It can talk?
For a brief moment, Selene was genuinely surprised. Of all the countless Danger Beasts she had encountered—including even Tyrant among the Super-class species—most possessed intelligence comparable to that of children at best.
But a Danger Beast capable of speech? The Cross-Tail Dragon was the first she had ever met. Truly worthy of its title as the mightiest of all Danger Beasts—a creature that had lived for at least a thousand years.
With a flick of her finger, Selene effortlessly dispersed the draconic roar that had struck like a sonic cannon. Following the sound, she turned her gaze toward the source. With the storm clouds gone, everyone could finally see the Cross-Tail Dragon—the legendary Super-class Danger Beast—in full.
Just as Rongo Rongo had recorded, its size was beyond comprehension—its form alone blotted out the heavens. Its entire body shimmered with a pale bluish hue, radiant under the sunlight, its brilliance almost blinding.
Its serpentine body stretched seemingly to the horizon, its scales glinting like mirrors, and along its spine ran countless strands of long silver-white fur. Even the two whiskers sprouting from its mouth were each several hundred meters long...
One glance at a fragment of its being was enough to comprehend its colossal scale.
With a presence that radiated absolute dominion, the Cross-Tail Dragon lowered its massive head until it hovered directly before Selene.
Its face, though terrifying, held an awe-inspiring beauty. Vertical pupils of golden-red light gleamed with an eerie azure glow, while a mouth filled with razor-like fangs curled in restrained menace. Upon its brow rested two brownish-yellow horns, from which arcs of bluish-white lightning danced and crackled.
From its colossal, serpentine frame extended four muscular claws. Each motion of those claws stirred visible tempests—blades of compressed air sweeping outward to shake the atmosphere itself. Every movement reverberated like a thunderclap, impossible to fathom in strength.
"Human empress! Why do you trespass upon this king's domain?! By the ancient pact with your ancestor, I swore never to cross into your empire's lands—and you were forbidden from entering mine!"
The Cross-Tail Dragon's thunderous voice resounded through the sky.
Selene blinked in mild amusement. 'This king,' huh? So that's what it calls itself... the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. How honest and dutiful. Even after a millennium, it still adhered to its pact with the First Emperor.
Her crimson eyes fixed upon the dragon as her soft lips curved into a faint smile. "Oh, a pact, is it? The one you made with the First Emperor... hahaha. Don't you know? Pacts exist to be broken."
"Agreements are law, yes—but law is dictated by power. When I am stronger than you, my refusal to break it is merely a matter of choice, not obligation."
"So... you mean to break the pact, human empress?!"
With a roar like rolling thunder, the dragon's fury shattered vast swathes of cloud, revealing the blue sky beneath. Even the Imperial sailors—safely distant within Selene's protection—felt their eardrums tremble and their spirits quake.
Yet Selene remained unfazed, continuing coolly, "Hmm... perhaps not break it, per se. I merely intend to renegotiate its terms."
"Oh? And how, exactly?"
"Submit to me."
"..."
For a long moment, silence. Then, the Cross-Tail Dragon burst into booming laughter, rumbling like distant thunder. "Human empress, surely you jest! To make me submit?! Don't be absurd!"
"If you wish for my submission, then prove yourself worthy! The only reason your ancestor earned my respect was through battle. Tell me—do you truly believe you surpass him? Where is that 'iron construct' of his now?"
"You'll see it soon enough," Selene replied with a faint, knowing smile. "However... your opponent today won't be me."
She clapped her hands lightly.
"...Esdeath. I keep my promises. It's your turn. You have three minutes—experience the wrath of a natural disaster firsthand. I trust you'll learn something valuable."
Boom!
"Understood!"
As the Cross-Tail Dragon growled in rage at Selene's composure—
A massive sphere of ice, over a kilometer in diameter, plummeted from above, smashing straight into the dragon's head.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The moment of impact unleashed a shattering explosion of cracks across the icy surface before it burst apart, sending thousands of shards flying high into the sky.
"ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"
The Cross-Tail Dragon's roar shook heaven and sea—not of pain, but of pure, humiliated fury!
Gazing at the small, ice-blue figure before it, the Cross-Tail Dragon could no longer contain its humiliation and fury. This wretched insect dares to interrupt when I speak with her empress?!
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
With a roar infused with boundless energy, the very air trembled violently. The ocean beneath the dragon quaked like an earthquake, sending waves surging sky-high.
"So strong, huh..."
Esdeath frowned. Her previous strike hadn't even managed to scratch the dragon's scales. That defense... even if I use the hidden technique of my Teigu, Demon God Manifestation · Demon's Extract, it probably won't make a difference.
"Mahāpadma" could freeze time and space momentarily, yes—but she lacked the power to pierce the dragon's armor, let alone defeat it.
As for her "Ice Storm Commander-In-Chief" technique, it was made for annihilating armies—a tool for mass destruction, not for fighting godlike calamities such as this.
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck her squarely, hurling her into the sea and sending a towering column of water into the sky.
"Cough... cough... If it weren't for that crystal, I'd be in serious trouble right now," she muttered, standing upon a rapidly freezing ocean surface, her soaked uniform clinging tightly to her form. She touched the diamond-shaped crystal at her collar, now glowing faintly with a purplish-red light.
Moments later, thunder roared again.
Looking up, she saw the Cross-Tail Dragon's horns blazing with power, torrents of lightning surging from them like rivers of light. Its eyes glowed a blinding blue-white as countless serpentine arcs of electricity converged above its head.
The gathered lightning condensed into a vast, incandescent plasma sphere—both beautiful and deadly—making the dragon appear every bit the thunder god from myth.
Recalling her earlier excitement upon reading about the Cross-Tail Dragon in Rongo Rongo, Esdeath couldn't help but smile bitterly. I really didn't know my limits... to think I actually dreamed of hunting this thing...
For the first time, Esdeath felt the full weight of her insignificance—and realized just how lucky she had been to meet Selene as a child.
Under Selene's tutelage, her strength had grown immensely. Within the Empire—among humans—she was unmatched. Yet, that was all she was: the strongest human. Compared to beings like this... she was still far too weak, far too fragile.
But then she remembered Selene's words—eternity, the Authority of Ice, other worlds, endless wars—and her heart ignited again. There's still so much left to fight for. Someday, I'll surpass even this dragon.
"INSECT! PERISH!"
The dragon's roar split the heavens as the massive azure plasma sphere—spanning nearly a kilometer across—descended like divine punishment.
"Freeze!"
Taking a deep breath, Esdeath didn't flinch. She knew Selene would save her if things went wrong, so she didn't dodge. Instead, she poured everything she had into her strongest ice creation.
Crack—crack—crack!
In an instant, the raging sea froze solid. Sheets of crystalline blue ice spread outward with breathtaking speed.
Under Esdeath's command, towering glaciers erupted from the ocean, rising layer upon layer toward the sky.
Then—BOOOOM!
The plasma sphere collided violently with the frozen peaks. Even before the core of the blast touched the ice, the sheer discharge of energy shattered entire mountains in an instant.
But that was only the beginning. Bolts of lightning rained down endlessly, one after another, reducing her creations to shards. Still, Esdeath gritted her teeth, drawing on the ocean beneath her feet to continuously rebuild the glaciers faster than they could melt.
Yet, despite her efforts, the tide of battle was overwhelmingly one-sided. The dragon's storm was consuming everything.
...
Rumble—rumble—rumble—!!!
"The storm's intensifying!" someone shouted in despair.
Heaven and earth collided as two colossal forces clashed. The air spun into a furious vortex. The Imperial warships, still suspended midair, groaned under the strain. Planks creaked, and splinters tore free under the violent winds.
"Hm?" Selene turned her gaze briefly toward the fleet's predicament and sighed softly. "What a nuisance."
Even so, with a flick of her wrist, she raised an Imaginary Barrier to shield the Imperial Navy once more.
After all, the Imperial Navy served Selene. Losing an entire fleet to the shockwaves of a battle between higher beings—what a pointless waste that would be. Even as expendable pawns on the battlefield, their deaths should at least mean something.
On the flagship, Wilson and his student Wave stood at the rail, their eyes fixed below—where the clash of ice and lightning stretched endlessly across the sea.
The deafening booms of thunder echoed around them. Having released his Carnage Incarnate · Grand Chariot state, Wave swallowed hard. The tremors from the distant battle reverberated through the frozen ocean beneath them, making his knees shake uncontrollably.
"So this... is the strength of a true warrior," he muttered in awe.
After witnessing the cataclysmic power of Esdeath and the Cross-Tail Dragon's clash, Wave felt utterly humbled. His pride evaporated. Those tales in books—the so-called natural calamities that could annihilate a city with a single blow—they weren't legends. They were real.
"Teacher... look below," Wave said hesitantly. "General Esdeath... she's reaching her limit. Isn't Her Majesty... worried for her at all?"
"Watch your tongue," Wilson warned quietly, eyes fixed ahead. "Her Majesty's judgment isn't for us to question. Just watch and learn."
Leaning an arm against the railing, he added calmly, "You might find yourself serving in the Capital one day. Remember this sight."
That massive crater south of the Imperial Capital still stood—a reminder of Selene's power. Wilson, who had attended her military assembly, knew well just how far beyond human she truly was.
"...Understood," Wave nodded.
Selene exhaled softly. "Hmm, seems Esdeath's reached her limit already. Barely a minute, perhaps..."
This was the open sea—where the Demon's Extract's ice abilities should've been at their peak. Yet even with such an advantage, Esdeath could barely hold her ground. "Three minutes? She's not lasting one," Selene murmured. "Guess I'll handle this myself."
Stretching out her right hand toward the struggling figure below, she whispered, "Spatial Transfer."
...
On the ice below—
Crack—crack—! The sound of splintering frost filled the air as Esdeath braced herself beneath the crumbling mountain of ice. Sweat drenched her trembling body as she gasped heavily, her arms shaking.
"Huff... huff... this is... my limit. I can't even block... a single strike, huh?"
The plasma sphere was nearly upon her when—
Vrrrrr—! A massive, glowing portal erupted into existence. It encompassed the entire sphere, glowing with intricate circuit-like patterns of violet light—and silently swallowed the attack whole.
Not a single spark escaped.
"All right, Esdeath. Come back," Selene's voice echoed in her mind.
Relief flooded through Esdeath as her vision warped. In the next instant, she found herself beside Selene. The moment she saw her Empress, exhaustion claimed her, and she collapsed to her knees.
"Arisa, tend to her," Selene commanded.
Cradling the drenched and unconscious Esdeath in her arms, Arisa nodded firmly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Now then... it's my turn."
Turning gracefully, Selene's crimson eyes locked upon the towering form of the Cross-Tail Dragon.
ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!
With a roar that shook the heavens, the dragon hurled itself at Selene, its pale blue scales glowing with divine brilliance. Lightning cascaded across its body, arcs flashing like rivers of molten silver. Its immense form blurred—vanishing and reappearing as if slipping through the void itself.
Even separated by several kilometers, the ozone stung Selene's senses; the air burned with electric fury.
"Imaginary Claw!"
Frowning slightly, Selene thrust her right hand forward. Infinite Imaginary energy surged forth, coalescing into a colossal, violet-red claw. In an instant, it expanded to a size larger than the dragon's head.
"Impossible—!"
Before the dragon could react, the spectral claw seized it completely—like a human grasping a mere hatchling. The seething lightning and its razor-like silver hairs did nothing to deter Selene's grip as she clamped down mercilessly around the base of its head.
A deafening CRACK! split the sky. Scales shattered, blood erupted, and the dragon's roars became shrieks of agony as crimson ichor poured down, dyeing the ice below red.
ROOOOAAAARRR!!! The so-called untouchable reverse scales of the dragon—Selene had torn them apart completely.
The Cross-Tail Dragon's defiant strength faltered; its aura wavered, its roars weakening.
Selene's voice cut through the storm, cold and absolute. "I'll repeat the question once more. Submit... or die."
"Y-you dare—ROAAAARRR!!!"