Chapter 36
“Hold it right there, damn you! Your opponent is me!”
Rain came crashing down as though the heavens themselves had burst open. Steam exploded everywhere as the icy rain struck the molten magma below.
And when Andri looked upward—
Dracoserpens covered the storm-darkened heavens.
Tien, Hasu, Kiba, Azu, Wani, Master Ko—
even in their draconic forms, he recognized them instantly.
There were too many to count.
It looked as though every Dracoserpens in existence had gathered beneath those storm-blackened skies.
Then she descended beside him.
A colossal female Dracoserpens descended upon the burning earth with enough force to shake the ground itself.
“My Lady!”
Without taking her eyes off the Dracotyrannus, Yuki called out Ando’s name.
“Ando!”
“Present!”
“Hey, congrats on surviving Dormancy!”
“...You have my deepest thanks, My Lady!”
“Once we finish cleaning this oversized pain in the ass up, we’re throwing you a huge celebration, so you’d better show up hungry, alright?”
“...As you command!”
At this point, Ando was answering through sheer force of will alone, somehow managing to keep pace with the conversation. Had he been capable of making a proper expression right then, it likely would have been somewhere between laughter and tears.
Yuki bared her sharp fangs at the Dracotyrannus and growled.
“Well, look who’s back. Time to settle what happened last time!”
“So… Yuki. Long hath it been. Thou hast honed thy fangs, I see. Perhaps now thou mayest withstand me for a full minute.”
“Why’s everybody acting like I can’t handle myself?!”
A gigantic bolt of lightning crashed from the heavens.
The Dracotyrannus spread his wings and shot skyward, hurricane-force winds exploding outward as he slipped past the strike. Yuki lunged instantly for the dragon’s tail, jaws wide.
The Dracotyrannus’s tail snapped like a whip before her fangs could reach him.
The blow smashed across the side of Yuki’s face.
She cried out as the impact hurled her through the storm. Her balance shattered completely—but just before she could crash into the mountainside, she twisted herself upright and surged back toward the altitude where the Dracotyrannus hovered.
“That blow felled thee once before. Yet now thou hast withstood it. ”
“Damn right I did. We still gotta celebrate Ando waking up from Dormancy. No way I’m sleeping through that.”
“This hath less the air of duty than of one seeking an excuse for revelry. ”
“Well, okay, maybe a little. But everybody’s been hyped for it, so just come join us already. So? After a hundred years, can you finally hold your liquor or not?”
“...In truth, I had little occasion for wine.”
“The stuff we brew back home’s amazing, by the way. Smooth going down, easy for beginners. Ando was into it, at least.”
As she spoke, Yuki roared.
Lightning flashed not only through the thunderclouds overhead, but through the volcanic smoke pouring from the crater below. The ash-filled sky burned white-blue with crackling electricity.
Bolts of lightning streaked toward the Dracotyrannus from behind.
With a single beat of his wings, the colossal Dracotyrannus twisted effortlessly aside.
Yuki closed the distance in an instant and coiled her long body around him, constricting with all her strength.
But she was not merely trying to pin him in place.
She was controlling the flow of the battle itself—forcing the Dracotyrannus’s movements, shaping his rhythm, denying him space to maneuver.
“Unexpectedly passionate.”
“The hell are you looking at? And what do you mean unexpectedly? Passion and fighting spirit are my whole thing.”
Yuki tightened her coils further.
Not enough to crush him.
Just enough to force the opening into existence.
Then, for the briefest instant, her eyes met Ando’s.
It was not a cry for help.
It was timing.
Before his thoughts could even catch up to the meaning, Ando’s body had already moved.
The Dracotyrannus noticed.
The volcano erupted beneath Yuki.
Magma exploded upward point-blank beneath her body. Yuki screamed as the blast finally tore her grip apart. Her coils loosened.
The Dracotyrannus began to spread his wings to break free—
—but Yuki’s fangs had already buried themselves deep into the Dracotyrannus’s long tail.
The instant Yuki forced the opening into existence, Ando struck.
Just as the Dracotyrannus tried to take flight again, Ando’s fangs clamped onto his throat.
At the same instant, a massive swarm of Dracoserpens descended from the storm clouds above.
They crashed onto the Dragon of Doom from every direction, fangs sinking into his entire body. The Dragon of Doom roared beneath the assault.
The enormous body of the Dracotyrannus crashed down onto magma already beginning to harden.
The Dracoserpens immediately scattered back into the air, preparing for a counterattack—
—but through the rising steam, the figure that appeared was small.
The Dracotyrannus had already released his transformation, returning to his upright form.
He looked just like him.
“...True enough... we never agreed... this would be single combat...”
“Honestly, even if we had, we probably still would’ve jumped you anyway. Bit late to start worrying about honor now, don’t you think? Ugh, it’s freezing! Cloak! Somebody, cloak!”
Yuki released her transformation as well and immediately snatched up a heavy winter cloak.
Looking around, Ando realized every Dracoserpens had done the same. The moment they sensed the battle was over, they had all returned to their upright forms and hurried to wrap themselves against the cold.
Antonius had watched from a distance, powerless to do anything but witness the clash of giants. Only when the storm of violence had finally subsided did he make his way to Andri’s side.
Andri had transformed without so much as a moment to remove his gear. Armor, clothing—everything had been torn away and swallowed by the lava that had swept across the battlefield.
Without a word, Antonius removed his own cloak and settled it over Andri’s shoulders.
Andri looked up in alarm.
“Your Highness—your cloak bears the royal crest. It will be ruined.”
“Do not concern yourself with my cloak. Keep it,” Antonius said evenly. “I am in full armor; a cloak matters little to me. You, on the other hand, must be freezing.”
Then, after a brief glance at him, the corner of his mouth lifted faintly.
“Though… I fear my cloak can do little for you now.”
“Oh—hold up, Ando. I’ve got one.”
Yuki stepped in beside him and wrapped a massive dragon-sized cloak around his shoulders over Antonius’s.
“Here. Put this on too.”
Andri went still.
Just like that day.
The first time they had met.
“You grew your tail back,” Yuki said softly, a proud grin spreading across her face. “I saw you up there, Ando. You were flying beautifully.”
“…Yes, My Lady.”
“You did well,” she said. “Really.”
Andri lowered his head slightly beneath the oversized cloak draped around his shoulders.
“…You have my deepest gratitude for coming to our aid, Lady Yuki. The moment I saw you descend…”
His voice faltered despite himself.
“Never have I felt such relief at another’s coming.”
Yuki stared at him for a moment, then let out a small laugh through her nose.
“Seriously. You’re way too formal.”
Even so, she lightly knocked her fist against his shoulder.
“But you really did good, Ando.”
Andri could not help but wonder how Yuki and the others had known this would happen.
Even by Raptor flight, this place lay four full days from the capital of Tatsuno. There was no way they could have arrived at this exact moment unless they had received word beforehand and departed several days ago.
And the Dracoserpens had come thoroughly prepared. Their Raptors carried vast quantities of winter cloaks, camping supplies, and field equipment. It was obvious they had spent considerable time preparing for this expedition.
