Chapter 173: Dragon form
A loud roar echoed. The Ice Dragon's massive claw tore through the ground effortlessly, causing a tremor. The dragon had no will of its own. Its only thought was the command given to it by the Goddess.
Destroy the heretics…
The dragon's power was far beyond that of the Ice Men. The souls of the endlessly dying Wargans were being absorbed, making the Ice Dragon even stronger. A cruel but powerful method.
Frowning, Boris looked at the savage dragon that was busy devouring souls and immediately called out to Rick, who was twenty meters away.
"Rick, can you defeat it using that sword of yours?"
Hearing Boris's words, Rick immediately understood and nodded. "I can, but it's still difficult. This thing keeps getting stronger. I'm afraid it's developing resistance."
"What do you mean?" Boris asked, not understanding. Rick narrowed his eyes while studying the Ice Dragon and answered, "You might not see it, but there's a protective barrier around this creature. It's strong enough to block Holy Power."
"How is that possible? Isn't your sword extremely powerful?" Boris said sharply, his expression darkening as he watched the Ice Dragon devour both souls and corpses.
Rick sighed. "It must be the Ice Goddess. Only a Goddess like her could block a Holy weapon."
"Damn it, just say we're useless," Boris muttered, narrowing his eyes in frustration. He felt helpless due to his lack of power, clenching his fists.
Unlike Boris, Rick seemed calmer and more composed. He quickly formulated a plan. "The Ice Dragon has resistance to Holy Light. This resistance only applies to things with spiritual power, like Excalibur."
"So?"
"So, pure physical strength can harm the Ice Dragon," Rick said seriously. Boris then grinned. "Then leave it to me. At the very least, I can try my luck."
"I'm coming too. Even if Holy Light is useless, I'm still physically fast." Hearing Rick's words, Boris's grin widened. "Alright, let's go."
Rickard said nothing more. Then, both of them turned toward the dragon, which had stopped eating and was now glaring at them with its terrifying red eyes.
As Boris and Rick charged at the dragon, Jomei, watching from a distance, sank into deep thought. As the only one in the group who had never defeated an enemy, he felt like a burden.
Rickard was the strongest and a natural leader. Boris, though sometimes a musclehead, was a great fighter and a good friend. Jeanne was intelligent and had impressive powers.
And Jomei?
Jomei could only transform into animals. Other than that, he didn't think he had a single useful trait, making him feel completely useless.
Even Björn, the Shaman who hadn't turned into an Ice Man, was strong enough to grab him in his bull form and toss him through the air. In contrast, Rick could easily take down Ice Men, Boris threw Wargan warriors around like toys, and Jeanne could turn the entire battlefield into a sea of flames. Next to them, Jomei felt as powerless as a child.
Thinking of himself as one of those useless characters in anime, Jomei let out a dry laugh and ran a hand through his hair. Seeing this, Jeanne turned to him.
"Hey, are you okay, Jomei?"
Looking at the exhausted Jeanne, Jomei gave her a half-hearted smile. "It's nothing—I just got lost in thought."
Telling a white lie, Jomei sighed when he saw Jeanne's knowing expression and decided to tell the truth. "I just feel a little useless."
"That's it?" Jeanne said simply. Jomei paused and looked at her silently. Jeanne then continued in a slightly scolding tone.
"Do you really think we brought you along just because you were stranded in this world with us?"
"But—"
"You're our friend. That's why you're here. Not because you're a burden, not because you need to be useful, but because you're our friend," Jeanne said. "If you were truly useless, we wouldn't have brought you along. Boris would've objected. Rickard would've said it was too dangerous for you."
Hearing Jeanne's words, Jomei fell silent, looking at the ground. Jeanne softened her voice and smiled.
"You underestimate yourself. That's why you can't transform into a dragon or any other mystical creature. It's because you don't believe in yourself."
Jomei wanted to object, full of doubt and disbelief, but Jeanne silenced him.
"You've transformed into a lion, a cat, a snake before. That's because you didn't think it was hard. The reason you can't turn into a dragon is that you believe it's impossible."
Jeanne let out a tired sigh and stood up, smiling at Jomei.
"You think it's too difficult, so you refuse to try."
"Is that really it? Just because I don't believe in myself?"
"You lack confidence. I'm sure that's the real reason you haven't transformed into a dragon," Jeanne said thoughtfully. Jomei felt a wave of emotion at her unwavering faith in him.
"Thank you, Jeanne. That actually helped." Jomei was about to step back, but he was startled when Jeanne suddenly grabbed his arm. She was still smiling but looked at him seriously.
"I didn't say that just to make you feel better. I said it so you'd do it. Now, transform into a dragon. Come on."
"But Jeanne—" Jomei was about to protest when suddenly, Boris's body crashed to the ground with a loud thud, cutting the conversation short.
Jeanne, seeing that Rickard was struggling to handle things on his own, glanced at Jomei one last time. "I believe in you. Now go, transform. Otherwise, we'll all die."
Jeanne's body was then engulfed in a sacred fire. She quickly moved away from Jomei, surrounding the Ice Dragon with flames.
The Ice Dragon roared as it took to the skies, trying to escape the burning ground. Suddenly, it was no longer just fighting Rick but also Jeanne.
Jomei, watching all of this from a distance, clenched his fists. He was surprised to see Boris rising from the ground, still smiling despite being covered in blood. That sight rekindled his confidence.
"If Boris can do it, so can I. Just trust yourself. Just trust yourself, Jomei. Come on... You can do this..."
Jomei closed his eyes and tried to imagine a dragon. A massive dragon, as big as a building, with sharp black claws and large fangs.
"Focus... Come on..." His veins slowly became more visible, and his blood began to rush through his body as his form started to change.
"You are not useless. You can do this, Jomei. Just believe and transform..."
Jomei's body grew larger and was slowly enveloped in a black aura. Mana swirled around him rapidly, concealing him.
First, a pair of dragon arms with sharp claws emerged. The wings that formed within the black mana sent snow flying in all directions.
Jomei's eyes opened, now glowing yellow beneath the dark aura. Suddenly, the black dragon flapped its wings and took to the sky, crashing straight into the Ice Dragon.
"Another dragon?!" Even Boris lost his composure, watching the two dragons clash in the sky with a bewildered expression.
"That's Jomei!" Upon hearing Jeanne's voice, Boris snapped out of his shock and grinned in admiration. "That kid... He actually turned into a dragon."
Rickard, Boris, and Jeanne retreated to a safe distance to watch the dragon battle unfold.
The Black Dragon had less mana pressure than the Ice Dragon, but its sheer size and physical strength easily surpassed it, forcing the Ice Dragon into submission.
"Hraaa!!"
With a roar, Jomei's clawed hand grasped the Ice Dragon's neck, and with a powerful flap of his wings, he dove straight toward the ground.
"Damn, that's incredible..." Boris shielded himself from the rising dust with his hand, murmuring in awe. Meanwhile, Jomei mercilessly tore the Ice Dragon apart with his claws.
With a pitiful roar, the Ice Dragon tried to rise again, but Jomei had already shredded its body. First, he brutally ripped off its arms. Then, with his sharp fangs, he sank his teeth into the Ice Dragon's neck and tore it off with a furious growl.
"Graahhhhh!"
The Ice Dragon's agonized roar echoed, but suddenly, Jomei's dragon head moved, biting down on the Ice Dragon's head and devouring it.
"That's... kind of disgusting," Rickard said with a small smile. Jeanne, standing beside him, silently agreed. Jomei then soared back into the sky, distancing himself from the dying Ice Dragon.
"What is he going to do?"
"Watch and see," Rickard replied to Boris, keeping his eyes on Jomei. He looked at the writhing Ice Dragon, which was slowly regenerating, and wondered what Jomei would do next.
Jomei opened his massive mouth. A deep hum began to rise, and smoke escaped from between his fangs. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself, then tilted his head slightly forward and unleashed a torrent of fire.
"This isn't Holy Fire like mine," Jeanne remarked with curiosity. "It's something else. Something unique to dragons."
"You're right. Because it is." Rickard smiled. "I once read in a book from the Pope's library that there are two types of dragons. Primal Dragons and Artificial Dragons..."
"What do you mean? Why don't I remember this?" Jeanne frowned, unable to recall such a book. Rickard only smiled and ignored her. "According to this book, Artificial Dragons were alchemical creatures created by Vortigern—beasts that only resembled dragons but were inferior to the Primal Dragons, like the Ice Dragon."
"But Primal Dragons were different. No one knows how they came to exist. The only known examples were the Red Dragon and the White Dragon. But most importantly, it was their power that set them apart."
Rickard paused for a moment, gazing at the Ice Dragon burning in the scorching flames. "Primal Dragons possess dragon breath that can destroy even the strongest elements, nearly indestructible scales, and an unbreakable mental will."
Jeanne's eyes widened as she pieced it together. "Impossible, you're saying—"
"Yes, Jomei has truly transformed into a Primal Dragon..." Rickard said, his gaze now fixed on Jomei, who roared victoriously above the melting Ice Dragon.