The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 47
The sky was changing colors. The heavens turned red, and Zaharo, his chest slashed open, writhed in agony as flames engulfed him.
“What… is this fire!?”
Someone of Zaharo’s magical prowess should not have been so easily set ablaze. But the flames did not fade—they burned his skin, his flesh, his very bones.
—No way… Is this the Hellflame of the Flame Dragon King!?
Born from the world’s largest volcano, this was the breath of an ancient dragon king that once scorched the continent. It was said that nothing could withstand its fire.
Zaharo faltered. This human was stronger than he had imagined. But as the Demon King, he could not retreat.
“Nuagh!!”
With all his strength, he unleashed his magic and smothered the flames on his body. His entire form was charred, his wounds refusing to regenerate.
Mustering the last of his strength, he flapped his blackened wings and ascended into the sky.
“I’ll erase this entire town!!”
Zaharo gathered light in his outstretched hands. His strongest attack. Using it would drain nearly all of his magic, but there was no time for hesitation.
He aimed the swelling mass of power at his enemy.
“Disappear! Evil God’s Roar—Evil Roar!!”
A beam of destruction tore through the atmosphere, hurtling toward Garm.
—There’s no way he can deflect this.
At that very moment, Zaharo thought so—
“Out of my way!”
A single slash. Garm swung his sword, and the beam of light bent, shooting off toward the distant horizon.
When it struck the ground, the earth shattered, erupting into a fiery pillar that soared hundreds of meters high. The tremors from the impact reverberated across the entire Kingdom of Bridend.
“Im… possible…”
As Zaharo stood frozen in shock, Garm closed the distance in an instant. A golden jewel gleamed, and lightning surged through his sword.
“This ends now!!”
As Garm swung his blade, the lightning took the shape of a massive dragon, swallowing Zaharo and rising into the sky.
“NUUAAAGGHHH!!”
Zaharo fought desperately to withstand it. The thunderous dragon spiraled upward, piercing the clouds, swimming through the sky.
And the moment its fierce fangs crushed its prey—
Blinding lightning streaked across the sky, and thousands of bolts rained down upon the earth.
The thick clouds overhead scattered, revealing a clear sky—signaling the end of the battle.
Johann, along with the soldiers and adventurers below, had witnessed the battle clearly.
Johann was at a loss for words. He simply gazed at the sky.
This was a battle on the scale of myth itself—like the stories of his childhood, where the hero Atlas fought against wicked gods, the giant Gigantes, and the demon god Vedernes. A duel beyond human comprehension.
—The armored warrior seems unharmed… But what about the Demon King!?
Johann searched the sky.
From high above, he spotted a small figure descending—it was the Demon King, now returned to human form.
—He’s still alive after all!
The Demon King and the human warrior faced each other once more in the air.
◇◇◇
—No way… What is with this guy’s body? I hit him with everything I had…
Before Garm stood Zaharo, completely unscathed, as if the battle had never happened. Zaharo locked eyes with Garm, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
“I never expected to find such a powerful warrior… I’ll need to rethink my plans.”
“Hah? What the hell are you talking about?”
Zaharo flapped his wings, rising higher to put distance between them.
“We shall meet again, mighty human!”
With that, Zaharo flew off.
Caught off guard, Garm was left stunned.
“Huh? W-Wait a minute! Hey—leave your ears behind!!”
Garm reached out as if to chase him, but the demon was already far beyond his grasp.
“Ahh…”
Garm sighed in frustration. He had finally found a demon, only to let him escape.
Feeling dejected, he reluctantly used his flight ability to search for any other demons in the area.
After Garm left, silence fell over the battlefield.
“Is… is it over?”
Van slowly stood up. His legs were shaky, his body barely holding itself together, but he had no major injuries.
Clay, Sophia, and Amber also appeared unharmed.
“What the hell was that?! Those two were monsters!” Clay stood up, staring at the now-empty sky.
“More importantly, where was Garm?! He never even showed up!” Sophia stomped her foot in frustration.
“We only managed to collect three demon ears…” Amber sighed as she looked at the bag in her hands.
One by one, the adventurers and soldiers rose to their feet, surveying the scene.
Many had survived, but the town was half-destroyed. A distant mountain had vanished, leaving a massive crater in its place.
Faced with the incomprehensible events that had just unfolded, everyone present could only stand in stunned silence.
◇◇◇
A full day had passed since the fierce battle with the demons—
In the royal castle of the Kingdom of Britend, Johann stood before the king and his ministers, reporting his return.
“So, who is he? That human?”
The king questioned Johann. He had received the battle report, but the contents were so unbelievable that he struggled to accept them.
“We do not know. We searched far and wide for any trace of him, but we could not find a single lead.”
“Hmm… I see.”
The king stroked his beard, closing his eyes in deep thought. A full-scale war with the demons was coming. Against an enemy they had no hope of defeating, even the Demon King himself had emerged.
By all logic, the royal army should have been annihilated. The capital should have been reduced to rubble.
That was what the king had believed—until he learned that a mysterious warrior had driven the Demon King away.
“If someone possesses such power, there should be rumors about them.”
“Yes, I thought so too… but…”
Johann and the others had no idea who the warrior could be.
The king wanted to reward and honor the man who had fought the Demon King.
But if no one knew who he was, that was impossible.
“A nameless warrior, is it? But calling him nothing would be inconvenient.”
“A name, Your Majesty?”
Johann furrowed his brows.
—A name… for someone we know nothing about?
“He is braver than any other. Let us call him the ‘Hero.’”
“The Hero…”
“Johann, you must find this Hero. In the coming war against the Demon Lord’s army, he holds the key to victory!”
“Understood! I will find him at all costs!”