Bab 305: Chapter 305: Knowing Death is Certain, Might as Well Fight!
The Dragon God Orsted wasn't an ordinary god-level powerhouse. Even with Wood burning his life force to reach a pseudo-god level, he still couldn't defeat him.
But even though Wood couldn't win, with his current strength, he could at least hold Orsted off long enough to buy time for Rudeus and the others to escape.
As Wood charged toward Orsted, fully prepared to fight to the death, Rudeus instinctively wanted to follow. But before he could take a step, Ruijerd suddenly appeared behind him, holding the unconscious Eris in one arm and stopping Rudeus with the other.
"Don't waste your brother's sacrifice. He made this decision knowing the consequences. He's a true warrior!"
Ruijerd, having crossed swords with Orsted earlier, knew that none of them stood a chance against the Dragon God. If Orsted truly intended to kill them, they wouldn't even have the slightest chance to resist.
Wood Greyrat had unleashed this kind of strength, clearly through the use of some forbidden technique.
Originally, it should have been Ruijerd standing in front, holding Orsted at bay to protect the children. However, Ruijerd knew he wasn't strong enough to fulfill that role.
Ruijerd admired Wood's resolve and knew it was his responsibility to honor Wood's sacrifice by ensuring their escape.
"Fine! You all can go, but that bastard Wood always plays the hero, ever since we were kids. Why does the useless one get to survive?! How can I face Zenith and Norn if I return alive?!"
Rudeus screamed in frustration, his voice breaking. He was about to rush toward the battlefield when Ruijerd, without warning, delivered a swift chop to the back of Rudeus' neck, knocking him out cold before slinging him over his shoulder and running off.
"Sorry, Rudeus. I can't let you throw your life away."
"At our current level, even if we went back, we'd only get in his way. We wouldn't be able to help him at all."
As shockwaves rocked the entire Dragon King Mountain Range, the tremors came one after another. The flying dragons that once made the mountains their home were now taking to the skies, roaring in panic as they sensed the life-threatening danger.
The glaciers cracked rapidly, and with each clash from the battle echoing through the valley, many of the once-mighty peaks were being cut down piece by piece.
Ruijerd and the Demon Wolf King, one carrying Rudeus and the other carrying Eris, darted and leaped over the crumbling glaciers, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the center of the battle as possible.
Meanwhile, in the valley where the two figures continued to fight, Orsted, wielding his magic sword Jisei, was covered in cuts and scrapes. His chest bore two particularly deep slashes, but countless other smaller wounds crisscrossed his body.
Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that while Orsted had many injuries, none of them were life-threatening, nor even particularly severe.
Despite his battered appearance, Orsted still retained a significant amount of fighting power.
In contrast, Wood was in far worse shape. His condition could no longer be described as merely "battered"—it was downright horrific.
The high-intensity battle, combined with the constant drain on his life force, had left Wood's aura in disarray. His breathing was labored, and even speaking took great effort.
His body was covered in deep, bone-revealing wounds, and his left arm was completely gone, though it was unclear exactly when it had been lost.
Of his two "Dragon Fangs" blades, one was now held in his right hand, while the other was clenched between his teeth.
Spitting the blade from his mouth, Wood glared at Orsted, his life force fading fast, but his expression showed no fear of death.
"Dragon God Orsted... You're like a monster. Even after giving everything I had, I couldn't even leave a single fatal wound on you."
Was Orsted strong? Wood could answer that with absolute certainty—he was overwhelmingly powerful!
Though Wood had only been twelve years old in this world, and his body wasn't yet as honed as it had been in the world of One Piece, his mastery of Haki and the Six Powers was also far from the level he had attained there.
But with the existence of "Emperor-level" magic and his own development of the "Magic Swordsman Style," which combined swordsmanship and magic, Wood was still incredibly strong—even if not quite as strong as his One Piece counterpart.
Yet, even with all that power, he had been utterly crushed by Orsted.
Wood could sense that Orsted hadn't even used his full strength. It was as if the Dragon God had been holding back, possibly reserving some of his magic power, or maybe Orsted simply wasn't at his peak condition.
"For a human like you to reach such a level... This is the first time I've seen such a thing. I can hardly imagine how you've managed to grow this strong."
"If the Human God had more followers like you, I might never be able to face my true enemy in this lifetime."
Orsted despised the Human God, and by extension, he loathed the god's followers. Yet, he couldn't help but offer Wood such high praise.
"Even if I told you that I have nothing to do with the Human God, that I don't even know who he is, I doubt you'd believe me. So—"
"No, I believe you. You probably don't have anything to do with the Human God. At least, I don't think you're one of his."
The voice that interrupted Wood wasn't Orsted's. It was the voice of the black-haired girl who had been standing by his side.
She removed her mask, revealing an East Asian face with black hair and black eyes.
In this otherworld, where most people's facial features were more Westernized, such an appearance was quite rare.
The girl's name was Shizuka Nanahoshi. Like Rudeus and Wood, she was also from another world.
However, unlike Wood, who was a simulated personality created by his system, retaining only his memories while having a new soul and body, or Rudeus, who had been reincarnated with only his soul from his past life, Shizuka Nanahoshi had been entirely transported to this world, body and soul.
Perhaps because of this, she had never been able to learn this world's magic.
In fact, the "Teleportation Incident" that had devastated Wood's homeland, the Fittoa region, was caused by Shizuka's arrival in this world.
As an ordinary girl from another world, her only distinguishing feature was her knowledge of the modern world.
Protected by Orsted's secret techniques, Shizuka had remained unscathed despite the battle between Wood and the Dragon God, which had left the surrounding mountains in ruins. Now, she stepped forward, attempting to stop the fight.
From her earlier conversations with Orsted, Shizuka had learned about the ancient feud between the Dragon God lineage and their nemesis, the Human God.
Unlike Orsted, who was often driven by his deep-seated hatred for the Human God, Shizuka maintained a more objective perspective and was able to think more clearly.
After considering everything, she decided to intervene and stop the fight.
"You think he has nothing to do with the Human God? That's impossible. The stench of the Human God's influence on him is even stronger than on his brother," Orsted immediately refuted, confident in his ability to detect his nemesis' aura.
"According to what you told me earlier, your enemy, the Human God, is a careful and cunning figure, right?"
"If you had subordinates as powerful as these two, would you send them out to die in dangerous situations?"
"Both Wood Greyrat and Rudeus Greyrat are extraordinary talents in this world. If you gave them a bit more time, they could easily become the Human God's main force against you, right?"
"So here's the question—if these two are such exceptional talents, why would the Human God send them directly into your hands to be killed? The Human God has clearly been able to avoid your pursuit so far, meaning he must have some means of tracking your movements."
"In other words, their encounter with you, Dragon God Orsted, might not be a coincidence but a carefully laid trap by the Human God."
"That's why I believe what Wood says. While I don't know what relationship they have with the Human God, one thing is clear—they aren't on his side. The Human God is trying to use you to eliminate them, which fits perfectly with his manipulative and treacherous nature."
Shizuka's words made Orsted freeze in place.
Hearing her analysis, the once-enraged Dragon God began to calm down. Her explanation made sense and was indeed characteristic of the Human God's style.
After all, in the past, the Human God had orchestrated the death of Orsted's daughter, framing the other Four Realms. Then, after Orsted had destroyed the Four Realms in revenge, the Human God had turned Orsted's own Five Dragon Generals against him.
The combination of framing and using others as tools to kill was something the Human God excelled at.
As Orsted pieced it all together, he realized, to his horror, that he had fallen into the same trap as the first Dragon God.
The Human God had exploited Orsted's hatred to eliminate those who posed a threat to him.
In other words, Wood and Rudeus weren't disciples of the Human God but rather enemies he considered dangerous. They were the hope of this timeline's fight against the Human God!
With everything suddenly clear, Orsted looked at Wood again, this time without any hostility. As an apology, he even intended to use his Dragon Clan secret technique to heal Wood.
Dragon Clan magic was far stronger than ordinary healing spells. Even shattered organs could be restored as long as there was a shred of life left in the body. Orsted was certain he could pull Wood back from the brink of death.
Though such a spell would consume an enormous amount of magical power, Orsted deemed it a worthy expenditure.
Ordinarily, Orsted wouldn't care if he killed someone by mistake. Most people were no more than ants in his eyes.
But Wood was different. Their duel had convinced Orsted that Wood was special.
His strength and talent were unmatched in any of the hundreds of loops Orsted had experienced. If someone as terrifyingly talented as Wood were on the Human God's side, he would be a nightmare as an enemy.
But if Wood was an enemy of the Human God, that made him an ally. As the enemy of his enemy, Wood's strength and talent made him an invaluable asset.
Sacrificing some magic power to gain a future ally in the fight against the Human God was a trade well worth making.
However, just as Orsted was about to call a truce and heal Wood, Wood suddenly jumped back, avoiding the Dragon God's approach.
"I admit my earlier actions were impulsive, and I appreciate your strength. I would like to recruit you to my side."
"Given your current condition, ordinary healing magic won't be enough to save your life."
Orsted wasn't lying. During their fight, he had grown to admire Wood's character and strength.
If Wood had been a follower of the Human God, Orsted wouldn't have hesitated to kill such a talented individual to prevent future problems. But since Wood was also a thorn in the Human God's side, things were different.
"Hahaha! First, you attack without warning. Then, you want to settle this so easily? That's not going to happen."
"I'd love to meet this Human God who set us up and kill him with my own hands, but unfortunately, I've reached my limit. There's no turning back now."
"Instead of stopping the fight, Dragon God, I have one last request—fight me with your full power and show me the true pinnacle of this world!"
As Wood spoke, blood spilled from his mouth, and the golden hair on his head was rapidly turning white.
Orsted, seeing this, couldn't help but show a look of regret. As the Dragon God, he could see Wood's true condition.
Though Dragon Clan magic was powerful, capable of pulling someone from the brink of death, it couldn't restore a life that was being burned away.
Wood's life force was being drained too quickly, far beyond what even Orsted's magic could replenish. Only the legendary elves, with their mastery over the essence of life, might be able to do something, but they were nowhere to be found, and time was running out.
Looking at Wood, whose hair had turned completely white in a matter of moments yet still radiated fighting spirit, Orsted said nothing more.
He tightened his grip on Jisei, letting his magic power surge once more.
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