The Red Dragon vs. Morgan: A Twisted Legacy

One thousand two hundred. That is the number of civilians who have fallen victim to that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whip before my very eyes. Thirty-four. That is the number of heroes who met their end, crushed beneath those high heels. Even now, when I recall the sadistic expression on her face during the days of the Dark Kingdom War, the veins in my temples throb with rage. I am not so soft that I would consider Morgan an ally or harbor affection for her just because she helped me once. I know her cruelty all too well.

Whether she was human in the past, or whether she owes me a debt—every word that spills from her lips could be a calculated ploy to confuse me and weave a grander scheme. Therefore, I will show no mercy here. If Morgan’s stats remain unchanged, I can dispose of her easily. She wants to evaluate my strength? I will simply kill her before she can wag that tongue of hers.

"Begin the demonstration!" At the Emperor's signal, I wrapped myself in fighting spirit.

"Transformation."

"War's Red."

I lunged at Morgan. I threw a spear-hand strike, intent on tearing out her heart instantly. Even if it wasn't as fast as when I used the Blue of Death, it was a high-speed strike with perfect momentum. Yet, before I knew it, Morgan’s whip had coiled around my right wrist. Unbelievable. I couldn't move my arm at all.

"Hehe." Morgan wore a weary, mocking smile. She placed her left hand on my shoulder and lightly hoisted her entire body up. Her legs wrapped around my neck. In an instant, my carotid artery was compressed. Gravity shifted, and suddenly I was flipped, plummeting toward the ground. I tried to use my free left arm to break my fall, but Morgan’s high heel pierced the back of my hand.

My hand was useless. But I had a way. I was in a handstand position. I could just fight like this. I switched to Capoeira. I would exploit the reach advantage. I rotated my legs in a wide 360-degree arc—Vermelho Mola. Morgan arched her back like a shrimp to evade. I transitioned into Batucada, using gravity to my advantage. Morgan had no choice but to backflip to avoid it. I followed up from my handstand with a front roll, shooting forward like an avalanche, refusing to give her any distance.

But I am human, and Morgan is a monster. There is a difference in our physical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠structure. She has wings. Morgan instantly generated lift, shifting her angle. In that brief gap I had created, she found the delay to use her weapon. Her weapon. The whip still coiled around my wrist. Morgan swung it. BOOM! I was dragged by the whip and slammed into the ground.

Damn it. Morgan didn't miss her chance, rushing in. She tried to slash my cheek with her high heel. Still the same sadistic tastes. There were plenty of more efficient martial arts she could have used. I twisted my wrist to defend and grabbed her ankle. I extended my leg and struck her chin. A thin line of blood appeared on her porcelain cheek, and a single drop trickled down. Morgan’s eyes changed.

I had landed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a hit, but that was my last desperate struggle. My position was inferior. After a few exchanges, I felt it—Morgan had clearly grown stronger, empowered by the Galactic Empire. She was definitely beyond that Pegasus.

"Ahaha, ahahahaha!" Madness flickered in Morgan’s eyes. She began to whip me like a maniac. I adjusted the angle of my arms to minimize the damage, but it was futile.

"Tsk." I brought out the White of Plague. I parried the whip. I tried to use it like a dagger, but—

"Do you think such petty tricks will work on me?" Morgan sneered, releasing her aura. The parried White vanished without a trace. "I won't give you time to cast. I know how to handle you, Red Dragon."

The matchup was bad. CRACK! The whipping continued. The whip coiled around me, lifting me into the air. BOOM! I was slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the earth. The impact cracked the lower part of my helmet, exposing my jaw. My head was ringing. It seemed I had a concussion. A few bones were broken, too. My internal organs... they were still okay.

"Hehe. To think the strongest warrior would end up like this." Morgan lifted me, bound by the whip, and dragged me before her. Her delighted face came right up to mine. And then, suddenly—I felt an ice-cold, soft sensation on my lips.

"...Ugh." Morgan’s kiss. It was an invitation to the afterlife, filled with all manner of poisons and curses.

"Oh my. Did you really become unable to even withstand this much? I'm disappointed. I’ve spent so long imagining playing with you all night."

Morgan’s whip loosened. I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my chest. Morgan crouched down, watching me with amusement. "The legendary Red Dragon has aged quite a bit. Forget it. I’m not interested in weak men..."

GRAB! I seized Morgan by the throat as she ran her mouth. I stared into her eyes and slowly stood up. Morgan’s face filled with bewilderment, as if she hadn't expected this. Her thin fingers scratched at my thick arm, but no sound escaped her. Without hesitation, I stole her lips. I ravaged and violated that corpse-like tongue for a long time. I pulled away and spat.

"Call this poison? Don't get cocky, you bitch. I’m the one who does the ravaging."

Morgan, unable to breathe, couldn't answer. I threw her aside.

"Cough, cough!" Morgan collapsed on the floor, catching her breath. The Emperor began to laugh at the sight.

"Hahahaha!! It is a shameful thing to be swayed by a woman. To jump headfirst into Ursula’s instant-death poison! A magnificent spirit!"

It was certainly a bluff. Cold sweat broke out, and my vision blurred. Honestly, I felt like I was going to die. Still, I put strength into my legs and held on. I had to do at least this much to truly deceive the Emperor. I had to firmly imprint the image that the Red Dragon was a warrior who possessed a dignity equal to his own.

"So. What say you, Ursula?"

"Cough... Yes, Your Majesty. After sparring, this girl judges that the Red Dragon has clearly lost his former prowess."

"And yet, you subdued Ursula with your bare hands! Hahaha! How rare! A rare man indeed!" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The Emperor was delighted.

"Return now, Red Dragon. And watch—watch my answer!"

I turned and left that place.

"Damn it."

The Galactic Empire had provided a spacecraft for my return to Earth. It was an assault craft capable of carrying twenty people. Only after boarding it could I finally catch my breath. My injuries were quite severe. Not as bad as the fight with Dark Arthur, but it had been a while.

"Hoo." I steadied my breathing. My destination was in front of Vengeance’s hideout. This ship had optical camouflage, so I could hide it somewhere and use it later.

The fight with Morgan. There was one strange thing. Morgan had kissed me during the fight. It could be seen as a kind of provocation, or perhaps the eccentric taste of a monster. I had responded in kind. To ensure the Emperor wouldn't be suspicious. The strange part was what happened during that process.

"Ptooey." A small capsule came out of my mouth. It was an object Morgan had pushed from her mouth into mine during the kiss. I opened it. Inside was a note filled with cramped writing and a small bead. I read the note.

What were the traces of writing and erasing? I couldn't fathom Morgan’s true intentions. Could I trust her? ...I could. I had made my judgment. The bead she gave me. I knew what it was. This was not a panacea. Such a convenient item did not exist in this world.

There was no way a panacea made by the Galactic Empire wouldn't function in space. Morgan intended for me to take this after I hid in a place where no one could see me and returned to Earth, so she could dump all her injuries onto me. She must have thought I couldn't possibly know what this item was. It was a brilliant strategy—conveying her message without raising suspicion while simultaneously increasing the Emperor’s trust in the Red Dragon through our sparring. Since Morgan’s total health stat was higher than mine, taking on all the injuries wouldn't be a problem for her. On paper, the plan was perfect. A significant display of intellect.

What a foolish woman. I had only one thing to do. CRUNCH! I crushed the bead into powder without a second thought.

"Zeo!" As I entered the hideout, Irua looked as if she were the one dying. Why was she like that? I was the one who was hurt. Irua ran to me and supported me. "You there! Run and open the infirmary! You, call Hans and have him perform emergency treatment! You, get some hot water!"

Irua handled the subordinates skillfully. I was practically carried by her and laid down on the infirmary bed. "Zeo, it’s okay. I’ll stay by your side." I closed my eyes, looking at Irua’s face.

I opened my eyes, and it was dark. I didn't know how much time had passed. I felt a weight on my stomach. Irua was asleep, her face buried against me. I gently brushed away the long bangs covering her eyes. There wasn't much pain. It seemed I had recovered quickly. In this world, medical technology was as advanced as the injuries were frequent, so treatment was fast.

"...Hmm." There was a notification in the system window.

A message I hadn't seen before. Well, I would just have to prepare to deal with the variables accordingly. The time until the final battle had doubled compared to the original plan. I had received a significant return for risking my life. After all, time is a currency that cannot be bought with anything else.

...Wait. There was one bad thing.

...What the fuck.