Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

Chapter 7.5

"Haa, haa, haa ..."

A young man was swinging his fist at the outer edge of the city wrapped in the dark night.

His fist blew the air away and his flowing kicks cut through the wind.

Kevin, a young man of the Silver Wolf tribe, who belonged to the first class, third year.

While breathing roughly, he swung his fist.

His fist, illuminated by the moonlight, never once faltered, and he continued to unleash one technique after another.

He launched a straight fist thrust, then connected with an elbow strike while sliding his right leg forward, and then linked it with a roundhouse kick with his left leg.

He then jumped lightly. While switching legs, he then executed a heel drop with his right foot.

The blow, along with the momentum of the roundhouse kick added to it, struck the ground violently, and due to the impact, the soil bounced up and flew in the air.

If it were an ordinary piece of armor, the kick would surely crush the entire contents of the armor.

However, in contrast to the brilliance of his technique, even as he delivered such a blow, Kevin’s expression was still stiff.

"This won’t do. He can dodge this...!"

While gnashing his back teeth, Kevin readjusted his fist.

A meadow stretched out in front of him. But his eyes caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the meadow while holding a katana.

The moment he saw the shadow, a hot, sticky sensation spreads through his mind.

He remembered the human figure that had fought a fierce battle with Jihad at the martial arts garden.

An inferior student. The person he had despised as garbage had shown him unbelievable feats of skill.

Shattering Jihad’s sword and shield.

The tenth-class student had accomplished what none of the A-ranked students in the third year and first class had ever accomplished.

The hero, whose temporary weapon shattered, finally pulled out his true companion, which he had never wielded against a student, and faced Nozomu.

The hero recognized the student, Nozomu Bountis, as someone worthy of him to fight using his true weapon.

No one else in the third year was treated that way. No one could make him pull out his "companion".

And the person in question, who had the huge sword pointed at him, showed no sign of being intimidated, but simply looked straight at the formidable foe before him.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy! ... "

For Kevin, who had only judged people by their strength and power, the sight of Nozomu fighting Jihad was like a bolt of lightning coming from the sky.

Gut-wrenching rage and humiliation scorched Kevin’s body.

But what irritated him more than anything else was the fact that the girl he had a crush on had been cheering for that inferior student.

The words she gave to Nozomu during the combat training had pierced Kevin’s chest like a spear.

The katana that was drawn because of her support. She stared with eyes shining like rainbows towards the guy who, despite his handicap, was facing Jihad head-on.

The battle ended with Jihad’s victory. But in that battle, no one could laugh at Nozomu.

Everyone was fascinated by Nozomu’s appearance, who, even though he was cornered, struggled to his last breath, trying to find a way out of the situation.

Seeing Nozomu, who eventually fainted, the girl jumped down into the arena without worrying about the public’s gaze.

She rushed into the arena faster than anyone else.

Kevin could only feel the pain from her voice as she ran towards Nozomu while screaming desperately.

"Damn it!..."

As if his whole body was on fire with rage and unspeakable discomfort, Kevin clicked his tongue and activated his instantaneous movement.

As if to shake off the discomfort in his chest, he danced at the shadow of his enemy, Nozomu, standing before him.

But this time, the shadow did not just stand still.

As if in response to Kevin’s instantaneous movement, the shadow also activated its instantaneous movement. It sprinted towards Kevin with the intention of a head-on collision.

The distance between the two quickly closed, and in no time, the shadow’s figure filled Kevin’s field of vision.

Nozomu’s shadow, who was holding a katana, had a wider attack range than Kevin’s.

The shadow raised its katana and slashed at Kevin’s torso. However, its speed was not fast at all.

"Such a slow blow!"

Kevin leaped in time with the oncoming slash. Using his physical ability and agility, he leaped over Nozomu’s head in a somersault.

While turning over in mid-air, Kevin fired a volley of Qi bullets at the shadow’s feet, shaking the shadow’s momentum with soaring sand and soil.

He landed just behind the shadow. Inside his attack range. The perfect distance for him to swing his fist.

"Raah!"

Kevin immediately launched his fist at the back of the shadow’s head.

His physical ability had been enhanced by his Qi. The fist, which transmitted the momentum of his entire body, became a vicious blunt weapon and aimed at the shadow from behind.

Furthermore, the Qi bullet that had just been released left the shadow completely standing still.

(I got you!)

He was sure of his victory.

But the next moment, that certainty vanished like a haze.

"Wha~ !?"

The shadow figure at the end of his fist moved out of Kevin’s point of attack like a flowing stream.

At the same time, the shadow’s body spun around and its piercing gaze pierced Kevin.

The shadow stepped forward, using the momentum from its katana swing, and tried to avoid Kevin’s fist strike while turning around in a circular motion unique to the art of the katana technique.

Its evasive maneuver was made at an extremely delicate timing that even those who saw it weren’t sure if it would make it in time.

Whether Kevin’s fist would catch the shadow or not.

A bead of sweat ran down the Silverwolf’s cheek, and his pupils dilate.

And then, a momentary intersection occurred..

"~ !?"

Kevin’s cheeks twitched and cold sweats broke out down his spine all at once.

The shadow succeeded in dodging his fist while making a single scratch on his cheek, and as soon as he turned around, the shadow was about to launch an upward slash from below

With all the hairs on his body standing up, Kevin tried to pull back his swinging fist.

However, Kevin had stepped forward and was already unable to escape the sword’s attack range.

"Tch!"

While clicking his tongue, he forcibly put his own fist into the orbit of the katana.

In such an unstable position, Kevin dared to parry with the light armor on the gauntlet on his hand. But despite his aim, the shadow’s attack sliced through the armor without any resistance.

"Guh~!"

Kevin quickly tried to take a distance, but at that moment the shadow had already released another attack.

Something approached in front of him at high speed.

The next moment, Kevin felt something pass through his body.

"A~......"

A dumbfounded voice escaped Kevin’s mouth.

A strange feeling of floating and emptiness. He felt strangely cold from the neck down.

His vision spun. Then, with a thud, the scene in front of him rolled and overturned.

What the hell happened?.... His vision turned dark. There, he could see his own body splattering red with blood...

"Guah~! Haa, haa, haa ..."

He involuntarily yelled and breathed roughly.

The next thing he knew, his darkened vision had returned to normal.

He put his hand on his neck to make sure of it, but his neck was still firmly connected to his body.

"Ugh...!"

At the same time as he felt relief, he felt a sense of rage and humiliation that almost set his whole body on fire.

Ever since Nozomu’s fierce battle with Jihad, Kevin had been training in this outer edge of the city in secret.

He would unleash his fists until his arms could no longer be raised, and repeat it until his legs became wobbly.

The shadow of Nozomu was always flickering in Kevin’s mind as he pushed his body to the limit.

He swung his fists frantically, trying to shake off the shadow, but he could not imagine himself winning.

And most of all, the sad face of the person he had been thinking of recently stirred his heart.

The fact that she was not looking at him, but at someone who was inferior to him. Someone who had become ahead of him before he knew it. His own pride, which didn’t want to admit defeat, were fighting against the reality, folding and mingling with each other, and only frustration grew.

"Damn you ..."

His feeling of humiliation leaked out unintentionally.

Under the starry sky, Kevin desperately suppressed his voice that was about to come out as a scream while clenching his hands so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms.

===============================

In the basement of the martial arts garden built in the Soluminati Academy, numerous magic formations were drawn on the wide floor.

These were used to control the magic barriers that had been installed in the martial arts garden. It was the best magic formation on the continent, which was made with the best of the school’s technology.

Jihad was waiting for someone to arrive while meditating alone on the magic formation, which was laid out like a carpet.

"Am I late?"

"No, you are right on time.."

Zonne suddenly appeared out of the darkness, stroking his beard and walking up to Jihad.

Jihad, who did not seem to be particularly surprised, turned and faced the old man.

"Now then, let’s drive the wedge. Aside from me, you don’t have much time, do you?"

"Well yeah. After this, there will be a rat hunt..."

"Hmm. Then, let’s get started..."

Zonne stepped forward and passed by Jihad’s side and caught a glimpse of the magic formation drawn on the floor.

However, Zonne’s aim was not the magic formation in front of him. This was just a lid to hide the real magic formation.

Zonne reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick stack of paper.

The moment he saw what was drawn on the paper, Jihad’s eyebrows frowned.

"Old man, you’re going to do it seriously, right?"

"W-what’s with that disappointed expression! Of course, I’m serious!"

On the cover of the thick stack of paper was a picture of naked, glamorous women. It was an obscene picture.

Zonne, who was coldly stared at by Jihad, became flustered and defended himself.

"This is a camouflage! It may look like an obscene picture, but what’s inside is a technique created with the best of my magic skills!"

Jihad’s gaze turned even colder.

Is it true? He highly doubted it.

"Eei! Here, look!"

Zonne tossed the bundle of papers he was holding into the air.

A wide variety of nude pictures were scattered in the air. From humans, beastmen, and elves. From saplings to ripe fruits, from big to small, they were all there as a work of art and entertainment.

"Blow up! My own work of art!"

The storm that swirled and blew it up was no doubt become an erotic typhoon. Jihad was about to make a remark.

Zonne was a man without restraint. There was no moderation in his behavior

Amidst the unusual sight, and while Zonne was pierced by Jihad’s expression full of suspicion, something happened just as the storm raged more intensely.

"Hm~ ..."

The obscene pictures floating in the air suddenly emitted light, turning the ero typhoon into a storm of shining white light.

Light particles danced from the obscene pictures as they began to glow, and the naked figures disappeared, revealing strange symbols.

The strange symbols, which were made up of many curves and straight lines, seemed to break off at the edges of the paper. It was clearly different from the circle-based magic formation prevalent on this continent.

For a moment, Jihad wondered if it was some kind of technique used in the East, but it was not.

"This is......!"

As Jihad was gazing in amazement, Zonne raised both arms and swung them down at once.

The next moment, all the light papers that had been dancing in the air hit the floor at once, emitting an exceptionally strong light.

Upon closer look, one can see that all of the formations were connected to the symbols drawn on the papers, without a single deviation.

It was a huge formation made by connecting numerous symbols.

It was much larger and more complicated than the formation that controlled the magic barriers in the martial arts garden.

Jihad gulped. Even he, who had fought on many battlefields, had never seen such a magnificent magic formation.

"Now then, the formation is complete. It’s time to finish it up."

Zonne continued to work while Jihad was amazed.

Zonne raised the staff in his hand, and the glowing white staff floated up and stood in the center of the magic formation.

At the same time, the staff emitted an intense light, and the magic formation on the floor was also dyed white, and the staff that had been standing in the center of the formation sunk into the ground.

When the staff completely disappeared into the ground, the light of the magic formation disappeared as well.

"This is the end"

Once again, darkness dominated the basement.

The magnificent magic formations were no longer there. Only the barrier control formations of the martial arts garden, that had been carved into the floor and had existed since before, were there.

But perhaps Zonne’s "wedge" had has already been driven there.

Zonne turned on his heel as if his business was finished, and Jihad followed a little later.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky as they walked out of the basement. It was already late at night.

"Ah right, I have something for you."

As if remembering something, Zonne pulled out several strange stones from his pocket.

Five colored stones: blue, red, green, yellow, and black.

However, looking at their surfaces, they were engraved with intricate and bizarre patterns that Jihad had never seen before.

"This looks like a magic tool used for the barrier ... Zonne-dono, what is this?"

"This is magic tool called the [Five Scale Stone]. After the kid wakes up, he definitely needs to train his abilities for some reason, right? I’m talking about the dragon’s power. More precisely, it is a magic tool that conceals the power of the spirits from the outside world. And I’ve also combined it with a barrier of concealment."

Indeed, Jihad also believed that he needed to confirm and train the power of the dragon Nozomu had taken in. However, the school was too small to train Nozomu, the Dragon Slayer.

He thought about having him train in the forest, but even so, there was still a possibility of a third party seeing him there.

However, with this magic tool, he didn’t have to worry about being seen.

"...This is a truly an unbelievable tool."

Jihad let out a sigh as he looked at the [Five Scale Stone] handed to him in the moonlight.

Basically, one magic tool can only have one magic formula engraved on it. If multiple magic formulas are engraved, the engraved magic will interfere with each other.

The manufacture of magic tools with multiple magic formulas required an extremely high level of skill, and they were traded at very high prices.

Jihad could not help but be amazed at the old man who kept handing him such valuable items as if they were souvenirs from the street.

"Well, I don’t really need this magic tool, but you do, don’t you?"

"Yes. Thank you, I’ll put it to good use."

Nevertheless, what was available must be used. With all the recent storms and crises, they could no longer worry about what could be used and what couldn’t.

"You still have one more thing to do, don’t you?"

"Yeah, rather, we must succeed."

Jihad answered Zonne’s question with a stiff expression on his face.

Jihad accompanied the old man because he had been told about the "wedge" that Zonne had just driven.

The climax was yet to come. From here on, they will go through the real battle.

"Jihad-dono, we are ready."

Inda appeared from the shadows of the school building.

She was carrying a thick grimoire with elaborate ornamentation and was dressed in a robe with magic protection. She was dressed as if she were going to war.

"Alright, old man, what about you ..."

Jihad nodded at Inda’s brief report and looked back at Zonne.

But the old man was already gone, and the wind was blowing away the fallen leaves.

"What’s wrong, Jihad-dono?"

"No ... nothing."

Jihad let out a sigh once and immediately switched his mind.

Walking forward regardless of Zonne’s sudden disappearance, Jihad looked around as he arrived at the main gate.

There were eyes staring at them from the trees and shadows planted near the main gate.

It was the members of the Starlight that Jihad had ordered to be called.

"Now then, as I’m sure you’ve heard, we are going to exterminate the pests that have nested in this city."

He had already told them everything they needed to know. All that was needed was his command to begin the operation.

"No need to hold back. Secure them and take them all into custody."

With a simple command, all eyes around Jihad and Inda disappeared at once and soundlessly.

"We will be on our way too."

"Yes!"

With his hand on the [Jaw Drop] on his back and Inda following him, Jihad also disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Midnight. The battle of those who lurked in the shadows had begun.

====================================

Nozomu sighed at the unusual situation he found himself in.

The moment he touched the strange gate standing on the glasswork meadow, he was in this situation.

All around him, a glittering sandstorm-like scene was moving up and down, left to right, and all over the place.

Nozom frowned due to the discomfort he felt.

Actually, it was not the surroundings, but Nozomu himself who was moving. Moreover, he felt unpleasant because he was in a situation where he was in free fall.

Nozomu was desperately struggling to regain his position. He was shifting around and around.

"Damn! What’s going on !?"

In the midst of this unexpected situation, Nozomu was frantically moving his hands and legs while raising his voice.

However, there was no way he could fly or glide, as he had no wings.

Somehow, he managed to spread out his arms and legs to kill the momentum of his spin and regain his position, but he could not see the end of his fall at all.

Countless white lines cut through the darkness of the void.

"W-w-what am I supposed to do?"

Nozomu’s voice trembled as he panicked, not knowing at all how far he had fallen.

Meanwhile, the countless lines that were gradually running around him seemed to be decreasing in number.

Soon, everything that could be seen in front of his eyes disappeared. True darkness enveloped Nozomu.

At that moment, the sensation of falling that he had felt earlier suddenly disappeared. All that remained was a strange floating sensation.

The next moment, his field of vision opened at once.

The scenery changed in the blink of an eye.

"What’s this......?"

The situation had changed so drastically that Nozomu’s thoughts couldn’t catch up with it.

But then he realized that the floating sensation he felt earlier had disappeared, and both his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

And the beauty of the scene before him took Nozomu’s breath away.

He was now standing on a slightly elevated hill. Beyond it stretched out a fertile hilly landscape that extended beyond the horizon.

The towering trees, nourish the life of birds resting on their branches and leaves.

The plateaus were covered with green meadows where beasts raced, and

at the end of the plateau was a huge white tower that pierced the clouds and seemed to reach the sky.

The pure white tower shone dazzlingly in the sunlight pouring down from the sky.

And in the sky ...... were six dragons spreading their wings and dancing.

"Those are......"

Each one was completely different from the other, a different kind of dragon.

The pure white that combined strength and purity, the yellow that brimming with life, the green of the wind floating in the sky at will, the red of the scarlet flame that seemed to embody the flame of life, and the blue of the ocean that could swallow everything.

Each dragon was young and full of vitality, and the powerful flap of their wings gave them the atmosphere of those who reign at the pinnacle of all life.

But what caught Nozomu’s eye was something else. It was a dragon clad in jet-black scales that seemed to embody the darkness of the night.

Flying at the back of the herd, the dragon was moving its wings frantically, trying desperately to keep up with the five dragons in front of it, even though it looked like it was in danger of falling over.

"Is that ...Tiamat?"

They were different in size and number of wings. But when Nozomu’s eyes caught sight of it, the names came naturally from his mouth.

"Everyone ~. Wait up~~!"

"Good grief, that guy is still bad at flying~"

"Regnant, don’t say that. Even Tet is doing her best."

The dragon called Regnant, with its green dragon scales shining in the sunlight, sighed while flapping its sharp, blade-like wings. Towards such a green dragon, the blue dragon with a body as supple as a sea serpent spoke words of caution.

"As Oru says ... A Green Dragon like you has no trouble flying ..."

"Yes, that’s right! Ooslagg is right!"

Ooslagg, the yellow dragon with a body like a huge rock, defended Tiamat, but the red dragon, who interrupted their conversation from the side, knocked her down again.

"But, well, Tiamat is definitely not good at flying, she’s not like a dragon!"

"Guu ... Wellims, why did you bring that up!"

The disgruntled Tiamat started yapping again, but the red dragon, called Wellims, didn’t seem to care.

"U~u~u~!"

"Come on, Tet. Pull yourself together."

The white dragon approached beside the black dragon, calling out while encouraging Tiamat, who was feeling frustrated.

Tiamat’s eyes lit up as she confirmed the white dragon’s appearance.

"T-thank you. Mikael!"

"Good grief. That Mikael, he has a soft spot for Tet~"

The white dragon called Mikael was by Tiamat’s side, gently stroking her head to encourage her.

Fellow dragons were watching over these two with gentle eyes.

Nozomu was struck dumbfounded by the sight of Tiamat, whom he had never seen before.

"Is this ... Tiamat’s memory? But ..."

To Nozomu, Tiamat was nothing but a disaster incarnate.

Tiamat had such powerful power to annihilate a forest with a single blow, and it had the urge and hatred to destroy everything in its path.

Until now, Tiamat had tried to destroy him many times. Sometimes indirectly, sometimes directly. It had destroyed Nozomu’s spirit and body. It had tried to revive itself many times.

However, the Tiamat before Nozomu’s eyes didn’t show the slightest trace of such hatred or the urge to kill. In fact, she seemed somewhat childish and even timid.

Tiamat’s memories. Nozomu, who had a glimpse of a part of it, became doubtful and confused about the dragon.

But Nozomu had to put aside his doubts as the six dragons continued to soar through the sky.

Eventually, the six dragons found a suitable flat land and began to descend in unison.

The landing of the giants, larger than a house, caused a roaring sound, and all the wild animals in the area around the landing point flee at once.

"Everyone, it’s okay~! Sorry, we startled you~!"

Upon landing, Tiamat checked on the wild animals and rushed to them, away from the five dragons.

The black dragons, which were making a thudding sound, made the wild animals panic and hid behind the grass, but they did not seem to run away immediately.

"Hey, hey, let’s play~!"

Tiamat walked up to the animals and cheerfully called out to them. The animals were peeking at him from behind the grass and leaves.

The animals looked at Tiamat for a while, but eventually, one by one, they approached the black dragon with trepidation.

The doe that approached first brought her nose close to Tiamat’s paw, and after she sniffed it, she licked it.

Tiamat responded to the doe’s gaze, which had a mixture of curiosity and a hint of fear, with calm eyes.

Perhaps because of Tiamat’s gentle eyes, the doe, which had been sniffing, brushed her cheek against the black dragon’s paw.

Perhaps finally reassured by this sight, the animals appeared from the forest one after another and sneaked up to Tiamat.

"Ahahaha! That tickles! Hey~! Don’t bite my tail~!"

In no time at all, the animals were rubbing their bodies against Tiamat. Not only deer, rabbits, and other herbivores. Even the wolves and bears that would normally hunt them had joined together to snuggle up to Tiamat.

“As usual, Tet is loved by the animals.”

"... Not just animals. She was worshiped by humans too."

A heartwarming scene lit by warm sunlight. Mikael, who had been watching from afar, gave a small smile, and as if prompted by this, Ooslagg opened his mouth.

"Hee, really?"

"The Black Dragon of Fertility, was it? She was sharing her vitality with the barren land for the humans who were suffering from famine because she felt sorry for them~. They were in a great panic when she turned the barren land into a sea of trees~."

"As usual, she’s careless ..."

Wellims grumbled at Regnant’s revelations, and their friends laughed when they hear them.

Meanwhile, Tiamat, who they were talking about, was still playing with the animals.

After watching the scene of Tiamat playing with the animals for a while, Oru turned his mysterious face to Mikael.

"More importantly, is it okay for you to sneak away from the ritual, Mikael? Wouldn’t your father be mad at you for sneaking out?"

"It will be okay, Oru. It’s my brother, Gabriel, who should be there for the ritual anyway... I’m sure father doesn’t mind that I’m gone either."

The blue dragon called Oru tilted his head a little worried, but Mikael shook his head and answered.

However, his voice seemed to be somewhat depressed.

"I wonder about that~. I’m sure your father’s head is probably boiling with anger because you, Mikael, are disappearing on your own right now~."

"Mikael, are you okay...? your father, is he angry at you?"

Due to the agitated voice of Regnant, the Green Dragon, Tiamat, who had a big smile on her face earlier, anxiously snuggled up against Mikael.

Tiamat retracted its long neck like a turtle. Tiamat probably knew Mikael’s father as well.

Even so, Tiamat didn’t want to leave Mikael, the white dragon’s side. Tiamat looked up at him with her moist eyes and said, "Don’t go!".

"It’s okay, Tet. Besides, I’m having more fun with everyone."

"Well, still, the adults don’t think well of us playing together."

Mikael gently patted Tiamat, who looked up at him with sad eyes.

Meanwhile, Oru, now shifted his gaze to Tiamat.

"What about you, Tet? Is this alright with you? Is this okay with you? This area is outside the Black Dragon’s control area. This is a buffer zone, but Tet is not allowed outside of the control area yet..."

Upon hearing Oru’s question, Tiamat’s face distorted as if she had bitten a bitter worm. She had a dissatisfied look on her face.

"I don’t want to be there. Everyone is tormenting me and saying I’m useless..."

Useless.

Knowing firsthand Tiamat’s extraordinary power, Nozomu couldn’t believe his ears the moment he heard those words.

But if he looked closely, Tiamat was one size smaller than the other dragons.

Perhaps Tiamat was still a young dragon.

The other dragons might also be quite young, and Nozomu thought that perhaps they were much younger than he thought.

In fact, he could not detect the mature atmosphere in their words and actions.

Unaware of Nozomu’s thoughts, the young black dragon shook his head and shouted.

"I’d rather be with everyone. No, I want to be with everyone forever!"

"But it’s impossible~. Everything will move like the wind. It’s impossible to stay together forever ~"

Tiamat’s cry, which resembled a scream, was dismissed by Regnant’s words.

The other dragons looked away and looked uncomfortable, but no one denied Regnant’s words. They may have the same thoughts.

"But ... but ..."

Perhaps still unable to give up, Tiamat was desperately searching for words to somehow deny Regnant’s words.

In the end, however, only silence passed between the dragons without any further words.

"... It is the facts. When we become adults, we have to live in our respective controlled lands, and we are forbidden to go to lands where other dragons live."

"... Why do they do it that way? It would be better if we could all stay together..."

Tiamat’s mutterings were drowned out by the wind as she looked up at the sky forlornly.

Contrary to the black dragon’s feeling of being depressed to no end, the sun shining in the sky was sprinkling its cheerful light to no end.

"What in the world is this all about?..."

Nozomu’s mind was in a state of complete confusion as he was presented with one unbelievable sight after another.

A gigantic tower that he had never seen before. And the different species of dragons talking to each other. All of these things were beyond Nozomu’s comprehension.

Above all, he was struck by the sight of Tiamat, which was completely different from the Tiamat he had known until then.

A completely different side of the dragon that he had previously thought was nothing more than a disaster. Confusion and doubt about the dragon began to swirl in the back of his mind.

However, Tiamat’s memories burst out and disappeared before he could find out the answer, and darkness once again took over the area.

Once again, a floating sensation overtook him, and his vision went dark.

Nozomu found himself once again standing on a jet-black grassy plain.

The shining gate was still standing before his eyes.

Was it his imagination? The red light that had been visible beyond the horizon seemed to be getting closer.

If he went through the gate, he might see Tiamat’s past again.

And what lies beyond the red horizon?

Pushing down the trace of anxiety and nervousness, Nozomu once again reached for the gate in front of him.

====================================

Author’s note

For the time being, here is a brief description of the dragon from the main story.

Information will be limited due to possible spoilers.

Regnant.

He is a green dragon, and his talent for manipulating the wind is outstanding among the green dragon tribe.

He is a humorous guy and often made fun of Tiamat for her slow pace.

Wellims

One of the fire dragons.

He is skilled at manipulating flames and can burn down an entire forest on a whim if he feels like doing it.

Its power is so great that the soil goes beyond carbonization and turns to glass.

Despite his strengths, he has a volatile personality and is often a source of trouble.

Ooslagg

A taciturn yellow dragon.

He is not very good at speaking and cannot communicate well by talking.

Oru

A blue dragon with a calm personality. He is characterized by his supple, sea-serpent-like physique and beautiful scales.

Mikael

A white dragon with a strong sense of justice. He is Tiamat’s best friend and often took good care of her.