Damien clenched his fists tightly, and the Dragon’s Koa burst forth with fury. His muscles tensed; he was ready to fight.

  —Interesting… let’s see what you’ve got, little dragon, —murmured the man with glasses, a grin curling on his lips.

  —GRAM! —he shouted, and his Koa sword turned a verdant green, transforming into the legendary blade that slew Fafnir.

  —Aghh… he’s too strong, —Layla gasped, forcing herself to stand. She was the only one who hadn’t taken a direct hit—. Damien’s in trouble… none of us can control our beasts completely, and he clearly has experience.

  Sarah’s passive ability, Fortune in Misfortune, also activated, partially healing her injuries. A fifty percent chance to recover from non-lethal wounds and twenty-five for lethal ones… this time, luck favored her.

  —What do we do, Layla? He’s way stronger than us… —Sarah muttered, trembling.

  —Arghh, you again! I told you not to interrupt! —roared the man with glasses—. ROAR OF THE LION!

  The sonic blast raced toward the girls, but just before it struck, Damien leapt in front of them, taking the full impact.

  —I told you… the fight is with me! —he shouted, resisting the pressure with both palms extended.

  —Very well, —the attacker sneered—. Gram: Mortal Wound!

  He unleashed a flurry of slashes that Damien barely dodged, though his body was now covered in shallow cuts. He leapt back, panting.

  —What’s wrong, boy? Are you just going to run? —mocked the man.

  —Arghh… I can’t control more than ten or fifteen percent of my Dragon Koa… I can’t do much. I can’t even handle the sacred fire—it burns me. —Damien thought quickly—. Fine… there’s only one way I can use that fire for now.

  He manifested a revolver made of Nature Koa, aiming steadily.

  —Don’t think distance will save you, —warned the man with glasses.

  —We’ll see about that… DRAGON BULLET! —Damien roared.

  A sphere of sacred flame burst from the gun’s barrel, flying straight at his foe.

  —Oh, I see… you can’t even control the Dragon’s holy fire, —the man taunted—. Balmung: Song of the Birds.

  The sword turned from green to gray and unleashed a slash that easily dispersed Damien’s attack.

  —Damn it… it didn’t work, —Damien muttered.

  —Heh, is that really all you’ve got? —the man smirked wickedly.

  Damien fired another barrage of blazing rounds, but all were dispelled.

  —We have to help him before it’s too late! —Yulian gasped, struggling to his feet.

  —Yeah, but… he seems to be holding up somehow, —Layla replied.

  —You don’t get it. Sigfrido’s a Legend-class Koa wielder—he slays dragons. Against us, he only used his beast. He’s saving his Legend Guardian for Damien, —Yulian said, voice tight with worry.

  —You mean… —Sarah whispered, eyes wide with fear.

  —He wants to push Damien to his limits—to force the Dragon out completely. —Yulian groaned—. I’m going in, wounds or not.

  —Time to attack again… GRAM! —shouted the man.

  Damien closed in fast, firing two point-blank shots.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  —Balmung, shield me! —commanded the attacker, shifting instantly into a defensive stance.

  —Heh… had to release a bit more power, but I think I found a flaw in his style, —thought Damien.

  —Looks like he uses Gram for offense and Balmung for defense… Damien’s figured out a way to keep him at bay, —Sarah observed, a flicker of hope in her eyes—. He won’t win, but at least he won’t lose immediately.

  —Gram and Balmung are the same sword with different names, —murmured Yulian, alarmed—. That means there’s a third one! Damien, be careful!

  —What is it, Yulian? —Layla asked, frightened.

  —Oh? So the boy noticed… he really is different from the rest, —the attacker said, grinning.

  —Don’t get distracted! —Damien roared, firing again.

  In an instant, the man vanished—then appeared behind him.

  —How did he—?! —Damien’s body tensed with dread.

  —Too slow, kid, —the man whispered darkly—. Mortal Wound.

  A flurry of strikes tore through Damien’s body, though he somehow remained standing.

  —Ah, so your dragon scales have activated. Those damned scales resist almost everything… but you’re bleeding heavily. Your Koa doesn’t accept you as a Dragon yet, —the man mocked.

  A bullet struck his sword, cracking it slightly.

  —Damn it… only hit the blade… —Damien panted.

  —Heh… he’s faster now, unleashing more Beast Koa. If I push harder, what will happen? —the man thought with sinister delight—. Time to show him who’s boss.

  —Gram and Balmung—reforge into one blade! —he shouted—. The mighty Nothung!

  The sword turned a greenish gray, its aura heavy and oppressive.

  —You still can’t attack and defend at once, —Damien retorted, leaping forward—. Dragon Bullets!

  —Won’t work. Song of the Birds. —The blasts were dispelled with ease.

  —Mortal Wound! —Another torrent of slashes struck. Damien took the full hit, collapsing to his knees.

  —How can he switch between attack and defense so fast…? —Damien muttered.

  —Gram for offense, Balmung for defense… and Nothung unites them, perfecting both, —the man said proudly—. It’s over, little dragon. You’re not even worthy of scratching me. Sanguinary Mortal Wound!

  Nothung’s aura darkened. The strike crushed Damien’s left shoulder—his dragon scales were useless.

  —Good… left shoulder disabled. Now for the right, —said the attacker coldly.

  —Dragon Bullet! —Damien fired desperately.

  —Radiant Mortal Wound! —The sword absorbed the flame and redirected it, burning Damien’s other shoulder.

  —Arghh… damn it… I’m finished… —Damien gasped, on the verge of collapse.

  —Nothung’s attacks are defensive, and its defenses are offensive, —the man declared, pointing his sword at him—. This is the end.

  —Staff of the Monkey King! Frozen Swan Flutter! Grizzly Fury! —Layla, Sarah, and Yulian shouted, attacking together.

  —I told you… to stay out of this! —the man growled, turning to block them.

  —This is my chance! —Damien thought—. DRAGON’S ROAR!

  The Dragon’s aura exploded violently.

  —What?! He adapted my ability?! —the man exclaimed, startled.

  —We’ll hit him this time! —Yulian shouted.

  —Deadly Song of the Birds! —The attacker nullified the blast and struck them all with Koa slashes.

  Damien seized the instant. He touched his opponent’s arm with a finger charged with Nature Koa.

  —K.O., —he whispered.

  —What did you—? —the man said, before realizing his Koa was fading fast—. I feel… weaker. Nature type, huh? What’s the price? —he sneered faintly.

  —Heh… you caught on. Yeah, I’m done. The penalty is… I can’t use Koa for hours, —Damien said with a tired grin, collapsing.

  —What a useless technique, —the attacker scoffed, raising his sword—.

  Layla leapt forward, screaming:

  —Palm of the hundred primates.

  The blow barely grazed his cheek.

  —Damn… yeah, he did weaken me… —he growled.

  —Crystal Storm! —Sarah shouted, hurling shards of ice.

  —Bear’s Claw! —Yulian added.

  —Beautiful Song of the Birds! —The man barely held his defense, struggling.

  —Enough. I’ll use more power… Wrathful Lion of Nemea!

  The energy slash sent them flying. He turned toward Damien.

  —Not so useless after all… but really? The best skill of a Dragon is Nature Koa? —he said with disdain—. Sinister Mortal Wound.

  He aimed his blade at Damien, ready to finish him—

  —but a glowing orb struck his abdomen, hurling him backward.

  —Why do you attack your own comrades like that? —a deep voice said.

  It was Yu-Han, stepping forward with a stern expression.

  —I didn’t train or educate you for this… Simon. Or should I say, The Psychic?

  The man with glasses chuckled.

  —Heh… hey, old man. Long time no see.

  The others stared, stunned, as the strange reunion between master and aggressor unfolded before them.

  “Balmung: Song of the Birds,” is a nod to one of Sigfrido’s legends —where the birds warned him of the betrayal that would lead to his death.

  His attack, “Gram: Death Wound,” mirrors the fatal strike with which he slew the dragon Fafnir in a single blow.

  Both are reinterpretations of those myths within the world of Thaumaturgia, adapted to its Koa system.

  Your comment or reaction means a lot.