Chapter 3: Chapter 2 : A meeting guided by destiny
Hilda once again created a cube of energy and trapped Fenril inside.
— "You're going to be our bait while we make our escape!" she declared without a hint of hesitation.
— "What?!" Fenril shouted, eyes wide with shock.
— "Girls, let's go!" Hilda ordered, taking off without looking back.
The survivors didn't waste a second and ran, leaving Fenril to his fate. But just a few meters away, a thunderous roar shook the air. The dragon appeared in front of them, its eyes blazing with fury.
— "Looks like it didn't appreciate the arrows," Selma remarked with a nervous smile.
The beast retaliated instantly with a powerful swipe of its claw. Selma dodged effortlessly, and the second archer followed suit. Enraged, the monster launched attack after attack with growing ferocity, yet none of its blows landed.
— "You're wasting your time, lizard," Selma taunted with a smirk. "Archers are incredibly agile. Your attacks are way too slow to hit us."
The dragon froze for a moment, then reared up on its hind legs. With a mighty beat of its wings, it unleashed a raging storm that swept everything away in its path. The two archers, thrown off balance, crashed violently against a tree. The impact left them stunned, sprawled on the ground. Before they could even recover, the dragon lunged at them and devoured them in one swift motion.
— "SELMA! SARAH!" Hilda screamed, horror twisting her face. "Damn it… I barely have any Reiki left… If I'm alone, I still have just enough to teleport… The teleportation to the hideout takes about fifteen seconds to charge… At this distance, it should work!"
Trembling, she lifted her wand to the sky and traced a circle in the air. Several glowing rings appeared around her, slowly rotating up and down. The dragon, sensing the danger, roared and charged up a massive fireball. The blazing attack shot toward Hilda—but she vanished just in time, her spell activating at the last second.
At the same moment, the spell imprisoning Fenril dissipated. He sprang to his feet, relieved, but his hope was short-lived as he saw the dragon slowly advancing toward him, a cruel glint in its eyes.
— "Well… looks like I aimed too high," Fenril thought, clenching his teeth. "I wanted to become king… to change my village's fate… I'm sorry, everyone. I wish I could have seen you one last time."
The dragon raised its massive claw and slammed it down on Fenril. The ground shook under the impact. But when it lifted its paw, there was nothing underneath. Confused, the monster scanned its surroundings.
Fenril slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, unharmed. He turned his head and saw the dragon a few meters away.
— "What the… How…?"
Then his gaze lifted to a young man standing nearby.
He was about 1.85 meters tall, with short brown hair falling slightly over his forehead. A chain hung around his neck, and a single earring adorned his left ear. He wore an open blue hoodie, a white t-shirt underneath, worn jeans, and black sneakers. He observed Fenril with a calm that was almost unsettling.
— "Nothing broken?" he asked, his tone casual.
— "No… I'm fine," Fenril replied as he got up. "Thanks… uh?"
— "Tenma. My name is Tenma. Stay here. I'll handle this thing."
— "How do you plan on doing that? It's… it's insanely strong!" Fenril said, despair creeping into his voice.
— "Don't worry, I got this."
Fenril instinctively activated his Reiki to gauge his savior… and nearly choked.
— "N…Ninety… Level 100?! You're Level 100?!"
— "Exactly," Tenma replied, already taking his stance. "Sora, my weapons, please."
— "Who are you talking to?" Fenril asked, bewildered.
Suddenly, two swords materialized above Tenma. Identical in design, their guards were shaped like dragon heads with sapphires embedded in their eyes.
— "I must be dreaming… Those are… sacred treasures… The legendary weapons of Hephaestus!" Fenril gasped. "They're one-of-a-kind for each class! Where did you find them?!"
— "We'll talk about it later," Tenma replied. "Right now, I've got a dragon to kill."
He dashed forward with astonishing speed, delivering a flurry of precise and lethal strikes. Unlike Kazé, he dodged every attack with ease and countered with devastating efficiency. The dragon couldn't keep up.
After thirty minutes of relentless combat, the beast began to show signs of weakness. Tenma rushed in to deliver the finishing blow, but an unexpected strike from the dragon sent him flying, landing hard in front of Fenril.
— "It's almost done… Just a few more hits and I'll finish this," Tenma muttered. "But my defense is practically nonexistent… That hit really did a number on me. If only I had a little more Reiki…"
Suddenly, a white glow appeared in front of him. A beam of energy slowly descended upon him, restoring some of his strength.
— "I'm sorry…" Fenril panted. "That's all I can do… I've been nothing but a burden during this whole mission… I should have died…"
Tenma smirked.
— "Sorry? Don't be sorry, my friend. Your actions just changed the outcome of this battle. What's your name?"
— "Fenril."
— "Watch closely, Fenril. Watch how a seemingly small action can change everything!"
He raised both blades toward the sky and crossed them. A small spark flared to life, growing rapidly until it formed the face of a demon. Dark marks spread across Tenma's forehead, covering part of his face, while a crimson aura surrounded him.
— "I've heard of this transformation before…" Fenril thought in shock. "An assassin can enter a state of absolute focus, amplifying their abilities tenfold. This is… Fury!"
Tenma lunged at the dragon once more, his attacks now like streaks of lightning, striking from every angle. Within moments, the beast collapsed at last. Victory was theirs.
Tenma turned to Fenril and extended his hand.
— "Without you, we wouldn't have made it. Thank you, Fenril."
Tears welled up in Fenril's eyes.
— "I wanted to be king… but I'm not strong enough…"
Tenma grinned.
— "Then let me carry the weight of your dream. Our meeting must have been fate. I am Tenma… and I will become the next king of Belfort!"