I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 46

—–CROW—– 

Black Despair.

A calamity that brought impartial despair to all living beings.

Black scales that obscured the light of the world, and red eyes that perceived all things, piercing through everything.

The absolute ruler of Paradise, a tacitly acknowledged zone of peace.

“*Hiss.*”

The guardian who, since some unknown time, protected the Tree of Life that blossomed in Paradise.

He now revealed his hostility towards the group before him.

His size was infinitely small, yet the magnitude of the power he emanated was overwhelming, like a towering mountain.

It was enough to understand why no one had ever defeated him, why no one had ever reached the Tree of Life.

*Gulp.*

“*Growl.*”

“*Neigh.*”

“*Grrrr.*”

“*Whine.*”

“*Moo.*”

Every creature was terrified of the small being before them.

Every time his black scales brushed against the weeds on the ground, every time his red eyes glanced at them, their bodies trembled instinctively, their muscles tensing under his overwhelming presence.

“[What? You were acting like you were about to attack, so why aren’t you coming?]”

How could they attack first?

Everyone present was already overwhelmed before even fighting this small Imugi.

“[Ugh! Don’t be scared!]”

But there was one who could still move.

The only one who didn’t succumb to that immense presence and bared their claws.

The leader who had brought this group together. The sacred beast, just like the one before them. The grey-furred wolf sacred beast stepped forward, swinging its forepaw at El.

*Whoosh!*

An attack utilizing the wolf sacred beast’s characteristic speed.

However…

“[So. You want to fight?]”

It didn’t work on El.

Its claws couldn’t pierce his small, seemingly fragile black scales.

*Crack.*

Instead, its claws cracked against the hardness of the scales.

Just how tough were those scales?

“[As expected of the Black Despair.]”

It had fought the Imugi briefly before.

But that past experience was useless against this opponent, a being of extraordinary strength.

It wondered if this was even an Imugi. He was on a completely different level from ordinary Imugi.

“[You fool. If you had just stayed put, I would have taken care of it.  Why couldn’t you wait?]”

“[We don’t know how long it would take.  We have a pressing matter.]”

“[Even if that choice costs you your lives?]”

“[Yes. We cannot give up.]”

So they would fight.

To protect Paradise, the only place untouched by other transcendental beings.

This wasn’t a decision made alone.

*Thud. Thud.*

*Thump. Thump.*

*Rustle. Rustle.*

“[What?  Are those cowards at the back going to fight now?]”

The others gathered here had made the same decision.

Even if it meant losing their lives, they would defeat the Black Despair, take the Tree of Life beyond him, and protect Paradise.

“[Sigh… There’s no shortage of impatient ones.]”

El clicked his tongue, looking at the countless eyes now glaring at him, no longer filled with fear.

Seeing this, the wolf sacred beast found a sliver of hope.

Even he would struggle against such numbers.

“[Fine. I’m tired of talking. Just come at me.]”

With those words, the wolf sacred beast and its numerous companions charged towards the Black Despair.

***

Ah, the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

What was he going to do with these impatient fools?

Protect the region they lived in? Well, the intention was good.

But the problem was that he couldn’t accept Ceres’s sacrifice in the process.

‘If it’s about the spirits, Silphy would likely be able to help…’

With their future Spirit King, Silphy, what was there to fear?

If the low-ranking wind spirits they fought before coming here were considered average, Silphy’s power was unbelievably strong for a low-ranking spirit.

*Whoosh. Whoosh.*

But these guys couldn’t wait and were desperately trying to fight him.

Did they think he would just step aside and let them pass, saying, “Oh, yes~ go ahead,” when they were after Ceres?

Of course, he would block their path and fight, just like now.

And he would fight to completely end their lives so they could never target Ceres again, or at least crush them so thoroughly that they would never think of fighting again.

*Crack.*

*Slash.*

“*Roar!!*”

“*Screech!!*”

“*Groan!*”

“*Shriek!*”

The chilling sounds of bones shattering and flesh tearing from his tail whips and constrictions echoed.

But don’t worry.

Not many of those who were down for the count were actually dead.

“[Ugh. Huff.]”

*Cough.*

And the persistent leader of those fools.

The wolf sacred beast, now soaked in blood, its original fur color forgotten, didn’t take its eyes off him even as it gasped for breath.

More of them should have been crawling on the ground by now, but this one kept interfering, minimizing the damage more than he’d anticipated.

Of course, the beast had suffered numerous injuries as a result.

“[This is a boring fight.]”

“[Ugh. Huff. Huff.]”

“[You and those behind you have no chance of winning.]”

If they had fought before he met the Dragon King and his daughter, it might have been different.

But after gaining experience from them, these numbers no longer posed a significant threat.

‘I was surprised at how easy it was to fight.’

He hadn’t expected it to be this easy.

That just showed how much the fight with the Dragon King and his daughter had influenced him.

“[Black… Ugh. De…spair.]”

“[I’ll let you go if you leave now.]”

“[We…can’t.]”

“[But if you continue to attack… I won’t hold back and will kill you all.]”

“[…]”

So please, just go back.

Honestly, they knew.

That they couldn’t win against him with their current strength.

Yet, they continued to attack. Was it for the sake of their cause? Or was it revenge for their fallen comrades? Or perhaps just stubborn pride?

Whatever it was, they wouldn’t achieve what they desired.

It was ruthless, but that was reality.

“*Grrrr.*”

“*Roar!*”

“*Growl.*”

“*Screech!*”

“[They’re practically begging me to kill them. What choice will you make?]”

Were they going to let everyone die?

“[…How despairing.]”

The beast closed its eyes, its breathing evening out.

He was slightly worried that they would continue fighting, but thankfully, they were more rational than he thought.

“[We will retreat.]”

“[A wise choice.]”

“[I know it’s shameless to ask this of you after defying you, but I have a request.]”

“[What is it?]”

He could roughly guess what they were going to ask.

“[Could you help the Tree of Life protect this Paradise?]”

“[That’s a truly shameless request.]”

They had just fought to kill Ceres and take her power, and now they were asking him to use her power to protect Paradise.

But despite that, he didn’t reprimand them.

He was planning to ask Ceres himself anyway.

“[Don’t worry. I don’t want this place falling into the hands of others either.]”

The reason this place was so peaceful was 90% due to it being a sanctuary untouched by others, including spirits.

He also wanted to protect that.

Of course, he wouldn’t sacrifice Ceres like they wanted to.

He would proceed in a way that minimized any harm to her.

“[Don’t bother me again. Tell the others as well.  My patience is wearing thin.]”

“[…Understood.]”

Of course, that was a lie.

He could handle all of them at his current level. They were just a bit of a nuisance.  His patience wasn’t actually wearing thin.

He just said it hoping that fewer of them would come.

If it worked, great. If not, things would be no different than usual, so there was no problem.

Incidentally, these words drastically reduced the number of intruders visiting in the future.

Of course, it also spread his nickname, Black Despair, far and wide.

*Rustle rustle rustle.*

Well, that was a story for much later.

He didn’t know about it yet, as he returned to Ceres after the fight.

“[I’m back, Cere…s?]”

He returned to Ceres early because he managed to persuade them to leave.

But upon returning, he was taken aback by the change before him.

“[What in the world happened?]”

He hadn’t thought much time had passed.

She had changed this much in such a short time?

He knew Ceres grew quickly.

And he had expected the nutritional supplement to accelerate her growth, but…

-Hello, Father.

“[…You can… talk now?]”

He hadn’t expected such a drastic change.

Ceres, already a giant tree, had grown even larger, noticeable even from afar.

If he were to fly and look down from above, he would surely see Ceres standing out prominently.

‘And her life force has increased significantly.’

Just judging by the life force flowing around her, it was comparable to the amount he’d used to strengthen Cheong.

And the change that surprised him the most was, of course, Ceres’s newfound ability to communicate.

—–CROW—–