The dragon's shadow loomed over Altleno's broken body.
Smoke curled from its jaws as it lowered its head, claws gouging deep into the ground. Nugst's golden eyes burned with raw hatred as it reached down, talons closing around Altleno's limp form like iron chains.
> "So this is the human who dared disturb my rest,"
the dragon snarled, voice like thunder.
"Pathetic."
Altleno's body hung motionless, blood dripping from his lips. His chest rose and fell—barely.
The dragon lifted him higher, its jaws opening wide. Inside was an inferno ready to consume him whole.
Then—something flickered.
Altleno's fingers twitched. His palm brushed the dragon's scales.
A faint pulse. Then another.
Then, a surge.
The dragon froze.
Something was wrong. Its arm felt heavy, its strength leaking away like water from a cracked vessel.
Glowing veins of crimson began to spread from the point of contact, crawling across its golden scales.
> "W–what… is this?" Nugst rumbled.
Altleno's grip tightened. His eyes snapped open—burning a deep crimson that cut through the smoke. The air warped as black and scarlet aura exploded from his body.
The dragon roared, thrashing wildly, but Altleno's hand clung tighter, buried deep within the creature's scales. The red light spread faster, consuming every inch it touched.
> "Impossible… You're absorbing my essence?!" the dragon howled.
Altleno's wound began to close, his flesh stitching together as if time itself rewound. Blood sizzled off his skin, replaced by glowing lines of power that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Pain. Fire. Power.
All at once.
Altleno screamed, his voice echoing across the mountains. His hair lifted in the storm of energy, fading from gold to a blinding white. His eyes glowed like twin flames.
Nugst, enraged, slammed him into the ground, the impact shaking the valley. Dust and fire erupted everywhere.
The dragon laughed, still proud, still mocking.
> "You fool! A mere taste of my mana will only kill you faster!"
But Altleno did not fall.
He rose — slow, steady, unstoppable.
His aura burned hotter than before, bending the air around him. Without hesitation, he dashed forward — faster than the dragon's eye could follow — and leapt, rising high into the air.
For the first time, the Dragon of Death looked afraid.
His fist crashed into Nugst's jaw with a thunderous crack. The dragon's enormous head snapped to the side, her massive body staggering backward several paces, gouging deep trenches into the earth.
Before she could recover—another punch.
Then a kick.
Then another.
Each strike landed with bone-shaking force, echoing across the shattered valley.
Altleno darted across the dragon's scaled body, using her limbs as footholds, running and striking wherever he could. The size difference was overwhelming—she was a mountain, and he was a spark—but his determination burned brighter than fear.
> I can't stop here… I have to win.
He clenched his fists, channeling every ounce of his aura.
The black-and-scarlet energy swirled around him, thickening until his hands blazed with pure destructive force.
He struck again—one, two, three blows—each one more powerful than the last.
Nugst's scales cracked under the assault, bruises forming on the once-pristine golden hide.
The dragon roared, pain and disbelief twisting her face.
But before Altleno could deliver another blow, Nugst let out a deafening scream.
The shockwave hit like a storm.
Altleno's body was thrown through the air, spinning helplessly before slamming into the ground. The earth cratered beneath him as he rolled several times, dust and blood mixing around him.
He landed on one knee, panting heavily, his body trembling. Blood dripped down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, eyes narrowing at the towering dragon.
> "Tch… I need more power," he muttered, voice hoarse.
"If I don't… I'll die here."
His aura flickered weakly around him. The mana he'd taken earlier was fading fast, too wild and unstable to control.
He glanced at his hands—still trembling, faintly glowing red—and clenched them tight.
> I have to absorb more… but how?
For the first time since his awakening, Altleno hesitated—not from fear, but from uncertainty.
The dragon loomed above, gathering a storm of mana in her throat, while Altleno stood below, desperate to find a way to turn the tide before it consumed him.