The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 14

That strange state again.

Azure stared at Aiden, whose body had swelled to more than double its normal size. Her mind replayed the first time she had witnessed this transformation. On that day, his dragon breath had held the power of an adolescent, his presence radiating a formidable strength. Now, he seemed even more potent.

Has he leaped directly to a high-tier(★) state?

Her gaze shifted downward. His thick hind legs were slightly bent, coiling with tension. He was preparing to strike. Her eyes flicked to the river's surface. So, there really is something under the water.

Perhaps she ought to join the hunt after all.

“Aiden.”

Hearing his name, Aiden turned his head. His eyes were burning vertical slits of red fire, and the thorny crown floating above his brow pulsed with malevolent energy. Azure found herself fascinated by the crown, though she knew asking about it would be fruitless.

“May I go and help Bianca?” she asked, her crystalline blue eyes wide, projecting an image of vulnerability.

Aiden stared at her for a long moment, then gave a slow, deliberate nod. He agreed.

Permission granted, Azure gladly trotted toward Bianca. It was undeniably risky for Bianca to go alone; the creature in the river was massive. If it managed to drag her into the water, the situation could become disastrous. But with Azure present, that risk became negligible.

Aiden watched them go. With Bianca and Azure working together, their combined strength should be enough to briefly hold off a high-tier magical beast. And a brief hold was all he needed. Just one moment's opportunity.

“Azure, you came too,” Bianca said as the blue dragon fell into step beside her.

“Yes, I'm here to help you.”

“Help me?” Bianca's white pupils clouded with confusion.

Sensing her puzzlement, Azure realized that explaining the situation to the simple-minded dragon would be a waste of breath. “We should just do as Aiden says,” she said instead.

“Oh. Okay.” Bianca ceased to care. If Azure said so, it must be right. As long as listening to Aiden meant she got to eat, she was happy. She never doubted the truth of his words; Aiden was a red dragon, after all, not a deceptive green one.

The white and blue wyrmlings reached the river's edge. Bianca stared at her reflection in the water, her expression turning serious. She was following Aiden's instructions to the letter.

In stark contrast, Azure's blue pupils had narrowed to needle-points, a sign of absolute concentration. Unlike the fool beside her, Azure understood that a terrifyingly large creature was lurking in the depths below.

A voice rumbled from behind them. “Drink the water.”

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It was Aiden, but his voice had changed. It was deeper, layered with a strange, resonant power. A flicker of confusion crossed Bianca's mind, but she obediently kept her gaze forward. If she turned around, Aiden might not give her any food, and that would be a catastrophe. For Bianca, nothing was more important than her next meal.

Together, the two wyrmlings lowered their heads and began to drink from the river.

Deep below, a shadow stirred. The vibrations on the surface signaled that lunch had been delivered. It was time to collect.

Its ten thick tentacles propelled it through the water with terrifying speed. Within seconds, it was in striking range.

Without hesitation, six tentacles shot toward the creatures drinking on the bank. It knew this routine by heart. Snare the prey, drag it underwater, and then begin the feast.

Here it comes!

The instant a black tentacle broke the surface, Azure's jaws snapped shut, biting down hard. Bianca, a fraction of a second slower, reacted just as fiercely, sinking her teeth into another.

But there were six tentacles. With two of them pinned, four others whipped out of the water, wrapping with unerring precision around Bianca and Azure's thick hind legs. The black flesh constricted, tightening its grip.

“AOW!” Bianca cried out as a searing pain shot through her leg. She began to struggle wildly.

Beneath the water, the creature sensed that something was wrong. Today's prey was different. Their strength was immense; it couldn't pull them in.

This was Aiden's chance.

His coiled muscles exploded with power. He shot toward the riverbank, grabbing the four flailing tentacles in his claws. He dug his feet into the earth and pulled, unleashing the full, amplified strength of his body.

“HRAAAGH!”

SPLASH!

With a tremendous heave, a colossal creature was ripped from the river and sent crashing onto the sloping bank.

BOOM!

The behemoth hit the ground with the force of an avalanche. As it writhed, Aiden finally got a clear look at it. Its body was a fleshy, barrel-shape set on four stumpy legs, its skin a uniform, pitch-black. Its head had no eyes, no nose—only a gaping circular maw lined with rows of sharp, yellow fangs. A grotesque crown of writhing black tentacles, each thirty yards long, sprouted from around this mouth. Not counting the tentacles, the creature's body was easily twenty yards long and fifteen yards high.

Seeing its sheer size, the flames in Aiden's eyes flickered. This is a big one. Its design was truly bizarre.

Knowledge, ancient and instinctual, surged from the Dragon's Heritage.

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Name: Athrox

Type: Water-Type Magical Beast

Habitat: Rivers

Rank: ☆☆ (Judged by tentacle color: Pink -> White -> Black -> Blue -> Deep Blue -> Mixture of Hues)

Growth Potential: ★★★

Traits:

Formidable Defense:Possesses a thick, rubbery hide that is difficult to penetrate.Constriction:Uses its ten tentacles to constrict and suffocate prey.Weakness: Lightning

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Athrox, Aiden thought. A fittingly grotesque name for such a bizarre thing.

Torn from its element, the Athrox scrambled to its feet, its immediate instinct to charge back toward the river where it held the advantage.

Trying to run? I don't think so.

The flames of the fiery crown flared. Aiden became a red blur, easily intercepting the creature despite the vast difference in their bulk. He tackled the Athrox, knocking it off its stumpy legs. The ten tentacles rose in unison, whipping toward him to ensnare him.

But Aiden was faster. He jammed both claws into the Athrox's maw, violently prying it open. He opened his own jaws and unleashed a torrent of crimson dragon breath directly down its gullet.

The ten tentacles, which had been rising to strike, went instantly limp and flopped uselessly to the ground.

It was an instant kill. The Athrox hadn't even had time to use its vaunted water magic before it was cooked from the inside out. A faint, savory scent of roasted meat began to drift through the air.

Aiden closed his maw, cutting off the flow of fire. He released his claws, and the creature's head slammed back against the ground. It was completely still.

It's dead.

He glanced at the fiery sigil in his right eye. Only about a fifth of its energy remained.