THUNDER!!
THUNDER!!!
Brilliant blue lightning tore across the darkened heavens.
The clear sky had disappeared entirely within minutes, swallowed by enormous black storm clouds stretching as far as Noah could see.
WHOOOOOSH!!
Violent winds swept across the forest.
Trees bent beneath the pressure. Branches snapped and flew through the air, while countless leaves were ripped from their stems and scattered into the raging storm.
Noah crossed both arms in front of his face.
"Argh!"
His clothes and snow-white hair whipped violently behind him as he struggled to keep his footing.
He narrowed his eyes and forced himself to look toward Akari.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"What... the hell...?"
Noah had already seen Akari’s dragon form countless times over the past six months. Normally, she was around thirty-five meters long from snout to tail.
Already enormous. Already terrifying. But the creature standing before him now was something else entirely.
She had nearly doubled in size. Close to seventy meters of draconic might towered over the forest.
Her four powerful limbs were planted firmly against the earth, each ending in enormous black claws that sank deep into the ground. Her elongated body was covered from head to tail in overlapping dark-sapphire scales, but they were noticeably different from before.
They were darker, thicker and sharper.
Each scale possessed a metallic sheen, reflecting every flash of lightning like polished sapphire armor.
Two enormous black horns extended backward from her head, curving slightly toward the sky. Smaller horn-like spikes formed a jagged ridge down her neck and spine before continuing toward her massive tail.
Her wings slowly spread.
WHOOOOM—!!
Noah’s breath caught.
They were enormous.
The dark-blue membranes stretched between thick skeletal structures, and arcs of electricity continuously danced across their surface.
But the most striking feature was her eyes.
They burned with brilliant electric-blue light.
There was no longer any trace of the calm woman Noah knew within them.
Only the overwhelming presence of a dragon.
Akari raised her enormous head toward the heavens.
Her jaws opened, revealing rows of huge, razor-sharp teeth.
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR—!!!
A deafening, high-pitched draconic roar erupted from her throat.
The sound alone shook the forest.
And immediately afterward.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
An enormous shockwave exploded outward from Akari’s body.
The earth cracked beneath her.
Nearby trees were violently uprooted.
"SHIT!!"
Noah barely managed to curse before the shockwave struck him.
WHAM!
His feet left the ground.
He was thrown backward like a broken doll, flying through the air before.
THUD!!
His back slammed painfully against a tree.
"ARGH!"
Noah dropped onto one knee.
"Dammit..."
His entire back screamed in pain.
Drip.
A cold droplet struck his cheek.
Drip. Drip.
Noah slowly looked upward.
"...Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."
SHHHHHHH—!!!
Rain suddenly poured from the heavens.
Not ordinary rain.
A violent downpour swept sideways beneath the raging winds, reducing visibility throughout the forest within seconds.
Noah pushed himself upright.
"I need to get farther away!"
He was about to run when something above Akari caught his attention.
Crackle—!
Blue electricity appeared around the dragon.
At first, they were only thin arcs.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
Thousands of electrical currents began crawling across her enormous body.
Noah froze.
Above Akari, the storm clouds had started rotating. Slowly at first. Then faster. And faster.
A colossal spiral formed directly above the dragon, with Akari standing precisely beneath its center.
Blue lightning continuously flashed within the rotating clouds.
The entire world seemed to alternate between darkness and brilliant blue light.
KRA-KOOOOOOOM—!!!
A gigantic bolt of blue lightning descended.
It struck Akari directly.
Noah’s heart nearly stopped.
But the dragon didn’t scream in pain.
Instead. The lightning spread across her scales.
Another bolt descended.
BOOM!!
Then another.
BOOOOM!!
Again.
Again.
Again.
Noah stared.
"...They’re not attacking her."
His fear slowly transformed into amazement.
The lightning was being absorbed.
Every bolt that struck Akari flowed across her dark-sapphire scales before sinking into her enormous body.
Her horns began glowing. The ridges along her spine illuminated one after another.
Her wings crackled with increasingly violent electricity.
The storm wasn’t attacking the dragon.
It was answering her.
Noah slowly moved behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree, using it as protection from the violent wind.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
His mouth gradually fell open.
"...Damn."
Another colossal bolt struck Akari.
KRAKOOOOM—!!!
The entire forest flashed blue.
Noah’s eyes practically sparkled.
’Man...’
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
’Dragons are so damn cool!’
Any sensible person should probably have been terrified.
Noah certainly had been moments earlier.
But now?
He was watching a seventy-meter Storm Dragon standing beneath a gigantic thunderstorm while absorbing lightning from the heavens.
How was he supposed to not find that amazing?
’Damn it! Now I want to become a dragon too!’
Noah’s grin widened.
’A Frost Dragon would be perfect.’
Then another blast of wind nearly ripped him away from the tree.
"ARGH—! Okay!"
Noah desperately grabbed the trunk.
"Dragons are cool, but I should probably survive this first! It’s not time to admire them."
Noah turned around and ran.
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
His boots slammed against the damp forest floor as he rushed between the towering trees.
Mana surged through his body, concentrating heavily around his legs and strengthening every muscle. His speed increased dramatically, turning his figure into a pale blur weaving through the dense forest.
’I shouldn’t have come!’
Noah gritted his teeth.
’Why the hell did I insist on staying nearby?!’
He jumped over a fallen tree and landed without slowing down.
’And I definitely didn’t expect her complete awakening to make her that damn huge! Even standing near her is dangerous! Still...’
A small part of him didn’t regret witnessing it.
’After all it’s not every day one get to see a dragon bloodline completely awaken.’
Especially one as powerful as Akari’s.
ROOOOOAAAARRRRR—!!!
The terrifying roar continued behind him, shaking the forest.
Silence.
Noah continued running for several seconds before noticing the sudden change.
"...Hmm?"
His pace gradually slowed. The roar had stopped.
There was no thunder nor violent explosions of mana.
’Did she calm down?’
Noah finally stopped.
Breathing heavily, he cautiously turned around.
Despite the enormous distance he had already covered, Akari’s dragon form was still clearly visible above the forest.
She was simply too massive to miss.
Her enormous dark-sapphire wings were spread wide, covering a tremendous expanse.
Lightning occasionally crawled across the edges of her scales, illuminating her gigantic silhouette beneath the storm-darkened sky.
Noah narrowed his eyes.
Flap!
Her wings moved.
FLAP!!
A violent wave of wind exploded outward.
Trees beneath her bent violently. Leaves and broken branches were ripped into the air, while clouds of dust and debris rolled across the forest.
Even from this distance, Noah felt the wind slam against him.
He raised an arm over his face.
’She’s flying.’
Akari’s enormous body slowly rose into the air.
Noah’s tense expression gradually softened.
’Is she... in control?’
He lowered his arm. For several moments, Akari simply remained airborne.
No wild attacks. No uncontrollable destruction. No mindless rampage. A relieved smile slowly appeared on Noah’s face.
"She did it..."
His shoulders relaxed.
"That woman actually did it."
She had finally awakened it completely. And apparently retained control.
Noah released a long breath.
"Thank goodness."
Akari’s head moved.
Slowly. Her enormous face turned toward him.
Noah’s smile disappeared.
"..."
Her eyes found him.
Ba-dump!
His heart slammed against his chest.
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
A violent shiver raced down his spine. Every hair on his body stood on end. Noah couldn’t explain it logically.
Akari hadn’t attacked. She hadn’t even moved toward him. Yet every survival instinct inside his body suddenly screamed the same thing.
RUN.
His legs wouldn’t move.
’F-Fuck...’
His pupils trembled.
’Why is she looking at me like that?’
There was nothing familiar in those enormous lightning-blue eyes.
The warmth was gone. There was no recognition.
No trace of the woman who had spent the past months training, eating, laughing, and living beside him.
There was only the gaze of a predator. Akari’s massive jaws slowly opened. Blue lightning flashed between her huge fangs.
Noah’s face paled.
"Oh, shit—"
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR—!!!
The roar exploded across the forest. The sheer force became a physical shockwave.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Trees bent violently. Branches snapped. The ground trembled.
Noah’s body was ripped from the ground and hurled backward.
"ARGH!"
He crashed through several bushes before slamming hard against the earth.
Pain shot through his back.
For a second, everything spun.
"Cough!"
Noah forced himself onto his hands and knees.
His ears rang.
Warm blood trickled from a small wound near his forehead. But the shock had finally broken the invisible pressure that had frozen his body.
He could move again. Noah looked up. His eyes widened.
Akari’s wings folded slightly.
BOOM!
The air exploded behind her. The gigantic dragon shot forward. Straight toward him.
Noah’s face went completely pale.
"FUCK!"
He scrambled onto his feet and immediately ran. Mana violently flooded into his legs.
STOMP!
The earth cracked beneath his first step. Noah shot through the forest at his maximum speed. Behind him, an enormous shadow swept across the trees.
ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!!!
Noah didn’t dare look back.
There was no need. The rapidly growing thunder of beating wings told him everything.
Akari had completely awakened her dragon bloodline. But she hadn’t mastered it. And now she was hunting him.
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