Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 257: Match in the Presence of the King (1)

Bright crimson scales and two curved horns. The creature’s thick and powerful limbs ended in sharp claws, and its large lizard-like mouth was filled with saliva-coated fangs. Its eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing it was on the brink of losing its sanity.

Though not yet fully grown, this Fire Dragon was certainly among the strongest contenders ever to grace the long history of this arena. Even though it was controlled through “Soul Binding” there was no doubt that if it were to rampage through the city streets at a time when most veteran knights and soldiers were away, it could easily reduce a part of the capital to ruins.

The presence of this powerful Fire Dragon in the arena at such short notice had a reason. The king’s advisor, who hated demons, had a grandchild of the right age and he had arranged for this beast to ensure his grandchild’s victory in the “Rookie Tournament” of the battle beast tournament.

“To face a dragon in this arena, … What an unfortunate connection.”

“Grrrrrrr…?”

Antares was smiling bitterly as he said something that was incomprehensible to anyone unaware of the situation. The Fire Dragon unexpectedly let out a low growl while carefully observing him.

From the moment it had hatched from its egg, the Fire Dragon recalled that every creature that appeared before it had been terrified. Though it now resigned itself to the humiliating state of being enslaved by humans, it recognized that even these humans were clearly afraid of it. It fully understood that they were no match for its overwhelming might.

If Georg who had trained Antares had been in charge of the fire dragon, he would probably have subjected it to relentless torture, regardless of whether it was a dragon or not, until its spirit was completely broken and it understood its place. However, the beast was under the care of a far less capable trainer, someone who wouldn’t resort to such measures.

In the first place, the Fire Dragon had been captured not through defeat in battle but by falling for a trap that used bait laced with a sleeping potion. Still, it seemed to enjoy the current situation where it received food without effort, which was quite different from its previous experiences.

From what it had encountered before, the Fire Dragon had come to see humans as petty beings, capable only of using clever spiritual arts. That’s why it couldn’t help but be confused by the unexpected existence of a human who wasn’t afraid of it.

“Grrrr… GuuoooOOOOOOOOOO!”

The confusion in the Fire Dragon quickly gave way to intense anger. It was outraged to see a human, who should be cowering in fear, standing before it with a complete lack of tension. Upon reflection, it seemed utterly disrespectful for anyone to stand so firmly before a being of its supreme might.

Driven by its rage, the fire dragon intensified its fighting spirit and spiritual power and unleashed a furious roar at Antares. The roar was only amplified by its spiritual power, but since it originated from the dragon’s muscular strength, it turned into a physical shockwave that shook the entire arena. The barrier meant to protect the spectators shook violently, and some faces in the crowd turned pale with fear.

“Enough of your noise. You don’t have to yell, I will face you.”

Antares, who was closest to the roar, calmly adjusted his cloak which had been displaced by the shockwave of the roar. Although the Fire Dragon couldn’t understand the meaning of his words, it seemed to sense that it had been casually dismissed. Driven by its rage, it bore down on Antares.

Rising on its hind legs and using the momentum of its impending fall, it swung its forelegs down with all its might. This attack, powered by the dragon’s weight and muscle, along with claws that could easily slice through ordinary metal, was meant to be lethal.

“Guoooo!?”

“Hmm? Stronger than I thought, and your claws are sharp too. They’ve scratched my exoskeleton.”

Antares managed to catch the blow that should have crushed any prey with both arms. The Fire Dragon, unable to believe that a creature so much smaller and seemingly insignificant had withstood its attack, was momentarily stupefied.

Amused by the dragon’s defenseless state and impressed by its strength and the sharpness of its claws, Antares couldn’t help but smile bitterly. But what he found adorable, like the innocence of a child, seemed to be an insult to the dragon, causing it to exert even more force.

But no matter how much power it used, Antares did not budge. He increased his fighting spirit, wasting none of it by releasing it to the outside. Instead, he was channeling it all into strengthening his body. Not only the sheer amount of fighting spirit was remarkable but also his perfect control over it.

Such flawless control over one’s fighting spirit requires diligent training. Such technique could be said to be the fruit of Antares’ efforts, who took advantage of even his short sleep time to devote himself to training.

The total amount of fighting spirit one possesses can often be influenced by talent, but the control over it clearly reflects how much training the individual has undergone. Those who could understand this had no choice but to admit that Antares was a serious and diligent person, at least when it came to martial arts.

“Grrr… Gaaaah!?”

“Well, I expected as much.”

Frustrated by Antares’s unresponsive demeanor, the Fire Dragon abandoned its focus on a test of strength and instead bit at him. However, Antares had fully anticipated this move. Given its pinning position, the dragon’s options were limited to pushing, pulling, biting, or using spiritual arts.

Relying heavily on its overwhelming physical strength, the Fire Dragon was not adept at using spiritual arts beyond the ejection type. And since it already attempted to overpower Antares and with a personality unlikely to retreat, there was only one logical course of action left.

And if one could anticipate the move, countering it was straightforward. Antares quickly restored his tail to its full size which he had previously kept compact and struck the Fire Dragon’s face sending it reeling.

“Guaah!?”

“First time being struck? Seems you’ve been in a rather soft environment.”

Antares’s tail was like a whip and it was harder than steel. Even without employing his poisonous stinger, a mere strike had enough power to topple the Fire Dragon. The tremendous impact broke several of the dragon’s teeth, sending fragments scattering across the arena floor and against the barrier protecting the spectators.

The Fire Dragon screamed in pain it had never felt before and began to wriggle in place, exposing a huge opening. However, Antares did not launch a follow-up attack. This restraint was not out of a desire to torment his opponent for his own amusement but rather to demonstrate his strength, as King Carl had instructed.

“Grrr… Gwaaaah!!!”

“Anger won’t make you any stronger. Now…”

Without diverting his attention from the furious Fire Dragon, Antares caught Chirik with the compound eyes on the back of his head. And even though he was in the middle of a battle he sent a telepathic message to his disciple, who was using all his senses other than sight to grasp the flow of the fight.

[This is a good opportunity. I’ll teach you a few ways to use spiritual arts.]

[Ye-yes, Teacher!]

Chirik’s joyful response arrived at the same time as the Fire Dragon leaped towards Antares with a roar. However, the latter was completely unfazed. Far from drawing his sword, he stood upright with his arms hanging loosely by his sides.

Yet, he was far from inactive. With a minor application of spiritual arts, he conjured a small amount of sand and used it to blind the Fire Dragon by covering its eyes. Suddenly blinded, the dragon could not stop its charge and stumbled forward after losing its sense of direction. Antares gracefully sidestepped and avoided the dragon with ease.

[Spiritual arts can have great effects with a bit of ingenuity, even at low power levels. Do you understand?]

[Yes, Teacher!]

[You are intelligent, so you might come up with more effective strategies than I could. But… with a higher output of spiritual power, such feats are also possible]

As if giving a lesson to Chirik, Antares spoke through telepathy while releasing control over the sand covering the dragon’s eyes. Instead, he concentrated his spiritual power to create a large quantity of sand.

When the dragon regained its vision and swiftly got back on its feet, it turned around, intending to finish Antares once and for all. However, its movements halted as if frozen in place. The reason was the presence of a dragon in front of it that was identical yet larger than itself.

[Wow…!]

[How about that? My creation is quite something, isn’t it?]

It was impossible for a dragon to suddenly appear out of nowhere. The dragon before it was actually a decoy created by Antares from sand. But this decoy was not to be underestimated. The density of the sand was exceptionally high, making the total weight of the sand dragon even greater than that of the Fire Dragon itself.

Having never seen its reflection in a mirror before, the Fire Dragon could not discern whether the sand dragon resembled itself. However, it was reminded of the sensation of confronting a being it had to look up to, something it hadn’t experienced in a long time.

The Fire Dragon roared and charged without hesitation. From the moment of its hatching, the Fire Dragon had always been a formidable force, hunting prey larger than itself right from birth. The sheer size of its opponent was not enough to instill fear in it. The momentary pause was merely due to the shock of such a huge opponent appearing suddenly without warning.

Antares was slightly taken aback by the Fire Dragon’s lack of hesitation. However, as a veteran warrior, he did not let his surprise halt his actions. He propelled the sand dragon forward to meet the Fire Dragon’s charge.

The clash between the Fire Dragon and the sand dragon resulted in the Fire Dragon’s victory. Although the momentum of the Fire Dragon was halted by the weight of the sand dragon, the physical encounter led to the crumbling of the sand dragon’s forelimbs upon impact, and its long neck was bitten off.

The Fire Dragon glared at Antares as if to say, “You’re next” but it found itself unable to move. This was because the remnants of the shattered sand dragon were entangling its body.

[If you create something out of sand, many people will let their guard down when it is destroyed. It might be useful to allow it to be broken intentionally. Did you learn anything?]

[I have learned a lot, Master!]

[That’s good to hear. Now… It should be arriving soon. Cover your ears for a bit.]

[Cover my…? Understood.]

Antares, having conducted the lesson through telepathy, was able to accurately predict the Fire Dragon’s next move based on his experience fighting dragons. That’s why he advised his disciple, Chirik, to cover his ears.

Chirik looked puzzled but he complied immediately and covered his ears just as the Fire Dragon’s fury reached its peak. It wasn’t used to being defeated and frustrated when things didn’t go its way. This was something it was experiencing for the first time and found unbearable.

“GaaaAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

With a roar that seemed to shake the heavens, the Fire Dragon opened its mouth as wide as possible and unleashed a torrent of crimson flames. The fire breath. A signature move and the last resort of dragons. This fire swept across the arena and filled the interior of the barrier completely.