A strange sense of floating. It was even more unstable than when using Flash Magic, a relentless chain of irrationality that allowed no flexibility. The sound of slicing through the air echoed in my ears, refusing to fade.

Right now, I was in free fall.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Damn lizard!!”

It had been about thirty seconds. How much longer this floating sensation would continue was something only the dragon that had knocked me down from the floor would know. I cursed the cause of my predicament.

No matter where I looked, all I could see was formless darkness. As expected, this place was ruled by shadows. If there were something I could use as a foothold or a ledge to grab onto, I would have taken refuge there. But it seemed this pit had no concept of walls, leading me straight to my destination.

As I reluctantly entrusted myself to the free fall, a vast underground space that blatantly ignored the laws of physics spread out beneath me. Waiting within that underground space were a jet-black dragon and the Blood Princess, trapped within the shadows and unconscious.

“—Alice!!”

Despite the long fall, there was no impact, and I landed on the ground without any unnatural resistance. At the same time, my eyes widened at the sight of Alice struggling for breath.

Driven by impulse, I tried to rush to her, but the Shadow Dragon stood in my way.

‘I apologize for interrupting this heartfelt reunion, but ignoring me—how do you justify that?’

“Move aside, damn lizard! I’m taking Alice back!!”

‘Kuhaha! Even with my true form before you, your attitude remains unchanged... Truly, to have reached that level in such a short time is impressive.’

I glared at the enormous black mass that had filled my vision and roared at it. As if pleased by my reaction, the Shadow Dragon made an irritating suggestion.

‘This is the first time we meet in this form… What do you think? Should we introduce ourselves to each other?’

“Don’t mess with me! I’ll chop your damn head off right now!!”

My strength was at its peak, and I still had three vials of blood left. There were no issues. I would make sure to kill this dragon here and now.

The Shadow Dragon had already taken a battle stance, filling the surroundings with an overwhelming aura of magic and shadow.

‘Kuhaha! You’re right! At this point, greetings between us are unnecessary! Now, let’s begin the second round!!’

“Tch—!!”

Two torrents of magical energy collided. As I was swept along by the force, I raised my magic output to match. My Blood Flow Manipulation was perfect. After dealing with those pathetic minion dragons earlier, I was in better shape than ever. Additionally, the blood I had consumed had fully assimilated into my body.

“Your back is wide open, damn it!!”

With Flash Magic, I instantly appeared behind the Shadow Dragon. I briefly checked on Alice’s condition, but it seemed she had already been confined somewhere else.

“Tch—!!”

I clicked my tongue at the dragon’s caution. I had hoped to ignore this damn lizard and focus on retrieving Alice first, but things never go so smoothly. I swung my dragon-slaying sword sharply, aiming to cleave through its neck.

‘You misunderstand. I’m leaving my back open on purpose.’

The attack was blocked by an unnatural extension of shadows, moving unpredictably to obstruct me. A formless darkness—there was no sensation of resistance, as if I were slicing through the air itself. Halting my attack, I leapt through space once more.

—It’s too damn versatile.

As time passed, my understanding of magic deepened. The bloodline magic, which I had previously needed to focus on consciously activating, was now becoming second nature—reflexive.

—The real problem is this urge…!!

At the same time, an intense thirst and impulse surged through me, urging me to “consume more blood.” I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, forcibly redirecting my focus. Even so, the vampiric impulse refused to subside. To distract myself, I closed in on the dragon.

“You bastards always mock people…! Dragons are always like this! You look down on the world, doing as you please while causing misery to others! Why her?! Why do you want my sister?!”

Countless shadows lunged at me. They shifted into various shapes—blades, spears, whips, needles, spikes—all striking at once. The sheer volume was overwhelming. I avoided any fatal wounds, but remaining unscathed was impossible. As countless cuts marred my body, I dismissed them as irrelevant and pressed forward.

‘Why? Why, you ask? The reason is simple. I will do anything to make myself stronger. This is no different. With the power of the Blood Princess—your sister—I might be able to reach even greater heights of strength. I need that girl to test this possibility. That reason alone should suffice, shouldn’t it?’

“What—”

Words failed me. My entire body stiffened, stopping my attack mid-motion. I replayed the dragon’s words in my mind, processing their meaning. Without caring about my reaction, the dragon continued speaking.

‘This is nothing more than the pursuit of strength, an experiment in the process. If, by chance, the Blood Princess’s power doesn’t make me stronger, I’ll simply find another method. Frankly, nothing else matters.

More importantly, right now, it’s about our battle! Give it your all! Fight to the death!!’

“—You…!!”

In that instant, a violent surge of emotions exploded within me.

To become stronger? Just for that? Alice had spent years suffering, her sight and magic stolen, her future—one she should have rightfully had—ripped away, enduring so much pain. And yet, this was his reason? That was all?

“What do you think human lives are worth?!”

Alice didn’t deserve this. I had always believed dragons were selfish beings, the embodiment of all the world’s irrationality. But this damn lizard in front of me had exceeded my worst expectations.

A fierce rage gripped my entire body, causing me to scream. Without thinking, without guarding myself, I lunged at the Shadow Dragon.

“For something so meaningless…! Just for that, you started a war, cursed Alice and my granduncle, and brought so much suffering to so many people?!”

With my Blood Flow Manipulation pushing my physical capabilities to their limits, I struck at the massive form of the Shadow Dragon. But just before my blade could reach its target, shadows intervened again, branching out countless times in retaliation, surging toward me like sharpened tendrils.

‘I told you, didn’t I?’

Evading was impossible. My thoughts lost their composure, and by the time I realized that fact, it was already over. Defense and counterattacks weren’t entirely out of the question, but they wouldn’t last long. The situation was that hopeless, and there was no reason for the dragon to overlook such a fatal opening.

Countless—no, an infinite number of shadow slashes surged toward me, impaling my body.

“Guh—agh... kah!?”

The sensation of foreign objects piercing and tearing through my flesh. Gouging, crushing, spreading—waves of excruciating pain coursed through me, threatening to steal my consciousness, only for fresh agony to jolt me awake again. Blood spewed from my body, dyeing the surrounding shadows a deep crimson.

—I had been careless.

I lost my reason, gave in to my rage, and threw myself forward recklessly. It was too foolish to even call it “carelessness.” I clicked my tongue at the realization.

That was when I finally understood—I had been overestimating myself. No matter how cautious I had been, no matter how firmly I had resolved never to make the same mistake again, when it truly mattered, this was the result. It was no wonder things had turned out so disastrously. In fact, it was the most natural consequence.

“Hah... don’t get cocky. Never get cocky—”

It was a warning to myself, who, even now, had been intoxicated with arrogance. Claym Bradley, the lazy, prideful, foolish man, wouldn’t be able to regain his composure or discipline himself without doing this.

“I said don’t get cocky, dammit!!”

My throat tore as I coughed up blood, screaming and roaring, berating myself.

The infinite shadows had already pierced through me, gouged my flesh, severed my limbs, and drained me of a vast amount of blood. I was beyond critical condition—there was nothing strange about losing consciousness and crossing over to the other side at any moment. And yet, despite this state, I was still breathing, still staring straight at the dragon before me, still existing, however wretched my form had become.

Why?

The question surfaced in my mind, but I quickly found my answer.

—I must have already...

As soon as that realization struck me, I abandoned my train of thought and focused on something else. Despite my body being riddled with holes, the trump card I had carefully hidden against my chest remained intact.

‘How underwhelming. Surely, you don’t mean to tell me this is the end?’

The dragon before me gazed down with scorn, its eyes filled with profound disappointment and emptiness.

“Then what are you gonna do about it?”

His childish taunt, so unbecoming of a dragon, struck me as ridiculous, and despite the blood spilling from my mouth, I twisted my lips into a lopsided grin.

It wasn’t over yet. No matter how many holes had been punched through my body, no matter how many muscle fibers had been torn apart, even if the wounds were too deep to be healed by the highest-grade recovery potions, as long as my head remained attached to my body, I could still fight. To me, this was nowhere near a fatal wound. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a mere scratch, but it was still within the realm of expectation.

So it was far too soon to give up. I had yet to exhaust all my options, my strength, my resolve—I hadn’t yet risked everything, my very life itself.

“Don’t you worry! I’ll keep playing with you, you damn lizard!!”

Manipulating the ceaselessly flowing blood, I fashioned a makeshift arm and pulled an unscathed glass vial from my pocket, downing it in one swift motion.

“Ggh—!!”

One of my last remaining trump cards. Freesia’s blood coursed into my veins, sending a searing pain through my entire body.

Since it wasn’t my first time taking her blood, there was no violent rejection or uncontrollable rampage—it melded into me with ease. A surge of mana and blood flooded through me, and the sheer force of its release obliterated the shadows constricting my body. My severed limbs regenerated, restoring me to a state no human could ever achieve—a monstrous recovery beyond reason.

The Shadow Dragon let out a delighted laugh.

“How nostalgic! To think I’d witness the ancient blood arts of the vampires in this era!!”

But I didn’t have the luxury to react to his amusement.

“Guh—Damn it, this feels like shit!!”

The abrupt influx of vampiric energy intensified my bloodlust. My consciousness wavered, my instincts screaming for blood. The power I had taken in pulsed through me, pushing me toward the abyss.

—I was on the verge of being consumed by the Abyss.

I didn’t know exactly what awaited me beyond this point, but I knew for certain that it wouldn’t be anything good.

“Nngh—!!”

Biting my tongue, I used the pain—any sensation, anything at all—to shift my focus away. I crushed the rampaging Abyss with sheer force of will and directed my attention solely to my goal: slaying the dragon before me.

With reckless abandon, guided by nothing but instinct, I unleashed my borrowed magic and the violent force of my blood upon the Shadow Dragon.

“Crimson Blood Overlord: Bloodroad!!”

Was it a storm of blood? A tide of destruction? The force erupted from within me, surging outward, seeking to engulf the dragon that loomed above.

‘The same technique as back then! Very well! How close have you come to that hero!!?’

The mighty dragon, with both pride and curiosity, stood unguarded before my magic. The bloodstorm shredded, gouged, and drilled through its massive frame, tearing it apart in moments. Yet even as more than half of its colossal body was lost, the dragon’s arrogance remained unchanged. In fact—

“Kuha—Kuha... Kuhahahahaha!!”

As if truly impressed, as if he had found a new, fascinating toy, the dragon's dark eyes gleamed with exhilaration, his lips curling into a grin.

Then, before my eyes, he gathered every shadow he had spread throughout the castle. No—his reach extended far beyond the castle. The entirety of the imperial capital, even the Zarum Plains where the fires of war still raged, was being drawn into him, all of it converging upon his form.

‘You have overcome my trials well. Indeed, you have risen beyond my expectations. Then I shall face you in earnest!!’

Roaring like a war cry, the Shadow Dragon shrouded himself in a storm of darkness. The overwhelming torrent of mana and power warped his form.

‘Now, our final battle begins.’

As the storm of shadows cleared, a lone man clad in jet-black stood before me.