And there she was—Tian Long, her body split in two. Despite her horrifying condition, she was still alive.
Seeing her smiling, Sora shook his head. 'Is she insane?'
While he continued to recover, Tian Long began her next transformation. Her body reassembled, and then started to shift.
Already massive, she grew even larger, shedding the last of her humanoid features. She now resembled the heavenly dragons Sora had seen earlier—but hundreds of times bigger. She now occupied nearly half the space at the bottom of the chasm.
Sora watched the heavenly dragon carefully, aware that in his current state, he couldn't fight her.
From the abyss, he felt a wave of cold creeping up toward the surface. A bitter, glacial chill that made Netsu's survival in his weakened state uncertain.
But that wasn't all.
'What is she doing?' Sora wondered, noticing the massive amount of energy she was expelling.
Tian Long remained at the bottom, steadily releasing energy in the form of the [Ice] element.
As Sora observed the exponentially increasing density of mana in the air, he let [Loved by Mana] run its course and began analyzing the energy flooding into him to understand what his opponent was doing.
'The mana… it's incredibly pure. Perfectly condensed. There's no way someone at her level could be releasing mana like this by accident.'
"Feeling better, little man?" Tian Long's voice echoed up from the abyss.
Sora couldn't read her expression under the dragon form and simply asked, "You're doing this on purpose?"
"I'm just trying to create a battlefield that favors me... What did I do wrong?"
Hoping she wasn't trying to trick him with some hidden technique, he focused on absorbing as much mana as possible.
He took a drop of [Blood Essence] from his inventory and absorbed it. Feeling his recovery speeding up, he took out a few dozen drops to fully recover.
When he was done, he absorbed more drops, and started burning them to forcefully bring himself to a higher level of power.
"Oh my! He stole my energy and managed to recover from his weakened state. That's terrible for me. I haven't used this form in so long, I'm having trouble adjusting!"
The sarcasm was obvious.
Sora narrowed his eyes, trying to understand her true intent.
'Is this her way of throwing the fight without making it obvious? She could always claim she was trying to kill me with the cold and just lost control of her power if someone questions it…'
Understanding that his opponent was handing him an opportunity, he summoned all his remaining strength to launch one final attack.
He reactivated [Sword Manifestation], and the ethereal figure that had previously faded away reappeared behind him.
Just as he was about to strike, Tian Long spoke again—her words giving him another hint.
"If it's the same attack as last time, it won't be enough to finish me. I'll survive, and he'll end up helpless again... But if that other bird joins in, that would change everything."
Sora froze, turning his attention to Hiyoko, who was flying near Netsu and visibly shivering from the cold.
'Anyone with eyes and ears can see she's throwing this fight. No one's going to believe this wasn't intentional. She's clearly throwing!!'
Hiyoko understood too. When she met Sora's gaze, she nodded.
A multifaceted die materialized in the sky as she activated her technique.
[Roll the Dice].
The die spun faster and faster before stopping suddenly.
100!
'Hiyoko became strong enough to use this move without severely harming herself...'
The number glowed bright in the sky before a radiant beam shot out of the cube, enveloping Sora in light. The moment the beam touched him, he felt an overwhelming surge of luck and confidence.
He raised his sword—and brought it down toward the heavenly dragon.
"That's just perfect… I'm screwed now." Sora focused all his senses on the slash unleashed by his manifestation, but Tian Long's final words brought a smile to his face.
'Didn't expect her to be such a troll…'
Sensing the energy he'd accumulated through absorbing drops of [Blood Essence] quickly fading, Sora dismissed his [Sword Manifestation] the instant a notification appeared before his eyes.
[You have defeated the Mother of Dragons: Tian Long.]
[Special Quest (Raid): Tian Long – Complete]
[Description: You have entered the lair of the Mother of Dragons: Tian Long. Prove your superiority and win…]
He ignored the remaining notifications and instead looked around, surprised by how the environment was already beginning to recover from the violent battle that had just taken place.
The chasm quickly began to fill with stone and rock, rebuilding the mountain that had been destroyed. Ice started to settle across the terrain, restoring the area to exactly how it looked before Sora had arrived.
While Hiyoko and Netsu dove excitedly onto the hundreds of equipment items scattered across the ground as loot for defeating the raid boss, Sora turned his attention to the throne.
Celestial dragons began reappearing. One. Two. Three. Then dozens.
'They're respawning?' Sora was surprised.
He couldn't read their emotions from their expressions, but their trembling bodies and the feedback from his mental energy made it clear: the young dragons were in shock.
'I'm not the only one who dies and comes back in this world… but some clearly take it harder than others,' he thought.
He waited patiently for Tian Long's return.
He didn't have to wait long.
When she reappeared, her form was exactly as it had been before the fight.
A stunning woman, three meters tall, with dark eyes, dark hair, and a flowing black dress. Two small horns protruded from her forehead.
Her dress rippled in the wind as she walked calmly toward the other dragons.
"Don't be afraid, children. We will be free one day. You won't have to endure this much longer."
A wave of mental energy spread out from her body, enveloping the celestial dragons, who began to calm down.
Satisfied with their state, Tian Long began walking toward Sora.
Hiyoko and Netsu immediately grabbed and hid all the loot and placed themselves between Sora and Tian Long, ready to fight despite their weakened state.
"Relax, little birds. I don't bite." Tian Long smiled at their reaction.
Still remembering how the battle had gone earlier, the duo didn't seem convinced.
'It's alright. Rest,' Sora told them through their [Soul Link].
Netsu nodded and vanished, returning to his space.
Hiyoko, on the other hand, chose to shrink down into a miniature form and landed on Sora's head.
"I'm staying…" she whispered, parting two strands of his hair to get a better view.
Sora couldn't keep a straight face and a smile crept onto his lips.
He looked up and addressed Tian Long, who was now only a few meters away.
"Do you want to become a mercenary for our kingdom?" he asked bluntly.
Tian Long shook her head. "I can't become a mercenary for your people, but I can become your mercenary. Your kingdom hasn't done anything to earn my service. But if you want me to agree, I have a few conditions."
Sora gestured for her to continue.
"While my children are in the same situation as me and would be automatically categorized as mercenaries if I join, I refuse to let them fight. Can you guarantee they'll be kept far from the front lines? I'll be the only one fighting at your side."
Sora was surprised by the request.
'They're really her children?' he wondered. 'She has a hundred kids? And they all look the same age! How is that even possible? Is she a mammal? Who's the father?'
As his mind drifted in a dozen absurd directions, Tian Long watched him, concerned.
"You saw it yourself earlier. I'm far more powerful than my children. I'll find ways to make up for their absence on the battlefield."
Sora, who had just been wondering how large dragon eggs were and how many a female could carry, was yanked back to reality.
"No problem. The little dragons won't be involved in any future wars."
Relieved, Tian Long let out a soft sigh.
As she stayed silent, Sora added, "Is that it? You don't want to know who we're fighting or what I plan for the future?"
The woman shook her head. "What difference would it make? I'll see for myself anyway. For now, I'll simply follow you."
Sora asked, "You don't even want breaks or weekends to train and grow stronger?"
Tian Long narrowed her eyes. "So you know about that… Who told you that we can still grow stronger?"
Sora pointed east. "The Giants of Uruk."
She burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! So those brutes finally changed their minds? You must be more impressive than I thought if even those two are considering becoming your mercenaries."
After a hearty laugh, she continued, "If a World Boss doesn't keep growing, they won't be useful for long as a mercenary. Some even stay weak on purpose, hoping to be forgotten and left alone so they can enjoy the freedom the status gives."
"If you want me to get stronger, there are ways. But I wouldn't recommend it right now."
Sora looked confused. "Really? Why not?"