Snow falls again after a day of absence from the war, just in the nick of time before the duel of light and fire. The recently dried castle wall has started to drench again from the falling snow, making it harder to move, but that does not hinder the hero and the dragon even for a bit.

The young hero rushes at the red dragon with his crystal blade in hand. He unleashes barrages of precise attacks involving both thrusts and slashes from all sides. Deborah manages to dodge some and block the others using her bare arms. But unlike before, even her normal human-like arms are not enough to completely block away the crystal blade, the hero’s sword cuts through her flesh like butter. Her blood soon soaks the snow on the castle wall and spreads even further as she starts retreating backward.

‘That’s no ordinary sword.’

No ordinary sword can have a functional blade made of pure crystal, and there’s no blacksmith alive has the skill to make such a divine weapon. The only one who can lived one thousand years ago before the present, or so the books said. There’s no mistaking it, this sword is one of the Hundred Regalia!

The young hero charges forward as Deborah starts retreating, only a fool would let such a perfect chance for an attack slip by. Fino aggressively swings his sword, continuing his earlier flurries of quick but decisive attacks.

CLANG

But Deborah is no fool either. Using her human-like arms in a battle like this is suicide even for a dragon. Both of her arms have now been covered in red scales, tougher than any armor made in this world, they are strong enough to stop Fino’s crystal blade without him making any scratches. Deborah is by no mean a skilled fighter when compared to the young hero despite his own youth, the dragon girl relies on her reflex to block the barrages of blade, and occasionally moves her legs to dodge the closing in aggressive hero.

But even so, Fino manages to keep up. The faster Deborah reacts, the faster Fino attacks. Having his attacks blocked by dragon scale does not faze him even for a bit, he quickly finds another opening to continue pushing Deborah closer to her grave. After trading a few blows, Fino starts to realize Deborah’s own inexperience expressed through the holes of her guard, the dragon girl only reacts after Fino attacks, making her always one second slower than the young hero despite being the physically faster of the two. The more Fino attacks, the more Deborah shows her openings. When the moment arrives, Fino strikes by thrusting his sword at Deborah’s throat.

-Ughh!

The attack connects, but it’s too shallow since Deborah dodges by pure reflex. Either way, Fino manages to wound the girl again, that will certainly give him some advantages to deliver a sure kill finisher, or so he thinks.

Just before Fino can safely pull back his sword for another attack, Deborah reacts by grabbing the hero’s crystal blade with her right claws. The sword is now stuck in Deborah’s hand, leaving Fino himself open for attacks from the dragon girl. Fire gathers in Deborah’s throat, and like the myths of old, the dragon breaths fire from its throat to burn its enemy.

-Not good! Not good!

Fino has no choice but to abandon his crystal sword and backflip away from Deborah’s breath of fire. The fire quickly disappears after Deborah stops her breath, but the remnant of its heat still lingers in the snowing air. Fino manages to dodge in time, but now the young hero is weaponless as the result.

Deborah stills holds the hero’s weapon with her dragon claw by the blade. The young dragon focuses some strength into her arm grip. Surprisingly, the force of a dragon claw fails to make any dent in the crystal blade despite its fragile appearance. A one of a kind sword, befitting a hero of legend like her opponent.

-Fine sword you have there.

In an act of mercy, the young dragon throws the crystal blade back to its owner, the young hero. The thrown blade now lies lifelessly on the castle wall while its master stand bewildered from receiving the mercy of a demon.

-Why? Why give back your enemy’s weapon? You can just throw it away and end my life effortlessly.

-You can’t fight without a weapon, right? Don’t you humans do the same if you are in the same situation?

Deborah replies, an answer young Fino does not expect.

-You are one strange demon…Not many demons know the common tongue of the Heaven Realm, let alone fight with a shred of honor.

-I’m a dragon before being a demon.

-A dragon! You mean…the dragons were not creatures only exist in myths and legends? And you are one of them…?

The young man seems genuinely surprised. But Deborah does not let that stop her from announcing her own intention.

-Normally, I would let you go away if you’re willing to retreat. But I know you won’t. You are a hero, you have your own destiny to fulfill, and the only way you can do is through fighting. And even though I don’t believe in it from the bottom of my heart, I too have my own duty to complete. Only one of us can leave this place alive, and I don’t want to do it in a way that will leave a bad aftertaste.

-You are a strange one indeed.

Using his feet, the young hero lifts the blade onto the air and grabs it, resuming his battle stance afterward.

-But I respect your resolve. Thank you, dragon girl.

The young hero smiles, a genuine smile without any hints of hidden animosity.

-Before we resume, can I ask you a question? What is that sword you’re holding?

For some reason, Deborah feels a bit unease from seeing that sword, even more so when she grabbed it prior. Maybe because it’s the weapon of her destined nemesis? Deborah can only think of it that way. Nevertheless, seeing the strange weapon has piqued her curiosity.

-Revealing information of my weapon to the enemy is foolish, or so I was taught. But you are honorable enough to let me have my sword back, the least I can do is to fulfill your request to repay you. Fine, I’ll tell you!

Fino turns his sword sideway and holds it using both hands with respect, as if he’s presenting it to Deborah as a gift, but that’s certainly not the case.

-This is 「Solais, the Sword of Purity」, forged by the legendary elven smith Galileo from the purest crystals mined under the earth, one among his famed Hundred Regalias made for the Kings of the Heaven Realm. Only those with a pure heart can use this blade at its full potential. Legends told a thousand years ago, this blade was the weapon wielded by Erdrick the Savior, and the very same blade that ended the life of Demon King Dargoth.

-Dargoth…!

Deborah frozes in place, her hands tremble from the sheer shock of holding the weapon that killed her grandfather prior. This sudden revelation fills her with anxiety and confusion, making her mind a mess of chaotic emotion composed from an unknown rage and wrath. She tries to hide it inside, but even Deborah herself fails to notice her teeth sharpening into fangs as the grip of her claws become stronger and stronger.

-This sword is the light that banishes the darkness. Just like you, I too have to fulfill my destiny, and to protect the people I care and love. Which is why…I will no longer hold back!

The young hero touches the tip of his crystal blade. Suddenly, a blue light radiates from inside the crystal-clear sword. A soothing light for its allies and a burning fire for its enemies. A young man with a pure heart and his radiant sword, such a holy sight is now carved inside Deborah’s memory, reminding the dragon who her true opponent actually is.

-Prepare yourself!

Fino swings his sword from a far, almost looking like a child practicing swordplay in an empty plain, but the sword wave made from pure light isn’t something a child with a wooden sword can conjure. The pure crescent wave rushes at Deborah, forcing her to hurriedly put on her guard.

-Urghh!

The attack connects. Deborah manages to block part of it with her scaled arms, but the sword wave still finds a way to make deep cuts at her stomach, right shoulder and right leg. The wounds combined with her fatigue throws Deborah off balance and makes her fall on her right knee, but that doesn’t stop Fino, on contrary, he’s using this very chance to charge in with his holy blade.

CLANG

Deborah blocks Fino’s blade once again with her left arm, not only that, she manages to get a grip on his blade just like earlier. But unlike before, despite being cladded in dragon scale, Deborah finds her hand bleeding from the radiated light inside the crystal blade even though her scales and claws are still intact. Deborah decides to quickly end this by throwing a punch at Fino with her free right arm.

But unexpectedly, Fino blocks it. Not with his own bare left hand since it would be physically impossible, but instead, he conjures a white barrier made of pure light to defend himself. The light shield blocks Deborah’s punch at point blank, yet even her punch fails to put a dent on his magic shield, only serves to push him back a few centimeters, but still a futile attempt nonetheless.

-Give it up!

Fino closes his eyes. Suddenly, his sword glows brighter and brighter, blinding the unexpected Deborah in a flash of light since she’s the one closest to it. By instinct, Deborah falls back away, letting go her grip of the sword, which enables a prepared Fino to quickly pursue the blinded dragon.

Sphhhlt!

With a vertical strike, Fino’s sword strikes down right at Deborah’s left shoulder, a deep cut, almost deep enough to reach the dragon’s heart if not for Deborah hardening her chest with dragon scales visible through the cracks of her tattered white shirt. Either way, her wound is extremely painful, not only because of having a sword right through her shoulder, but also thanks to the intense holy heat radiated from the blade.

-Arghhhhhhhhhh!

Deborah screams from the pain, and that pain turns into strength as the still blinded Deborah lights her fist on fire and hurls it at the place she thinks Fino is standing. The young hero takes out his sword and quickly puts up his magic shield for impact.

BAM!

The attack hits, which sends Fino flying away, but Deborah’s punch fails to break Fino’s own light magic barrier. The young hero safely lands on his feet away from Deborah’s reach. But even so, despite the presence of his shield, the strength of an angry dragon isn’t something to be trifled.

-Well, I never thought it would be an easy task…

Fino’s left arm limps down, with his magic shield made of light slowly disappears into thin air. It receives most of the blunt force made by Deborah’s punch, but not all of them, a part of it gets sent back to the caster when it no longer able to contain such a force. A mere feedback, yet it has already broken most of the bones in his left hand. The young hero can’t feel his left hand moving any more, but he’s not groaning in pain despite having every reasons to. Part excitement, part fear, those emotions overwhelm the young Fino to lure his pain away, even for a moment.

On the side of Deborah, her wounds slowly heal back to normal, but the strain the healing process puts on her body starts showing signs that Deborah is at her limit. She can barely manage to get up, and when she stands the girl still have trouble keeping her balance without falling. Her eyesight returns after being blinded only to see the still vigorous Fino with his sword Solais on his right arm, without any knowledge of his broken remaining arm.

‘I can’t win...I can’t win against him…’

If this keeps up, the one who dies will be Deborah. Such a pessimistic thought crosses her mind for once. Her body tattered, her strength waned away, her will shaken, Deborah can't defeat Fino alone.

‘Should I call for help?’

If she yells loud enough, maybe Iola and Caelan will turn back to help her fight the hero. With their strength combined with her own, victory won't be a mere fantasy.

‘But...it's too dangerous for them.’

The last thing Deborah wants is to sic her friends against a hero of the Heaven Realm, to make them fight a seemingly undefeatable opponent. Their lives are not hers to casually throw away for the sake of victory.

‘I can't involve them…I have to do this alone.’

Deborah grinds her fangs and strengthens the grip of her fists. Barely, just barely, Deborah resumes her fighting stance, ready for one last go. On her opposite, Fino does the same, preparing his sword with his right arm, leaving his wounded arm hanging. The two of them already know what to do, and they accept what needs to be done.

But…before the two manage to have one last go, something stop them, or rather, Fino. A trident, on his head now lies the tip of a trident, put there by a brand new combatant who appears through the lines of the retreated soldier.

-Why so eager, kid? It’s not like the castle is going to run away from you.

-Oka!

The new combatant seems to be a friend of the young hero. A tall man with tanned skin, hidden behind a layer of clothes made from fur to combat the cold. He has short black hair, sea blue eyes and a jovial appearance. The most noticeable feature the man has are his teeth, they are sharp like a shark’s. The Unda teeth, according the books Deborah read. The residents of the Kingdom of Unda live by the sea and carry a part of its essence, manifested through their shark-like teeth. They are unrivaled in water combat. But a castle wall is hardly an ideal battlefield for a glorified fisherman.

But the appearance of the man named Oka is the least of her concerns. Oka is not the only reinforcement the young hero has. Behind the fisherman with the trident are two other people, one is a witch with average height, wearing your typical mage garb which is gray in color accompanied by the same witch hat, the only thing that separates this young witch and the other witch Deborah knows is her long forest green hair, tied to a pony tail. Just like Nilrem, the witch, or rather wizard according to the term coined by the Heaven Realm, uses a magic staff as her weapon, with a green gemstone at the top to act as the amplifier for her magic.

The remaining one is a short human, though the more accurate term would be a dwarf. He’s half the size of the young wizard accompanying him. The dwarf wears a light chainmail combined with fur, and his weapon is an axe with a pole long enough to make his height irrelevant. Like all the dwarf, he has a rather long if not a bit fuzzy burnt orange hair. Unlike all the dwarf, his beard is clean shaven, and rather than a grumpy old man, the dwarf has a handsome face like an elven work of art, though that beautiful face is ruined somewhat by his grumpy and sour attitude, even more so than your typical dwarf.

-Anna! Alan! You’re here!

-If we’re not here, then where should we be? Dumbass kid! Nobody told you to rush out on your own, and you just had to disobey and hop on the nearest trebuchet! If not for this being the battlefield, I would tell you to lower your head down so that I can smack some smart into your empty heroic brain!

The handsome dwarf shouts out loud. Despite their status, Fino reacts with fear from the dwarf half his size rather than the dragon he’s fighting against.

-Come now, old Alan. That’s one of his strong point. What good lies in a man who waits first and acts later? The ladies like someone who knows when to take the initiative, after all.

The female wizard winks seductively at the young hero, which he fails to notice any hidden meanings except from knowing he is praised. Unsurprisingly, considering he’s the wielder of the Sword of Purity…

-Anyway, that’s not important! The opponent I’m fighting isn’t someone to be trifled with. She’s a dragon, a being I thought only existed in myths and legends. But after fighting her, I know the strength of a dragon is the real deal.

Fino touches his broken left arm as if to demonstrate his point.

-She’s dangerous, and I don’t want you guys to fight such a dangerous opponent. I must do this alone!

CLANG

The man named Oka suddenly hit the young hero in the head with the blunt side of his trident.

-Ouch! That hurts! What’s the deal with this, Oka!?

-That’s for being an idiot.

Oka laughs. He walks forward to the front of the hero and points the tip of his trident toward Deborah.

-If your opponent is that dangerous, then the more reason for us to join the fray!

Oka grins, leaving bare his shark teeth for all to see.

-How many time do we have to remind you, Sera Fino, Hero of Metallum?

The young wizard gets to the front of Fino together with the dwarf, making a defensive line and block the young hero away from harm.

-You are not alone!

The wizard named Anna proudly declares. Three of the hero’s companions prepare their weapons with the full intent of fighting Deborah. The dragon girl can only stand there and watch as her new enemies arrive. Their conversation has gave her some time to recover her strength, but it won’t be enough for the battle to come. From a mere look, Deborah gauzes that they are as strong as her friend Caelan and Iola, if not stronger, combined with the hero himself. If Deborah stays with her current power, her strength won’t be enough to deal with all of them.

“If” she stays with her “current power”.

‘Should I break another layer…?’

-You guys…

The hero stands dumbfounded.

-Come to think of it, that’s a beautiful enemy you got there, Fino. I won’t mind going for a few rounds with her!

Oka readies his trident, but not without making a meaningless banter. In the place where the tips of his trident diverse lies a blue gemstone, similar to the type on Anna’s magic staff.

-One more word and it won’t be the dragon who’ll be the end of you.

The dwarf Alan also readies his axe, it doesn’t seem to be something abnormal unlike Oka’s own trident.

-Oohh…Papa Dwarf is scary today…

-I’ll cover your rear, go get her.

The wizard Anna starts chanting her own spells, contented with fighting in the back behind her warriors.

-Well, Anna. Our asses are yours! Let’s go!

-Right! Let us go!

Yells Fino. With Oka’s lead, the three melee fighters rush at Deborah, while the ranged caster stays back to prepare her support. A classic tactic, which will be very effective when fighting the lone Deborah who only has herself to care for.

‘There’s no other choice…I have to risk it!’

Deborah has already made her choice. There’s one trump card left for her to use. A risky card that Deborah prefers not to use at all cost, but the human warriors don’t give her the freedom to choose.

Deborah conjures a ball of fire in her right hand and throws it to the ground in front of her, resulting in a wall of fire blocking away the attacking humans and dwarf. A mere trick to buy time, but the hero and his companions don’t expect it to be nothing more than a desperate attack.

-Little help here, Anna!

Oka shouts.

-One little help coming right up!

From afar, Anna finishes chanting her spell. Soul energy gathers around the place the human warriors are standing, and a small snowstorm appears at Deborah’s firewall. A struggle of heat and cold which Deborah would normally win if she continues to keep up the firewall, but she has other businesses to attend to, and thus, her firewall falls from the assault of the snow, though the snow themselves melt from the pure heat after doing their job.

-Thanks for the help!

Oka shouts once again.

-She’s preparing a spell!

Light gathers around Deborah as Fino realizes what she’s doing behind the firewall. A spell of unknown kind, but that doesn’t look like a good sign for the brave heroes.

-Sorry if this hurts!

Oka grins. The gem in the middle of his trident glows, and the vaporized water from the snow earlier starts to gather into tiny balls of water, which numbers in the hundred. As per his command, the water balls fly at Deborah with the speed comparable to Akuma’s bullets.

「O miǫʜƚy Ꭾobƨ oʇ olb.

Hɘɘb ƚʜɘ woɿbƨ oʇ ƚʜiƨ ƨinʇul dɘinǫ. 」

The water bullets connect, but Deborah still stands unflinching as if the bleeding wounds she received from the water balls are as trivial as a bruise. Nonetheless, Deborah continues chanting, and has finished the first verse.

「Ɔʜɒinɘb ɒwɒy ʇɿom ƚʜɘ woɿlb.

⅃oɔʞɘb uq ƚo ƚʜɘ bɘɘqɘƨƚ ɒdyƨƨ. 」

As Deborah quickly chants the second verse, Alan has already in the range for his axe to make a difference. The dwarf swings his axe with the intent to sever Deborah’s head, which Deborah manages to block despite being in the middle of chanting.

What she doesn’t expect is the dwarf half her size has the strength capable of sending Deborah herself flying merely by his physical force alone.

-Oraaaaa!

Fino and Oka continues charging and run past Alan. Right when Deborah lands, the two of them swiftly throws flurries of attack. Deborah dodges some and blocks others, but there’s a limit for defending herself while chanting the spell.

「ᙠuƚ I dɘǫ oʇ ƚʜɘɘ, liƨƚɘn ƚo my qlɘɒ…

Яɘlɘɒƨɘ mɘ ʇɿom my…quɿǫɒƚoɿy. 」

-It’s over!

Oka thrusts his trident right at Deborah’s bare throat, leaving an opening for Fino to rushes in for an attack at Deborah’s chest with the intent to finally ending the battle.

「ᖷoɿ ƚʜɘɿɘ ɒɿɘ…woɿlbƨ ƚo duɿn ɒnb ʇlɘƨʜ ƚo…ʇɘɒƨƚ!」

But their attempts prove to be futile as Deborah finishes her chants despite having a trident in her throat.

BOOM

The ground around Deborah explodes and is now engulfed in a sea of fire. Luckily, Oka reacts fast enough to pull Fino and himself out of danger. They quickly rendezvous with their companions in preparation for the horror yet to come.

The fire fades, and through the smoke lies Deborah’s figure. She stands in the middle of the fading fire, her throat starts to heal to normal. From a simple look, Deborah doesn’t look any different than before, at first, but the four heroes know something is wrong from the pure killing intent radiated from the dragon girl.

-We’re in deep shit…

Oka swears, for good reason.

A fire starts to burn out from Deborah’s body, and it stays there without fading away like some sort of protective aura. Deborah now looks like a human torch, but the fire doesn’t harm her nor her clothes, yet the hero and his companions can still feel the heat in the air, and know they will get burned if they get too close to the dragon. But that’s just the start.

Deborah’s pair of plain black shoes suddenly explode, revealing a pair of dragon feet covered in scale and talons. Beneath her long plain skirt now lies another unexpected feature – a tail, a dragon’s red tail waving behind her back. But the most noticeable thing in Deborah’s appearance are a pair of black horns growing on her head out of nowhere, and her red eyes now have red sclera and slit pupils like a hungry beast.

-GRAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The dragon girl roars, her voice no longer has any hint of sanity inside, replaced by the howl of a beast seeking for prey and carnage. And the heroes can only do nothing but stand and hear the dragon’s roar.

The dragon has truly been awakened.