It feels like the world has twisted around me, unfairly if I may add. The things that I once saw in different colors have become colorless. I am now seeing things behind the fabric of colors. The concept that makes things visible has become absent. I am left to ponder what happened in the battle until now, so I do not have to torment my soul trying to understand what makes up the ascendant world around me. 

 

The child had killed me. When I'd forgotten about her, she used that unusual dagger and cut my head clean from my body. 

 

This feat should've been impossible for her to accomplish without some sort of outside intervention. I cannot complain too much about it, given the odds being in my favor. Anyone would seek as much help as possible when faced with an unbeatable opponent. Nevertheless, I still find it very unfair. 

 

Now I am forced into this spiritual state, a state where my conscience and mind are altered to fit in this realm. Of all lifeforms, my species is one of the only ones allowed to experience this state of post-death. I can't say what happens to others when they die, but I am sure that their souls likely enter the cycle of reincarnation in a different realm. In the words of my mother, a different story. 

 

My mother will likely revive me when she gets the opportunity. I do not know where she was during my fight, but I felt her power resonating from deep within that realm. Someone had cast a dimensional sheet to contain the powers of her and whoever she was facing there. 

 

It must've been the man who'd stolen her scale and made a weapon out of it, no doubt. There are not many creatures in the realms who I believe can match my mother's power... not many free creatures, at least. The Tower's guardian is more powerful than even the Red Witches that haunted the previous realm Mother and I traveled through.

 

"If things continue like this, you're going to die permanently. This world cannot resist the power of His creation. Artemis is an unfair one, I fear." A voice invades the realm of post-death. Feasibly, this isn't something that should ever happen. None who enter this realm are capable of speech or communicating with the outside world. It exists on a plane above the ones barred by the concept of death.

 

"You're thinking of useless things now? After I warned you of your impending demise?" While I may not be thinking, per se, the voice of the woman invading the realm of post-death seems to understand everything my soul wishes to communicate. She is reading my soul.

 

"I don't like how this is turning out. After searching for so long, I find a dragon, and it's killed by such a lesser being! Hahaha! It's like a scene from a bad comedy! You, who have hardly even unlocked all the power that True Dragons were created with, died to the creation that doesn't even know itself! You know the realm she's in has only had their powers for 10 years?!"

 

Dead set on making an enemy of me, the mysterious voice taunts me, hoping to draw out a hostile reaction, I knowledgeably suspect. If not for my helpless state of nihility, I'd have sought to claim the woman's soul right here.

 

"It's ironic, you know! Your own soul is being claimed by Artemis now, and you're too focused on being mad at me! I'm offering to help you, should you set your pride aside!" Commanding a dragon to set aside its pride is like asking a warrior to strip himself of all his tools. Without pride, dragons would be nothing but powerful brutes with no elegance. 

 

Elegance is a subsidiary of pride: high amounts of pride can give birth to insurmountable elegance. 

 

"Hm? Your logic is a bit skewed, but I suppose I see your point. I won't force you to set that pride aside. Instead, I'll give you something. Around here, there are thousands of lingering dragon souls. I'll sacrifice one of the souls of your kin, erasing them from existence, and in return giving you the power to come back to life."

 

The idea sounds horrifying! To erase the existence of one of my own brethren just so that I can continue living when my mother will come and bring me back on her own?! Refusal is the only reasonable option in this circumstance! The souls of dragons who linger in the realm of post-death are all resting, waiting spirits who have been here for longer than I. While they may not be able to return yet, it is possible for them to see the future. Erasing them is nothing short of a merciless act of cruelty!

 

"No, this won't do. Your story isn't supposed to end here." Yet, the woman does not give me a choice. My connection with dragons persists even after my death. Rather than carrying a connection with a living dragon, I can feel the soul of every other dragon who rests in this realm. The guilt that assaults my existence when I feel the sudden disappearance of a dragon's soul is dreadful. 

 

"That was Yondyloshe the Gluttonous. You've heard of him, haven't you? He was the dragon who devoured Jacob's First Ladder. Now, he is gone. Condemned to nothingness, never to return again. If you have anyone to blame, it's yourself for your own weakness. Every time you die, I'll bring you back again using another one of your kind. I will not let you die until it's time for your story to properly end. If you know what's good for you, then you'll avoid the child. Understood?"

 

I undoubtedly understand what the woman is saying, but the rage that I feel is enough to leave flames burning across the realm of post-death. If not for my self-control, I believe that my spirit would've forged itself from fire in this space which it cannot take form in. 

 

I refuse to be suspended by the blame for this! An anomaly appeared before me, something that goes outside of the reason for death! This is the only reason why the Watcher would ever appear to torture me so! Yes, that is the woman who I am hearing! One of the many voices of The Watcher of the Afterlife! Most creatures who've been killed through unusual means couldn't even meet this being, yet, I am here in its presence?!

 

"You remind me a lot of that runt who was verging on coming to me. Ascelin and his people came flooding in here long ago, the poor fool. It's a shame that he worshipped an irregular, otherwise, he'd have probably gotten to live a normal life before his world was attacked by the monsters from other realms.

 

She speaks of the tale of Ascelin the Innocent as if he's real. As far as I recall, that is only a tale that children are told about to prevent them from trusting strangers. The realm that I was born in used Ascelin to further the beliefs of why it is wrong to worship the divine entities of the world, despite us knowing of their existence. This refusal of divinity is what led to dragons acquiring so much power.

 

When you deny something so much to the point where it no longer exists, something must take its place. It is the order of balance. The imaginary concepts of even the overseers of the realms can be overcome should the willpower of the masses be enough to overpower it.

 

'I will not stand for this disrespect against my people, Watcher!' I discovered my own ability to formulate proper thoughts has come late. It is likely because of the soul of the dragon that was sacrificed for me. In any other circumstance, I would be more than happy to be capable of thinking. The price of this ability is far greater than what I can appreciate.

 

Ominously, a new voice emerges from the distance. "Tsk, so it was you who sent that agent, Watcher? I'm getting tired of doing this with you." I can feel the sense of urgency engulf the realm as the voice addresses the Watcher. I cannot determine the gender or owner of the new voice, or rather, it did not want me to identify it. Something of a higher existence that concealed itself beyond what I was capable of comprehending.

 

"Because of your agent, a Helper was killed. If the other realms discover this, they'll declare war. Fix this before—" I am unable to hear the rest of what was said between the two of them. My hearing is cut off by the deafening sound of throbbing winds pulsating across my eardrums.

 

Vitality flows through me, bringing me newfound life and energy that I'd have never possessed before. My power, which was already greater than the child's and the swordsman's, was now on an even greater scale. With this newfound power, I will kill both of them and then find a way to punish the Watcher for bringing shame upon the nestling souls of my brethren.

 

'You will learn not to make a fool of imaginative beings, Watcher! I will show you the wrath that comes with the power to fantasize!'

 

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

 

My eyes burst open. In front of me, the beastly child and the swordsman whom I'd been hoping to fight resided before my eyes. Without question, continuing with the fight from earlier, I slash the air in front of myself.

 

This slash is different from the others; a combination of energy and strength. Combining the energy of this realm and my own power together created something that overcame the odds of space. The distance between the slash and the child in front of me became irrelevant. While I was conscious of the fact that the swordsman undoubtedly had the power necessary to combat my attacks from earlier, now it isn't an option.

 

Only for this moment is my intention set on killing the child who'd taken my life moments ago. I am uncertain about who this Artemis is, but I will not allow them to manipulate my existence again. The power of the daggers in that child's hand is marvelous and horrifying, making the easiest solution to avoid making contact with it altogether.

 

This is all needless thinking now, though.

 

As the slash ignored the distance between itself and the child, the flow of her blood erupted into spurts. Beautifully, the crimson substance pours out of her body. I watch as her eyes widen, clearly in shock at the discovery that dodging was never an option for her. Once the distance is disregarded, then all attacks will land even if you make an attempt at dodging. To avoid this attack would mean for one to overcome to manipulate time itself. 

 

It disgusts me to resort to this method. An attack that one cannot avoid is not fitting for someone of my stature to release. Mother would scold me for doing something like this, but, the humans of this realm are too weak for their own good. In the other realms, we could not even access this ability so easily. Somehow, here, the humans had their abilities unrestricted. The same cannot be said for the so-called bosses of the dungeons that manifest. They are tied and bound by a force that I've been fearful will come to claim me someday.

 

Predictably, the swordsman appeared at my side in a showing of speed that warranted my concern previously. I still have not fully gauged his capabilities, but the speed and force behind his slash let me know that it would cut me if I didn't avoid it. "Luck!" I hear him scream out to the child in the middle of his slash. I'm impressed by how focused he can remain on fighting me, even while the child helplessly lies on the dirt.

 

Leaping away with one motion, I've moved far enough away to where the swordsman's blade cuts the air in front of himself. However, much like my slash earlier, the blade produces what I first assumed was energy at me. Accommodating for the energy, I prepared myself to defend against the incoming attack — I was horribly mistaken about the nature of the slash.

 

The slash that I assumed was energy was produced from his pure physical prowess, or at least an ability that increased the aspect of it. The slash cuts across one of my scales, but it is not enough to draw more than a few pints of blood. This much will never be enough to get close to slowing me down. If his slashes remain of that caliber for the entire fight, victory will be foreseeable.

 

Avoiding the next set of slashes is easy. Leaping from side to side, every time he swings his weapon at me, I can see the direction that the crescents coming from his blade will travel.

 

When I avoid the slashes, he doesn't appear annoyed. He is focused entirely on cutting me apart with that weapon of his. I am the one who loses focus of what's important, his arsenal is more expansive than I'd originally expected. Beside me, I see crackles of lightning born from mid-air. He's using one of those skills that the humans of this realm possess!

 

Before it can strike me, I move out of the way before the lightning can even begin moving. Meanwhile, the swordsman took the opening to close in on me. "It's pointless!" I exclaim to him, sending one of my claws slashing through the air at him. At this range, even if he avoided the incoming attack, I'd be able to cut him in half. The entire area in front of and above me would become decimated by my power.

 

Right when my slash is about to land, he does something unexpected. He moves in, pressing his body against mine. His chest meets my face, and his blade meets the palm of my hand. Flustered by the sudden contact, I didn't notice what he'd done. Blood sprouts from his backside, but the damage isn't nearly as much as I'd been intending for.

 

By moving into my attack, he threw himself beyond the reach of my destructive slashes. The area behind him is completely leveled, but he still looks composed. Cold eyes strike down at me, giving me the slightest sensation of uneasiness. My superior strength is evident, but something warns me that this swordsman is even more powerful than what I'd initially expected.

 

Behind me, another presence makes itself known. I can feel the space around myself contorting, becoming altered by an unseen space. 

 

A spear made of darkness descends onto my position, clearly carrying the intention of puncturing me and pinning me to the ground. I dash to the side, the swordsman quickly coming to assault me before I can identify my second assailant. I didn't expect someone else to arrive here, but it didn't matter. The spear is clearly an object made from some kind of ability that lets its user manipulate space. I've faced foes like that before, it isn't hard of a task to kill them once you're close up!

 

Crackling sounds off above me, before I know where the attack is aiming for, a massive pillar of lightning descends onto me, striking my entire vessel. Singing my scales is the least that the lightning did. Breaching through the cracks from the previous encounter, the lightning surges through my blood, electrocuting me and tensing every muscle in my body.

 

Paralyzed, I am temporarily unable to move — this is a life-threatening situation I've found myself in. Crashing down on the ground ahead of me, a young girl with red hair holds a spear identical to the one that'd been aimed at me before. 

 

"What did you do to Luck, you pesky reptilian!?" The voice behind the child's words confirmed my theory. This is one of the Red Witches of the realm. It is not the princess of them, so I do not feel as concerned by her arrival as I'd be otherwise. Nevertheless, this one feels different from the others. While there is a connection to the Red Mother, I do not feel it as strongly in her as I do for the others. There will be no repercussions for slaying her.

 

While stunned, my vision is taken from me by a swipe of the auburn-haired swordsman's blade. Rather than trying to damage my scales, he instead took the liberty to take my sight from me; his analytical abilities are hazardous.

 

Not going for a killing blow is still a blunder on his part, as I quickly regain control over my body. Relying on sight alone is something that a child would make the mistake of doing. Keen senses are natural signs of an experienced combatant, and I carry more experience than even the beast child on the floor. My senses are far more developed than hers through both lineage and growth.

 

"Look out!" The Red Witch must've foreseen my attack judging by her warning to the swordsman. It is far too late, as I regenerate an element of my own to counter his lightning. Knowing that he'd generate lightning, right as he is in the process of it, flames sprout to life on top of the electricity. 

 

The flames of dragons cannot be compared to the normal flames produced by human mages. Even the strongest mages in this realm cannot unleash fire comparable to what we dragons are born with. Dragon embers can burn through all things, even lightning itself. Turning lightning to ash is nothing short of child's play for someone such as myself, and although I cannot see his expression, I can tell that the swordsman is surprised.

 

Proceeding to the next phase of my attack, the flames that engulfed the swordsman's lightning spring to life to expand unnaturally. A paramount amount of heat strikes his skin, and his groans bring me much joy. Humans in this world are fragile. Their systems oftentimes give the false illusion of "HP" or some kind of health, but it is meaningless if you hit them in vital places. The one responsible for this system is a cruel person for tricking them into thinking that they were something more than small fish in an endless ocean.

 

As far as I am concerned, Toy Cesta is the sole reason that this world has not been completely eradicated. Her existence is out of place, as she is not from this realm. Blending in with civilization, even before they gained their abilities, she presented herself as a beacon that shunned away the powerful monsters of the world. While there was a barrier that once kept my mother and I from entering, it became significantly weaker half a decade ago. That might've been due to the other intruders forcing their way into this universe.

 

The injuries to my eyes finish healing after a few seconds, and once I open my eyes, I am satisfied to see my flames engulfing the swordsman, just like I'd intended. Leaving the swordsman to burn to death, my attention goes to searching for the Red Witch who'd been carrying the spear earlier. She'd nearly gotten the drop on me, so I knew to be mindful of her approaching from above or even below me.

 

It's a fast deduction that something is horribly wrong here. Through my senses, I am unable to detect the Red Witch anywhere.

 

The Red Witch's lack of a presence alerts me to the lack of a presence from the swordsman as well. While I did see him burning in front of me as a result of my flames, I could not feel his presence at all. It was lifeless like I was watching some kind of projection...

 

My blood runs cold when I realize what was before my eyes. Swiping my claw through the air, the space in front of me wobbles and collapses like a desert mirage. In my momentary fit of blindness, I was caught in some sort of illusion! The Red Witch must've been the one who did this! Altering space to such a degree isn't something that someone should be able to do easily with that ability, so I should've expected nothing less from a Red Witch, the child of that horrifying abomination of a woman!

 

Around me, I can feel the presence of the swordsman and the Red Witch approaching me from two different positions. Evasively, my wings ram into the ground, sending me hurdling into the air. My ability to fly isn't something that I hold much confidence in, but it is more than enough to keep me away from the swordsman. The Red Witch is more of a problem than I'd anticipated. The destruction where I'd just been standing was enough evidence to prove that.

 

A sphere of darkness consumes a large clump of the earth, leaving a steaming mess in its wake. The swordsman had been moving behind me to attack me if I panicked and moved back without thinking. He'd assumed wrong — this would be fatal.

 

With time to myself in the air, I only needed a few seconds to collect enough energy to produce what I needed: Bolbanth's Hand of Kind Punishment. 

 

Over the heads of the swordsman, Red Witch, and dying child, the light from the sky bent into the shape of a mountainous claw. Replicating the claw of a legendary dragon whose tale has been passed on through my kind's history, I worked hard to master this ability as a child. Manifesting a fragment of Bolbanth's essence allows for dragons to quickly overwhelm their opponent if they are given time to at least think of the incantation necessary to summon him.

 

There is nowhere to run now as a blinding light covers the entire radius of a mountain. "Ha...!" I exhale, relieved at my victory. "It was a fun hunt, but in order to achieve my revenge, I need you all dead. Especially that child." My hand swiped across the air in a motion that symbolized the initiation of my attack.

 

"Farewell, humans. It was interesting while it lasted, unfortunately, I will not be dying twice." The massive hand descends down onto them. In its path, all life caught within it is vaporized, reduced to nothingness.