Chapter 18: “Yamete yo!”
"Whatever trick you're planning, it won't matter in the face of overwhelming power. Attack!"
The two demons launched their assault, bulldozing through the exhausted adventurers. Scattered like leaves in a storm, the adventurers barely stood a chance.
But just as the demons closed in on Ivan, the corpse of the Dark Dragon behind him began to shift. It was as if the ground had turned into a swamp, pulling the monstrous body into its depths.
The demons' attacks struck only the dragon's hard scales, sparking harmlessly.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
The decapitated Dark Dragon's body began to rise, its massive frame swaying unsteadily before it firmly stood.
The dragon's claw reached down, retrieving its severed head and placing it back onto its neck.
--
Elsewhere, in a quiet forest clearing...
"Flamme, you're daydreaming again."
"Call me teacher," Flamme corrected, placing her cold hands on Frieren's cheeks. The elf girl, who already disliked the cold, scrunched her face into an exaggerated frown.
"Yamete yo!" Frieren protested indignantly, only to be met with Flamme's merciless kneading of her face.
Her playful tormentor's demeanor said it all: the more you resist, the more fun I'll have.
Seeing no way out through physical means, Frieren decided to try a different approach. "You're worried about Ivan, aren't you?"
Flamme's hands paused, a faint trace of melancholy flickering across her face.
Sensing an opportunity, Frieren pressed further. "If you're so worried, why not go look for him?"
"Because Ivan is capable of exploring the world on his own now. I can't keep protecting him forever, or I'll just hold him back."
"I don't understand," Frieren said, tilting her head. "Growth only matters if you survive. Without life, talent can never turn into real progress."
Flamme smiled faintly. "Oh, I'm not worried about Ivan's safety."
Her eyes glinted mischievously. "If anything, his enemies should be the ones fearing for their lives. I'm just concerned that without my restraint, he'll grow too… wild. But, oh well. If he ever goes completely off the rails, I'll just have to bring him back in line with a good punch. For now…"
She resumed kneading Frieren's cheeks. "Playing with your face is far more interesting."
"…" Frieren sighed in resignation. "I'm tired. Let's just let the world burn."
-----
Back on the battlefield…
For a necromancer, some things were more useful in death than in life—especially a corpse as powerful as a Dark Dragon's.
After a quick but efficient modification, Ivan had hollowed out the center of the dragon's massive body to form a makeshift cockpit. The seat was soft and surprisingly comfortable, while the walls reinforced by dragon bones provided excellent protection.
If only the stench of blood wasn't so overwhelming, it would've been nearly perfect.
Ivan emptied the contents of his spatial ring, dumping out every snow wolf corpse he had stored. Some he used to replenish his mana, while others served as fuel for the undead dragon.
Soon, the zombified Dark Dragon's movements became smoother and more agile. No longer just a mindless, lumbering behemoth, it began launching coordinated counterattacks.
It was a truly fearsome sight.
The blonde captain did his best to direct his teammates to coordinate with Ivan, and soon, the previously invincible pair of demons was pushed into a losing position.
Ivan felt that this adventuring team should be named the "Survival Adventure Group." Despite sustaining injuries like broken arms, legs, and even a nearly scalped head, not a single member had died. They hovered on the edge of death, using harassment tactics to the utmost effect.
Their teamwork with Ivan grew increasingly seamless. As the saying goes, "Blackened means stronger by three points," and the zombified Dark Dragon certainly fit the description. With no fatal weakness like a reverse scale and the added physical defense of its zombie state, it was a terrifying war machine.
With such powerful allies, the blonde captain grew more confident. Taking advantage of an opening from the shorter demon, he leaped forward and severed the hand holding her axe.
The taller demon fared no better. Ivan's Dark Dragon swatted her staff away with a flick of its tail. After enduring the adventurers' relentless attacks, the demons were almost out of mana.
Realizing their imminent defeat, the two demons raised their arms in surrender.
"We're sorry, we were wrong! We'll never do it again. Please spare our lives—"
Tears of regret streamed down their faces as they pleaded. "We were only following orders! Deep down, we love peace. We only did this out of desperation. Please show mercy and forgive us."
Their heartfelt cries, paired with their tearful and pitiful appearance, could easily evoke sympathy.
Unfortunately, neither the adventurers nor Ivan were moved by their stellar performance. The flimsy excuses held no sway over them.
In their worldview, the only good demon was a dead demon. "The heavens nourish demons, and demons give nothing back. Kill, kill, kill!"
Ivan took the lead, entering interrogation mode. "If you want to live, tell me everything you know. Are there any other allies nearby?"
"No, no, there's no one else. This mission was just something that lord decided on a whim. There's no backup."
"Who is this lord you mentioned? What is their objective? How strong are they? How many subordinates do they have?"
"I... I can't say..."
"You can't say anything at all?"
"Nothing at all."
"Well, that makes things difficult for me..."
"Please, please! Spare us! We'll do anything you want, as long as we can live!" They cried even harder.
But everyone present knew it was just another act from the demons.
Ivan, however, had a soft spot for crying women. He fashioned a bone rifle using fragments of the Dark Dragon's skeleton, compressed mana bullets from snow wolf corpses, and mounted the weapon on the dragon's forelimb.
Remaining fused with the Dark Dragon for safety, Ivan controlled the gun to point at the two demons.
"Even though you've given me no valuable information, I'm an extremely kind person. Even demons deserve a chance," Ivan's voice echoed clearly from within the corpse. "I hate tears but love smiles. If you can smile to my satisfaction, I'll let you go."
Smile?
The shorter demon hesitated briefly before awkwardly forcing her facial muscles into a grotesque smile under the gun's threat.
"Not even close to Serie's smile. Unqualified."
Bang!
With that, Ivan pulled the trigger, leaving a bullet hole in her forehead.
The taller demon paused to recollect herself. She then displayed an exceptionally charming and alluring smile.
"Honestly, that's much better than Serie's smile."
Just as the taller demon began to feel hopeful, Ivan delivered the second half of his sentence:
"But I won't allow a demon to exist with a smile better than Serie's. Unqualified."
Bang!
The trigger was pulled again, leaving another bullet hole, this time in the taller demon's head.
Though the demons lacked any real talent for smiling, their bodies were still useful. Ivan stored them in his spatial ring for later use.
As a bonus, the shorter demon carried the Dark Dragon's broken horn. Attaching it back to the corpse completed the set, making the undead dragon appear even more formidable.
The scene that the Dark Dragon longed to witness during its lifetime has finally been realized by Ivan after its death. Surely, if its spirit knows about this from the heavens, it would be immensely pleased.