A Mere Dragon

Once they left the city, it was an even quicker journey to the base of the mountains as the air got colder and colder the closer they got. Arthur could see the steep paths that led directly into the mountains, indicating the dangerous paths ahead. 

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea to go inside so unprepared. I have been into these mountains a few times, not too deep, but each time, something unexpected happens. You need to be better prepared." Lily states with a pleading tone. 

"No need. This will be fun and interesting." Arthur replies with a carefree and confident look apparent on his face as he still bravely steps forth. 

"Fun and interesting, he says. Fun and interesting. That terrifies me more than the mountains." Lily mutters under her breath as she begrudgingly follows behind Arthur, who is now traveling much slower, so she doesn't have a hard time keeping up. 

They soon enter the mountains on one of the various beaten paths, as they already begin to hear the howls of beasts and feel the pelting wind that gets harsher and harsher the deeper they go. 

Hours pass as they get deeper and deeper into the mountains. No longer able to see anything but the mountain region that they find themselves in. Yet, still, nothing has happened in the journey thus far. Just simple traveling. 

"This is weird. I don't understand." Lily states as she looks around while walking with a confused and scrunched-up face as if pondering life's greatest questions. 

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Arthur casually asks back as he continues forward as if he is just taking a stroll through a garden. 

"Er, well, something, anything should have happened by now. These mountains are infested and crawling with all kinds of dangerous monsters and beasts. Yet, we haven't even seen so much as an insect. It is just weird." Lily says as she looks around, waiting for something to just pop out at any moment. Her tails constantly swishing left and right in anxiousness. 

"Oh, that, well, they are just afraid. It happens in most areas I go through. Since they are smart enough to recognize a predator, I grace them with their lives and leave them alone." Arthur stops for a moment to ponder and then nods and states as if he just said the obvious. 

"Eh? Afraid? Of you, but why? I have never heard of wild monsters or beasts being afraid before. Usually, they attack anything on sight." Lily says back. 

"Like I said, they acknowledge me as a superior monster. They don't see me the same as you. It's probably because my aura itself is no different from a beast or monster. Just like weaker monsters won't invade the territory of a stronger monster. In my case, they felt me passing through their places, so they just lay down and, well, play dead until I leave." Arthur replies. 

"That-what? How does that make sense? Aura of a beast? How come I don't feel anything like that, except that you are very strong?" Lily asks as her face becomes even more confused, looking a little cute. 

"It is more of an instinct thing. Looks like the beast senses of your kind has dwindled." Arthur states back. 

"Hey, I take offense to that! And well, we don't live like beasts anymore like our ancestors. We had to change our ways to be able to be accepted amongst the other races. At least, that is what my parent always told me about our history. Well, anyway, I guess it is a good thing that we aren't being attacked. I wonder how far we will reach." Lily says. 

"Hoh, so it was that kind of history." Arthur mutters in thought before he stops and looks towards the sky. "You spoke too soon." He states. 

"Huh, what do you mean? Ehhhhhhhhh?!" Lily questions at first before she hears the loud roar of a dragon that is soon seen flapping its wings in their direction. "A DRAGON?!" 

"You're so surprised? Are they not common?" Arthur asks back in confusion, not even paying attention to the dragon itself. 

"Of course! Dragons are amongst the strongest of the monster species! Even the weakest child dragons are as strong as S-ranked adventurers. There are even dragons that have reached the divine beast rank, known as Dragon Lords. They are rarely ever seen this close to mountains edge." She nearly yells out as she is already shaking in her clothes in fear, as she can already tell that this dragon is way stronger than her. 

"A dragon lord, eh? I hope to meet one. That should prove fun. Divine beasts, I have yet to fight one, I wonder how they compare to a God?" Arthur mutters under his breath as the dragon arrives above them, flapping its wings, creating strong air currents that nearly blow Lily away if Arthur didn't catch her. 

"Nononononononono! I do not hear anything you are saying! It has to be nonsense. Yes, you are mad. Absolutely mad. And so am I for following you. Ah, death, it beckons me." Lily begins to go crazy and mutters wildly. 

"Hmm, hold on tight. This lizard is being rude, so I will end it quickly." Arthur says as he positions Lily on his back, having her arms hold around his neck like she is a backpack. 

Ignoring any of her senseless muttering and ramblings, he instantly jumps up straight into the sky. And straight into the dragon. 

A crater is left on the ground from where he jumped, and he then appears above the dragon, looking down on it. The dragon, still in mid-roar, just blankly looks at its underneath to see a large hole in the center of its body that blood is pouring out of. 

Arthur, above, looks straight down on it as he can peer straight through the hole, as it is much bigger in size compared to his own body. He had used his hand like a spear to completely obliterate the middle of the dragon. 

And then it simply falls down, thudding onto the ground. The dragon gives one last look into the sky up at Arthur before closing them as it succumbs to death. 

"Hmm, was it too weak, or am I too strong? It didn't feel as strong as the final six I fought in that realm. But its aura was similar. Maybe there are different tiers of strength amongst the SS-rank?" Arthur mutters aloud as he begins to fall from the sky. 

"Uhm, when will the fight begin?" Lily asks with her face buried into Arthur's back, not realizing what has happened.