The words—
"Seventh Art… Total Combustion."
—echoed through the minds of Raym, Saon, and Lorian…
Not like a technique…
…but like a verdict.
A declaration of something… catastrophic...
Raym clenched his teeth, his voice strained with irritation and disbelief:
"…That bastard… can use something like this too??!"
His body burned—
Not with flames…
…but with rage...
In an instant—
Lorian moved...
A sudden burst of speed—his blade cutting straight toward Araki.
A clean, lethal strike...
But—
It stopped...
Bare hands.
Araki caught the blade… effortlessly...
No recoil.No strain.
Just a faint… amused smile...
Time itself seemed to pause...
Then—
Raym and Saon lunged forward together to support Lorian...
But they never reached him...
Zak.
He appeared from behind—intercepting both of them in a single motion.
His voice dripped with mockery:
"Must you ruin such a heartfelt reunion???"
Raym lifted his gaze...
His eyes—
Burning.
Overflowing...
And for the briefest moment…
Pure killing intent surfaced...
Fleeting—
…but unmistakable.
Moments Earlier…
On the other side—
Arvela and Daniel stepped forward, standing beside Aldous...
Three Division Commanders…
Side by side...
An overwhelming presence.
But the dragon—
Was not impressed...
It raised its head—
And roared.
Lyra reacted instantly—
manipulating the winds to disrupt the incoming wave...
The roar faltered—
Just for a moment...
The dragon muttered, low and displeased:
"…Hm. I didn't expect such a trivial trick to work..."
Then—
It stepped back...
Strange.
Unnatural.
And then—
It roared again...
But this time—
It was different.
Deeper...Distorted...Violent...
Some covered their ears in time.
Others—
Were too late.
This wasn't just sound.
It was—
Rage… injected into the soul itself...
Eyes widened...Breathing grew erratic...
Then—
Chaos...
Soldiers turned on each other...
Blind...
Uncontrolled...
Savage...
The formation collapsed entirely.
Arvela turned in shock:
"What is this—??!"
She rushed forward—
But she was too late...
The dragon lunged.
Its body engulfed in crimson flames...
Straight toward her.
But two figures stepped in...
Aldous… and Daniel.
Daniel's voice was sharp, deadly serious:
"Don't even think about touching a single hair on her."
Aldous laughed:
"Haha—relax. I told you… I'll take good care of your girl."
Impact...
Power met power...
The ground trembled beneath them...
The clash continued—
Until both sides pulled back...
Daniel glanced at Arvela—
No words...
She understood...
This time, Aldous spoke—his tone sharper:
"So… dragons can do quite a few tricks, huh???"
He smirked.
"…But making humans tear each other apart???"
A pause...
"…Now that's interesting."
Both men lowered their stances.
Ready.
A terrifying sight—
Two commanders…
At full intent.
Aldous grinned:
"Let's see… has the so-called second rank grown dull???"
Daniel shot him an irritated look:
"You know damn well… if I wanted your position, I'd have taken it."
Aldous laughed louder:
"Good!!! That's the spirit!!!"
Then—
"…Let's tame this mutt..."
They prepared...
The dragon—
And the commanders—
But suddenly—
It stopped.
Turned.
Then—
It vanished.
Rushing elsewhere.
Back to Raym's Side…
Raym and Saon face to face in front with Zak...
A single moment—
That was all it took...
From above—
The dragon descended...
Its eyes—
Burning...
Its presence—
Crushing...
Its voice thundered:
"You wretched humans… you have overstepped..."
Flames coiled between its fangs...
Everyone froze...
Fear...
Pressure...
Dread...
…Everyone—
Except one.
Who stood there…
Smiling...
As for Lorian—
His eyes widened.
"…What???"
A pause...
"…Is that—"
His voice dropped...
Heavy.
Certain..
"The Dragon of Wrath…???"