A vast silence descended…
Not merely silence—
But a suffocating void,as though the world itself… had ceased to breathe.
Even the air stood still—
In reverence…and in fear of that name...
Raym turned slowly…
His expression tightened, his eyes trembling as he spoke:
"What… what do you mean…???"
He hesitated—almost afraid of the answer.
"You know it…???…The Dragon of Wrath???"
Lorian did not answer immediately...
A bead of sweat traced down his face—
And his silence alone… was enough...
"…Yes."
He lifted his gaze, slowly...
"Do you remember… when I told you about dragons… and their classifications???"
A brief stillness followed...
The weight of those words… refused to be broken hastily...
"It is… one of them..."
"One of the highest order..."
"One of those… whose names are spoken only in whispers."
He paused...
Then spoke it—
With fatal clarity:
"…Agnyr."
"The Dragon of Wrath."
In that instant—
Everything changed...
The dragon spoke...
Its voice… was not merely sound...
It was weight—pressing down upon their very souls...
"You lowly beings…"
A pause—
"Was it not enough… what you have already done to him???"
No one understood...
Confusion. Fear. Unease...
Glances exchanged in silence—
All but one...
Araki.
Without fully turning, he spoke:
"How much time remains???"
Silence...
Zak slowly raised his hand—
Three fingers...
For the first time—
Araki's expression shifted...
Not fear…
But no longer ease...
"…Very well."
A faint smile...
"Let us hope… you can endure until then..."
Suddenly—
The moment shattered...
The dragon ascended—
Slowly… heavily… with overwhelming majesty...
Crimson flames devoured its body—
Spiraling… gathering…
Until it became a descending inferno...
"Watch out—!!!"
Too late...
Aldous and Daniel moved...
Collision...
Not a clash—
A catastrophe...
The ground fractured...
The air tore apart...
Even light itself… trembled...
The balance began to tilt—
The dragon forcing them back…
Slowly…
Relentlessly.
Then—
Round...
He joined without hesitation.
Now—
Three.
Balance...
Temporary...
Fragile...
A great dragon…
Against three warriors...
Yet—
That was not the only battlefield...
From the rear—
Araki unleashed his attack...
A dense, lethal blaze—
But—
Black lightning split through it...
A sudden clash.
Raym turned—
As did Lorian—
But they were too late...
A devastating flame—
Struck directly...
Lorian did not move...
Did not evade.
A direct hit.
His body was hurled through the air—
Before crashing violently into the ground.
Silence...
Brief.
Heavy.
"…Sir Lorian???"
No time...
Zak stood before Raym.
His eyes…
Dark. Amused...
"Where have your promises gone now…???"
His hand rose—
A killing blow.
But—
The trajectory shifted.
Saon...
He appeared—
As though he had always been there.
The attack veered—
By a hair's breadth...
No words.
No thanks.
Only a glance.
Raym understood...
"…Focus."
He turned back.
Elsewhere—
Araki approached Lorian slowly...
Each step… quiet—
Yet heavy with intent.
"O guardian of the old creed…"
He leaned slightly...
"Do you not see???"
A subtle gesture—
"Even the dragons themselves… turn against you..."
A faint smile...
"And not against us..."
He stepped closer.
"Our path… is not a choice..."
"It is truth..."
"As for you…"
A pause.
A gaze that pierced through him.
"You remain trapped… in illusion."
"Reverence for dragons???"
A soft, mocking laugh.
"How pitiful."
Silence...
Then, in a colder tone:
"We simply… understood."
"That such beings…"
"Were not meant to be revered."
"…But used."
Lorian rose...
Despite the pain—
Despite the damage—
He stood...
"…Silence."
His voice was low...
Steady...
"All you speak of… are excuses."
He raised his head...
"Everyone knows the truth..."
"You seek only their power..."
He stepped forward.
"And you cannot—"
He stopped...
Looked upward—
Toward the dragon...
"—subjugate a dragon."
"They despise us… by nature."
"And the old creed—"
"HAHAHAHA…!!!"
Araki cut him off...
"You truly are a fool…"
A deeper gaze.
"You have missed… far too much..."
He leaned in slightly.
"Have you not heard…"
"…the story of that man???"
Battlefield:
Zak observed...
Eyes narrowed.
"Three minutes…"
"Even if they are strong…"
"This is nearly impossible..."
After all—
It was a superior dragon...
Fatigue began to show—
On Round…
On Daniel…
But—
Aldous smiled.
"Well then…"
He raised his other arm...
Lava gathered.
A colossal fist—
Breathing fire...
"Let's see…"
He unleashed it...
An explosion—
Massive...
Everyone was forced back...
A moment—
Silence—
Then—
The dragon lifted its head...
This time—
It was different...
True anger...
Its heat surged—
Its flames intensified—
It opened its jaws—
And roared.
But—
Suddenly—
Its wings faltered...
Its balance broke.
It crashed.
Its body struck the ground—
A sound of pain escaping it...
Silence...
Absolute...
No one understood...
Then—
The ground began to tremble...
A deep vibration…
As though something… was awakening...
Zak smiled...
And Araki's grin widened further than ever...
Amid it all—
Lorian laughed...
A quiet laugh—
Yet carrying something else entirely...
He raised his head—
And said:
"It has begun…"