Araki laughed loudly amid everyone's tension and fear, murmuring strange words alongside his followers...
Then he spoke in a sharp, commanding voice:
"Oh… you formless, majestic abomination…
Lord of the forsaken and the abandoned…
Come forth...
Show them your power and your hunger…
You twisted dragon!!!"
Black smoke flooded the area around Lonz, forcing everyone back instinctively, as Araki retreated to a safe distance...
From within the smoke…..
as it slowly dispersed…
something emerged.
Something the mind refused to accept.
A being between dragon and human—
No… worse.
A monster.
A massive body, far larger than ordinary dragons...
A wide jaw devoid of features,
nothing but layers upon layers of razor-sharp teeth.
A single blood-yellow eye set in the center of that maw.
Human arms and legs fused chaotically across its body...
Half a human face welded grotesquely above its jaw.
A dragon's arm on its right side,
a massive human arm on its left.
Countless uneven legs—wrong… all of them wrong...
Merely looking at it felt like the world had made a grave mistake.
No one could endure the sight.
Not even Araki himself.
"…It's worse than I imagined.
How can something like this even exist???"
A figure appeared behind him, approaching while panting...
Zack.
"Oh? ??You're still alive???" Araki mocked.
"Did everything go according to plan???"
"With difficulty… yes," Zack replied...
"No strong opponents remain there—
except Vice —commander Leo...
He's the only one who can deal with something like this…
but he won't be able to bear the burden alone."
Araki smiled calmly.
"Then there's no need to rush...
Let's enjoy the sight."
When Raym saw it, his mind rejected reality itself...
How could someone as gentle and frail as Lonz become such a grotesque entity??!
Shock...
Grief...
Helplessness...
Vail couldn't bring himself to speak.
Lyra barely stood, forcing her body beyond its limits...
Then came the dragon's first roar—
a sound that was both a plea for help and a declaration of dominance.
The ground trembled.
The air choked.
Even Araki felt uneasy.
The dragon's hateful eye locked onto Raym.
It lunged.
Raym didn't move.
In an instant, Vail threw himself in front of him.
"Raym! Don't lose yourself!
I know this is beyond comprehension,
but you've always been the strongest among us…
the one who rises again!!!"
Raym didn't respond.
The dragon struck again, this time dealing a critical wound.
Then it turned to its next prey.
Vail.
He was swallowed whole.
For a single second…
everyone thought he was gone.
Then flames erupted from within the dragon's jaws...
The creature recoiled, unable to withstand it.
Vail emerged, standing defiantly before the monster,
his gaze fixed only on the wounded Raym.
Without hesitation, he placed himself as a shield.
Suddenly—
The dragon froze...
It screamed, flailing violently, as if something inside it had gone terribly wrong.
Seizing the moment, Vail helped Raym stand.
The moment Raym was back on his feet,
the dragon opened its horrific maw
and devoured all the air in the chamber.
Raym collapsed once more.
As if his body no longer believed in him.
As if he were exhaling his final breath.
Lyra stood frozen...
Useless...
In the way...
She looked at Raym, broken and fading,
and tried to do anything—anything at all...
Then something inside her shattered.
Or so it felt...
For the first time…
the air didn't surround her.
It answered her.
Without realizing it—
she was controlling the wind...
Vail smiled faintly...
"Hm…
You truly are a fascinating generation.
She's awakened her second element… far earlier than expected."..