The den was a battlefield of silence. No chants, no cheers—only the pounding of hearts as the wolves faced the dragon one last time.
Luv and Ayu rushed forward, their bodies screaming in protest. Every wound threatened to tear them apart, but their steps did not falter. The oath they had made moments ago burned through their pain, driving them forward.
Ryuga's grin spread again, sharp and cruel. "Good. Show me your last fang before I crush it."
Ayu struck first. She darted low, her blades a blur of silver. Ryuga sidestepped, his fist arcing downward. She twisted at the last second, steel scraping his knuckles as she rolled past.
Luv was already there, his fist slamming into Ryuga's jaw. The dragon's head snapped sideways, blood flying.
But Ryuga's counter came instantly—his knee crashed into Luv's ribs, nearly caving them in. The boy spat blood but held his ground, locking Ryuga's arm in place.
"AYU! NOW!"
She didn't hesitate. Ayu leapt, spinning midair, her twin blades crossing. The steel dug deep into Ryuga's side where the wound already bled. Flesh tore, blood gushed.
The dragon roared, a sound so primal it shook the walls. He lashed out, backhanding Ayu across the room. She hit the wall hard, her blades clattering to the ground.
Luv tightened his grip on Ryuga's arm, refusing to let go even as bone splintered in his own body. His black eyes locked on the dragon's.
"You're not… invincible."
Ryuga's other fist came crashing down like a hammer. Luv blocked with his forearm—it shattered, the pain white-hot—but in that split second, he twisted, driving his knee into Ryuga's bleeding side.
The dragon staggered.
Ayu, dragging herself from the floor, crawled to her blades. Her vision swam, her body nearly giving out, but she forced herself up. With a scream that was part fury, part despair, she charged again.
Her blades sank deep into Ryuga's back.
Blood sprayed across the den. The dragon roared in agony, his aura flaring like a raging firestorm. He swung wildly, catching Luv across the chest, sending him flying.
But Ayu clung to his back, her blades buried deep, her teeth gritted. "Luv… GET UP!"
Luv's vision blurred, but her voice cut through the darkness. He staggered to his feet, broken but burning. He charged, his fists like meteors, slamming again and again into Ryuga's face.
One. Two. Three.
With every strike, blood poured, the dragon's grin finally fading into a snarl.
Ryuga's knees buckled.
Ayu wrenched her blades free and, with a cry, drove them down into his shoulders, pinning him.
Luv gathered every last ounce of strength left in his ruined body. His final punch crashed into Ryuga's jaw with a crack like thunder.
The dragon toppled.
Silence filled the den.
The mighty Ryuga—the Black Dragon King—lay bleeding on the floor, his chest heaving, his grin gone. His men stared in shock, their god brought low by two broken wolves.
Luv collapsed to one knee, barely breathing. Ayu fell beside him, her blades slipping from her hands.
They had no strength left. No words. Only the knowledge that they had bitten the dragon—and survived.