With Shiro in tow, the two of them quickly reached the Dragon's Lake with their speed. Currently, there were still quite a few players here.
However, Yusei didn't plan to wait for them to leave before looking for Kanna. That would waste too much time.
Moreover, many of these players were sentries assigned by their guilds to watch the Dragon's Lake, so they wouldn't leave at all.
Yusei glanced at the players by the lake and handed a mask to Shiro next to him.
He had already explained the situation to Shiro, excluding the part about the system, only telling her about the quest related to Kanna.
The system's mission was presented by him as an SAO quest.
Shiro didn't doubt it, nor was she surprised. She nodded her cute little head, as if she had already known.
Yusei could only smile wryly at this. Having a highly intelligent sister meant it was hard to get her to act like an ordinary little girl, shyly saying things like 'Onii-chan, I want...'.
'Sigh, there's still a long way to go in educating Shiro. The task is arduous and the road is long.'
Yusei sighed, and the two quickly moved towards the Dragon's Lake under the cover of their masks.
Finding an unoccupied spot, Yusei instructed Shiro to stay on the shore, while he took a deep breath and dove into the lake.
The cool lake water felt refreshing against his skin. Yusei didn't feel cold. His various resistances had long increased with his level, making him unafraid of the cold water.
With his Sharingan, Yusei could clearly see the underwater scenery even in the lake.
However, because the Dragon's Lake was so vast, Yusei couldn't immediately spot Kanna's location after diving in.
This troubled Yusei, 'The Dragon's Lake was so huge, so how am I supposed to find Kanna? Swimming around definitely wasn't feasible.'
After thinking for a moment, Yusei activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. A giant skeleton slowly materialized around him... The blue, skeletal phantom churned the lake water.
Under the immense force, the water of the Dragon's Lake was soon stirred, forming a vortex.
Yusei's idea was to attract Kanna's attention by disturbing the water.
Soon, from the deep waters below, a curious, cute cry sounded.
Yusei looked and saw a pair of large, cute eyes sparkling as they stared at him. They were still some distance away.
Seemingly a bit fearful, but also curious, Kanna seemed unable to resist wanting to approach.
Seeing this, Yusei breathed a sigh of relief, immediately dismissed the Susanoo, and swam towards Kanna.
The giant blue skeletal phantom vanished. This sudden change made Kanna let out a curious cry.
Pii~
She could feel that the human swimming towards her was powerful, yet held no malice.
For some reason, she felt as if she had known this human for a long time, without any feeling of dislike.
Yusei came before her and gently placed a hand on her snout.
At close range, Yusei could clearly see those large eyes looking at him.
In a way, it was actually a bit terrifying.
However, the moment Yusei's hand touched Kanna, an inexplicable connection was established.
"You... who are you?"
A cute, soft, childlike voice sounded in Yusei's mind, startling him.
"I can hear you talk?" Yusei asked in surprise, but as he opened his mouth, a large amount of lake water rushed in, making him choke.
"I don't know," The soft voice sounded again.
This confirmed for Yusei that he could hear her, and she could hear him too.
'It was telepathic communication. Was this the inexplicable connection just established?'
Knowing they could communicate, Yusei smiled and patted Kanna's cool, yet surprisingly smooth head.
"My name is Kazami Yusei. And yours?"
"Kanna."
Kanna looked at Yusei curiously and asked, puzzled, "Why does patting my head not make me dislike it?"
The corner of Yusei's mouth twitched. He smiled and said, "I don't know. You should be asking yourself that."
"Ask myself?" Kanna's soft voice echoed.
"Maybe it's because you are different from the humans outside who want to attack me."
"Of course. Not only will I not hurt Kanna, I will also protect Kanna." Yusei said gently, "Want to leave this place? Staying in the cold water all the time isn't a solution."
"Leave? I want to... but it might be dangerous." Kanna hesitated.
Yusei reassured her, gently patting Kanna's head, "Don't worry, I will protect you. Let's go."
"Pii~ okay then."
Yusei's mask was still on. He tentatively sat on Kanna's back, and Kanna didn't resist.
"Alright, let's go. Leave this lake." Yusei said gently.
Kanna's elegant body stirred the water. Her beautiful wings flapped, instantly carrying Yusei out of the Dragon's Lake.
The disturbance in the Dragon's Lake immediately caught the attention of the players on the shore.
Before they could react, a giant white figure burst forth from the lake surface.
"That... that's the dragon Kanna?! Why did it suddenly come out?"
"Quick, inform the Guild Leader! The Dragon's Lake-"
"Wait! What's on its head?"
"A person!"
"Could it be the Dragon Knight? Has the Dragon Knight made contact with the dragon?!"
Instantly, the players tasked with watching the Dragon's Lake were in an uproar. They stared in shock at the figure on the dragon Kanna's head.
According to the quest information, once the Dragon Knight makes contact with Kanna, they would become invincible and unmatched.
Yusei sat on Kanna's head. The dragon and the human flew in the air. Yusei looked curiously at the players below.
"Kanna?"
Kanna glanced at the players below. Her soft voice sounded in Yusei's mind.
"Not them, but..."
Before Kanna's voice faded, a giant spatial rift tore open in the sky beside them.
Then, a massive red Western dragon forced its way in. Its entire body was covered in scale-like barbs. Its body was a full twice the size of Kanna's.
Yusei stared dumbfounded at this dragon that had suddenly intruded into this world.
"What... what is that?"
"The Dragon Clan's Punisher. The one sent to capture Kanna."
Kanna's tone was flat, but her body had already assumed a combat stance, ready to face the other's attack at any moment.