chapter 9

After Aster's victory in battle, Yue and the others flew over to where Great Red and Aster were. 

As they landed on the destroyed island, Trihexa dashed towards Aster and Great Red with excitement.

"Aster! Red! You both were amazing in the fight!" (Trihexa)

she exclaimed, her excitement evident. Ophis nodded in agreement, already standing in front of Aster with a small smile on her lips.

Abaddon joined them, his eyes shining with admiration as he addressed Aster, 

"My lord! Congratulations on your win!" (Abaddon)

Aster chuckled at their reactions, smiling warmly at them. He reached out to pat Ophis on the head, thanking them for their praise.

Yue simply stood beside Aster, smiling as she observed their interactions.

But for Great Red, she wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was looking down and had a blush on her face, lost in thoughts of Aster and their time together.

After spending decades reading manga, Great Red had learned to understand her emotions. She thought about the moments she shared with Aster and how they made her feel. Every time she was with him, she felt happy and complete. She found his smugness cute, his compliments gave her butterflies, and simply looking at him made her smile. To her, Aster was simply perfect.

Great Red realized that what she felt was love. It was the real reason she wanted to fight Aster. She had learned from manga that as a dragon she couldn't be with anyone weaker than herself, but it was also her own pride agreeing with it.

Now that Aster had defeated her, there was nothing holding her back anymore. With determination in her expression, Great Red raised her head and walked in front of Aster, leaning her body forward.

Aster looked confused, not understanding what Great Red wanted to do.

Great Red leaned in, her head moving towards Aster's neck, and she bit him. A small red dragon mark appeared on Aster's hand briefly for everyone to see before disappearing soon after. 

Everyone, except Great Red herself, was stunned by what had happened. They couldn't comprehend it, as if their brains had been momentarily shut off. Aster, especially, was bewildered by Great Red's actions and her confession of love.

"I-I love you, Aster," (Great Red)

she said, blushing.

Aster struggled to process Great Red's confession. He tried to calm himself and think logically. 

While Great Red had marked him as her mate, Aster knew that if he didn't reciprocate her feelings, the mark would vanish completely.

He reflected on his own feelings for Great Red. He acknowledged that he liked her a lot, but he wasn't sure if he loved her. Liking someone and loving someone were two different things, and Aster needed time to figure out his true feelings.

Aster looked at Great Red with a serious expression and confessed. 

"I won't lie to you. I like you... a lot, but... I don't know if I love you," (Aster)

"Easy. I simply have to make you fall for me!"(Great Red)

"Huh?" (Aster)

He was taken aback by her determination and confident.

Aster's confused expression turned into a teasing one.

"So you love me sooo much, huh? I can't really blame you, after all, I am too awesome!" (Aster)

he joked, his tone smug.

"You jerk! Can't you be serious?" (Great Red)

Annoyed by his teasing, She attempted to punch his head, but Aster caught her fist, pulling her towards him. He leaned down and bit her neck.

After the bite, a white phoenix tattoo appeared on Great Red's neck briefly before disappearing. Aster pulled back from the bite and whispered in her ear.

"I accept you as my mate, but remember, you're mine from now on, Alora," (Aster)

Great Red blushed profusely from Aster's actions and words. After a moment, a surprised expression crossed her face at what he said at the end.

"What did you say?" 

Great Red, now Alora, questioned.

Aster simply smiled at her.

"It's your name. From this moment forth, your name will be Alora, Alora Solace," (Aster) 

As Aster made the announcement, Alora found herself being covered in a cocoon during the process.

Meanwhile, there were various reactions among the others. Trihexa and Yue appeared irritated, no, completely pissed off, by what Great red did. They kept mumbling about how Great Red stole the march.

Ophis's eyes widened slightly, but her expression remained mostly unchanged as she struggled to understand what had just happened.

On the other hand, Abaddon simply smiled at the turn of events and silently congratulated both Aster and Alora in his mind.