Arcane Sniper

Chapter 966

“… What if we don’t kill you?!”

Chiyou tentatively asked Bahamut.

In an instant, a radiant light burst from Bahamut’s body.

Kyle was ready to pull the trigger at that very moment. However, it was Chiyou who stopped him.

Even though Igor and Pyro were unsure about whether to use their skills or not, Kyle was about to shoot mercilessly.

As the light vanished, the overwhelming platinum dragon still stood proudly in its place.

“I will risk my life to stop you all.”

Though it was evident from the dragon’s numerous wounds, torn scales, and lacerations that he was not in perfect condition. The massive scar running from his chest to his belly indicated the considerable damage caused by Tiamat’s breath.

Chiyou briefly regarded Bahamut with a calculating gaze.

Even though he was not in his prime state, if he risked his life to defend, they would undoubtedly lose one or two people without using Arcane Bullet’s power.

Even an injured tiger still had its fangs intact.

‘That’s why it makes me suspicious. Why wouldn’t it choose to fight? If it believed it could take down one or two of us… wouldn’t it be beneficial to weaken our forces, even a little?’

“If you won’t respond, then I’ll go first.”

Mana particles slowly began to gather in front of Bahamut’s mouth.

As they watched the platinum dragon prepare to release its breath, Igor and Pyro urged Chiyou.

“What are you doing? Let him shoot!”

“My flames can only hold off its breath for barely 2 seconds.”

“Damn it, fine. There’s no choice. Kyle!”

Chiyou had to make a decision. If they were willing to die on the other side, there was no need to reject it.

“Yes.”

“Shoot the ‘Arcane Bullet’ at that dragon.”

Above all, Pyro could not be allowed to waste his flames on the dragon’s breath. His flames needed to be used to melt the ice blocking the entrance to Peklo City.

Calmly, Kyle raised the muzzle of the gun.

And slowly pulled the trigger.

Bahamut stared into Kyle’s eyes as he did so. The platinum dragon’s eyes flinched for a brief moment.

In that instant, light began to seep from Bahamut’s chest.

“Is this what it is?”

Bang─────────!

The gunshot echoed belatedly. With a satisfied expression, Bahamut, whose dragon heart had shattered, gazed at Chiyou and the others.

“You will not succeed.”

“So there was something up your sleeve, wasn’t there? But once Peklo City is opened, and Pyrot-Cocri awakens, it’s over, isn’t it?”

“Haha… It might seem that way for now. For now, it might appear so. But your ultimate fate… will be failure.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Chiyou asked irritably.

The once-smiling face of Bahamut rapidly grew fierce. The light leaking from the shattered dragon heart was becoming increasingly brighter.

To the users watching, it appeared as if white blood was flowing from the gaping hole in Bahamut’s chest.

“Do you think someone who killed the leader of the Metal Dragons… can escape their pursuit!?”

“Leader—pursuit, oh no!?”

Only then did Chiyou seem to grasp what it meant.

Why had Bahamut come instead? What did the tasks, responsibilities of a leader, all imply?

‘Something only the dragon’s boss-tier entity could do—’

It existed!

Chiyou began to fume. There was indeed something there, but to think it was about pursuit!

If it was a pursuit and not an ordinary curse or debuff, it would be the worst penalty for someone like her who was trying to stand up as a new third power.

“Anyway, they thought no one would come and prevent Pyrot-Cocri’s revival… and thus did such a thing—”

“You catch on quickly. Use that quick wit constructively…”

Cough.

Blood gushed from Bahamut’s mouth.

The blood streamed down his beard like a crimson fountain, covering the pristine snow.

『If you― know Ha Leeha, then Ha Leeha would never forgive you.』

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, forgiving and being forgiven aren’t possible between us.”

『Well, that’s good. A parting gift… it will serve Ha Leeha well.』

Cough, cough.

Thud…

After a series of continuous coughs, Bahamut’s massive body collapsed. The eyes of the fallen Bahamut looked skyward with a loud crash.

“Pyro! Melt it quickly! It’s ice related to the spirits of snow and frost. If we start melting it, they might start moving on their side!”

Chiyou commanded Pyro irritably.

Bahamut was smiling.

The Platinum Dragon, who knew that Arcane Bullet was here, couldn’t possibly have sent no message to the Spirit King he had once worked with.

Unaware of this, Chiyou was in a hurry, but until all tasks were completed, there would be no situation where Lumi and other snow and ice spirits emerged.

『Sigh…』

Bahamut let out a long breath.

To the extent that Chiyou’s side paid no attention to the fallen dragon, he was not able to exert any influence.

Even the light emanating from his chest was fading, and the foes who killed him held no interest in him—a lonely end.

In front of a remote cave in the snowy, windy mountain range, thus Bahamut was dying.

『Please… take care of them, my children. And…』

As he looked to the sky, Bahamut opened his mouth.

Shhhhhh──────────

Finally, the light disappeared. Bahamut then closed his eyes.

At that moment, a system notification window appeared for Chiyou and the other users.

You have acquired the achievement of Pure Continuing Wrath.

You have acquired the achievement Eternal Enemy of the Metallic Dragon.

The symbol of the Platinum’s purity and eternity.

Unlike other dragons, Bahamut, the lord of the Metal Dragons and a Platinum Dragon, bestowed two gifts upon those remaining.

“That damned dragon!”

Chiyou’s face twisted in anger upon confirming the achievements.

* * *

“Blaugrunn!”

Upon hearing of Bahamut’s death, Leeha and Ram Hwajung immediately arrived at Bahamut’s lair.

There, many Metal Dragons, including the still-unconscious Bailephus and Alexander, were assembled, awaiting medical treatment.

“Ha Leeha!”

Blaugrunn ran to Leeha. Ram Hwajung also caught sight of Arzenmacht.

Arzenmacht walked toward Ram Hwajung as well. His steps lacked any strength.

“The Lord. Gone. Sad.”

“Yes, he is no longer with us.”

Ram Hwajung, with teary eyes, embraced Arzenmacht. The Silver Dragon, looking melancholy, patted Ram Hwajung’s head.

While the partners comforted each other, Kurpke, who was sitting in a daze, looked at Leeha.

“Are you… Ha Leeha?”

“Ah, yes.”

Leeha didn’t even remember his name, only recalling him as the bronze dragon who had been with Zelreja.

“Come, sit.”

“Pardon?”

However, from now on, he had to remember.

“The Lord… had words left for you.”

Even as Bahamut was dying, he managed to use the ‘message spell’ to convey some final words, making him the sole dragon capable of doing so.

* * *

『Then Alexander-ssi, are you saying you don’t remember the situation of Bahamut’s death?』

『That’s right. I was in a ‘fainted’ state back then. Bailephus couldn’t have known either.』

『It’s hard to grasp the concept of ‘fainting’, what does fainting mean in Middle Earth? While Bailephus is an NPC, it can be understandable, but you, Alexander-ssi, are a user.』

『It is akin to being connected to the system but with all senses cut off. To be precise, it’s similar to having suddenly been left alone in a dark room. I couldn’t hear or see anything. I was in a state where even logging out was impossible until Saintess Raphaela completely healed me. Do you understand? At that time, I could have died to even a goblin.』

The talk show’s host nodded with a shocked expression.

Alexander sat cross-legged on the guest chair.

The actual image of Alexander on TV was something even Leeha was seeing for the first time.

‘To say fainting… it’s similar in principle to those who collapse when faced with the uncanny. Does it cut off all senses? But what if someone isn’t able to recover and doesn’t die in that state? Do they just remain there until they naturally recover slowly?’

Was it a situation where a user gets temporarily trapped between logged-in and logged-out states? Were there any penalties or time limits linked to that state?

Beside Leeha, who watched the screen with a serious face, Kijung was munching on snacks.

“Wow, that guy talks the same way inside Middle Earth as he does here. Is his unique concept not really a concept, but his actual personality? It feels something like that.”

“Hehe, doesn’t it?”

Leeha lightly responded to Kijung before focusing on the TV again.

The MC promptly asked Alexander another question.

『Then who do you predict will be the next Platinum Dragon? Is Gold Dragon Bailephus, your partner dragon, the most likely candidate? If so, this means you’d become the first user to have a Platinum Dragon as a partner, thus indirectly holding command over the future policies of the Metal Dragons. If Bailephus becomes the Platinum Dragon, what approach do you plan on taking about the relationship with the Chromatic Dragons, considering both Tiamat and the elder Onyx have died?』

『I’m not aware of any decisions made in that regard, and nothing is confirmed yet.』

『However, there seems to be no opposition to Bailephus being the most likely—』

『No, the Metal Dragons will proceed with a fair selection meeting that fully reflects the opinion of the former Platinum Dragon Bahamut.』

『Does that mean you’re considering the possibility that Bailephus might not become the Platinum Dragon?』

『Of course.』

Alexander nodded. Neither Kijung nor Leeha seemed surprised.

After Bahamut’s death, they had heard similar talks from not just Blaugrunn but also from Kurpke.

“Come to think of it, it’s been about seven days in Middle Earth time since Bahamut died, hasn’t it?”

“Hmm… it’s been about one and a half days, so approximately that much?”

Lark killed Tiamat.

Leeha killed Onyx, who tried to absorb his heart.

During that time, Chiyou killed Bahamut with Arcane Sniper.

They entered Peklo City and awakened Pyrot-Cocri.

Leeha moved to Bahamut’s lair to get advice from Kurpke.

The official history recorded on Middle Earth’s website stated that 『the leaders of both the Metal Dragons and Chromatic Dragons died on the same day.』

Moreover, it was the day 『Phase 4』 began.

A day and a half had passed in reality since then.

The event resonated not only in online communities but beyond.

As soon as the Tiamat battle began, the stocks of Goople soared to the upper limit for two consecutive days.

The world’s largest market cap company, which should have shown little fluctuation given its high unit price, had two consecutive days of explosive price rises? The media couldn’t just sit back and watch.

A re-examination of Middle Earth, which was practically virtual reality, began, and thanks to broadcasters who edited user-uploaded videos related to the Tiamat war into a movie-like format, even those who hadn’t tried Middle Earth were rushing to purchase connection devices.

Of course, interviews with various famous figures couldn’t be left out.

And when talking about fame? Naturally, Alexander, ranked number one, was the primary choice for appearances.

“Man, originally, hyung would have been sitting in that spot.”

“When could I have gone to the U. S.? I got tons of offers from PDs who even wanted to hold interviews in Korea… I declined them all.”

Leeha had received many offers too.

Initially, he refused because he couldn’t organize his thoughts about the events in Middle Earth, but upon further consideration, it was an inevitable rejection from the start.

“It’s just a shame, isn’t it? Hyung, do you know what they say about your skills on the internet? Did you watch those Ytube videos?”