The glossy scales were dried and cracked, and the flesh that was revealed between them was half-rotten, with pus flowing down from the black dragon.

It was as if, while alive, its body was rotting away.

"What in the world...?"

[An evil and bizarre energy seeped into this child's body, causing its living flesh to start rotting like this. We tried to expel the energy with our magic power, but... we could only maintain the status quo, unable to improve the condition.]

I approached the suffering black dragon child. Hmm... This energy is...

"It feels close to death."

The energy I faintly felt from the corpses of dead humans was similar to this, but the energy that had seeped into this child was incomparably stronger and more persistent.

I drew upon my magic power to push away the energy that was causing the black dragon child's body to rot, but the energy was only pushed away momentarily, then clung back to the rotting flesh and scales.

Hmm... So just pushing it slightly doesn't move it at all. I used my magic power once more, this time more forcefully.

Crack!

This time, the half-rotten body of the black dragon began to split, unable to withstand my magic power.

[Creator Dragon God?!]

"Ah, it seems my power was too strong for this child to bear."

If I use too much power, the child's body breaks, and if I use too little, I can't expel the energy.

This is troublesome. Very troublesome.

When it can't be physically expelled, it might be better to help the child overcome it on its own.

I pushed my magic power into the black dragon child once more, but this time I used it differently.

This energy is the death aura that arises from dead bodies. If so, if I make it move away from death, it should be detachable.

The opposite of death is life. So, if I enhance the life energy of this child, wouldn't it be possible to expel the death aura?

I used my magic power to activate the life energy, the vitality, within the black dragon child's body.

Then, the vitality, which was only a very small part left due to being pushed back by the death aura, seemed to gain strength from my magic power, and began to grow little by little.

Hmm. It would be nice if vitality could be clearly quantified, but reality is not so accommodating.

But well, I can roughly sense it. I continued to draw out the black dragon child's vitality. Then, the vitality began to move more vigorously, starting to push away the parts invaded by the death aura.

As if the child itself was refusing death. As if it was longing for life. With my help, its vitality grew even stronger.

The life aura pushing away the death aura. The vitality, boosted by my magic power, began to slowly expel the death aura from the black dragon's body.

Of course, the death aura resisted, not wanting to be pushed away, but the life aura, strengthened by my magic power, began to expel it relentlessly, and after a short time.

The death aura that had completely covered the black dragon's body had to give up half of its territory to the life aura.

Why is it so persistent? According to my intentions, the death aura should be completely expelled by the life aura?! It should be getting better by now?!

Hmm... Can't it push away any more with this child's life aura? Well, even just this much seems to not endanger its life....

But this means half its body is alive and half is dead.

If I forcefully expel the death aura from its body, the child might die first. Hmm... This is troublesome.

Besides, why is the death aura so dense? Even if human corpses are buried and rot, the death aura wouldn't be this dense!

Maybe I should investigate the place where the dragons' bodies are buried later.

[How is it?]

"I managed to make it so its life isn't in immediate danger, but... I couldn't completely expel that energy."

[Is that so...]

"Why did you end up investigating that place? The dark spirits are scattered because I had different work for them."

At my words, the Dragon Lord replied with surprise.

[Was that the case?! Ahem. We didn't know that, and thought a major anomaly had occurred, so we hastily ordered an investigation.]

"They've been quiet no matter what's happened elsewhere."

[But the dark spirits are his descendants, aren't they? If they were to move somewhere, we thought it might mean he has reappeared...]

Ah, so that's how it is.

Moreover, the place where they reside is where the foolish ones are buried. It's a place they pay attention to, patrolling once a month. It's only natural to investigate if such an anomaly occurs there.

That makes sense. From the perspective of the surviving dragons, this place could be considered where their family members are buried.

If a problem arises there, they would have no choice but to investigate.

This is... my fault for proceeding with the work without informing the dragons in advance.

"I'm sorry. I went ahead without telling you, thinking there wouldn't be a big problem since you all were quietly staying put..."

[Ah, no, it's not something for the Creator Dragon God to apologize for. It's because this child approached too carelessly.]

Following those words, we looked at the child of the black dragon.

The black dragon had turned into a grotesque shape, half of its body dead and half alive.

"Besides, to think that an energy capable of consuming a dragon like this has appeared. How did such energy come to be?"

[My guess is that the death aura emanating from the bodies buried there couldn't escape due to the dark spirits and became condensed.]

"Condensed..."

[And after the dark spirits disappeared, it emerged from the ground, and we suspect it attached itself to this child who came to investigate the situation...]

If such things keep emerging, it wouldn't be strange if all life on the surface disappeared.

This happened because of something I did thoughtlessly... Hmm...

Reflection can come later. For now, the priority is to somehow deal with this child.

This time... not only boosting its vitality but also trying a different approach.

If I force the death aura out, the child might not survive... Let's use a lure. If pushing doesn't work, then pulling is the way to go.

I once again infused magic power, boosting the child's vitality while offering a bit of my magic power in front of the death aura.

The death aura, without a moment's hesitation, clung to my magic power, and as if I had been waiting, I started pulling on my magic power to extract the death aura.

The death aura resisted like a live fish flailing, but once it clung to my magic power, it couldn't escape.

As the death aura was being pulled out by my magic power, the vitality, as if not wanting to miss the opportunity, began to push the death aura out.

Continuing to pull on my magic power, and occasionally loosening it when the death aura seemed about to break, I managed to lure the death aura out as if fishing.

"Gotcha."

The sticky death aura, looking like black mud, was extracted, clinging to my magic power.

Once I cut off the magic power attached to the death aura, it swallowed up all of my magic power and, as if that wasn't enough, began to slowly extend to its surroundings.

"Hmm... Fascinating."

I froze the death aura and its surrounding space, and the death aura became completely immobilized.

Un. This looks exactly like the black alien substance from a superhero movie. It also somewhat resembles slime...

I'll have to investigate it separately later.

Anyway, with this, most of the death aura that had seeped into the black dragon's body was extracted, and the half of the black dragon's body that was like a corpse began to recover quickly.

The rotting flesh began to regenerate and fill out again, and the dried, cracked scales started to recover, shining with their original black luster.

After a little time, the black dragon child began to breathe comfortably, as if the pain from its decaying body had disappeared.

[Is it over?]

"It seems so for now."

Since it looks so well on the outside. It must be definitely over.

[To drive out an energy that consumes magic power and flesh... Did you boost its life force to drive it out?]

"That's right. If death can be driven out, then life seemed to be the answer. If I had forcefully pushed it out with my power, the child wouldn't have survived."

It's like using a medicine too strong that, while it can cure, the body can't withstand it.

"That's why I changed the approach of extracting the death aura, by maximizing the vitality and using its own life force to drive out the death aura."

Moreover, there was a peculiar liveliness in its movements... It seemed that its will to live was quite strong. Hmm.

[Thank you, Creator Dragon God. How can I ever repay this kindness...]

"What kindness? It's not such a big deal."

[But...]

I lightly flicked the head of the Dragon Lord, who kept trying to say something, and then said,

"Don't say anything more. And don't worry about the dark spirits anymore. It's not an anomaly."

[Understood. Then, what should we do about this evil and grotesque energy?]

"That energy, you mean?"

I looked at the unpleasant energy writhing on the ground.

Even a dragon filled with vitality and magic power is consumed by this energy, other creatures would rot immediately upon contact.

It seems the dark spirits were suppressing the energy by being on top of it until now...

Hmm... This is troublesome. I have a use for those guys.