The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

"Just as you once believed in the gods of your barbarian kind, believe in me."

To prevent the uneducated Barbarian from misunderstanding his words, David added another sentence, just in case.

Arrogance

"Of course... my... Lord..." Rosinde responded with some difficulty.

David looked down at the Barbarian, who was experiencing a final resurgence of vitality. With utmost solemnity, he gritted his teeth and said,

"Then listen carefully.

"You, Barbarian Damon Raxind.

"My first retainer, David Uthos Sed Ponga.

"Revering my command, while escorting the Dragon's treasure, you fought valiantly against the attacking Drow until the very last moment.

"You succeeded in protecting three of your comrades-in-arms and were grievously wounded, on the verge of death, because of it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two Drow, accustomed to life and death, showed little reaction, while Wangzai, the Winter Wolf Rosinde had raised from a cub, was already wailing his heart out.

David paused, then continued,

"This is the glory most worthy of pride and remembrance in your life as a Dragon's retainer.

"Now, as your body fades away, your soul, as a Dragon's retainer, will shed its mortal coil. Valkyries riding white Pegasi will escort you to the final resting place that belongs only to you.

"In that luxurious palace, you will continue to fight and feast until the final battle of Ragnarok arrives."

Without much preparation, David directly adapted the Norse mythological description of Odin's Temple, Valhalla, from Blue Star for his speech.

However, the Barbarian Rosinde, who was nearly at death's door, listened with some confusion.

"But isn't this the Divine Realm of the War God?"

"..." David.

Besides the thoughtful Silver Dragon patriarch, the group of Drow, who had been listening in a daze, were now utterly floored.

They had thought their Red Dragon master was about to pull another stunt. So, it turned out he was preparing to send his retainer to the War God's Divine Realm in advance. That was one way to do it. But... how should this be put? Wasn't this akin to sending a powerful warrior to the War God Faction? As the common saying on Blue Star goes, it was like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone for good!

What nobody knew at that moment was that Ares, the War God from the Greek Pantheon, had long ago introduced this concept to this world, and it had been shamelessly plagiar Bahkan by almost all subsequent generations of War Gods.

That was why David was also a bit confused. Upon flipping through the Dragon heritage, it was indeed exactly the same. Even the concept of Valkyries had a similar setting.

He was instantly filled with Wrath and Jealousy.

"To hell with the War God's Divine Realm! Forget that crap! Immediately! Right now!"

"...Oh." The Barbarian felt as if he was about to draw his last breath, but his Dragon Lord seemed not to allow him to die just yet, so he could only continue to cling to his last breath, complying.

"Listen, the place you are going to now is still under construction, so it's pitch black. For now, you'll just have to sit in that vast auditorium with popcorn and cola and watch a movie."

Unable to think of a better scenario on the spot, David directly borrowed the post-death world 'cinema' described by the mentally disturbed Tatsuki Fujimoto, just to placate his dying retainer for the time being.

"Movie...?" The Barbarian was indeed befuddled by this term he had never heard before. And what were popcorn and cola?

But having passed his moment of fleeting clarity before death, he began to gasp for air again.

"Right! Watch a movie called 'Red Dragon Does What It Wants,' where you will see your past life. You will see Hiatt, the Mage, and Wangzai continue to fight alongside me. In the future, more Dragon's retainers will join. After they die in battle, they will go there to join you in watching movies."

"That's... really... good..."

Watching his Dragon Lord rack his brains to comfort him in his approaching death, the Barbarian, though still not fully grasping the place he described, felt a faint smile and the glint of tears in his eyes.

He felt that his once ordinary life had, for a second time, been so... valued and cherished by another being. To have had such an extraordinary experience before dying, to have met such an interesting and loyal Dragon Lord and comrades-in-arms... He, Rosinde, felt he could die with no regrets...

"Damn it! After all this time, you still don't believe me, do you!"

David could see right through the man's thoughts. He could see that the Barbarian was already showing signs of being claimed by the Styx River.

Gritting his teeth, he immediately brought out his trump card, grabbed the Barbarian's ear, and bellowed,

"Your Mona, in a sense, also died in battle under my command!

"Maybe she's there too!

"And your group of comrades-in-arms.

"Don't you want to go and take a break with your lover and your old comrades, have some good food, drink something nice and cold, and then watch a movie together?"

Upon hearing the name Mona, the Barbarian's eyes widened, but he could no longer utter a word.

Then, in his agitation, he took his last breath.

And died with his eyes wide open.

"..." The nearby Silver Dragon patriarch and the Drow were left speechless by this turn of events.

Normally, the death of a retainer would be a somber occasion. However, David's antics made it difficult to feel sad. Still, with them by his side, Rosinde at least didn't die alone; his passing didn't seem so solitary.

"Damn!" David thought he had failed and was quite frustrated.

"ROAR!!!" In one breath, he spewed out all his fiery Dragon Breath deep into the cave.

Then, to everyone's incredulous stares, he bit off the Barbarian's head and, with a heavy gulp, swallowed it whole.

Gluttony

Lust

As expected. David chuckled inwardly.

This was the last crude method he could resort to under the circumstances: using Gluttony to at least replicate the Barbarian's memories. He planned to have his father use the Resurrection Spell to revive him, and then he would find a way to restore these replicated memories to the Barbarian. In a way, it would be like fulfilling the other party's wish. As a Red Dragon Lord, he had truly done all he could.

He thought with a touch of helplessness, Belief, after all, cannot be forced. Even if I truly succeeded in creating such a place with Authority, if nobody was willing to believe in it, judging by my current development of Authority, there wasn't much chance of success. This is almost... the realm of gods! Forget it, it seems that for the time being, this is still not something I can meddle with.

Sloth

Just as David took a deep breath and turned to leave the cave for some fresh air, feeling quite dejected, he suddenly stumbled. As if sensing some unbelievable phenomenon, he looked upward, eyes wide open.

Then, before everyone's disbelieving eyes, PFFT! Blood gushed from all seven of his orifices—a spectacle as dramatic as a fountain. It was as if nearly half the blood in his body had been pumped out in an instant.

Attilicia, in her Drow form, was instantly scared witless by this gruesome and terrifying sight. This was far worse than the last time in the Alchemy Workshop. She instantly forgot her anger at this damn brat for squandering all her savings. She almost cast a Resurrection Spell on David right then and there.

"My son!!! What's wrong with you! Don't scare me like this! If you die, how will I go on living!!!"

"..." Drow Hiatt and the Drow Mage were also stunned. As early followers who had sworn fealty to David, they knew their Red Dragon master had a Silver Dragon for a sister and thus naturally possessed Silver Dragon bloodline.

But this 'Celestial Faction Drow' before them... was clearly female!

It was just a glance.

But they failed to notice that David, who had fainted from a cerebral hemorrhage, had the corners of his mouth suddenly curl up involuntarily, as the Seven Great Authorities began to scroll rapidly through his blurring consciousness like a waterfall:

Authority—Arrogance

Authority—Wrath

Authority—Jealousy

Authority—Greed

Authority—Gluttony

Authority—Lust

Authority—Sloth

...

Authority—Arrogance

Authority—

...

He'd done it! He'd actually freaking done it! And he'd inadvertently linked all Seven Sin Authorities!

But the next moment, David the dragon was dumbfounded. He 'witnessed' himself—his soul—leaving his body and slowly drifting upwards.

Is this... an out-of-body experience? Shit! I didn't just get myself killed, did I?!