A dark, menacing aura radiated from the man, so thick and potent it seeped into every corner, swallowing the surroundings. His presence was overwhelming, dangerous. He stood tall, his chest puffed with an unshakable confidence that bordered on arrogance.
“I hadst not intended to unleash this form, for razing this realm would taketh little time and less effort,” the dragon’s voice thundered, his eyes roaming over the women scattered around, my women. “Yet… I am inclined to sample the pleasures of this world before I reduce it to ashes.”
“You’ll have to go through my dead body first,” I shot back.
No one could touch my women—no one, not even a creature like this dragon.
“Very well, mortal…” he intoned, his voice drenched in malice. Suddenly, he vanished, and before my next heartbeat, he reappeared directly in front of me, his arm already cocked back, ready to strike.
There was no time to dodge. I activated my Guardian, letting it take the brunt of his punch. But the force was beyond anything I’d imagined. The instant his fist collided with the Guardian, I was flung backward, soaring through the air like a ragdoll. My body crashed through one building, then another, before slamming to a stop amid the rubble.
“That certainly stings,” I muttered, feeling the lingering ache of his blow. Even with my Guardian softening the impact, his punch held a ferocity that coursed through me like an aftershock. I staggered up from the debris, brushing dust off my clothes, before forming a mana blade so intense it radiated power, like it could slice through anything. With a burst of speed, I charged at him, swinging with all I had—but the blade barely glanced off his scales, not even a scratch.
“Thou yet liveth?”
I leapt back. His defenses were as formidable as his strength. The mana blade, sharpened and honed to cut through anything as if it were butter, couldn’t even graze his scaly skin.
“Guess this isn’t going to be easy,” I murmured.
Letting him destroy this world wasn’t an option. Not after everything I’d done to make something of myself here. I refused to let it all go up in smoke because of this monstrous dragon. As much as I wanted to tear him apart, his impenetrable defense and raw power made the fight a near-impossible struggle.
Then, suddenly, a faint whisper reached me.
“Hm?”
The sound seemed to come from where Sesillian lay. I half-expected him to somehow still be alive, but he was stone still, breathless. But the whisper… it came from the sword clutched in his hand. The cursed sword. It was… calling to me? Cursed swords often had wills of their own, so maybe it sought to help me. And with my mana blade proving useless, I needed every edge I could get against that dragon.
I grasped the sword, feeling a jolt as its aura surged through me, its sinister energy trying to claw its way into my mind, to consume me.
“You want me to slay that monster, right? Then fall in line,” I hissed. I wouldn’t let it take control—I would be the one wielding it. But the sword resisted, bucking against me. Taming it would be a struggle. I forced mana into its core, trying to force it to heel, but it resisted, stubborn as a mule. “What, not fond of having a master?” I sneered. “Well, if you won’t submit, how about you at least help me take that bastard down?”
The sword and I locked in a battle of wills, each trying to control the other. But we were both obstinate, neither willing to bend. We’d just have to strike a balance—working together without one of us overpowering the other.
As I commanded, the sword stilled in my grasp, relinquishing its will and letting me wield it. I poured more mana into the blade, sharpening its edge to a deadly brilliance. The combined power between us might not be enough to end this dragon outright, but it would be enough to draw blood.
“Thou art most persistent,” the dragon growled, his gaze fixed on me. “Why dost thou not simply perish?” He raised a massive palm, igniting a searing fire that roared to life, then hurled it directly at me.
I surged forward, meeting the blaze head-on and blocking it with my Guardian. The flames sizzled as they crashed against my shield, scattering into sparks that singed the ground. I pressed on, lunging toward him. He was ready, his fist cocked back, aimed straight for me. As his punch shot toward me, I twisted to the side, narrowly dodging the blow. The ground cracked like shattered glass beneath the force of his strike, sending fissures snaking outwards. Seizing my chance, I swung my blade toward his side—but before it connected, he vanished, reappearing in a flash behind me.
For his massive size, he was unbelievably fast. Keeping up with him was almost impossible, but I felt a heightened awareness, as if time had slowed. Was the sword amplifying my reflexes? Whatever the source, I would use it. I leaped out of reach just in time as his punch slammed into the ground, the impact sending tremors rippling beneath my feet.
“You scuttle about like a cockroach,” he sneered, his disdain palpable. “Annoying.”
“Yeah? If that fist of yours lands, I’m done for,” I shot back. “I’d rather live, you know. I’m here to send you out of this world.”
“Bold words for a wretched creature of low standing,” the dragon rumbled, his voice a deep, mocking growl. “Dost thou truly think to contest those who stand above?”
“Guess you’ve never heard of anti-predator adaptations.” I let a smirk slip, my eyes meeting his unflinching gaze.
Anti-predator adaptations: the mechanisms prey use to survive against stronger hunters. From camouflage to counterattack, each evolution an answer to the looming shadow of death. Survival wasn’t just strength—it was resilience, cunning. Even the weak could turn the tables.
I tightened my grip, the blade humming with energy in response. “Even if you’re a higher being, doesn’t mean I can’t win,” I told him.
With that, I dashed forward, pushing my speed to the limit, moving so fast the air seemed to split around me.
“Stubbornness is thy only shield,” the dragon spat, his colossal form blurring as he matched my speed, maybe even exceeding it. We closed the distance in an instant, our attacks converging with crushing force. The moment our strikes clashed, a shockwave erupted, blasting outwards in a violent burst that tore at the ground and sent debris flying in all directions.
***
Sandra’s POV
Master was battling a creature—a monster beyond anything this world had ever known. It was… something unearthly, a beast out of another realm, defying understanding with its raw, terrifying presence.
“Leader!” Bernadette suddenly appeared beside me, urgency in her voice. “The people are breaking out of confusion. It seems the brainwashing ended the moment the one responsible for it died,” she observed, watching the crowd with a wary eye.
I scanned the surroundings. People stumbled about, their faces twisted in terror, their eyes wild and panicked. Some were paralyzed by what they saw in Master’s clash with the creature; others cried, clutching onto whatever they could, trying to make sense of the nightmare before them.
“Tell the others to start evacuating the civilians,” I ordered. “Master wouldn’t want us in this fight. And even if he allowed it, I doubt our combined power would be enough to take on that… thing.”
Bernadette nodded solemnly. The beast before us wasn’t something mere mortals like us could challenge; it was a force of pure destruction, a being of chaos that could end worlds.
“Do you think Master can handle it?”
Was it Bernadette’s lack of connection to Master that made her doubt him? For those who hadn’t been fully drawn under Master’s power, this fight probably looked impossible. But for me, there was no doubt. He would triumph. He was our Master, after all.
“Don’t waste your thoughts worrying about Master,” I assured her. “For now, focus on saving as many as we can.”
***
Myrcella’s POV
We pushed through the crowd that thronged the road leading to the plaza, but suddenly…
“W-What am I doing here?” one person mumbled, confused.
“I… I don’t remember. Why did I even come here?” someone else stammered.
It was like something had snapped in them, breaking whatever control had guided their actions.
“Is the brainwashing breaking down?” asked Captain Angelica beside me, her tone edged with suspicion.
Then, before we could arrive at an answer, the world plunged into darkness. Just as quickly, the light returned, but brighter, blindingly so.
“What… what is that?” I whispered, as if I’d only blinked, yet everything had changed.
“P-Princess!” Captain Angelica’s voice wavered, and I turned to follow her gaze, her hand pointing to the sky.
And then, I saw it. Against the rapidly dimming light, a massive, ominous form emerged—a dark dragon. Its shadow stretched over the sky like a cloak of nightmares. Gasps and screams echoed as the people recoiled in horror, some trembling, others stumbling back, unable to tear their eyes from the colossal beast. Panic erupted in waves, the terror palpable, as though they were seeing a creature pulled from the darkest pits of their worst dreams.
Moments later, the creature began to shrink, folding into itself until it became a dark blur, descending somewhere in the distance.
“Captain Angelica, the plaza…” I murmured, realizing where it was headed.
