As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

The once towering Doomsday Volcano was completely razed to the ground, with the crater extending hundreds of meters downward. Even the magma underground evaporated under the power of that blow. The volcano after the battle between the two dragon kings was even more tragic than the battlefield where the human and dragon armies collided.

Holding the golden-winged griffin, the wounded Roy struggled to come to the black dragon.

An indistinct old man followed, leaning on a cane and staggering along.

Half of Nidhogg's body was cut off, his scales had been shattered before, and his unprotected chest was completely pierced.

Maybe it's because of a last burst of energy.

Vitality was continuously draining away along with the blood. The black dragon's eyes were full of fatigue, yet clearer than ever before, with no trace of the raging evil spirit.

Looking at the dying black dragon, Bahamut panted and sighed slightly.

"My child, I have failed you and the Dragon Clan. I dare not ask for your forgiveness."

"But no matter what, you shouldn't use war to implicate innocent people, and you shouldn't tempt your compatriots to become corrupt. This must all end."

After he finished speaking, Bahamut lowered his head and stepped aside.

Seeing the black-haired boy holding a sword approaching, Nidhogg did not feel too unwilling, but was surprisingly calm.

"maybe."

"Father, you are right, but I will never be able to walk on the right path like you. You may have great ambitions, but all I can see is the insignificance around me."

"No matter what, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. You are the winner."

After a calm sigh, Nidhogg stared at Roy with a complicated expression: "But before that, Blood of the False King, I want to ask you a few questions."

Roy corrected calmly, "My name is Roy."

Nidhogg remembered the name and his eyes fell on the blood-stained blade in his hand.

"Roy, Fafner always says that humans are weak yet strong, gentle yet kind. Do you feel the same way?"

To its surprise, Roy shook his head.

"Apart from strength, I don't see any difference between humans and dragons."

"We all laugh and cry, cherish those around us, and hate those we lose. In the end, as you said, the winners are the kings and the losers are the bandits, it's that simple."

"Humans will always turn their swords against each other, so the feud between you and me will eventually end with victory or defeat."

Nidhogg lowered his head in disappointment.

In fact, it already had the answer in its heart.

Tiny humans and the vast dragon race, they shared the same emotions, and there was actually no essential difference between them. However, during the painful years when hatred blinded their eyes and evil spirits eroded their minds, they had to hate something to sustain themselves.

Perhaps it just wanted to believe what Fafner believed in at the end of its life.

We deceive ourselves into hating humanity, yet we also deceive ourselves into believing in the goodness of humanity.

Bahamut beside him also closed his eyes and sank into bitterness.

"But there is hope beyond that."

Nidhogg raised his head in surprise, and Bahamut also opened his eyes, lost in thought.

This was the first time Nidhogg looked at the young man in front of him, putting aside the erosion of demonic energy and the hatred of a thousand years.

Black hair and black eyes, his body soaked in blood. The look he cast at me was not tender, but it also did not harbor endless hatred.

Nidhogg murmured, chewing on the beautiful words spoken by the other party, "Will you forgive us? Do you really think there will be a bright future between us?"

"Whether to forgive or not, only those who have been hurt by you have the right to decide." Roy said coldly.

"As for the future, I can't promise you anything."

"But I want to believe that our fate is not just one of blood and fire."

The boy's dark eyes seemed to be able to embrace everything, like the boundless night sky, which touched Nidhogg's heart slightly.

It finally understood the difference between itself and the other party.

The reason why [World-Destroying Disaster] was able to sneak in was because of the cracks in its own heart, right?

If only I had chosen to believe in beauty like him, thousands of years ago, when Fafner fell, instead of succumbing to fate, abandoning myself, and taking my anger out on humanity...

The past cannot be changed.

But the future is not like this.

She had become the spark that had fueled centuries of hatred between humans and dragons, but if she entrusted the future to someone like him...even if it couldn't lead to a better future, it would definitely be a step closer to the future she envisioned.

Perhaps this was just self-deception, but Nidhogg was willing to believe so.

"Thank you for ending this."

The last whisper dissipated in the wind.

Roy pierced the dragon-slaying sword through its body, completely severing the chains of hatred.

After offering a sad yet relieved smile, Bahamut's figure could no longer hold on and dissipated.

Roy's body finally softened and he fell on Cheese.

"Brother, it's all over. You should have a good rest. I'll take you back."

Roy heard this and shook his head.

"No, there's one more thing."

"what?"

Roy exhaled a breath of foul air and then smiled cheerfully, "Participating in the dragon slaying is already a great achievement. Don't you want to take this opportunity to meet Miss Cake?"

--------

The fall of the black dragon announced the complete defeat of the dragon clan.

Without the leader, a sense of weakness emanating from their bloodline spread throughout the entire dragon group. Even though they still held an advantage in overall numbers, the dragons were still completely routed.

Watching the dragons dispersing like a tide, Natsu, exhausted, finally laughed heartily. Carl also dropped his sword, leaning against the griffin and letting out a long sigh of relief.

The knights cheered, some cried, some laughed, celebrating their hard-earned victory under the sky that finally cleared.

The sound waves passed through the battlefield and spread into the city. Even the people were no longer afraid and rushed to the streets to embrace the sunshine.

However, amidst the joy that filled the entire place, the crimson princess stood beside the corpse of the ice dragon, staring intently at the direction of the volcano, indifferent to everything around her.

Regardless of the merit of slaying the dragon or the joy of victory, Charlotte ignored everything and let the blood flow from the wound unstoppably, but she froze in place and refused to move even a step.

The duties of the extraordinary man and the princess have been completed. At this moment, she is just an innocent girl, looking forward to the other party's return.

Until a golden line passed by.

The crimson eyes first lit up, then trembled violently.

On the golden-winged griffin, the black-haired boy did not return proudly, but lay there powerlessly, as if he would never move again.

"【cake】!"

Charlotte flipped over and jumped onto the golden and red griffin, quickly crossing the battlefield and coming to Roy's side.

Noticing the familiar presence approaching, Roy raised his head and smiled: "I'll go back... huh?"

Before the griffin could stop, the crimson girl rushed towards him, swept him into her arms and dropped him from a high altitude.

With shaking shoulders and choking sobs, Charlotte raised her head as much as she could, as if she wanted to show a confident smile as usual. But when she saw the boy's blood-red body, tears could not stop flowing from her scarlet eyes.

"Are you that worried about me?" Roy joked.

Instead of the usual awkward denial, he heard the girl's indistinct sobs: "Nonsense, how could I not be worried!"

"How can I not be worried if I ask you to fight the dragon alone?"

Looking at the girl's red and swollen eyes, Roy chuckled sympathetically and said, "I kept my promise, didn't I?"

He did not die after slaying the dragon, but returned safely.

"So, regarding the reply to the proposal..."

"You obviously already know the answer, don't you? My answer has always been the same."

The girl closed her wet eyes and responded with a kiss stained with blood.

Under the azure sky, the sun shines through the clouds, the breeze blows away the smoke, the boy and girl are dyed with each other's blood red, and they hug each other tightly, no longer able to distinguish between them.

Immersed in the scent of gunpowder, rust, and gardenias, which were even hotter and softer than those, Roy closed his eyes, letting his heartbeat freely for this moment, feeling the heat of life with Charlotte.

Chapter 89 After the Victory

The war among the dragon clan alarmed the entire human world.

Unlike the friction with the Church of Holy Light, the dragon clan is a real alien race, and was even the mastermind behind the creation of the [Evil Dragon Society].

Legend has it that Nidhogg was corrupted by evil spirits and provoked war among the dragon clan. It was not until the Dragon King Bahamut personally took action to defeat him.

The shadow of war nineteen years ago was one thing, but with the addition of a mad dragon from the mythological era that once battled the Dragon King, all the major forces were in a panic for a while.

The previous advance troops were only there to relieve the immediate crisis. The number of troops required for a war was actually astronomical.

Whether to send reinforcements later became a topic of dispute among all forces.

The princes of Jinsha and the South China Sea are not short-sighted. Considering the future alliance, they are both vigorously promoting the dispatch of troops.

But the prince is not the king after all, and the two countries are not united.

Even the major schools of the Magicians' Society are arguing about this, causing Sage Booker a lot of headaches.

In a sense, the Magicians' Society is the least united organization. It is fine in normal times, but when a crisis occurs, the loose system will expose its shortcomings.

In the end, only Saint Alice and Jon Snow, the daughter of the Grand Duke of the Empire's border, led large-scale troops to rush to the kingdom's aid in the name of helping their fellow humans.

However, no one expected that this war that shocked the entire continent would end so soon.

"The dragon is dead, the dragons have retreated, and the kingdom's victory is assured..."

The heads of the schools who received the report looked at each other in disbelief that the powerful enemy that terrified them was dealt with so quickly.

They say the Lionheart Kingdom is full of martial virtue, but isn't this a bit exaggerated?!

Forget about the Lionheart King back then.

Now a dragon-slaying princess and a dragon-slaying knight appear.

Are you guys professional dragon slayers? You really just kill as many as you can?!

There was complete silence at the round table until the hearty laughter of the Sage echoed.

"Everyone, it seems our friends in the Kingdom are far stronger than we thought! Even the dragon isn't invincible!"

"The issue of sending troops doesn't need to be discussed anymore, but extending a helping hand to a friendly nation that has just experienced war shouldn't be a concern, right?"

The gray-haired old man's teasing tone was tinged with a hint of righteous warning. Even the most cunning magician would find it difficult to refute him at this moment.

Aid supplies from the Magicians' Society, the Kingdom of Golden Sands, the Kingdom of the South Sea, the Emerald Senate, and various other parties were continuously sent to the Lionheart Kingdom, injecting a shot in the arm for the Lionheart Kingdom, which had suffered from war and was in need of reconstruction.

Of course, the death of the first dragon does not mean that the dragon clan will completely disappear.

Under the influence of the pollution left by Nidhogg, the disorganized dragon clan still roams the kingdom, burning, killing and looting.

However, with three high-level transcendents in charge, the central part of the kingdom was completely safe. Coupled with the reinforcements from the north and south, the dragon clan was defeated and could not cause any trouble for a while.

A month later, as relief supplies arrived from all sides, the Lionheart Kingdom finally began to recover after the war.

Although the scars of the dragon war have not yet completely disappeared, the kingdom has now been revived and needs a grand banquet to celebrate and declare this hard-won victory.

On this day, the ruined capital was brightly lit.

Since the war began, the capital finally relaxed its control over supplies.

From the castle banquet to the city square, meat and wine were supplied in unlimited quantities, and the dancers sang and danced, venting the depression and pain brought by the war with a carnival that lasted until they were drunk.

All major forces in the Western Continent sent representatives to the Red Castle to offer congratulations.

But this time, the protagonist of the kingdom banquet is no longer King Lionheart.

"I've heard that Your Highness is incredibly beautiful, but I didn't expect you to be just as majestic!"

"To have reached a high level at such a young age, this talent is even greater than that of His Majesty the King, right?"

"I offer this cup on behalf of the Kingdom of Golden Sands in tribute to you and your great kingdom!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the princess in a red robe smiled faintly, her slender eyebrows raised in a hint of playful laughter.