CHAPTER 61: SENPAI’S EYES

SERENA MAIZONO

1 ½ YEARS AGO

Senpai is finally here, but somehow, I feel a different aura on his heart. It’s full of dread and misery, and most of all, full of wrath. Even with such negative emotions in his heart, his physical appearance remain calm and normal. There’s one more thing that’s bothering me, and that is his closed left eye. It’s currently bleeding non-stop.

“Senpai… are you okay?” I worriedly asked. I wanted to touch her face, but I no longer have the strength to move my limbs.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Senpai opened his left eye and revealed his glowing emerald iris. Like what he said, his eye is completely fine. I can also feel his magical energy and heartbeats on optimal levels, so I am certain that he’s not injured at the very least. But I still wonder why his eye is bleeding in the first place.

“Xenon, you fucking bitch!” Alphonse said as he and Danielle landed on our side. “Where the fuck have you been the whole time?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Senpai coldly said as he readied his blaster shield in front and faced the overpowered enemy.

The rainbow-winged Z softly landed beside us like a graceful fairy that descended from the heavens. The rainbow glitters sprinkled around, giving off a soothing aroma and a healing wind towards me. Slowly, I can feel my strength replenished, but it is still not enough for me to stand up. 

“Settle down for a bit, Serena,” Z said. 

I nodded. Then, I asked a question that troubled me the most about her. “Z, are you sure you can fight? Aren’t your wings destroyed when Lothar hit you with his ancient sealing swords?”

“I’m fine now, Serena.” Z said with a carefree smile. After that, Z glanced at his knight Alphonse as she stood up arrogantly with a jolly tone. “Activate our Vesryn Pulse, master! Let’s show everyone how stronger we got!”

“About fucking time!” Alphonse held his chest and he synchronized his heart to the beats of his dragonoid. “Activating Vesryn Pulse!”

Z immediately transformed into an Elemental Dragon. After one second, her body was engulfed with another set of golden light, and her scales became as clear as a prism. Her wings merged until there are only two wings left, and those wings are now filled with crystal scales that emit thousands of different colors. Even her electric tail has been converted into something that looks like a long flexible diamond that refracts the colorful light of the skies.

“Behold, for this is my Rainbow Form!” Z telepathically shouted, and then she followed by a legitimate dragon roar. “Graaaaaaaaaah!!!”

I didn’t stay long to watch every detail of Z’s newfound power. My eyes are only focused on Senpai, who seemed to be covering his bleeding left eye. During the course of Z’s transformation, I saw a faint crimson glow on Senpai’s left eye. It also made the bleeding worse.

Seeing the magnificent Elemental Dragon on it's Rainbow Form, Lothar Pendragon stood in awe. He seemed to be not believing in what he’s seeing. Normally, only the Nexus Dragon like me have the power to evolve into a more powerful mythical creature. Elemental Dragons certainly do not have the capability to change forms, and yet, Z managed to do it. 

“This is the power of our Vesryn Pulse, you bastard!” Alphonse made a warcry. “Now it’s time for round two!”

Lothar Pendragon ignored Alphonse. Instead, his eyes are glued on the person on my front. Senpai is still holding his bleeding eye, and I can sense a faint magical traces on it even though he’s not casting any magic. However, Lothar seemed to know what was happening to Senpai’s eye.

“Xenon Wingate, you certainly don’t know what you’re doing.” Lothar coldly said. “All for the sake of revenge, you-”

Senpai made a step in front, bending his elbows, ready to throw his shield. Without finishing Lothar’s sentence, Senpai threw his blaster shield like a boomerang, aiming at Lothar’s neck. The shield spawned boosters on each side to boost its velocity in the air. But even with such speed, Lothar managed to evade it just by sliding to the left.

“-you sold your soul to the devil.” Lothar continued.

“I finally get it now.” Senpai bowed down with grit. “Ever since I saw Eldritch, Cheng, and Trystgade, I’ve been in a state of confusion. I will make them pay, and I will keep all the things I’ve recovered: My life, my honor, my friends, and my love. But it’s not the truth. I’m hungering… thirsting for revenge! I will fulfill it even if I have to deprive myself of everything. No matter what it takes, I will kill them all!”

Seeing that Senpai is in a state of rage, Lothar felt the intense pressure and fear. It’s not just him who’s feeling it. I can feel it too. Alphonse, Danielle, and Z on her Elemental Dragon form even felt threatened on Senpai’s outburst. 

“Activating Vesryn Pulse.” Lothar Pendragon said in a hurry. He immediately transformed into a giant Yamato Dragon and raised his altitude, readying himself for a fight that he himself is not confident in winning. Then, he telepathically ranted on Senpai with his deep echoing voice. “Xenon Wingate, you are a threat to everything that exists. I shall now fight with my full power to preserve the world.”

“You don’t need to be, Lothar.” Senpai made a devilish smile. “I have achieved my purpose. Cheng Du is dead.”

“Cheng Du has escaped, and he should be at the border of this empire by this time.” The Yamato Dragon telepathically said. “You shall defeat me before you can even get your hands on that fat doctor.”

“Well, guess again.” Senpai laughed. “This battle is over the moment you let me throw my shield. Apparently, these eyes can now see in the darkness clearly. Cheng Du can run and hide, but I will still make him scream as his death waves towards him.”

At a far distance, about half a kilometer from here, the blaster shield is still spinning with its boosters. After two seconds, the shield immediately transformed into a missile that surged towards an unseen target. It exploded to something, making a huge mushroom cloud full of nuclear radiation. Being hit, the invisible airship revealed itself, fully damaged and no longer functional. The electromagnetic pulse of the nuke fried all circuit boards of the airship. Its hull and other exteriors were converted to thousands of melted metals, and all that’s left was a huge clump of rubble that crashed to a far distant land like a meteorite.

“We have a confirmed nuclear launch! I repeat! We have a confirmed nuclear launch.” The soldiers reported through our earpiece in a panic. They should have no idea what completely happened, but one thing is for sure. Doctor Cheng Du has no chance of surviving such a nuclear attack and a crash from a hundred meters above.

“Fuhahahaha!!!” Senpai made a demonic madman laugh as he covered his left eye. “Cheng Du is dead! Take that! Take that! Hahahahahaha! Alfred, Carlo... I did it! I killed the fat doctor just for you two!”

Everybody stood in awe. Me, Alphonse, Z, and Danielle have this worried look on our faces. Even Lothar deactivated his Vesryn Pulse and frowned on his human form. As of this moment, we are no longer threatened by the presence of the legendary dragonoid from Elysia. We are now scared of our ally who has confirmed his resolve to kill everyone who has done wrong to him.

It might be just a split second, but I saw a glimpse of a completely terrifying person. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I saw my senpai Xenon with a set of different eyes; crimson irises and black sclera on his left eye, and a layered rainbow eye with his right eye. Seeing that illusion made me scared of him for the least. It’s like he is no longer my Senpai anymore.

“Xenon Wingate, you are beyond saving.” Lothar frowned.

“I know. I will throw away my shield just for my revenge. I don’t care if I lose everything from now on. With my power, even a god or a devil can no longer stop me. Eldritch, Cheng, Trystgade. They will die.”

Everybody is frozen in fear. Nobody dared to make a move nor continue the battle. All of us are wary of the troubling atmosphere Senpai has created.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar dragonoid who is gracefully flying towards Lothar’s side. It was a teenage girl with long black hair, wearing a pink lotus dress. She has a pinkish set of angelic wings and a long gentle-looking tail, which made it clear that she is using her Partial Dragon Form. I can clearly remember that adorable and innocent face. I will never forget her weird crimson eyes with black sclera. To this day, her weird eyes make me uncomfortable. She was one of those dragonoids with Emperor Eldritch back during the conference. 

“Sakuradrop,” Lothar muttered. “What are you doing here?”

“Lothar, Cheng Du is dead. It’s over. Fighting them would be pointless. We need to report back to the Emperor.” The teenage dragonoid said with her soft gentle voice.

Lothar wordlessly nodded and then turned his back. He used his buster sword to strike the air, and the dimension was ripped, making a magical dark portal that can be used to transport people on long distances.

“Aren’t we going to continue the fighting?” Alphonse asked Danielle. “I want to test the power of my new dragon.”

“No. Let them go, senor,” Danielle said. “Fighting will be pointless on our side too. Our mission is over. The Psychic Amplifier was destroyed, and Cheng Du is dead. We will be doing a needless bloodbath if we continue this fight.”

“What the shit...” Alphonse muttered to himself as he disabled the Vesryn Pulse, transforming back his dragon to a petite witch girl Z. “I am so blue-balled right now.”

“Don’t worry, senor. This won’t be the last time we’ll be facing Lothar Pendragon.”

Seeing that there are no hostilities, Lothar stepped on the portal, followed by the dragonoid named Sakuradrop. Before the portal closed, Sakuradrop glanced at Senpai with a blank expression. Then, she shifted gaze to me. Her scary eyes sprinkled terror on me when she made her own eyebrows meet as if she is eternally pissed on me.

We are left empty at the ruined rooftop of a random building. We don’t know what to do from now on. The battle is over. Cheng Du is dead. Senpai gained mysterious powers after disappearing. Nobody knows what the future is waiting for us.

<>