The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 59

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Yggdra was currently the most feared draconic entity residing in Fortress Dalkheim.
He had also been the dragon closest to Demon King Beelzebub, constantly bathed in his magical power.
And that was precisely why it could sense it—that presence. It was the same kind… no, far more repulsive.

(What is that thing…? The next Demon King?)

Yggdra let out a low growl as he soared through the sky.
He hadn’t witnessed exactly what was happening in the fortress.

(If it’s the next Demon King… no, but it’s laying hands on the Demon.)

Yggdra was confused, but right now his priority was survival.
If it were a new Demon King, he should naturally despise humanity and seek their annihilation.
After all, Demon King Beelzebub himself had declared that this is what a Demon King’s sole purpose is.
Yet the wielder of that ominous magical power was unilaterally trampling upon the Demon, his supposed allies.
The realization continued to etch a deep terror into Yggdra’s mind.

“Could it be… not the Demon King?”

The possibility flashed through his mind.
But if not the Demon King, then certainly not the Hero, he could declare with absolute certainty.

(How could someone wielding such vile, grotesque, and filthy magical power possibly be the Hero…?)

An unknown existence, neither a Demon King nor a hero.
The idea of ​​someone being merely strong was something Yggdra laughed at.
He believed that every creature had its limits. No matter how much one trained, the vessel of their biological form had its inherent boundaries.
Yes, there were rare humans capable of going toe-to-toe with dragons. But even so, that thing… that thing was another matter entirely.
I am one of the dragonkin’s proud warriors., Yggdra muttered, glancing back.
If he were to fall without yielding an inch for the sake of his pride, that would have been a fitting end.
But Yggdra had no desire to actively seek death. Such a morbid fascination held no appeal for him. No fool would stand defiantly beneath a sky raining down tens of thousands of colossal boulders. In other words, deliberately provoking an opponent wielding such overwhelming power would be sheer recklessness.

(If it intends to let nothing escape, then no matter how far I flee, it might all be in vain…)

Yggdra channeled magical power into both wings and surged into the sky at full speed. He desperately needed to distance himself, even for a moment, even by the slightest margin, from the invisible, colossal hand of death.

(There are opponents one cannot defeat.)

Yggdra believed that failing to grasp this truth was either reckless or foolish. Dying with pride intact was one path, but for now, preserving his life took precedence. He tore through the sky, driven by a single-minded purpose.
For over a dozen hours, Yggdra flew onward in a trance-like state, his mind focused solely on escape.
Soon, the taste of the air flowing into his lungs changed.

“…It seems we’re about to cross the Nezasia Sea.”

(It doesn’t look like that thing is still pursuing us… Did we finally escape?)

As that realization sank in, his heart finally began to calm.
But the real problem lay ahead.
Beyond the sea lay the territory of the Guines Empire, home to the Hero who had shot down the Sky Eater Ormund.

(He probably isn’t as great a threat as that thing… but better safe than sorry.)

Yggdra decided to alter his course, mocking himself for making excuses.

(Annoying, but I might have to rely on “him” after all.)

After flying for some time, a desolate wasteland began to stretch out beneath him.
Strange, sparse grasses grew from the parched earth, their stalks twisting and swaying in the wind.
None of them looked like proper plants.
The miasma raging from the Nezasia Sea caused all flora and fauna to mutate.
Further west lay Gainesfried, the Imperial Capital of the Guines Empire, but it was best to avoid that place.
Just as Yggdra thought this, a sharp flash streaked across the edge of his vision.

“What?!”

Before he could react, a violent impact struck one of his wings, followed by searing pain.

“Gah…!”

Bl00d sprayed from the base of his wing as Yggdra lost his balance and plummeted to the ground.
The impact shook the desolate earth, shattering rocks and scattering debris.

(No way…!)

For a moment, the bottomless darkness he had once known threatened to overwhelm him with panic.
But through the haze of sand and bl00d, a figure finally came into view: a young man with crimson hair.

“Whoa, whoa, I can’t believe I’m actually meeting Yggdra. Not even bothering to conceal your magical power? What are you up to? I might be a bit rusty, but even I can sense that!”

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“Human, grrr!!”

Even after being slammed down from high above, Yggdra’s ferocity remained undiminished.
Part of this was due to the burning rage of “How dare you pull such a stunt!” which numbed his pain. But the true source of his anger lay elsewhere.
Yggdra felt a strange sense of relief.
It wasn’t that human Hein who had pulled this “stunt,” but some unknown Hero.
And it was this very cowardice within himself that fueled his fury.

Meanwhile, the red-haired youth, Azel, despite his casual tone, wasn’t taking the situation lightly.
Even after unleashing his full power as a Hero, he knew the Demon Dragon Yggdra remained a formidable opponent.
By the way, the reason Azel was even here in the first place was exactly as he’d said: Yggdra had approached the Imperial Capital without concealing his magical power in the slightest.
Like a summer insect drawn to a flame—though somewhat larger—Yggdra had flown straight into the Hero’s detection range and been struck down, forced to make a choice once more.
That is, he could run away like he had done before, or──

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“You’ve got to be kidding me… no way!!”

If he tucked his tail and fled again, he could no longer call himself a dragon.
Yggdra knew that an opponent who could sever his wings with a single strike from the ground was not someone he should fight without any information. Yet he couldn’t back down.
Yggdra’s mouth gaped open.
Magical power transformed into minute energy particles, blending with the air flowing into Yggdra’s mouth.
This mixing process resembled a specialized catalytic reaction, where oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the air rapidly transitioned to an excited state under the influence of the magical power.
This excited state triggered the formation of an ultra-high-energy plasma far surpassing ordinary chemical reactions.
As a result, the breath Yggdra exhaled was fundamentally different from the flame breath commonly used by the “inferior lizards” Hein often mentioned.

“Whoa, straight to that, huh…”

Azel clicked his tongue.
Yes, Azel knew this all too well.
In the “former world,” he had witnessed the Demon Dragon Yggdra’s breath—the “Thunder Roar”—obliterate an entire castle.
With that, Azel steeled himself.

(Let the Holy Sword be!)