The Voice in the Sky

His… Little sister?

"Listen to me, I have regretted only one thing and one thing only. Not being able to save Gelda… She disappeared… without a trace. And the connection broke between us. We felt… pain. Extreme… pain from that. It is safe to assume that… that…" he says.

"That she's… Gone…?" I say.

My heart hurts when I say these words. I don't know why but I still feel the regret and sadness gushing into my heart out of nowhere.

"I can't…. Say it…" he says with tears in his eyes.

"But Vejetar… I have to do something about him. If I don't, he will become a threat too big. I can't ignore him…" I say.

This is getting repetitive. He gets in the way and he is sure to do the same later. When I am taking care of the Demons or doing anything else. And his wicked nature sickens me to my core.

"Velkra… you didn't notice something. Look closer inside his chest, and others too. Do you see that?" he says turning his gaze to the bloodthirsty Hero's Party.

Twixie. What is he talking about?

[Master… There is something else there. A cube. I don't know what it is but it has Spacial Attribute in it. The closest guess that I can give is that… It has something to do with space manipulation.]

What…? Does he still have something? Can you find out what that is?

[Probably not. That Cube is not from this world. It's a metal from another plane or world.]

"Hey. What… never mind." I say to the Hero and stop.

Me asking him that question would make him even more cautious. He might run If I do that.

"Vejetar. I need to fight him. I'll capture him in a blink of an eye." I say to Vejetar.

"Only capture him. Do not kill him. We can think about it later. He isn't a threat if he's immobilized." He says.

"Then I'm gonna go do some dragon shit," I say and step out of Vejetar's grip on my shoulders.

"Wait Great Velkra."

I hear Albart from behind and see that he's kneeling with a hand to his chest.

"What is it, Albart?" I ask.

He looks up at me with eyes that admire my beauty. How can I know that? Well… I can sense it from his aura. He doesn't suppress it. Either he doesn't know how to or he does it to stall enemies and take advantage of their carelessness, because reading one's aura could even predict their next attack.

[That is why Aura Suppression is important. It's the first thing taught in Sword Art Schools.]

There are sword art schools?

[Yep]

"I would like to fight him, Great Velkra." He says.

"What? You wanna fight the hero, Albart?" I ask.

"Yes, My Lady. You might find this reason a bit laughable but… I need to see if my skills are as good as before. I was in an age where I was getting rusty so I wanted to test my skill once again." He says.

What was his age before?

[46]

Wow. And what would his age be now that he's this young?

[Probably around 27 or 28?]

Damn. He did De-age.

"Can you handle him? I mean… he can gain levels with his experience." I say.

"I would need to fight him if I want to know if I can handle him, Great Velkra." He says.

Hey, Twixie. How many levels can he gain from fighting Albart?

[Not many. It's good if Albart fights. We can analyze the Hero from a distance this way.]

"Go ahead, Albart. I was fretting about how to deal with him but who knew the answer was so simple?" I say and gesture him to stand up.

He stands up and gets the dust off his knee.

"Great Velkra. If Felia would have been here, I would've sent her to fight the hero. Not because she is proficient in both Hand-to-Hand Combat and Sword Arts and many others, but her most shining proficiency is in her unique Hand-to-Hand fighting technique. Would you like to see it?" He says.

Felia's… Technique? I do want to see that.

"You know her technique?" I ask.

"She taught me when I was giving her Lessons in Sword Arts. And should I say that they are deadly? I will then use her technique to fight bare-handed." He says and puts down his sword on the ground.

"Wait, Lord Albart." Says Willis.

"Me too, Great Velkra." Says Zanim.

What now? They wanna go too?

"So you two want to fight too?" I ask.

"Definitely, I'll take the hunter over there." Says Willis.

But the hunter is a Dual-wielder and Willis is a sword user. How will he fight her? He would be at a disadvantage…

"I know what you might be thinking, Great Velkra." Says Willis.

"…Won't you be at a disadvantage against a dual-wielder?" I ask.

"I should show you my dual-wielding skills then. Please grant me your blessings in this fight." He says.

"I can fight that mage over there. She will be a suitable target for my practice. May I have your permission to go, Great Velkra?" says Zanim, kneeling along with Willis.

Why do they want to fight them so much? I can just do it by myself.

[Master. You have to keep in mind that they are your people and they deserve to serve you as you are their superior. You cannot do everything by yourself all the time.]

But I don't want to see them getting hurt…

[They will never grow if you don't even allow them to take a flight on their own. Keep that in mind.]

Sometimes I just think that you're just scolding me…

[Huh? No, no, no Master. I'm your subordinate too. I just correct your mistakes.]

Is that so?

[Y-Yes!]

Okay then…

"You can go Zanim. All three of you, show me a good fight so I don't worry about you guys next time." I say.

"Understood!" they all reply in unison.

After that, they just walk toward the three people in front of them. Albart goes in front of the Hero.

Willis turns to Zanim and says,

"Now if you may, Zanim."

Why is Willis holding out his hand toward Zanim? Was Zanim going to give him something?

"Of course, Willis." Says Zanim.

After that, Zanim holds his hands out and smiles at me. He looked as if he was excited to show me something new. Just like when a kid learns something and wants to show it off to his mother.

"[Weapon Creation]" he says in a subtle voice.

His hands glow and a stream of mana gushes out of his palms. The mana then forms a detailed frame of two identical weapons in each hand. The weapons looked like a long Machete. The mana then flows inside the formed frame and fills it up until it becomes solid. Then the frame perfectly forms Two Long Machetes.

Their steel is reflective as if you were looking in a mirror. The handle is so intricately lined that even a blacksmith might wonder if something like this can even be made.

Zanim hands the two Machetes to Willis.

"Did you see it Great Velkra?!" shouts Zanim from afar.

He looks so excited.

"Yeah! It was awesome." I say.

"You've got a cute bunch here, Little sis." Says Vejetar with his hands tied on his chest.

"Don't you have people under you?" I ask.

"Not any humans or other races. They are either Dragons or they are mixed races with Dragon blood in them. Just like Zanim is. Well, he was. Now he's evolved into a Dragonoid. And he's your kid now." He says.

"My kid..? Anyway, What's the difference between a Dragon Newt and a Dragonoid?" I ask.

"Simply the difference in the amount of dragon blood. He does have human blood in him, but his Dragon blood runs much stronger right now. Maybe from your influence. I haven't seen anomalies like this in all my life. He even has a full human body, and your characteristics affect him too. Those sharp eyes, those sharp teeth, those white hair with colors on their ends, all of them are yours. You are like a mother to them, Velkra. Keep that in mind. You have to take care of them." He says.

"I know that much Vejetar," I say.

"By the way… why don't you try calling me Onii with a … cute face?" he says with hesitation.

"Bleh. Never." I blurt.

"EEh~? Please? I am your big brother you know…" he says with his face close to mine, his eyes watering up.

What a crybaby… I think he might his own circumstances.

"O-O… God damn it! ONII! Is that Okay?!" I say.

"Why so angry… Boo-boo…"

"Shut up okay?" I say.

"Okay."

[Perspective Change: Albart]

I'm a powerless man if I ever sparred with Great Velkra. Her extent of power reaches heights that I simply cannot imagine. She is certainly one of the best things that have happened in my life.

My choice to pledge allegiance to the person who will bring a great change in history and norms in this world was the best one I have made so far. My family felt great about it and they didn't even think hard to agree with my suggestion. That is what happened that night when Great Velkra went to sleep.

After that, came the moment when we received the blessing. The second The Blessing descended, I could feel my heart racing to the point I could not speak. My head was gushing with extreme emotions that I had never experienced before. Maybe those were the emotions Great Velkra was feeling. At that moment, I could feel connected. What exactly does "connected" mean? It's a feeling in your heart, a gateway that you can feel, Lies in your heart.

This gateway is the passage of all emotions, feelings, powers, and everything of whoever is connected to Great Velkra. I can simply feel all of the people that have received Great Velkra's Blessing. Some of them were not human. That does not pose any kind of problem since I love other races and I simply want to live in harmony with the people in this world.

These new people. They are Demons. Not anymore though, since their race might have changed just as ours might have changed. There hasn't been a single case where a change in the race was observed. Either changing races is simply not possible or it could be that it had never happened before since dragons never gave blessings to anyone other than one's related to The Dragon Race. It probably is true since our race changed to [The Dragon Kin] when we received the Blessing.

I was talking about the time when I received the blessing. My hands and every part in my body became numb with a tickling sensation. I cannot exactly describe that feeling but it was like my very skin was changing. My bones tickled too. My whole body I should simply say.

When I woke up, I was surprised to the extent that I ended up punching my face. It was very heart-stopping to see myself back in my Twenties. But I wasn't exactly the same as I was then. My face structure slightly changed. Especially, the shape of my eyes and cheekbones had changed. My eyes had changed too as they turned red and had pupils that Great Velkra had. The pupils that Ferocious Dragons have. Hence the name Dragon Kin. My hair turned white, or should I say silver? Maybe both. They had several colors on their ends. They indicate the number and nature of the elements I possess. I never saw a person who had multiple elements other than Carmine my whole life and here I was with three of them.

One of the most shocking moments I experienced in my life was when I moved the blanket to take a peek at Caryl so I could show her my face if she was awake. But I ended up being the shocked one instead since the beauty I saw in my bed was the Caryl that I last saw years ago. I was so overcome with emotion that I wanted to hug her immediately, but I noticed one more thing. Her belly was much bigger than before. At first, I was worried that we had ended up sleeping for months but that suspicion cleared up soon. The growth had simply taken a fast pace because of the blessing.

Carmine also looks greatly different. Her elements grew much stronger. Felia's hair was still black but she had a special white part in her hair. It looked very good since it was in contrast with her black hair. She was sad at first, seeing that only her hair hadn't completely changed but I told her that it just meant she was special enough to have hair different from everyone and that makes her stand out even more. She calmed down after that.

Lucy was overjoyed to know that her hair color matched Great Velkra's and said that they are truly sisters now. She was jumping around the room in celebration.

It was painful and scary to experience the thing we did In the mansion when something happened to Great Velkra. Another piece of evidence that we are connected to Great Velkra.

I thought it would take a while until things turned hectic but here we are facing the Hero's party. Great Velkra has been running around ever since she came here. She should rest sometimes.

"So you're the one who would be fighting me? I wanted to fight that Bitch over there." He says.

"Keep your vile mouth to yourself, Insolent fool. I can't comprehend why you are The Hero. How do Brinis' People perceive you? I can say for sure that it must be a pretty big coverage to hide your true self from them." I say.

This man here is the incarnation of garbage. This is not an exaggeration but it is simply true. His comment about the Cat-People is the biggest evidence.

Great Velkra's Aura is something not to be messed with. We nearly died back there. To think she would get this close with Felia in such a short time. To the extent that she would be ready to kill for her.

Great Velkra's Brother is like her in many ways. She might not accept it but he does love her. Even if that love is weird in its own way. He has a sister complex. For good reasons I think since I could feel a bit what Great Velkra experienced when she felt his feelings.

"Can you keep up? I think you might end up on my list of people I've killed." He says.

"Hmm… I promise… no. How would Carmine love to say it when she's angry?... I'll be kicking your ass. Pardon my bad language, Vile Man." I say and take a stance.

Right now I am fighting without a sword. The technique that Felia taught me is still far from perfect but it's enough to thrash him up.

"Get ready," I say.

The hero takes out his sword. The sword is known as "The Holy Blade". I can see a scratch on it though. Why is that?

"[Damirus Stance: Rocky Mountain]!" I say out loud.

I open my feet wide and place them in line evenly, one after another. My hand stretched out, my palm facing the Hero, straight in front of me.

[Author's Note: Take Akaza's Stance from Demon Slayer for reference]

One hand near my waist making a fist.

"Better prepare yourself," I say

"Come, Dragon's Dog." He says.

Oooh. That struck my nerve. He'll be pulp when I finish him off.

[Perspective Change: Velkra]

Albart takes a familiar stance. It's familiar because I've seen similar stances in my world. They seem to be exchanging words but I can't really understand them. I can use my skills for that right?

[I can use the distortions in the Mana in the air to decode sound waves.]

Oooh. So sci-fi. Do it.

[What's Sci-Fi?]

Just do it. I'll tell you later.

[Okay…]

"Better prepare yourself." Says Albart.

"Come, Dragon's Dog." Says the Hero.

OOOh. Looks like that hit Albart's nerve. He's gonna beat him up so badly…

[Looks like it.]

Everyone else is about to start fighting too.

[Seems like it]

Albart tilts his body forward a bit then thrusts his feet forward.

[Perspective Change: Albart]

I tilt my body forward and thrust my feet with full force. The thrust sends me through the air, leaving behind a small crater and a shockwave. I disappear from the Hero's vision. But I didn't actually disappear, I am right in front of him. I'm just moving so fast that his eyes cannot keep up.

The moment I get close to his is when he actually reacts.

"You shouldn't underestimate your enemy, Brat," I say in his ear.

I had already gotten close enough to do that.

"What the-?" he says and brings down the sword toward my shoulder.

"Too late, Slowpoke. [Damirus Fist: Striking Iron]!" I say and move my fist toward his stomach.

My fist makes a contact with his hard armor. The armor makes a crack sound and a big crack, the size of my fist appears on his armor. Unfortunately, I couldn't pierce his armor. But that'll eventually happen.

His body gets pushed behind with such force that he falls over his back and rolls one time.

"I feel great beating you up," I say

After this, it'll be just plain bullying to play with him. I better restrain him fast.

"Let's end this Hero. [Rocky Mountain]!" I say and take my stance once again.

"Come at me." He says in a low voice as he gets up.

"KURO, IT IS TIME TO RETURN"

A voice sounds in the sky.

"What the-? What is this Great Velkra?!" I look at Great Velkra and say.

What is this? Why is there a voice of a woman in the sky? It's like…

[Perspective Change: Velkra]

"What is this Great Velkra?!" shouts Albart from afar.

The others didn't get much chance to fight since they were all looking at Albart and the Hero.

Every one of them was ready to run and help their friend.

"What the hell is going on?" says Vejetar, sounding worried.

"I don't know!" I say out loud.

"Mom… I'm scared… It's like the… sound that thing makes." says Anikia.

A woman speaking over the sky. This isn't good. And it's speaking to the Hero?

At this moment, I feel the land vibrating. I look in the direction of the hero and see that he is holding up his sword. His sword glows white. The sword sends a vibration into the ground.

"Albart! Look out!" I shout.

Albart looks back. But it's already late.

"Albart!:

[Perspective change: Albart]

"Ablart! Look out!" I hear Great Velkra shouting in concern.

I turn my head back around and see that the sword was already about to land on my chest.

It glowed with a white shine and vibrated the air in its path.

[KRRRRA!]

The sword comes in contact with my chest, letting out blinding light and making a crackling sound. The sword slashes through and extreme pain resonates through my body. It's as if I am being stung by millions of needles.

"Ah!" I let out a painful cry.

The impact causes a shockwave that sends me soaring through the air backward.

"[Boom]!" I hear a loud boom in the distance.

I look at the source of the sound and see that Great Velkra isn't where she was supposed to be. I look a bit to my left and see that she was about to catch me.

"Damn it…" I say,

[Perspective change: Velkra]

The sword descends on his chest and sends a shockwave through the air as it makes contact with Albart's Chest.

"No-!" I say as I thrust my feet in his direction.

The thrust sends a shockwave through the air and breaks the ground beneath me. Vejetar braces himself firmly so that the shockwave doesn't affect him.

A blinding white light resonates from the sword and a splatter of blood appears in the trajectory where the sword was.

"Ah!" I hear a painful sound from Albart's mouth.

All of this is happening in a matter of microseconds. Albart is sent backward because of the force with blood splatter.

I launched myself from the ground a moment ago. I am about to catch him mid-air.

I stop behind him and open my arms to catch him. Then I put him on the ground with his head on my lap.

"Albart! Say something!" I shout.

"Albart! Look at her!" says Vejetar who comes running.

After a moment, Albart opens his eyes and looks at me.

"Great Velkra.[Cough] I miscalculated… I was careless…" he says.

"Shit! Your chest! What was that?!" I say.

"This is a special skill that I, the Hero has." Says the Hero from far.

This scum!

"Velkra. Don't get angry right now, heal him. Willis and Zanim are coming back too." Says Vejetar.

"Mom. His chest. He's bleeding." Says Anikia.

"Shit! [Eden's Grace]!" I say.

"KURO, COME BACK."

The voice sounds again.

"Who the hell is this? This has never happened before," says Vejetar.

Willis and Zanim are now here too.

"Let's go! Master is telling us to return!" shouts the Hero.

The hero's party regroups and holds hands together.

"He isn't fully healed! Get out of the way guys!" I say as I tell everyone to move out of the way.

If I can't capture them, it's better to have revenge even if I kill one of them.

The Hero's party is right in front of me in the distance. They are now looking at us with smug faces.

"I should've killed him… [Divine Claws]" I say and bring out my sharp claws

"[Shiing]!"

"Velkra? What are you doing?" asks Vejetar.

"Since you won't move your butt I will do it instead," I say and look at the smug scums.

"[DIVINE SLASH]!" I shout.

As the slash travels through space, the Hero's party becomes distorted as they begin to teleport.

A bit of the slash manages to go through while the rest touches nothing as they disappear.

"It managed to go through somehow. I hope it kills one of them." I say.

"Great Velkra… I have failed you…"