Chapter 63: Release the Dragon Aura—Goddess, It's All Up to You!
They say that two flowers blooming on the same branch will always blossom in different directions.
Meanwhile, far from the battlefield, Akira had returned to the city of Orario.
His Psychic Force ability was incredibly practical—among its many advantages, the most obvious was the power of flight. High-speed movement over long distances? Absolutely priceless in situations like this.
Wasting no time, he headed straight for Babel Tower, ascended via the lift, and walked toward a very familiar door.
Without knocking, he pushed it open.
Bang—
The sound of the door slamming shut startled the red-haired goddess inside.
Hephaestus had felt that massive explosion and the sudden surge of magic power from earlier. She didn't know what had happened—but a bad feeling had gripped her heart ever since.
And now… that door. Only one person in all of Orario had a key to this home.
Only one person could come and go like this.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps hurried toward the entrance. Hephaestus appeared in the doorway, only to find a figure standing there—dusty, ragged, and visibly forcing himself to stay upright.
"…Hephaestus. I'm home," Akira said, offering a weak smile as their eyes met.
His pale face looked utterly drained, and yet he still smiled for her.
Hephaestus froze in place.
"Akira, are you—are you okay?!"
"I'm fine... just a little tired. I just need to rest for a bit—"
But he never finished the sentence.
His body crumpled forward.
For all this time, he had pushed himself to stay conscious—to keep walking on sheer willpower alone.
But the moment he returned here…
The moment he saw her face…
That last thread of tension finally snapped.
All of the exhaustion, all of the weight he'd carried, came crashing down in an instant.
"Hey—Akira!!"
Hephaestus lunged forward, catching him just before he collapsed to the floor.
The moment she touched him, she could feel it—his entire body was stiff and cold. Overworked. Overused.
And damaged.
Parts of his body showed signs of internal strain, almost like something had been tearing him apart from the inside.
Suddenly, a shimmering emerald jewel appeared on the back of Akira's hand, glowing softly. A voice echoed from within it.
『Lady Hephaestus~』
"So, you're the dragon soul residing in his sacred gear? If I recall… Akira once called you the Red Dragon Emperor, didn't he?"
『It is a great honor that the Goddess Hephaestus remembers me.』
"…That explosion earlier. I assume Akira was involved?"
『Correct. Goddess Freya attempted to forcefully claim Shin Akira as her own. However, Shin Akira refused her—he said his heart already belonged to another goddess. A battle broke out. He faced off against a man named Ottar and used the Forbidden Move of the Boosted Gear to nearly defeat him.』
"What?! Freya? And Ottar?!"
Ddraig's words made Hephaestus's eyes blaze.
She knew Freya. Of course she did.
One ruled over the strongest adventurer familia in all of Orario. The other—herself—led the greatest familia of smiths and craftsmen.
They had dealings. They had a history.
In fact, Freya and Hephaestus were generally on good terms. Despite their differences, mutual respect had always existed between them.
But now... now Freya had gone too far.
She tried to take Akira away.
The one man who had never flinched at her face, who had shown her affection—who had embraced her for who she truly was.
The one man who had seen her.
That was not something she could ignore.
"Well, well, Freya... You always did enjoy seducing others into your grasp. I didn't care before—as long as you kept your hands off mine. But now…"
For the first time in years, true fury ignited in Hephaestus's heart.
If her divine powers weren't sealed, she would've grabbed her forging hammer and marched right into Freya's domain.
Don't forget—Hephaestus might be the Goddess of the Forge… but she was also a Goddess of Flame. And when angered, fire burns.
Freya might be the Goddess of Beauty and Love, but her strength in combat was negligible. Her true power was charm—a dangerous enchantment that could bring even mighty warriors to their knees.
But Hephaestus… was a goddess too. Freya's charm had no effect on her.
"…You didn't come out just to rant about what happened, did you?"
『Correct. Boosted Gear is a dragon-type Sacred Gear—crafted from my body back when I was still alive. As such, its user… Shin Akira… constantly emits Dragon Aura as a result of our bond.』
"Dragon Aura...? You mean like… the breath of a dragon? What about it?"
『Ordinarily, it's harmless. However… in the previous battle, he pushed his body far beyond its limits. His physical form is nearing collapse. On top of that, an excess of Dragon Aura has built up inside him. He's at his breaking point.』
"…So if the Dragon Aura isn't released…"
『His body will rupture. From the inside out. A violent overload.』
Hephaestus's face turned pale as she looked down at the man in her arms. She didn't doubt Ddraig's words—not for a second. She could feel it too. That overwhelming energy inside him… it was unnatural. Dangerous.
"Then… how do I get rid of it? How do we release the Dragon Aura?"
Her voice trembled slightly. If they were in the divine realm, she'd have thousands of tools at her disposal. But here… with her powers sealed… she was helpless.
『The best way to release Dragon Aura… is to let it out.』
"…Let it out? What do you mean?"
『Exactly what you're thinking, Goddess.』
"Wh—?!"
She froze.
Her face flushed red.
Let it out? From a man? That phrase… had so many implications.
"I don't have time for your nonsense! This is serious!"
『I am being serious. There is no other option. If you cannot assist him… then I will simply find a new host.』
And just like that, the voice vanished. The jewel on Akira's hand flickered and disappeared.
Now, only silence remained.
Hephaestus stared down at Akira—her mind a whirlpool of panic and confusion.
If she could, she would drag that damned dragon spirit out of the gem and beat him into a molten pulp.
Seriously… how did it come to this?
A goddess like her… releasing something from a man?
She had no idea where to even begin!
And yet… this wasn't just some flirtation. This was real. This was life and death.
For the first time in her divine existence, Hephaestus found herself torn between instinct and embarrassment—a fierce battle between her divine will and the flustered, emotional heart of a woman who had never done this sort of thing before.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 135+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
✅ Be among the first readers to experience Arc 3 and the new season before anyone else!
📖 The first chapter of Arc 3 is now live!
You can read it right now on Patreon~
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Thank you all so much for your amazing support 💖
Your encouragement keeps this story alive and growing stronger every single day! 🌟
And for those who prefer reading offline…
You can now download Vol 1 and Vol 2 directly from:
🔗 Patreon — patreon.com/FaaanzKun
🔗 Ko-Fi — ko-fi.com/faaanzkun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —