The forest was drowned in a heavy silence, as if the earth itself was breathing slowly in anticipation of a coming storm. The sky was laden with gray clouds pierced by scattered threads of lightning, illuminating the interwoven shadows between the trees. Hades stood beside Zigrid, his heart still unsettled from the horror he had witnessed in Tartarus. He could still hear, deep within his ears, the echo of eternal screams, and feel the chill that invaded his bones as he watched a colossal beast crumble into ash in a single moment.
But what was about to happen now… was no less dreadful.
Suddenly, the ground shook with heavy rumbles, as though mountains were moving with steady steps. Trees trembled and their leaves fell like rain, while the soil cracked beneath their feet. Hades lifted his eyes to the sky and saw two massive shadows tearing through the clouds. Enormous wings stretched across the heavens, cloaking them in a darkness greater than night itself.
Hades's heart sank, while Zigrid stood motionless, as if he had expected this all along.
The first descended before them: a mighty being, its body covered in scales as white as radiant snow, streaked with golden lines that reflected the glow of lightning. Its horns rose like celestial crowns, and its eyes were as cold as ice staring from eternity. This was Thalgron, the Dragon King.
And beside him, another shadow dove, darker than night itself. Its scales were black as coal, streaked with cracks glowing with fiery crimson. Its wings spread like infernal curtains, and its eyes were blazing embers filled with hostility. It was Zagoron, the royal dragon's brother.
Before their presence, the very earth seemed to break. The air grew heavier, and the mana of the place surged violently, as though forced to bow before their existence.
Hades staggered back involuntarily, his words escaping in broken fragments:
"D-Dragons…?! By the heavens…"
But Zigrid showed no sign of disturbance. On the contrary, he smiled with faint mockery.
Thalgron, his voice deep like the roar of the sea:
"So… it was you, Zigrid. I had wondered who awakened a Mana Zone of such depth. Now I know."
Zigrid laughed, a short laugh dripping with scorn:
"Hahaha… my dragon friend finally appears. Thirty years have passed, and here you stand before me once again."
Thalgron's eyes blazed with calm lightning, but his silence carried a heavy majesty.
Meanwhile, Zagoron leaned forward, his breath exhaling black smoke as he glared at Hades. He spoke with a tone steeped in contempt:
"And this is what you have after all these years? Have you taken to raising a pet, Zigrid?"
Hades trembled, anger igniting his chest despite the fear gnawing at him. He clenched his fist, then shouted in defiance:
"Who are you calling a pet, you… black lizard?!"
A low laugh rumbled from Zagoron's throat, but it was more akin to the growl of a beast preparing to strike.
Thalgron intervened, his voice sharp as a blade:
"Stop, brother."
Zagoron turned toward him but stepped back, releasing only a huff of crimson smoke from his nostrils.
Then, with a shadowed voice, Zagoron said:
"Speaking of that… a few days ago, I encountered a strange being in this region. A demon… I do not know his name. But his presence was far from ordinary."
Hades furrowed his brows, his body shivering. He instantly remembered Asmodeus, the one he had faced. He asked urgently:
"A nameless demon?! Was it not… Asmodeus?"
A heavy silence fell. All eyes turned toward him.
Zigrid smirked coldly, placing his hand behind his back:
"He indeed entered my territory… carrying the corpse of a black demon with its head severed. And he claimed he had come to kill this brat." He flicked his eyes toward Hades.
Hades stared in shock:
"So Asmodeus's fate was sealed?! And this demon wanted to kill me?!"
Zigrid laughed again, though his ember-like eyes remained cold:
"The curious part… he claimed that you were the one who killed that demon. But the truth is…"
Hades cut him off, raising his head with reckless defiance:
"Hahaha… I didn't slay him with my own hands. It was an even battle, ending with both of us falling into the abyss. Each of us dropped into a different chasm. His severed head was not my doing."
The place fell silent, broken only by the sound of stormy winds.
Thalgron stared long at Hades, as though his gaze pierced through his soul to plumb its depths. Meanwhile, Zagoron curved his lips into a fierce grin, tongues of flame seeping between his fangs.
At last, he spoke, his voice like the crushing of boulders:
"So, little human… it seems you carry within you far more than what shows on the surface."
Hades clenched his fists, his body dripping with sweat, yet he did not back down. Within him raged a storm: torn between the terror threatening to shatter him and the stubborn resolve that refused to bow—even before dragons.