—It landed!

The feeling in my grip changed. A dull thud—my blade struck bone. At the same time, I kicked off the dragon’s arm, pulling out my wakizashi as I retreated.

My feet touched the ground as I slid backward. I turned and widened my eyes.

Seizing the moment when the beast’s attention was drawn to its now powerless right arm, Oujin had already leapt into the air, using the collapsed stone pillar as a foothold.

“Shi—”

The sword fell silently. Sharp. Fast.

—Hyu—

Landing, Oujin slid and stopped next to me.

—Giiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?

The dragon roared. No—that was no mere roar. It was a scream. A wail of agony. It twisted its long neck, writhing in pain, losing balance.

Its right arm hung limply, and its left—

With a heavy thud, it fell to the floor.

He cut it off. He actually cut it off. This guy really is unbelievable. I didn’t even need to give him a signal—he saw the slight opening in the dragon’s defense and didn’t let it slip by.

This isn’t something a student should be capable of. It’s incredible.

“—?”

But something—something is wrong. Did he not feel the expected resistance?

Oujin furrowed his brows, tilting his head in confusion.

And then I noticed it too.

“—!”

There’s no blood. No blood at all…? What the hell?

The right arm I had slashed near the elbow was oozing a black liquid instead of blood. But the left arm, the one Oujin severed at the base, wasn’t bleeding at all.

And then—

Oujin choked out a whisper.

“…Eremia, is that normal for dragons?”

The severed left arm of the dragon.

It was moving. Wriggling.

The fallen arm was squirming, as if it had a life of its own. As if it were an independent creature.

Despite having no eyes or mouth, it moved.

Chills ran up my spine.

Disgusting. For the first time, I felt repulsed by something simply being alive.

“…Don’t be ridiculous… there’s no way a creature like that should exist…”

“Then what do you call that?”

The dragon, after letting out its agonized cry, bent its long neck down—toward its own limp right arm.

“—!?”

And then, with sheer brute force, it bit down.

It tore it off, chewing through the bone.

Dark, oil-like liquid splattered from between its crooked teeth, staining the surroundings.

Ilga choked out a hoarse whisper.

“I-It ate… its own arm…?”

“…”

I can’t comprehend this. What is this thing?

Are we supposed to believe that arm was an entirely separate entity? No, at this point, that’s the only explanation.

They were symbiotic. That arm and the dragon.

“—Tch! Let’s test it, Eremia!”

Oujin dashed forward. Stunned as I was, I hurried to follow.

If we don’t take it down now, we may never get another chance. I have no idea what that thing is, but now is the moment.

“Ohhh!”

Oujin struck, slicing toward the base of the dragon’s right leg, which had lost its powerful arm. I followed half a step behind, aiming for its left ankle.

The resistance was tough. Just like before. The dragon scales blocked my blade, preventing it from cutting into the flesh. But Oujin’s strike landed.

A small trickle of blood ran from the base of its right leg.

Red blood.

“So it doesn’t have black blood!?”

“Watch out, Oujin!”

The dragon, enraged, lunged at the retreating Oujin.

Its movements were nothing like before. Leaning forward, it stomped the ground with resounding steps, saliva dripping as it bared its fangs at Oujin—

Just before it reached him, I slid in from the side and slashed its throat shallowly.

“Over here, you sluggish bastard!”

The blade of my wakizashi couldn’t even reach the flesh, let alone sever blood vessels or organs. But now, the enraged dragon’s eyes locked onto me.

“Oujin, fall back for now! I’ll draw its attention again just like before, and then you—”

—!?

Rolling to evade the dragon’s stomp, I turned my gaze toward Oujin—and my eyes went wide in shock.

Its arm. The left arm that Oujin had severed earlier—

It was leaping at him from behind, as if pouncing upon its prey.

“Oujin!!”

“Huh…!?”

Just like me, Oujin must never have considered this possibility. He barely managed to deflect the descending middle claw with the flat of his blade, but the force still pinned him down.

A dull thud echoed as his head struck the ground.

“Guh!”

“Oujin!”

Unbelievable. Who could have predicted this? That a severed arm would attack on its own?

Four claws dug into the dungeon floor, anchoring it in place, while the remaining middle claw inched toward Oujin’s throat. The blade that held it back was beginning to bend.

No good. A thin sword blade won’t hold.

“Urgh… ngh…!!”

“Hold on! I’m coming—!”

The moment my attention wavered, I failed to dodge the dragon’s charge. Its armored scales struck my shoulder with crushing force.

An overwhelming shockwave tore through my body.

There was no resisting it—I was thrown through the air, crashing onto the filthy ground, bouncing once before rolling violently across the floor.

My vision warped, my consciousness rapidly fading.

Just before darkness swallowed me, I heard a voice—

—Get up! Brace yourself! Didn’t you promise you’d return!?

The voice that rang in my head wasn’t Eremia’s. It wasn’t even my own thoughts. It was an old, ancient memory.

I—Blythe—was staring up at a sky stained red, howling.

Was this… Blythe’s memory?

Return…? Where…?

A promise…? To whom…?

The pain coursing through my body—was it Eremia’s pain, or Blythe’s?

The sky wasn’t red from the setting sun. It wasn’t dawn. It wasn’t even fire.

It was blood.

—What was the point of a promise you couldn’t keep?

A trembling voice joined in—Lili’s. A voice from her younger years, still tinged with innocence.

It wasn’t Eremia who had heard it. It was Blythe.

The sky remained red. Flickering. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

“…Lili… don’t worry… no matter… where you are… I’ll find you…”

The words slipped from my lips on their own. It was Eremia’s voice.

Ah, I see now. That’s why I opened the door.

That’s right. I’ve come back.

It took me a long time, but I returned to fulfill my promise.

The two blurred landscapes overlapped.

The grotesque dragon seen through Eremia’s eyes, and the blood-red sky that Blythe last witnessed.

Eventually, the sky vanished, leaving only the monstrous dragon.

Awaken.

The dragon’s maw was opening.

I had to stand. I could still fight. I was going home.

An image of Lili welcoming me back surfaced in my mind—this time, Lili as an adult.

“Oooh…!”

I forced myself upright, driving my wakizashi into the ground like a crutch. But my knees trembled, refusing to support me.

Only the sound of my ragged breaths and pounding heartbeat filled my ears.