Without warning, a strange sensation surged through Ashkar's body. With a roar that shook the heavens, he unleashed a blast of incinerating flame from deep within his throat, illuminating the darkened sky.
Aleron was still contemplating how to escape the danger when he felt a wave of heat rising from behind him. Stunned, he quickly turned around, only to see a ball of fire erupt from Ashkar's mouth. In the next moment, the ferocious wolf that had been glaring at him was reduced to ashes, its menacing form vanishing in an instant.
Loud howls resounded as the wolf writhed in pain and agony; the suffering was unbearable. Fortunately, the pain soon ended, and the creature burnt to cinders.
Ashkar didn't spare a second glance at the wolf. His condescending gaze shifted to the two men who were still recovering from their shock. With a flap of his powerful wings, he appeared in front of them, his mouth opening once again as another wave of flame erupted forth.
In an instant, both men were engulfed in fire. Terrified screams echoed in the truck as they struggled to quench the flames. However, Ashkar seemed to possess a battle instinct. With another flap of his wings, he appeared in front of the slightly younger man, who was nearly burnt to a crisp.
The man didn't even realize Ashkar's presence. In a swift motion, Ashkar opened his large jaws and bit down hard on the man's skull. A gasp escaped the man's lips for an instant before a sickening crunch filled the air. Ashkar's eyes lit up with joy; he seemed to relish the taste of human flesh, a primal satisfaction coursing through him.
After devouring the young man in the blink of an eye, Ashkar turned his golden eyes to the second guard, who was staring at him in horror. The man had never encountered such a creature in his life and was utterly terrified, his mind racing with thoughts of survival.
He knew there was no chance of escaping this predicament. How had 1317 survived? Moreover, what sort of creature was a dragon? The man was puzzled; he knew he had to inform the Genesis Coil about this. However, just as he pressed the watch to transfer the information, a black shadow loomed above him.
Trembling, he slowly looked up, but just then, a small jaw moved, and the man's head was snapped clean off. Watching this terrifying sight, Aleron was left stunned. For a moment, he felt a twinge of fear towards his 'son.' He subconsciously took a step back the moment Ashkar turned to look at him, blood dripping from his maw.
"Dad! All the bad guys are gone!" a childish voice, sounding slightly proud, resonated in Aleron's mind. At this, his heartbeat quickened. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward, reached out his hand, and lightly stroked Ashkar's head, feeling the warmth of the dragon's scales beneath his fingers.
"Good boy, you did well, my son."
Ashkar felt an overwhelming surge of happiness at his words. Aleron, curious about something, asked, "Son, where did you learn to speak?" From the little memories he had gained from his predecessor, which did not involve cold, pain, and agony, he understood that it was very difficult for a summon to speak, especially one that had just been born.
"I don't know, Dad. The memory is just there in my mind. There are also ways I can use my abilities, and I know that eating will make me grow." Ashkar's words were somewhat vague, but Aleron understood. He nodded and slowly lifted the dragon, placing him on his shoulder.
"Quite heavy!" Aleron noted, but he didn't mind the extra weight. At that moment, he finally glanced at the system to see the notifications that had been blinking.
[Congratulations on forming a contract with Ashkar – The Dragon of Wrath, one of the twelve forbidden dragons.]
[REWARDS UNLOCKED: Infernal Eyes | +300% Physical Stats | Fusion Form Lv.1]
Aleron was stunned and quickly studied the information on the rewards described beneath the notification.
[Infernal Eyes: For every forbidden dragon you contract, you will receive a special eye.]
[Infernal Eyes Rank 1: Can sense heat signatures, and when angered, can slightly burn objects.]
[Cost: 3 Origin Energy/minute.]
Aleron was shocked. He read the information once again just to be sure, but he was confident he hadn't misread anything. Just as he was puzzled, he felt a slight pain in his eyes; it felt as though they were burning. Aleron was taken aback, pressing his hands tightly against his eyes.
"Dad, is something wrong?" Ashkar, who was perched on his shoulder, leaped off upon seeing Aleron struggling in pain. The dragon's eyes widened with concern, and a sense of anger began to well up within him; the temperature around him started to rise, and sizzling sounds emanated from his body.
Fortunately, just then, Aleron stopped groaning, and his expression returned to normal. He stood up and glanced around. Even though it was night, he could faintly see everything clearly, as if the darkness had been lifted. He was slightly surprised but then realized that this was one of the effects of the Infernal Eyes.
"So I now have a special eye?" he mused. "If I contract another forbidden dragon, I will get a second special eye. The system mentioned there being twelve forbidden dragons; doesn't that mean twelve special eyes?" Aleron's eyes widened in shock at the thought.
He stared at the glowing screen in front of him, but just as he could barely suppress his excitement, his expression changed drastically. He felt as though his bones were being crushed, his tendons and marrow drained of their energy. He fiercely gritted his teeth to endure the process, knowing that this was the second reward: an increase in his body strength by three times.
Ashkar was once again nervous, sensing the turmoil within Aleron. However, this time, the process was shorter than before. Aleron glanced around his body and realized that some black impurities had been expelled, leaving him feeling lighter and more agile.
He clenched his fist and punched out, raising a gust of wind that rippled through the air. Ashkar was stunned. "Dad, you are so strong!"
Aleron nodded with a smile, then grabbed Ashkar, who was hovering in the air. This time, Ashkar felt far lighter. He placed the dragon back on his shoulder and replied, "That's right. You don't have to look after me all the time. We'll watch over each other as companions, father and son."
After he finished giving Ashkar some light-hearted words, he turned his attention to the third reward: Fusion. He felt that this ability was far from ordinary, and his heart raced as time seemed to slow while his gaze landed on its description.
"What?" Aleron exclaimed, clearly shocked by what he read