The night had fallen across the forest like a soft blanket of darkness. The earlier storm had vanished, leaving the sky clear, sprinkled with stars like a shattered mirror scattered across velvet. A full moon hovered above, silent and bright.
In a clearing near a mountain that had been reshaped by their battle, a campfire crackled and danced.
On one side of the fire lay a dragon — massive, scaled in gold-tinged violet, tail coiled around the trees like a sleeping serpent. The Storm Dragon himself, Veldora, was relaxed, wings tucked in, breath low and calm. For once, he didn't have to guard himself. There was someone beside him who earned that peace.
On the other side of the fire, sitting cross-legged on a rock with meat skewered over the flames, was Yujiro Hanma.
The Ogre. The Demon. The Apex.
He was shirtless, his muscles glowing faintly orange in the firelight, his hair wild and untamed, back rippling with the power that had humbled a dragon just hours ago.
A haunch of beast meat sizzled as he pulled it off the skewer and bit into it like it was nothing. Blood and juices ran down his chin, and he didn't care.
"Not bad," Yujiro muttered, chewing. "Tough, but juicy."
Veldora let out a low rumble, a sound between a chuckle and a purr.
"That was a Calamity Fang-Bear. Strong monster. You took it down with one punch."
Yujiro smirked, tearing another bite.
"They don't build 'em like they used to."
Veldora leaned his head down, a single golden eye peering at the fire, his voice calm but curious.
"Yujiro… what exactly are you? No skill. No magic. Yet my Investigator couldn't even read you. My attacks? They didn't scratch you. My instincts screamed at me… like I was staring into something older than fear itself."
Yujiro didn't respond at first. He just tossed a bone into the fire, watching it sizzle and crack.
Then he spoke.
"I'm just a man."
He looked up, the firelight flickering in his predator eyes.
"But I'm the last man anyone ever sees when they think they're strong."
Veldora blinked, then huffed.
"That… sounds exactly like something you'd say."
The two shared a brief laugh. Then, after a long silence filled only by the fire's crackle and the rustle of nocturnal creatures, Yujiro asked:
"So. Tell me about this world. I want to know who's worth my time."
Veldora's eye gleamed with pride.
"Hmph. Well, obviously, there's me—the Storm Dragon, Veldora. One of the four True Dragons. You've already fought me, so I don't need to explain myself."
Yujiro snorted.
"Next."
Veldora smirked.
"Then there's my two sisters. Velzard, the White Ice Dragon—cold, calculating, immensely powerful. She lives in the Ice Continent, and doesn't like visitors. Then there's Velgrynd, the Flame Dragon. Hot-tempered, literally and emotionally. She's… scary. Very scary."
Yujiro raised an eyebrow.
"So dragons run the place?"
Veldora shook his head.
"Not quite. There are others. The Demon Lords."
He paused for dramatic effect, waiting for Yujiro's reaction. There was none. He continued anyway.
"The strongest of them is Guy Crimson. He's… difficult to explain. Old, terrifying, calm but ruthless. He's not just strong—he's impossibly strong. Lives in the Ice Continent with Velzard, actually."
Yujiro's eye twitched.
"Interesting."
Veldora continued.
"Then there's Milim Nava—my niece. Daughter of Veldanava himself. She looks like a child, but don't let that fool you. She could punch a continent into dust if she got cranky."
Yujiro chuckled at that.
"I like her already."
"Then we have Leon Cromwell—a handsome, cold-hearted type with powerful holy flames. Calculating. Deadly. A Demon Lord with a noble look but a killer's instincts."
"There's also Draguel—a giant Demon Lord. Towering, strong, durable. Has this ancient strength that comes from the age of titans. He rarely fights, but when he does…"
Yujiro licked his teeth.
"Another prey."
"Hold on," Veldora said. "Let me finish. There's Luminous Valentine, the Vampire Queen. Graceful, regal, but don't let the pretty face fool you— Ruthless when pushed."
"There's also Rudra, the Hero Emperor. He was trained by… well…"
Yujiro looked up at him sharply.
"By who?"
Veldora hesitated, voice lowering.
"…My brother. Veldanava."
The fire popped.
Yujiro stared into the flames for a long time. Something shifted behind his eyes. A name he had heard before.
Veldanava.
That same name of the god that brought him here.
He said nothing.
"Then there's Carrion," Veldora continued, unaware of Yujiro's sudden stillness. "Beastman King. Strong, proud. But not on the level of the others."
"Frey, the Winged Queen, is a harpy. Fast and cunning, but not much of a fighter compared to the big players."
"Then there's Clayman… well, he's a manipulator, not a warrior. And finally, Dino—a lazy, snarky guy who used to be an angel. Now he's a Demon Lord too. Don't underestimate him, though. He's powerful… when he's not sleeping."
Yujiro finally spoke.
"…So many prey."
Veldora's eyes narrowed.
"Wait… you're not actually thinking of…?"
Yujiro looked at him, the smirk of a beast stretching his lips.
"I didn't come to this world to rest, dragon. I came to hunt."
Veldora groaned, flopping his head down onto the ground.
"Oh no… Oh no no no…."
Yujiro stood, cracking his neck. The firelight cast his shadow across the trees like a titan from a myth.
"Tomorrow," he said, looking at the stars, "you're taking me to that Ice Continent."
Veldora jerked upright.
"Are you serious?! You want to go straight to Guy Crimson and Velzard? Both at the same time?! That's suicide!"
Yujiro's eyes glowed with hunger.
"Perfect."
Veldora looked at him for a long moment… then sighed, like a father giving in to a reckless son.
"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. Guy's not like me. He doesn't play. And Velzard… well, let's just say she doesn't like anyone."
Yujiro rolled his shoulder.
"Let's see if she likes Dominance."
The fire crackled between them.
Above, the stars watched in silence.
And somewhere far away, a crimson demon in an icy palace opened his eyes.
A storm was coming.
And this one had a spine.
The Ice Continent.
A frozen empire. Endless snow. No sunrise, no warmth—only stillness, white silence, and a cold that could bury time itself.
Atop a towering spire of glacial crystal, Velzard, the White Ice Dragon, lounged on her frost-carved balcony. From here, her gaze swept across the land like the chill of death. The light wind toyed with her long, pale hair as if daring to touch royalty.
Behind her, inside the palace, warm firelight flickered—but not from any natural fire. It came from the presence of a being who burned brighter than the sun and colder than eternity at once.
Guy Crimson, the Crimson King, strongest of the Demon Lords, sat on a chair made from obsidian and enchanted silver. His coat lazily draped over one shoulder, his ruby eyes fixed on nothing in particular, yet always aware.
Two figures approached with grace—Rain and Misery, twin aides of power and poise. Rain carried a wine bottle, black and sleek, glowing with infernal energy. Misery poured it into two elegant glasses and placed them between the Demon Lord and the Ice Queen.
"Something bothering you?" Guy asked smoothly, twirling his glass, not even looking up yet.
Velzard didn't answer right away. Her eyes narrowed.
"...Did you feel that?"
Guy paused mid-sip. Then smiled.
"Mm. You mean that absurd spike of magicules out in the south?"
He leaned back, placing his boots on the crystal railing.
"Your brother's making noise again."
Velzard exhaled through her nose. Frost swirled from her breath.
"That idiot. I warned him last time not to overdo it."
Guy chuckled.
"And yet, here we are. Veldora being Veldora. He probably found a shiny rock and tried to fight it."
Velzard turned to face him, arms folded.
"It wasn't just him. There was something else… someone else. I cant quite pinpoint their energy."
Guy's eyes glimmered with curiosity.
"You mean… someone actually challenged your brother and lived to tell about it?"
"No one's talking," Velzard said coldly. "But that kind of magical disturbance doesn't just happen. Whoever it was, they fought him evenly."
Guy raised an eyebrow.
"And that worries you?"
Velzard didn't answer. She simply turned her gaze toward the south.
Guy grinned.
"You want to go."
"He needs to be reminded of the difference between a dragon and a nuisance."
"Isn't that what you said the last five times?"
"This time he may have found someone dumber than him."
Guy took a slow sip of his wine, then licked his lips.
"Mmm. Be careful. If someone out there actually stood toe-to-toe with Veldora, it's not just another bandit swinging a sword."
Velzard turned to leave, snow swirling behind her as her aura began to rise.
"If he survived the fight, then I'll decide if he's worth freezing or listening to."
Guy's smile widened as he watched her go.
"If he survives you, I'll be impressed."
The Jura Region – Edge of the Wildlands
The sun had barely risen, but the air was already buzzing with tension.
The trees, once calm, now swayed nervously. Birds refused to sing. Magic itself whispered.
Yujiro Hanma stood shirtless as always, his wide back stretching as he flexed, staring into the sky. His monstrous physique gleamed like carved bronze in the morning light, every muscle moving like it had a mind of its own.
Beside him stood Veldora, in his dragon form, majestic and massive, his thunderous wings flaring, ready to fly. His scales shimmered like storm clouds mixed with lightning, and his eyes darted around with paranoia.
"So, we're really doing this? Going to the Ice Continent?" Veldora rumbled.
Yujiro smirked.
"You said the strongest Demon Lord lives there. I want to see him. And your sister, too."
Veldora winced.
"Okay but… that was not an invitation! Velzard is not someone you just walk up to and poke! She's—"
Suddenly, the wind stopped.
The sky darkened—not with clouds, but with pressure.
Veldora's scales rippled. His wings twitched. He froze in midair, staring toward the north with growing dread.
"No… oh no…"
Yujiro turned his head, the smirk still present.
"What now?"
"She's here."
"Who?"
"Velzard. My sister. Oh crap, she felt yesterday's battle. She's going to kill me."
Yujiro grinned.
"Good. Let's give her a proper welcome."
"What is wrong with you?!"
The sky above split with light.
Descending from a spear of frozen magic, glowing with celestial cold, Velzard appeared.
She didn't walk. She floated. Wrapped in an aura of divinity and death, her pale blue eyes locked on her brother—and the human beside him.
Snow bloomed under her feet before she even touched the ground. The entire forest began to freeze at her presence.
"Veldora."