Editing Dark Elf:Volume1 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 4===

“Ah.”

Hope Elf Rosehera finally reacted, but she had waited too long. The boy’s camouflaging had already begun inside the square magic circle.

It had to be possible.

Even if only the bones remained, that thing had once been a lifeform that cracked the ground beneath his feet, caught the wind with his wings, and opened his jaws wide to roar.

This was why Klaus had continued to run away. Why he had run ''the full 10km'' from one end of the forest to the other with that girl by his side.

It had to be possible.

He did not have a living sample, but the camouflage magic only needed the basics of the target lifeform. The rest could be filled in with his imagination. So he only needed the power of his mind, like he was reconstructing the original muscles and facial features from a fossil.

That was why he had needed to observe ''each of the colossal dragon’s bones lying across the forest.

It had to be possible.

His Camouflize worked with any lifeform, so even if Brashgain was a legend, he could become that great dragon and make the ground tremble beneath him as long as he observed the bones, made some calculations, and pictured the end result in his mind!!!!!!



In that moment, the skinny boy’s mind was transported elsewhere. He came into contact with something unseen.

Salt, sulfur, and mercury. From those three traits indicating the shape of the lifeform, he had chosen salt, which prioritized the original form. That was partially because he had his doubts that Brashgain belonged to a species that formed communities of male and female members. He had a feeling that the dragon ''had become a singular being'' due to being too abnormal, just like Rosehera.

His camouflage magic only disguised his appearance. It did not remake his mind at the same time, so he did not gain the life form’s memories or thoughts. But he still received a message.

He felt a throbbing.

Unbearable pain spread from a point in his stomach to the rest of his body. He concluded the only way he could have inherited this pain from the original was if it came from a disease. And even while afflicted by a deadly disease, the dragon had been too powerful to ever actually die. He hadn’t even been able to tear out the diseased part of his body. All he could do was beg for someone to kill him.

That may have been why it happened.

He had needed to search out someone capable of bringing him death. He had unleashed great violence upon the humans, trusting that they held that power. In his final moments, when he had been run through by the human blade after an all-out war, the dragon had felt relief. The dark elves were working to prevent the dragon’s resurrection, but that was a blessing for the dragon. He had finally found peace in death, so he would never want to be brought back to a life of agony.

(I’m sorry, Brashgain.)

Klaus understood that pain now. It really was enough to for even a great dragon to weep and wish for death. That very pain and suffering wore at Klaus’s mind the entire time he borrowed the dragon’s power. He had no idea if a human could come down with this disease as well, but he knew he couldn’t bear it. Which made sense when it had been too much for the strongest of dragons.

But he took it anyway.

He accepted this condition. Why wouldn’t there be a cost to borrowing such a great power?

And.

…''This is probably just a self-righteous assumption on my part, but I bet that lonely dragon wanted someone he could share his pain and fear with.

''Now that I’ve experienced your pain, I will tell everyone your story.

''So please.

(Lend me your power. So I can protect someone I love from her own unbearable pain!!!!!!)

And.

That being opened its “eyes”.

“''Hi, Rosehera. I can’t seem to pronounce human words with a dragon’s throat and tongue, but I trust that a hope elf fluent in human, elf, and dark elf will be able to understand me. Yes, you’re probably cursing your own intellect right about now.''”

“Ah, ahh.”

She was in a daze. That unbelievably powerful hope elf stared up at him in confusion and shook her head to forcibly get her mind working again.

It was a very childish action. The crown on her head looked silly now.

“N-no. No!! T.E.O.D. was created to kill you. And a skin-deep mimicry is no threat to-!!”

She stopped talking when she realized she did not have the sword with her.

In fact…

“''You said T.E.O.D. was the sword that delivered the finishing blow to Brashgain. I’m sure that’s true, but what about everything leading up to the finishing blow? The humans at the time would have been on the verge of utter destruction, so wouldn’t every state and every human joined forces to oppose him? It wasn’t just T.E.O.D. There were innumerable great warriors there. That sword alone isn’t enough to destroy the entire dragon. Besides, your sword was already deflected by one of this guy’s bones earlier.''”

Rosehera froze while she was reaching down to pull the sword out of the brown girl’s gut.

Klaus Knockburn had only disguised his appearance. He could not open his mouth and breathe fire or spread his wings and fly.

But.

He now had a 10km body and his opponent looked like a 12-year-old girl. A difference like that was enough to create a devastating attack. He could rely on brute force and simply crush her.

“''You never did apply the final touches to your fire magic circles, did you? Then I have nothing to fear from you.''”

Slender was curled up on her side.

She used her arms and body to cover up the hilt of T.E.O.D. sticking out of her gut. That way she could ensure the boy’s victory and prevent any harm from coming to him.

He loved her so much he thought he was going to die, but it wasn’t time for that. Right now, he needed to display cruelty.

He gave a final, irreversible ultimatum.

No, he announced an execution.

“Hey, little legend, how many of your precious hope elf spells do you have left? Not that it matters. If you don’t kill me with the very first one, I’ll squash you flat. Just like a wee little bug.”

The wind roared.

With a body that size, muscle movement was enough to produce a disastrous gale.

“''Ka, ka, ka, ka…''”

In that final moment, the hope elf looked up with wavering blue eyes and said something.

She had tears in her eyes and her shoulders shook in a strange half-laughter.

The words she spoke were not human or dark elf.

“''Qdo qdukc ixaeq duj up, jv okojv, do guhhoz pajoako lnoyuaep qa jo pa ronv hakc ica.''”