Rather than a throne room, it was a vast, dimly lit space cloaked in shadows.

“……”

Before I knew it, the door I had passed through to enter this space had vanished. Despite the lack of any light, my vision remained inexplicably clear. No matter how much I looked around, there was no throne, no furnishings to decorate the interior, no lighting—nothing at all.

────More importantly…

Still, those things hardly mattered. What truly concerned me was the absence of the presence I had expected to find here.

The moment I stepped into the throne room, the overwhelming density of shadows and the presence of the dragon set my entire body on edge. Instinctively, my vigilance was heightened to its peak. The Blood Flow Control technique, which I had maintained without interruption until now, was affected by the atmosphere of the room and accelerated even further. Yet, no matter how much I scanned my surroundings, the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

“Even now, you’re still not going to show yourself…?”

The sheer ridiculousness of it all fueled my growing anger. But my mind remained cold and calculating. I did not allow my emotions to waver as I slowly advanced toward the center of the throne room.

As I neared the throne, just a few meters away, the darkness around me was suddenly illuminated. The room was semicircular in shape, and along its walls, deep blue flames erupted, encircling the entire space.

────Hah, going all out on the theatrics, aren’t you?

As I inwardly cursed the dragon’s ostentatious welcome, a voice suddenly rang out.

‘Well done, Guardian of Blood, for making it this far. I, the Shadow Dragon Scarshade, welcome you!!’

“Shut up. What kind of ‘welcome’ is this when you won’t even show yourself? Quit mocking me. Or is it that dragons are just inherently brainless creatures who know nothing of courtesy or decorum?”

‘Kuhaha! Spirited, aren’t you? Yes, that’s how it should be! A foe who dares defy me must at least be this entertaining! But there’s no need to rush. Let us savor this battle to the death, shall we?’

“What are you──!!”

The voice carried an amused, mocking tone, as if enjoying itself at my expense. Even now, the dragon remained unseen, and I nearly lashed out in frustration—only to suppress the urge at the last moment. If this damned lizard’s goal was to throw me off my game, then it had already succeeded multiple times in just this short exchange.

────Even if it’s just a facade, I need to stay calm. That’s the priority right now.

I took a single breath to regain my composure and glared into the empty void from which the dragon’s voice emanated.

“Where is Alice? She’s safe, isn’t she?”

‘Who knows? Perhaps your beloved little sister no longer exists in this world.’

“Tch──You damn lizard…!!”

‘Kuhaha, so that’s your weak spot! You were doing well keeping yourself in check, yet now your barely-contained killing intent is spilling out all at once!’

The Shadow Dragon’s voice was endlessly amused, and I could no longer contain my fury. No matter how much it mocked, belittled, or taunted me, I would endure it if it meant ensuring this dragon’s death. But when it came to my irreplaceable little sister, the one person I cherished above all else, there were no limits to my patience.

“Shut up! It’s creatures like you—selfish, self-absorbed bastards—that ensure suffering never ends! People lose those they love, are forced to endure grief and hardship! Alice deserves happiness more than anyone! That’s why I’m going to kill you and reclaim the joy she was meant to have!!”

The rage I had barely managed to suppress now boiled over. As if responding to my fury, the dragon let out a fearless laugh and made its declaration.

‘Then show me! Prove that your words are not mere bluster! I hold battle against the strong above all else—I crave it!!

Guardian of Blood──Claym Bradley, let us begin the Trial of the Dragon!!’

The moment those words were spoken, the shadows that dominated the throne room began to writhe. The deep blue flames flickered ominously, accompanied by an eerie rumbling and tremors that shook the chamber. The space itself seemed to twist and churn until──

──A horde of shadow-formed draconic minions emerged before me.

“Tch──!!”

There were so many of them that they filled the throne room, which itself defied the laws of physics in its vastness. Though individually not enormous, the density of shadow and magic infused within them was leagues beyond that of the dragon’s previous minions.

────At a glance, there are no fewer than a hundred…

The sheer scale of the force arrayed against me was excessive—overwhelming, even—for a single human opponent. In mere seconds, I could be crushed beneath the sheer weight of numbers. But that was only if I were an ordinary human.

I had spent years honing my skills, pushing myself for this very day. Against me, these numbers meant nothing.

‘First, let’s see just how much stronger you’ve become. Surely, you won’t die from just this little warm-up, right?’

“GRUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA！！！！”

With those provocative words, the subordinate dragons let out an earth-shaking roar and charged at me.

“Don’t you dare underestimate me!!”

At that moment, I reached my limit. I drew my dragon-slaying sword, Shadow Sever, from my waist and threw myself into the swarm of approaching subordinate dragons. I unleashed all the pent-up resentment and fury, pouring it onto these wretches.

“Die, you bastards!!”

My Blood Flow Manipulation was operating at peak efficiency. The blood I had been carefully circulating and warming up surged to a boiling pace, pushing my physical capabilities to their absolute limits.

“GRUAA!?”

“GRUGAAAA!!?”

Black shadows filled my vision. With a single breath, I cut down multiple enemies. My dragon-slaying sword performed its role to perfection, its blade slicing through flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter.

“Is this all you've got!? You’re not even putting up a fight!!”

One after another, I slaughtered the subordinate dragons. Each one individually was insignificant, mere fodder.

But there were far too many of them. No matter how many I slew, fresh dragons emerged from the shadows that filled the room, endlessly replacing their fallen kin. A one-sided massacre was impossible with this overwhelming numbers advantage, and inevitably, wounds—far from minor—began to accumulate on my body.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t experiencing significant exhaustion. Due to the nature of Crimson Blood Magic, the more wounds I suffered and the more blood I lost, the stronger my combat ability became. However, with the real battle against the Shadow Dragon still ahead, needless injuries were unacceptable. I had to conserve my strength.

“I’ll be borrowing this, Gravitell!”

At that moment, I decided to use one of my limited trump cards. I pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary glass vial. Seeing it, that damn lizard grew suspicious.

‘…? What is that liquid in the bottle?’

“Did you really think I’d tell you?”

I brushed off the question and instead surrendered myself to the mounting urges that had been growing throughout the battle. The red liquid inside the vial was, of course, blood—human blood. It was a sample I had collected from a comrade beforehand. Without hesitation, I chugged the contents in a single gulp.

“Ngh… aaagh!!?”

The thick, viscous fluid slid down my throat. It was as if every cell in my body had been thirsting for this pungent liquid, and now, they flared to life. At the same time, an overwhelming impulse surged through me, threatening to consume my consciousness.

“Haa… haa… haa…!!”

I clenched my teeth, forcefully suppressing the madness, holding onto my reason and self-control. By absorbing the blood, I instantly replenished my mana, healed my wounds, and even restored my blood supply. But in exchange, my entire body burned with the intoxicating rush of power, pulling me ever closer to the Abyss.

—Think of nothing else!!

Shaking off any unnecessary thoughts, I activated the newly acquired magic.

“Gravitational Cage —Grajaile!!”

With the incantation, the very laws of reality bent to my will. In an instant, the swarm of subordinate dragons surrounding me collapsed onto the floor.

“GRUAAAAA!!?”

The Gravity Magic I just invoked applied a designated gravitational force to all living beings and objects within a set range. That range? The entirety of this chamber. The force? A hundredfold increase in gravity. Even for subordinate dragons, this level of pressure was enough to crush them in an instant.

As predicted, the countless dragons that had once filled the throne room were mercilessly flattened, silenced as they sank into the shadows.

“…Hey, is that all?”

Regulating my breathing, I glared into the void and taunted my unseen opponent. In response, a delighted voice trembled the air.

‘Ah, you pass. Now, onto the second trial.’

As that irritating voice reached my ears,

“What do you mean, pass—?”

The floor beneath me suddenly vanished, and before I could react, I was plummeting downward.

This was the cue for the damn lizard’s so-called second trial.