Ziger didn't know how long he and Kamui had fought, only that when he came to, he was lying under the moonlight.
Lying beside him was the infuriatingly arrogant mug.
"Awake?"
Noticing Ziger had woken up, Kamui's mouth curled into a smug smile. "I woke up before you did. I was awake before the sun even set—you loser, now you know who's the boss, right?"
"...A brat who hasn't even grown hair yet, acting so cocky?"
Ziger glared at him weakly, struggling to prop himself up. "I haven't even eaten breakfast before fighting you. Sleeping a bit longer to conserve energy, is there a problem?"
"Tch, anyway, I won again this time. You can't weasel out of it no matter how much you argue." Kamui looked triumphant. "Six years older than me but such a loser. Isn't that embarrassing?"
"Tch..."
Despite his tough talk, Ziger truly had no way to refute the point about being inferior to Kamui.
Over the years of their acquaintance, whenever their chaotic arguments escalated into real fights, Kamui always won. Despite being six years younger than Ziger, his strength was absurdly formidable. There were even a few times when Ziger barely managed to fight him to a standstill, only for Kamui to suddenly break through and become even stronger.
As a result, Ziger always ended up losing in the end.
"However, compared to last time, you really have gotten a lot stronger."
Suddenly, Kamui changed the subject. "There's always been a certain roughness when fighting you, but recently it feels more alive. Seems like you haven't just been dealing with small fry during this time. That's more like it. If you ended up far behind me, I'd have killed you right away."
"...Can you not suddenly get so disgusting?"
Ziger shuddered, unable to bear it. "It's just that I've been training lately, that's all. Basic stuff, long-distance running, sprints, things like that."
"Huh??" Kamui frowned. "I thought you'd taken down some Mid-Rank Dragons, or even a Mature Dragon. But it's just that?"
"A Mid-Rank Dragon, maybe. A Mature Dragon? You overestimate me."
Dragons were categorized into three types—Lower Dragons, Mid-Rank Dragons, and High-Rank Dragons.
Among them, Lower Dragons were the weakest. Mid-Rank Dragons were Lower Dragons that had grown and developed. Furthermore, if a Mid-Rank Dragon wasn't killed for a long time and continued to grow, it would eventually become a Mature Dragon, capable of using various magics. Their strength was such that dozens of first-rate Dragon Hunters working together could barely manage to kill one.
Ziger didn't think someone who struggled against multiple Lower Dragons could kill a Mature Dragon.
As for High-Rank Dragons... Ziger hadn't even seen a shadow of one in recent years, only heard other Dragon Hunters mention them earlier.
"No ambition, you."
Kamui kicked Ziger coldly and sat up as well. "Well, doesn't matter. Originally thought about dragging you along with me, but now it seems going alone is better. Actually, meeting you here was an accident anyway. Coming here was just a detour."
"Huh? You have business somewhere? Rare. Don't you usually go wherever you please?"
Like Ziger, Kamui was a wanderer on this land.
To survive, they continuously killed and ate dragons. Kamui was even more extreme in some ways; he even killed humans who were hostile to him. In contrast, Ziger hadn't killed any humans. Regarding Kamui's actions, Ziger didn't feel qualified to judge, since he hadn't encountered malicious humans and had always intentionally avoided human settlements.
Kamui was different. He went wherever he wanted, a completely lawless, evil child.
"Lower Dragons, Mid-Rank Dragons, and those boring Dragon Hunters... I'm tired of them all. Next, I plan to find something more exciting." Kamui said. "I'm going to Hell Valley."
Hearing the name, Ziger's pupils couldn't help but tremble. "Are you serious?"
"Nonsense. When have I ever joked? But you actually know about that place?"
"Of course I know. It's famous, after all."
—[Hell Valley].
For Dragon Hunters, it was one of the places they absolutely had to know about, because it was the well-known [Hell], the demon's den among demon's dens.
Geographically, Hell Valley was located east of the country Ziger was currently in. It was a super-large canyon stretching from northwest to southeast with no discernible end, like a scar carved into the earth's surface.
That place was currently known as the most brutal battlefield between humans and dragons.
It was said that place not only had High-Rank Dragons among dragonkind but also monsters among humans who could individually defeat High-Rank Dragons. Even first-rate Dragon Hunters were nothing more than cannon fodder there. If one only wanted to be a Dragon Hunter, it was best never to approach that place for a lifetime.
After all, the [dragons] hunted by Dragon Hunters were, at most, Mid-Rank Dragons. Dragons beyond that were something Dragon Hunters simply couldn't handle.
And now Kamui said he was going to Hell Valley?
"You really have a death wish."
"Death wish? Hahaha! Do you really think our lives in this world have any value?"
Kamui laughed and retorted.
"No one wants me to live. Even when I was born, everyone cursed me to die. So my life is for me to use entirely as I please. Living or dying, the value of this life, I decide it all."
"It's the same for you, right? Dead Ginger."
Grabbing Ziger's collar, Kamui grinned ferociously. "I don't know many people, and I don't acknowledge many either. You, bastard, are barely one. Although it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, I thought it would be pretty good if you could come with me to Hell Valley and raise some hell together."
"Pass. I have no interest in accompanying you to hell."
Pushing Kamui's hand away, Ziger sighed. "Also, if you stay with me too long, you'll die too—I don't want you to die in front of me. If you're going to die, die somewhere I can't see. In that sense, Hell Valley is indeed a suitable place."
"Tch, you really dare to say that, Dead Ginger."
Patting the dust off himself, Kamui forcefully kicked Ziger's butt. "Well, if you're not interested, you're not interested. I'll go anyway. Whether it's the High-Rank Dragons of the Roaring Bloodline or the Dragon Slaying Warriors of the Sun God Cult, I truly hope they can give me a sense of reality even stronger than what you give me."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Now get lost quickly."
Ziger impatiently kicked Kamui's head in return.
Holding the back of his head, Kamui turned around angrily. "Where the hell are you kicking?!"
"My head, you idiot?"
"You'll take any advantage, won't you?! Just you wait! When I come back from Hell Valley, I'll kick you to death!"
"Yeah, yeah, provided you can come back from there—Now get lost if there's nothing else."
*Zap————————!*
The moment Ziger's words fell, Kamui transformed into a streak of lightning and shot into the distance, not forgetting to hurl a lightning spear back at Ziger.
(That damn shorty...)