Alliance

As Ryuu spoke, he released a burst of undeniable aura that briefly clashed with Ais' own. But he quickly stopped, not wanting to escalate the situation into a fight. His message was clear: what Ais was doing was unwise and self-destructive. Ryuu understood firsthand the danger of such burning anger, as he had once struggled with similar feelings. Though, he had nearly got himself killed in his pursuit of revenge.

At his words, her golden eyes that were slowly losing their luster returned to clarity as she gazed at him briefly. Deep within his blue eyes, Ais could discern something as she bit her lip in frustration.

Before she could reply, though, Ryuu continued his words as his gaze grew icier by the second.

"If you want to seek proper revenge, you should first focus on building trust with your companions and strengthening your own abilities. Train yourself to remain calm and focused, even if you were to encounter the Black Dragon at this moment. When you have mastered your powers and reached the peak of this world, ask your companions to help you plan a strategy to restrict the Dragon's movements. As it dared to kill your parents and spare you, you should make it properly suffer. Begin by slowly stripping away its scales and using your wind abilities to cut off its limbs. As a Dragon myself, I would be happy to advise you on the most effective ways to make it beg for you to kill it."

Ryuu spoke these words with conviction, a somewhat demonic smile appearing on his face that showed all his sharp teeth, as he had no loyalty to the idea of fellowship among Dragons. In his view, the One-Eyed Black Dragon was a mortal enemy of humankind and one of the Three Great Disasters. He saw no reason to extend any kind of assistance to such a dangerous being. Instead, he preferred to position himself as a Hero by proudly defeating the Dragon, a task that would bring him endless benefits and a new level of safety to this world…

Ryuu's words caused Ais Wallenstein to shudder, but after careful consideration, she realized that he was right. If she were to face the One-Eyed Black Dragon in her current state of mind, her anger would cloud her judgment and compromise her ability to fight effectively. She knew from her training that allowing emotions to dictate one's actions in battle could have disastrous consequences. If she were to die because of her own reckless behavior, not only would it be a great loss to her Familia, but she would also be unable to face her deceased parents with honor in the afterlife.

Agreeing with him, Ais felt something change within her, though she couldn't understand precisely what that was...

As he saw her nodding in understanding, Ryuu knew he accomplished what he had to do.

"Excellent, it seems you understand my point. From now on, let us not be enemies, but rather allies with a shared goal. As a member of the Dragon race, I cannot allow such a nuisance to tarnish the reputation of my kin."

Acting as if he was the most righteous man on this world, he extended a hand as a gesture of friendship. The implications of his words would at a later time be the cause of death for a certain ancient monster that was now slumbering…

"... I agree. Let's fight...and kill it."

Despite the anger that still lingered within her at the thought of the monster, Ais was determined to follow Ryuu's advice. She knew she needed to be in control of her emotions in order to strike the decisive blow and end the monster's life, that would also bring her more satisfaction than simply finding herself with a dead monster beneath her…

Ais extended her own hand to shake Ryuu's, noticing that his hand was much warmer than hers. However, she did not react in any special way, as she only saw him as a valuable ally due to his abilities and race.

She was inwardly surprised to find that she did not feel uncomfortable around Ryuu. Despite being of the same race, he was vastly different from the monster that had caused her so much pain. Ryuu did not have a desire to harm others indiscriminately, and he cared deeply for his loved ones, unlike the monster who only sought destruction and annihilation…

Ryuu found it difficult to understand what was going through Ais' mind, as her expressions were always so blank and unreadable. This led him to suspect that she must have lost her parents at a very young age, causing her to be emotionally scarred. He had never seen her express any joy, and her hands were always cold, as if she were an empty shell…

Ryuu sighed at the thought and then chose to push it aside. He was not interested in addressing Ais' inner turmoil, as not only could he not do it, he was also not that close with her to care about such a thing.

In his mind, Ais Wallenstein had once been his worst enemy, but in a matter of days, she was now a valuable ally that he could conveniently rely on as one day they would fight for the same purpose.

Overall, Ryuu saw the current situation as being extremely beneficial to him. He had merely promised to help Ais deal with the One-Eyed Black Dragon in the future, a task that he believed would be easy for him due to his bloodline suppression and his growing power. In a few years, he could potentially rival even Gods themselves, so what could a little Ancient Monster do to him when he reached such an abstruse stage?

As many thoughts swirled through Ryuu's mind, he and Ais reached an agreement that left both parties extremely satisfied.

They then went to where Finn was waiting, but Ryuu immediately noticed a familiar aura that caused him to ignore Finn completely. His face broke into a smile as he saw the woman he sometimes couldn't help but think about.

The woman in question, Tiona, also paid no attention to anyone else as she returned Ryuu's smile with one of her own. The two engaged in a wordless conversation and quickly abandoned their respective positions to talk privately.

"I did as you said, Tiona. Although I regret the situation ended so easily, we did not have the proper time to fight."

Ryuu's words were a clear challenge to Tiona, whose smile deepened in response. He knew that she was deeply interested in fighting him, a feeling that he reciprocated. He could feel the waves of power emanating from her and knew that her aura was the complete opposite of Ais'. While Ais had a calm aura, as if she were still as a lake, Tiona's was chaotic and Ryuu couldn't even tell how she was holding back the urge to attack him right then and there…

In fact, Ryuu was right. Tiona was holding back because she had been told that Ryuu had to help her Goddess with something important and couldn't waste too much time. But she also wanted to talk to him, so she followed him and listened to his words.

Tiona wished she could follow her instincts, but she managed to resist the desire as she furiously bit her lip.

"We will fight. Soon, we will."

These words, which were more for Tiona's own heart than for Ryuu, helped calm her down a bit as she exhaled deeply. Both knew that they couldn't continue the conversation for too long. So, Ryuu chose to end it with some bold action as he closed the distance between them and whispered in Tiona's ear, their bodies separated by mere inches as the tension in the air grew to abnormal levels.

"Let's spar for as many times as we want, Tiona. In the end, there will come a time when you will be defeated. Be ready, I will not allow you to look at any other man with such a gaze."

He somewhat arrogantly proclaimed, as he was too interested in her to let her go.

Such words made Tiona's entire body tremble as, coupled with the abysmal distance between them, was enough for her composure to almost shatter, though before she could reply, she saw him disappearing in the blink of an eye, such an action stimulating her even more as he was already close to Finn.

The Pallum raised an eyebrow at Ryuu's impressive speed, but said nothing as he waited for him to speak.

"Let us go to your Familia's mansion. It's time for me to agree to your request, Finn Deimne. Also, do not forget the additional rewards, while I deal with your Goddess, please prepare them."

He added this request without any shame, as he was ready to fully bring the Loki Familia to his side. With their support, Ryuu would be a force that no other Familia in Orario would dare to offend…