The drakes lifted their heads slowly, their nostrils flaring, thick necks turning with weight behind every movement. Their low growls rumbled through the stone, not loud but deep, like distant thunder.
Each breath they exhaled let off a faint shimmer of heat, and their massive forms shifted as if surveying the street, watching, waiting.
Crest stood frozen. His mouth was slightly open. Airi's body had tensed again, not in preparation to fight, but in reaction to something she hadn't fully understood until now. These weren't just monsters.
"They're stronger than the demon you fought with the Crimson Bloom," Bel said calmly. "Even if her authority is above what they can currently use. Power and authority aren't always the same. But I prefer to send something I trust to you."
Crest stared at the beasts, then at Bel. His throat worked before he found words.
"Stronger than her…? Three of them... My god."
