Darian's mind kicked into gear surprisingly fast. After spending fifteen days straight training and fighting nonstop, he could now slip into a mode that said: Either I come up with something fast, or we're screwed.
First, he thought of the obvious: his curse. But he'd already tried to use it and was sure—he didn't have that white or black power anymore. After dying to that monster, he'd lost everything he'd built up.
"Hehehe… your demon woman, the King sent me to check if you were already dead; but looks like that pill alone wasn't enough. I'll take care of you myself."
The deep, malicious voice echoed. The figure stopped in front of them, bringing his blade dangerously close.
"See this? This is a soul-corroding blade. Hope you enjoy its little effects. Since you refuse to die, I'll deliver you to the King instead—and the fun will only get better from there."
*Slash!*
Right after he finished speaking, the blade moved subtly and slashed her...
*Clang!*
But the sound of it hitting something almost metallic rang out.
"Oh? Your scales are pretty tough, huh. But no one's coming to save you. Let's see how long your defenses hold."
His voice was filled with amusement as the blade moved again. Now faster and stronger, it struck the same spot precisely—just below her line of sight.
Darian guessed that must've been her neck. She was covered in chains, but he was targeting a small gap between them—just big enough for a thin sword blade to cut through.
The metallic scrape of the blade grinding against something incredibly hard rang out again and again.
Darian tensed up. From the way the guy talked, she was going to be hurt and tortured first—not killed right away. If things were already bad, after that, it'd only get worse.
She couldn't speak, and she wouldn't have a chance to explain she was a Summoner. And as for him, he was stuck inside her body.
'You're some kind of beast, right? Don't you have any other abilities?' Darian asked quickly, trying to find a way out.
'No, I'm considered human,' Niara replied, her voice slightly strained. 'My ancestors were blessed by the Divine Dragon and received his bloodline and power. In the end, even though we're technically human, our bodies inherited some dragon traits…'
'This Divine Dragon—do you know anything about its origin? Where did it come from?' Darian was already 90% sure, but he wanted to confirm. He couldn't just assume everything in that book was true—that would be crazy.
*Crack!*
The sharp sound of scales breaking echoed, followed by the shadowy figure's wicked laugh. Time was running out.
'He was born at the beginning of the universe…' she growled mentally, clearly in immense pain.
Her scales were totally cracked. The enemy stopped slashing when he noticed that some of the poison had seeped through the fractures. Her body had blocked part of it, but the door had been opened.
He grinned, waiting for the poison to spread even more. In just a few seconds, he'd strike again to finish the job.
'So he really is a Primordial Dragon,' Darian thought, now certain.
According to the book, there were also normal dragons in a universe, but those were born from eggs—children of other dragons. Long after the Primordial Beasts came into existence, weaker dragon species started appearing, very different from the Primordials—even though they belonged to the same general category.
With no other option, Darian focused on recalling the information from that book. It mentioned two Primordial Dragons—a couple. The male became an enemy, while the female ended up joining the protagonist, helping him gather a powerful dragon army using her knowledge.
Darian's eyes lit up—he had a bold idea. The blood of a Primordial Dragon was no joke.
He didn't even need to focus on the assassin in front of them to be sure: the guy had thick karma… but still, nowhere near the level of this woman who was now his partner. If he could kill him, he might be able to get a bit of that power back.
'Niara, we're partners now. I'm gonna need you to trust me,' he said seriously, focusing on her.
'This is all my fault… if there's anything I can do, I'll do it,' she answered without hesitation.
'Good. Since you're human, that bloodline is something external to you. You can feel it in your body and move it around, right?' Feeling her confirmation, he went on: 'I know this sounds weird, but move all of it to the wound. He's going to strike the same spot again. On the next hit, don't defend at all—let him land the blow directly.'
He waited for some reaction—but there was none. Not even a flicker of hesitation.
Being inside her body, Darian could feel something within her blood shifting toward the spot he'd mentioned.
Niara didn't show fear or doubt—just an unshakable will. They barely knew each other, but she also understood that for this partnership to work, they had to trust each other.
'As soon as he strikes, release all the nearby scales too—send them flying to pierce him as much as possible. It'll be a one-shot move… and a bloody one.'
Even though she was covered in chains, there were several small gaps where scales could shoot out.
'Alright,' she replied calmly.
No questions... was she insane? Darian wondered.
What he'd just asked for was, at the very least, stupid. She'd get seriously hurt and make her situation even worse.
But at the same time, there was no malice in her, just a pure will. That gave Darian a strange certainty: despite the insanely thick black karma around her, she hadn't been completely corrupted by her past.
"Hehehe, don't feel bad about this little gift." The man's voice came out, and his blade moved into position for the final strike. "Soon, we'll have lots of fun together by the King's side."
*Slash!*
The sound of a clean cut rang out, followed by the noise of flesh being torn and blood gushing.
The man's eyes went wide in surprise. She really didn't put up any defense?
He had struck a weak point in the chains around her neck. With no resistance at all, the blade went in deep, tearing a massive wound—and blood sprayed everywhere.
She wasn't an ordinary human, so he knew this wouldn't kill her right away, but... something felt very wrong.
He felt the scales burst out and brush against his skin… then the tiny cuts started showing up—tiny, but insanely deep.
His own defenses were pathetic, which is why he always worked in the shadows, staying away from direct fights. But her scales were like razor-sharp metal; even a tiny shard brushing against him was enough to slice him open.
"!"
In a second, he realized it. Her blood—it felt like it had a mind of its own!
As it touched him through the small cuts, it suddenly invaded the wounds and spread through his body. It was like a furious, twisted serpent ripping through him.
His eyes bulged.
His vision went dark.
And then... everything faded.
He never woke up again.
The sound of the dead body hitting the ground—along with his blade—echoed in the darkness.
A strange silence followed. Even Darian was stunned. Everything written in that book had proven completely legit so far.
It only took her will, combined with the bloodline in her veins. The moment it touched the enemy's wound, it invaded like the worst poison imaginable.