Reincarnated as a Dragon's Egg - Chapter 751: Darkness that Swallows Light

“OOOOOOOOOOO!”

“OOOOOOOOOOO!”

Human-faced spiders are closing in around me. But I can’t afford any attention for them.

The moment I lose focus, Baal’s [Dimension Claw] will come flying. I fly around, desperately searching for a space that feels wrong.

The ground beneath me suddenly gouges open. It’s his [Dimension Claw]. I send a [Dimension Claw] in the direction of the claw marks, but there’s no feeling of hitting anything.

Don’t panic. [Feline Alibi] isn’t without weaknesses. The skill description mentioned a massive MP cost. There was also the weakness that Baal revealed himself.

『Was a feeling of unease produced by the folded space…? Is it because you also have space-type skills? Even with my power, can I not control it perfectly?』

Those were Baal’s words.

My previous evolution, the oneiros, was specialised for manipulating space. [Dimension Claw] was able to hit him, and it wouldn’t be strange if I’ve gained an ability to sense his [Feline Alibi] through my time as an oneiros. At the very least, the presence concealment of [Feline Alibi] isn’t perfect.

Baal also doesn’t seem to have complete control over his skill. Even if I only noticed him due to a mistake of his, it sounded like he distrusted the skill from the start.

This skill definitely has weaknesses! Think… any idea will do! At this rate I’ll be killed without being able to fight back at all!

With a loud crack, the ground in front of me splits open. It seems I’ve somehow dodged another [Dimension Claw].

But, before I can feel any relief, two magic spheres appear in front of me. [Fire Sphere] and [Aqua Sphere].

『No…!』

Baal’s aim was to cut off my movement with [Dimension Claw] to guarantee that the steam explosion would hit me The point-blank blast engulfs me, scalding my body and blowing me backwards.

[Feline Alibi] should be burning through his MP at a fast rate. He also didn’t seem to have a lot of confidence in it. So he’ll want to do something to end this before the drawbacks become apparent.

Where? Where will he come from? If I was Baal, I’d aim for a blind spot..! Behind me? No, above? Below?

Suddenly, an idea strikes me. If [Dimension Claw] can hit him, then other skills might work too.

I have a skill that I got when I evolved into an oneiros, one that affects a wide area and can cross dimensions. It’s not certain, but if any of my skills can fight back against [Feline Alibi], it’ll be this one.

『[Gravity]!』

A magic circle of black light expands out from me.

Gravity is itself a distortion of space, so it might be able to interfere with other dimensions. I think it might be something I heard in my previous life. I’m betting on this reaching Baal.

The space in front of me feels wrong. My gravitational field has caught something invisible.

“GuuOOOOOOOOH!”

I charge forward, pushing past the human-faced spiders while releasing a [Dimension Claw]. Space appears to distort, tracing Baal’s outline. The distortion resolves as Baal fully appears.

『Impossible… How have I…!?』

The next moment, my claw strikes his human face.

『So stubborn… Can’t you die already?』

I quickly strike Baal again with my other foreleg. His human face is further deformed.

『That is my line! You might have exposed me, but I allowed you to close the distance! My strength will overwhelm you!』

Baal two huge bestial arms punch my face from either side. My eyeball is crushed, my jaw broken, and my fang torn away.

Before the impact can knock me back, I direct the [Gravity] onto me to fix myself in place. Right away, I strike again with my claws.

“GuuEEEEEEEH!”

The toad’s tongue wraps around my right foreleg. I duck down to dodge the [Severing Thread] that follows.

I pull with my right foreleg to drag him towards me as I strike at his tongue with my left. At the same time, I cast [Cocytus], producing a magic circle aimed at his body.

『Guuuu…!』

Baal lunges away from the [Cocytus], dragging me along with his tongue. I kick off the ground and slam my tail into his body, knocking him back into the magic circle. Part of his toad head and half of his legs are trapped by the sudden ice and frozen over.

Baal vanishes, and my foreleg is released.

He used [Feline Alibi] to escape the [Cocytus]. But there’s no chance of me losing track of him when he uses it right in front of me.

The way he’ll move… I can guess without even using [Gravity]. Aiming at the empty space, I fire a [Dimension Claw]. Blood spurts, and the space twists in the shape of his outline, followed quickly by him reappearing.

『How did you know…!?』

『You really weren’t taking this fight seriously at the start, were you? Once you lost your leeway, your movements became more and more predictable. You’re good at trampling insects, but you can’t cope with a life-and-death struggle.』

I slam a clenched fist into Baal’s face. He takes the hit straight-on. His body is knocked flying from the impact and hits the ground hard.

My body’s also nearing its limits. My mana output is no longer stable. [Autoregeneration] is slowing down.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

[Irushia]

Species: Apocalypse

Condition: Normal

Lv: 156/175

HP: 5549/14018

MP: 2942/11345

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

But, Baal is even closer to his limit.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

[The Evil Absolute Sovereign]

Species: Baal

Condition: Spirit

Lv: 180/180 (Lock) (MAX)

HP: 3252/20805

MP: 1573/14609

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

The fight’s practically over already. His MP is down to ten percent.

『Impossible… I am an absolute being… I cannot be defeated here…!』

Baal’s frog head is half-crushed by frostbite. His legs and the area around the frog head are black with necrosis, so he should be barely able to move now.

『Sitting on your throne as the strongest and scratching your arse was your biggest weakness! What we carry is different. I’ll beat that difference into you! You, who bent the knee to God’s Voice so you could carry on living for your own enjoyment, and me, who is getting stronger so I can take him down!』

I kick off the ground, leaping towards Baal.

『What we carry is different, you say…?』

His cat head looks up at me. The unfocused eyes glare at me. But, his expression is not one of anger or resignation.

It is an expressions that makes me feel the bottomlessness of his malevolence.

『I acknowledge you, dragon… I should have fought with all my power from the start. My mana is too low now. Ah, so this feeling, this fear, is what I have given to the world all this time! How wonderful! But I will be the one to win!』

Baal produces a magic circle. A wall of black light envelops his body.

The black light forms into a complete sphere, appearing almost like the black moon of a lunar eclipse.

I know this skill.

【Normal Skill [Eclipse】

【The magic of darkness that eats away at the world of light.】

【With mana strengthened to the limit, it even causes the rules of the world to waver.】

【Any land touched by the black light of [Eclipse] will be violated by a death curse for all eternity.】

A darkness that consumes the light. But I had thought he would never use this skill.

That is because using it now will only drive him further into a corner.

The [Eclipse] sphere cannot be broken easily. It saturates the surrounding area in randomly-fired beams of the strongest darkness magic, providing simultaneously the ultimate sword and shield.

However, it can be dealt with simply by keeping distance from the caster. The reason it was such a threat when Miia used against me it was because I was trapped with her in a tower.

It doesn’t make sense for Baal to use it in this situation…

No, I finally understand his aim.

『If you say you carry more than me, then let us see you try to stop this!』

He intends to destroy the entire city with [Eclipse]. If I were to run away, I could escape.

But he’s taking all of Alban as a hostage against me, forcing me into trying to destroy the protection of [Eclipse]. I learned how difficult that was in my fight against Miia.

That time, treant’s counter skill sent the [Eclipse] beam back into it, but he’s not here this time. Baal wants to see me destroy myself as I futilely try to break past the [Eclipse].

『If you try to break my [Eclipse] you’ll fall to my darkness! If you throw down your burdens and run away, that’s fine too! Once you’ve lost your convictions, I’ll slaughter you easily! So, what will you do?』

『Are those the actions of the strongest!?』

『Of course! It is because I will use any means that I am an absolute being! Now, be devoured like the annoying speck of light that your are!』

It’s the worst form of final struggling. My [Dimension Claw] hardly made a dent in Miia’s [Eclipse]. The slightest touch will cause the darkness curse to wreck my body.

It’s impossible… And I can’t afford to die in vain here.

If I were to abandon Alban now, I should be able to kill Baal for certain. He boasted that I wouldn’t be able to defeat him once I’d thrown away my convictions, but his HP and MP are both almost empty. With the voracious cost of [Eclipse], he shouldn’t have anything left to fight with once I return.

Baal also knows that. Once I escape, he’ll probably stop the haphazard attack right away. In the first place, this city is already in a state of near destruction. The human-faced spiders have laid waste to it, and the shockwaves of our fight have flattened the nearby buildings. Even [Eclipse] won’t make much of a difference now.

『…I’m not going to be able to persuade myself out of this though, am I?』

I kick off the ground, leaping straight up. I look at the [Eclipse] sphere far down below me.

Using [Dragon Mirror], I turn my forelegs into arms.

『[Ideal Weapon]』

A light appears in my hand.

【Normal skill [Ideal Weapon]】

【A magic skill that allows the user’s ideal weapon to be drawn from the world of dreams.】

【The weapon’s abilities depend heavily on the strength of the user’s magic, and on the skill level.】

【Mana is continuously consumed while in use.】

【Once the weapon leaves the user’s hands, it disappears.】

The light transforms into a jagged dark-red greatsword.

【[Sword of Revelation]: Value L+ (Upper Legendary)】

【Attack: +666】

【A greatsword made from the scales and fangs of the dragon who will cause the end of the world.】

【That dragon’s evil soul is sealed inside, causing those struck to be engulfed in the flames of hell.】

With my maximum firepower, I’ll break through the [Eclipse] shell.

I don’t know if I can do it. But, if I don’t make a stand here, I’ll no longer be me. Even without Baal pointing it out, I understand myself best.

I can easily imagine that, after abandoning so many people to die, I won’t be able to fight properly. If I don’t fight now, I’d lose to Baal in the end anyway.

I dive straight down. As I dive, I activate [Gravity] three times, causing a ball of black light to surround me and increasing the speed of my fall.

Beams of black light shoot up from the [Eclipse] sphere. I swerve, dodging them by paper-thin margins.

『Idiot! You really came! You think you’re carrying the world on your shoulders? Ridiculous! It’s because you believe such nonsense that you’re going to lose! I am fighting for my sake alone! That is why I am strong! You can’t beat me…!』

『[Flash That Drives Away the Darkness]!』

【Normal Skill [Flash That Drives Away the Darkness]】

【The sword is coated in holy light to cut the enemy.】

【Before this flash, all deception is meaningless.】

【All forms of damage reduction or nullification from resistance skills, characteristic skills, normal skills, or special conditions are ignored to deal massive damage to the target.】

The blade shines with light, illuminating the darkness of the [Eclipse] and drowning it out. I swing down, slicing through the sphere.

I can clearly see a fracture of light running through the sphere’s surface. But, the next moment, I feel an immense backlash throughout my body that sends me flying backwards.

The sword flies from my hand. Then, a huge explosion occurs. My consciousness flickers. I’m just barely able to stay standing. My wings and chunks of my body are torn off, and all I can feel is pain.

In front of me, Baal is lying on the ground. His eight legs are scattered and burnt.

『…What happened? I… I did all I could… Am I really no match for this dragon?』

I did it… I broke through Baal’s [Eclipse] head on.

I catch my breath as I run towards him.

“GuuOOOOOOOOOOOH!

I kick off the ground to leap up and drive my claws into his human face.