WORLD END

The Dragon's Flames

Five minutes after the dragon attack—“Dr. Gyato,” Stella’s urgent voice echoed through the communication link.“Yes, Stella?”There’s been a beast attack at Hunter Registration Base Three in O’Hara. Rookie hunters and town hunters aren’t capable of taking the monster down. They’re barely holding on.”I see what’s going on,” Gyato replied calmly. “ I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”He ended the call and turned toward his daughter.“Baby, I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, be a good girl.”Where are you going, Daddy?” Elizabeth asked, tugging on his sleeve.“Oh, Elizabeth,” Gyato said gently, crouching down to her level. “Daddy’s going to O’Hara to chase away a scary beast that wants to destroy the town.”O’Hara?” Her eyes sparkled. “The town of hunters you mentioned it during bedtime stories? Isn’t that really far away, Daddy? I wanted to visit there too.”Don’t be a naughty girl now,” Gyato said softly. “Listen to Daddy, alright?”Elizabeth puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.“Then I won’t talk to Daddy when he comes back—unless you promise to take me there too.”Gyato sighed, then smiled.“Alright, baby. Daddy promises. After I chase away the beast, I’ll take you there.”Her face lit up instantly.“Okay, Daddy! Be fast!”Sil watched the aftermath of the chaos, his heart still pounding.“That green armored figure…” Sil muttered. “He was incredibly fast. Must be a speed-type ability user. And strong, too—he must have been the one who sent that dragon flying.”In a swampy region on another planet, the dragon came crashing down. Its massive body slammed into the muddy ground with a thunderous BOOM, water and sludge exploding in every direction. The dragon rose slowly, snarling, its black scales steaming.

Embedded deep in its chest was a green spear, piercing even its hardened, dark scales. Thick black blood flowed from the wound.

When the dragon tried to touch the spear, it suddenly glowed faintly green and ripped itself free, retracting as if pulled by an unseen force. The dragon's eyes followed the spear’s path—And saw a small figure clad in green armor sprinting toward it, the spear snapping back into his hand.

Recognizing its attacker, the dragon roared and unleashed a massive torrent of flames, engulfing the swamp in front of it. At the same time, its other head exhaled a thick, green flammable gas, spreading it around its body like a burning wall.

“What the—?”Gyato zigzagged forward in an erratic pattern, narrowly avoiding the first wave of fire as he charged straight toward the beast. Fifteen meters away—The dragon suddenly spread its wings flying up and releasing a small burst of flame. The gas ignited.

BOOOOOOM!

An explosion erupted across a nineteen-meter radius. Gyato tried to escape the blast zone—but wasn’t fast enough.

The explosion tore through his armor, flames and pressure ripping into him and sending him crashing into the burning swamp.

Believing its enemy dead, the dragon was ready to leave the area

Then—Something struck its wing. The impact was overwhelming. One massive wing was severed cleanly and sent crashing into the swamp below, sending the dragon downward.

From within the flames, Gyato stood.“Let’s get this over with,” he shouted. “I’ve got a daughter waiting for me.”Hermes—recall.”The spear flew back into his grip.

Gyato sprinted eighty meters, dragging Hermes along the ground, energy building with every step.“Two massive successes are enough,” he said coldly with a smirk under his mask. “I’ve got all the power I need to wipe you off this planet.”He dashed back toward the fallen dragon and hurled the spear with everything he had. The dragon reacted quickly—twisting its body and exposing its thick, armored back.CLANG!The spear struck but failed to pierce.“Hmph,” Gyato said. “Good instincts. And tough scales you have there —surviving a direct hit from Hermes, good endurance, Gyato praised the beast.”

The spear retracted instantly.“Let’s dance.”Gyato vanished—and reappeared atop the dragon. Flames from one of the beast's heads engulfed him as the dragon-like beast tried to burn him alive, but Gyato ran along its body, stabbing and striking repeatedly. Each impact rang louder than the last.“You overgrown lizard—stay down!”The dragon whipped its tail, releasing a massive wind tornado.

Inside the storm, millions of razor-sharp air blades shredded Gyato from all directions. His armor screamed under the pressure making clanging sounds.

Damage piled up rapidly.“Dr. Gyato,” Stella’s voice crackled. “Your armor’s durability is dropping fast.”“I know,” he replied. “Time to switch things up. This lizard’s got nasty abilities.”Stella—release full energy. Everything this armor has.”…You’re doing this again?”What else does a big, two-headed lizard deserve?” Gyato smirked. “Let’s end it with a bang.

”Hermes glowed violently as Gyato gripped it tightly within the raging tornado. He threw the spear.

The sound was like three tanks firing at once.

Hermes burst through the tornado, growing larger—nearly the size of the dragon’s two heads combined—and pierced straight between them.

The spear curled inward like a coiling drill spinning with intensity. Gyato formed an invisible force beneath his feet, kicked free of the tornado, and punched the base of the massive spear, flooding it with energy. Shockwaves erupted. For a moment, the dragon resisted.

Then Gyato smiled .“Destructive Impact.”Purple energy surged from his body, flooding into Hermes like cracking lightning. The beast scales gave in and shattered. The spear punched through its chest. The beast roared in agony, its scream shaking the sky.“Dr. Gyato—” Don’t worry, Stella,” he said calmly. “It can't go into its rage state. It’s too late for that now.

“Ignite.”Thousands of invisible blades erupted from inside the dragon’s body, slicing it apart from the inside out. Its regeneration couldn’t keep up. In seconds, the beast's massive body collapsed.

Gyato stood before the only remaining intact head, holding the beast’s soul crystal, as big as a football, glowing deep red.

“That took longer than expected gyato said.”A communication channel opened.“Open a portal for me,” Gyato said. “The beast has been defeated .”“Roger that, Doctor,” a hunter on the other line replied. “Opening now—” the operator said, then hesitated. “An error occurred.”The portal failed to form.

Alright then I'll have to use the nearest settlement teleport then, Gyato turned away from the battlefield and began walking toward the distant settlement.

The swamp steamed behind him, still burning in places. Another delay meant another problem— he said, already wasted enough time Elizabeth would be mad. He chuckled softly

Better get going now