This was a building adorned with skulls and demon statues, radiating an ominous aura.
It was a mage guild, but it certainly didn't look like a reputable one.
However, the Magic Council of Ishgar had no jurisdiction over Guiltina, and the Guiltina Council seemed to be rather lax in their duties.
So, despite its bizarre aesthetic, this was indeed a legitimate guild.
And this guild was precisely Drake's destination: Diabolos, a mage guild composed of Dragon Eaters.
A burly man, his face rugged, muscles bulging, and body covered in scars, sat imposingly upon a throne, tearing into a chunk of meat from some unknown beast.
A scantily clad woman entered, saying respectfully: "You called for me, Guild Master?"
The man was none other than Georg Raisen, the guild master of the Dragon Eaters' guild, Diabolos, and a Dragon Slayer of the Four Beast Dragons.
Georg said gruffly: "You're here, Kiria. I've received some information; I want you to check it out and see if it's reliable."
Kiria giggled, "Oh? What kind of information would pique the Guild Master's interest so much?"
Georg grinned, revealing sharp, beast-like teeth, "Need you ask? It's news about a dragon, of course.
I've heard reports of a fire dragon active in the Satoge Mountains. If the information is accurate, it's likely one of the Five Dragon Gods we've been searching for: the Flame Dragon God.
I can hardly wait; I wonder what the flesh of a dragon with the name of a god tastes like!"
The smile on Kiria's face twisted into something feral.
For Dragon Eaters like them, devouring dragons was the path to greater power.
Although the first bite of dragon meat was agonizing, they soon became addicted, unable to resist the allure.
It wasn't so much that they craved the taste, but that they were obsessed with the intoxicating rush of power.
To obtain great power, one had to pay a corresponding price.
So, not only Guild Master Georg, but even she was eager to hunt a dragon.
Thus, Kiria set off quickly, arriving at the reported location the next day.
In the valley, Kiria stared solemnly at the hellish landscape before her.
Perhaps this place had once been covered in lush vegetation, but now there wasn't a single trace of green.
The valley had been scorched black by intense flames, with the core area vitrified into glass.
Even after so many days, Kiria could still feel the scorching heat emanating from the ground.
Kiria could easily imagine what had happened: some entity had hovered directly above the valley, unleashing a torrent of fire onto the center.
The moment the flames touched the ground, they had vaporized all vegetation and melted the earth into crystal. Then, the flames had spread, incinerating the entire valley.
Although she didn't know what had caused this scene, Kiria couldn't imagine anything other than a dragon being capable of such destruction.
Lost in thought, Kiria suddenly heard voices.
"How about that? I told you this plan would work!"
"As expected of Drake-san; someone really did show up!"
Kiria turned around in surprise, spotting a group of people standing in the distance.
Sniffing the air, a twisted smile appeared on Kiria's face as she said, "That scent… you're Dragon Slayers, aren't you? I haven't seen you before; you're not from Guiltina!"
Drake snapped his fingers, "Correct, but there's no prize for guessing!"
Kiria shook her head, "Don't be silly; you are the prize. Let me taste how delicious your dragon power is!"
A flash of white light streaked past, sending Kiria flying backwards.
Sting had been itching for a fight with the Dragon Eaters, and he was further enraged by Kiria's predatory gaze, so he charged at her headfirst.
Drake facepalmed; Sting had already forgotten everything he'd warned him about.
Kiria stumbled back several steps, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes, "Is that all you've got?"
"Then try this!"
Sting, unable to endure such contempt, opened his mouth and unleashed a White Dragon's Roar at Kiria.
Even in the face of Sting's full-power roar, the disdain on Kiria's face didn't diminish in the slightest. She simply raised her arm to intercept the incoming beam.
Then, a horrifying scene unfolded: the beam of light Sting spat out was neatly cleaved in two, the fissure extending towards the astonished Sting.
In the blink of an eye, the beam dissipated, and Sting swallowed hard as he looked at the figure standing before him.
In that split second, Drake had appeared and blocked Kiria's invisible strike before it could hit Sting.
Drake's hand was emitting wisps of white smoke; it was with this hand that he had shattered Kiria's attack!
Kiria's expression changed, first becoming serious, then turning manic.
Kiria was, of course, a Dragon Eater, and the dragon she had devoured was the Blade Dragon. Having obtained the Blade Dragon's power, she possessed the ability to "sever" anything, any tangible object could be cut by her.
But to block her magic with one's bare body… this was the first time she'd encountered such an absurd feat.
Drake waved his hand, saying, "Sting, you should retreat; she's not an opponent you can win against right now."
Sting bit his lip; although he was reluctant, he understood from the previous exchange that Drake was right. He was no match for her.
Kiria didn't attempt to stop him, her gaze fixed intently on Drake, "Hey, what's your name?"
Drake replied politely, "I haven't introduced myself yet; I'm Drake. Let's try to get along, shall we?"
Drake was genuinely interested in "getting along" with Kiria, as she was a valuable research specimen.
Kiria seemed to sense his intentions from his gaze, which was no different from her viewing him as food.
And that angered her, causing her to lunge fiercely at Drake.
"Get along? I'd rather turn you into my pet! Let me sever your 'strength'!"
Their eyes met, and Kiria swung her arm at Drake. But there was no sharp, blade-like attack; it was as if she was simply waving her hand.
But that wasn't because the magic had failed; Kiria had a twisted hobby of turning strong individuals into weaklings, and then keeping them as pets.
This magic worked through her eyes, severing the "strength" within the target's heart, thus fulfilling Kiria's depraved desires.
Drake's expression remained unchanged, and he sent Kiria flying with a kick.
This magic, while utilizing the Blade Dragon's power of severance, was essentially just hypnosis.
And the weakness of hypnosis was understanding; once one understood the principle, they could become immune to it.
As luck would have it, Drake met that condition, so Kiria didn't even have a chance to gloat.
Her magic having failed, Kiria was enraged and, without thinking about why her magic hadn't worked, launched another attack.
"Blade Dragon's Double Sever!"
Kiria's arms transformed into razor-sharp blades, and she unleashed a two-pronged strike at Drake without hesitation.
Drake twisted his body, slipping through the gap between the two strikes, then delivered a punch straight towards Kiria.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Kiria didn't evade, instead choosing to meet Drake's attack head-on!
"There's nothing I can't sever! Blade Dragon's Overlord Sword!"
The punch and the blades collided, the ground erupting as the earth was pulverized by the combined force of the flames and the blades.
The madness in Kiria's eyes vanished, because she saw Drake pass through the aftershock of the clash, his fist hurtling towards her.
__________________
for more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.
"Schedule"
Monday - Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day
Saturday - Sunday - Off