Kanzaki Rei stood directly before the dragon's eye.
He did not continue his assault—
Yet the pressure emanating from him was crushing.
"Are you planning to spare it?"
Ansu's voice echoed within his mind.
Kanzaki Rei replied indifferently through his thoughts:
"Mm."
"There are still quite a few things I need to ask it."
Killing it wouldn't grant him its undead form.
Otherwise, the optimal choice would have been simple—no more words, just kill it outright.
"Dragon."
"Submit to me… or accept your defeat—and die."
His tone was low, carrying an irresistible threat.
This dragon had not been sparring with him.
It had fought with the intent to kill.
If not for practical considerations—
If it were purely about venting his anger—
He would have already struck it down.
But unfortunately, killing it now would yield no benefit.
Better to maximize its value.
A magic-sealing field spread across the surroundings.
A spear reappeared in Kanzaki Rei's hand.
During the previous battle, he hadn't even used a weapon.
Ordinary weapons would have shattered too easily—
And forming one through magic would count as using magic.
So in the end, he had relied solely on his body.
After this battle, his combat style had finally become something worthy of a true warrior.
Previously, the Firmament Style had contained far too much magic—
Not entirely, but at least 60% of it had been mixed with magical elements.
To the point where the warrior class had almost become subordinate to magic.
But in truth—
Warriors and mages stood as parallel primary combat classes.
Warriors were never weaker than mages.
Only the individual could be weak—
Never the class itself.
He had been thinking about combat from a mage's perspective all along—
Neglecting the essence of the warrior path.
"Submit…?"
The golden dragon's wounds continued to regenerate.
Though heavily injured, it was far from death.
This was the first time anyone had ever demanded its submission.
Submit—
Or die.
As Kanzaki Rei held his spear and stood in the sky—
The dragon felt a powerful premonition of death.
This human was not lying.
Physical strength was merely one of his foundational methods of combat.
He had more—
Far more terrifying means.
He possessed the power to kill it.
"I am not called 'Dragon.' My name is Helberzio!"
Who cares what you're called?
The golden dragon continued:
"I acknowledge that your body is stronger than mine! I… have been defeated."
Kanzaki Rei's gaze remained calm.
He did not accept that.
"And this is the attitude of a loser?"
"Seems you still refuse to lower your head."
"If that head of yours is so precious… then perhaps you shouldn't keep it."
"You really think I won't kill you?"
"I'm not as merciful as you imagine."
Kanzaki Rei swept his spear forward!
A cold, razor-sharp gleam pointed directly at Helberzio's throat!
At this moment—
He could feel it clearly.
He could cut it.
He could sever it.
With his current strength—
He could decapitate the dragon outright.
During the earlier physical battle, he hadn't used soul sacrifices—
But that didn't mean those abilities were useless.
On the contrary—
Now that he had grown stronger, combining soul power and magic would only make him more terrifying.
"I…"
Anger flared within Helberzio—
But it forcefully suppressed it.
It had intended to de-escalate.
But clearly, Kanzaki Rei had no intention of giving it a way out.
Of course not.
This creature had fought with killing intent—
And now thought a simple admission would end things?
Ridiculous.
"Choose."
"Or I will choose for you."
The spear remained fixed at its throat.
His gaze—cold, unwavering.
After a moment of silence—
The dragon's eyes flickered with complex emotions.
Its deep voice lowered—
And at last, it bowed its massive head.
"I… submit to you."
"Please forgive my rudeness and ignorance. If you have need of me, command me as you wish."
Kanzaki Rei nodded calmly.
At the same time, he raised his right hand—
A contract flew forth.
"Sign this."
Helberzio looked at the contract hovering in midair before it.
A contract…
A humiliating one, perhaps?
Its perception swept over the contents.
But upon inspection—
It was unexpectedly reasonable.
There were no excessive restrictions.
It only required obedience for half a month.
That… was acceptable.
There was still dignity to be preserved.
The key condition—
Was absolute honesty.
It didn't even intend to enslave it long-term?
Was this the composure of the strong?
Or… did he simply not consider it worth enslaving?
"…Very well. I will comply with your will."
Helberzio lowered its posture further.
Even if it had never submitted before—
It had seen others submit to it.
Pride and survival instinct clashed within it.
In the end—
Survival won.
Lowering itself now meant nothing.
Once this period passed—
It would still be the invincible golden dragon.
As for this monstrous human—
Once the contract expired, it would leave immediately, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Still—
Fear and curiosity lingered in its heart.
Kanzaki Rei, seeing the contract completed, finally felt at ease.
This contract ritual had been obtained from Ansu.
As for the formation—
It had been constructed within his Mind Sea.
His Level 5 Death Priest proficiency allowed him to perform rituals within his own consciousness.
Kanzaki Rei spoke:
"Tell me about that vampire."
"How did you learn of him? Why did you come to kill him?"
"And your origins. Your past experiences."
He asked multiple questions in a single breath.
Ansu, watching from within his mind, found it strange.
Why does he seem so practiced at this?
This doesn't feel like his first time…
At the same time, Ansu couldn't hide its shock.
This child had truly—
Through pure physical combat—
As a Level 5 warrior—
Defeated a Tier 7 golden dragon.
Ansu had personally witnessed his advancement to Level 5.
At first, it had thought—
This boy had little connection to the path of a War God.
He was overflowing with magic and Death Priest abilities—
The warrior class seemed like little more than an accessory.
But now…
That "accessory" had become excessive.
Could he really be the inheritor of the War God?
Speculation surged within Ansu.
And then—
Another thought emerged.
In this world… how many could match him at the same level?
Ansu muttered inwardly:
Well, I would definitely be one.
Aside from me…
It began to think.
Recalling the geniuses it had encountered across its lifetimes—
There were barely any.
And most were anomalies—
Beings stuck at certain levels for strange reasons, not through normal progression.
As Ansu thought—
Kanzaki Rei also became aware of its thoughts.
Oh—
So my strength has already reached a level unmatched across history at the same tier?
But… who is this "Nerohel"?
Someone comparable to me?
Through Ansu's memories, fragments of that legend surfaced.
A figure shrouded in mystery—
Even Ansu had never seen him.
Only heard of him.
Yet he had left behind countless impossible legends.
One of them—
Slaying a Tier 7 dragon at Level 5.
There were others—
Killing Tier 7, Seven-Mutation monsters.
Impressive.
But ancient history.
Unlikely to intersect with him.
Kanzaki Rei stood atop the dragon's back.
As Helberzio soared through the sky, it communicated with him while flying back toward where they had come from.
Kanzaki Rei sat upon its back—
Its golden scales had already fully regenerated.
So this…
Was what it felt like to ride a dragon.
…It was nothing like he imagined.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had thought about riding a dragon.
But dragons were too rare, too powerful—
Only now had that wish come true.
And yet—
The feeling was completely different from what he expected.
It was simply too large.
Rather than riding a dragon—
It felt like sitting on a vast, golden plain covered in scale-like patterns.
There was no real sensation of "riding" it at all.