About two weeks earlier—
Inside Commander (Seroh)'s chamber, where Vice Commander (Leo) had gathered the present battalion leaders to explain something important.
(Leo) spoke in a calm, confident voice:"Do you believe in the existence of dragons???"
The leaders exchanged bewildered glances.Their expressions spoke as one: What???You actually believe in such a myth???
No one said it out loud—Except (Vail).
Before the silence could deepen, (Daniel) interjected with a shrug:"Well, I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes. I've heard rumors about dragons in ancient times… maybe they were just legends. Or maybe they truly existed. But the absolute truth now—"He paused..."They do not exist in our era."
(Leo) smiled faintly and replied in a quiet voice:"I wouldn't lie about something like this. Dragons did exist in this world."
An uneasy silence spread through the room...
(Leo) continued:"At least, in the distant past. Continuous wars between humans and dragons led to their extinction—or so we believe. Perhaps it's nonsense. Perhaps it's the truth. But I believe… they once lived."
The scene returned to (Raym) and the others...
A colossal dragon stood before them in absolute dominance...
Its eyes burned crimson with seething hatred.Strange tongues of flame twisted violently inside its maw, coiling between its massive fangs—this was no ordinary fire...
Its enormous wings covered most of the sky...
Yet what drew the most attention was the massive scar carved deep into its chest—A silent testament to a past battle.A battle it had clearly survived.
The dragon gazed down upon them with utter contempt.
(Raym) stared in awe...
(Vail) was completely speechless—not from fear, but disbelief...And exhaustion weighed heavily on him after the battle moments ago.
The dragon suddenly beat its wings...
Violent currents of wind erupted beneath them—just a few flaps were enough.
In an instant, it soared high into the sky, barely visible—Then it unleashed hell...
Flames rained down indiscriminately...
The city was engulfed...
(Daniel) saw it and fled immediately—but his companions were not so fortunate.They were reduced to ash as if they had never existed...
Something about those flames felt… different...
As the smoke slowly began to clear, it became evident that only a few of (Vail)'s team had escaped—barely.Some suffered severe burns from the heat, others far worse.Some only realized they were dead… too late.
(Raym) emerged from the rubble, shielding (Vail) and (Lyra) behind him.
He turned back urgently..."Are you alright?! Did anything happen?!"
They were breathing heavily...
Once again, (Raym) and (Lyra)'s eyes met.Their faces flushed, and they quickly looked away.
(Lyra) snapped, trying to mask her embarrassment:"Yes—but don't play the heroic savior. We survived because of our own strength."
(Raym) smiled lightly..."Fair enough. I'm just glad you're safe."
Then he turned to (Vail)..."Sir Vail… I know this is the worst timing, but—am I seeing what I think I'm seeing???"
(Vail) coughed heavily."Yes. It's a dragon. I'll explain everything later—if we survive."
The dragon descended into the city and roared, its voice shaking the land and scattering the remaining smoke...
It glared at the survivors and swung its massive, spiked tail.
A deafening crash echoed.
"Sir Lonz!" (Raym) shouted...
But it turned out (Zak) and (Lonz) had barely managed to block the strike.
The dragon lunged wildly toward them...
Without thinking, (Raym) rushed forward...
From afar, (Lonz) looked at him—A wide smile on his face...
Don't worry.
They both retreated quickly.
The dragon turned back toward the others, fury overflowing, and unleashed flames again.
Before anyone could react, one man stepped forward."Don't worry—I'll absorb the flames. I've mastered fire."
(Vail) tried to warn him—But no words came out.
The man vanished into the flames...
Reduced to ash.
As if he had never existed.
Shock froze everyone...
(Lonz) collapsed completely, his mind shattered—despite being unharmed moments ago...
As they struggled to regain control, the truth became clear:
These flames were not ordinary fire.
The dragon roared again, the air around it warping violently.Then it swung its tail once more—Faster than before...
(Daniel) leapt forward, barely diverting its path...
It was enough...
"Sir Daniel!!!" everyone cried in relief.
(Vail) finally understood...
(Daniel) surveyed the battlefield.There was no escape.
Yet retreat was never an option for him.
He shouted with unwavering resolve:"Anyone who can still stand—stand with me! Here!"
(Raym) stepped beside him without hesitation.
(Lyra) clenched her fists...How can I just stand there while this idiot throws his life away???I'll prove I'm stronger than him.
She joined them.
(Daniel) smiled faintly.You've truly grown…
As the dragon prepared another attack, more warriors stepped forward...
As if to say—
Show us what you've got...