WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 47: Dragon God Festival (2)

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The Black Lotus Society possessed dinosaur bones brought in by the former Society Head around twenty years ago.

They were the Society's goal and greatest wish.

If they succeeded in bringing that dragon down, the Society's prosperity would surely be assured.

It was the absolute ruler, considered the strongest carnivorous dinosaur of the twentieth century.

Everyone cried out the name of that Greater Dragon.

"T-Tyrannosaurus!"

"Those are the bones the former Society Head brought in!"

"The Greater Dragon no one has ever managed to bring down!"

The noble king who had ruled the earth in the Cretaceous period.

The soul of that violent tyrant had never answered the calls of ordinary humans.

"Ha...! Society Head! Are you joking right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tyrannosaurus? Wasn't its descent impossible from the start?"

"Because every shaman has failed until now?"

"Hmph! So you do know!"

Kyoryong Bodhisattva snorted and shouted for everyone to hear.

"Ten years ago, the Society Head stood before the altar, saying she would summon the King of the Cretaceous. And was that the only time? She did it eight years ago, and five years ago too!"

Mockery gleamed in Kyoryong Bodhisattva's eyes.

"Yet she never succeeded! You know that, don't you? That's the limit of the Society Head's abilities."

Snickers rose from among Kyoryong Bodhisattva's followers.

"She dares to summon the Overlord?"

"The Society Head must be desperate if she's resorting to something like this."

Kyoryong Bodhisattva's mouth twisted upward at their response.

"Why don't you stop this pointless nonsense and give up? I'm the Society Head's aunt. It's not like I'd kill her."

Kyoryong Bodhisattva already carried herself like she had won.

She was certain the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva could never succeed.

Without a word, the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva headed for the central altar where Tyrannosaurus's skeleton stood.

It was huge.

Even bigger than the Spinosaurus from earlier.

"Society Head! Where are the shamans who will assist you?"

"......"

When the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva remained silent, Kyoryong Bodhisattva giggled as though she had expected nothing less.

By displaying the demon's immense power, she had already won over the Society's core members.

All that remained were nobodies with no interest in a power struggle, or cowards too frightened of her to step forward.

Bang Seoryeong was undoubtedly a genius, but she had inherited the position of Society Head at far too young an age.

Was there anything in this land regarded as more of a qualification than age?

'Fourteen people coughed up blood just summoning Spino with the demon's magic. How much worse would Tyrannosaurus be?'

A spirit-descending ritual was an extremely dangerous ritual that required great care.

It was an advanced rite where the spiritual energies of the shamans assisting the lead shaman and the musicians had to blend together.

Even a rite that cast a killing curse could not demand more caution than this.

The greater the god, especially if it was a Greater Dragon, the more the danger rose exponentially. Who would risk their life for a Society Head who had lost all her backing?

"I'll do it."

Who the hell dared?!

Kyoryong Bodhisattva and her followers whipped their heads around, only to find that the person standing there was not a Black Lotus Society shaman.

"Gari Bodhisattva?"

"How can an outsider...!"

"There's no rule saying outsiders can't serve as assistants, is there?"

It was not forbidden by any official rule, but surely it was obviously not allowed.

Still, this worked out well.

That bastard was an enemy whom that person had ordered them to kill. If he died after colliding with the spiritual energy of a Greater Dragon while bringing it down, they could get rid of him without lifting a finger.

"My God..."

"That thing..."

The shamans stared in shock at the grotesque maw accompanying Yohan.

It made sense.

There were countless familiars, but most were animals.

Even the most unusual cases were no more than the Black Lotus Society's Dragon God faith.

But that thing was an existence that had stepped entirely beyond the bounds of living creatures.

It was enough to make them question whether such a "god" could even exist.

Ignoring everyone's stares, Yohan walked toward the central altar.

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva was already kneeling before it.

Her expression was calm as she closed her eyes, yet she also looked fragile enough for the slightest shock to send ripples through her.

"Young Master."

"Why?"

"Why are you going this far?"

"Hm? At this point?"

Yohan tilted his head, and the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva quietly moved her lips.

"You have no reason to go this far for me, Young Master. I promised you a vast reward, but if I die, that promise will come to nothing. Why are you helping someone you had never even met, in every way you can?"

"It's nothing special."

Yohan scratched his head. The reason was so simple that he wondered whether he should even say it.

"A demon's involved. So I have to do something."

"...Is it your duty as a clergyman?"

"I'm not really clergy, but I've got an incredible angel watching over me. That angel saved me."

Yohan recalled that this whole situation had started because of that angel.

He did not have to do dangerous things.

He had not been given some obligation worth risking his life over.

"This is a life the angel and God saved. And it's a life that has continued because so many people have helped me."

Gari had.

His parents had.

Pastor Park and Pastor Kim had too.

「Maybe Jesus had me come out today for this. Everyone's worried, so send an update to the group chat too.」

Even an ordinary churchgoer who only happened to know his parents had treated him that way.

"I'm returning it. What they did for me, I'm returning it to other people."

Since he had lived a life saved by so many people, if he could stand against evil, then he should.

"...You are a good person, Young Master. Just like that person."

"Hm? Who?"

"Let us begin."

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva deliberately changed the subject and began the descent ritual.

「Oh, little Bodhisattva. You were born with a fate that would leave many spirits clinging to you. You'll suffer a little in life.」

That pastor, and everyone at that church, why were they all such absurdly kind pushovers?

Jingle~

A silver bell began to ring.

"Upon the earth that bears the first breath, past the heavens and waters, mountains and fields, I have come here today."

She spread her fan and danced before the altar.

With light steps in her white socks, she offered the dance.

"O one who is remembered and never forgotten. O king whose glory shines even beyond the ages."

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva folded her fan and clasped both hands before her chest.

Then she knelt before the altar.

Without the clamor of the musicians, her voice alone sent ripples through the air.

"To protect against wicked beings, I beseech you to subdue violence with violence. Make this foolish body your vessel."

At that moment, the altar began to shake.

The tremors and fierce winds were nothing like those from when Spinosaurus had appeared.

"T-The Dragon God is angered!"

"Why attempt something so reckless when it will fail again?!"

The noble king showed displeasure and rage even at the girl's desperate plea.

As though asking, How dare you?

Yohan gripped his rosary and prayed, making sure the aftermath of that rage would not sweep away her prayer.

"Lord, do not let the heart of one seeking to fulfill good intentions be shaken. You granted not arrogance but sacrifice, not hatred but courage, so please lend Your strength to this child's foolish effort to stand against evil."

The purifying water placed on the altar shone.

It was holy water upon which I had recited prayers for days.

One prayer had been enough to destroy the wicked, but since I was not sure how it would work as purifying water, I had prayed over it with all my heart.

I did not know what effect that had added.

What was certain was that, amid the raging storm, the faint shadow of a Greater Dragon began to emerge.

"It's here!"

"Vassal of the Dragon King! Ancient monarch! Heed my plea!"

The Greater Dragon's shadow raised its head as though roaring.

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva had said that a relationship with a Dragon God only began after one was brought down.

In other words, before it was dragged into a descent ritual and became a Dragon God, a dragon was wild.

It was not a spirit upon which human reason or morality could possibly work.

「Then how do you communicate and become close to a Dragon God?」

「The phrase "become close"... does not quite convey the meaning. Familiars may be beasts, yet they understand human commands and do as they are told. Dragon Gods are similar.」

From the moment they contracted as familiars, they fed on human spiritual power and spiritual essence, raising their rank.

Which meant one thing.

"Now! Gari, bite it!!"

Snap!!

First, grab it and force it into a contract. Then worry about the rest!

Krr?!

The Tyrannosaurus shadow froze when Gari suddenly lunged at it.

A spirit... no, even if it was only a shadow, it could be grabbed?

The startled Tyrannosaurus spirit was dragged in with its neck clenched in Gari's jaws.

The king of the Cretaceous? The largest carnivorous dinosaur on land?

Before God's angel, it was no more than an ordinary creature.

"Bodhisattva! Now!"

Jingle~!

The silver bell rang clear, linking a spiritual cord between the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva and Tyrannosaurus.

* * *

"W-What is this?!"

Kyoryong Bodhisattva could not contain her shock at the sight before her.

Summoning Tyrannosaurus's spirit had been fine.

It would have done nothing but snap at the shaman who had called it, kill several people, and disappear.

Then that monster had charged at the enraged Tyrannosaurus spirit.

Only then did Kyoryong Bodhisattva realize what Yohan and the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva intended.

'They planned to subdue a god and force it into a contract!'

Was that even possible?

With a Lesser Dragon or a minor god, perhaps.

They were gods in name, but beings closer to ghosts, so their rank would be low.

But this was a Greater Dragon. An existence comparable to a Great God.

They intended to seize it and force it into a contract?

They would be fortunate not to die in the god's wrath.

Yet that monster had made it possible.

That meant it was an existence of a rank unimaginably higher than Tyrannosaurus, a Greater Dragon.

"W-What in the world is that thing?!"

"Kyoryong Bodhisattva!"

At the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva's fiery shout, everyone's attention turned toward her.

Behind her stood the Tyrannosaurus Dragon God, already brought down.

"Who has brought down the more powerful Greater Dragon?!"

"Th-That's..."

Tyrannosaurus versus Spinosaurus.

The conclusion to that long debate was tilting to one side.

But she could not admit it here.

That would mean losing everything.

"Hmph...! You only know which is longer after putting them side by side, don't you?"

"You insist on making the Dragon Gods spill blood?"

"It seems the Society Head lacks confidence."

Kyoryong Bodhisattva smiled smugly.

Yes, the Spinosaurus she had brought down was no ordinary Dragon God.

It was a being raised through the power granted by that person's demonic power.

There was bound to be a difference in rank between it and ordinary Dragon Gods.

But.

"Let's settle this! Let us see who brought down the more powerful Greater Dragon! Spinosaurus will not lose to some mediocrity from a bygone age!"

"...Aunt. You've crossed the line."

ROOOOOOOOOAR!!

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva's Tyrannosaurus and Kyoryong Bodhisattva's Spinosaurus manifested at the same time.

The enormous carnivorous dinosaurs let out savage roars, pouring low-frequency vibrations into the air.

They knew by instinct.

That the other was their natural enemy.

There could not be two kings upon this earth.

The spectators around the massive altar held their breath.

Everyone watched this fated battle of the century.

Spino was the first to open its mouth.

Grrrrrrrr!

Spino swung its long snout from side to side in warning.

Tyrannosaurus drew in a low breath. And then...

ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!

Its thunderous roar shook the world.

The low-frequency roar unique to a predatory beast awakened instinctive terror in those who were nothing but prey.

Their feet froze.

A chill ran through them.

Goosebumps rose across their skin.

Even under that low-frequency roar that stirred forgotten instincts, Spino bellowed as though it would not yield.

Gwaaaaaaargh!!

The two roars collided in midair, and then their hostility exploded as they kicked off the ground toward each other.

'Go! You have been granted that person's power! You're stronger!'

Kyoryong Bodhisattva was mistaken about something.

Spinosaurus had indeed received the demon's demonic power.

Naturally, it was stronger than Dragon Gods brought down through ordinary means.

But.

Clack! Clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack! Clack!

This Tyrannosaurus had received an angel's blessing.

A blessing from an angel who wielded God's power.

"Under equal conditions, of course Tyrannosaurus wins."

This was a Dragon God brought down under an archangel's blessing.

Crunch!

The fight ended when Tyrannosaurus tore into Spinosaurus's throat.

And even then.

"T-The Dragon God's body is melting!"

"W-What is happening?!"

Spinosaurus's body, which should have scattered like smoke, melted away as though it had been doused in acid.

That was when.

"It's a demon! Kyoryong Bodhisattva is a demon worshiper!"

Yohan shouted the accusation of heresy with all his strength.

Footnotes:

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