Chapter 31: Snake Liver Damaku: The Dragon God's Blessing

This is the spot. The entrance beyond here will take us to the Dragon God's lair. Are you ready for this?

All set.

Arrrgh!

What the heck? That doesn't sound good!

The complete opposite of good, actually. Look over there!

That's the Berserk Beast?! Those wings... Now way...!

The defused form of Geo Anguirus! The corrupted Prisma in its body must have caused it to mutate.

Guildna!

Altena, hold tight! I'm coming now!

Grroawghh...

Vares!

Var-var?!

Aaargh!

Altena!

Argh, this can't be happening...

Vares, are you all right?

Uuugh.. Your Ma...jesty... Forgive me...

You don't need to apologize, Vares. You did what you could.

How were we supposed to know that monster would show up... Altena, I've failed you.

Damn it! If only we'd finished the Dragon God's trial more quickly...

Altena... Please be all right.

Are you feeling alright, Vares?

I am completely disgraced. The blame for this rests entirely with me.

Even though my brother was guarding her, it wasn't enough...

Even though the two of us were guarding her, we couldn't save her...

Even a tank like you couldn't handle that monster, huh? ...I'm kidding, expecting you to handle that thing alone would be unreasonable. We should have considered the possibility of that thing seeking out its main component again. *sigh* This is not what we needed right now.

Aldo! We have to save her!

Yeah, of course! Guildna, we'll back you up, so lead the way!

Alright, I'm counting on all of you. The village will be in danger if another creature like that shows up again. Vares, you know what to do.

Alright, I'm counting on all of you. The village will be in danger if another creature like that shows up. Vares, Myrus, you know what to do.

No harm will come to the villagefolk, I swear it.

Leave the village to us. And please be careful, everyone! I hope Altena comes back safe...

We're going, Aldo! The monster nests in Snake Skull Mescita. To get there we have to head up to Snake Neck Igoma. The monster is probably resting there as we speak. We must hurry and make sure Altena makes it home safely in time for dinner!

What's it doing?!

If the legends are to believed, this island is in fact the skeleton of an enormous reptilian beast. And the scroll says that this here is the beast's fossilized heart. It can't be a coincidence that Altena and I were revived here. I guess we were being called to by the Dragon God...

This island a fossil? Then mightn't the reptilian beast we're standing upon and the Genesis Dragon God of the scroll be one and the same? And this is the heart? Why, it's bigger than all of us put together! How frightful.

So, what's the next step, Guildna?

The scroll says that if the bearer of the ordained blade calls out to the Dragon God, he will awaken... And bestow inhuman strength upon the worthy. Think you can handle that, Aldo?

Time to find out if the legends are true. Hopefully the Dragon God still has ears to hear me with...

Can you hear my voice, Dragon God?

...Is that a yes?

Who are you? A vassal of the Dragon God?

You've certainly been acknowledged! Now to find out if the "inhuman power" part of the legend was true as well.

The blade in your possession is Ogre Rancorem; an edge destined to bring about the oblivion of civilization.

Aldo? How did you get your hands on that accursed sword? Since our reunion I've had my suspicions. Now I learn they were not misplaced.

I came here to obtain the legendary power of the Dragon God. Can you help us?

I am but a transient form of the mighty Genesis Dragon God. His power is to be entrusted only to the righteous protectors of the weak. That sword is capable of immense destruction. I should see to it that its threat is blunted before it is able to disfigure our world with darkness.

Then... That means you're our enemy?

That's not good...

Draw your wretched blade, human. I shall herein test your worthiness.

Sounds like we've got a fight on our hands. I've got you covered, Aldo!

What the...! Where the heck are we now?!

I suppose this sort of thing is to be expected when one requests an audience with a Dragon of yore.

I'm detecting the rapid approach of a hostile lifeform. Size: gigantic.

Whoa!

Our enemy has a size advantage all right.

Mon dieu, it seems our trial is to combattre contre that dragon.

That's one mighty dragon. But it's not the Dragon God himself. I say we can take him.

There is no doubt you have demonstrated your worthiness. The Dragon God thus entrusts you with his power, and likewise... With his hope that you use Ogre Rancorem to protect this world, and are not lead astray by the blade's vengeful bloodlust.

Lead astray? What do you mean by that?

Wha, ? Huh?

Aldo. You are not alone in this fight. There are guardians--beings who seek to avert the looming cataclysm. You must seek them out and obtain their power. Should you fail, our planet faces a future bleak beyond reckoning.

What?!

Hold on, you're not giving us tons of information here!

We don't know who these guardians are... How are we supposed to obtain their power?

With Ogre Rancorem at your side it feels like this was all inevitable... You really are an unusual human, Aldo.

Oh, about that. As it happens, I was originally a cat. My name was Kyros. ...Obviously, I'm not a cat anymo...

What?! You're a cat? What's with this whole not having whiskers and a tail thing then?

I'm not kidding. The story of my cathood's end is a tragic one... Feinne's power transformed me into the son of my master, a boy called Eden, who was lost when we all traveled through time. ...I guess you, Altena, and I are all here because of Feinne's power.

I see... That explains why you seem to keep growing at such an impressive rate. And something tells me that this won't be the last of your energy-absorbing exploits in this world...

You make it sound like I'm some kind of mystic-energy gourmand...

Maybe Ogre Rancorem has augmented your natural abilities, but... That's a theory you can test for yourself sometime, if you want, Aldo.

...Can you imagine what the present would look like if the Thunder King fell to the ogres? How absurd.

It's time to quit shooting the breeze. Can we head back, please?

Yeah, Altena will really want to see us, I think. Let's all have a nice cup of Pocoshoot tea when we get back!

We've got to go back into the bowels of the Snake then? Not a place I like to be in. Let's make tracks back to Konium quick.