The forest felt wrong now.
Not dangerous.
Not unfamiliar.
Wrong.
The first time I ran through these woods, I had been bleeding, starving, half-mad from fear and exhaustion. Back then, the twisted trees and endless fog had hidden me from the world like silent protectors.
Now…
they felt like mourners guiding me toward a funeral.
The illusionary mountains ahead shimmered faintly as we approached. Their rocky surfaces rippled unnaturally before dissolving piece by piece, revealing the hidden nation concealed beneath.
The Dragon Nation.
Golden lights glimmered across colossal structures built directly into the cliffsides. Massive dragon statues towered over the city, ancient and regal, their stone eyes overlooking the streets below like silent gods guarding their final sanctuary.
My chest tightened painfully.
"So…" I muttered bitterly, staring at the gates far below. "I really shouldn't have left this place."
Raiku stopped walking instantly.
The disciples halted with him.
Cold air swept through the mountainside while his gaze slowly shifted toward me.
"Oh?" he asked softly. "You've been here before… demon?"
I clicked my tongue and looked away instead of answering.
The next moment—
Movement exploded beside me.
Lais Reed's kick tore through the air toward my skull without warning.
My body reacted automatically.
I caught her leg midair effortlessly.
The force behind the kick cracked the ground beneath my feet, but my grip never moved. For a brief moment her golden eyes widened slightly before hardening again with hostility.
Hatred.
But beneath it…
hesitation.
Fear.
Confusion.
I stared at her quietly.
"You're not like the others," I said softly. "Don't become someone I'll regret killing."
Then I tossed her aside.
Not enough force to injure her.
Just enough to warn her.
The other disciples tensed immediately, but Raiku simply watched with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"That hatred inside you…" he murmured calmly. "Use it."
Then he pointed toward the city below.
"Kill everyone."
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy silence.
I stared at him.
"There are innocent people down there."
My voice came out sharper than I intended.
"I won't do it."
For the first time since meeting him…
Raiku's smile vanished.
The world bent instantly.
Pressure descended from every direction at once.
My knees slammed into the ground.
CRACK.
The mountain beneath me fractured violently as invisible force crushed against my body. It felt like the atmosphere itself had transformed into a hand trying to grind me into dust.
I couldn't breathe.
Blood spilled from my mouth instantly.
Every organ inside me screamed.
This wasn't magic.
No…
This was domination.
Absolute domination.
"This thing…" my mind whispered in horror.
Raiku wasn't human anymore.
Maybe he never had been.
"Do it," he said softly.
The pressure intensified.
Bones cracked.
My vision blurred violently.
And suddenly—
fear exploded inside me.
Raw.
Ugly.
Primal.
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!" I roared. "NOT FOR THE THIRD TIME!"
Dark purple magic detonated from my body in violent waves.
BOOOOOOM.
The pressure shattered.
Trees exploded apart.
The mountain trembled.
I staggered upright breathing heavily while blood dripped from my mouth onto the snow beneath us.
Then slowly…
I raised my hand toward the city.
My voice came out hollow.
"Water Style: Typhoon."
The ocean below answered instantly.
A tidal wave rose high above the city walls like the hand of an angry god. Thousands of tons of water twisted upward violently, blocking out the sky itself.
Panic erupted below.
Then—
"Lightning Style: Wraith Shock."
Purple lightning crashed downward.
The sea became death.
The wave slammed into the city while lightning surged through every flooded street and building simultaneously. Entire districts exploded into sparks and screams as electricity devoured everything it touched.
Bodies convulsed violently.
Towers collapsed.
Flames spread across rooftops despite the floodwaters.
And still…
Raiku watched silently.
I descended toward the city slowly.
Then I saw them.
People in white clergy robes.
The same robes they forced onto me when I first arrived here.
Some were carrying children.
Some healed the wounded despite the chaos around them.
Some simply stared upward at me.
Not with hatred.
Not with fear.
With confusion.
With grief.
With reverence.
"Dragon Lord…" someone whispered below.
My body froze.
The tidal wave still raged behind me.
But I couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Edith and Zenith shifted automatically in my hands, transforming into twin MP5s wrapped in dark purple magic.
Holy magic gathered at the barrels.
Then instinct took over.
I fired.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRT.
Light tore through the streets below.
Buildings exploded apart.
Bodies fell.
Holy fire spread rapidly across shattered stone roads.
But nobody fought back.
Some guards dropped their weapons entirely.
Others bowed their heads.
One old man wrapped himself around a little girl while staring directly at me through the flames.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Why…?" he whispered.
My hands started shaking violently.
But the guns kept firing.
BRRRRRRRRT.
BRRRRRRRRT.
By the time silence finally came…
the city was dead.
Smoke covered the sky.
Holy fire consumed broken buildings.
Dragon statues lay shattered across the streets like fallen gods.
And everywhere…
bodies.
Bodies still staring at me like they believed I was supposed to save them.
Not destroy them.
My knees hit the ground hard.
I vomited instantly onto the blood-covered stone beneath me.
The smell of burnt flesh filled my lungs.
My breathing became uneven.
Broken.
A laugh escaped my throat.
Small at first.
Then louder.
Then uncontrollable.
I laughed until tears streamed down my face.
Until my chest hurt.
Until breathing itself felt impossible.
"Everywhere I go…" I whispered between broken laughter, "…dies."
Then—
bloodlust.
Violent.
Instant.
My instincts screamed.
Someone was behind me.
I spun instantly, both guns raised as killing intent exploded from my body—
And I fired.