Chapter 17: End of the Age of Dragons (1)

With the other children returning to natural phenomena, and even Erebos fleeing the situation.

In this situation, I looked at the other dragons.

Dragons that changed from dinosaurs after receiving scales. Dragons born and thriving as offspring of such dragons mating.

Dragons so numerous they covered this land.

The majority of those dragons were bowing their heads before me.

"Do you know your wrongdoings?"

I spoke in a low voice.

But no answer came.

Even with thousands of mouths, no answer comes out.

If they know they did wrong like that, they should stop that wrongdoing. Why do they keep repeating the same mistakes?

Is it because they are living beings? Would they be satisfied if they shed their biological shell and became beings that abandoned the seven emotions and six desires?

Then they could no longer be called alive.

I looked at the dragons with sad eyes.

"What should I do with you? How can I make you accept your wrongdoings? I really don't know. What on earth do you want, to rot my insides like this?"

If I don't understand myself properly, how can I understand others?

As I was looking down at the dragons like that, one dragon in the front raised its head.

It was an old Blue Dragon that had first received Tethys' scale.

"We're sorry, Creation God Dragon."

"I didn't ask for an apology. What did you want that made you wage war like that?"

It's not difficult to kill them all.

But I didn't want to do that.

They are children made by my children. Children originating from those children.

I didn't want to take those lives, but.

"We... want to become perfect beings."

"Perfect beings?"

The Blue Dragon suddenly says something strange.

"What is a perfect being? Are you saying you are imperfect beings now?"

"Shamefully... that's right."

"Huh..."

That body? A body that can freely fly around, is strong and can freely use magic, and breathe powerful breaths?

That's imperfect?

"Why do you say it's imperfect?"

"The Creation God Dragon cast magic on us to give us some degree of perfection, but we couldn't achieve perfect perfection because we were bound by the shackles of a physical body. Our parents said that if we won the war, they would grant such a wish."

"Shackles? The physical body?"

The Blue Dragon quietly bowed its head.

"How can a being that gets hungry as time passes, can't resist sleepiness and has to sleep, and has to mate to have offspring be called perfect? Isn't perfection a state where nothing more is needed?"

Are you saying perfection is being able to exist alone, needing nothing?

"Just as the Creation God Dragon does, we only wish for such perfection."

"You thought that was perfection?"

How can they be so foolish?

To say that the instincts of living beings are imperfection.

"Do you know what happens if you give up those things?"

"I think we'll become pure beings that don't depend on anything, existing alone."

I took my eyes off the Blue Dragon and looked around as I spoke.

"Do you all think that way?"

Then surprisingly, a significant number of dragons agreed with the old Blue Dragon's words.

Did you really believe that?

Are you saying perfection is having no food, not sleeping, and not having offspring?

From the perfection these dragons spoke of, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

If that's perfection, then I, and my seven children are perfect, you say.

Ah... Is that so? These children saw their parents.

They wanted to become like their parents.

It seems they wanted to become transcendent beings that have escaped from being biological.

I nodded slightly.

Was that these children's wish?

"Then, how do you want to become?"

"Just as the Creation God Dragon changed us like this, we hope you will change us into even more perfect beings."

When you say I changed you... do you mean when I adjusted the ratio so dragons could exist with magic?

The current dragons are in a state composed of about 80% natural phenomena.

Are you asking me to fix that ratio to 100% natural phenomena?

Do you know what that means when you say that?

Are you saying you'll give up being living beings?

I became extremely sad.

"Do you all think the same?"

Then a significant number of dragons nod.

"Are there those who don't want to do this? Raise your hands."

Then some dragons raise their hands.

No, some are scolded by nearby dragons and lower their hands again.

Sad and sad again.

"I understand. If that is your wish."

I spoke without showing my sadness.

"Those who don't want to do this, come behind me. You there, don't oppress other children. This choice must be solely one's own choice. You must not be swayed by others' intentions."

Like that, some dragons came behind me.

Young dragons. Dragons that had just emerged from being hatchlings.

"Only you, I see."

I spoke with sad eyes.

"Why are you so sad?"

"How can I not be sad?"

The perfection these children speak of. It would be completely different from what they imagine.

How can I not be sad seeing them make such a foolish choice without knowing that?

But they weren't the kind to listen to what I say.

If they were the kind to listen well to my words, things like war wouldn't have happened.

"Then. I'll begin."

I sent the young dragons behind my back, then used magic on the dragons bowing their heads.

I change the ratio of natural phenomena and biological components inherent in the dragons, raising the ratio of natural phenomena from 80% to 100%.

Then the bodies of the dragons prostrated on the ground move this way and that.

"Ugh...!"

"Cough! Kuugh...!"

"Kahak! S-stop...!"

Dragons groaning as if in pain.

But what can I do?

It's tearing away the soul and mind intertwined and permeated in the body. How can it not be painful?

That's the price of escaping the body.

The dragons claw at the ground with their talons. Their brightly colored scales get dirty, covered in dust.

Yet the magic doesn't stop.

Only when their hearts stop, their flowing blood stops, their bodies stop.

The dragons were being reborn as beings with only natural phenomena and mind, escaping their bodies.

[Is this... perfection...]

[What is this sense of omnipotence... It feels like I could do anything now...]

The dragons that escaped their bodies are momentarily intoxicated by that power.

Is it the feeling of escaping from a heavy and cumbersome body?

Rather, how do they not know that it was armor protecting their soul and mind?

The anomaly started small.

[Hm?]

The bodies of dragons that changed into various natural phenomena gradually lose their form.

[C-Creation God Dragon! Something is strange!]

[M-my body is scattering...!]

I only spoke in a sad voice.

"Didn't you know how weak the mind and soul are when they shed the armor of the body?"

Body, mind, and soul are inseparable.

If you forcibly separate them, what will happen?

[C-Creation God Dragon!!!! Please help us!!!!]

[This, this isn't what I wanted!!!!]

[No... No!!!! I don't want to die!!!]

"You're not dying."

I spoke in a voice soaked with sadness.

"You're changing into a form your souls can handle."

Although you gained power by receiving scales from my children, that was based on a body that was originally a dinosaur.

Once you've escaped from such a strong body, you won't be able to maintain that power.

The mental bodies of dragons that changed into natural phenomena began to shrink to an appropriate size.

And so, as time passed, the dragons of natural phenomena who had lost all their power... became small beings containing pure natural energy.

Their appearance resembles their parents... They're like elementals.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Goddess of Life said to the foolish ones:

"Do you truly think you will become perfect if you throw away that life?"

To those words, a foolish one answered:

"Indeed so. If we escape from the prison of the body, we will become whole beings."

"Do you really think so?"

"Without a shred of falsehood, I think so."

The Goddess of Life, saddened, took the hands of the foolish ones and asked again:

"That body, that life is not a prison that confines you, but armor that protects you, so why do you reject it?"

"How can armor bring about meaningless desires? If we escape this prison of the body, can we not become perfect beings free from all meaningless desires?"

The Goddess of Life, realizing that the foolish one's determination was firm, recognized that she could no longer break their will.

"Does everyone think that way?"

They had no answer.

"Do truly all think that way?"

Again there was no answer.

"I will ask for the last time. Is everyone's will the same?"

Then twelve among the foolish ones raised their hands. The Goddess of Life took them in.

And the Goddess of Life said:

"You come behind me. Watch what results their foolishness creates."

And the Goddess of Life, looking at the foolish ones, shed tears and took away the life from their bodies.

- Excerpt from the scripture of the Life Order.