Shadows of the Desert Night
The moment Zeon laid eyes on the man shrouded in the desert's darkness, chills raced across his entire body.
The man was like a mirage in the desert.
He stood right there before them, yet he felt utterly otherworldly, as if he didn't belong to this plane.
Zeon knew his instincts weren't lying.
This was uncharted territory, untouched by human feet.
Zeon and Dayton were likely the only humans to ever set foot here.
Even they had barely made it, surviving brutal trials.
Dayton, transcending human limits as a supreme warrior, emerged unscathed, but Zeon had brushed death countless times.
Deep scars, indelible brands, etched his body.
Yet this man before him showed no trace of injury.
His skin, glimpsed through his clothes, was eerily pale, veins visible beneath.
Above all, he wandered the desert alone without any gear.
No armor or robe like Zeon's, no sword like Dayton's Clayon.
Yet he strolled through the desert night as if on a leisurely walk. That meant he was an overwhelming powerhouse.
And such a being had appeared without warning.
Clearly not with good intentions.
Zeon asked cautiously.
"Who are you?"
"Just a traveler passing through. Saw your fire from afar and came to investigate."
"And your name?"
"Hai Elton."
In that instant, Zeon's blood ran cold.
"Then... you're a dragon?"
"For now, merely a passing guest. No need to be so on guard."
The man who called himself Hai Elton offered a faint smile.
That's when Dayton spoke up.
"You brazen lizard bastard..."
"That's a bit much. Even for a dragon, calling me a mere lizard?"
"So you really were hiding here."
"Hiding? What would I have to fear? I've simply been residing here for ages."
Hai Elton answered Dayton's killing intent with utter composure.
"So what brings you here, lizard?"
"The title grates, but I'll overlook it with my magnanimity. If uninvited guests showed up at your home, would you sit idle? I'm much the same. Curious about these unwelcome visitors to my abode, I came out."
"Unwelcome guests? Us?"
Dayton's eyes blazed fiercely in the darkness.
Even against that mad glint, Hai Elton remained unfazed.
"Isn't that the term for those who barge in so rudely? Or does it mean something else on Earth?"
"You're the uninvited scum. Lizard bastard! Who was it that terraformed Earth and tried to force a migration?"
"I do feel some regret about that. But we had no choice. The one who attempted to terraform Earth, Cracias, is a being beyond gods—at least in our world, he holds that stature. Who would dare challenge his actions?"
"Typical lizard bullshit, slithering tongue and all. Still just a lizard at heart, aren't you?"
"To be ranked alongside him is an honor. But I dare not compare. In our world, he's equivalent to the Creator. He merely chose a form like ours for convenience."
"So what's your point? Here to brag about how great Cracias is?"
"Your enmity and fighting spirit are truly impressive. It makes this body tremble."
Hai Elton smiled at Dayton.
His words rang hollow; he showed no tension or fear.
He continued.
"Just think of it as an unavoidable calamity. Like a typhoon or earthquake. That way, you might live a little more at ease."
"So you're telling me to fuck off and go home?"
"A polite suggestion."
"What a load of dogshit. Easy for you to say when it's not your problem. Could you just forget and move on?"
"Regrettably, forgetfulness isn't a blessing granted to me. But I could bury it and carry on."
"All talk with that slimy tongue. That's why you're a fucking moron. Let's see if you can spout that crap after I rip it out."
"Hmm, I'll pass. I could use telepathy, but speaking aloud is far more convenient."
Hai Elton casually approached Dayton.
Zeon watched him silently, holding his breath.
Hai Elton naturally approached the sand golem corpse.
"Oh! A sand golem. I quite like them. A rare delicacy."
Crunch!
He reached out, tearing off a hunk of flesh, and chewed it with wet crunches.
There was no dignity in Hai Elton's demeanor.
Zeon blurted out without thinking.
"Uh, that's mine."
"Hm?"
"I caught it. Shouldn't you ask permission before eating?"
"Haha! Is that so? My apologies!"
"If you're really sorry, give me something in return."
Hai Elton pretended to ponder Zeon's nonsense before replying.
"Giving away my possessions is tricky, but if you survive, head north about a hundred kilometers to the rocky mountain. There's an ownerless dungeon there with some useful items."
"A dungeon?"
"With your abilities, you'll find it easily."
"What's a dungeon, really? How can something like that exist?"
"Hmm, an intriguing question. You're the first to ask me that. Simply put, dungeons are fragments of Kurayan. They should have vanished with Kurayan's fall, but the terraforming backlash lodged their remnants in cracks of time and space."
"So, scraps of Kurayan?"
"You have a gift for simplifying the complex. Could make a fine chimera."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing! Think of them as treasure troves left between Kurayan and Earth. Plenty of valuables if you look right."
"And the monsters inside?"
"Remnants of Kurayan as well. Poor things trapped in time-space rifts, unable to perish."
His words said pity, but his face showed none.
Zeon didn't know it, but dragons were like that.
Apex beings of the world called Kurayan.
Nothing stood above them, save Cracias.
Not even gods.
Gods needed believers to exist.
Faith coalesced into divinity, birthing true gods.
Thus, when Kurayan fell and most people and heteromorphs died, the gods vanished too.
Dragons, however, stood alone, needing no such crutches.
Faithless, they wielded full power from Kurayan.
Absolute there, absolute here on Earth.
Hai Elton continued.
"Impressive that you defeated my guardian Akaruk and reached here. But he's not my only one—more like a failure. My true guardians are far stronger."
"So spit it out, lizard bastard!"
"I've said it already: go home. I'll forgive you. I'm a magnanimous dragon."
"Fucking lizard bullshit!"
"That phrase is starting to irk me. Say it once more, and even you won't be spared."
"Forgiveness my ass... Sending puppets 'cause you lack the guts to show yourself..."
"What?"
Shiiiing!
Dayton swung Clayon in a flash.
Hai Elton dodged in surprise, but couldn't evade the blade.
Slash!
A gruesome slicing sound echoed as Hai Elton's body split in two.
His upper and lower halves tumbled apart. No blood flowed from the severed parts.
Dayton loomed over him.
"Knew it. Cowardly lizard bastard. Sending a fake to spout nonsense. Typical of your kind. That's why you can't be forgiven."
"Haha! Didn't see that coming. But I get your intent now."
Hai Elton laughed, waist severed.
Zeon grimaced at the bizarre sight.
Dayton raised Clayon high.
"See you soon, moron lizard bastard!"
Thud!
Clayon plunged into Hai Elton's skull.
Only then did life fade from his body.
Dayton's Authority of Death granted perfect demise.
Dayton withdrew Clayon.
"Threatening with a chimera, of all things."
"This is a chimera?"
"Yeah! Gutless lizard bastard lacked the balls to show up, so he sent an artificial lifeform. Ptoo! Spit!"
Dayton hawked a loogie on the chimera.
Zeon watched silently.
"Urk!"
Hai Elton groaned, opening his eyes. Scales clinked with an eerie rasp.
Shhhrk!
One hundred fifty meters from head to tail, his body gleamed with dazzling golden scales.
Two horns crowned his head; a pair of wings folded neatly along his torso.
His four legs were thick and sturdy enough to support vast caverns.
Hai Elton rose, blinking.
The link with the chimera severed, striking his soul hard.
The woman before him spoke cautiously.
"Are you alright?"
"The connection's fully broken. He truly wields the Authority of Death."
Hai Elton shook his massive head.
"The Authority of Death?"
"Yes! A power only Cracias held in Kurayan, now in some puny human. Astonishing."
Hai Elton eyed the diminutive woman.
Human upper body, spider lower.
Chimera magic: fusing disparate lifeforms into new beings.
One of his specialties—researching and crafting chimeras.
In Kurayan, chimera creation was taboo.
Even apex dragons faced reprisal from kin.
Thus, Hai Elton never dared there.
Earth was different.
No restraints here, unlike Kurayan.
Dragons focused on territories, ignoring others.
Hai Elton delved freely into his passion.
Eblis, the spider-woman before him, was one such creation.
Fusing human and spider, she blended human cunning with arachnid slyness.
Thus, he entrusted her with managing his lair.
Eblis bowed, gauging his mood.
Hai Elton's lair was pure gold.
Walls, ceiling, floor—all aureate.
Though terraforming turned the surface to sand, deep veins endured.
True to his gold dragon nature, he built here.
Within, he researched chimeras unbound.
To craft ideal ones, he abducted females of various races, polymorphed, and mated.
Offspring fused with beasts became chimeras.
Eblis followed that process; all lair guardians were chimeras.
He loathed leaving his golden domain for the sandy world, sending chimeras instead—leading to this mess.
"Dayton!"
Killing intent flared in Hai Elton's golden eyes.
Fury at the one who slew his avatar.
That chimera was special: a vessel infused with part of his soul, wielding draconic powers. Ordinary means couldn't kill it.
Severed link meant perfect death.
One who could grant that to a chimera could do so to him.
How a mere human gained such power was unknown, but it was a grave threat.
Hai Elton commanded Eblis.
"Mobilize the guardians."