Ubermensch – Chapter 162

Chapter 162

The Ghost Dragon gnashed its teeth.

Thump… Thump…

As a tremendous roar echoed from afar, the Ghost Dragon spoke feebly.

“Weak.”

“Then, you can become strong. The power of those who acknowledge contradiction. You can have a Geas.”

“…What should I do?”

“Yearn. For what you want to achieve, no matter the cost.”

“I…”

The Ghost Dragon muttered in a faint voice.

“…I want to save them.”

That was the very reason he was created.

To save the refugees if the Destroyer could not be stopped.

To save their souls if their bodies could not be saved.

A being who kills the body to protect the soul.

The noble goddess’s compromise, giving up on fighting the Destroyer, ultimately resulted in the creation of a creature filled with the intent to kill.

But, if he could start over.

If he could not give up.

So that he wouldn’t have to compromise.

What the Ghost Dragon truly wanted to do was…

“I, want to save the people…”

“No matter the cost?”

He too, knew about Geas.

A contradictory magic that imposes restrictions on one’s entire life in exchange for power.

But, if he could avoid compromising.

If he could keep fighting.

If he could uphold the noble goddess of life’s original intention.

“Yes.”

The Ghost Dragon wanted to become.

“To save the people, I will pay any price!”

At that moment, a Geas symbol was engraved on the Ghost Dragon’s ribcage, and a terrifying energy surged into his body.

“Your life will be painful. Its end will be futile.”

Cú Chulainn spoke with a solemn expression.

“But, the Geas. The contradictory magic will give you the strength to fulfill your purpose.”

The Ghost Dragon’s body began to glow white-hot.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”

At that moment, the Ghost Dragon spread its wings.

“Open the gate!”

Hearing his cry, Teshub opened the front of Nymphassil.

The Ghost Dragon soared high into the sky.

In an instant, he soared past the sky and into space.

Seeing this, Deroa was bewildered.

“That idiot, what the hell is he doing? That’s not a battle he should be involved in!”

The Ghost Dragon was indeed the monster with the most potential. Depending on the number of souls he gathered, he could wield infinite power.

But that was only a theoretical matter.

Even after devouring a million souls, the Ghost Dragon had been raided. Though Mason had achieved a legendary feat, he had still been defeated by humans.

For him to be active on the battlefield of gods, he would need to gather at least billions, perhaps even an astronomical number of souls.

It was a contradiction.

To defeat the Destroyer, he would have to consume death on a scale comparable to the Destroyer’s own destruction.

Cú Chulainn shook his head.

“No. Now he will stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods.”

And contradiction was the source of Geas.

The profound nature of Geas was its ability to change one’s very essence.

“What nonsense are you talking about? There were only a few hundred thousand people originally living on Astartes, right? What kind of power can he wield after consuming that?”

“Then?”

“The Ghost Dragon, no. The Spirit Dragon.”

Cú Chulainn looked down at the ground.

At the already dying planet Astartes.

“He is now one with all the souls of this star!”

At that moment, the Spirit Dragon accelerated with its wings spread wide. Flying at a speed close to that of light, the Spirit Dragon reached Mason, who was surrounded by Soldiers and Knights.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”

As the Spirit Dragon roared and flapped its wings, thousands upon thousands of Spirit Bullets flew, intercepting the Soldiers and Knights.

“Ghost Dragon?”

“It’s Spirit Dragon now. You foolish god.”

The Spirit Dragon said sarcastically.

“I’ll take care of this, go destroy the Battlestars.”

“Will you be alright? The firepower of the Soldiers and Knights can shatter stars!”

“I can do it. Because I have to, I will be able to.”

“That’s a contradiction.”

“Yes.”

The Spirit Dragon grinned.

“It is a contradiction.”

“Hmph…”

Mason grinned.

“Looks like you’ve changed.”

Mason hesitated no longer. Seeing him charge towards the Battlestars, the Soldiers and Knights tried to pursue and intercept Mason’s Champion.

“I’m your opponent. You puppets of the Destroyer.”

At that moment, the Spirit Dragon fired countless Spirit Bullets.

“Kuaaaaaaaaa!”

As countless Soldiers and Knights who had turned their backs were intercepted, the AIs reassessed the situation.

The Spirit Dragon was a being that could inflict significant damage to their forces if left unchecked.

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Thanks to the space battle between the Spirit Dragon and Mason, Nymphassil was able to catch a breath and buy time for regeneration.

However, Deroa was watching the Spirit Dragon’s battle screen with worried eyes.

“Will he be alright? That Ghost Dragon is weak, you know.”

“It’s Spirit Dragon. And he is not weak.”

“Even if he’s with all the souls of this star, it’s only the souls of animals and insects, right? Won’t he lack power?”

“It seems the Power of Translation has miscommunicated the meaning.”

Cú Chulainn looked down at the ground.

“I said ‘all’ the souls of this star.”

“What?”

“Of course, that includes the soul of this planet itself, doesn’t it?”

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The soul of the star was giving him infinite power.

All the life that lived on Astartes. The already dead Astartes itself.

Was giving the Spirit Dragon infinite power.

‘Geas.’

The Spirit Dragon’s Geas was one thing.

In exchange for being able to absorb not only the souls of intelligent beings but also the very spirit that exists in all things… he could not harm any human.

It was a contradiction.

For the Ghost Dragon, born for slaughter and evil deeds, to be forbidden from killing any human.

But because of this contradiction, the Ghost Dragon was able to be reborn as the Spirit Dragon, able to use not only human souls but also the spirits of all things.

And with the power gained from this, the Spirit Dragon was now…

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”

Moving at near the speed of light, he was destroying countless mechanical soldiers.

As the natural enemy of mechanical weapons that housed no living beings!

If Mason’s Champion was a nimble and deadly fighter jet, the Spirit Dragon was like a massive and heavy bomber. In terms of pure destructive power, excluding the powers he could wield as a god, the Spirit Dragon’s firepower surpassed Mason’s Champion.

Overwhelmingly so!

“Iyaaaaaaaaa!”

Mason made full use of the time the Spirit Dragon had bought him. Ignoring the few remaining Soldiers and Knights that served as defensive forces, he targeted the weak points of each Battlestar, freeing the stars from their shackles.

If the Soldiers and Knights had emotions. No, if they had the right to choose their own actions, they would have acknowledged the power difference and fled.

However, the Soldiers and Knights, ordered to exterminate Oztalon, relentlessly charged at Mason and the Spirit Dragon without emotion.

“Done!”

Mason shouted.

“I’ve neutralized the last Battlestar! Returning to Nymphassil!”

“Yes. Oztalon.”

Teshub also contacted the Spirit Dragon.

“We will initiate dimensional travel as soon as you and Oztalon return. Please clear the battlefield and retreat.”

“Understood.”

By chance, or perhaps by the inevitability of sharing the same destination, the Spirit Dragon and Mason flew side by side.

“Foolish god.”

“Why?”

“Can I… also do good?”

The Spirit Dragon, no, the Ghost Dragon, was born for slaughter, for evil deeds. For evil deeds with good intentions.

Could he, a mere creation, change his very nature?

It was a heavy, heavy question.

“Why worry?”

But Mason said lightly, with a smile.

“You already have.”

“…Hmph.”

The Spirit Dragon scoffed.

“Next time I have a question, I’ll ask someone smarter than you…”

As the Spirit Dragon and Mason returned, Deroa ran towards them.

“Good job, big guy. Good job, Bone Broth!”

“…Bone Broth?”

“Yes. Bone Broth!”

Deroa kicked the Spirit Dragon’s leg bone.

And then she grabbed her foot and hopped around.

“Ow ow ow…”

The Spirit Dragon scoffed.

“Fool.”

From afar, Cú Chulainn was smiling knowingly.

It was unfamiliar.

Standing amidst the cheers and recognition of people.

And being accepted as one of them was unexpected, but… it wasn’t a bad feeling…

Mason got off the Champion and headed to the cockpit.

“What’s the situation?”

“It’s good.”

With the Battlestars gone, there was no need to worry about bombardment. And the attacks of the Soldiers and Knights could be sufficiently blocked by the barrier.

“I will prepare for dimensional travel.”

“Alright.”

Energy began to gather at the front of Nymphassil.

Energy to break through dimensions.

However.

“…?”

Nothing happened.

Mason looked puzzled.

“It’s not opening?”

The usually calm Teshub panicked and tried to open the dimensional gate again.

But it wouldn’t open.

“What’s going on?”

“The entire dimension is warping. The dimensional gate not opening is a consequence of that.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that a being capable of shaking the entire dimension has approached.”

At that moment, a sense of foreboding crossed Mason’s mind.

If I kill myself, will he be content with just sending a part of his forces?

Cold sweat ran down Mason’s spine.

Because he had found the answer.

The answer that it was not so.

“…He’s here.”

As Mason gritted his teeth, the stars began to disappear.

No. The stars were not disappearing.

They were being obscured.

“The Destroyer…”

The Destroyer’s main force was approaching them.