"We are the famous dragon hunters," said one of the dragon hunters.
"You mean the dragon hunters known as Ashen Fang?" asked Ryutaro.
"That's right, we are the Ashen Fang dragon hunters," replied another hunter.
"Oh, so you guys are the Ashen Fang dragon hunters? I don't believe it. There's no way weaklings like you could be called dragon hunters. You're better suited to hunting wild boars instead," said Ryutaro mockingly.
Hearing Ryutaro's taunts, Grace burst into laughter, while Aurelia looked worried.
"Hahaha! That was a good joke, my dear husband," said Grace.
"Hey, you two, please stop joking around. They're actually strong, you know!" said Aurelia.
"Don't worry, I'm not underestimating them. It's just... I still can't believe the so-called greatest dragon hunters are this skinny," Ryutaro said.
Hearing this, the Ashen Fang hunters became furious.
"How dare you insult Ashen Fang!"
"Hand over the Dragon Queen now, and we'll pretend your insults never happened. If not..."
"If not, what?" Ryutaro asked.
"You will suffer the consequences!"
"Interesting. What do you think, Grace?" Ryutaro asked.
"The answer is obvious—we refuse," said Grace.
"You guys..." Aurelia muttered with a smile.
"Don't get too happy just yet. You waltzed in here, ate all the fruits I planted on my land—if you get caught, who's going to pay for the damages?" Ryutaro asked.
"You're still thinking about that in a situation like this?" Aurelia asked in disbelief.
"Of course! My husband is always like this. A week ago, I accidentally damaged a small part of his land too," said Grace.
"A small part? You nearly burned down my entire field because you got mad when your harvest didn't meet your expectations!" Ryutaro retorted.
"Ehee~" Grace stuck out her tongue playfully.
"You two... Fine, fine! I'll compensate you later, but please, save me first," Aurelia sighed.
Hearing this, the dragon hunters became even more enraged.
"You dare mock us? Take this!"
Suddenly, the mechanical dragon opened its mouth and released a fireball.
"Inferno Blast!"
The fireball shot straight toward Ryutaro.
"Watch out!" Aurelia shouted.
"Relax, a technique like this is easy to handle. Right, Alex?" said Ryutaro.
"Who's Alex?" Aurelia asked.
"Alex is a contracted being that Ryutaro created to balance his power," Grace explained.
"Balance? What do you mean?" Aurelia asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," Grace replied.
Suddenly, Ryutaro's body emitted a dark aura and absorbed the fireball.
"Beelzebub."
The fireball vanished, leaving the dragon hunters in shock.
"Impossible! How did you nullify it?"
"There must be something wrong with the mechanical dragon. Let's try again!"
They attacked repeatedly, but the result remained the same—Ryutaro absorbed every attack.
"No way! We've attacked over and over, yet nothing changed!"
"Are you guys done?" Ryutaro asked.
"Don't get cocky! We haven't used our full power yet!"
The mechanical dragon's mouth crackled with black lightning, but before it could attack, Ryutaro made his move.
"You think I'll wait for you to finish your technique?" Ryutaro smirked.
"Holy Spear!"
"Impossible! How can you wield two elements at once?!"
"Are you a monster?"
"Maybe," Ryutaro replied.
"Oh, I get it now. So Alex is the one keeping him from losing control when he uses his abilities," Aurelia said.
"Exactly," Grace confirmed.
"But I still can't believe a human can control both darkness and light simultaneously," said Aurelia.
"For others, it's impossible. But for Ryutaro, it's not an issue," Grace replied.
Ryutaro threw his spear of light toward the Ashen Fang hunters, but just before it hit them, a figure emerged from a portal and nullified his attack.
"What?! How?!" Ryutaro exclaimed.
The dragon hunters immediately bowed to the newcomer.
"Don't be too shocked, Ryutaro... or should I say, the discarded hero?" the figure said.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"Me? That's not important. If you must know, call me Phantom," the figure replied.
Grace's eyes widened in shock.
"That name... Could it be? One of the ten strongest generals of Ashen Fang—the one who leaves no dragon corpses behind—Dragonbane Phantom?" Grace muttered.
"The ten strongest generals of Ashen Fang? What's that?" Ryutaro asked.
"I'll explain later. For now, we need to focus," Grace said.
"Oh? Someone actually knows about me," Phantom smirked.
"What are you doing here?" Grace demanded.
"Are you here to hunt Aurelia?" Ryutaro asked, readying himself for battle.
"Relax. For now, I just wanted to say hello... and take my useless subordinates back," Phantom replied.
"You think you can just come and go as you please?" Ryutaro snapped.
Ryutaro launched another attack, but none of his techniques worked against Phantom.
"What?!" Ryutaro was shocked.
"Your attacks won't work on me," Phantom said calmly.
Phantom then opened another portal. Before leaving, he turned back and said,
"Oh, one more thing—I'll let Aurelia stay with you. See you soon."
With that, Phantom and the dragon hunters vanished, and the portal slowly closed.
"Damn it... I'm still not strong enough," Ryutaro muttered in frustration.
"Don't worry, Ryutaro. This isn't your fault—he's just too strong," said Grace.
"Yeah, don't lose hope. One day, you'll defeat him," Aurelia added.
Hearing their words, Ryutaro took a deep breath and calmed down.
"You two are right. There's no point dwelling on it," Ryutaro said.
"That's the spirit. Now, let's head inside," said Grace.
"Alright. Aurelia, you're coming too," Ryutaro said.
"Me? Are you sure?" Aurelia asked hesitantly.
"Of course! We have the same enemy," Grace reassured her.
"Yeah, don't hold back," Ryutaro added.
"Alright, then… I'll come in," Aurelia agreed.
The three of them entered the house. Meanwhile, in the Celestia Kingdom…
"Your Majesty, I have brought the envoy from the church," said a messenger.
"Good. Send them in," King Albert commanded.
A woman with golden hair and a beautiful face entered the throne room.
"Reporting in, Your Majesty. I have arrived," said the church envoy.
"Tell me your name," King Albert said.
"My name is Charlotte, Your Majesty," she replied.
"Charlotte, I have a mission for you. You will go to the Black Forest," said the king.
"The Black Forest? But why?" Charlotte asked.
"To retrieve someone," King Albert answered.
"Why not send your own men?" Charlotte questioned.
The king put on an act, pretending to be distressed.
"Because he has been brainwashed by the Demon Queen," he claimed.
"Is that true, Your Majesty?" Charlotte asked.
"It is. Even my own envoys were forced to retreat," the king lied.
Upon hearing this, Charlotte clenched her fists in anger.
"This cannot be allowed. That demon must be eradicated immediately!" she declared.
"Indeed. That's why I need your power, Charlotte," the king said.
"Understood, Your Majesty. Wait for my good news—I will destroy the demon and bring the target back," she vowed.
"Take some royal knights with you. They will assist you," King Albert instructed.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Charlotte replied.
As Charlotte left, the king gave an order to his subordinate.
"Keep an eye on her. If she betrays us, kill her and deliver her corpse to the church. That way, they will wage war against Ryutaro," King Albert said with a sinister smile.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
"I want to see how long you can survive, Ryutaro. How dare you defy me?" the king muttered, grinning.
What will happen to Ryutaro? Will he be able to win? And what will Charlotte do when she learns the truth? What are Ashen Fang's next moves? Stay tuned for Chapter 9!
*If I made any minor mistakes that might be distracting, I sincerely apologize. I have done my best for this novel, and if you enjoy it, please consider giving it a like and sharing your feedback, suggestions, or criticism so I can learn and improve. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!*