Everyone had their own skills. The Claymores formed squads based on rank, each led by a high-ranked warrior, working together in small teams.
Three Awakened Beings showed up, clearly there to challenge the Claymores. They were immediately surrounded by all twenty-four Claymores. For these male Awakened, this was probably the peak of their lives—when else would they ever be surrounded by so many beautiful women?
The Awakened's yōki mixed together, and some of the less experienced Claymore girls started trembling. This wasn't playtime—this was deadly.
The first to reveal his true form had several whip-like tendrils hanging off his body, looking like peacock feathers. He could control them for wide-range attacks, slicing through walls like tofu with incredible power.
The other two Awakened crouched on rooftops, like they were watching a show. But since they were here, the Claymores weren't going to ignore them.
NO.8, Windcutter Flora, leapt onto the roof and went straight for one of them. Her massive Claymore came down fast—only to suddenly veer off course before it hit.
This was the first time Flora had encountered something like this.
Luckily, her squad had an expert in yōki synchronization. Clare immediately warned her to be careful. This unremarkable NO.47 had inherited the will of the strongest Claymore and was imitating Teresa's secret technique.
"Heh, didn't expect one of you to actually notice," the Awakened chuckled. "But so what? Yōki synchronization is almost impossible to counter. Watch me kill you all."
Suddenly, they couldn't move. Their yōki felt frozen inside them, and their bodies were paralyzed. One by one, the Claymores on the rooftop dropped to their knees, losing control of their bodies. It was a horrible feeling.
"Hahaha! You're all so weak. Pathetically weak. It's painful to watch. The only mercy is to kill you—there's no point in letting something this weak survive." With that, the enemy lunged.
They couldn't go on like this. But Flora had never dealt with an enemy like this before, and in that moment, she couldn't think of a solution.
"Die!"
"Ah!" Just before the fatal strike landed, Clare, the girl always underestimated, made her move. With a low shout, her right arm—taken from Irene—exploded with a yōki surge far beyond her body's level.
Even the Awakened was stunned. "That arm... it's not on the same level."
That's how Claymore power worked—rising up, then peaking before declining. During Teresa's era, that peak had been reached. Teresa, Irene, and Priscilla were all true powerhouses. Irene might be here only as a severed arm, but even that was unmatched.
Flash Sword—activated!
Boom!
The rooftop instantly collapsed, distracting the Awakened. The Claymores regained their freedom.
"Looks like it's not the time to watch the show anymore," said the last Awakened, finally revealing his true form.
All three Awakened were now fighting at full strength.
Kid didn't want to miss a single moment. If necessary, he'd step in to help.
Meanwhile, down south at a port, dockworkers stared in shock as a massive warship slowly approached. The battleship was bigger than any ship ever seen on the Experiment Continent. Thanks to the Dragon Descendants' military power, their kingdom now overshadowed their rivals. When it came to shipbuilding, they didn't lag behind in capability—just in experience. Most of their focus was on their enemies, not ocean travel, so they rarely sailed far from shore. They didn't bother with fallback plans—only the weak did that. The Dragon Descendants and their allies looked down on such thinking.
This long-range voyage had been filled with danger, especially the storm not long ago.
That day had started clear and sunny, but then a mass of dark clouds surged in from the distance. There was no time to turn the ship—they had no choice but to charge straight into the storm. The sea raged like mountains and valleys, the ship rising and plunging violently. The waves jolted so hard it felt like hearts might burst out of chests. Even the Dragon Descendants had no way to fight the storm.
Luckily, the storm came and went quickly—just a few minutes—but it still left everyone drenched in cold sweat. What they didn't realize was that they had encountered a Four-Clawed Dragon, the one that breathed clouds and mist, and was technically their ancestor.
After that grueling voyage, they had finally reached their destination—the southern port.
Seven Dragon Descendants stood on the deck in gray cloaks. "Didn't expect there'd still be human settlements in such a savage land."
"Compared to our allies, these humans are way too unpleasant to look at."
The Dragon Descendants were towering, more than three meters tall, with shells covering their bodies—completely different from humans. But their intelligence far surpassed that of humans. They even carried weapons. Their enemies were elite human troops and unstable special soldiers. Hand-to-hand combat was fine, but they didn't want to be forced into transforming into monstrous forms the moment the battle began.
You had to understand—their transformation was irreversible. Once they became a giant monster, there was no turning back. So they preferred to fight using weapons and only transformed as a last resort.
Their voices were all neutral in tone because they were hermaphrodites. They handled reproduction entirely on their own, no outside help needed.
"Let's go. We'll wipe the Organization off the map."
"Don't forget—those special soldiers from the continent must not be allowed to return to the Warfire Continent alive."
"Oh!"
"Move!"
Without any hesitation, the seven Dragon Descendants leapt from the deck, instantly clearing the port town, heading straight north.
While waiting for results, Luciela hadn't been idle either. Back in the south, she had been asserting her presence by hunting Awakened Beings. She kept a low profile, though, to avoid drawing attention from her sister. She knew her sister would never approve of her actions now, but she genuinely wanted to build a paradise in the south. Once it was ready, she would invite her sister to live with her.
Rafaela had been circling the south, trying to find her sister but to no avail. That day, she stabbed her Claymore into the ground and leaned on it to rest. The sword was borrowed from Irene—Rafaela had already given her own sword to Kid as payment.
'Where did sister go…' She sighed in frustration.
As she recalled moments from their childhood, Rafaela couldn't help but smile. Now that her sister had recovered, when would they be able to return to that bond from when they were little? While she was lost in memories, she didn't know that the seven Dragon Descendants were closing in fast.
"I smell our kind… Must be one of those Claymores the Organization made using our kin's flesh."
"Most likely."
"To defile our kin's remains like that… Unforgivable."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Rafaela looked up to see shadows breaking through the thick treetops and landing all around her. She reacted instantly, flipping up and drawing her sword. "Who are you?"
Not humans—Dragon Descendants.
Rafaela didn't recognize them. She just thought these strange-looking things were Awakened Beings. Each was twice her size and carried deadly weapons. But there was something really odd—they all looked way too alike. It was impossible to tell them apart.
"The blood and flesh of my kin—I will reclaim it. The Seven Knights of the Dragon Descendants have arrived!" As they spoke, all seven drew their swords in perfect sync. It was an impressive sight.
Rafaela felt a wave of dread. 'This isn't good. These things don't seem like regular Awakened Beings… They're something worse.' There was a suffocating pressure coming from them.
Shing!
Seven against one. The Dragon Descendants had no sense of honor or fairness. They didn't hesitate to gang up. Their swords were massive—longer and wider than a Claymore, more like guillotine blades. But on closer inspection, they were forged from the same material as the Claymores' weapons.
"Kill!"
Seven sword beams merged into one, aiming straight to take Rafaela's life.