treating it with healing magic, Captain?』
Yosh, let’s try it . I wonder if healing magic will really be effective on a dragon? No . If it’s those light spirits, I’m sure they’ll be able to do it .
Since I found their engine noise to be distracting, I had the drones go on standby in the sky and jumped down from the dragon’s belly in order to approach its neck . Due to the bite attack earlier, red blood kept flowing out of the gaps in the dragon’s scales .
Surprisingly, there seem to be no damaged scales . They must really be pretty tough .
I created an image in my head that would allow me to cure the damaged tissues under its scales . First, let’s prioritize stopping the bleeding . I used the image of the cute light spirits repairing broken blood vessels and cells .
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I activated the Heal spell while griping three Orc magic stones in my hand . I couldn’t see the wound clearly through the scales so adjusting the spell proved tricky .
My palm which held the Orc magic stones shone several times, and I continued to cast the Heal spell while replenishing my magic power with the stones . When I finally finished closing the bite wound, I had already consumed as many as six Orc magic stones .
“Fuu . Well, I finally managed to stop the bleeding . How is it?”
『Its condition looks stable . Captain, can you touch the dragon’s blood for me?』
That’s a simple request . I touched the dark-red dragon blood that flowed to the ground . It felt viscous and sticky . So this blood is actually something valuable?
『I see . It’s just as I expected . Captain, don’t you think this dragon resembles something we’re very familiar with?』
Something familiar? I can only see it as a huge dinosaur with bat wings though . Wait… Oh, so that’s what she means .
More than sixty years ago, the empire discovered a planet on which dinosaurs actually managed to survive and not go extinct . If I remember correctly, it was named Satic . This dragon does share some resemblance with the carnivorous dinosaurs found on that planet .
Of course, the carnivorous dinosaurs there didn’t sport any bat-like wings . Those dinosaurs had dark-brown hides while this dragons’ was a blood-like crimson . The size was different as well . Those creatures weren’t as large as this dragon and stood only at a height of five meters or so . I think they were called satiron .
“You’re saying this dragon resembles the satirons?”
『Yes . They may not look the same in outward appearance, but they resemble one another on a genetic level . 』
It was recently confirmed that the satirons possessed high intelligence . When it was announced that communication was possible twenty years ago, it became a really hot topic .
I remember when I was five years old, I was really excited when I watched the program about the talking dinosaurs on the holo-bit . Of course, the dinosaurs didn’t actually speak human words . They were instead interpreted and translated by a translation system . That was a really fascinating experience .
Even at present, the debate on whether or not the satirons possessed true intelligence is still ongoing . I see…