thedancenovel Chapter 191
Chapter 191
Chapter 191
【 The Final Battle 】
Suiroti was clearly in a terrible state right now.
The injuries she had sustained hundreds of years ago had yet to heal, and on top of that, she had consumed a considerable amount of mana assisting Lord Rage.
Not to mention, she had been overwhelmed by the other races just a few hours ago.
Even for an ancient Evil Dragon who had survived through the ages, there was no way he wouldn’t have weakened.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Among the items that my Defensive Swordsman character once possessed—there was one meant for a moment exactly like this.
‘In fact, I never once used it in the game. There were barely any chances to, anyway.’
It was an item I carried just in case I ever encountered a dragon during gameplay.
But since the probability of encountering a dragon was ridiculously low, I’d never actually gotten to use it.
So, in truth, this would be my first time using it.
‘I know how it works, but since it’s my first time actually using it, I’m not sure if it’ll go smoothly.’
Still, at the moment, this was the best option I had.
If I wanted to eliminate that dragon blocking my path, I had no other choice.
‘Alright, let’s think. The conditions are… the dragon’s HP must be reduced below half, and… I need to make the jar’s opening come into contact with its body…’
I quickly formed a plan in my head.
And soon, I looked at Siri, who had come near.
“Siri.”
“Woof!”
“You’ve been itching for a proper fight all this time, haven’t you?”
“Woof? Woof woof woof!”
“Your chance has come. Go fight. Charge at that dragon and let out everything you’ve been holding in.”
“Woof!”
Siri wagged her tail and nodded.
“But be careful. Don’t fight to the point your life’s in danger. What I want is just for you to draw that lizard’s attention for a bit—hey, wait! Don’t just dash in like that!”
I tried to stop Siri, but the Hellhound was already charging straight at Suiroti.
Siri, who had now grown to the size of a full adult, closed the distance rapidly with her massive body—bigger than mine.
“Out of my way. I have no time to deal with beasts like you!”
Suiroti swung her front claw at the oncoming Siri.
But just before it could strike her, Siri vanished on the spot.
More precisely, she slipped into a nearby shadow.
Suiroti blinked in confusion, scanning her surroundings.
Then Siri leapt out from the shadow behind her and landed on his back.
Climbing swiftly, she reached her head in an instant.
“Get off me, you wretched beast!”
Suiroti shook her head violently, trying to throw her off, but she wouldn’t budge.
Biting at her nose and eyes, Siri drew the dragon’s attention exactly as I had asked.
Since she was fighting so fiercely, it was my cue to move.
“Alright then…”
I raised my right arm.
And imagined it.
The act of pulling an item from my inventory.
From all the countless items I possessed, I envisioned retrieving the one I needed right now.
Then, one of the two blue lines remaining on my arm began to glow…
“…It’s bigger than I thought.”
A jar appeared before me.
In the game, I remembered it being small enough to hold in one hand.
But now that I saw it in person, it was large enough that I had to use both hands to lift it.
It was much larger than I expected—but still manageable.
So I proceeded with my plan.
‘Siri is doing a great job keeping him distracted. I’ll sneak in close.’
I summoned the Power of Peregrie within me.
The power of the wind coursed through my body.
Through it, I made myself lighter and faster.
‘I have to get this jar to touch Suiroti’s body directly. If she figures out what I’m doing, she’ll never let me get close. So it has to be in one shot—done in a single moment.’
I fixed my gaze on Suiroti again.
Thanks to Siri viciously biting her head, the dragon hadn’t even noticed me summon the jar.
This was the moment.
“Haaah…”
I exhaled deeply and charged toward Suiroti.
The distance was considerable, but with Peregrie’s power, I closed it fast.
By the time Suiroti realized my presence, I was already right in front of her.
She swung his claw in a hurry—but it was too late.
I brought the jar’s opening to her chest.
And shouted:
“Suiroti! One among the dragons, I hereby seal thee within this vessel. Forgive the sin of me, Gideon Kyrgram, who dares imprison one of the great dragonkind!”
It was the exact incantation from the game—used to activate the jar.
The moment I recited it, the jar unleashed its power.
It began to absorb the Evil Dragon whole.
Suiroti’s body started to disintegrate into dust, being sucked into the jar piece by piece.
“Gi—Gideon Kyrgram! What have you—”
“Just go in quietly, will you? And… Siri, come back. Good job!”
“Woof!”
Just moments ago, she’d looked feral—her gaze fierce, her presence like something out of a nightmare.
But as soon as I called her, Siri barked cheerfully as if nothing had happened.
With gentle eyes, she jumped down to my side.
“Kyrgram! I—I was wrong! I won’t harm you anymore, I swear, just please—”
“I’m not naïve enough to believe that.”
Suiroti’s body continued to be drawn into the jar.
She thrashed desperately, trying to escape its pull.
But her body, her tail, her neck—
And finally, even her head—
—all were swiftly swallowed into the jar.
“Stop! Stop! I don’t want to die! L-Lord Bedir! Please, save this foolish servant—”
Suiroti couldn’t finish her words.
For her head, too, was consumed by the jar.
“Whew. That went surprisingly smoothly. Guess that’s the power of gear?”
“Woof!”
“Ah, Siri, you did great. But—hey, you’re hurt! Are you okay? I have some medicine right here—”
“Woof woof! Woof!”
“Ugh? Hey, don’t lick my face all of a sudden! And—hey, where are you going now?”
“Woof!”
Siri dove into a nearby pool of lava and began playing—no, splashing—around in the molten heat again.
Well… maybe it was because she’d just had her fill of battle, but she looked truly delighted.
“Hmm, still… I guess this means it worked, right?”
I peeked inside the jar.
Within the dark interior… a tiny creature was visible.
A black dragon, shrunken down to a minuscule size.
“Gi—Gideon Kyrgram! W-what is this?! What have you done to me?!”
Came Suiroti’s small, frantic voice from within the jar.
I smirked.
“This is what they call the Jar of Dragon Sealing. A sorcerer who lost his family to dragons long ago is said to have created it. When one chants the proper incantation along with a dragon’s true name… the jar forcibly absorbs the dragon it touches, no questions asked.”
“Th-this kind of jar, I can destroy it with my magic… No, why is my mana—”
“Give up. Any dragon trapped inside can’t use a single ounce of power.”
It could only imprison one at a time, but even sealing one dragon made it worth the price.
“…I-is there any way I can get out of here…?”
“Well, let’s see. It’s said that the jar can’t be physically destroyed… and that only the one who sealed the dragon can release it again. So, in short, I’m the only one who can let you out, Suiroti.”
“T-then please! If you free me, I’ll—”
“If you’re going to beg, maybe do it a bit more politely, don’t you think?”
“Grr… L-Lord Gideon! If you’d only grant me a chance, I’ll do anything for you—”
“Nope.”
I cut her off with a sly grin.
“Whatever you offer, I’m not letting you out. You can count on that.”
“P-please! I’ll do anything—”
Suiroti kept yelling from inside, but I ignored her voice.
‘Come to think of it, I thought summoned items were supposed to vanish after one use… but this one didn’t. Maybe sealing Suiroti doesn’t count as “used”?’
I wasn’t sure what exactly defined a “single use.”
I thought it would disappear like the staff that split space before, but this jar didn’t show any sign of fading away.
“Hmm, but I don’t really have a good place to keep it… Oh, Siri.”
“Woof?”
“Can I store this jar in your shadow for a while?”
“Woof!”
Siri, who had been leisurely stretching her muscles in the lava, turned her gaze toward my shadow.
My shadow rippled faintly.
I held the jar toward it, and it sank smoothly into the darkness like it was sinking into water.
“I’ll think about what to do with it later. For now…”
I stood up again, and Siri quickly came to my side.
“Siri. Think you can fight a little longer?”
“Woof! Woof woof woof! Woof woof!”
She barked confidently, as if to say, “Just trust me.”
After stroking the head of my ever-faithful Hellhound, I once again summoned the Power of Peregrie.
I stirred up the wind and used the Sense of Wind to scout the distant surroundings.
I couldn’t see everything clearly, but as long as I could pinpoint the rough direction—
“…There you are.”
I found him faster than expected.
Rage wasn’t far from here.
He was heading toward one of the most dangerous parts of Muktaba, where lava flowed in abundance.
‘He’s going to walk through that?’
It looked far too dangerous.
The odds of dying on the way there were way too high.
But I couldn’t just leave Rage alone.
Even if it was dangerous, I had to capture him with my own hands. Only then would all of this end.
“Hmm… Hey, Siri. Think you could use shadow movement one more—”
“Woof!”
She barked once, but I got the message right away.
Something like, ‘I didn’t say anything, but I’m dead tired, so don’t say stupid stuff.’
“Heh. Got it, girl. Then let’s just run there quickly—”
“Woof woof!”
“Hm?”
Siri suddenly crouched beside me.
Then she gave her body a small shake.
As if to tell me—
“You want me to ride you?”
“Woof!”
“…I’m pretty heavy, you know. You sure you’re okay with that?”
“Woof woof!”
Which meant, ‘We don’t have time, just get on already.’
I chuckled and climbed onto my Hellhound’s back for the first time.
“Half a year ago you could barely fit in my palm, and now look at you. You’ve really grown.”
“Woof!”
“I should be thanking you for growing so well. Anyway, let’s move. Think you can run?”
“Grrrrr… ROOOAAR!”
With a mighty howl,
Siri dashed across the lava fields at an incredible speed.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
Rage was crossing the lava alone.
He struggled to move forward, when suddenly, a voice echoed in his ear.
– Suiroti has fallen. That Swordsman of Water is closing in fast.
“Wh-what? Then what should I—”
– Keep moving. With the little strength I have left, I’ll delay him as much as I can.
No sooner had Bedir finished speaking than countless rocks around began to move.
One by one, they gathered and merged—until they formed humanoid shapes.
And there were many.
– In the past, I could have summoned far more… but it seems this is my limit now. Still, this should be enough to buy us time. If we’re lucky… it might even be enough to kill him.