Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling Episode 12: Episode 12

The episode opens with what seems like the end of the battle, but as Illushia declares victory, the Slime reveals its deception. From a new, horrifying spider-like form, it mocks Illushia, proclaiming its entire new body is its main body, making conventional defeat impossible. Illushia reacts with expected fury, charging forward to meet this renewed threat.

Illushia lands a powerful blow, briefly reducing the Slime to a small, almost pitiful blob. However, the Slime quickly recovers, threatening to steal Illushia's skills and forming a massive flaming scythe. In a surprising act of bravery, Kurotogake joins Illushia in a combined fire attack, striking the scythe. The Slime, momentarily shocked by Kurotogake's intervention, faces Illushia as he transforms into his full dragon form, colliding with the flaming weapon in a burst of purple energy.

Purple energy from Illushia's attack encases the Slime in a large crystal, ominously labeled 'Special Poison.' Illushia realizes Kurotogake's unique poison was transferred to him, and then to the Slime. He urgently commands Kurotogake to escape, but the small creature, instead, transforms into a glowing blue form and wraps itself around the Slime's hand. In a shocking twist, Kurotogake becomes encased in a crystal ball, leaving Illushia in distress and confusion.

Elsewhere, Mariel, Yun, and Millia traverse a dark forest, guided by Mariel's glowing mushroom. Yun questions Mariel about the 'Plague Dragon,' linking it to recent casualties and Gregory's demise. Millia tries to defend Illushia, but her words are met with skepticism. Mariel recounts her own frightening encounter with a smaller Plague Dragon and explains her decision not to report it, asserting her caution was warranted given the potential threat of the Three Great Calamities.

Illushia confronts the purple crystal holding Kurotogake, realizing it's draining his friend's life and magic. He punches it repeatedly, but fear of harming Kurotogake makes him stop. After a moment of grim realization, Illushia creates his own giant purple scythe, mimicking the Slime's earlier attack. He then delivers a powerful 'Dragon Punch' to shatter the crystal, freeing Kurotogake, whom he gently catches in his hand.

The Slime reappears, mocking Illushia and revealing it detoxified and stole Kurotogake's poison skill. Illushia is horrified to realize the skill is truly gone. The Slime then demonstrates its own status-viewing ability, showing it can see Illushia's stats just as he sees its own. It gloats, claiming it also hears the mysterious 'voice' that demands growth, implying a shared, yet sinister, origin.

Illushia, grappling with the Slime's disturbing revelations, refuses to concede, breathing fire in renewed defiance. His powerful roar shakes the very ground beneath them. Meanwhile, Millia, Mariel, and Yun rush towards the distant glow of the battle, sensing Illushia's presence and the urgency of the fight. Kurotogake watches the inferno unfold with palpable concern from a high tree branch, while Illushia vows definitively not to let the Slime escape.

The Slime, now outwardly frustrated but internally triumphant, relentlessly attacks Illushia, claiming the 'voice' is the world's natural law that they both must follow. It morphs into a jar-like object with a sinister, grinning face, proclaiming its path is to devour all. Illushia, enraged by such a 'rotten god,' reaffirms his fight for his beliefs and those he cherishes. The Slime unleashes three giant wolf heads that breathe fire, draining their mana to replenish itself, then reveals a shocking fourth. Illushia is then brutally impaled by numerous sharp, crystalline spikes, trapped and in immense pain, as the Slime transforms into a spiked ball, poised to consume his skills.