The Kai kingdom

Sarcony and Mantle were making no progress. Neither side had any chance of winning as of now.

<<What a pain. Why doesn't he do a single mistake for me to utilize? I do enjoy battles but hate those that prolong more than required.>>

<<Onee sama, why don't you utilize the divine sword skill?>>

<<Using it is out of the question. At least in front of witnesses.>>

<<Onee sama, Luna has fainted from the sheer pressure given off by you both. You are free to use all of your trump cards, go for it.>>

<<Fine. It's not like I have a choice.>>

Sarcony was under a barrage of attacks from the dragon's tail that exhibited exquisite attack forms no inferior to a sword fighting style. Such clever use of the tail made her praise him.

Sarcony imagined her staff to resemble a sword, just like she imagined it to be an arrow earlier. The very atmosphere around Sarcony changed. The dragon, realizing it, instantly withdrew his tail yet experienced a delayed pain that made him roar. His tail was cleanly severed off, leaving a stump.

<What evil sorcery did you now use!? How is a mere Jötunn capable of severing my tail?> The dragon winced in pain as he tried to take distance from her for the first time.

" It is just pure sword art though. " Sarcony shrugged. Her action infuriated and scared the dragon at the same time.

<Wait!? How in the world am I scared? Impossible!!> The dragon himself didn't understand why he feared an opponent he could defeat.

His movements stopped for an instant giving Sarcony an opportunity. ~~Roar~~ One of his wings was cut off, leaving a crisp stump behind.

<You!? What the hell are you!?>

" I am just a tiny forest spirit though " Sarcony gave a sarcastic reply. Her eyes were bloodred without any sign of pupils.

There wasn't a single movement from Sarcony yet his tail and wing have succumbed to her sword. The dragon, surprised by this, strengthened his vision only to be dumbfounded.

A huge sea of swords covering all possible manoeuvres of her sword was present around her, like a cocoon or a chrysalis.

<This is the highest level of swordsmanship. How did you master such a skill?>

The duel once again ended in a stalemate as Sarcony's sword art did give her an edge in combat but,

" This body of yours is fake, isn't it? "

<So you did realize.>

" I'm not a fool to pick a fight with a dragon head-on. You are existence levels above mine, for now. "

<I like your confidence. Why don't you just surrender the weapon made of dragon essence and leave unscathed?>

" You were the one who attacked us without speaking. Why didn't you even enquire the reason for our possession of it? "

<Alright, my bad. There hasn't been a single person capable of overwhelming the sliver of my will bestowed to Luna for her safety since antiquity. So, can you please surrender the weapon and go?>

" No, it was made and bestowed by the water dragon Makara by his own free will. We are not obliged to give it to you even if you are the Dragon Emperor. "

<You are acquainted with Makara!?>

" He is my mother's sister's husband after all. "

<Oh ... Wait!? You're the daughter of that demoness Akshara!? I made a grave mistake. She'll murder me. What should I do to avoid gruesome death?>

" You know mama? "

<How can anyone forget that tyrant? She literally made me bite dust even after I went all out. I wasn't that willing for a dragon, my brother at that, marrying a forest spirit. She made me realize I was wrong the hard way. Anyways, I wonder why you people even came to this remote realm?>

" It is a part of our quest. For now, we need the approval of Mantle-sama, the guardian of the Kai Kingdom to enter the borders. It would be good if you were to throw some information regarding the Statue of Perseverance in as well. "

<Well, permission has already been granted to your team. Also, the Statue of Perseverance, huh? You better not go anywhere near it, girl. It has a dangerous guardian.>

" That is something we will take care of. Just say its location. "

<It is located in the easternmost corner of the kingdom in a cave system, but, shouldn't you end this sea of swords now? Our battle is already over.>

" I still can't control it well. No wonder Uncle Sun barred me from using it. "

Sarcony ended the sea of swords and emerged as a human instead of Jötunn, heavily wounded. Mo'er gathered Sarcony into her arms and descended.

" Where are my teammates? " (Mo'er)

<They were teleported to the entrance of the cave safely. Lily and Sakura managed to defeat their opponents, Mark ended up in a draw, Maria lost with a thin margin. All of them are now sleeping under my magecraft. You'll see them in a bit.>

" Oi, old man, teach my baby sis magecraft. You owe us. If not, I'll tell my mom. " <<Onee sama!!>>

<You!? ~sigh~ She does have a talent for magecraft. But your way of asking is rude.>

" Someone just attacked us straight away without even asking any questions. I have enough discipline to be called a saint in comparison to him. "

The Dragon and Sarcony glared at each other, sparks rising from the confrontation.

<Fine. But I won't do so directly. I'll simply give her a mental space, a kind of magecraft that allows the memories of a person to turn into a pseudo mindspace which those permitted can access. Your team will be the only ones to access it. Rejoice, it is the mental space of the Dragon Emperor.>

" Whatever. "

<You!!>

Mantle grumbled and complained but still made a mental space and linked it to Mo'er's nature core that allowed her team to access it. He then gave them a few of his undamaged scales as a compensation for misunderstanding them, begrudgingly of course.

Sarcony and Mo'er were teleported back to the entrance along with a scroll that granted them permission to enter the kingdom. They swiftly woke their teammates and rode their wolves into the kingdom. Afterall, their wolves were given permission to enter as well.

The Kai kingdom was a snowy paradise to those who loved/ignored cold weather and snow but a icy hellscape to those who are sensitive to cold, Mo'er being one such person.

She was sitting in front of Sarcony, strongly cuddled from behind. Sarcony pushed the cold mist away from the duo, sharing her body warmth and the huge wool blanket she wore.

Maria and Luna were in the same position. Lily, Mark and Sakura rode on their wolves while the wolves belonging to Mo'er and Maria walked on either side of the team like escorts.