Around the 666th episode, it was the time of the “Summer Spirit Festival.” “So, I cannot go with you!” The silver dragon said this and, with its large wings, struck the atmosphere and kicked down the top of a rocky mountain with its powerful legs. Her name was Leila. And then, the black dragon Leila, accepting this, entrusted her master, friend, and servant to the following Maia while taking to the sky to meet the challenge. “Leina… I leave them in your care.” It was a battle between dragons. And it was a battle between those who had sworn to be the last protectors of their respective worlds. While harboring mutual understanding and burning with pride as the strongest, Leila let out a roar and descended at full speed from above, slamming her black body against the silver giant that had risen from below without hesitation.
”…Dreams, huh?”
Leila muttered softly.
Dragons do not sleep. They have no need to.
Many other races believe this. And it is close to the truth.
They don’t need much sleep, and they can sleep while standing, sitting, or even flying in the air.
Their sleep is also short—just a few minutes or, at most, an hour before they awaken.
It’s not something done out of the desire for sleep. It might be closer to the sensation of “spacing out” for humans.
But for dragons, it was also a crucial process for self-discovery.
Stronger than anything in this world, nothing could stand in their way. With such power, it was important for them to surrender themselves to darkness and sense what lay beyond.
Whether dreaming or feeling the moment when their own selves vanished—both were considered secretly significant processes for objectively evaluating their own worth.
“Perhaps I am reminiscing about my glorious deeds… How petty of me.”
Their scales shattered violently in the intense collision, scattering everywhere.
The armor that even human strength could barely scratch was no protection at all in a battle between dragons.
But beneath it lay unimaginable power—muscles, bones, and most of all, their astonishing ability to regenerate while being observed.
For dragons, their scales were just one part of their strength.
The two dragons, now colliding with each other in the shockwave.
Leila was sent back into the air like a ball bouncing off the ground, while Leila, under the force of gravity, fell straight down.
In an aerial battle, attacking from above was naturally advantageous. But Leila knew this well.
“How petty.”
Leila mercilessly dove at the silver dragon, which had barely avoided crashing into the ground.
Her body was stronger than that of the fire dragon herself. To fight from below, even if it was to show resolve, was foolish.
Leila unleashed her frustration.
Leila, deliberately maintaining her descent until the very last moment, slid along the surface of the ground just above it and kicked off to evade.
The black dragon’s claws dug deep into the rocky mountain. But…
“That’s how you think you’ve caught me?”
Using the claw embedded in the ground as a pivot, Leila swung her entire body in a semicircle and landed, immediately charging forward with the agility of a beast. Seizing the opportunity created by the instability caused by using the ground while flying, she pounced and finally slammed the black dragon back to the earth.
If it were a sudden acceleration, it would be faster to kick off the ground than to push through the soft atmosphere and fly.
However, for dragons other than Lyra, it might have been impossible to suddenly shift from the sensation of flying like a bird to that of running like a beast on the ground.
“I’ve got you.”
“Not yet.”
Lyra braced her four legs and tried to leap back into the air.
But Lyra grabbed her tail, rolled sideways while keeping her wings folded and wrapped herself around it, slamming the silver dragon back to the ground and crushing her.
The desert, shaken by the impact of the two massive bodies colliding, continued to tremble.
Lyra’s repeated strikes were still not effective against her.
Fights between dragons, with their superior regenerative abilities, did not end after just a few shallow wounds. This was merely a warm-up, barely even touching the surface.
“Rising boldly into the air, only to flee at the first sign of danger.”
“Never. …Black Dragon, I will make you fall for my master’s sake.”
“Hmph.”
Lyra severed her tail. Spattering blood, the silver dragon escaped and, now fully regaining her composure, began to fly powerfully back into the air while unleashing a Blizzard Breath.
“Grrr.”
Breaths from the same species were ineffective against dragons. For Lyra, the fire dragon, ice—the opposite of her attribute—was more tolerable than for ordinary creatures but not entirely ineffective.
Lyra’s limbs began to freeze and lose strength. For ordinary creatures, this would be unthinkable. The cold was so intense it could tear apart their tissues in an instant.
But that was mutual.
“Underestimate me.”
Lyra muttered and released her fire.
The flames she exhaled expanded and exploded in the rapidly freezing world.
The water vapor condensed from the atmosphere in an instant and turned into scorching steam, enveloping the space between the two dragons in a white smoke screen.
The damage from the freezing could not be fully healed by simply warming up, so Lyra poured her own strength into recovery while chasing the airborne Lyra.
This time, Lyra took the high ground.
Ice dragons tended to excel at flight. Perhaps she had judged that she could outfly Lyra if she could secure a favorable position in the air.
But Lyra scoffed as she pursued her.
“Do you really think I’m just a fire dragon, just a black dragon?”
The reason ice dragons were said to be strong in the air was not due to their physical abilities but rather their superior sense of perception, allowing them to detect wind currents and atmospheric changes more easily.
This was an important ability for long-distance flight, as even small differences could add up over time.
But speed and agility alone were a different story.
Lyra forced herself to fly faster and surpassed Lyra’s movements.
“Ugh.”
“A little cunning and the will to win—commendable. But…”
Lyra’s claw struck Lyra’s abdomen.
“The essence of being a dragon is violence. Only with the fury to crush the impossible can you force your way through what seems insurmountable.”
“Don’t act so high and mighty.”
I have seen miracles. I have kept seeing them.
While taking the counterattack of Leila’s claws on her own body, she delivered a powerful strike to deal damage.
Before falling to the ground, they parted ways, scattering blood and scales as they continued their conversation, which from an outsider’s perspective would sound like roaring dragons.
“It was not mere coincidence. It was something worth calling a miracle. Yet, if I could not surpass myself even with that resolve…”
“A miracle is not necessary. What I can do…”
“I will create miracles. We will create miracles. No matter how you are, follow Andy Smison.”
Once again, the two clashed.
Straight on, at the same altitude, head-on.
And there, the difference in power became clear.
The black dragon was clearly overpowered by the silver dragon, being sent flying.
“If you wish to die for your fate, then so be it. A being of that caliber would never be a match for me. What an easy battle.”
“Let them speak.”
Leila regained her footing and defiantly opposed the arrogant black dragon soaring in the sky.
Swinging her claws that could easily destroy stone houses and biting down with fangs that could swallow a horse, she fought to bring Leila crashing to the ground.
But Leila’s claw struck first, her bite was deflected by a solid fist, and as she faltered from a fire breath at close range, the silver dragon’s vertical tail strike sent Leila back to the ground.
As the silver dragon shook the earth with a leap, Leila accelerated from the air and descended, stomping down with both hind legs to tear apart Leila’s neck and flank.
Yet, even so, Leila rose again while healing her wounds.
“I will not… I will not retreat yet.”
“Very well.”
In an instant, they separated.
Leila threw herself into a spin using her forelimbs as a pivot, unleashing a tail strike diagonally at Leila.
Leila met it with a body slam. The silver dragon’s body floated and rolled across the ground.
“This is my turn now.”
Pursuing the fallen silver dragon, she followed suit with a tail attack. The sideways swing landed cleanly, sending Leila flying with a satisfying ease.
Even so.
Even still, Leila rose and challenged the black dragon.
It was not that her attacks didn’t land. It wasn’t that they couldn’t reach.
It was because of that.
As if praying.
”…Perhaps, in its own way… that dragon lived a fascinating life as a dragon. No.” Leila scratched her head and then smiled as she looked around. “Warfare is merely a dull instinct in the end. This is far better.” The sight of women being held by their masters, content and happy. Suddenly, she wondered if that dragon knew this joy.