Is It Wrong to Abusing Cartoon Tropes in Dungeon?

Campione!

This is the name of the world where myths manifest into reality.

In the world of Campione, countless myths weave together to create various gods. The gods were supposed to maintain their roles as dictated by their respective myths, ensuring the proper functioning of the world. However, not all gods obediently follow their mythological roles. These rebellious deities, called the "Heretic Gods," bring calamity to the world. To counter them, certain individuals capable of defeating these gods emerged.

These individuals, called Campione, Campione are not only wielders of god-slaying power but are also revered as supreme mage-kings.

This is the world Altair has found himself in.

Before his eyes unfolds the scene of a mage attempting to slay a Heretic God. Specifically, he seeks to kill the Heretic Dragon, Nidhogg. To achieve this, the mage has even abandoned his human form, using a special spell to temporarily assume the status of the legendary eagle Vedrfolnir. With this divine rank, he has summoned Nidhogg and is preparing to slay it to become a Campione!

Using the World Tree and countless vengeful souls, the mage has restrained Nidhogg, rendering it immobile. His plan is to slay Nidhogg with the cursed sword Gram. The opportunity comes only once!

For this single chance, he has even sacrificed his soul to the sword. If he succeeds, he will be reborn as a Campione. But if he fails, his soul will vanish into oblivion.

The cursed sword Gram—also known as the "Sword in the Tree"—is said to be the origin of the "Sword in the Stone" from the legend of King Arthur.

According to myth, Gram was a sword gifted by Odin, the king of the gods, to Sigurd's father, Sigmund. However, during one of Sigmund's battles, the sword was shattered by Odin's Gungnir, leaving Sigmund gravely wounded. Before his death, Sigmund entrusted the broken Gram to his wife, Hiordis, instructing her to give it to their son Sigurd once he came of age. Sigurd later reforged the sword and used it to slay a dragon, earning him the title of dragon-slaying hero.

Sound familiar? It should. Fans of Norse mythology know this story well.

This sword, while not boasting many victories, holds unparalleled power against dragons. And because of this, it possesses a natural advantage over Nidhogg!

"Nidhogg, you were meant to be the great dragon supporting the World Tree, occupying the highest position. But the gods did not wish for you to stand above them. They cast you down, reducing you to a vile dragon crushed beneath the World Tree's weight."

"Once burdened with the weight of the world, your resentment transformed you into a monstrous dragon gnawing at the World Tree. In this form, your divine rank plummeted from supreme to that of an evil dragon. It's precisely because of this fall that the dragon-slaying sword can wound you!"

"I've harnessed the curse power of the earth's ley lines to replicate the World Tree's suppression over you. Now you are but a dragon—a weakened form! And with the status of Vedrfolnir, I will guide Gram to slay you! You should understand the significance of Vedrfolnir's rank."

Altair didn't know who this eagle was, but one thing was certain—the eagle was incredibly determined. To become a Campione, he had spent twenty years amassing resources. As he claimed, he had gathered countless vengeful souls, found a tree capable of channeling ley line curse power, and then spent another ten years nurturing the one-use Gram with the curse power of the Mother Earth Goddess. And now, he had successfully summoned Nidhogg and restrained it. Truly an inspiring feat of perseverance.

"Damn mortals! Damn Odin!!!"

Nidhogg roared with rage at the eagle's words. As the eagle had said, Nidhogg was now suppressed by the World Tree and burdened by countless vengeful souls tethered to it. These weighed it down, making flight impossible.

In Norse mythology, during Ragnarok, Nidhogg gnawed through the World Tree's roots, triggering the end of the gods. At Ragnarok's climax, Nidhogg would spread its wings, carrying corpses from the battlefield, only to crash back into the abyss under the weight of the dead.

This scene was the eagle's recreation of Ragnarok: Nidhogg burdened by corpses, the curse power of the ley lines flowing through the World Tree, and the status of Vedrfolnir.

Vedrfolnir, the eagle, perches atop the World Tree in mythology, overseeing all nine realms. It is said to be Odin's incarnation, symbolizing his gaze over the worlds and aiding him in knowing all things.

To possess Vedrfolnir's rank is to wield the status of a Steel Hero. In the world of Campione, Steel Heroes hold absolute dominion over dragons and serpents. Dragons and serpents, universally degraded in myths, are the polar opposites of exalted Steel Heroes.

The power of steel, combined with the dragon-slaying sword nurtured by the Mother Earth Goddess's curse power, leaves Nidhogg, whose rank has been mercilessly degraded, utterly powerless to resist.

"My long-cherished wish is about to come true!"

The eagle spread its wings and soared to the top of the World Tree.

"Rest assured, I've prepared everything. The moment you are slain by Gram, the ley line's curse power will sever, the World Tree's divine rank will dissipate, the Mother Earth Goddess's curse will vanish, and the souls of the vengeful dead will disperse. You shall die at my hands, bearing the strongest and most exalted divine rank. And I will inherit everything from you!"

"Now, go to your death peacefully. Gram!"

The eagle's entire body radiated a blood-red glow, enveloping the World Tree. The red magical energy gathered at the very heart of the treetop, where Gram had been placed. The sword had been embedded there for ten years—now was the time to unleash it!

However, when all his cursed energy converged at that point, he realized something was amiss. The core of the tree—the very place where Gram should have been—was empty. Not even a shadow of the sword remained!

"What?!?"

The eagle froze mid-air, completely dumbfounded.

"My sword! Where is my sword?!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream from Nidhogg rang out almost simultaneously. The eagle quickly looked up and saw something shocking—Gram was embedded in Nidhogg's massive head!

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Mage."

With those words, the eagle finally saw the person holding the sword.

Altair stood atop Nidhogg, one hand gripping Gram, the other casually raised in a cheerful wave. His face beamed with a grateful smile.

"You've done so much to prepare everything for me. I truly appreciate it."

"No!!!"

The eagle's anguished scream echoed as the cursed power contained within Gram erupted. A massive pillar of light shot through Nidhogg's gigantic head, obliterating it on the spot. At that instant, the World Tree on Nidhogg's back shattered, and a cascade of blood and corpses fell from the dragon's body.

The eagle's form was consumed by the overwhelming power of Gram, exploding into nothingness.

The stormy sky was pierced by the radiant light, and Nidhogg, whose rank had briefly returned to that of the world-bearing dragon, was slain by Gram, the dragon-slaying sword infused with the immense curse power of the Mother Earth Goddess.

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