Around chapter 666, during the time of "The Summer Spirit Festival."
"So I can't go with you guys!"
The silver dragon said that and flapped her large wings, pushing against the air. She kicked off from the peak of the rocky mountain with her powerful legs.
Her name was Leila.
And black dragon Lyra accepted this, leaving behind her master, best friend, and newly made companion to Mia in the sky to face it alone.
"Diane... I'm entrusting them to you."
Dragon against dragon.
And between those who had declared themselves as the last guardians of their masters' worlds.
With shared understanding in their hearts, and pride burning within that they were the strongest, black dragon Lyra let out a roar and met the silver giant's unhesitant ascent with her own massive body.

"...Was it just a dream?"

Lyra murmured softly.
Dragons do not sleep. They have no need to.
Many other races believe this, and it is close to the truth.
They can live without sleeping, standing or sitting, even while flying through the sky.
Sleeping for long periods isn’t necessary; they wake up after just a few minutes or at most an hour.
It’s not something driven by a desire for sleep. Perhaps it’s akin to what humans call “daydreaming.”
But for dragons, this was also important in their quest to understand themselves.
For those who possess such power that nothing can resist their will—dragons who have the strength to say they are beyond any earthly thing—it is crucial to entrust one’s consciousness to darkness and feel what lies ahead.
To dream or not to dream, to experience a moment of self-loss from one’s body—that is secretly seen as an important process for objectively assessing one’s own value.
“Are you reminiscing about your glorious achievements…? Even I find myself still so base.”

The violent collision shatters their scales, sending them flying.
Even the dragon’s armor, which is difficult to damage with human strength, offers little protection against such a clash between dragons.
But beneath it lies muscles of unimaginable power, bones that support them, and an astonishing regenerative healing ability that repairs itself before your eyes.
The scales are merely one aspect of a dragon's strength.
They bounce off each other from the impact.
Lyla rebounds into the sky as if she were a ball bouncing off the ground, while Rayla falls straight down due to gravity.
In aerial combat, attacking from above is advantageous. However, Rayla knew this all along.
"Displeasing."
While barely avoiding collision with the ground, Lyla mercilessly attacks again in a steep dive.
She has an advantage in physical durability as a fire dragon. To meet her head-on at such a disadvantage on the ground would be foolish, even if it was to show resolve.

Lyra smashes into her opponent, venting her frustration.

Leila avoids the blow by keeping her descent speed to a minimum and gliding just above ground level. The black dragon’s claws dig deep into the mountainside. But then,

“Did you think I’d be caught?”

Lyra uses the claw embedded in the ground as a pivot, swings her body in a half-circle arc, lands, and immediately sprints forward with feline agility to catch up to Leila, who is still reeling from using the ground for propulsion. Of course, when it comes to sudden acceleration, running on the ground is faster than pushing through the air.

Still, if Lyra were any other dragon, she might not have been able to transition so smoothly from flying like a bird to running like an animal.

“I’ve got you now.”

“Not yet.”

Leila pushes off with her four legs and tries to leap back into the sky.

However, Rila grabbed its tail and spun horizontally, rolling over the silver dragon as she wrapped her wings around herself to slam it back into the ground once more.

The wasteland where two such massive bodies fought shook from their impact. But even after Rila's repeated blows, they had yet to land a truly effective hit on Leila.

A battle between dragons with superior regenerative abilities would not end simply because of a few deep wounds; these were merely preliminary strikes that did not amount to serious damage.

"You flew off confidently but now you're just running away."

"Not at all. …Black Dragon, I will have you fall for my master's sake."

"Huh?"

Leila severed her own tail. The silver dragon escaped as it bled profusely; this time she had regained her footing and was regenerating her tail while flying strongly into the sky to unleash a Blizzard Breath.

"Nuuu!"

Dragon breath is ineffective against other dragons, but ice attacks are not completely harmless to fire dragons like Rila—they can still be somewhat damaging.

Her limbs, frozen solid before her eyes, were losing their strength. For any normal race, this would be the least of their worries; the cold was so intense that it could tear apart bodily tissues in an instant.
But the same went for both of them.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
Lyra muttered and unleashed her flames.
The fire she breathed out expanded and exploded into the world around her, which had frozen over rapidly. The moisture condensed instantly from the air was turned back into steam by the scorching heat, filling the space between the two dragons with a thick white smoke screen.
The damage caused by freezing couldn’t be completely healed just by warming up; Lyra poured in some of her own stamina to aid the recovery while chasing after the airborne Lyra.
This time, Lyra took to the skies.
Ice dragons were known for their superior flight capabilities. Perhaps she thought that if she could get enough altitude, she wouldn’t lose to Lyra.
But as she chased after her, Lyra mocked her thoughts.

"Do you think I'm just a Fire Dragon or a Black Dragon?"

The reason why Ice Dragons are considered strong in the air isn't due to their physical abilities, but rather because of their superior sensory perception that allows them to detect changes in wind flow and atmospheric conditions. This ability is crucial for long-distance flight, as small differences can accumulate into significant ones over time.

However, if all it takes is flying fast and dodging attacks, then that's a different story.
Ryira forced herself to fly faster, outpacing Reila’s movements.
"Kuh!"

"I’ll give you credit for trying to outsmart me. But..."
Ryira’s claws pierced into Reila’s stomach.

"To be the Dragon of Dragons is to wield violence. Without the fanaticism that allows one to bend impossibilities to their will, how can anything be accomplished?"

"You talk as if you know."

"I have seen miracles. I've kept on seeing them."

Even as Rila took the counterattack from Leila, she continued to deliver another blow and inflict damage.

As they fell to the ground, they separated from each other, spreading blood and scales around, continuing their conversation that sounded like roars to anyone listening.

"Without more than just a stroke of luck, without something worthy enough to be called a miracle, it cannot be done. Even if you are prepared, unless you surpass yourself..."

"I don't need miracles. All I can do is..."

"I will create miracles. We will create them. Regardless of who you are, follow Andy Smayson."

Once again, the two clashed.

Straight on, at the same height and directly facing each other.

And this time, their power difference was clearly visible.

The silver dragon was clearly outmatched by the black dragon's strength and was flung away.

"If you wish to die for your own fate, then so be it. Such a one is no match for me. An easy battle."

"Let's see about that."

Leyra straightened her stance and defiantly resisted the black dragon hovering in mid-air.

She swung her claws, easily blowing away stone houses, bared her fangs to bite into horses, and fought fiercely to bring Rila down to earth. But Rila’s claws stabbed first, her fists blocked Leyra's biting teeth, and when she was burned by a close-range fire breath, Rila struck again with a spinning tail strike that sent Leyra plummeting back to the ground.

As the silver dragon shook the earth with its leap, Rila accelerated from mid-air and landed on both hind legs, stomping Leyra’s neck and flank. But even so, Leyra healed her wounds and rose up.

"Not yet... I'm not done."

"Very well."

In an instant, they separated.

Reila launched a spinning attack, swinging her tail diagonally at Rilla from the momentum of her wild charge.
Rilla met it head-on, sending Reila’s silver body flying and rolling across the ground.
“Your turn now,” she said.
She followed up with an attack of her own, mimicking Reila's tail strike. The blow landed cleanly, sending Reila flying a good distance.
Even so,
even then, Reila got back to her feet and challenged the black dragon once more.
The attacks were not ineffective; they did reach their target.
Rilla relied on this,
as if praying for it to be true.

"...Or perhaps she found that way of living as an interesting one for a dragon? No."

Lyra scratched her head and then looked around, smiling.
"It's just a pointless instinct to fight. I prefer this."
She thought of the women in her master’s arms, looking happy.
Suddenly, she wondered if that dragon knew such joy.

Around chapter 666, during the season of the "Summer Spirit Festival."

"That is why I cannot go with you!"

With those words, the silver dragon beat the air with her massive wings and kicked off from the mountain peak with her powerful legs.
Her name was Leila.
Upon receiving this departure, the black dragon Lyra left her master, her best friend, and the friend who had become a servant—Maya—to the latter, and rose to intercept her in the sky.

"Diane... I leave the two of them to you."

Dragons, meeting dragons.
Those who had each become the final guardians of their master's world.
Harboring a deep sense of empathy while burning with the pride of being the strongest, the black dragon Lyra let out a roar and slammed her dark, massive frame against the silver colossus ascending from below at an unhesitating speed.

---

"...A dream, then."

Lyra muttered softly.
Dragons do not sleep. There is no need for sleep.
This is what most other races believe, and it is close to the truth.
Life is not hindered by a lack of sleep, and one can rest while standing, sitting, or even while flying through the sky.
Even when they do sleep, it does not take long. Whether they drift off for a few minutes or up to an hour, they wake quickly.
It is not a biological drive like the human need for sleep; it might be closer to the sensation of "daydreaming" or "spacing out" for a human.
However, for a dragon, this was a vital part of self-exploration.
For a dragon possessing power so great that nothing in the physical world could resist it, surrendering one's consciousness to the darkness to sense what lies beyond was of great importance.
To dream was one method; to experience the moment the ego dissolved within one's own being without dreaming was another. These were regarded as secretly vital processes for objectively assessing the value of one's own existence.

"Are you reminiscing about your own glorious exploits...? Even I... am still so base."

---

During the violent collision, scales from both sides shattered and scattered like snow.
A dragon's armor, which is difficult for even human strength to wound, provides little protection against a collision between two dragons.
However, beneath that armor lies muscle possessing unimaginable power, the bones that support it, and, above all, a miraculous regenerative healing factor that works even as one watches.
In the hierarchy of a dragon's strength, scales are merely a fraction of the whole.
The two beasts were repelled by the impact.
Lyra was bounced upward again, like a ball striking the ground, while Leila was driven straight downward by the force of gravity.
In aerial combat, attacking from above is inherently advantageous. Yet, Leila knew this.

"How insolent."

Lyra dove relentlessly toward the silver dragon, who had barely avoided a fatal crash into the earth.
In terms of sheer physical durability, the advantage lay with herself, a fire dragon. To meet the attack from below, even as a display of resolve, was foolish.
Lyra unleashed her frustration through the strike.
Leila avoided it by skimming the ground, maintaining her terminal velocity until the last possible moment and kicking off the earth.
The black dragon's claws gouged deep into the mountainside. However—

"Do you think that caught me?"

Using her claws, which were embedded in the earth, as a pivot, Lyra swung her entire body in a semi-circle to land. She immediately sprinted with the agility of a beast, catching the wobbling Leila—who had lost stability from using the ground for leverage—and pounced, slamming her to the ground this time for certain.
When it comes to rapid acceleration, pushing off the earth is naturally faster than pushing through the soft air.
Of course, a dragon other than Lyra might not have been able to transition so abruptly from the sensation of a soaring bird to that of a sprinting beast.

"I have you."

"Not yet."

Leila braced all four limbs, leaping to take to the sky once more.

However, Lyra seized that tail and, with her wings still folded, swung herself around in a lateral rotation to wrap it around the beast, slamming the silver dragon into the ground once more, crushing it as she overran it.

The wasteland, where two massive bodies of sixty meters each clashed, continued to tremble from the impact.

Yet, Lyra’s two successive slams had not yet become effective blows against Leila. In a battle between dragons possessing such superior regenerative abilities, a fight does not end simply by inflicting a wound or two. Since these blows hadn't even reached the level of deep wounds, this was nothing more than a warm-up.

"You took off with such bravado, yet when faced with the real thing, you do nothing but flee."

"Hardly... Black Dragon, I shall have you fall for the sake of my master."

"Hah!"

Leila severed her own tail. As the silver dragon escaped amidst a spray of blood, Lyra—having regained her footing this time—soared powerfully into the sky while her tail regenerated, unleashing a Blizzard Breath.

"Nngh!"

Dragon breath of the same species is ineffective against dragons. However, for Lyra, a fire dragon, ice is an opposing element; while she could endure it better than most species, it was not entirely harmless.

Before her very eyes, her frozen limbs began to lose their strength. For an ordinary race, it would have been far worse—the cold was intense enough to shred their very tissues in an instant.

But the same applied to her opponent.

"Do not underestimate me," Lyra muttered, releasing her own flames.

The fire exhaled from her maw caused the rapidly frozen world to expand and explode. The moisture that had instantly condensed in the atmosphere turned back into steam within the scorching hellscape, enveloping the space between the two dragons in a thick, white shroud of smoke.

Since the damage from the freezing could not be erased simply by warming the area, Lyra poured her own vitality into the recovery process as she pursued Leila through the sky.

This time, Leila took the high ground.

Ice dragons tend to excel in flight. Had she calculated that she wouldn't lose to Lyra if she could maintain a proper position in the air?

But Lyra mocked that very thought as she gave chase.

"Did you think this Lyra was merely a common fire dragon, a mere black dragon?"

The reason ice dragons are considered strong in the sky is not due to physical prowess, but because their perception—their ability to sense wind currents and atmospheric changes—is relatively superior. It is a vital ability for long-distance flight, where slight differences accumulate into massive advantages.

However, if the matter is simply flying fast and maneuvering one's body, that is a different story.

Lyra forced herself to fly with extreme speed, outstripping Leila’s movements.

"Kh!"

"I shall praise your cunning attempt to maneuver and win. However..."

One of Lyra's claw strikes pierced Leila's abdomen.

"...The essence of a dragon is violence. Without the madness to push through with one's true nature and overpower the impossible, how could one ever force their will upon the world?"

"You speak as if you know..."

"I have seen miracles. I have continued to see them."

Lyra took Leila's counterattack upon her own body, even as she drove in another strike to inflict damage. Before they fell to the earth, the two parted, continuing their conversation—which, to an outsider, would sound like nothing but roars—as they scattered blood and scales.

"To attract something worthy of being called a miracle, rather than a mere coincidence, that way is insufficient. Not if you cannot transcend yourself even when prepared for the worst."

"It doesn't have to be a miracle. I... whatever I can do..."

"I shall cause miracles. We shall cause miracles. Regardless of what happens to you, we follow Andy Swamson."

Once again, the two collided.

Straight, at the same altitude, head-on.

And in that moment, the difference in power became unmistakable.

The silver dragon was clearly overwhelmed by the black dragon's power, sent reeling by the impact.

"If you intend to die by your fate, so be it. One of your caliber could never hope to defeat me. This will be an easy battle."

"Don't you dare talk down to me!"

Leila steadied herself, resisting the black dragon as it hovered arrogantly above.
She swung her claws, capable of easily blowing away stone houses, and lunged with fangs that could swallow a horse in a single bite, fighting desperately to bring Leila crashing to the ground.
However, Leila's claws struck faster; she parried the biting fangs with a hardened fist, and as she recoiled from the heat of a fire breath searing her face at point-blank range, a spinning strike from Leila's tail sent her plummeting to the earth once more.
As the silver dragon leaped, shaking the very ground, Leila accelerated from the air in a descent, bringing both her hind legs down in a stomp intended to gouge Leila's neck and flank.
Yet, even then, Leila rose, healing her wounds as she did so.

"I... I'm not retreating yet!"

"Very well, then."

In an instant, they parted.
Transitioning from a frantic dash to a leap launched from her forelegs, Leila unleashed a diagonal tail strike.
Leila met the attack with a full-body tackle. The silver dragon’s body was lifted off the ground and sent rolling.

"My turn."

Leila pursued the rolling silver dragon, mimicking her own previous technique with a tail attack. The strike swung horizontally landed a clean hit, sending Leila flying back with such force it was almost rhythmic.
And yet.
Even then, Leila stood back up to challenge the black dragon.
It wasn't that the attacks weren't working. It wasn't that she couldn't reach him.
She relied on that.
As if in prayer.

"...Or perhaps, I couldn't help but think that their way of life... was quite fascinating for a dragon. No."

Leila scratched her head, then looked around and smiled.

"In the end, battle is nothing more than a dull instinct. This is better."

The sight of women looking so happy, cradled in the arms of their masters.

She wondered, for a moment, if that dragon knew such joy.

Around chapter 666, during the "Summer Spirit Festival."
"That is why I cannot go with you!"

The silver dragon declared this before beating her mighty wings against the air and kicking down the rocky mountain peak with her powerful legs.
Her name was Leila.
And the black dragon Laila accepted this, entrusting her master, her best friend, and the friend who had become her servant to the following Mia for protection.
"Diane… I leave them in your care."

Dragon against dragon.
And those who had defined themselves as the world’s final guardians of their masters.
With empathy in their hearts and the pride that they were the strongest burning within, the black dragon Laila roared and slammed her own massive black form into the silver giant rising from below at an unhesitant speed.

"…A dream, then."
Laila murmured softly.
Dragons do not sleep. They need not sleep.
Most other races believe this. And it is close to the truth.
They can live without sleep, and they can rest standing, sitting, or even while flying through the sky.
The time needed for sleep is also not long. Even if they do sleep, they awaken in a matter of minutes, at most an hour.
It is not driven by a desire to sleep. It might be akin to what humans call "spacing out."
But for dragons, it was also something precious—a form of self-discovery.
For a dragon with power so great that nothing in this world could surpass it, and who could do as they pleased without hindrance, surrendering their consciousness to the darkness and sensing what lay beyond was an important thing.
To dream was one thing, and to feel the moment their sense of self vanished without dreaming was another. It was secretly considered an important process for objectively assessing the value of oneself.
"Are you longing for memories of your glorious deeds…? Even I am still so shallow."

The violent collision shattered scales from both sides, sending them scattering.
A dragon’s hide, impervious to even human weaponry, offers little protection in a clash between dragons.
But beneath it lies unimaginable strength in their muscles, the bones that support them, and above all, the astonishing regenerative power that heals them in an instant.
Scales are but a small part of a dragon’s strength.
The two beasts rebounded from the impact.
Laila was sent back into the sky as if a ball had bounced off the ground, while Leila was driven downward by gravity.
Attacking from above is still advantageous in aerial combat. But Leila was well aware of this.
"Pathetic."

The silver dragon barely avoided crashing into the ground, and Laila mercilessly dove down to attack.
In terms of physical resilience, she had the advantage as a fire dragon. To meet her attack from below, even as a show of defiance, was foolish.
Laila hammered that frustration into her.
Leila evaded the heavy blow by deliberately maintaining near-fall velocity, skimming just above the ground and kicking off the earth to change direction.
The black dragon’s claws gouged deeply into the mountain face. But—
"Did you think that would hold me?"

Laila used the claw she had driven into the ground as a pivot, swinging her entire body in an arc to land, then immediately sprinted with the agility of a beast, not missing Leila as she staggered from using the ground mid-flight, and leaped to finally slam her down to earth.

A sudden burst of speed was naturally faster than flying by pushing against the soft air—kicking off the ground was quicker.

Though, for any dragon other than Laila, the transition from the sensation of a bird taking to the sky to that of a beast racing across the land might not have been possible so abruptly.

"Got you!"

"Not yet."

Laila stretched her four legs, leaped, and tried to soar back into the sky.

But Laila grabbed her tail, folded her wings, and spun sideways, wrapping herself around the silver dragon, slamming her down again, crushing her beneath her weight before surging over her.

The wasteland where these two sixty-meter giants clashed continued to tremble from the impact.

Yet even Laila’s twice-repeated blows had not yet been effective against Laila.

A battle between dragons with superior recovery wouldn’t end after inflicting wounds just twice or thrice. This was merely a warm-up, far from causing any serious harm.

"So eager to take flight, yet when the moment comes, you only flee."

"Impossible… Black Dragon, I shall have you fall for my master."

"Hoh?"

Laila severed her own tail. The silver dragon fled, scattering blood, but now readjusted, she took to the sky powerfully while regenerating her tail and unleashed a Blizzard Breath.

"Nyuu!"

Dragon breath has no effect on its own kind. But for Laila, the fire dragon, ice—her opposite element—wasn’t entirely harmless. She could endure it better than ordinary races, but it still affected her.

Her limbs froze instantly, losing strength. For a normal race, that would be the end of them. The cold was enough to shred their tissues in an instant.

But the same applied to Laila.

"Don’t underestimate me."

Laila muttered, unleashing her flames.

The fire she spewed expanded and exploded through the rapidly frozen world.

Water vapor instantly condensed from the air, turning back into scorching steam, enveloping the space between the two dragons in a white smoke screen.

Simply warming the frozen damage wasn’t enough to erase it, so Laila poured her own vitality into healing it while chasing after Laila in the sky.

This time, Laila gained the upper hand.

Ice dragons tend to have superior flight capabilities. Perhaps she believed that if she could establish a proper stance in the air, she wouldn’t lose to Laila.

But Laila scoffed as she pursued her.

"Did you think this Laila was just some fire dragon, some black dragon?"

The reason ice dragons are said to be strong in the sky isn’t due to physical prowess but rather their relatively superior perception of wind currents and atmospheric changes.

That’s a vital ability for long-distance flight—small differences accumulate into significant ones.

But if it were merely about flying fast and maneuvering, that would be another matter entirely.

Laila forced herself to fly faster, surpassing Laila’s movements.

"Kuh."

"I’ll commend your cunning tactics and will to win, even if you’re just a little clever. But—"

One of Laila’s claws pierced Laila’s belly.

"The true dragon is violence incarnate. Without the fanaticism to overcome impossibilities with one’s own nature, how could anything be forced?"

"You talk big."

"I have witnessed miracles. I continue to witness them."

While still taking Rayla’s counterattacks upon her own body, Laila delivers another blow, inflicting further damage.

Before either of them falls to the ground, they separate, scattering blood and scales as they continue their conversation—a roar-like exchange that sounds like nothing but bellowing to any outsider.

"Not mere coincidence, no. To draw forth something worthy of being called a miracle requires more than that. A resolve beyond what you can surpass."

"I don’t need miracles. I… I only need to do what I can."

"I will create miracles. We will create miracles. Whether you like it or not, follow Andy Smythson."

Once again, the two clash.

Straight, at the same altitude, head-on.

And at that moment, the difference in power becomes clear.

The silver dragon is clearly overpowered by the black dragon’s strength, sent flying backward.

"If you wish to die for your own fate, then so be it. A being of such caliber can never best me. An easy fight."

"Let me finish this!"

Rayla regains her footing and defiantly resists the hovering black dragon.

She lashes out with claws that could easily shatter stone, snaps at her with fangs that could swallow a horse whole, and struggles to bring Laila crashing down.

But Laila’s claws strike faster, her bite is repelled by a clenched fist, and when she recoils from the fire breath scorching her face at close range, Laila’s vertical-tailed sweep sends Rayla plummeting once more.

As the silver dragon bucked from the impact, Laila accelerates downward from the air, using both hind legs to stomp down on Rayla’s neck and flank as if tearing them away.

Yet even so, Rayla heals her wounds and rises again.

"Not… not yet. I can’t back down."

"Good."

In an instant, they separate.

Rayla launches from a desperate sprint, using her forelegs to vault into the air, then swings her tail diagonally downward in an attack aimed at Laila.

Laila intercepts with a body slam. The silver dragon’s form floats and rolls across the ground.

"Now, it’s my turn."

Laila pursues the rolling silver dragon and mimics her with a tail strike. The blow lands cleanly, sending Rayla bouncing away in a satisfying manner.

Yet still…

Even so, Rayla rises again, challenging the black dragon.

It’s not that her attacks fail to connect. It’s not that they don’t reach their mark.

She relies on that.

As if praying.

"...Or perhaps, that is… an interesting way of living for a dragon, I suppose. No."

Laila scratches her head and smiles as she looks around.

"War is nothing but a tedious instinct in the end. This is better."

The sight of women being held by their masters, looking happy.

For a moment, she wonders if that dragon knows this kind of joy.

Around episode 666, the time of the "Summer Spirit Festival."
"Therefore, I cannot go with you!"

The silver dragon spoke these words, then beat its massive wings against the air and kicked down from the peak of the rocky mountain with its powerful legs.

Her name is Leila.

And Black Dragon Lyra, in response, entrusted her master, her closest friend, and the companion who had become her subordinate to the following Maia, and met them in the sky.

"Diane... I'll leave the two of you in your care."

Dragon against dragon.
And those who have sworn themselves as the final guardians of their own world.

With empathy hidden within their hearts, and burning with the pride that they are the strongest, Black Dragon Lyra let out a roar and slammed her black massive body into the silver giant rising from below at an unhesitating speed.

"...A dream, is it?"
Lyra whispered softly.

Dragons do not sleep; there is no need for them to.
Many other races believe this, and it is close to the truth.
They can live without sleeping, whether standing, sitting, or flying through the air.
The time needed for sleep is also not long; even if they do sleep, they awaken after only a few minutes at most, never exceeding an hour.
It is not driven by a desire for sleep. For humans, it might be akin to the sensation of "zoning out."

Yet, for dragons, this was something important as a form of self-exploration.
Dragons possess power so great that they can claim to be stronger than anything in the mortal world and capable of achieving anything their will dictates. For such dragons, surrendering their consciousness to the darkness and sensing what lies beyond it is a crucial matter.

Dreaming is one thing; feeling the moment when one's self vanishes from within oneself without dreaming is another. This process is secretly regarded as profoundly important for objectively evaluating the value of one's own existence.

"Am I reminiscing about my own glorious exploits...? Truly, I am still quite pitiful."

The fierce collision shattered both dragons' scales, sending them scattering through the air.
Dragon armor, which even human strength struggles to wound, offers little protection in a clash between dragons.
Yet beneath it lie muscles harboring unimaginable power, bones supporting them, and above all, a miraculous healing ability that regenerates before one's very eyes.

Among the strengths of creatures known as dragons, scales are merely a superficial layer.

The two dragons bounced off each other from the impact.
Lyra rose back into the sky like a ball rebounding to the ground, while Leila descended straight downward under the influence of gravity.

In aerial combat, attacking from above is indeed advantageous. However, Leila was fully aware of this.

"What an annoyance."
Against the silver dragon who had just barely avoided crashing to the ground, Lyra relentlessly dove down upon her.

Physically, she holds the advantage over herself as a fire dragon. Yet, for someone to meet her attack from below merely to show resolve is foolishness.
Lyra unleashed her frustration with a crushing blow.

Leila evaded this heavy strike by deliberately maintaining her falling speed until the very last moment, skimming just above the ground and kicking off it as she flew.
The black dragon's claws gouged deeply into the mountain's surface. However—

"Did you think that would catch me?"
Using the claw embedded in the ground as a pivot, Lyra swung her entire body in a semicircle to land, then immediately sprinted away with the agility of a beast. She did not let go of Leila, who was stumbling from using the ground while flying, and leapt forward to slam her down to the earth once more.

Of course, when accelerating rapidly, it is natural that kicking against the earth yields greater speed than pushing through soft air.

Though for dragons other than Lyra, shifting abruptly from the sensation of a bird soaring in the sky to the rush of a beast running across the ground may have been impossible.

"I've got you!"

"Not yet."

Leira strained all four limbs, leaped upward, and attempted to rise into the air once more.

But Lyra seized her tail, folded her wings, wrapped herself around them in a horizontal spin, slammed the silver dragon back onto the ground, pinned her down, and crushed beneath her own weight.

The wilderness where two colossal bodies, each sixty meters long, engaged in combat continued to tremble from the impact.

Yet even Lyra's repeated strikes had not yet delivered a decisive blow to Leira.

A battle between dragons renowned for their resilience would not end after one or two severe wounds; this was merely a preliminary skirmish, falling short of inflicting true damage.

"You took off with such bravado, only to flee when the moment came."

"Impossible... Black Dragon, I shall bring you down for my master's sake!"

"Hmph."

Leira severed her own tail. As blood sprayed around her, the silver dragon escaped; now regaining her footing, she regenerated her tail and soared powerfully into the sky, unleashing a Blizzard Breath.

"Ugh!"

Breaths from the same species are ineffective against dragons. Yet for Lyra, a Fire Dragon, ice—the opposite element—was not entirely useless, though it could be endured better than by ordinary races.

Her frozen limbs gradually lost strength. For an ordinary being, such cold would be unbearable; in moments, their very tissues would crumble apart.

But the same applied to both.

"Don't underestimate me."

Lyra muttered, releasing her inner flame.

The fire expelled from her mouth caused the rapidly frozen world to expand and explode.

Moisture condensed in the air instantly turned back into steam within the inferno, enveloping the space between the two dragons in a thick veil of white smoke.

Since the damage from freezing could not be undone merely by warming up, Lyra poured her own vitality into healing herself while pursuing Leira through the sky.

This time, Leira gained the upper hand.

Ice Dragons tend to excel in flight; perhaps she believed that if she secured a proper position in the air, she could match Lyra.

But as Lyra pursued her, she mocked her resolve.

"Did you think this Lyra was nothing more than a mere Fire Dragon, or just another Black Dragon?"

The reason Ice Dragons are said to dominate the skies lies not in physical prowess, but in their superior perceptual ability to sense wind currents and atmospheric shifts—a crucial skill for long-distance flight, where even minor differences accumulate into significant advantages.

However, if one simply flies fast and maneuvers well, that is a different matter entirely.

Lyra pushed herself beyond her limits, flying faster than ever before, surpassing Leira's movements.

"Ugh!"

"I commend any dragon who schemes cleverly and strives to win. But—"

One of Lyra's claws pierced Leira's abdomen.

"A dragon's true power lies in violence. Without the fervor to overcome impossibility by fulfilling one's own nature, how can one ever succeed?"

"You speak as if you know something I don't."

"I have witnessed miracles. I have continued to witness them."
While taking the counterattack upon herself, Layra delivers another blow, inflicting further damage.

Before they crash to the ground, they part ways, scattering blood and scales as they continue their dragon-like conversation, which sounds nothing more than roars to an outside observer.

"It is not mere chance that draws forth something worthy of being called a miracle; it requires resolve beyond what can be achieved even with full determination."

"A miracle isn't necessary. All I need... is what I can do."

"I shall create the miracle. We shall create the miracle. No matter how you act, follow Andy Smythe."

Once again, they collide—head-on, at equal height, directly facing one another.
And at that moment, the disparity in their power becomes unmistakably clear.
The silver dragon is decisively overpowered by the black dragon's might and sent flying backward.

"If you are willing to sacrifice yourself for your fate, then so be it. Such a being can never stand against me. This will be an easy fight."

"Leave me to speak my mind!"

Layra regains her footing, defying the black dragon that hovers above with arrogant composure.

She swings claws capable of effortlessly blowing away stone houses and bites down with fangs strong enough to crush a horse in a single snap, striving to bring Layra crashing to the earth.
Yet Layra's claws strike faster, piercing through; her bite is countered by a solid punch that sends her flying, only for her to be scorched on the face by a fire breath from close range and cower—right then, Layra's vertical spinning tail strike knocks her down once more to the ground.

As the silver dragon rebounds, shaking the earth beneath her, Layra accelerates mid-air and descends, delivering a stomp that tears into Layra's neck and ribs with both hind legs.
Still, even so, Layra heals her wounds and rises again.

"Not yet... I will not retreat."

"Very well."

In an instant, they separate.

Layra leaps forward from her frantic charge, throwing her body off balance using her front legs as an axis, and unleashes a diagonal tail swipe aimed at Layra.
Layra meets the attack with a direct collision; the silver dragon's body lifts into the air before rolling across the ground.

"Next time, I'll take the lead."
Chasing the rolling silver dragon, Layra mimics her own move and strikes with her tail. The horizontal blow lands cleanly, sending Layra airborne in an almost satisfyingly high arc.

Even so...
Even still, Layra rises and challenges the black dragon anew.

Her attacks are not entirely ineffective; they do reach their mark.
Relying on that.
As if in prayer...

"...Or perhaps, in its own way, I find such a life fascinating for a dragon. No."
Layra scratches her head, surveys her surroundings, and smiles.

"After all, battles are merely boring instincts. This moment is far better."
The sight of women being held by their masters, looking blissfully content.
Suddenly, she wonders: does this dragon truly understand such joy?