The red dragon moved first.
Its massive claw tore through the air toward Ebruhan.
SWOOSH!
Ebruhan launched himself upward just in time, the claw barely missing his chest.
While still in the air, blue mana gathered in front of his jaws.
"Take this!"
BOOM!
A blazing mana bomb shot toward the red dragon.
The red dragon didn't even flinch.
A crimson barrier flashed into existence.
CRASH!
The explosion slammed against the shield—but it held.
The red dragon smirked.
"My turn."
A red mana sphere formed instantly.
BOOM!
The blast slammed into Ebruhan.
His shield shattered like glass.
The shockwave sent him tumbling backward through the air.
The red dragon immediately chased him upward.
Its claws slashed down again.
Ebruhan twisted away from the strike—
—but the dragon's massive tail whipped sideways.
WHAM!
The impact sent Ebruhan crashing into the ground below.
BOOOOM!
Dust and rubble exploded into the air.
Before he could recover—
The red dragon dropped from the sky, aiming to crush him beneath its weight.
Ebruhan rolled aside just in time as the ground shattered where the dragon landed.
The red dragon snorted, smoke rising from its nostrils.
"You have spirit, bug."
Its crimson eyes narrowed.
"But that won't help you at all."
Ebruhan forced himself back onto his feet.
"…We'll see about that!"
The red dragon roared and attacked again.
Its claws blurred with terrifying speed.
Ebruhan dodged the first strike.
But the second—
SLASH!
The blow smashed into his mana shield.
CRACK.
The barrier fractured.
Before he could recover—
The red dragon slammed its massive claw down.
BOOM!
The cracked shield pinned Ebruhan to the ground.
The dragon leaned forward, pressing its weight down.
The shield groaned under the pressure.
"Weak," the red dragon muttered coldly.
"Very weak."
It looked down at him with pity.
"You should have joined me, bug."
"There's nothing those insects can give you."
Ebruhan struggled beneath the crushing weight.
"…Over…"
Blood ran down his scales.
"…my dead body."
The red dragon smiled.
"As you wish."
It pressed down harder.
The shield began to shatter.
Ebruhan's vision blurred.
Darkness crept into the edges of his sight.
Then—
THUD!
Something slammed into the red dragon's side.
The massive creature staggered a step.
"…Hm?"
The red dragon turned its head.
Standing several meters away—
Was Mia.
Ebruhan's eyes widened weakly.
"…Mia…"
His voice barely came out.
"…No… get out of here…"
Mia landed beside him quickly, looking him over.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my god… you look terrible."
Then she slowly turned toward the red dragon.
Her expression hardened.
"Did you do that to him?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"That's not very nice, dickhead—"
Red dragon blinked
"what?"
She paused.
"…Wait."
Mia muttered quietly to herself.
"Damn it… another world reference."
She sighed and waved her claw dismissively.
"Forget it, shithead. You wouldn't understand."
The red dragon stared at her for a moment.
Then its eyes slowly widened with interest.
"…Interesting."
Crimson mana flickered around its body.
"Such a mana presence…"
A grin spread across its face.
"Oh… this is going to be entertaining."
Suddenly—
The red dragon lunged.
Its claw came crashing down toward Mia.
Mia raised a shield instantly.
BOOM!
The strike slammed into the barrier.
CRACK.
Another strike followed immediately.
CRASH!
The shield shattered.
The impact launched Mia backward—
She smashed through several buildings before disappearing into a cloud of debris.
The red dragon snorted and turned its attention back to Ebruhan.
Ebruhan was trying to push himself up.
The red dragon grabbed him with its jaws.
CRUNCH!
Then violently shook him like prey.
Before throwing him away.
Ebruhan slammed into a distant tree.
The trunk cracked from the impact.
He collapsed to the ground.
This time—
He couldn't stand.
The red dragon slowly turned back toward the ruined buildings where Mia had been thrown.
Then it looked at Ebruhan with a cruel smile.
"Now…"
It said calmly.
"You can watch her die."
A furious roar tore across the battlefield.
ROOOAAARRR!!
From the rubble of the shattered buildings, Mia burst into the sky like a black comet.
Her wings beat once—twice—
Then she shot forward at terrifying speed.
The red dragon barely had time to react.
"—!"
Mia slammed forward with everything she had.
BOOOOM!
Her mana headbutt crashed directly into the red dragon.
A crimson shield flashed into existence just in time—
But the impact was still monstrous.
CRACK!
The barrier fractured.
The red dragon slid backward several meters, claws digging into the ground to stop himself.
For a brief moment, surprise flashed across his face.
Then—
He started laughing.
"Hahaha…!"
He lifted his head, amused.
"Well… that was impressive."
His crimson eyes narrowed at her.
"But do you really think anger makes you stronger?"
He spread his wings slowly.
"That kind of nonsense only exists in fairy tales."
Before Mia could react—
The red dragon lunged.
BOOM!
His head slammed straight into her.
The force was overwhelming.
Mia's vision exploded with stars.
Her body was thrown backward like a ragdoll.
CRASH!
She smashed through one building.
CRASH!
Then another.
And another.
Five buildings collapsed in a line before she finally hit the ground and rolled across the street.
Dust filled the air.
Mia groaned as she tried to stand.
Her head spun violently.
"Okay…"
She wobbled slightly.
"…this motherf— hits like a damn truck."
Heavy footsteps shook the ground.
The red dragon was already approaching her through the smoke.
Mia's eyes narrowed.
Mana gathered rapidly around her body
Before the dragon could attack—
She charged.
At the same time, dozens of mana spikes formed in the air arround her.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
A storm of spikes shot toward the red dragon.
The red dragon immediately raised his shield.
A crimson barrier formed around him.
But—
Something was wrong.
The spikes didn't stop.
They pierced straight through the shield.
SHHK! SHHK! SHHK!
Several spikes stabbed into his chest.
Another tore through his shoulder.
One ripped across his wing.
And one—
Drove straight into his left eye.
The red dragon screamed in agony.
"ARRRGHHH!!!"
He staggered backward, clawing at his face as blood spilling from between his claws.
His body trembled with fury.
"What…?!"
His remaining eye burned with rage as he glared at Mia.
"You…!"
Crimson mana erupted violently around him.
"You will PAY for that!!"
The red dragon's rage exploded across the battlefield.
ROOOAAARRR!!
Crimson mana flared wildly around his body as he lunged toward Mia.
The ground shattered beneath his claws as he charged.
His jaws snapped forward.
CRUNCH!
Mia twisted her body at the last second, barely dodging the bite.
She immediately beat her wings and shot into the air.
But the red dragon reacted faster than she expected.
Crimson light gathered along his horns.
"Run all you want!"
SHHK! SHHK! SHHK!
A barrage of mana spikes shot into the sky.
One of them pierced through Mia's wing.
"—!"
Pain exploded through her body.
Her flight collapsed instantly.
THUD!
She slammed into the ground hard.
Before she could recover—
A massive shadow fell over her.
The red dragon crashed down on top of her, pinning her beneath his enormous weight.
The ground cracked under the impact.
Mia struggled, but the pressure was overwhelming.
The red dragon leaned down close to her face, his remaining eye burning with fury.
"I'm going to kill you…"
His voice dripped with hatred.
"…very painfully."
Suddenly—
SHING!
A blue flash cut through the air.
The red dragon froze.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
SPLASH.
Blood burst from his shoulder.
His right arm fell to the ground.
The red dragon roared in agony.
"ARRRGHH!!"
Standing behind him—
In human form—
Was Ebruhan.
Blood dripping down his injuries.
But his glowing mana blade was still steady in his hand.
Ebruhan's voice was cold.
"Get… away from her."
The red dragon staggered back, clutching the severed stump of his arm.
His eyes burned with absolute fury as he glared at both of them.
"Insects…"
Crimson mana exploded violently around him.
"I WILL KILL YOU BOTH!!!"
Mia slowly pushed herself up from the shattered ground.
Pain shot through her body as she moved.
She glanced at her wing where the mana spike had pierced it earlier.
The torn flesh was already slowly knitting back together, dark scales reforming as her dragon body healed.
"…Good," she muttered under her breath.
Across the battlefield, the red dragon stood several meters away.
Crimson mana flickered around his body.
The stump where his arm had been severed was already closing, muscles and scales knitting together to stop the bleeding.
Even his destroyed eye socket had begun to seal with dark, pulsing mana.
In Mia though
"Ok.. this guy can regenerate too.. fk.."
Ebruhan stood in front of Mia in his human form, his glowing mana blade still in hand.
But his breathing was heavy.
Blood dripped steadily from several wounds across his body.
"Mia…" he said without turning around.
His voice was strained.
"Get out of here."
Mia frowned.
"What?"
Before she could respond—
The red dragon suddenly lifted his head.
Crimson energy gathered deep inside his throat.
"Oh no—" Ebruhan muttered.
ROOOAAARRR!!
A massive dragon breath erupted from the red dragon's jaws.
A raging beam of burning flames rushed straight toward them.
Ebruhan immediately raised his hand.
A blue barrier expanded in front of them.
BOOOOM!
The breath attack slammed into the shield like a crashing ocean.
The ground beneath them cracked from the pressure.
Ebruhan gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold it.
Mia rushed beside him and raised her own mana barrier.
Her dark-purple shield layered over his.
The two barriers pushed against the blazing breath together.
Ebruhan glanced at her in disbelief.
"I told you to run!"
Mia growled.
"You're telling me that right now?!"
She poured more mana into the shield.
"Yeah, screw that!"
The combined shield trembled violently under the pressure.
CRACK.
A fracture appeared across the barrier.
Then another.
Ebruhan's arms trembled from exhaustion.
His wounds were still bleeding.
The healing from his royal mark wasn't fast enough anymore.
The red dragon's breath attack continued pouring toward them like a raging inferno.
Step by step—
The dragon walked forward, forcing the attack closer.
Ebruhan gritted his teeth, pouring every bit of mana he had into his shield.
"Hold—!"
CRACK!
A fracture spread across the barrier.
Then another.
Then—
SHATTER!
Ebruhan's shield broke apart completely.
The flame breath rushed toward them—
But Mia's shield still stood.
Her dark-purple barrier flared brighter as she pushed more mana into it.
The beam slammed against it violently.
Mia glanced sideways at Ebruhan.
"Any ideas?!"
Instead of answering, Ebruhan suddenly punched the ground.
Once.
BOOM!
Twice.
BOOM!
Three times.
CRACK!
The floor beneath them shattered.
Only then did Mia realize—
They weren't standing on natural ground.
It was the floor of a destroyed house.
And beneath it—
A basement.
The floor collapsed.
Both of them dropped down just as the dragon breath tore across the surface above.
Debris rained down around them.
"How we gonna beat him? That guy can regenerate too.. even faster than us..'
Ebruhan breath once
"Aim for the heart, once core destroyed. It over"
" now Move!" Ebruhan shouted.
They leapt back out through the broken opening immediately.
The moment they emerged—
Both dragons attacked together.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
A storm of mana spikes shot toward the red dragon.
Ebruhan's blue spikes slammed against the dragon's shield—
And shattered.
But Mia's dark spikes—
Passed straight through.
The red dragon's eyes widened in shock.
"…What?"
Before he could react—
Mia's spikes slammed into his body again.
The dragon roared in fury.
"RAAAHH!!"
He launched himself into the air and rushed toward them.
Mia tried to dodge—
But the red dragon moved faster.
His claw snapped forward and grabbed her mid-flight.
"Got you."
He tightened his grip around her body.
Then he dove toward the ground with terrifying speed.
Wind screamed around them.
The red dragon opened his jaws, crimson energy gathering in his throat.
He was preparing a point-blank breath attack.
Ebruhan dashed forward to stop him.
"Let her go!"
He leapt upward with his mana blade raised.
But the red dragon's tail whipped backward.
It wrapped around Ebruhan instantly.
Then slammed him into the ground again and again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Ebruhan's blade slipped from his hand.
The red dragon sneered.
"This ends here, bugs."
He tightened his grip on Mia.
"Maybe in your next lives you'll learn—"
Suddenly—
SHHK!
A massive mana spike erupted upward.
It pierced straight through the red dragon's neck and one in his heart..
The dragon froze.
Blood sprayed from the wound.
His grip loosened.
Mia dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.
She glared up at him.
"…You talk too much."
The red dragon tried to speak.
But no words came out.
Blood poured from his mouth.
His body swayed.
Then—
THUD.
The massive dragon collapsed onto the ground.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
For a moment, only Mia's heavy breathing could be heard.
Ebruhan slowly pushed himself up from the ground.
Still in human form, bruised and bleeding, he walked toward her.
He looked her over carefully.
Then turned his back on the fallen dragon.
"You okay?"
But behind him—
The red dragon's body moved.
Its remaining eye snapped open.
With the last of his strength, the dragon lunged forward.
Claws raised.
A final desperate strike.
Mia saw it.
"—!"
Without thinking, she shoved Ebruhan away with her snout.
The dragon's claws came down.
SLASH.
Pain exploded through Mia's body.
The world spun.
Her vision blurred.
And everything—
Went black.