Chapter 18: Mystic Dragon Form
FWOO!
The wind rolled across the battlefield as the Freaker army waited in stillness.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Until Daito stepped forward.
His voice was calm, but there was something darker beneath it.
"Your ambitions are… noble in theory."
The Chancellor tilted his head slightly.
"But your methods are underrated," Daito continued. "You stand here with an army of Freakers."
He gestured toward the massive circle surrounding them.
"That means one thing."
His eyes narrowed.
"You possess the formula."
Silence deepened.
"The formula to create Savages."
The soldiers behind them exchanged uneasy looks.
Daito kept going.
"So either you know the person who created the virus…"
His voice lowered.
"…or the one we've been searching for this entire time…"
His gaze locked onto the Chancellor.
"…is you."
A pause.
Then Champagne spoke slowly.
His voice almost breaking.
"You mean to tell me…"
His eyes widened.
"…my father created all of this?"
Daito didn't look away from the Chancellor.
His tone turned cold.
"Yes."
"We are currently looking at the founder of Disorder."
The word dropped like thunder.
"Disorder…"
The soldiers began murmuring.
Then anger erupted.
"You monster!"
"You killed our families!"
"You destroyed the world!"
CLICK! CLICK!
Several soldiers lifted their rifles, shaking with rage.
Aerin felt chills run down her spine.
The name alone carried weight.
Disorder.
The virus that twisted humanity.
The origin of Freakers.
The thing that turned the world into what it was now.
And standing in front of them—
Fwoo...
Was the man responsible.
But the Chancellor…
Simply sighed.
Unbothered.
"Your accusation is… almost correct."
The soldiers froze.
"Almost."
He raised one finger.
"I did not create Disorder."
He began walking slowly across the battlefield.
Calm.
Composed.
"The people I worked for created it."
"My team and I merely…"
He smiled faintly.
"…refined it."
"To put it to better use."
The words sickened everyone present.
Daito's jaw tightened.
"Better use?"
He pointed at the Freaker army.
"Do you even care how many people died?"
"Look around you."
"These things were once human."
His voice sharpened.
"You sacrificed people to create these numbers."
The Chancellor stopped walking.
Then laughed softly.
"You all act like victims."
His eyes turned toward the soldiers.
"How many people have you killed on your leaders' orders?"
Silence fell immediately.
His gaze shifted to Daito.
"And you."
"How many men have you cut down to become the fearless, unpredictably annoying little swordsman you are?"
Daito said nothing.
Then the Chancellor turned to Champagne.
"And you."
His voice softened strangely.
"How about the truth?"
"Why were you cast out of the family?"
Champagne's fists clenched.
The Chancellor spoke it without hesitation.
"Because you sacrificed your mother."
"My wife."
"To obtain the power of a Savage."
The battlefield froze.
The soldiers looked at Champagne in shock.
Even Aerin's breath caught.
Champagne's face darkened.
Oh yeah!? And who's fault is that!"
He shouted in anger.
Pain.
Shame.
Rage.
All at once.
The Chancellor spread his arms slightly.
"No one here is a hero."
"So none of you should point fingers."
"Dwelling on morality wastes time."
His eyes sharpened.
"And time…"
"…is something we do not have."
Then he gestured toward the Freaker army again.
"And for the record."
"These Freakers?"
"They are not sacrifices."
He shrugged casually.
"They are the remains of those already slain."
"I simply collected their bodies."
"And resuscitated them."
"Brought them back."
"To life."
Several soldiers lowered their weapons slightly.
Some looked horrified.
Others looked confused.
The explanation sounded…
Possible.
The battlefield began filling with uncertain whispers.
But Daito suddenly spoke.
"That's bullshit."
Everyone turned to him.
The Chancellor's smile paused slightly.
Daito continued calmly.
"Freakers disintegrate twenty-two seconds after death."
Dead silence.
"I know this because I always count."
The soldiers stared at him.
Aerin slowly looked at Daito, realizing what that meant.
He had fought them so often…
He timed their decay.
Every single time.
Daito continued.
"So unless your scientists can beat basic physics…"
"…you're lying."
The wind moved again.
The Chancellor stared at Daito.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Interested.
Deeply interested.
Then he smiled wider than before.
"Well…"
He said quietly.
"You really are…"
"…a fascinating child."
For the first time since arriving—
The Chancellor looked excited.
* * *
The Chancellor brushed dust from his sleeve as if the entire battlefield bored him.
"Young."
"Hot-headed."
"You believe you can change the world."
He looked at them one last time.
"But in reality… you are merely drops in an ocean."
Aerin gritted her teeth.
Champagne stepped forward.
Daito's hand slowly tightened on his sword.
The Chancellor sighed.
"But fine."
He turned his back to them and began walking away.
Three massive Superior Freakers stepped beside him like bodyguards.
Before disappearing into the dust, he gave one final order.
His voice carried across the battlefield.
"You."
He pointed at the towering armored Freaker.
"Remain."
It's metal-covered face turned toward the trio.
"Make sure they are dead."
He continued walking.
"Oh—and do not damage the bodies too much."
He raised a hand lazily.
"I will return tomorrow."
"There appears to be someone… attempting to invade my laboratory."
Then he vanished into the swirling dust alongside the three Superior Freakers.
Daito immediately drew his blade.
"You think we're just going to let you leave?"
But the Chancellor's voice echoed faintly from the distance.
"Yes."
And then—
SWOOSH!
"Skrreetch!"
"Rrrwaaar!"
Chaos exploded.
The entire Freaker army attacked at once.
Hundreds rushed forward from every direction.
Claws.
Teeth.
Screams.
The soldiers immediately panicked.
"OPEN FIRE!"
RATA-TAT-TAT!
RAT-TAT-TAT!
Champagne jumped directly in front of them.
"Form a line behind me!"
"Keep firing and cover my back!"
The soldiers obeyed instantly.
Gunfire roared.
Shells hit the ground.
Freakers dropped one after another.
But there were simply too many.
Daito dashed forward like a black flash.
His blade moved relentlessly.
SLASH!.
TURN!
DECAPITATE!
KICK!
STAB!
PSSSH!
Blood sprayed across the dust.
Aerin fought beside him, moving like a flowing blade.
Her strikes were precise.
Efficient.
Deadly.
But the numbers kept growing.
Freakers crawled over the bodies of the fallen.
The circle around them tightened.
There was no escape.
Daito kept counting unconsciously.
13.
24.
45.
66.
97.
His breathing grew heavier.
His muscles burned.
Even he was nearing his limit.
Aerin was slowing down too.
The soldiers were almost out of ammunition.
And Champagne …
Saw it first.
They were going to lose.
He stepped backward.
His expression hardened.
"Everyone…"
He spoke quietly.
"…whatever you see next."
His voice grew serious.
"You keep it to yourselves."
He slowly removed his long jacket.
It fell onto the battlefield.
Underneath he wore only a tank top.
His physique became visible.
Perfectly conditioned muscles.
Lean.
Flexible.
Built for speed and explosive power.
He pressed two fingers into the pressure points along his neck and chest.
A sharp breath escaped his mouth.
Then—
Something changed.
His eyes began to glow.
A green-yellow energy ignited around his hands like living fire.
His breathing turned hot and heavy.
The air itself trembled.
Daito's eyes widened slightly.
"Savagery…"
Champagne whispered the name of his technique.
"The Mystic Dragon Arts."
Then—
SWOOSH!
VANISH!
He vanished.
Aerin blinked.
"Where did he—"
A Freaker suddenly exploded in front of her.
BOOM!
Then another.
BAM!
Then five more.
BAM!
BAM!
BRRMM!
Bodies began dropping everywhere.
Daito's eyes sharpened.
He tried tracking the movement.
But even he could barely follow it.
SHHRRR!
SWOOSH!
Green-yellow streaks cut through the battlefield.
"Gwaarr!"
Limbs flew.
"Squaarrr!"
Heads burst apart.
"Skreeei!"
Spines shattered.
Freakers were being destroyed faster than the soldiers could even fire.
SHHRRRR!
SWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Champagne moved like a dragon tearing through a flock of birds.
Daito kept counting despite the chaos.
Half the army was already gone.
Two hundred.
Three hundred.
Four hundred.
The battlefield turned into a graveyard.
Freakers were being erased before they could even react.
Finally—
BOOM!
The last Freaker's head exploded under Champagne's glowing fist.
Silence returned.
Shhrrrr.....
The green fire faded from his hands.
SHWING!
His glowing eyes dimmed.
His Savage power ended.
Daito finished the count quietly.
"Six hundred eighty-nine…"
Champagne had just wiped out the remaining army alone.
But one figure still stood.
The armored Freaker.
The one the Chancellor left behind.
Its metallic mask stared at them.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Daito wiped blood from his mouth.
Aerin raised her blade.
Champagne cracked his neck.
Without speaking—
SWOOSH!
DASH!
All three charged at once.
Their attacks struck simultaneously.
Sword.
Blade.
Savage fist.
CLANG!
CLING!
CLONG!
The armored Freaker blocked everything.
It's arm moved like reinforced steel.
Then it retaliated.
Its counterattack was terrifyingly fast.
BOOM!
All three were knocked back instantly.
The monster stepped forward slowly.
And for the first time—
Daito felt something unusual.
This thing…
Was different.
A bit stronger than the others.
"ROOAARG!"
SWOOSH!
It pushed them back with a wide swing.
* * *
The armored Freaker stood motionless for a moment.
It's metal mask tilted slightly as if studying them.
Daito wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
Aerin leaned slightly on her blade to steady herself.
Champagne cracked his knuckles, but his breathing was heavy.
They were all exhausted.
Hundreds of Freakers.
Relentless combat.
Even with Champagne's Mystic Dragon Arts, the battle had drained them.
The armored Freaker slowly stepped forward.
The ground trembled under its weight.
Daito narrowed his eyes.
"This thing… isn't normal."
Champagne exhaled slowly.
"No kidding."
The monster suddenly lunged forward.
It's speed shocked all three of them.
CLANG!
It's armored fist smashed against Daito's blade and forced him to his knee.
Aerin dashed in from the side—
SLASH!
Her strike scraped across the metal plating but barely left a mark.
The Freaker grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground.
"AGH—!"
Champagne charged and struck its chest with a glowing fist.
BOOM!
The impact pushed the monster back several meters but the armor absorbed most of the damage.
Champaign stepped back, breathing hard.
"…this is bad."
The Freaker raised its arm.
A strange mechanical glow began forming around its chest plate.
Daito's eyes widened.
"Move—!"
Before the attack could fire—
A blinding laser beam tore across the battlefield.
SHHHHRAAAAAAA!
The beam struck the Freaker from behind and blew its armor apart in an explosion of molten metal.
The creature roared and collapsed forward.
"UARRGH!"
Smoke rose from the ruined armor.
Everyone turned.
A sleek black armored vehicle rolled over the dusty ridge and stopped in front of them.
The side doors opened.
Four figures stepped out.
One of them stretched her arms with a sigh.
"Hmph."
She looked slightly annoyed.
"Striking from behind…"
She shook her head.
"Where is the honor in that?"
The others ignored her complaint.
The first one to approach them was a tall man with long dark hair tied behind his head.
He walked calmly toward the group with an easy smile.
"Well."
He bowed slightly.
"Looks like we arrived just in time."
"My name is Wei-Wan Lou."
He gestured to the others behind him.
"That loud one complaining about honor is Fah-jin Dou."
The woman scoffed again but didn't deny it.
"The big guy over there is Brandon Fu."
A large muscular man waved lazily.
"And the one eating snacks already is Wasabi Yuko."
The girl casually munched on something while waving.
"We're a group of Savages called Outsiders."
Wei-Wan shrugged casually.
"We wander between outposts hunting Freakers."
"We were just passing through the border to grab food and supplies."
He looked around at the battlefield filled with bodies.
"…didn't expect to find a war zone."
Then Brandon suddenly froze.
He stared at Champagne.
His eyes widened.
"Wait…"
He stepped closer.
"…is that really him?"
Fah-jin squinted.
"No way."
Wasabi stopped chewing.
"…holy hell."
Brandon pointed.
"Is that Champagne?!"
The moment the name was spoken—
The soldiers erupted.
"CHAMPAGNE!"
"IT'S CHAMPAGNE!"
"OUR HERO!"
Even some of the newcomers laughed as the name echoed across the battlefield.
Champagne rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah… yeah… it's me."
Aerin tilted her head in confusion.
She looked at him.
"…does everyone like your name that much?"
Champagne sighed.
"Pretty much."
"Everywhere I go."
Daito crossed his arms quietly.
Wei-Wan chuckled.
"Well."
He glanced between Daito, Aerin and Champagne.
"You three fought an entire army."
"That's impressive."
Wasabi jumped off the vehicle roof.
"So are we celebrating or what?"
Fah-jin cracked her knuckles.
"I vote food."
Brandon grinned.
"Town sounds good."
The soldiers immediately agreed.
* * *
Within minutes they gathered the supplies and loaded the vehicles.
The convoy began heading back toward town.
Dust trails followed behind them as the sun slowly began setting.
Inside the vehicle—
The atmosphere had changed completely.
Laughter.
Stories.
Teasing.
New companions had joined the journey.
But quietly sitting by the window, Daito stared at the horizon.
Thinking about something else entirely.
The Chancellor.
His lab.
And the war that was coming.
to be continued....