The battlefield at the gap — 5

A head with a shattered jaw lies on the ground.

Then, what about the dragon?!

Miraculously, the dragon — which should have lost its head — now possesses a head formed from magical essence.

The concentration of magical energy is so dense it's clearly visible to the naked eye.

The dragon's body continues to crumble, leaving only its chest intact. The rest of its form was entirely composed of magical essence.

Still... able to fight?

But I understand. That massive, high-concentration gemstone visible in its chest is the core of the beast. Destroy that... and this battle will end.

No offensive options remain.

There's no need to even test it—the gemstone in its chest is undoubtedly sturdy. A half-hearted attack would be pointless.

It won't go down like Noiman did.

There's nothing left to do but try.

Everything in this world contains magical essence. Especially magical stones—solidified essence itself.

Without essence, they crumble to dust.

Even a dragon's gemstone is no exception.

However, extracting essence from ordinary stones is extremely difficult, and only a few people can do it.

Let alone a gem embedded in a dragon's chest, let alone its purity.

Even I would have to touch it directly.

How on earth would I even survive touching a dragon in such a state and blowing away only the core of the magic stone?

Instantly, my family's faces float into my mind. I... can't die yet. I don't intend to die.

I'll do whatever I can.

I activate a certain spell and force strength into my sluggish right leg.

Good, I'm ready.

I ascend sharply into the sky, then begin my descent at just the right moment.

Using wind magic, I accelerate instantly, assuming a stance as if kicking off with my right leg.

My speed exceeds the speed of sound, and the air ahead of my right foot changes color due to aerodynamic heating.

I streak straight toward the dragon's chest.

Even a dragon shouldn't be able to react to this.

Yet, effortlessly defying my expectations, the dragon's head and arms shift shape, unleashing bolts of lightning and flames.

It managed to catch up to my attack, which surpassed the speed of sound, and struck me.

I should have been hit, yet my form shattered and dispersed into mist in midair.

That’s when I realized, the moment I summoned the dragon here.

The dragon reacts not to what it sees, but to magical particles.

So what it reacted to just now was the dummy I created using magical particles.

Since I didn’t know what kind of attack it would make, it turned out perfectly.

You were able to keep up with this speed—of course I knew that already.

I arrived at the dragon’s chest without releasing any magical particles, slightly delayed but still on time. I lightly touch it with my right foot.

Now begins the real part.

Just by touching it, I can tell—what density of magical particles. Pushing this out will be quite difficult.

But...

I focus on the dwindling magical particles in my right foot.

I delve deeper, refining my control over the magical particles within my body.

I perceive the magical particles in my right foot down to the atomic level, mastering them completely. The particles gradually spread into the magical stone they touch.

Connected.

The flow of magical particles from my foot linked with those within the stone, and I had fully seized control of it!

Before I realized it, my right foot was entirely embedded within the stone.

No, it had become stone itself.

There was no turning back now.

Let it continue, scattering magical essence around me.

The magical essence I've gathered flows through the dragon's body, spreading across the world.

The concentration was so dense it could be clearly seen with the naked eye.

It looked like shooting stars, or fireworks.

The dragon gradually lost its magical essence, shrinking in size and losing its glow.

Yet the resistance did not cease, and it swung its body violently.

A loud crack echoed.

Taro's right leg snapped at the root, and he slipped down.

Yet Taro's expression was brimming with confidence.

Alek caught Taro mid-air and quickly retreated from the scene.

"Really, you never change—still recklessly daring."

"Always taking care of you."

As Alek vanished in an instant, the concealed magic unit activated the magic circle all at once.

With that much magical energy dispersed, it was more than enough.

Taro's unwavering certainty crystallized into a massive magic stone right there, just a few minutes later.

It's over. It's finally over.

I was deeply moved, having completed the dragon's extermination while receiving treatment.

"You're still reckless as ever, but your achievement was truly outstanding."

Alek plopped down beside me as I received treatment, beginning his own rest as well.

I performed recovery on myself and briefly checked my condition.

First, my right leg... it was gone. Nothing remained below the knee.

Recovery magic stones cannot restore lost items.

My right leg was likely somewhere inside there.

Ahead of me, a particularly large stone stood out.

It had once been a dragon.

Its presence was completely gone, leaving only a 100% intact magic stone.

Around the magic stone, battle-worn warriors rested individually, each tending to their bodies.

Though injuries varied in severity, there were no fatalities.

True to form, these were elite warriors gathered from across the world—clearly trained differently.

There were no cheers, only sighs of relief.

They fired a signal flare and had already been waiting in the distance. Now they were simply awaiting the arrival of the follow-up unit.

The forces from the kingdom would surely appear within a day.

However, after having fought for so long, it was already getting dark.

They would spend the night camping out.

Sitting around a fire with Alex and Clara, they were having dinner.

Thanks to the passage of time, conversation had gradually returned.

In the silent night field, people's voices echoed.

"Tarou, thanks to this achievement, your country will become a respected nation that no country in the world can ignore."

"What's with you? Suddenly like this?"

Alek spoke with a solemn expression.

"Please listen half-seriously. You're talented, but there are gaps in your understanding."

"Mind your own business."

He rubbed his missing leg as he listened to the speaker's voice.

"Large, historically established organizations tend to foster corruption. My family was one of the few connections my kingdom had with other nations, as we had no diplomatic relations at the time."

Unusual. Hearing someone speak like this

"Some tried to siphon off the benefits without contributing, but when the Bonaparte family found out, they were purged. In my view, that was entirely deserved."

Perhaps as a reaction to this, Alex became intensely fixated on justice.

"You, being so capable, should understand. Extra care will be needed in running the nation from now on..."

I stopped Alex mid-sentence.

"Relax. As long as I'm alive, the throne will remain mine."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Does Alex understand the power of tools?"

He looked confused, as if he didn’t grasp what I was getting at.

"Tools have the effect of equalizing the power people possess."

"Equality, you say?"

"Yes. That means one day, the people living in my country will possess strength equal to, or even greater than, mine or Alex’s."

"I can’t imagine myself being equal to you."

"It will happen. And tell me—will a king who rules solely by strength still be worthy of the title in such a nation, not far from now?"

Alek falls silent.

"I want to make that country one where we all decide its future together and live through it as one. I'll need your justice. Please continue to rely on me from now on."

"Hmph, you really are an interesting person, aren't you?"

By the time morning breaks, troops arrive from the kingdom, and just as smoothly, we reach a crossroads.

While reporting to the Empress and handling post-war matters, time passed swiftly, and before we knew it, half a year had gone by—finally, things settled down.

Night

Lina was massaging my feet as she spoke.

"You're much better now, aren't you?"

"Thanks. I'll be a burden on you for a while longer. My prosthetic leg should be finished soon."

"I mean it. When you came back, battered and broken, I was truly worried."

I suddenly recalled Noel and Lina’s expressions—how they’d looked at me, missing one leg.

Then, abruptly, Lina’s hand stopped.

“Don’t you want your leg back? The children have been running around happily lately. If you wish, I can help.”

Without hesitation, I gave my answer.

“Thank you, but it’s fine. I’m looking forward to what technology will bring.”

Years passed by.

The nation once known as the Demon King's Country gradually transformed into a society run by its citizens, retaining its name but no longer governed by a demon king.

This transformation occurred not only in that nation but also across various places worldwide, sparking conflicts of varying scales.

And it is recorded that the man known as the Demon King spent his entire life researching how to traverse the world.

In the end, surrounded by his large family, he was deeply etched into the nation's history as both the first and final king.

With this, "Otaku, Crossing the Line" comes to an end.

This was my first long-form work, and I was able to gain a variety of experiences.

There were twists and turns, and extended breaks along the way, but I managed to reach the finish line.

Looking back, I find countless areas I'd like to improve—things like "the characters should feel more like this," or "the world should have a vibe like that."

Yet, I was able to fully appreciate the joy of creating a story and the satisfaction of seeing it take shape.

Going forward, I plan to focus on correcting typos and omissions, striving to raise the overall quality.

Also, slowly but surely, I'd like to work on creating character introduction pages as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy amateur work.

Your final thoughts and feedback would be a great motivation for my future creative endeavors, so I kindly ask for your kind input.

!! Thank you very much!!