The dragon turns around and looks up at the moon. In front of it is a figure sitting criss-crossed without a care in the world.
Perhaps the white-haired man's master. Perfect. Once I get rid of him, everything will fall into place.
The figure has long black hair that flutters in the night breeze as moonlight reflects off his pale skin. His golden eyes shine like the sun against the darkness of the night.
His body doesn't look particularly suited for combat. His face is almost unnaturally beautiful, and his gentle smile could easily make anyone mistake him for a girl at first glance. Even his height isn't particularly intimidating—around five feet, maybe a bit shorter. He looks no older than fifteen.
His clothes are simple: a black short-sleeved shirt, black pants, and boots. Rather plain attire for someone standing before one of the Ten Dragons. The only noticeable piece of equipment on him is a sword attached to his back, still in its scabbard.
The dragon's smirk grows larger as the boy descends from the sky.
With a flap of its wings, the dragon dashes forward, aiming its hand directly at the boy's chest. The hand has already been replaced with flaming claws that heat the very air around them—much stronger than the fireball from before.
Just as the claws are about to strike, the boy's eyes flash purple, and his body distorts. The claws pass through his chest as his form shatters into light particles that shimmer like glass.
The boy is gone, along with the white-haired young man.
The dragon's anger boils up as steam rises from its body. No one has ever escaped it, and it certainly wouldn't start tonight.
Fine. If that's how you want to play, I'll play along.
The dragon stretches out its hand. Two hundred giant magic circles appear across the sky. They open like doors, and soldiers in crimson armor pour out of them.
"Kill on sight," the dragon orders.
The soldiers fall into the forest and begin their death march. At the same time, the dragon creates a barrier around the entire forest, preventing anyone from escaping.
The only way out now is to destroy the barrier, but no living mortal possesses that kind of power. At least, that's how the dragon would normally see it.
But the boy from before…
It was subtle, but the dragon had felt it. An aura so dense and dark that, if fully released, it could consume the entire world. The dragon's own aura still far outclassed it, yet something about that presence had unsettled him. If the boy was allowed to grow any further, he might one day reach the level of the Ten Dragons—or even surpass them. Better to deal with the threat now than wait until it was too late.
The dragon hides its doubt behind a smile as it looks down at the forest. Screams rise into the air along with the scent of burning wood.
Unfortunate, but everyone here has to die. There cannot be any witnesses.
Then the dragon freezes.
…Wait. What? How?
The flow of time had been slowed. There should have been no way for the screams to reach him this clearly or this quickly. The same went for the speed at which the trees were burning. None of this should be possible unless the flow of time had already been restored.
But how?
The dragon looks down toward the forest, its expression darkening.
Well… now you've really piqued my interest. Let this death game begin.
---
"Well, looks like things have gotten pretty out of hand here," I say, looking up at the barrier.
Shiro just stares at me as if he's looking at a ghost. Then again, I've been gone for over a year from his perspective, so I can't really blame him. Or it could be the sudden change in my appearance. Either one.
"Forgive me for asking," he says, "but what happened to you? I suddenly lost my connection to you for over a year, and now you come back looking older."
Guess it was both.
"I'll explain everything later," I tell him. "For now, go rescue my sister."
Shiro finally snaps out of it, though he still looks worried.
"Sorry, but I'm not sure where she is. And even if I did, I'm not sure I could make it in time."
"I can understand not knowing where she is, but why can't you reach her?"
Shiro's face turns slightly red, but he answers anyway.
"My mana's drained."
That's it? I expected him to say something more serious. If his mana is drained, I can just fix that.
I perform a quick analysis on him to expand his mana pool, restoring what he lost and fine-tuning a few details along the way. I also add a couple of extra skills. From what I can see, he's already picked up quite a few on his own while I was away.
I'm sure he won't mind me copying some. They might be useful later.
By the time I'm finished, Shiro's body is brimming with mana again. I replace his ruined uniform with a proper swordmaster's outfit, complete with a coat. I may have adjusted his height and appearance slightly as well, but that's more of a personal preference than a real upgrade.
He gives me a light bow and thanks me.
"Of course," I say, pointing east. "Now go save my sister."
Like a lion released from its cage, Shiro takes off into the forest.
I listen to the screams and the scent of burning wood rising through the trees. Without wasting another second, I release my mana and rise into the air. The barrier stops me at around six hundred feet, but that's more than enough.
You're not the only one with summons.
At my thought, hundreds of armored soldiers made of mana materialize around me. These are the ones who died protecting the land they loved. I didn't force them to awaken—I simply asked, and they answered. They want revenge, and I intend to let them have it.
Astra and Fang take position at the front, along with the wyverns and wolves.
"Every one of these soldiers is at least on Fang's level, maybe higher," I tell them. Move in groups of three or four. I'll share a few skills with you. Use them well. Don't worry too much about dying—you'll regenerate—but try to stay alive so you don't keep draining my mana. If any humans attack you, you may defend yourselves, but do not kill them. Everything else is free game."
The soldiers descend into the forest and begin their assault.
I look at the barrier in front of me. Calling it an obstacle would be giving it too much credit. I place my hand against it, and a hole large enough for me to pass through simply opens.
I make sure to put another barrier on the ground that prevents the flow of time from being disturbed on a large scale. That should help Shiro to some extent.
I ascend towards the figure in the sky looking down upon the forest like a mighty king. He notices me and then looks back.
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
In truth, he is more powerful than me in terms of raw strength. His mana capacity and aura far outclass anything I've dealt with, even Onyx.
But unlike Onyx, I'm not terrified. In fact, my heart is surprisingly calm.
I've constantly been fighting monsters who are stronger than me, but every time it looks like I've been beaten, I fight and fight until my last breath and prevail.
This isn't any different. I won't stop until I win this fight, by any means necessary. If I don't have that kind of mindset, how am I ever supposed to defeat the gods?
Besides, that little gift the Sovereign helped me awaken might be able to turn this battle around. Worst comes to shove, and everything I have isn't enough, I'll take everyone and run. I highly doubt that'll happen, though.
"Did you undo the skill?" The dragon says, finally breaking the silence between us.
I'm going to assume he's talking about the skill that slowed down time. I mean, what other skill could he be talking about?
"Yes, and so what if I did?" I reply. "It's not like you can do anything about it."
I can see a vein pop out from the dragon's head.
"You've got some nerve, kid. No one has ever insulted me and lived to tell the tale. You surely won't be the first."
"I'm sorry for my language. I'm afraid we've gotten off to a bad start."
I give a slight bow to the dragon.
"My name is Abel. Abel MorningStar. May I ask whom I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
I already know the answer, but it doesn't hurt to confirm it directly.
"Looks like you do have some manners. Not that it will do you any good. But since you asked, I am Azar, Azar Dragonheart. It will do you well to remember it."
Dragonheart? But that's the same name as Luna. I knew about the Azar part, but this is new information. That bastard didn't mention this.
"Thank you for humbling me with your presence, Azar Dragonheart."
I pull out my katana from its scabbard and point it towards Azar.
"Well then, shall we begin?" I say.
The dragon's hands turn into flaming claws capable of burning the ocean.
"Begin we shall."
Once he finishes his sentence, I immediately activate the gift I got from the Sovereign.
You're up, Khaos.
Understood.
Once activated, Azar disappears.
I do too.
Then–
Boom.
A massive shockwave erupts in the air, and the barrier below trembles from the force.
---
Boom.
Deep within the forest, Shiro hears the sound of clashing in the air. It seems the battle between his master and the dragon has begun. He doesn't know how his master plans on winning, but he knows he will.
Right now, he needs to focus on the task at hand. Saving Claudia.
His body has become so light now, as if he were a feather floating in the air. Not to mention the expansion of his mana pool. Just how much stronger did his master get? Whatever he's gone through to get here must have been gruesome, so he can't afford to fail now.
Suddenly, the space next to him begins to distort. Then it's gone, replaced with a young woman with black hair and heterochromic eyes.
It's Astra. It's been a while since they last met. Nearly a year.
"Been a while, Astra."
Astra smiles and responds.
"Likewise. Thought you might need my help."
"Thanks. Appreciate it."
There's no time for them to catch up. That can happen later, when the danger passes.
And so the two of them run east, towards Claudia, hoping that whatever danger she's in, she's managing to survive.
When they finally get there...there's nothing.
The entire area has been completely vaporized. The only thing left is barren land and the sight of scorched earth. The only living things there are Claudia, who's kneeling, and the black-haired woman who had been chasing them before.
Without thinking, Shiro jumps into the barren wasteland with Astra closely behind him.
Shiro pulls his fist back, then slams it at the black-haired woman's left cheek. At least that's what's supposed to happen, but a moment before his fist actually lands, the woman pulls her head back and Shiro misses.
The woman kicks Shiro right in the chest and then grabs his hands and throws him across the wasteland.
Shiro rolls over the ground. Once. Twice before piercing his blade into the ground and using it to stop himself.
He quickly stands to his feet and looks at the black-haired woman. Then his eyes turn to Claudia.
Why is she kneeling in front of her?
Claudia's eyes are covered by her white hair, but Shiro can see tears streaming down from them.
What did this woman do to her?
Astra lands beside him, her eyes fixed on their opponent.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
The woman slowly turns toward them, brushing the dirt from her clothes.
Shiro tightens his grip around his sword.
"Let's get Mistress Claudia out of here."
Astra nods in agreement.
The two of them spread out, surrounding the woman from opposite sides.
Shiro dashes towards her and swings his sword towards her neck.
Clang.
The woman blocks the strike with her blade.
Astra jumps in the air and throws her dagger at the woman. The woman doesn't even flinch. She shifts her blade, and Shiro's katana slides off like water.
She kicks him away and then grabs the dagger by the point, inches away from her face, but the moment she does, Astra flickers behind her and grabs Claudia.
She flickers away, but not before kicking her into the air. Shiro responds quickly and leaps into the air, then kicks the woman's stomach.
She falls at bottleneck speed, and a small crater forms around the space where she lands.
Shiro lands and Astra flickers behind him while Claudia continues to weep.