The Nine Dragons The Dragon King Part Twenty-One

 Kuromaru

It was in the morning two days after the final army’s fall when they arrived at a set of double doors. Both doors had twin tailed lions standing rampant. Lions, that Loc could swear, could see her and cheering her on, along with the army. She could almost feel their pride at how far she had come over the past year, since she came to this world. It was like their courage was oozing out and entering each and every one of them.

Upon coming to the front of the doors, they opened. She walked in and spotted the glowing green water running parallel to each other at the sides of the cave-like structure. This illuminated the whole tunnel with a good but dim light.

They kept their eyes trained on the centre where it was the most dark. They all stayed there a while out of caution. Upon seeing that there was nothing coming out the heads and Loc looked at each other.

“So, do we walk in?”

“As it is obvious that Kuromaru isn’t coming out, it seems that we don’t have a choice.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I distract the head, you get on the back and chop off the head.”

“Oh.”

“As if it will be that easy.”

“Yes.”

“Wonder how this plan will blow up in our faces.”

“Brother!”

“Fine. We will do it!”

“Anyway, we need to get this over and done with. Sooner we get this over and done with, the sooner we can get to the next two!”

“The sooner we can get to Pendragon over and done with.”

“Say, what will you do after all this is over with, Loc?”

“Find the piece of whatever Reality Sphere I can find and go to the next world.”

“Of, okay.”

“Still on that?”

“Yes.”

So they walked in and the doors closed and walked in further and further. Yet as they did, the light became dimmer and dimmer. Then the water started to glow brighter and brighter and brighter. However and th ey went in further and further she could tell that it would not be enough to see Kuromaru coming. Yet she looked at the water spots of ancient destruction. She looked around and up to see more segments of this ancient destruction, where there were rocks in places that exposed the fact that they were the ancient debris.

This gave her an idea. She shot up and took out Rock and Stone and slammed down. Water burst out, flooding the tunnel with light. She looked at the eagles. They all dived up and they took out rock after rock. Soon the cave became as bright as day. Yet as they walked on they did this again and again and again.

However when they came to the last rock, she saw the teeth as long as an abnormally tall man’s body and as sharp as a blade before they were thrust at her with an almost deafening roar that made the cave shake. Her body became eclipsed by the mouth.

The men looked up to see a snake-like creature the size of two long streets. They looked up to see the head the size of a house of three floors. The head was the shape of a dragon and the body had the scales of a dragon with a spine with horns that looked like titanic Ziziphus thorns. With a tongue like a cross between a slug body and a komodo dragon’s tongue the size of a house of two floors.

Some looked at it and trembled. Others used all their bravery and determination to stay in place, yet failed to stop themselves shaking slightly. They all knew that if they did not use all of their bravery, determination or conviction then they would not be able to fight this first general.

“Get a hold of yourselves!”

They all looked at her and spotted that she was not shaking and nodded. 

Then Kuromaru dived at them. Yet they charged on and on. They knew what to do. They all hoped that they all could pull this off.

Then the blast of fire came at them. They all did all they could to dive out of the way and as fast as they could. They all charged on and split into two groups. Then the next blast came at them. They all raced on and on and on. They all looked at the creature as the head rammed up and blasted fire at them. This time some were hit. 

Some looked at this and lost all control and shook uncontrollably. Some urinated or soiled themselves and others just vomited right there and then. Yet there were some that were able to race on and on and on to the side of Kuromaru. Then there were others, more braver, raced on without fear to the centre. Then fired arrows at the head. These men were prepared to die at that moment as they fired arrows after arrow. 

They all saw him coming closer and closer and closer. Yet this caused some becoming shakier and shakier as the mouth opened. Then some cried as the fire came out of his mouth. Only to be pulled back.

“You’re not dead until you’re dead!” Kai called.

They then nodded as they saw the fire in front of them. Then they fired at the face again and again and again.

They were able to take a glance at the groups at both sides of Kuromaru as they were able to get on his back. Some were relieved that they had done their job until the head turned back. This caused them all to stop their shaking and fired at the head. They did this again and again and again until the head returned to them but then turned back. They fired more arrows at the head so the head turned back.

They were to race on the spine as they could do nothing but trust the archers to keep the head occupied as they raced on and on. Some had to weave in and out the thorny horns. The moment that they reached the head they stabbed down. Then he rolled over and they all collided with the ground. Then they scrambled up and looked up.

Meanwhile Loc looked in the stomach and swung down. She remembered how the great Legendier Strena was able to take down her first hydra before she was a teenager and knew what to do. The moment that she reached the lining, she slashed across. Then the stomach acid pushed out and she too was pushed out. This was why Kuromaru rolled over. 

Yet she pulled out Rock and Stone and thrust them down as hard as she could. She did this again and again and again until there was a break. She was soon able to slip out of the scales as the stomach acid spread throughout the body. She looked back as Kuromaru writhed until his last breath.

“D-did we do it?”

Kai kicked the corpse and as it was no longer moving, he looked back and nodded.

“Think we should take a break.”

“Yes.”

So they took their time to regather their wits and strength before they moved on.