101.
An invasion from another world.
A rather novel-like story.
In that sense, it's a fantastical event from the moment I reincarnated as a dragon. Come to think of it, what kind of human was I in my previous life?
.....I don't remember well.
102.
Sitting blankly in the Dimensional Gap, Ophis approached.
"What doing, Red?"
When I answered that I was just there, Ophis stared blankly at the place I was looking at for a moment, then silently sat next to me. There wasn't much conversation after that. Ophis wasn't very talkative or eloquent to begin with, and I could say I wasn't really thinking about anything either.
After a long silence, the one who started the conversation first was me, as always.
"You know."
"Yeah."
"They say an invasion from another world is coming."
"The beings that entered the Dimensional Gap before, not of this world. New machine lifeforms that don't exist in this world."
"Are they like artificial intelligences, like Gogmagog?"
"Negative. Similar but different."
"I see."
They definitely felt different from typical machine lifeforms. They look like artificial intelligence, but as the name 'machine lifeform' suggests, they don't seem to be just machines. Are they like cyborgs? Or perhaps something like a Deus Ex Machina (Machine God).
"I wonder why they'd do something like invading another world."
"Sentient beings have always fought. Humans, devils, angels, fallen angels, monsters, gods. They have always fought, and when it intensified, they waged war."
"That's true."
Not to boast, but I've seen all sorts of things since reincarnating into this body. I've seen dinosaurs fighting to live, primitive humans fighting each other, different races fighting, all sorts of things.
I've seen wars fought over trivial reasons, and wars fought for truly unavoidable reasons. Since it wasn't my affair, I didn't think deeply about it, but it seems that aspect hasn't changed between my current and previous life.
"It would be nice if everyone got along."
"The powerless always desire power (strength). Because they desire power, chaos arises there. Where there is chaos, disputes always begin. As long as there are those who need power, fighting will not disappear."
"That's true."
Sometimes, Ophis seems childlike but also understands the ways of the world. Is it because, as it says, it is the Dragon of Infinity, Chaos, and Nothingness? Then what about me, the Dream Dragon?
Patting Ophis's head, I muttered.
"If an invasion occurs, we'll have to fight too, won't we?"
Even just looking at them, the so-called messengers of death from another world don't seem to come here with good intentions. They even explicitly said they would invade. Thinking we alone could avoid the turmoil that would arise from that is too optimistic.
"Fight?"
"Because they are picking a fight?"
"Don't know why they pick a fight."
"Me too."
As we were having such idle talk, Trihexa found us.
"What are you doing without meeeeeeeeeee!!!"
Its unchanging appearance made me burst out laughing.
I feel an optimistic thought that things will work out somehow.
Because even though we three are troublemakers, we're the strongest!
103.
The intervals at which machine lifeforms cross over are getting shorter. At first, only weak ones came, but at some point, beings called transcendents by this world's standards also appeared, and even stronger ones than that crossed over.
They weren't stronger than us three, but since the so-called messenger of death, who could be called the top on their side, hadn't crossed over yet, it was quite threatening. Then, as I waited in the Dimensional Gap with determination, something with immense power crossed over.
I knew instantly.
That thing.
"So this is the new world to invade."
The messenger of death from another world.
Melbazoa muttered that as it crossed over here.
104.
Although small in size, I could tell at a glance it was an extraordinary being.
I could feel immense power, enough to assert that individually, it was stronger than me, Ophis, and Trihexa. Perhaps the other two thought the same, as we three immediately charged at the single messenger.
"So you are the guardians protecting this world. This should be interesting!"
105.
We three immediately transformed into our true forms and charged at it.
We unleashed our strongest, most powerful breath attacks and used our massive bodies to smash down. But the otherworldly messenger took all of that without issue, and even summoned strange blades to begin carving up our bodies.
It must be an extraordinary messenger too, as the wounds it inflicted wouldn't heal properly.
If we had faced it alone, we wouldn't have stood a chance.
But with three of us.....
106.
Splat!
How much time had passed since we started fighting it?
At first, it was evenly matched.
No, I thought it was even, but we were slightly being pushed back, and as time passed, we began to be pushed back more. Even though three of us attacked, we could only barely hold our own, and that gradually turned into a losing situation.
And just a moment ago.
Its sword strike tore off my left wing and hand, leaving a huge scar on my torso.
Gushing blood, I crashed onto a floating rock in the Dimensional Gap.
"!!!"
"!!!"
Seeing me like this, Ophis and Trihexa's gazes instantly turned toward me.
Trihexa, who always rampages as it pleases, and Ophis, who is usually expressionless, both had expressions I'd never seen before.
....So you two could make such expressions too.
107.
It's a fatal wound.
Moreover, with me out, a gap in our fighting power opened, and the situation changed from barely holding on to a clear disadvantage. Trihexa roared in anger and fought desperately, but couldn't overcome the overwhelming difference in power, and its entire body began to be torn to pieces by the messenger's sword strikes.
That sight brought back a memory.
A memory from my previous life.
Ah.
108.
My previous world was destroyed by the messenger of death, Melbazoa.
And I was reincarnated into this world.
109.
I don't want it.
I don't want this reincarnated world to be destroyed by that messenger again.
Move.
Please move.
As I held that wish, my body, which hadn't budged until a moment ago, began to move.
110.
My name is Great Red.
The Dragon of Dreams.
The Dream Dragon.
....Perhaps I was reincarnated for this.
111.
"What, the?"
I created a massive energy in the void. It's not my power alone. As the Dream, using the advantage of this place being the Dimensional Gap, the scattered hopes of this planet, of countless dimensions, are sharing their power with me.
Individually, they might be small compared to the messenger.
But when gathered together, they become immense beyond compare.
This is the wish of countless beings on this planet, and the hope of worlds destroyed by Melbazoa.
Take this, Melbazoa.
The retribution from the worlds you have destroyed until now.
112.
The mass of energy created by the hopes of countless worlds swallowed Melbazoa. The being that had remained unharmed despite all our attacks until now was finally vanquished by its own karma.
"Red?"
Ophis looked at me blankly. My body was already at its limit. I should have died the moment I was struck by Melbazoa, but I had miraculously prolonged my life. If not for the hope of this planet, of everyone, it would have been over long ago.
I placed my hand on Ophis's head.
I passed my dream to Ophis, the infinite.
It would probably be better than having nothing.
"Don't go...."
Ophis looked up at me with eyes that were shaken for the first time. Seeing Ophis look at me like that, my heart wavered. But it's not something I can avoid just because I don't want to. Trihexa, having recognized my condition, couldn't say anything and just sent its gaze.
It feels strange for the always noisy one to be so quiet.
"Don't cause trouble when I'm gone."
113.
But this time, I protected...
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