Chapter 405: Save them

"Then it’s settled."

Astaroth suddenly rose from his seat, breaking the heavy silence that had descended over the room.

Luke frowned as the man continued, "You are the Guardian, so I suppose you would go as far as to bet your life for your people?"

Luke neither agreed nor denied it. He had come this far, after all, and if it came down to it, he would do whatever he could to protect those people.

Astaroth turned toward the elders. "You have been rather insistent that we not barge through the ritual and remain where we are for the sake of avoiding unforeseen dangers. I respect your opinion. And that is precisely why I have come to a conclusion."

Somehow, Luke did not like where this was going. Anything decided by a being like Astaroth was bound to involve chaos, and judging by the look in his eyes, Luke doubted he would be proven wrong.

"We will let the Guardian fight one of us. If he falls, then surely we can come to a term that even the most benevolent one who bestowed the Ritual would have to yield. And then only humanity will be removed from existence."

Those words immediately stirred the room into a low murmur. Even the dragons appeared slightly confused, but the proposal still aligned perfectly with their motives.

After all, none of them could imagine a dragon losing to a human, regardless of whatever title had been bestowed upon Luke.

’This is fucked up... and yet somehow, it’s so much better than what was about to happen.’

At least he would not be facing an entire army with only a handful of men and their irrational aggression on his side. If things went well, he might actually make it through this by playing his cards right.

"So the Ritual is destined to be broken," one of the elders sighed, clearly following the same line of thought as the others.

"What do you say, Ancient One? Is this acceptable?" Astaroth asked, turning toward the eldest figure in the room.

The old man had clearly been reluctant until now. More than anyone present, he understood the importance of the barrier separating the races and the consequences of allowing it to be broken.

However, when the proposition was placed before him, the old man slowly nodded.

"I agree. If the Guardian falls, then humanity is fated for destruction. If not today, then someday."

Luke nearly clicked his tongue. Despite all the wisdom the old man had displayed, Luke had a feeling that even the Ancient One harbored a deep-seated grudge against humanity.

Well, screw it.

"Do you have anything to say about this arrangement?" Astaroth turned back toward Luke, a grin stretching across his lips.

Clearly, he was far too excited about this exchange.

Jorma remained standing stiffly, his gaze no longer wandering around the room, nor did he attempt to say anything.

Things had already gone far beyond his ability to change or even influence. All he could do now was place his trust in Luke.

Luke exhaled slowly before saying, "I accept the challenge, but..."

He paused, prompting Terra to snicker as though she were already expecting some excuse from him. Luke remained unfazed as he finished, "I... wish for this battle to take place in your realm."

"Heh!" One of the male dragons snickered. "So you want to save face by not dying in front of your people?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "What would be the point of this battle if one of you ends up breaking the Ritual anyway just for this battle to happen beyond the Wall?"

Shaking his head, he continued, "There are only two possible places for this battle to happen, so I simply chose the one where I could deliver a message to the strongest race in existence."

Utter silence descended upon the room.

Even the elders widened their eyes in shock.

Jorma could only stare at Luke in horror, while the dragons looked as though they were on the verge of snapping.

Amid the growing tension, Astaroth suddenly barked out a laugh.

"Bahaha! This lad has real balls of steel."

He looked completely unfazed by the underlying, yet unmistakable meaning behind Luke’s words.

Shaking his head, Astaroth said, "Very well. You want our people to realize what stands between them and your kind? Then so be it."

He bared his fangs in a feral grin.

"Show me! Let us see whether you truly deserve the title of Guardian or not."

...

[Congratulations upon influencing the situation to bring about the best possible conclusion.]

[Reward...]

Luke could not see what the reward was, as Jorma suddenly stepped into his line of sight.

"I really can’t tell whether you’re incredibly courageous or simply delusional. Because what you fought back then and what you’ll be facing now... there is a major difference between the two."

Luke exhaled a sigh. "At least it’s far better than having a horde of fire-breathing birds breaking through the barrier and marching toward the human tribe."

Jorma shook his head. "But ultimately, that’s what is going to happen."

Luke crossed his arms. "Well, at least now I have a chance to actually stop it. And I’m not fighting an army, but a single person. That should make things considerably more manageable."

Luke had specifically chosen their realm for a single reason: the two moons.

He knew that he was at his strongest within that domain, so if he had to face the worst enemy imaginable, he wanted to do it there. With his newly acquired weapons and everything he had learned from his previous battles, he was confident he could find a way to overcome whatever awaited him.

"Luke... you don’t realize this."

Jorma’s expression grew grim.

"The man you’re supposed to fight... he’s the same man who lost his child. You’re not only facing his hatred. You’re facing the wrath of a father as well."

Luke fell silent upon hearing that. No wonder the man had been glaring at him the entire time.

However, after a moment, Luke spoke. "Regardless of the reason or their emotions, I am not dying today, Jorma."

His voice carried a resolve that left no room for doubt, even though inwardly, Jorma could not shake the feeling that he already knew how this battle would end.

Jorma scratched his head for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Well, since you’ve made up your mind, is there anything I can do to help?"

Luke thought for a moment before asking, "Tell me whatever you know about dragons."

He sat down on a nearby tree log and continued, "Their defenses, their fighting style, or anything else I could exploit?"

Jorma crossed his arms. "Well, they aren’t true martial artists. They’ve never found much reason to learn proper techniques. They’re savages, much like humans when they’re driven by the desire for blood. Their magic is simply on another level. And, of course, they can breathe fire."

Luke nodded. "Nothing I didn’t already guess. But thanks."

Jorma gave him a wry smile. "Were you expecting me to tell you about some vulnerable spot or something that could end the battle in a moment?"

Luke chuckled. "Of course not. Hmm, okay, can you do something for me?"

Jorma raised his brows, wordlessly urging him to continue.

"Go to the human territory and tell them everything that has happened, but leave out my visit to Agatha. I don’t want what happened in that fort to reach too many people."

Jorma hummed thoughtfully. "Then... do you want me to do it now? Won’t that give them too much hope?"

Luke shook his head. "Not at all. Tell them after I’ve won."

The sheer confidence in his voice was staggering, but Jorma still had to ask, "Won’t you go to them yourself and announce that you’re their savior? If you actually win, you deserve to be praised and worshipped."

Luke snickered. "I don’t need anything like that. All I wanted was to prevent this disaster. Once that’s done, I’m out of here."

After all, there were people waiting for him back there.

Sure, it would have been nice to return and meet Grella before leaving. But then again, he had a feeling that after this battle, he would barely be in any condition to be around anyone, let alone a stranger.

That was why he would return home once it was confirmed that he had fulfilled every requirement of the quest.

’This is only the first level. Once I clear it, the system might teleport me back to the elven realm.’

A faint smirk touched his lips as he imagined the looks on their faces when they saw him return here.

He would have to think about that later. For now, his attention needed to remain on the battle that awaited him.

The biggest and most dangerous battle of his life.

’Haah... let’s see just how well prepared I am.’

~~~

A/N:- Thank you for reading. I hope the story has been enjoyable thus far. This arc has only a few Chapters left. Join my Discord for more images.