Back with Ren and the others.
The group sat inside the truck, the hum of the engine the only sound as they ate their meals. The cramped space didn’t allow much room to move, but it was better than being out in the wasteland.
Each of them occasionally glanced at Alister, who was still out cold against the wall. Kaida finally decided to speak up.
“You know,” she said, sounding concerned, “maybe we should think about sending Alister back for a check-up. It’s weird that he’s been out for so long.”
Hiroshi leaned in with a smirk. “What if he picked up some new wasteland disease? I mean, we’re in uncharted territory. Maybe he caught something no one’s seen before.”
Razogrin scoffed, crossing his arms as he stared at Hiroshi. “That’s ridiculous. He was high in the air riding his summon the entire time, and our air masks filter out all impurities. You think some little bug is going to get through that? Please.”
Goro nodded slowly. “Razogrin’s right. Our suits are designed to handle this environment. If something was out there, we’d all be feeling it. He’s probably just really exhausted.”
Razogrin, his expression turning more serious, grunted. “If you ask me, we should just let me beat him awake. That’ll solve this problem real quick.”
Goro shook his head. “That’s not necessary. He needs rest, not a beating.”
Ren, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke. “Enough,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly as his gaze lingered on Alister.
“Wasting time waiting for a pick-up jet isn’t an option. We’re here to complete a mission, and we don’t have the luxury to delay.”
He looked around the group, his gaze lingering on Alister thoughtfully. “Alister is a summoner, so if it were something serious, we’d see more symptoms by now. Let him rest. He’ll wake up when he’s ready. In the meantime, focus on your meals and prepare for what’s ahead. We’ll be leaving soon.”
The group nodded, the discussion coming to a close as they returned to their food.
…
Back with the dragons, Alister suddenly noticed something strange. He could feel Kaelan’s body again, as if he had regained control. ‘Why now, of all times?’ he silently wondered, his thoughts racing as he tried to understand the situation. There was no time to dwell on it.
Out of nowhere, Hamerion’s body blurred forward with an insane burst of speed. His muscles coiled like steel cables and moved so fast that even Kaelan’s enhanced senses couldn’t track him.
Before anyone could react, Hamerion’s massive claws grabbed Hazerion, and with a single, powerful motion, flung him into the city like a ragdoll.
Hazerion’s body crashed through building walls with an earth-shaking impact, sending debris flying in all directions.
Alister, for the first time in this ‘Simulated’ reality, was shocked to his core. He had barely registered the speed at which Hamerion moved-it looked like he just teleported, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Although he wasn’t entirely certain how he did it, but he was sure Hamerion had moved just now. The fact he had covered such a large distance in a mere instant was what made it so shocking.
‘W-what kind of power is this?’ he thought, his heart pounding in his chest.
All around, Hazerion’s generals barely had any time to register anything as well, but they were all certain their lord had been attacked right in front of their eyes, and they couldn’t even see the attacker move. Instinctively, they prepared to leap into action, their mana swirling around their bodies as they prepared up to defend their lord.
But just as they were about to attack, the air around Hamerion shifted, as if it accelerated, something only those with the sharpest senses could perceive.
Hazerion’s voice rang out telepathically, giving a command to one of his generals, ‘Na’zehra, don’t let them interfere with me.’
Na’zehra, the woman with black hair, red eyes, and curved black horns, stood near the front lines.
She was the black drake Hamerion was riding earlier, and she had already shifted into her combat form, her black and white armor gleaming under the night sky.
She smiled, a sinister curve of her lip as she responded aloud, “No need to worry, my lord.” With that, her eyes flashed brightly with crimson mana as she chuckled wickedly.
In that instant, a red crest flared to life above her chest, radiating with a power that made the air around her crackle.
“Shattering Space Law,” she said, her voice seeming to vibrate through the fabric of reality.
In that instant, the space around them seemed to tremble before collapsing in on itself. In a flash, all of the generals and the dragon riders in the air vanished from where they stood, as if plucked from reality.
Each of them teleported to a location of Na’zehra’s choosing, leaving only Hamerion and Hazerion in their clash.
Alister found himself crashing into a random part of the city, causing the dragon kin around to look in shock, wondering what had caused the sudden commotion.
Alister, still reeling from the sudden shift, felt the air grow thicker. He gritted Kaelan’s teeth, trying to assess the situation, but the sheer scale of the powers at play left him at a loss.
‘This is beyond anything I’ve ever faced. If Kaelan’s body can’t keep up, how am I supposed to stand a chance?’ Alister’s thoughts spiraled as he struggled to think of a plan.
Alister pushed himself up from the debris, dust and bits of rubble clinging to his armor as he stood up, his mind racing to make sense of what had just happened.
‘It’s a good thing that dragon general sent us to a random location,’ he thought, looking around his surroundings warily. ‘So I guess I don’t have to worry about getting caught in that battle for now… but what exactly am I supposed to do in all this?’
Alister was certain the sheer scale of the battle between the two dragon heirs was beyond anything he could ever imagine, and it left him feeling out of place, unsure of his next move. But he was certain, if there was any time Kaelan would die, it would most likely be tonight
during this battle.
As he tried to gather his thoughts, a voice suddenly cut through the silence.
“Oh, you are a lot more sturdy than I thought.”
The voice was smooth, almost playful, yet there was an unmistakable menacing vibe in it.
“No worries, I like my men strong. It just makes it all the more fun when I finally break them.” She chuckled.
Alister’s heart skipped a beat as he turned sharply, Kaelan’s eyes wide with shock. Standing there wasn’t someone he expected to encounter.
Her silver hair flowed like a river down her back, her red eyes gleaming brightly. The woman before him was none other than Na’zehra Abyss-Void, the general who had used her bloodline ability to scatter him and the others across the city.
‘It’s her, the one who caused the teleportation earlier… Is that what her crest can do? If that’s the case, then things could prove to be problematic, considering what I saw earlier. She might very well be able to match Kaelan’s speed.’