Adam, whose vision remained a total, frustrating darkness, sat clutching Chloe, the silence of the massive hall now almost louder than the agonizing sounds of battle that had preceded it. He was physically and emotionally exhausted, but he forced himself to focus. He heard Kazue's approach, her footsteps quick and uneven as she navigated the rubble. Despite the grim relief of knowing the dragon was finally silenced, the sound of Chloe's shallow, strained breathing in his arms was the only thing that mattered.

"Adam…"

Kazue said, her voice tight with fear, the sound of her own raw pain entirely ignored in the presence of Chloe's emergency.

"She seems… stable, you said? How is that even possible?"

Adam, relying entirely on his own internal diagnosis, confirmed the grim reality.

"Her pulse is strong, and she is breathing. The initial shock seems to have passed."

He paused, a cold, hard logic cutting through his exhaustion.

"However, she coughed up a significant amount of blood. Something really bad occurred internally, likely due to the massive influx of raw, cursed energy that her human body cannot process."

Kazue sat down heavily next to him, the strange, silent tension of the atmosphere pressing down on them.

"This whole situation is entirely bizarre."

She whispered, her voice reflecting a blend of awe and fear.

"Did we… did we actually finish the dragon?"

Adam shifted, adjusting Chloe's limp body in his arms.

"It appears so. I can no longer sense the immense pressure that Dravhark's colossal body was exerting on the surrounding space."

Then, an instant later, Falk stirred on Adam's shoulder and began to talk.

"Affirmative."

The automaton bird stated, his voice a dry, mechanical sound.

"The dragon's core signal has completely flatlined. However…"

The bird paused, a sudden note of complex confusion entering his synthesized voice.

"...I am detecting that the magnetic resonance signal I registered within Dravhark is now entirely emanating from Chloe. Though it is significantly reduced, the signature is identical."

The sheer impossibility of the statement did not surprise Adam. The System rarely allowed simplicity... The silence that followed was one of grim realization. Adam lowered his head, pressing his cheek against Chloe's feverish brow, the raw, malignant heat of the curse a clear, palpable presence even to his skin.

The crucial truth was that Adam had been entirely blind during the girl's final, desperate actions, missing the entire cascade of System messages that explained her current condition. The specifics of the [Mark Of the Corrupted Dragonkin] were entirely unknown to him.

A couple of feet from there, Emir, moving with a strength that belied his small frame and profound fatigue, pushed himself forward, walking toward Adam and Kazue. Charles, however, exhibited a strange, contradictory reaction. His face, still pale, was etched with a look of deep, bitter dissatisfaction, though he made no sound. Without drawing attention to himself, he pushed himself up from the floor.

"I will check on the others."

The boy announced, his voice carrying just enough volume to be heard above the lingering silence.

Adam, still unable to see the rapid, uncharacteristic movement, immediately sharpened his attention, his ears straining to track the man's receding footsteps. Kazue and Emir, however, entirely focused on the immediate problem with their friend, completely failed to register the speed with which the supposedly injured Charles moved away from the group.

Then, Kazue sighed, a sound of profound, weary relief.

"I am incredibly relieved that at least Chloe is not in immediate danger."

She lifted her hands to her forehead, a tired gesture, but the movement caused her fingers to brush against the angry, throbbing burn marks left by Dora's rescue. She let out a small, sharp cry of pain.

"Eek!"

Adam, despite his blindness, instantly registered the sound of her pain.

"What was that?"

He asked, his voice snapping with immediate concern.

"Are you injured, Kazue?"

Kazue forced a small, nervous laugh, attempting to downplay the sudden sound.

"No, I'm fine! Just some burns, that's all."

Adam's brow furrowed, his confusion evident.

"Burns? How could you possibly sustain burns? Was it Dravhark's flames? If so, that is extremely dangerous; his fire is corrupted and carries the [Ashen Voidblight] virus!"

The boy muttered, a cold assessment overriding his immediate worry.

"But… I cannot detect any corrupted energy emanating from you."

Kazue, instantly touched by the genuine, intense concern in his voice, quickly sought to reassure him.

"Don't worry about it. I am completely fine. It was just a small burn when Dora tried to help me."

Adam's confusion was total.

"Dora?"

Kazue's eyes widened with a sudden, comical realization, and she slapped her own forehead with the flat of her palm.

"Oh right!"

Kazue exclaimed in a comedic fashion.

"I completely forgot to introduce you two! I am so sorry!"

Adam felt the temperature rise dramatically in the air near him, followed by a profound, palpable wave of cursed energy that instantly put his body into a state of defense. The Empress immediately transmitted a thought to him, her mental voice laced with confusion.

"What in the abyss are we sensing?"

The Empress asked, her tone entirely devoid of hostility and more confused.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"It is clearly an immense amalgam of malignant, cursed power, yet it emits absolutely no intent to attack."

The small, fire-blackened dragon, Dora, landed gently next to Kazue, its tail wagging furiously like a happy puppy's. Kazue knew that the immediate contact would burn her again, but she ignored it, speaking to the small monster with a warm, affectionate tone.

"You are such a good girl, Dora! Did you see how well you did against the Dread Fang?"

The fire dragon chirped happily, its heart entirely satisfied with the praise. The scene was utterly absurd, but Adam, standing blind in the center of the strange exchange, could only sense the ironically cold, cursed heat.

"This is Dora, my new friend!"

Kazue announced, her voice filled with immense pride… A deep, uncomfortable silence followed, punctuated only by the crackle of Dora's black flames. Kazue then realized the problem: Adam remained perfectly still, his eyes fixed on nothing. She let out a small, embarrassed giggle, gently tapping the side of her head.

"Oh, I forgot! You can't see, can you?"

The girl whispered.

"I will introduce you properly to everyone once we are all feeling a little better."

Emir, meanwhile, had recovered his small, fragile body and, moving with a strange, trance-like determination, advanced toward the massive, open chest wound of the dead dragon. As if guided by an external will, he materialized one of his [Interdimensional Containment Cubes] and positioned it near the lifeless body of Dravhark.

A powerful, sucking sound resonated through the hall, drawing the attention of both Adam and Kazue, though only the girl could witness the shocking spectacle. The cube, smoking profusely from the immense surge of power it had absorbed, was instantly filled, and a System window appeared in front of the kid.

[The item [Interdimensional Containment Cube - Rank A] has successfully sealed the essence of the entity 'Second Son of Vharzun: Dravhark, the Dread Fang' and has changed to [Filled Interdimensional Containment Cube - Rank A].]

The entire process was an echo of the last Scenario, where Emir had instinctively acted to preserve the essence of the fallen Demon Lord Noctharis. The kid had realized that beings of immense power often left behind a potent essence, even after death, and this essence, though not equivalent to the full power of the living dragon, would serve as a powerful new catalyst for his dangerous transformations. However, the true reason for his action remained unknown to him, driven by a deep, powerful instinct that transcended his young mind.

Kazue, now freed from her own immediate pain, walked toward Emir, gently pulling him out of his deep trance.

"Emir? Are you alright? What did you just do?"

Emir shook himself, his eyes still clouded with confusion.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just… I acquired something very valuable."

Adam, sensing the fluctuation of energy in the air and the slight shifting of the atmosphere, stood utterly thoughtful. The virus he had implanted in Dravhark—the [Soulcrusher Virus]—was still active, and though the primary host was dead and the mind-altering effect was useless, the infection continued its silent, slow work. The Empress immediately spoke to him, her voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

"I do believe you are aware of the ramifications of implanting such a virus into the body of a now dead demigod, right?"

The Empress stated, her voice a low, knowing sound. Adam let out a weary, deep sigh, a sound of profound acceptance.

"I am aware... But at this point, the only logical action is to extract the maximum possible utility from the resulting chaos."

Adam finally pushed himself to his feet, still clutching the unconscious Chloe. Kazue and Emir immediately moved to his side.

"The blindness and the mental effects on everyone else should be wearing off in a few minutes."

He announced, his voice regaining its leadership cadence.

"We need to gather everyone immediately. Kazue, Emir, you need to guide me, please."

Kazue and Emir nodded, instantly accepting their roles, guiding the blind Adam so he would not stumble over the rubble. They moved around the immense cadaver of Dravhark, finally arriving at a section of the hall that offered a little more space.

Kazue immediately noticed Charles, who had finished his unannounced task and was now actively—and surprisingly efficiently—aiding the remaining, blinded users, carefully helping them sit down in a central location. Both the girl and Emir immediately joined him, and together, the three of them managed to gather all the members of 'No Name' and 'Black Phoenix', along with Solène, into a single, cohesive group.

They sat in a tense, silent circle, waiting for the inevitable System clock to run out. The silence stretched for several quiet minutes, until finally, a series of identical System windows flickered into existence before every user present.

[The effects of [Blindness] and [Mental Shock] have terminated.]

The effect was instantaneous. Every single user reacted as if they had been abruptly woken from a deep sleep, their bodies snapping upright with a powerful, collective jolt. Adam's vision returned in the same moment, the world instantly replacing the frustrating, terrifying darkness.

All of them were deeply confused and disoriented, their minds still catching up with the reality of the last five minutes, but the familiar voices of Kazue, Adam, and Charles were enough to calm the initial panic, reassuring them that they were safe.

Alter Drake was the first to speak, his voice sharp, demanding immediate information.

"How is everything fine? What in the hell happened? Why did we lose consciousness?"

Adam responded, his voice clear and concise.

"Dravhark utilized a surprisingly ingenious counter-tactic that rendered nearly everyone incapacitated. However, a few of us were unaffected and managed to maintain the combat."

Alter Drake remained entirely skeptical, his brow furrowed with intense disbelief, until his own teammate interrupted him.

"Look there."

Alter Li said, his voice a low, awestruck whisper, pointing toward the colossal, unmoving shadow of Dravhark.

Drake spoke after that, his voice filled with astonishment, his gaze fixed on the gigantic dead dragon.

"You mean to tell me… that you defeated him?"

Kazue immediately puffed up with immense pride, her chest swelling as she smiled widely, revealing all her teeth.

"Yes! Emir, Adaaaaavid… and I were able to face the dragon and defeat him! Though it was Chloe and Charles who delivered the final, decisive blow!"

The celebration erupted immediately among the members of 'No Name'. Drake was effusive, his body trembling with genuine excitement, while Katya showered Kazue with powerful and lovely compliments, her own unique form of overwhelming affection. Li simply offered a small, grudging nod.

"Not bad."

He said, his voice flat but carrying a genuine, rare compliment.

Gregor smiled, his head bobbing in silent approval. Even Solène joined in the celebration, approaching Adam and delivering a series of powerful, painful claps to his shoulder that made the boy wince and grimace.

On the other side of the circle, the members of 'Black Phoenix' remained completely frozen in stunned silence. Only Nikolai and Samantha—the more emotionally flexible members of the team—managed to offer small, polite applause. Alter Drake, alter Kazue, alter Li, and Teo, however, remained utterly consternated, their faces a mixture of disbelief and utter, profound confusion. After a long, agonizing moment of silence, alter Drake addressed Charles.

"Charles... Is what they are saying true?"

The blond moved toward his leader, his face still pale and exhausted.

"Yes. That is precisely what happened. The three of them managed to hold Dravhark at bay, and the girl managed to destroy the core... She appears to be stable now."

Charles said, his voice carrying a subtle undercurrent of irritation in the final sentence.

Alter Drake turned away, his mind reeling.

"It makes no sense. None of this makes sense."

He mumbled, his voice low and strained. Dravhark, even weakened, should have required the synchronized attack of both entire teams to even have a chance of victory. Yet, three members of the other team managed to fight him back, and worst of all, the seemingly weakest member had managed to finish the job... Alter Drake remembered every brutal scenario they had been through, every lost ally, every sacrifice made against even weaker entities than this dragon.

"What do they possess that we do not? We are supposedly the same beings, only from different universes."

Charles, noticing the raw, deep distress in his leader's eyes, approached him with a serious face.

"If I may, leader, can we talk for a bit?"

Alter Drake nodded, instantly accepting the command. He also summoned Teo, who was staring intently at the unconscious Chloe, his frustration and anger evident. The three of them quickly moved away from the main group, their low, intense conversation swallowed by the vast, silent hall.

On the other side, alter Kazue sat, staring fixedly at her counterpart. She watched Kazue laugh, receive affection from her team, and finally introduce the horse-sized, dark fire dragon, Dora, to the others. The sheer, overwhelming vibrancy of that happiness—that family, that love—was a sharp, agonizing stab to her heart. The girl, sitting utterly alone, felt the hot, silent tears welling up in her eyes, a single, agonizing question drilling into her mind while she bit her lips until making them bleed: Why? ... Why her?

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.