Chapter 85
Cough.
Cough.
Cough.
The sound echoed through the hollow ruins like the heartbeat of a dying beast.
Renji's hands trembled as he clutched at his chest, blood trickling down the side of his mouth.
His breaths came heavy, uneven—each one scraping his throat like sandpaper.
But still, he was alive.
Dracan stood before him, his great frame unmoving, his dragon-like eyes glowing faintly under the dim light.
The words Renji had just screamed—"I fight because of my family!"—still lingered in the air, trembling between them like a fading echo of truth.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Dracan exhaled softly. The weight of his aura receded, the killing intent fading like mist after dawn.
He lowered his gaze toward the battered human before him, sighed quietly, and dropped Renji's daggers to the ground. The twin blades clattered, their metallic ring cutting through the silence.
"What do you mean," Dracan asked, his voice calm but edged with curiosity,
"…they are gone?"
Renji, still coughing, looked up slowly. His lips curved into a weak, tired grin.
"Ah, you know…" He chuckled between gasps, still trying to catch his breath. "You're pretty strong, you know that?"
Dracan blinked, clearly not expecting that answer.
For a brief moment, he simply stared—as Renji pushed himself up, legs wobbling, back arching in pain, yet trying to stand tall.
The dragon knight sighed softly, eyes narrowing as he watched the mortal's stubborn resolve.
And in his heart, he whispered:
"So… you're just like me."
But before Dracan could dwell on the thought, Renji spoke again, breaking the heavy silence.
"I lost both my parents before I was fourteen."
The words hung still in the air.
Dracan's eyes widened slightly. Something stirred deep within him—something old and painful.
He saw flashes.
A burning sky.
A crumbling throne.
The faces of his own parents, fading into ash.
For the first time in centuries, the memories pierced through the armor of his heart.
Renji's voice trembled slightly as he continued, but his eyes did not waver.
"My father was… he was the best. Strong, kind, always smiling no matter how bad things got."
"He wasn't a hunter, no special powers, nothing extraordinary. Just… my dad."
His tone softened, almost breaking.
"He used to wake up before sunrise, work all day, come home with that same stupid grin and say, 'Renji, as long as you smile, the world can't beat you.'"
Renji's hands tightened into fists.
"He was my hero… even when the world didn't care."
Dracan lowered his gaze, a faint shadow flickering across his face.
"Your father…" he said quietly. "…wasn't a hunter?"
Renji shook his head.
"Ehh, no. Just a normal human. He died trying to save my mom when our house caught fire. He went back in… and never came out."
The silence that followed felt heavier than stone.
"Mother… she couldn't handle it. She blamed herself for everything. She smiled every day, even when her eyes were dead inside."
"And then, when I was fourteen…"
He paused, swallowing hard.
"…she was gone too."
Dracan said nothing. He only stared—his dragon eyes dimmed, reflecting something almost human.
Renji looked down at the cracked floor, his fists trembling.
"It was just me and my little sister after that. Lily."
A faint smile crossed his lips at the sound of her name.
"She was always smiling. Always telling me I'd be a great hunter one day. Even when we had nothing, even when people laughed at us."
Flashes of memory danced in Renji's mind—Lily's laughter, their tiny home, her warm hugs.
Then came the other faces—Takeda, Hiroto, Arisa.
His father's voice.
His mother's gentle hands.
"Now I fight for them." He said, raising his head slowly.
"That's why I can't stop fighting."
He tightened his grip on his daggers and shifted his stance.
"Come at me again!"
Dracan blinked in disbelief.
"Ehhhhhh?! Are you stupid?"
Renji flinched, confused.
"Eh?? Wait—you don't wanna fight?"
Dracan rubbed the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed but trying not to laugh.
"No! Why would I want to fight you again? I could literally kill you, you know!"
Renji tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
"Ehhh, that's true, ehhh… but since you don't wanna fight, can I just pass to face the other dungeon boss here?"
Dracan froze mid-blink.
Then—
He burst out laughing.
The deep, rolling sound of his laughter filled the chamber, shaking the air more than any spell. It was the first time in over a thousand years that Dracan laughed.
Renji blinked rapidly, both embarrassed and confused.
"Ehh?? Why are you laughing? What's so funny!?"
Dracan pointed at him, still laughing.
"You still want to fight another dungeon boss when you couldn't even beat me?!"
Renji scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Ehh… I could feel the dungeon's presence, and, uh, with it having layers, I thought… wait."
He squinted suspiciously.
"You're not like the other dungeon bosses I've faced before."
Dracan stopped laughing, curious now.
"What do you mean?"
Renji crossed his arms, as if deep in thought.
"Well, for one thing, you laugh! And you didn't kill me even when you could've. You talk like a normal person. So yeah, you're… different."
For a brief moment, silence returned.
Then, slowly—Dracan smiled.
It was faint, hesitant—like someone who had forgotten how.
And yet, it was real.
"Different, huh…"
He turned away, walking toward his throne at the far end of the hall. His heavy steps echoed through the ruined corridor.
When he reached it, he placed a hand on the ancient stone and said softly:
"It's okay, Renji Kurogane."
He turned slightly, his dragon eyes glowing faintly once more.
"My name is Dracan Vendova."
Renji blinked, repeating the name under his breath.
"Dracan… Vendova?"
"Last dragon of the Veltorax," Dracan continued, voice echoing with pride and sorrow,
"Prince of Dragons, and Knight of the Abyss."
Renji's eyes widened.
"You're… a dragon?!"
Dracan chuckled.
"I can take any form I wish."
Then, before Renji's eyes, his body began to change.
The ancient armor dissolved into shimmering light. His towering figure shrank, scales folding into skin, wings dissolving into mist.
When the light faded—
A young man stood where the mighty knight had once been.
He looked barely older than Renji, tall and lean, silver hair falling over eyes that still shimmered faintly with draconic gold.
Renji's jaw dropped.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You can shape-shift?!"
Dracan blinked, slightly amused.
"That's what I just said."
Renji threw his hands in the air.
"You didn't say you could turn into—that! You look like some cool anime protagonist! That's cheating!"
Dracan raised a brow, his lips twitching.
"Anime… what?"
"Never mind!" Renji groaned. "How are you even real!?"
Dracan smirked faintly.
"I could ask you the same thing, human."
And for the first time since their battle began—both of them laughed.
The air that once trembled with killing intent now felt lighter, almost warm.
The ruins that had been drenched in fury now echoed with something different.
Something almost… human.
And as Dracan stood there, smiling faintly at the battered mortal before him, a thought crossed his mind:
"Perhaps… he and I are not so different after all."