"Huh?"
The girl's face was filled with shock and disbelief upon hearing such a revelation. This news was too overwhelming for her to process. She had long since given up any expectations regarding her supposed partner from a past life. After all, she barely believed in her own reincarnation, let alone the idea that her previous life had a significant other.
Now, not only was she faced with that reality, but the "partner" in question turned out to be a ten-meter-tall giant!
How could she possibly accept this? The giant before her was undoubtedly powerful and imposing, even quite handsome by giant standards, but his sheer size made the notion of partnership absurd.
The giant's fingers were thicker than her entire waist. Their physical proportions were on completely different scales. How could such a relationship even be possible?
"You don't have to be so surprised. He's currently in the same state as you—his true consciousness hasn't awakened yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't be like this," said Muria calmly as he gazed down at the giant below.
The giant's expression was twisted with grief, guilt, and self-reproach. Muria couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This pitiful figure was none other than his father's reincarnated form.
In all his life, Muria had never seen his father, Ansor, in such a broken state. His father had always been a symbol of strength and invincibility. Yet here stood his reincarnation, crushed by despair like a wounded beast. If Ansor's true consciousness were awake, this would never have happened.
"And what would he be like if his true self were awake?" the girl asked, still shaken by the revelation.
"He would be either equal to me or even stronger," Muria replied matter-of-factly before leaping off the dragon's back.
With a resounding thud, he landed on the scorched earth, kicking up a cloud of dust and embers.
The sudden appearance of a child-sized figure startled the giant, whose grief and anger instantly morphed into blind rage. Letting out a primal roar, the giant clenched his massive fist and swung it down at Muria with all his might.
The blow was powerful enough to create shockwaves, causing the already thin, heated air to ripple. Yet...
Smack!
Muria caught the incoming fist with a single hand, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"Really?" Muria muttered in disappointment. "You're my father's reincarnation, yet you're letting anger cloud your mind like this? Pathetic."
But the giant didn't care. Lost in a haze of fury and sorrow, he withdrew his fist only to strike again. This time, Muria didn't bother to block.
"This is getting tiresome," Muria sighed. "I won't just stand here and take this abuse. Even though you're my father's reincarnation, it doesn't mean I'll let you treat me as a punching bag."
When the giant swung for the third time, Muria grabbed one of his massive fingers. With a swift, practiced motion, he leveraged the giant's size against him, flipping him through the air like a ragdoll.
The giant crashed down with a deafening boom, sending chunks of rock and molten earth flying in all directions.
But even after being slammed into the ground, the giant roared defiantly and climbed back to his feet. His eyes burned with a desperate need to vent his rage, and Muria could only shake his head.
"Pitiful," Muria muttered. "You're a disgrace to the title of my father. Fine. If you won't calm down, then I'll beat some sense into you."
With a flash of light, Muria transformed into his draconic form. His sleek, black-scaled body shimmered with golden markings, and his eyes gleamed like molten gold. He stared down at the giant, contempt clear in his gaze.
The giant didn't hesitate. He charged again, fists raised in defiance. But Muria moved faster. With a whip-like motion, his long tail lashed out and struck the giant square in the chest.
The impact sent the giant flying, his massive body carving a trench through the rocky ground as he skidded to a halt. His chest was torn open, blood seeping from the deep wound.
Yet even that wasn't enough to stop him. Driven by grief and vengeance, the giant stood again, staggering but determined.
"Good grief," Muria muttered. "If you want more, I'll gladly oblige."
What followed was a one-sided beatdown. The giant was thrown, slammed, and battered by Muria's relentless attacks. Every attempt at retaliation was swiftly countered. The scene unfolded like a nightmare for the giant, and from her vantage point in the sky, the girl could barely watch.
"This is... brutal," she whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "Didn't he just say that's his father down there? And he's treating him like this?!"
As she spoke, she saw Muria slam the giant into the ground with terrifying force. It was almost as if he were venting some personal grudge.
"Is he... some kind of monster?" the girl murmured. "How can he treat his own father like that? Isn't this... treason or something?"
The dragon's ears twitched, and Muria's voice echoed in her mind.
"If you have complaints, say them to my face. Don't mumble behind my back," he said coolly.
The girl yelped in surprise, nearly jumping out of her seat.
"You heard that?!"
"Of course. My mental perception extends around me at all times. You're well within range," Muria replied.
"Oh... Uh, I won't say anything else!" the girl stammered, clamping her hands over her mouth.
She knew that if Muria was willing to pummel his own father, he wouldn't hesitate to discipline her if she angered him. Best to stay quiet and out of trouble.
"Honestly," Muria muttered under his breath. "You're just as unpredictable and impulsive as my mother. Truly fitting for her reincarnation."
The dragon's tail flicked as he glanced down at the giant, who was once again struggling to stand.
Despite the severe injuries he had sustained, there was something different about him now. A hidden power, dormant until now, began to stir within him. The sorrow of losing his tribe and the repeated physical abuse had pushed him to his limits.
Recognizing this shift, Muria's eyes narrowed.
"Good," he whispered. "Let's see how much more it takes to awaken the true power inside you."
With renewed determination, Muria prepared to strike again, knowing that each blow was bringing his father's true essence closer to the surface.
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