Reincarnated as a Dragon's Egg

It’s no longer a time for quarrels with the Harenae church, or the Dragon Hunter. The city was suddenly split in two, and an armoured giant appeared on the cathedral roof.

Too stunned to react, Adofu simply stares at the distant armoured figure.

“Who is that man…? Did he have something to do with that calamity?!”

“T-that giant silver armour… That carving in the chest… It was only a single verse, but could it be…”

The priest says, staring at the armoured man in astonishment.

“Do you know who that is, priest-dono!?”

The priest glares at Adofu for a moment, but then quickly begins to explain.

“…It’s was in a poem from a stone slab. It must have been incredibly old… The Giant Silver Armour, Albion… And the one who wears it, the ancient Hero, Ares. He attempted to use his overwhelming power to unify the world, only to be sealed away by the Holy God…”

“That Ares, seriously…?”

“I-I don’t know… P-perhaps Holy God-sama saw that we had no Hero and so released an ancient Hero for us…?”

“I don’t think it could be something so convenient…”

To Adofu’s eyes, the armoured man seems like a sinister being. At the very least, it’s unmistakable that the country was beset by a calamity as he appeared.

“In the first place, according to that poem, wasn’t he so violent in his conquest that he had to be sealed?”

“Heh… If so, then won’t Harenae return from its position as a minor desert country to its glory as the centre of a vast empire? Ah, that’s it, I understand it all…! All we have to do is follow him…!”

“Priest-dono… That’s way too optimistic!”

“Once, the Holy God turned this land into a desert of death, and imposed us with many hardships… After five hundred long years, humanity has forgotten our faith and our covenant to protect this holy land. We are now so fragile in the middle of this monster-infested desert that a sandstorm could swallow us. We had to protect the people of Harenae from the monsters, even if it meant courting with heretics…  But, at last, the time for that effort to be repaid is here!”

At first, the priest’s voice is a mutter, as though to convince himself. But as he speaks, his voice becomes filled with conviction, and by the end his eyes are filled with tears of gratitude.

“Priest-dono!”

Adofu yells, but the priest shows no sign of hearing him.

『O-ooh… I can feel my will coming back to me here… I know this place! No matter how it changes, this is my birthplace!』

Inside Adofu’s head, a repulsive voice resounds. The soldiers around him clutch their heads and cower.

“This is [Telepathy]… On such a scale!?”

『Ah, that’s right… I am Ares… In this hollow and ambiguous world, I am the only absolute existence! That I am released from God's chains, means that after an eternity, the time for me to become the king of the world is finally here! That must be what God wants!』

The armoured man, Ares, continues his speech.

『To begin, as my land, I shall make everyone here into my slaves! Those who run will die! Those who disobey will die! Those who are useless will die! From this moment on, everything in this world exists for me!』

“Wh-what…?”

Despite thinking having thought the man his salvation, the priest turns pale upon hearing Ares’ speech. The figure standing atop the cathedral is clearly by no means a saviour.

『A celebration of my second coming will now begin! All will gather and sing praises of me for seven sleepless days and nights! A thousand hearts shall be offered each day in my name! Rejoice! Your destiny as loyal ants of an eternal world empire will now begin!』

“Who the hell is he… He’s insane.”

Sweat drips down Adofu’s cheek.

“Holy God-sama… Have you turned your back on us? Or is this the salvation you have sent us…?”

Having fallen to his knees, the priest mumbles as he looks up at Ares.

『Blood of mine! Become soldiers and corral the masses! [Split Beast]!』

Ares extends his arm and thrusts his blade into the joint of his armour. Dark red blood splatters, and then each drop of blood swells up, forming into blood-red monsters.

The monsters' eyes are hollow, and their mouths are filled with sinister teeth and are wide enough to reach their ears. Each splatter of blood produces several of the monsters, quickly giving rise to dozens.

『Only this many from so little blood? Well, it should suffice. Go, my gluttony ghouls! Make them celebrate my second coming!』

Ares’ [Telepathy] resounds. Then, the blood-red demons, the gluttony ghouls, spread out into the city.

“What…was that? Is this hell?”

Adofu says, unable to accept what he’s seeing as reality.

However, there is one thing he knows for certain. The calamity that accompanied the man’s arrival and split Harenae in two was caused by him after all. At first, he had denied it as impossible, but that changed upon seeing him produce a hundred soldiers from his blood.