Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods -
Chapter 89: The Genius and the Monster
Chapter 89: The Genius and the Monster
The group froze.
"I said," Airi repeated, putting her hands on her hips with a smirk, "let me solo the boss."
Everyone stared.
Crest blinked.
"Wait. What?"
"I heard enough about Bel, Bel, always Bel!" Airi said, voice rising with fake irritation. She had a bright smile, clearly enjoying herself. "I swear, you people talk like he was your babysitter and your messiah all rolled into one. Well, guess what? I’m here now. And I’m not in the mood to play backup dancer anymore."
The others didn’t know how to respond right away.
Crest’s eyes widened as a flash of memory hit him, their first dungeon, the bear monsters that nearly tore them apart.
He stepped forward.
"Airi, this isn’t just some training spar. Category D bosses are serious. We almost got wiped the first time."
Ronan nodded, arms crossed.
"Yeah, plus I’ve been watching you fight. You’re good, no doubt... but you didn’t exactly show anything over-the-top."
Airi snorted.
"Because I didn’t even try. I was observing you guys. Adjusting. Being nice. But now?" She tossed her head, her red ponytail swishing with attitude. "Now that Miss Nostalgia here decided to throw Bel’s name like a slap to my face, I gotta defend my honor."
Lyraen frowned.
"I didn’t even challenge you. Why do you feel the need to prove yourself?"
Airi waved her off.
"Yeah, yeah. You said enough, even without saying, you insinuated something. I saw your face when you mentioned Bel. So full of regret. Well, I’ll erase that regret in one go. I’ll give you a reason to keep doing nothing. You saw what I can do in a group, now you’ll see how lucky you are to have me."
She turned to the others, pointing her thumb at herself.
"Get ready to see a real genius in action."
She talked like a storm, words sharp, tone cocky. She didn’t care who she offended.
Cassandra’s fingers drummed the hilt of her staff.
Then, calmly, she spoke.
"Fine."
The group froze again.
"Wait," Arkel said, stepping forward. "You’re serious?"
Ronan’s brows furrowed.
"Cassandra, come on. Don’t fall for that..."
"She likes comparisons, right?" Cassandra said coolly. "We lost someone who could instantly erase a Category D boss. Let’s see if our new Iron Rank can keep up."
Airi grinned wider.
"Try me."
At the same time, in another dungeon far away, Bel’s mana bar finally glowed full.
[MP: 14,000 / 14,000]
He took a long breath.
"Alright. Murder time."
Then started walking forward calmly.
In a different place, in a different world, yet in perfect synchronicity, another pair of boots stepped ahead.
Airi stood at the front of New Horizons, leading the team toward the dungeon’s boss chamber. Her back straight, her gait proud.
Bel walked alone, crossing into the deepest layer of a water dungeon where a dark lake spread ahead. The surface was still.
Airi stepped into a large chamber where the forest closed in like jaws. The smell hit first, a foul stench of beast and rot.
Both of them slowed.
Bel’s gaze lowered, Airi’s gaze rose.
At the exact same time, they whispered.
"There you are."
From the lake in Bel’s dungeon, a shape stirred. A long serpentine neck emerged, covered in scales of dull green and shimmering blue.
Its small eyes glowed, its back breaking the surface in a massive ripple.
The beast rose slowly, water dripping from its teeth.
Back in the forest dungeon, branches shook violently. Leaves exploded outward.
A massive manticore emerged, muscles rippling, its tail curling behind it like a whip of death.
Its lion-like maw let out a heavy groan.
The party froze.
Crest’s voice broke first.
"Airi..."
She didn’t look back.
"Back off," she said firmly. "It’s hero time."
Her eyes gleamed. She pulled her sword from her back with slow, deliberate care, the metal ringing faintly like a warning bell.
The silence thickened.
Each breath she took came out as a mist in the cold air. Her chest rose slowly, then held.
She exhaled.
"From now on... you don’t exist."
Her pupils shrank, her breath grew sharp and focused.
And then—
A wave of pressure, sudden , hitting them like a wall.
Everyone behind her flinched instinctively. A cold pulse rushed down their backs. Even the manticore halted mid-step, its muscles stiffening.
The very air around seemed to compress.
Crest’s eyes widened, Ronan stepped back slightly, even Cassandra flinched.
Far away, in the city, the Guild Master sat in his office.
Alicia, his assistant, stood by the window reading off a crystal screen.
"Since the Kingdom’s call," she began, "we’ve registered 3,742 new adventurers. Of them, 2,900 are Tin-ranked. 760 are Copper. 78 reached Iron."
He sipped from his mug, listening.
"And beyond Iron?"
Alicia shook her head.
"None. Not a single Steel or above among them, if we’re talking about normal people."
The Guild Master looked at her closely.
"Normal?"
Alicia nodded.
"Yes. If we’re talking about normal adventurers, then no one above Iron has appeared. But..."
She turned fully toward him, her tone shifting slightly.
"If we’re talking about what the kingdom is truly investigating, those with the potential to be Sacred, then the results are surprising."
Airi’s blade clanged against the manticore’s claws. Sparks flew.
The beast roared.
The sound of steel against claw echoed through the dense dungeon chamber.
Airi moved fast, her sword slashing in wide arcs, feet dancing with practiced precision. But the manticore was powerful, stronger than expected.
It roared, pushing her back again and again.
She gritted her teeth, dodging a paw strike by inches and sliding under its swinging tail.
Her blade deflected most hits, but she was clearly on the defensive.
"As of today, we’ve confirmed three individuals to be Sacred with a 100% probably. One of them is... complicated. She shows up at the Guild only when she needs money. She doesn’t register to missions properly and refuses interviews. We can’t get anything solid."
Airi blocked another heavy strike. Her legs slid across the mossy floor. The ground cracked beneath her boots.
"The second, the most recently estimated," Alicia continued, "is even worse. A solitary type. Never claims rewards, never responds to interview. He exists in our logs, but it’s like he’s a ghost."
Ronan tensed.
"This is going bad."
Crest clenched his fists. Cassandra stepped forward.
"We should go," she said, watching Airi take another hit to the shoulder. "Iron rank or not, she’s not Bel."
The manticore lunged.
A bright flash.
Airi slammed into the ground, dust and roots exploding outward. A crater formed around her impact.
"Airi!" Crest shouted.
But before anyone could move, the dust began to settle.
Airi stood upright. Her blade at her side, her hair rustling in the wind.
Her eyes glowed brightly, and a warm energy cracked around her.
The manticore lay sprawled in another crater across from her, groaning.
Alicia’s voice overlapped the moment.
"The third one... has the biggest talent of all. But is by far the most troublesome."
Back inside Bel’s dungeon, the surface of the lake rippled violently, waves rising and crashing against the rocky edges.
The boss emitted a deep, and eerie sound.
Bel stood at the edge of the lake, eyes narrowing.
The boss then lowered itself, disappearing into the depths.
Silence.
The battle had begun.
Bel didn’t move.
Not a twitch, not a blink. His eyes simply narrowed further, anticipating the first attack that he would have to dodge with a fantastic speed..
Then—
"Wait a minute."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Couldn’t I just..."
His eyes glowed blue.
[Eternal Ice]
The lake responded instantly. A pulse of frost erupted from his body, rushing across the surface.
CRACK.
The water froze solid.
Every ripple, every wave, every bubble beneath, all turned into glittering ice in a single, breathless moment.
The freezing didn’t stop. It plunged deeper, swallowing the lake bed, crawling into crevices, stretching down into the darkest corners to make sure to get absolutely everything, alongside the boss, locked forever in crystal without realizing.
The ice crept further, shooting out in jagged trails above the lake, climbing up into the air like fangs.
Bel’s eyes flickered again, a second pulse, this time to shatter the ice into tens of thousands.
An explosion of icy shards burst outward, ripping through the lake. A crackling mist followed, swallowing everything.
[EXP +42,100]
[Boss Defeated: Aquatic Terror of the Deep]
[Dungeon Cleared]
Bel remained absolutely still.
The cavern was silent. Icy mist lingered like a breath that wouldn’t end.
Then, slowly, he raised two fingers from each hand, one on each side of his head, like peace signs with a poker face.
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