chapter 45

"I should have put him to sleep with a magic potion and kept him from ever leaving me. At least then he wouldn't be getting swallowed by a demon dragon," Medea thought, her eyes vacant as she watched the enchanted dragon leisurely crawl toward the tree where the Golden Fleece hung.

Medusa, noticing Medea's distress, glared coldly at the dragon. Her purple hair began to move as if alive, loosening the chains around Medea and causing her form to grow larger.

"Wait, Medusa! If you take one step forward, the dragon will react violently," Medea muttered, her voice trembling.

The previously relaxed demon dragon suddenly felt a chill sweep across its body. Instinctively, it spread its wings and stubbornly stared at the transformed Medusa.

"Roar!!!!"

For the first time, the demon dragon sensed a true threat. It opened its mouth, and scalding dragon breath began to gather in its throat, ready to spew at any moment.

"You dare...!" Medusa's purple, snake-like pupils shrank mercilessly, and an unusual gleam spread from her eyes.

I must kill her!

Just as the demon dragon prepared to unleash its fiery breath on Medusa, a sudden wave of blood surged up its nose, extinguishing the fatal breath. Pain began in its throat and quickly spread to its heart as if something sharp was slicing through its flesh.

It's that human!

"Bang ——-"

The stabbing pain made the demon dragon's limbs go weak. Its wings could no longer support its massive body, and it crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.

"Huh?" Medea blinked in confusion.

Now deflated like a balloon, Medusa shrank back to her original size, her hair falling limply over her shoulders.

Why is that human capable of enduring the dragon breath from inside my body?

The demon dragon writhed on the ground in pain, its sharp claws scratching at its own chest scales, but the pain in its heart only intensified.

"Feeling shocked, aren't you?"

Standing before the dragon's enormous heart, Cyd clenched a shattered scale in his hand. "But it's too bad. You never considered me a true enemy, so your defeat was inevitable!"

Cyd licked the blood from the corner of his lips and began pounding on the dragon's heart with the scale.

"The beating of your heart is too noisy. Let's shut it down!"

The demon dragon howled as more blood spilled from its mouth. Despite its powerful body, it had no means of defending against this internal attack.

Bright red blood gushed from the wound in its heart, spraying over Cyd. He loosened his grip momentarily before using the scale to cut into the dragon's blood vessels, the dirty blood crashing over him like a tide.

"Do not underestimate humans!"

Cyd clenched his teeth, digging into the wound with his hands and biting directly into the edge of the wound. Without a weapon? Then use nails! Use teeth! Attack with every part of the body!

As long as the heart was destroyed, no creature could survive without immortality.

The demon dragon's survival instincts roared to life, and it desperately tried to heal. Its blood vessels began to weave together, regenerating at an incredible speed. The gaping hole Cyd had bitten began to close, and the powerful heart resumed its forceful beating, its boiling blood splashing against Cyd's body.

"Regeneration?" Cyd supported himself within the heart cavity. He deftly maneuvered his body to stay lodged in the half-healed wound.

"Let's see who prevails first!"

The battle for survival commenced in earnest. Would the demon dragon's regenerative abilities outlast Cyd's relentless assault, or would Cyd's determination bring about its end?

Ares watched, his eyes gleaming with excitement, as the scene unfolded in the blood-filled basin. Despite the blood obscuring Cyd's form, his resolve was clear. He was tearing and biting at the dragon's heart with unyielding ferocity.

Artemis covered her face near the basin. As willful as ever, she had not wanted Cyd to turn into this savage state.

Athena furrowed her brow slightly. This fight was not what she had anticipated. At this moment, Cyd resembled a bloodthirsty wild animal more than a human.

"Yes, scream, devour, and then claim victory!" Ares's face was flushed as he reached toward the basin. "In true war, all tactics fall away. Only the confrontation of blood and blood remains!"

"Are you satisfied?" Athena asked, somewhat surprised but feeling a natural affinity to the scene.

"~ I am very satisfied," Ares replied, removing the armor from his right arm to reveal a scar-covered limb. "It's been a long time since I've seen such a fight."

"Are you going to bless him, Ares?" Artemis lifted her head.

Ares bent over the basin in silence, his right arm reaching out as if to touch Cyd's face.

"I am the God of War, and I will only bless him in my domain."

"Apollo granted him the Power of the Sun, Hermes gave him the Blessing of the Undeceived, and Poseidon offered him the Protection of the Sea. But I, as the incarnation of war, can give only one blessing!"

Athena's eyes widened in realization.

Ares smiled as he spoke.

"From today onward."

"Your wars will never suffer defeat."

In the midst of the bloodshed, the bracer on Cyd's left hand emitted a dazzling light. Thirteen crystals shone brightly, their blood-red color extending from the bracer, covering his left arm and climbing up to his face in an instant.

"I..."

Cyd swung his left hand, passing through the dragon's heart atrium. The giant wound was torn open even wider.

"Will not be defeated!"

The demon dragon wailed and fell. Its heart was torn apart. Though its brain had not yet died, it could feel the human inside it still gnawing at its heart.

"Did it die?" Medea asked anxiously, holding Medusa's arm.

"Yes, it has died," Medusa replied, her eyes narrowing as she observed the demon dragon's lifeless gaze.

"———" A blood-red hand extended from the demon dragon's chest, the white jade bracer gleaming under the sun's rays, turning the blood into a mist.

"Quickly, go!" The sight of the bracer made Medea jump with excitement, pulling Medusa as she rushed forward.

This time, Medusa did not stop her.

With a sound like a splitting watermelon, Cyd's upper body emerged. His blood evaporated instantly in the sunlight, and his blood-colored hair turned pure white.

Cyd looked at Medea, who was excitedly running towards him and raised a hand.

"Stop."

The cold, emotionless command made Medea's face stiffen, halting her steps.

"Right now, I..."

Cyd gestured to his naked upper body.

"...am not wearing anything!"