MHGA Chapter 306: The Princess and the Dark Dragon
While Meteora and the others fretted over Kairo Retsu's latest antics, deep within a long-abandoned ruin, a dragon cloaked in pitch-black scales and draped in cape-like wing membranes lay quietly at the center.
Though the moon hung bright in a cloudless sky and the stars shimmered clearly above, the Gore Magala lifted its head—only to see nothing.
From the moment of its birth, Gore Magala had no sight, no smell, no hearing—none of those lavish senses.
(Author's note: In this new ecosystem, Gore Magala is immune to Flash Bombs, Dung Bombs, and Sonic Bombs. In previous titles, it reacted to Dung Bombs.)
Sight, hearing, smell… The innate faculties gifted to most creatures were absent in Gore Magala until it fully matured. Only then would its senses bloom, allowing it to see and hear the world around it.
Until that metamorphosis was complete, it had only touch and its scales' microscopic powder to perceive its surroundings. By dispersing this scale dust into the environment, it could detect the life forms around it.
Tonight, it raised its head because of a breeze that brushed past from the night sky—and the presence of a form, one delicate and small compared to its massive bulk, approaching.
"…A dragon of darkness."
Altair descended from the sky, coming to a halt in front of Gore Magala. The dragon, whose head resembled that of a serpent, turned to face her the moment it sensed her arrival.
But it did not attack. Instead, it trembled faintly—as if struggling against something—until Altair raised her hand and gently placed her palm on the dragon's lowered head.
From her hand, threads of green light began to rise, forming a magical circle before slowly sinking back into her palm. Gore Magala's trembling ceased as the magic was absorbed.
Behind Altair, the sound of approaching footsteps prompted her to turn—and there stood Blitz, dragging a wild boar with a bullet wound in its forehead.
Blitz tossed the boar in Altair's direction. Just as it was about to crash into her, a ripple like flowing water halted the corpse midair.
"Thank you, Blitz," Altair said simply. She then guided the floating boar toward Gore Magala, letting it settle before the dragon. She patted its head softly, inviting it to eat.
Blitz watched, expressionless, as the inky dragon opened its massive jaws and effortlessly tore into the large boar's carcass.
"Is this sentimentality?" he asked bluntly. "You feed this mindless beast at a time like this, despite being attacked by it the first time you met in the forest. You should have killed it right away."
"Otherwise, you never know when it'll bare its fangs at your throat again."
"Blitz… it's not mindless," Altair replied, watching the Gore Magala feed. "The very fact that it's restraining itself proves that."
"Can you even imagine what it's like to lose all your senses—to be consumed by pain—and still be expected to function? To others, it must look like a nightmare."
"That's no better than what you see now," her voice was calm. "To be reared by some higher malice… even denied the right to evolve."
"…Another of the gods' creations?" Blitz asked, his eyes fixed on the Gore Magala, which had already devoured half the boar. "Such an ominous being… You said 'evolution'—do you know where it comes from?"
"I found fragments through the Holopsicon," Altair explained. "It's no different than us, is it? A product of malice."
"From the moment of its birth, it was never given a choice. No matter where it goes, it is met with unending hostility."
Altair looked at the Gore Magala and continued,
"Even with intelligence capable of thought, it is forced to play the role of a disaster-bearing beast. That pain… that humiliation… would drive any soul into the abyss."
"The malice pursuing it now still seeks to interrupt its evolution."
"I can't ignore that sorrow," she whispered.
"…Then I have no more to say," Blitz said quietly. In her eyes, he saw a faint flicker of purplish-red. "But that sickness—you should be able to purge it. I can see it starting to affect you."
"It's fine. With the Holopsicon, such symptoms don't affect me," Altair replied. "Besides, only by sharing its sickness can the dark dragon recognize me."
"…Such compassion may only deepen your suffering," Blitz said, remaining where he was. "You're fragile… and yet you pity this beast because you can feel its pain."
"..."
Altair didn't answer. She simply watched as Gore Magala finished devouring the boar, then curled up where it lay, folding its wings tightly against its body.
"…It's just—"
Altair stepped closer, lightly touching its cold, scaled hide with her fingertips.
"…this malice… that seems to come from every corner of the world. It's impossible to ignore. That's all."
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At the Gathering Hub, Kairo Retsu continued his routine duties, compiling reports from across worlds and analyzing the influence of the Gore Magala.
Upon learning that Gore Magala was currently with Altair, Kairo didn't act immediately.
Thanks to Altair's presence, he couldn't make a move on the dragon yet. But once the narrative advanced to the point where the Creators targeted Altair, hunters would finally be able to intercept the Gore Magala and interrupt its metamorphosis—before it became a catastrophic threat.
At that point, its harvested parts could be used to craft a cure for the Frenzy Virus, neatly wrapping up the mission.
Or so Kairo thought.
After all, hunters still had plenty on their plate—like Witch's Night on Madoka's side, or aiding the humans of Symphogear's world in strengthening their resistance capabilities.
"…I wonder how Madoka's training is going," Kairo muttered as he lifted a large porcelain jar, blew on the tea leaves floating inside, and brought it to his lips.
"She is Madokami, after all. Her talent's probably insane…"
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