The three dragons soared through the stormy sky, their massive wings casting shadows over the battlefield.
One of them dived toward Ray, aiming to crush him with its claws—
But Ray didn't even flinch.
With a single effortless motion, he deflected the attack, his expression calm, almost bored.
The dragon snarled and swung again—this time aiming to tear Ray apart.
But Ray sidestepped the attack with inhuman speed, launched himself into the air—
And drove a devastating punch straight into the dragon's gut.
BOOM.
The sheer force detonated the dragon midair, its body ripped apart by the impact.
Emily grinned, eyes shining with excitement. "You sure are something else, Ray!"
Another dragon lunged from behind, jaws wide open—
Ray didn't dodge.
Instead, he let himself be swallowed whole.
The dragon's throat ignited, its flames surging upward, ready to incinerate him from the inside.
---
Emily vs. The Skeleton Army
Meanwhile, Emily stood her ground as a massive skeleton army charged toward her.
She was exhausted, every muscle screaming for rest—but she had no choice.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her glowing eyes.
With the last of her strength, she summoned a massive cyclone, sweeping the undead away in an instant.
She exhaled. "Oof, good thing they weren't that strong."
---
Ray's Counterattack
Inside the dragon's throat, Ray smirked.
The beast had no idea—
It had swallowed the real predator.
A sickening CRACK echoed through the air.
Ray snapped the dragon's neck from the inside, tearing his way out in a brutal explosion of blood and fire.
The third dragon, seeing this, ignored Ray entirely.
It turned its fiery eyes toward Emily.
It charged, fangs bared—
Emily barely had time to react.
Just as its jaws closed around her—
Ray appeared behind it.
He grabbed its tail with one hand—
And with sheer, raw strength, he hurled the dragon into the sky.
The force was so immense, the dragon's body twisted and shattered midair, its flesh ripped apart as it spiraled out of control.
By the time it hit the clouds, it was already nothing but meat and bones.
---
The Final Confrontation: The Shadow Girl
Only two massive golems remained.
Ray simply walked forward and punched them.
The golems shattered instantly.
Now, only the Shadow remained.
Ray raised his fist to strike—
Then paused.
For the first time—he saw fear in the shadow's glowing eyes.
His expression softened. "You look like a child to me."
Before anything else could happen—
Kael's voice broke the silence.
"Stop, Sir Ray. It's over."
The girl in the white dress stepped forward and gently patted the shadow's head.
The shadow began to cry.
And in the next moment—
They both merged.
Then vanished.
And just like that—everything disappeared.
---
Returning to Reality
When they opened their eyes—
They were back in the house.
Emily blinked in confusion. "What… just happened?"
Kael took a deep breath. "That shadow… and the white-dressed girl… they were the same person."
Ray and Emily listened as Kael explained:
"The white girl was her cheerful side. The shadow was her fear and anger."
"She wasn't just trapped—she was waiting. She wanted someone to hear her story."
Ray frowned. "So she was waiting here… for centuries?"
Kael nodded. "Yes. And the red patterns on her dress… were her mother's blood. She tried to make them look like beautiful flowers."
Emily looked heartbroken. "That poor child… her whole family… finally at peace."
Ray, however, simply stared at the ground, his voice quiet and cold.
"The world doesn't always give happy endings."
Without hesitation, he drew his silver sword, igniting it with black flames.
With a single, final slash, he burned the house to the ground.
Emily and Kael clasped their hands in prayer.
Kael turned to Ray. "You're not going to pray?"
Ray turned away. "I don't believe in gods."
---
The Land of Knowledge
Days passed.
After a long, relentless journey, they finally arrived at their destination—
The Land of Knowledge.
But something was wrong.
The once-great land was now a wasteland of darkness.
The buildings were rusted and lifeless.
The streets were empty.
The air itself felt corrupted.
And standing at the entrance were four figures.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Ray… those are the last Hunters. Since we killed their boss, they're all that's left."
Ray teleported instantly.
One of the hunters barely had time to react. "Hey, who are y—"
SHINK.
His head fell to the ground.
Before the remaining three could even lift their weapons—
Ray killed them with his bare hands.
Kael's jaw dropped. "Is he even human?"
Emily shook her head. "I've never seen him struggle. Not once."
By the time they reached him—
Ray was already standing there, arms crossed.
"Took you long enough."
Emily smirked. "Well, you see, unlike you, we're not insane."
---
Inside the Library
Kael led them through the massive library, explaining as they walked.
"This place is dangerous. After the fairy sacrificed herself, she didn't die—she's protecting us. The black fog you see? It's from the Black Dragon. Without her aura shielding us, we'd be dead in seconds."
As they walked through the endless rows of towering bookshelves, Ray finally spoke.
"So where are your people?"
Kael's voice was calm. "Follow me. This library is so large, the entire population could fit here three times over."
After weaving through the endless halls—
They reached the center.
The moment they entered—Kael was surrounded by his people.
Children ran up to him, laughing and hugging him.
An old woman stormed forward, grabbing Kael's ear and dragging him away.
Emily laughed. "Guess he's still a kid to someone."
Ray simply watched in silence.
Emily nudged him. "You can relax, you know?"
Ray didn't answer.
For now—he simply waited.