The One Who Hates Humans and the One Who Hates Dragons

As we got closer to Taebaek Mountain, I could see a massive peak blazing in the distance.

The fire had been raging for a while, spreading over a wide area. Fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, and even hunters with water-based abilities had been mobilized in droves, all desperately trying to contain the flames.

But the blaze was too fierce to extinguish easily. The wildfire kept expanding, threatening to engulf the entire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mountain.

A fire that wouldn't go out even after the hunters poured their powers into it was definitely no ordinary blaze.

This wasn't some natural wildfire—it had to be Grandine rampaging and setting everything ablaze.

Damn... Am I too late? Lily and Yukino... what about the subjugation team?

This was different from when Lily and Yukino had clashed.

Back then, I'd arrived at the scene first, and both of them had at least some room for dialogue.

But Grandine is bad news! She's got way too much resentment toward humans!

All the non-humans in Libertas hated humans intensely, but Grandine—the leader and the only true heir of the dragons—took that enmity to another level entirely.

She'd watched her elder and peer dragons slaughtered by humans, their hearts ripped out. She'd seen elven, dwarven, and beastkin settlements burned to the ground under the pretext of "development," their inhabitants gunned down indiscriminately.

Grandine was the strongest individual in Libertas by far, but human civilization there was fairly modernized, packed with guns and heavy weaponry. Even she couldn't stand against sheer numbers and firepower.

She loathed humans to the point of madness, raiding their settlements whenever she got the chance and slaughtering them. Once, she even charged into a city alone and came back half-dead, her body a tattered mess.

For someone with that level of hatred toward humans, the arrival of a subjugation team was bad enough. But the real problem was...

If Lily runs into Grandine...

In Lily's world of Astraia, it was the exact opposite: the evil dragon and its forces slaughtered people on whims, destroying cities left and right.

If a city failed to prepare tribute for the dragon, it was wiped off the map entirely. Innocent folk were massacred indiscriminately by the dragon's fanatics, living in constant terror of when death might come.

Hero parties sent to slay the dragon always ended up dead, and in retaliation, several cities would vanish from the maps.

Lily's own hometown had burned down at the evil dragon's hands, claiming her parents and mentor in the process.

If Grandine went berserk at the sight of humans, Lily did the same at the sight of dragons.

If those two crossed paths... it wouldn't end until one of them was dead.

By the time we reached the base of the mountain, the roads were jammed with vehicles and people, blocking any further entry by car.

I parked haphazardly, jumped out, and sprinted toward the blockade line.

Hunters operating near Taebaek spotted me approaching and formed ranks to bar my way.

"Halt. The area is off-limits due to the wildfire. Civilians aren't allowed—"

"I'm Jeong Hyun-soo, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠director of the Settlement Support Division at the Dimensional Transferee Countermeasure HQ. I'm entering to help resolve the situation."

"Pardon? From the Seoul HQ...?"

"Lend me a mask and fire suit!"

I flashed my ID, and the hunters hesitated for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠split second. Seizing the moment, I snatched a mask and suit, changed on the spot, and dashed past the line into the mountain.

"Hey, wait! You're not subjugation team or search team—you're Settlement Support? Sir! What exactly do you plan to do up there—"

I ignored the hunters' belated realization and charged up the burning slope.

Just like with Lily and Yukino, there wasn't much I could do once I got there, honestly.

If I had my powers from those other worlds, sure—but here, I was just a powerless ordinary guy.

Still, with Grandine potentially fighting Lily and Yukino—and Lily especially, where it could turn into a deathmatch—I had to stop it somehow.

The mountain wasn't fully engulfed yet, but the fierce Taebaek winds carried scorching heat waves, already making movement a hassle.

I need to stop them before it's too late...

KABOOM!

Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed from higher up. Then, figures shot into the sky overhead—not one, but two.

It was midnight, and they were far off, so details were hazy, but one had a tail and flapping wings—Grandine, unmistakably.

The other conjured massive circles in front of her with every attack, unleashing all sorts of elemental barrages...

"Damn it all—no!"

Too late.

I screamed and bolted toward the peak where Lily and Grandine were clashing. That's when faint, translucent energy orbs—visible but intangible—began swirling around me.

It was Yukino's voice.

She must have sensed my presence after I arrived and reached out via her lion spirit as a medium.

A ray of relief washed over me like a beam of light. I quickly replied to the spirit.

"Yukino! Help me out! I need to get to those two!"

"No time to explain—hurry! If we leave them like this, one of them's gonna die!"

"No!!!"

I yelped in panic, leaping back.

"That's Grandine—my wife! She's like this because of her rough past with humans; she's not a bad person at heart..."

That's when I felt the lion spirit exude a chilling underworld frost.

"Ah."

And then Yukino's voice grew even colder.

The lion spirits Yukino sent swirled threateningly around me. Moments later, a powerful barrier enveloped the worst of the wildfire zones.

Minutes passed, and Yukino appeared, riding her lion spirits, her face frozen in icy fury.

She pulled out a talisman, tossed it into the air, and iron chains wrapped around my limbs.

This feels familiar from that time in Cheonan... At least she's not aiming a bow at me this time.

"Say that again."

"Y-Yukino...? Y-You're mad, right...?"

"I'm not angry."

"S-Sorry. So, after you fell asleep in Omitamano, I transferred to the next world, Libertas... That's where I met Grandine. She was the leader of non-human races oppressed by humans—"

I explained as concisely as possible. Yukino, ever kind-hearted at her core, agreed that Grandine wasn't some villain deserving death after hearing her backstory.

But...

"Once this is over, we're talking. Just you and me."

"Y-Yeah..."

Yukino was seriously pissed—her expression was like the first time we'd met after her transfer, nothing like the warmth she'd shown me these past months.

"I'm using most of my power to contain the fire within the barrier. Tell me how I can help."

"Take me to where Grandine and Lily are fighting. I'll try to stop them somehow."

"How?"

"I'll figure it out."

That set her off.

"Are you insane? That woman was completely unhinged when she fought me earlier. She said she'd rip me apart and dump my corpse at your feet."

"......"

The others had been furious at first too, but Grandine's rage was on another level.

Makes sense—given her baseline hatred for humans, it'd be weirder if she didn't snap.

I was the only human she'd ever opened her heart to, and I'd vanished on our wedding night...

"We still have to stop it. If not, one of them—Lily or Grandine—is definitely dying. I'd rather die myself than watch that."

"Don't talk like that so casually. If you die, I won't let you rest in peace. You know I can summon lion spirits, right?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Most people say "If you die, I'll kill you!" as a joke, but Yukino could actually do it.

Not that I planned on dying, of course.

"So, what do you need from me?"

"Launch me toward Grandine. As fast as possible. I'll handle the rest."

"She's airborne."

"It's fine. Just get me close."

"......I'll watch to make sure you don't fall to your death, just in case."

"Thanks, Yukino."

"You're welcome—and don't forget, we're talking later."

"R-Right."

Yukino let out exasperated sighs, then wrapped me in lion spirits and hurled me toward Grandine.

Up close, Lily and Grandine's conditions were clearer—and grim. They were fighting to kill, both covered head to toe in blood.

Lily's right arm was broken, bent at an impossible angle, but her bloodshot eyes unleashed spell after spell—each one carrying the apocalyptic power she'd used to slay the evil dragon.

Grandine's wings were shredded, parts of her body even severed, though her draconic regeneration patched her up. Still, the strain was immense; blood poured nonstop from her mouth.

A little later, and one—or both—would be dead.

Riding the lion spirit, I hurtled forward and shouted at Grandine.

"Grandine!!!"

"...!"

Normally, she'd have scented me from the mountain base, but locked in a deathmatch with Lily amid the smoke and flames, she hadn't noticed.

Spotting me late, Grandine looked utterly bewildered. Lily did too.

"J-Jeong Hyun-soo?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"You... you bastard...! Ngh...!"

Furious to her core, Grandine swung at me the instant she saw me—but her wounds were too severe. She groaned in agony and wobbled midair.

Seizing the opening, I leaped at her hovering form and wrapped her in a tight, restraining embrace.

Grandine flapped wildly, bellowing.

"You...! You picked a great time to show up, you two-timer! Do you know how much I've—!"

"Sorry! We got a lot to talk about, but let's end this first!"

I slid my hand near her butt, gripped the base of her long tail firmly, and squeezed hard.

"Eeeeek!! Hnngh...♡"

Grandine jolted like she'd been electrocuted, her wingbeats losing all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power as she plummeted straight to the ground.