The den shook with chants of "RYU-GA! RYU-GA!", the voices of hundreds echoing like drums of doom. The dragon stood tall, his aura like a blazing inferno, while the two wolves lay battered at his feet.
Ayu's face was pale, her lips stained with blood, but her grip on her blades never loosened. She forced herself upright, her body trembling like a dying flame refusing to be snuffed out.
Beside her, Luv pressed his palms into the ground, every movement ripping through broken ribs. He spat blood, his black eyes lifting toward Ryuga—not with fear, but with a cold, burning resolve.
Ryuga tilted his head, amused. "Still standing? How admirable. But even wolves must learn when to bow to the dragon."
His men roared in approval, stamping their feet, the sound rattling the floor like thunder.
But Ayu spoke, her voice hoarse yet defiant. "We don't… bow to anyone."
Her words lit something inside Luv. Slowly, painfully, he rose beside her. The sight was surreal: two broken figures, drenched in blood, facing the mightiest man they had ever encountered.
The wolves were not finished.
Ryuga smirked. "Then show me your last howl."
The battle reignited.
Ayu dashed forward first, her blades gleaming under the broken lights. She spun low, slashing for Ryuga's legs. He blocked with a casual kick, the clash sending sparks across the stone.
But Luv was already there. He struck from the blindside, fists driving into Ryuga's ribs like sledgehammers. The dragon grunted, his body absorbing the impact—but for the first time, he staggered a step back.
The watching soldiers gasped.
They didn't give him a chance to recover. Ayu leapt onto Luv's back, vaulting upward, spinning in the air. Her blades crossed, striking down like twin fangs.
Ryuga raised his arm, blocking—but Luv was already beneath him, driving an uppercut into his jaw with everything he had left.
Blood sprayed from Ryuga's mouth.
The den went silent.
Ryuga's grin twisted, wild and savage. "YES! That's it! Bite harder! Tear deeper!"
He roared, a sound not human but beastly, and his fists became storms. He struck with devastating power, each blow carving the air. Luv and Ayu barely dodged, their bodies cut and crushed under the pressure.
But they didn't retreat. They pressed on, reckless, desperate.
Ayu's blade finally dug deep into his side. Blood poured.
Luv's elbow crashed into the same wound, forcing the dragon to snarl.
For a moment—just a moment—the wolves had cornered the dragon.
But Ryuga's rage exploded. His arms lashed out, catching Ayu mid-swing, slamming her into the wall so hard the stone cracked. She collapsed, barely conscious.
Luv charged, but Ryuga's kick struck him square in the chest, launching him across the room. He hit the ground, his body refusing to rise.
Ryuga stood tall once more, bleeding yet unbroken. His eyes burned with murderous fire.
"You fought well," he growled, wiping the blood from his mouth. "But wolves cannot slay dragons."
Luv's vision blurred, darkness closing in. Beside him, Ayu groaned, trying to crawl to his side.
And yet… the fire inside them would not die.
For the dragon had awoken.
But the wolves had tasted his blood.
And they would not stop until he fell.