I smiled faintly as I heard her voice echo inside my mind.
"You took your time, huh?"
A low growl echoed back immediately.
[Hmph. Shut up, mortal.]
My lips twitched upward slightly.
Astarax had finally awakened.
The Chaos Dragon.
The being sleeping deep within my soul had finally opened her eyes.
I exhaled slowly.
"…I suppose I'll ask for an explanation later."
Above us—
the colossal Hydra continued staring down at me with its three monstrous heads.
Purple mana distorted the skies around it.
Then quietly—
I muttered.
"I suppose now you can help me?"
Silence.
Then—
[And if I don't?]
I blinked.
"…Huh?"
My eyes widened slightly.
"W-Wait."
"There's a gigantic Hydra trying to erase me right now."
"I need your help."
Astarax scoffed inside my head.
[Two weeks worth of whatever food I choose.]
[…Along with three different mov—]
"I GET IT."
"I'LL GET YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT."
[Tch. Fine, human.]
The moment she finished speaking—
BOOOOOOOOM.
A terrifying power erupted through my body.
My vision distorted instantly.
Pain surged through every part of me as something ancient synchronized with my existence.
CRACK.
Two massive black horns erupted from my head.
Dark scales spread partially across my arms.
My physical strength skyrocketed instantly.
Then—
a powerful tail burst from behind me while enormous dragon wings unfolded from my back violently.
The pressure released from my body alone shattered the ruins surrounding me.
The Hydra immediately roared toward the heavens.
Yet before it could attack—
another presence descended beside me.
BOOOOOOM.
The entire crater trembled.
A colossal black dragon landed amidst the ruined battlefield.
Astarax.
Her gigantic body towered over the burning remains of Valorheim itself.
Black scales darker than night covered her body while glowing purple cracks spread across them like fractured stars.
Her enormous golden eyes stared directly at the Hydra before us.
Ancient.
Proud.
Terrifying.
The skies themselves seemed to darken around her existence.
"What… is this form?"
I stared at my transformed body in disbelief.
Black scales partially covered my arms while enormous dragon wings stretched behind me.
The horns on my head felt unnaturally heavy.
Even my senses had changed completely.
I could hear the distant screams throughout the city.
Feel the mana flowing through the skies.
Everything felt sharper.
More primal.
Beside me—
Astarax lazily glanced toward my transformed state.
[Hm?]
[You look like a Dragonkin.]
She tilted her gigantic head slightly afterward.
[…That's odd.]
Then immediately—
[Whatever.]
My eye twitched.
before the ruined city of Valorheim—
two colossal monsters now stood facing each other.
The three-headed Hydra radiating endless purple corruption.
And opposite to it—
the gigantic black Chaos Dragon whose mere existence distorted the heavens.
The skies violently trembled between their pressures.
Citizens throughout the kingdom stared upward in absolute horror.
Some couldn't even comprehend what they were witnessing anymore.
Two legendary calamities standing before the city—
like ancient beings from myths had descended upon the world.
The Hydra roared first.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Its three heads unleashed terrifying waves of purple mana across the battlefield.
Yet Astarax simply spread her massive wings slowly.
The pressure released from that single motion alone split the clouds apart.
Golden dragon eyes narrowed toward the Hydra.
Then—
for the first time—
Astarax spoke aloud.
Her ancient voice echoed throughout the kingdom itself.
[How amusing.]
[A failed imitation dares stand before me?]
Astarax slowly raised her colossal head toward the darkened skies.
A terrifying sphere of black-purple energy began forming within her mouth.
The surrounding atmosphere distorted violently.
Even space itself seemed unstable near the growing beam of chaos.
Across from her—
the three-headed Hydra screeched toward the heavens.
Purple mana gathered within all three mouths simultaneously.
The skies above Valorheim trembled.
Then—
they fired.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Astarax's beam of chaos collided directly against the Hydra's triple beams.
The impact alone split the clouds apart.
Shockwaves tore through the kingdom.
Windows shattered across distant cities.
The ground beneath Valorheim collapsed further as the two catastrophic powers struggled against each other.
Then—
BOOOOOM.
The collision exploded outward violently.
The Hydra roared as chaos flames engulfed part of its massive body.
Yet it didn't fall.
Instead—
one of its gigantic heads lunged forward and crashed directly into Astarax.
The impact shook the city.
Astarax growled deeply before retaliating immediately.
Her massive claws ripped across the Hydra's scales while black chaos flames erupted around her jaws.
The Hydra's remaining heads retaliated wildly.
One head unleashed concentrated beams throughout the battlefield while another tried restraining Astarax's wings.
The two colossal monsters tore through the ruined city like ancient calamities.
Every clash between them distorted the atmosphere.
Meanwhile—
I stood amidst the collapsing battlefield.
And for the first time—
my body no longer felt weak.
Power surged endlessly through my veins.
Every movement felt lighter.
Stronger.
More violent.
Dark dragon scales partially covered my arms while my wings spread slowly behind me.
I clenched my hand.
CRACK.
The air itself distorted slightly around my grip.
Astarax's voice echoed proudly inside my head.
[Don't slow me down, human.]
A grin slowly appeared on my face.
"…Funny."
Above us—
the Hydra screeched violently before slamming its gigantic body against Astarax once more.
BOOOOOOM.
The skies shook again.
And amidst the destruction of Valorheim—
two legendary monsters continued their battle beneath the fractured skies.
...
Raising Nocturne toward the battlefield—
I felt the surrounding space distort around the blade itself.
The synchronization with Astarax surged violently through my body.
Dark dragon mana wrapped around the sword.
Then quietly—
I spoke.
"…The First Cut."
SHIIIIING.
A single black line crossed the battlefield instantly.
Then—
one of the Hydra's three heads slowly separated from its neck.
BOOOOOOM.
The gigantic head crashed into the ruined streets below like a collapsing tower.
For a moment—
everything became silent.
Even the Hydra itself froze.
My dragon eyes narrowed.
It worked.
But then—
purple mana violently surged from the severed neck.
The flesh twisted unnaturally.
Veins pulsed.
And right before my eyes—
the wound began regenerating.
"Tch…"
The Hydra screamed furiously toward the heavens as a new head slowly reformed from the destroyed one.
Within seconds—
all three heads were staring at me once again.
Astarax growled beside me.
[Annoying creature.]
Meanwhile—
the Hydra's killing intent completely locked onto me now.
Like it had recognized me as an actual threat.
...
The Hydra screeched furiously after regenerating its lost head.
Then suddenly—
massive wings unfolded from its colossal body.
BOOOOOOM.
A violent storm exploded across the battlefield as the creature launched itself into the sky.
Its three glowing eyes remained locked onto me alone.
"Tch."
So it really chose me as its target.
Purple mana erupted behind the Hydra as it tore through the heavens at terrifying speed.
Meanwhile—
I immediately flew upward instead.
My dragon wings spread wide as dark mana burst beneath me.
CRACK.
The skies above Valorheim shattered apart from the pressure of the chase.
Wind roared violently around me.
The city below rapidly became smaller.
Yet even then—
the Hydra continued pursuing directly behind me.
Its gigantic jaws snapped toward me repeatedly while beams of purple destruction erupted past my sides.
BOOOOOOM.
Clouds exploded apart around us.
I twisted through the sky narrowly avoiding another attack.
Even with synchronization—
that thing was still absurdly dangerous.
Then suddenly—
a monstrous roar echoed across the heavens.
Astarax.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The black Chaos Dragon exploded upward through the clouds behind the Hydra.
Her gigantic wings eclipsed the sky itself.
Chaos flames erupted from her jaws as she immediately chased after the colossal beast.
The Hydra screeched in response before turning one of its heads toward her.
A massive purple beam fired instantly.
But Astarax smashed straight through it.
The explosion distorted the heavens.
[Pathetic imitation.]
Astarax's ancient voice thundered across the skies before she slammed directly into the Hydra from behind.
BOOOOOOOM.
The collision shook the atmosphere itself.
The two colossal monsters crashed through the clouds violently while purple mana and chaos flames exploded throughout the night sky.
I continued flying higher above them both.
My golden dragon eyes watched the battle beneath me carefully.
The synchronization strengthened my senses unnaturally.
Every movement.
Every fluctuation of mana.
I could feel all of it now.
Then—
the Hydra suddenly opened all three mouths simultaneously.
My eyes narrowed instantly.
Shit.
An enormous amount of mana condensed around the creature.
Even Astarax paused slightly.
The atmosphere trembled violently.
It was preparing something massive.
The Hydra's three heads rose toward the heavens simultaneously.
Purple mana condensed endlessly within their jaws.
The skies darkened further.
Even the clouds around us began collapsing inward from the sheer pressure.
Astarax's golden eyes narrowed immediately.
[Move.]
The moment she spoke—
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The Hydra fired.
Three colossal beams erupted through the heavens like divine punishment itself.
The entire night sky turned purple.
I instantly twisted sideways through the air.
One beam barely missed me.
Yet the pressure alone tore through my shoulder sending blood across the sky.
"Ghk—!"
Meanwhile—
Astarax roared furiously and charged directly through the center beam.
Chaos flames exploded around her gigantic body as she forced her way forward against the attack.
The sky itself shattered around the collision.
Then—
BOOOOOOM.
Astarax smashed directly into the Hydra.
The two colossal monsters spiraled violently through the heavens while shockwaves spread throughout Astryx.
One of the Hydra's heads lunged toward Astarax's neck.
But before it could bite—
Astarax grabbed it with her jaws.
CRRRRUNCH.
The entire sky trembled.
The Hydra screeched violently while chaos flames spread across one side of its body.
Then another head immediately retaliated.
A massive purple beam exploded point blank against Astarax's wings.
BOOOOOM.
For the first time—
Astarax was pushed backward.
My eyes widened slightly.
That thing was adapting.
Purple corruption slowly spread across the sky around the Hydra.
The longer this battle dragged on—
the stronger it became.
"Tch…"
I tightened my grip around Nocturne.
Astarax's voice echoed inside my head again.
[Human.]
[Stop staring and attack.]
A grin slowly formed on my face.
"…Right."
Dark dragon mana exploded around my body once more.
I accelerated downward through the sky like a black comet.
The Hydra noticed me instantly.
All three glowing eyes turned toward me simultaneously.
But this time—
I didn't dodge.
I flew straight toward it.
The winds screamed around my body.
Nocturne vibrated violently in my hands.
Then—
I raised the blade high above me.
Space around the sword distorted unnaturally.
The clouds themselves split apart.
And with dragon mana surging through every vein in my body—
I swung downward.
"SPATIAL SEVERANCE—!"